No more antediluvian than Maryland game laws. In the eastern 2/3 of the state (where it is relatively flat), 80% of the land may be hunted only with shotguns or muzzle loaders- don't even think about a handgun or handgun cartridge in a rifle. You see some pretty tricked-out shotguns and ML's being carried- guns that'll put a high velocity slug or sabot into 4" at 200 yards. Since they are perfectly legal, it makes my head hurt to ponder why stuff like .30-30's, .44 Mags, .357 Maximums, et al aren't allowed when a lot of those shotgun and inline ML loads are a lot more formidable. Add to that the bus loads of macho maniacs who arm themselves with the most powerful legal arms possible (which kick like an Army mule) and who then shy away from practicing with their fearsome guns and/or develop nasty flinches. The end result is lots of projectiles skittering willy-nilly across the landscape. Just about everybody I know who lives on the Eastern Shore has a horror story to tell about projectiles slapping into their house/barns/cars/etc.
The irony is that one is allowed to use any kind of centerfire rifle cartridge when varmint hunting the other 50 weeks out of the year on the same land. I never figured out the rationale for all of those regulations.
Thank god they allow any centerfire .22 and up that generates over 1200ft.lbs. muzzle energy in the western 1/3 of the state, plus .44 and larger handguns with 6" or longer barrels generating minimum 600+ ft.lbs. at the muzzle. Guess where I head to in deer season.
In some respects Hoosiers are better off than they think.
Last edited by gnoahhh; 04/04/16.
