Just a question but what is the purpose of seperate muzzleloader and Bow Seasons?

Is it to spread hunting pressure or to offer better seasons for people who want to work harder?

Bow season doesn't generally require you wear blaze orange due to the limited range of and arrow. Muzzleloaders on the other hand.....Well that is what I think.

mickey I can only reply concerning my own state, Texas, which is sort of unique in that there is almost no public land relatively speaking.
Texas does not have a separate archery and muzzleloader season. Muzzleloaders hunt in general season just like every other gun hunter. We do have a pot full of special seasons however, youth, antlerless and spike only, late antless and spike, doe days etc etc.
The information I am relaying here was told to me on the qt by a man who was on the Texas P&W board. They are appointed by the govenor to oversee and set policy for the Parks & Wildlife.
The pressure is on the dept to provide as much hunting opportunity for the public as possible. Sometimes the pressure is so great that biologic/sound managment concerns are overridden in the interest of providing more opportunity. Balance this with charging what the traffic will bear in the way of license fees, special tags and permits etc.
Archery hunters, (this may apply in your case) are eager to go and spend money but don't want to share the ground with those who have an advantage over them. They want to do their sneak without competition from gun hunters.
The same may apply to muzzleloader hunters, I don't know for sure, but there may have been enough pressure from the muzzleloader hunters to force your game dept to give them a special season. Primitive weapons hunters are a smaller segment of the hunting population and do not take as many animals as the modern hunters because there are less of them, but still a substantial number, and their mode of hunting yields less kills. Their money is green however.
Don't forget that the purpose of Game departments is to produce as much revenue as possible for the state, hopefully in accordance with sound managment practices. So if they can generate more income by giving two seasons and not wreck the game population because archers and muzzleloaders are not going to take that many animals anyway why not? Modern hunters are going to hunt and spend money anyway even if the archers and muzzleloaders get a separate crack at the game. See the thinking here. More money for the state, about the same number of animals taken. The customers are happy because they have their wishes catered to. Only the modern hunters; who are not going to refuse to hunt because primitive hunters are allowed to hunt separate, may grumble but are still going to spend their money.

BCR

The reason I ask this question is that here, in Washington, we have seperate seasons for each. Bow only, Muzzleloader only and everything together.

The seperate seasons were originally sold as allowing those who would use primitive weapons a special time where they would not be bothered by rifle hunters. The catch word is primitive weapons. Now we have compound bows, inline muzzleloaders etc etc. Hardly primitive and in some cases as good as a centerfire rifle. Seems at odds with the original intent.

I think that the Camel has followed his nose into the tent. At least you can't use scopes, yet.

I would like to hear justification, if it is possible, on how compound Bows,Laser rangefinders, inline muzzleloaders are to be considered primitive. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

mickey,

What kind of "powder" do you use?

Powder?

As in Black Powder? I think they can use Pyrodex, BP or any other similiar one. Just as long as the powder and the bullet go in the front.

mickey,


Pyrodex. That's the one Davey Crockett and Daniel Boone used, isn't it?

Good question. I think it's to sell stuff. It started out differently, but you hardly see any replica or traditional stuff being used anymore. Personally, I think we don't need special seasons for compound bows and in-line Pyrodex-pellet sabot-bullet shooters.

I still take a deer with my traditional 50 cal. percussion rifle shooting black powder and patched round ball every season, but I do it during the regular rifle season. My reasons for using that type of firearm have nothing to do with "getting a jump on the other hunters".