10-8-13 state conservation warden backs rifle deer hunt rule

A state conservation warden says the statistics show that allowing rifles during the gun-deer season isn’t less safe than shotgun only.   The Fond du Lac County Public Safety Committee will discuss

the rule change at their meeting Tuesday evening.  DNR Chief of the Bureau of Law Enforcement’s Recreation Enforcement and Education Todd Schaller says rifles are already allowed in most Wisconsin counties.  "They have actually been doing it one or two counties per year for the last several years,"  Schaller told AM 1170 WFDL's Between the Lines program.  "We are currently at 53 counties that allow rifles and the remaining 19 do not."  Schaller says safe hunting starts with the hunter, not the type of gun used.  "From a safety perspective yes rifles do travel farther, however, there's some ballistics information that indicates they're no more dangerous.  It really comes down to not the type of firearm used, but the person using the firearm and following the safety rules."  The DNR announced last month that rifles will be allowed for gun deer seasons beginning November 1^st.   Some municipalities have enacted rules prohibiting rifle use for hunting.