Minnesota rifle zone update

[CJ6]

Minnesota recently passed the Statewide rifle regulation for 2026. I've been following this because the State is allowing counties to "opt out " and keep the shotgun/pistol zones intact if they chose. I'm happy to say our county ( Mower) will be rifle.....
Talking with the County Commissioners several neighboring counties have been asking which way they were going and I'm hoping they will follow suit.

 

[jplahr]

I hunt in Carver country and It looks like they will bring this up at the March 10 meeting. I shot trap with one of the commissioners and he is all for allowing the rifle to be used. I can only hope as I don't like hunting with a shotgun. I use the Savage 220 20ga. with a Leupold 3.5x10, but the 265gr slug is not the same as a rifle bullet.

 

[Leo_B]

Other than control and bans, what is the demented logic behind this?

 

[Adam in WI]

Other than control and bans, what is the demented logic behind this?

The misguided notion that a slug is less dangerous than a bullet if it fails to meet its target.

 

[CJ6]

Other than control and bans, what is the demented logic behind this?

It's actually a REPEAL of an act from the late 30s early 40s that the DNR placed to reduce the amount of deer harvested because of low numbers .

 

[CJ6]

I hunt in Carver country and It looks like they will bring this up at the March 10 meeting. I shot trap with one of the commissioners and he is all for allowing the rifle to be used. I can only hope as I don't like hunting with a shotgun. I use the Savage 220 20ga. with a Leupold 3.5x10, but the 265gr slug is not the same as a rifle bullet.

That's what my daughter uses, except Leup 4.5x14.

Freeborn County (neighboring County) is having their vote in a couple weeks too.
I hope they also go with the Statewide rifle because the farm we hunt is in both Mower and Freeborn counties.

 

[timeout]

The misguided notion that a slug is less dangerous than a bullet if it fails to meet its target.

Misguided notion is correct. Nothing bounces around of the ground worse than those shotgun slugs. We dealt with that mentality here in Southern WI. a few years ago. One guy was writing in the paper how people were going to be shot left and right if rifles were allowed. That never came to fruition. I would quit deer hunting if I had to go back to shotguns.