Rifles approved for Ohio deer hunting during gun season: Outdoor Notes
http://www.cleveland.com/outdoors/index.ssf/2014/04/rifles_approved_for_ohio_deer.html

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Rifles firing straight-walled cartridges were approved by theOhio Wildlife Council for use in this year's Ohio deer gun season. The council also approved deer bag limit reductions in 44 of 88 counties and removed bobcats from the Ohio threatened species list.

The 27 different calibers of cartridges have been allowed for handgun hunting during the weeklong deer gun season. Muzzleloading rifles and shotguns firing rifled slugs are also legal in the Buckeye deer woods during the gun season.

The Ohio Division of Wildlife proposal was driven by the Buckeye Firearms Association, which wanted to provide additional gun-hunting opportunities for sportsmen. BFA officials had pointed out the rifles firing straight-walled cartridges have less recoil, are lighter in weight for both youth and older hunters and are more accurate than pistols firing the same cartridges.

Indiana allowed rifles firing pistol cartridges several years ago, without incident. It is expected the new rule will increase sales of the newly-approved rifles and straight-walled ammunition in Ohio.

The deer hunting seasons for 2014-2015 are:
Deer Archery - Sept. 27-Feb. 1
Antlerless Deer Muzzleloader - Oct. 11-12
Youth Deer Gun - Nov. 22-23
Deer Gun - Dec. 1-7
Statewide Deer Muzzloader - Jan. 2-5

The annual bag limits have been changed from zones to county-by-county bag limits. Bag limits were reduced in 44 counties, increased in five counties and remained the same in 39 counties. See the state deer map at cleveland.com/outdoors.

The most liberal zones allowing four deer to be killed each season are in Northeast Ohio (Lake, Cuyahoga, Summit, Portage, Stark and Mahoning counties), Southwest Ohio (Montgomery, Warren, Hamilton, Clermont and Brown counties) and Delaware and Franklin counties in Central Ohio. Only one antlered deer can legally be killed each season.

The upcoming small game seasons are:
Squirrel - Sept. 1-Jan. 31
Ruffed Grouse - Oct. 11-Jan. 31
Youth Small Game - Oct. 25-26 and Nov. 1-2
Cottontail Rabbit - Nov. 7-Feb. 28
Ring-necked Pheasant - Nov. 7-Jan. 4
Bobwhite Quail - Nov. 7-Nov. 30
Wild Turkey - Oct. 13-Nov. 30

The furbearer hunting and trapping seasons for fox, raccoon, skunk, opossum and weasel are Nov. 10-Jan. 13. Beaver and river otter trapping is allowed from Dec. 26-Feb. 28.

The early Canada goose, mourning dove, rail, moorhen, snipe, woodcock and waterfowl seasons are set in August. The 2015 spring turkey season is April 20-May 17, with the youth season April 18-19.

There is no closed season for coyote hunting. Woodchuck hunting is only closed during the deer gun season.

The bobcat thing is sort of a big deal. I'm surprised it didn't get more attention.

Found a list of the calibers:



No .40 s&w  and I can't find a listed limitation on round count.  Anyone know?   I happen to have a tommy gun .

no more then 3 in the gun... no "plug" required...

Would guess it requires a 1" minimum case length.... might be wrong, but that rings a bell as to the approved pistol calibers.

And this allows my .45-70's to get some use in this state.  Nice.

I looking to see if a .45 acp upper is fesable right now to toss on the lower from my current AR

Sweet.

Guess I need to save for a 77/44

Anyone know of a 460 S&W carbine?


I have the handgun, I'd love a carbine.

T/C Contender.  Maybe NEF makes a Handy Rifle?  I know they make a 500 Mag.

http://www.cleveland.com/outdoors/index.ssf/2014/04/rifles_approved_for_ohio_deer.html

I am confused about one thing. What's their logic in allowing dummy rounds in rifles, but shotguns need to be plugged?

No plugs or dummy rounds have to be used.  You can only have 3 rounds in the firearm.

Gives me an excuse to buy a new gun! I'm thinking a Henry.

Henry is a top company to support, they helped us a lot getting this done.

I'm happy about this change!  I wish they would update the allowable cartridges.  But it will be a nice change of pace using a lever gun and an opportunity for people like my brother in law who can't take a shotgun recoil.

Maybe I'll look for an older Marlin .30-30 and have a .38-55 rebore done on it.

Currently I'm looking at either a henry 45-70, henry 357/44/45, and the ruger 77/44

I don't have any experience with handgun calibers for deer as up until now I always hunt PA with 30-30. Of all the cartridges listed, my brief research is telling me 44 mag would probably be the best?

From that list, 444 marlin or 45-70 would be my choice. That being said, I too hope that list is just examples and not the only ones approved. There are several other straight wall cartridges I would prefer over those

Wow, the list runs from too small to massive over kill.  Most of those are good rounds for the purpose though.

Does this mean I can take my trap door Springfield (45-70) out and use for deer or does it have to be a lever action?  It would be worth it to  make a point to tell the DNR guys it is plugged to 3 rounds and watch them spend 2 hours trying to figure it out.

10mm would be great.  

I'm going to look into a henry .357 for my wife.

My 50 Wulf is straight walled....can I use that?

As it is written, it's my understanding that any rifle in the approved calibers is acceptable, single shot, semi-auto, lever action, bolt action, its all good. It's just that the calibers listed point more toward the lever action community.

On that note, I was at the Canton Fin over the weekend, and they were all sold out of lever action in pistol calibers. They had one really Henry hex barrel in 44mag at the tag of 800 bucks. It was nice, but too nice to trudge through the woods or double as a truck gun.

I was in George's Bait and Tackle in Lorain buying my 2014 licenses and they have a Ruger bolt gun in 357 mag (SS with synthetic stock).  That rifle will be in high demand too.

I have been hunting in Indiana with a 44 magnum lever action Marlin since 2005 or 2006 (I forget when they changed the law there).  

I sight mine in about 1.5" high at 100 yards and can hold dead on out to 150.  While this may not be a significant advantage over modern sabot shotgun ammo, the reduced weight and better trigger (read: not shotgun trigger) make it so much more enjoyable.

I use Winchester White Box (JSP) 44 magnums (240gr?) and have killed 8 or 9 deer from 35 to 125 yards.  None of them ran more than 40 or 50 yards before falling over.  I'd say about half of them fell over on the spot.

Would I want to use this rifle/ammo combination on elk or black bear? NO.  For mid western whitetails it works for me.

I have a 444 marlin which I can't use in Indiana.  Looks like I need to find a place in Ohio to try it out :)

I heard a rumor that a lot of people went back to shotgun in IN after they hunted a few times with their PCR.

Is there an answer on whether or not the list is all we get? Seems kinda silly to allow .45acp and not 10mm.

One argument for PCR was the fact that a pistol firing the same caliber with a 15" barrel was okay. Throw a stock and 1" of barrel on the same gun and its a no go which is nonsense. The same argument can be made for other straight walled cartridges not being allowed.

Common sense reasons it should be any straight walled cartridge.

The OHDNR has probably never heard of 50 Beowulf.

Man, .45 ACP in a carbine is weak, unless it is really loaded up.  That's a crappy idea.

Note:  This is not an official rule change, until it is passed and signed into law.

The bottle-necked rifle prohibition is a joke. Especially when you consider that you can use them for other animals besides deer.

ETA: Speaking of dumb weapon restrictions



Does that mean I can't have a illuminated sight on my crossbow? Did the people who wrote these regulations watch Rambo too many times?

I don't think that's the case. I'm pretty sure this is just an annual reg change.

Suppressors for hunting has to be passed and signed into law because Ohio defines them as dangerous ordinance.

Ive been wrong before, but I think this is official.

1) For this initial year, 'the list' is what we get.  Subject to change in the future.

2) The DNR has voted to approve these changes so they will in place this fall.  Legislature doesn't need to do anything.  (Suppressors currently is in legislature, but could be done same way by DNR - and may still happen this way)

3) Rifles and shotguns will have 3 cartridge total limit (magazine + chamber can not exceed 3).  Plugging is not required, but total cartridge count is 3.

4) Pistols still have the 'and other cartridges the ODNR deems meet requirements' and there is no cartridge limit for pistols.

JLE

no dummies needed, and looks the same for SG plugs now, just dont have more then 3 in the gun...

but this as written is WAY goofy... in 1 paragraph it says "only these specific calibers are ok, in the next, it says "The council also approved straight-walled cartridge rifles for deer hunting. The rifles are the same caliber and use the same straight-walled cartridges that are currently legal for use in handguns."


that would mean its non-specific..

no, u can have a red dot or light up scope... that says no "lasers"... or flashlights...

True that you or I would agree on that, but I don't like the wording, it could be twisted to cover illuminated sights since it is "projecting a beam of light" on to the glass. Would have been easier to just say no lights or lasers. Of course I just realized that they only included the explosive or poisoned arrow thing in regards to a crossbow, so I guess it's perfectly OK to go Rambo with a bow.

I haven't met anyone who has switched back to a shotgun.

I have a Mossberg model 500 with the cantilever scope mount.  When I stopped using it I was shooting hornady sabots that were $3 a shot.  Since it was so expensive, I hardly ever practiced with the thing.  It was accurate enough, but it was heavy, the trigger is lousy, and recoiled like a 300 win mag.  I can get the winchester white box JSP 44 magnums for around $35 a box of 50.  I shoot it at least 50 times during the year before hunting season with my Marlin.  It's just fun to shoot and hunt with.  I would let an average 10 year old shoot it.

If I were starting from scratch in Ohio and buying a gun, I'd look at 45/70.  I think you can get ammo with 300 gr bullets that wouldn't tear a whitetail up too much.  I have never shot one so I don't know about the recoil.  I do know the heavier loads for it pack quite a punch.

I just moved up from Florida and the guys at a local gun shop said .30-30 would be allowed. Unfortunately that doesn't seem to be true. It is a great round for deer and is only accurate out to about 75 yards. Why in the world wouldn't they allow it?

Where did you get 75 yard accuracy from? Certainly good beyond that.

No 30-30 as its a bottlenecked cartridge. Only straight walled pistol/rifle rounds as listed.

30-30 depending on the shooter and load can reach out to 175 yards.

I would shoot this bullet if I starting hunting with a rifle.

44 Magnum

That load is fairly lightly constructed for the velocity of a carbine barrel and the chance of hitting bone, chances are it may work
but the load is designed for self defense, not hunting. It'd prob frag or seperate and and act like a fmj.
A heavier loads from Buffalo bore or double tap using a soft point of hard cast projectile would be a safer bet.

got any favorites?  I need to start loading.  Last time I used a 240gn xtp out of S&W629

https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=48

Holy crap, animals up to 1000 lbs. Most gun season deer are 150 lbs or so.

The Speer .44 magnum Gold Dot designed for high weight retention, 99% in the Speer graphic. The bullet is also designed for maximum expansion. I would use it within 50 yards without hesitation.

Yes 44 magnum, I have a marlin 1894 in 44 magnum that is ready. It is light ,accurate,quick handling. I think it will work out real we'll in the deer woods. I also reload for the 44 mag. Lots of bullets and reloading supplies. Plus I have hunted coyotes and rabbits and even squirrels with it. Light loads on the squirrels. I am all for it here in Ohio. Maybe even in years to come maybe even bottle neck cartridges. I hope.

up to. They make some lighter loads, but the main thing is bullet construction, i just posted that one as an example, vs a lighter hollow point not intended for hunting.

You're right and you're wrong.

The pistol-caliber rifles is a done deal. Once the Ohio Wildlife Council votes on it and approves it, it becomes policy. There does not need to be a bill in the house or senate, so you are correct on this one.

However, you are mistaken on the suppressor issue. The Ohio Wildlife Council can also permit the usage of legally owned suppressors for hunting simply by adding it to the list of approved equipment. However, this particular rule change was introduced as a bill without the input from the OWC and as a change to Ohio law because two Ohio representatives didn't want to wait for the OWC to get around to it. When the bill was introduced, it actually irritated the OWC because it took something they control for the sake of state preemption. The OWC was told they could still vote on it if they wanted to, and they responded they won't because it's a legislature issue now. If the legislature drops the suppressor bill or it fails, then they'll consider it, but not at the same time it exists as a bill.

If you hand load you can get 45LC to 44mag levels.  You just have to be careful you don't put one of those rounds in an old gun that cant handle the pressure.