The Journal Times Online: Give DNR’s new rifle rule a chance

By Journal Times Editorial Board

Sunday, September 14, 2008 4:52 PM CDT

Just in time for the fall hunting season, word got around that the state Department of Natural Resources was authorizing the use of rifles, not just shotguns, for deer hunting in some high-density population areas in the state, including Racine County west of the Interstate.

Predictably, that raised some eyebrows, hackles and fears, all in one swift motion.

And some, of course, went right to blaming the DNR for slipping the rule change in quietly without letting people know.

Let’s take a deep breath now.

Yes, the rule change will allow use of rifles which have a range of two or three miles, and that is much greater than a shotgun slug which has an effective range measured at 150 yards or so, according to news reports. Some argue that could pose a danger in a high-population area.

But the fact is, too, that much deer hunting is done from elevated stands, so the rifle bullet is usually aimed downward, and misses bore into the ground and are not headed over the hill toward the local coffee shop or convenience store along the highway. And, at least according to DNR officials, the chronic wasting disease zone south of Dane County where the state has allowed rifles in recent yea

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