Are there any states that have days set aside for handgun hunting, like how they have muzzleloader and archery only seasons? I think I've heard of a few states that have designated handgun-only days interspersed within the regular season, but I don't know how true that is.

Delaware does and I believe Arizona does. AZ call is a HAM season (Handgun, Archery, Muzzleloader).

in Missouri they have turned our traditional muzzleloading season into a free-for-all,it is now called the "alternative" season. you can use basically anything except for a shotgun loaded with shot.you can use shotgun with slug,hangun,spear,atlatl. which makes no damn sense to me because you can use all these methods during the regular firearms season also.

longhunter do i understand. not to hijack this, but i have a problem with the way special seasons have gone. bow with peap sights, triggers, X#lbs let off, folding razor heads,ect (no you cant use a crossbow!??). inline ML with pre-made pellets,sabot,scopes,enclosed primer. seams we got away from what we set out to do. handgun only season? in 20 years handguns would be bolt action,scoped, 24" barrel, with a "hip" stock.(shoulder stocks would make it a rifle).

Bluecow you make a good point that I had not considered.

In order to understand what and why some of these special seasons get created, you have to find the organized groups for the particular weapon in your state, as Game Departments do not generally just add things. It takes someone or some group petitioning, asking, attending Commission meetings etc.

Granted the commissions do have address changes in methodology probably as a core process (to their charter), but their job is to also promote revenue by getting more folks involved. As a shooting population, we are way past converted Mauser 98's, 30-30 Win's and Savage 99's. Shooting has evolved (or in some cases devolved), so the game seasons have to sorta keep some kind of pace.

One of the reasons bowhunters and muzzleloaders get their own seasons (besides lobbying) is the mere fact of getting close to critters makes concealment paramount. This is dangerous in Rifle seasons, with the vast numbers and ability to shoot long distances. I think the fact that many handgun configurations are no different than bolt action scoped rifles would make unique seasons hard to lobby. maybe a primitive handgun season, fixed sight single actions only ;^)

Craig

That's a very good point, Bluecow. I must confess, though, that it wouldn't bother me all that much. If people are hunting ethically and legally, does it really matter which weapon they choose, even if it isn't the most difficult or traditional?

For the most part, primitive does not mean primitive anymore.

Yeah, today it tends to mean "modern rendition of a primitive weapon."

Who cares about a handgun only season. I fought for years just to get handguns legalized for hunting in West Virginia. Nothing worked. A bunch of us never tried to get a specialized season. Just let us compete with the rifle sissies.
Finally, a bunch of antigun (not handgun) press got our legislators riled up and they allowed it after the hardcore handgunners backed off.
I mentioned handgun hunting squirrels and turkeys with handguns in some off the meetings. I got laughed at. Really ticked me off.
After 12,000+ groundhogs, 1200+ deer, and 3 1/2 dozen turkeys with handguns I'm asked opinions on what guns/loads to use. What goes around comes around. I don't want a special season. I do just fine competing with the rifle/shotgun sissies.

I'll second that.

I suggested this at a townhall meeting by the Kentucky fish and wildlife once but, it never went anywhere. At least I tried!

Maybe thirty-some years ago, Colorado set aside one or two GMU's (Game Management Units) for handguns only. The hunt dates ran concurrently with the regular seasons. As I recall, nothing special came out of this endeavor so it was dropped.

Just give me a legal tag and season to hunt and I will do my huntin' thing. Last season I drew a regular rifle tag for antlered mule deer and killed a Pope and Young buck with my Oneida Eagle bow.

Yes it was legal as I was DOWNGRADING my weapon; but ya can't do it in reverse order.

I agree with wvhhitman:

Illinois offers a doe only handgun only season the January following regular deer season.
Steve

I agree we Handgun Hunters should be a Vocal as the Bow Hunters and seek to establish our own special seasons. In New York State one can use Handguns in the Early Bear seasons,which is good.
I will take that further as a dedicated Black Powder Handgun Hunter, I think there should be a special season for Black Powder Handgun Hunters Pistol and Percussion Revolvers in all the states and I have founded 2 on line grass groups to do such Grass Roots work, The International Black Powder Handgun Hunters on Yahoo and Facebook, all are free to join who wish to espouse such ethical hunting.

I'm split on this. On one hand I like the "primitive" weapons season which allows those who want to downgrade to less than a modern rifle the extra chance to go after game. On the other hand, there is very few truly primitive or even traditional hunters left in the game.

Muzzle loaders are inline with scopes and shotshell primers and can surpass many of the firearms I grew up hunting with. Compound bows (and I shoot one, a lot) give a measurable advantage to the recurve and longbow.

The turning point is Arkansas' deer herd. It has exploded and shows no signs of slowing down. If they are not controlled with legal methods during any season we can expect a terrible outcome. As is, we take over 200,000 whitetails a year and just keep out herd under control. Restricting what we have makes no biological sense as it would definitely lose participants.

So I'd have to be in favor of adding a special handgun season.

I agree with wvhitman. Just let us use handguns during the open seasons. I choose to hunt with a handgun instead of a rifle for the added challenge and satisfaction of it. I love handgunning and have been dedicated to it for over 35 years.
When you create special seasons you attract ill equipped opportunists that just want another season to kill something without investing the time to do it right. It is happening now in PA where they have opened archery season up to crossbows. Calling crossbow hunting archery is a huge insult to all of the dedicated archers out there that actually draw a bow on game. The same as modern inline muzzleloaders vs. flintlocks has ruined the original intent of "primitive" hunting in most states. I vote no for special handgun seasons.

I'm with Gregg, WVHitman and billa. I prefer handguns being allowed during the entirety of all regular seasons, and that is what we were able to accomplish in N.C. in 1980. Why would anyone want a shorter season?