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Electronic Rifle Not Allowed During Muzzleloader Season

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By Frank Sargeant, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 3, 2007

When is a primitive weapon no longer primitive? When it gets a battery-powered ignition, says Capt. John Miller of the Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission's Division of Law Enforcement.

The state's muzzleloader season, which begins Oct. 13 in the Southern Zone and Nov. 10 in the Central Zone, is designed for the use of single-shot rifles that are loaded from the firing end with separate charges of powder and projectile or bullet, rather than from the breech or back end with a brass cartridge that combines powder, projectile and firing charge or primer.

Conventional muzzleloader rifles are fired by either a flintlock mechanism, a percussion cap somewhat like the caps fired by kids in toy guns, or by a modern shotgun primer fitted to a hole through the breech of the gun. Only the flintlock, which creates a spark by flint striking steel, is legal in some states for the primitive hunting seasons, but Florida rules allow all three types of ignition.

What they won't allow, says Miller, is a new electronic ignition rifle being marketed by CVA, one of the largest makers of muzzleloaders in the nation. The Electra rifle is fired by what amounts to a sparkplug placed in the barrel next to the powder charge. A 9-volt battery builds up a charge in a capacitor, and fires the igniter when the trigger is pulled.

CVA says the rifle eliminates many of the problems of traditional ignition systems; it's not subject to moisture, it can't fall off the firing nipple, it virtually never misfires, it creates no residue inside the barrel, and it allows for fast, easy cleaning.

It also eliminates one of the steps in reloading a rifle for a follow-up shot. Because reloading is so time-consuming, muzzleloaders are basically one-shot rifles when used in hunting, but because no primer or cap needs to be inserted in the Electra, it's more likely hunters might get off an effective second shot, just as they can with modern rifles.

The FFWCC has made no judgment on the Electra, giving hunters an unfair advantage during the muzzleloader season. According to department spokesman Henry Cabbage, the electronic rifle can't be allowed simply because it does not fit the definition of a muzzleloader in the state rulebook.

'We have to assist officers in the field with enforcement by following the rules as they are written,' Cabbage said. 'This doesn't mean the commission might not consider allowing these rifles if enough people wanted them, but for the time being, they are not legal for hunting during the muzzleloader season.'

Details on the CVA rifles, which sell for around $575, are available at www.CVA.com. Details on FFWCC hunting rules are available at www.myfwc.com.

ILLEGAL IMPORTS: Hunting seasons are now underway in many western states, and the FFWCC is cautioning Floridians, who travel to areas where Chronic Wasting Disease exists in the deer, elk and moose herds, that it is illegal to import the bone-in carcasses of any of these species into Florida.

According to agency veterinarian Mark Cunningham, CWD, a disease of the central nervous system similar to 'mad cow' disease, is highly contagious among wildlife populations, and is always fatal to any animal that contracts it. There's a concern that it could be transmitted to humans, but so far there have been no verified cases of such transmission.

'Hunters can bring back de-boned meat from affected regions, as well as finished mounts, but no whole carcasses,' says Cunningham.

Affected states include Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New York, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Saskatchewan and Alberta are also on the banned list. For questions on the disease, visit www.myfwc.com/cwd.

ETC.: The application period for spring turkey quota permits will begin Oct. 30, with application worksheets available starting Oct. 15. The permits are required to hunt on most public wildlife management areas during the spring season. For details, visit www.myfwc.com/hunting. ... The Florida Knifemakers Association will hold their annual knife show Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Comfort Inn on Busch Boulevard and Interstate 275 in Tampa. The event includes a judging for the best handmade knife of the year, and a knife sale. Prices range from less than $100 to more than $500.

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