The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission recently released a chart that caused additional confusion about what will and will not be allowed in the new alternative firearms deer season in October.
Passed on May 16, the alternative firearms season expands the selection of firearms you can use in the hours traditionally reserved for muzzleloading firearms. The new season is intended to include more hunters and provide more hunting opportunities, but the commission never seemed to be solid on what types of firearms will be legal in the new season.
The commission attempted to simplify the definitions, but the graphic contains an item that says semi-automatic rifles that have been converted to bolt action can be used. This is done by disabling the gas system of a semi-automatic rifle. You must eject a spent case and insert a new cartridge by manually operating the loading lever.
As wishful thinkers often do, many didn’t notice the part about turning them into a lock. Misinterpretation sprouted and flourished in the fertile soil of social media.
Please note that during the alternative firearms season, a semi-automatic firearm that operates as a semi-automatic will not be permitted.
Additionally, the older 30-30 Winchester, although old, will not be allowed because it is not a straight wall cartridge. That includes other beloved classics like the 35 Remington and 32 Winchester Special. Those cartridges have shoulders. Straight-walled cartridges do not have shoulders. A straight-wall cartridge has approximately the same diameter from neck to base as the projectile. A bottleneck cartridge is wider than the projectile. It has a smaller diameter neck that holds the projectile and flares to a wider diameter.
Additionally, shotgun shells will not be allowed because, according to the chart, shotgun shells are not metal. We question that definition because approximately 25% of a high-brass shotgun shell is defined by a metal base. The metal base covers an even larger percentage of a bullet cartridge, but the commission’s reasoning is sound. If shotgun shells are allowed, some people will not be able to resist using buckshot, which is a multiple projectile. The commission could have remedied that deficiency by specifying that shotgun slugs can be used only in rifled barrels, which does not model multiple projectiles efficiently. Slugs aren’t used much in Arkansas, but you can still use them and buckshot in the modern deer hunting season.
During the alternative firearms season, hunters will be able to take deer with any straight-wall cartridge that contains a projectile of at least .30 caliber. This includes rimmed cartridges such as the 357 Remington Magnum, 44 Remington Magnum, and 45 Colt and 32 H&R Magnum.
Also includes rimless cartridges such as 9mm Luger, 350 Legend, 40 Smith & Wesson, and 45 ACP.
It also includes discounted tire cartridges like the 50 AE.
You can use them on any pistol that has a barrel that is at least 4 inches long, and you can also use them on any rifle that doesn’t function as a semi-automatic.
Of course, you can also use muzzle-loading rifles.
We’re curious if the new alternative firearm season will get more people hunting. We anticipate that this will be the case at least for the first year until the novelty wears off.
Most likely it simply redistributes hunting pressure. Many hunters will simply abandon muzzleloaders in October in favor of modern straight-wall cartridges, but they will kill the same number of deer. I doubt alternative firearms season will attract many new hunters, if any.
I welcome this new opportunity. When I think of all the deer I missed due to muzzleloader malfunctions, my heart breaks. There was a big 10 point I lost due to fire during a controlled hunt in the Madison County Wildlife Management Area. There was the 8-point behemoth I missed three times in Lonoke County. My trusty 41 Magnum would have made those stories happier.
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