Use of assault rifles to hunt deer is a very minor issue. Really, there just are not that many of them out there. For those that are, very few have a capacity of just 6 shots; most have bigger clips. I would bet that the DNR will require the use of special soft point hunting ammo, rather than the military, solid, armor piercing type they normally shoot. Toying with numbers, I might guess there would be less than 100 hunters out with those kinds of guns. They are fairly worthless for hunting. They make far better guns for hunting. I have used a shotgun for all my deer hunting in Iowa. It holds five rounds and is a semiautomatic shotgun, like the assault rifles that are semiautomatic (shoot once each time the trigger is pulled). With some of the newer shotgun ammo I can kill deer at 200 yds; although they have lower velocity and hit the ground sooner than centerfire rifle bullets. Idoubt that the deer cares which he was hit with. I doubt that a game warden thinks there is much diffence in approaching me with my 5 very rapid shots and someone with a very rapid 6 shot assault rifle. Game wardens generally know how to take care of themselves. Really, the use of assault weapons on deer is kind of begging the question. Bill is right to a certain extent about entrenched gov't employees with political schemes and muscle. I might come out on the side of scientific deer management with scientifically determined carrying capacities. But, I realize there are sociopolitical carrying capacities. I talked to the head of our DNR deer managment (Willie Suchy?) and he said that Wisconsin just has a greater tolerance for high deer numbers than do Iowans. Bill speaks of hunter fantasies with assault weapons. But, we all have our fantasies. I might think it idiotic to fantasize about the perfect golf club that might allow me to make holes-in-one. But, we worship our fantasies. Animal rights people fantasize on how awful it must be for a deer to die by being shot with an arrow. In fact, most people that hunt with bow and gun report that deer die more quickly and less stressfully when shot with an arrow. So, I think, let those very few have their fantasies with their assault guns hunting. Tolerance folks. There certainly is some role for the "special interests" of famers and insurers and nature lovers and hunters. The politicians should be listening. We do wonder these days if legislatures are totally for sale to the richer special interests. What is unique is the very successeful role of the special interest of the NRA. Federal and state legislatures certainly dance to their tune. I have been waiting for an expose of the NRA. Although they have several million dues paying members steeped in the view of the government coming to take their guns, there seems to me to be more there. My question, do they receive financial support from gun and ammo manufacturers such as Remington, Winchester, Browning, etc? So, wolves would solve our problem or maybe mountain lions? As Bill note, people would be outraged. Some back of the envelope calculations-- If a wolf or lion kills one deer per week and we want to reduce the deer herd by 200,000; we need about 4,000 of them in the state to do the job. Talk about the sociopolitical carrying capacity! The dove hunting controversy of a few years ago was a classic conflict. DNR type agencies have always tended to be pro fisherman and hunter. Why? Because all the money for virtually all game and nongame wildlife comes from those who buy licenses and pay Pittman-Robinson taxes. Let those that said we were going to kill the "dove of peace" put up millions to promoate their interests, and then they would have a legiitmate voice. I bought over $100 in licenses last year in state and $550 out of state. I contibute thousands to the economy by my hunting and fishing. Lanny Schwartz > > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Join us at Sierra Summit 2005. For information go to: http://www.sierrasummit2005.org/ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent editions at http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/