Bill HF0864, SF0314

Session 2024

Bill Introduced By
Evan Huettl
Winona State University
Senate

Senate Author
Garrett Haugen

House Author
Evan Huettl

A bill for an act relating to

Game and fish; shotgun zone for taking deer eliminated.

Committee Hearing

Path	Committee	Action
1	Environmental and Agriculture Committee	No Action Taken
2	Ways and Means and Taxes Committee	No Action Taken
3	Rules Committee	No Action Taken

Legislative Action

	Action
House	No Action Taken
Senate	No Action Taken
Governor	No Action Taken

Select Amendment

1.1         A bill for an act
1.2         relating to game and fish; eliminating shotgun zone for taking deer;amending
1.3         Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 97B.031, by adding a subdivision; repealing
1.4         Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 97B.318.
1.5         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.6         Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 97B.031, is amended by adding a subdivision
1.7         to read:
1.8                         Subd. 7.Regular firearms deer season. During the regular firearms deer season, all
1.9         legal firearms may be used statewide. During muzzleloader season all legal firearms may be used statewide.

1.10      Sec. 2. REPEALER.
1.11     Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 97B.318, is repealed.

APPENDIX

Repealed Minnesota Statutes: 23-01716

97B.318 ARMS USE AREAS AND RESTRICTIONS; REGULAR FIREARMS SEASON.Subdivision 1.Shotgun use area.

During the regular firearms season in the shotgun use area, only legal shotguns loaded with single-slug shotgun shells, legal muzzle-loading long guns, and legal handguns may be used for taking deer. Legal shotguns include those with rifled barrels. The shotgun use area is that portion of the state lying within the following described boundary: Beginning on the west boundary of the state at the northern boundary of Clay County; thence along the northern boundary of Clay County to State Trunk Highway (STH) 32; thence along STH 32 to STH 34; thence along STH 34 to Interstate Highway 94 (I-94); thence along I-94 to County State-Aid Highway (CSAH) 40, Douglas County; thence along CSAH 40 to CSAH 82, Douglas County; thence along CSAH 82 to CSAH 22, Douglas County; thence along CSAH 22 to CSAH 6, Douglas County; thence along CSAH 6 to CSAH 14, Douglas County; thence along CSAH 14 to STH 29; thence along STH 29 to CSAH 46, Otter Tail County; thence along CSAH 46, Otter Tail County, to CSAH 22, Todd County; thence along CSAH 22 to U.S. Highway 71; thence along U.S. Highway 71 to STH 27; thence along STH 27 to the Mississippi River; thence along the east bank of the Mississippi River to STH 23; thence along STH 23 to STH 95; thence along STH 95 to U.S. Highway 8; thence along U.S. Highway 8 to the eastern boundary of the state; thence along the east, south, and west boundaries of the state to the point of beginning.

Subd. 2.All legal firearms use area.

The all legal firearms use area is that part of the state lying outside of the shotgun use area.

Author
Evan Huettl
Winona State University
Senate

Essay

Pros:

When looking at the differences between a shotgun and a rifle there are some drastic differences that give each their pros and cons. Rifles tend to have less recoil than shotguns which is a large selling point when allowing rifles to be used. This brings in a new group of people to the hunting scene. Whether it is enticing for a younger crowd to start hunting because they don’t have to worry about large amounts of recoil or if it is an older group of people with upper body issues. Although there have been advancements in shotguns and their ammunitions, rifles also tend to be more accurate at longer distances which take away the large risk of wounding a deer and not finding it. Some may worry that rifle rounds travel further than a shotgun round, which is true, but everyone that hunts has been through firearms safety in which the first rule they teach you is “Know what you are shooting at and what is behind that target before you pull the trigger.”

https://www.twincities.com/2021/01/16/bill-to-eliminate-shotgun-only-zone-in-minnesota-introduced-again/#

https://www.findahunt.com/deer-hunting-shotgun-vs-rifle#:~:text=Shotguns%20also%20tend%20to%20have,and%20shot%20follow%2Dthrough%20effectively.&text=Rifles%20are%20renowned%20for%20their,choice%20for%20many%20deer%20hunters.

Cons:

Some ways a shotgun may be a better option for deer hunters is when hunting in close quarter areas, areas that do not have shots outside of 100 yards due to trees or other obstructions. Shotguns, in this situation, are a better option because their effective rage is 100 yards at most. In these shotgun zones there are many different areas being hunted that include these close quarters areas, but there are also hunters hunting open fields that allow for shots over 200 yards, which is not reasonable for a shotgun to accurately shoot. One more reason in which shotguns can be better than rifles in this area would be for drives. A drive-in deer hunting is when a group of hunters, anywhere from 2-10 or more hunters, walk through a wooded area or a field to kick up deer and push them towards hunters who are sitting and waiting. Rifles are not a great option for drives due to how fast everything happens and how far hunters are needed to shoot. Also, as talked about in the pros section, hunting in highly populated areas can make shotguns a safer option because of the distance they can shoot.

https://resources.mossberg.com/journal/shotgun-vs-rifle-for-deer-hunting

https://www.louisianasportsman.com/hunting/deer-hunting/why-a-shotgun-is-better-than-a-deer-rifle/

Title	Audience	Status	Created Sort ascending
Vote in House on HF0864 SF0314	House		11/20/2024 - 5:06pm

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