“I think the population is too heavy around here for rifles,” said Jim Browning, vice president of the Beloit Rifle Club.

Gosh Jim, does that mean that rifles should not be allowed to be fired at your club?

BTW I should add I've used a Thompson Encore with a 12" .30-06 barrel for deer in Rock co before.

Rifle, shotgun, pistol, slingshot. Really doesnt matter if theres a moron behind the stock. Seen enough retarded garbage in the woods over the last 25yrs deer hunting to write a novel.
Problem is we get these "hunters" who the only time they ever fire a weapon is during sight-in and maybe hunting. Seen other idiots using their scopes as binoculars (big NO-NO). People who dont even think BEYOND the target. Chewed a couple kids out for target shooting cans off a post during deer season in the middle of the hunting land. Took the rifle away from my nephew for not controlling the muzzle when walking (I dont like having guns pointed at me). I should mention he just 'graduated' a hunter safety course. And my favorite one, city people in the woods acting like outdoorsmen with their gps, laser rangefinder, custom built rifle with checkered stock, lighted reticle scopes, chair, mini radio/tv and no idea what a deer looks like (yes I seen someone try to register a COW as a deer).
Would love to see a year with NO firearm related injuries or deaths.

Rifles have been allowed in parts of Rock and Walworth counties since 2003. Have there been ANY rifle-related hunting accidents here during the last 4 seasons?

I agree with 19191, I guess i was raised in a family that is very big on gun safety, when my dad took me to hunter's ed, he took the class with me, and passed, then did the same two years later with my brother and sister. Even though said sister is a vegitarian and vows to never hunt, she still took the class and aprectiates how improtant educated hunters are. We can work to lower accidents with stricter laws on hunter's ed, and, in my opinion, keeping the alchol away from the weekend hunt. Im not sure, but can some one confirm laws about drunk hunting?

Str8shtr the science is the clear factor. Pull out your protractor and look and see what 35 degrees looks like and equate it to a hundred yards, let alone 2.7miles. The retained energy in a shotgun slug (500 graines avg .50 caliber sabot 12 guage round) will penetrate with much greater retained energy than a 150-180 grain .30 caliber round. Science has proven how far bullets travel and at what point they drop. Base your years of experience with some factual data instead of believing the world is ignorant. Age has nothing to do with education, people can learn at any age even with 40 years of experience.

Of course 1 death is way too many! But history has shown Shotgun areas are no safer than rifle areas. I totally agree with fbcoach66 that any hunter, regardless of age, needs to take a firearm safety course. My dad is 70 years old and I would not want him in the woods with a gun. He has never carried a loaded weapon much less shot one, and he can go and get a license tomarrow and gun hunt this year. There will be accidents this year, unfortunatley, this new rifled area will take alot of heat for it if anything happens. But I think the chances for something bad happening are decreased because of it.

Well I guess you experts. must know something
I do not.
I have hunted for close to 40 yrs and have been a active shooter rifle,pistol,shotgun. for 30+ years. Everything from a 22 short to a .50 cal bmg. I shot trap and hunted in souhern WI for years. I also farm in rock county. Rifles in this area is going to be trouble. Ask the people That Have been around A while And that is the general feeling. 1 death Is to many don't be ignorant.

You also have to remember for a .30-06 bullet to travel its possible 14000ft, ( 2.70miles ) you would have to shoot 35 degrees in the air. In Wisconsin it will be almost impossible for that bullet to hit something dead on without ricocheting many times first. Our geography just doesnt alow it. I shoot a .300WSM and a .338WM and feel perfectly safe shooting a deer out side of Edgerton where I hunt.

Thank 1919 for the great factual info

I feel safer with this being a rifle zone now than when it was a shotgun only area. Shotgun slugs travel farther after ricochet than a rifle bullet ricochet. Slugs maintain there aerodynamic properties better when a rifle bullet will begin to tumble and loose its properties. A article in American Hunter Mag said that a slug fired at 5 degrees above a target at 100 yards will travel 1,747 feet after ricochet, and a .30-06 bullet will travel 1,239 feet ricochet. Drop it down to a parelell to the ground shot at 50 yards and you can double the slugs footage whereas the .30-06 bullet wont have such an increase. The article also said that in areas that switched from shotgun to rifle, the % of hunting deaths and accidents actually decreased. This was in Sept issue of American Hunter Magazine.

The DNR enforces strict rules when it comes to shooting in and around housing and roads. Know your target and what's beyond. It's a rule that been in effect for generations.
Knowledge in trajectory is definitely off in this article. A shotgun slug in this day and age will travel much further than noted in the article of 200 yards. A rifle bullet would have to be shot in the air to travel 3 miles. I have yet to see a flying deer as they are shot from the ground.
The fact remains that deer can be accurately and effectively shot with a rifle with longer distances than a shotgun. This leads to quicker more humane kills. This will help eliminate deer which is a common goal shared by all I hope. Thousands of pounds of venison is donated to food pantries across the country. Rifles will help to fill this cause as well. Thank your hunters for feeding the poor.

Rifle use in this area should be limited to rifles like 30/30 or 35 rem which do not have a long range. Most of the rifles that are used for deer hunting are way to powerful to be used safetly in the southern zone.

Pennsylvania has hills and mountains. Can you imagine how far a .300 mag or a 7mm will travel in Rock County? If you have a proper shooting lane is one thing but there a % percentage who shoot first look later.

As a relatively new hunter (only 4 seasons) I see the point, but it all comes down to education. An uneducated hunter should not be out in the field, and a educated hunter is as safe with a rifle as a shot gun. I learned early on when and where to shoot and when not to shoot. I am usually against government regulation, but I would be willing to allow a required hunter's safty course for everyone (not just youths) before you deer hunt.
-- Be safe out there, and know what you shoot at.

"A Pennsylvania study regarding deer hunting also found that rifles are no more dangerous than shotguns, he said" Does Pennsylvania still lead the nation in the number of annual deaths from hunting accidents? They used to.

Way to populated in Rock County to be using rifles. Someone is going to have some extra holes in their house this season.