Rifle Regulations in Manitowoc County, WI

I am originally from Manitowoc Wisconsin and there is a topic causing controversy in my hometown. That topic is turning Manitowoc County into a rifle deer-hunting zone instead of just shotgun and muzzleloader. There are many mixed feelings on this issue. My opinion on the matter is that rifle hunting would be a mistake for this county. I grew up in Manitowoc County and even though there is a lot of farmland and timber, even the rural country areas are more densely populated than the open areas in the northern part of the state. I know the power rifles have and the distance a center- fire rifle cartridge can be upwards of 600 yards and more with some custom rifles and cartridges made today. Manitowoc was always a shotgun county because the range a shotgun can reach is significantly less than that of a rifle. Shotguns are much safer and easier to control where your shot goes after the target or if you miss a target. A rifle bullet can travel 500 yards past your intended target if you miss. That is a lot of space to cover and the chances of hitting something or someone are a lot higher than one would think in Manitowoc County because of the high numbers of people that live in the rural areas. Manitowoc is not like the north woods where you can drive for 5 miles and not see a house. You are lucky if you can drive 200 yards and not hit the next driveway.

According to the land conservation committee and public safety committee in Manitowoc county, a lot of citizens of Manitowoc county had arguments against the issue. Mary Muench is the chairperson for the public safety committee and she supports hunting but is worried about safety with rifles in this county. There are 144 people per square mile and that is denser than the numbers where when Manitowoc was initially designated as a shotgun county due to safety reasons. Larry Henchel stated that the original reason for shotgun was safety. He also said that current home density in Manitowoc is greater than when the law came to be. All the facts point to an even greater reason to keep Shotgun in Manitowoc, not change to a more dangerous, longer shooting weapon.
Works Cited
• Manitowon County Land Conservation Committee and Public Safety Committee Joint Meeting Minutes.http://www.co.manitowoc.wi.us/upload/3/LandConserv-PublicSafetyMinutes1-19-06.pdf. January 19,2006