There is absolutely nothing wrong with Toby's stance that's asking for the lifting of discriminatory practices that many state wildlife governing bodies currently practices. These states fail to match their traditional-only ML hunting season with a Modern ML-only hunting season.
Why should only one style of ML or component be allowed -- yet the other be entirely shunned? Separating seasons is fine with me. But states like Pennsylvania should have a ML season that prohibts traditional flintlocks. Colorado should have a season that prohibits #11 caps and conicals. Now that would erase the present discriminatory practice in Pennsylvania & Colorado.... just to name two states out of several who are not serving it's ML-purchaser requests fairly,
I can't buy this. State game agencies place all kinds of restrictions on weaponry, and it's not discrimination, it's regulation. Game agencies aren't only charged with representing their citizens, they're charged with protecting a resource, and if you take a state like Colorado it's a resource that has a lot of pressure on it from hunters all over the country. Don't even begin to try and make some kind of argument that you know better than the Colorado DOW how to best protect the resource while also maximizing the opportunity for hunters.
By your logic, if I want to use a crossbow (illegal during the archery season in Colorado) during the archery season, the state needs to set aside a special season for me so I'm not discriminated against. I look at it differently--If I want to hunt during archery season I won't whine about discrimination, but I will get a bow that's legal in Colorado.
Anybody here ever talked to the Colorado DOW about their Muzzleloader regulations and how they came to be? I have.
The special early seasons were developed to provide expanded recreational opportunities for hunters using weapons that put them at a disadvantage compared to modern rifles. The DOW solicited and received a lot of input from hunters when they developed the regs, and they arrived at a compromise wherein in-lines were allowed (to maximize hunter opportunities) but scopes, sabots, and smokeless powder were judged to tip the scales too far to the advantage of the hunter, given the fact that the special ML seasons are during the elk rut, which is a huge advantage for hunters. Hunters with centerfire rifles can't generally hunt during the rut, by the way. So scopes, sabots, and smokeless were banned.
There's no discrimination, and there's no "only one style of ML or component being allowed -- yet the other is entirely shunned." You can use your in-line in Colorado, just leave the scope, sabots, and smokeless powder at home in accordance with our regulations. And if you want to hunt with your scoped, smokeless powder, sabot-shooting rifle, you can do that too--during the general firearms season.
And if you don't like those regulations, there are plenty of other places to hunt so no one is denying a "right" or discriminating here.
If I wanted to hunt in Pennsylvania, I'd respect their regulations and get a flint lock, not whine about being discriminated against.
