I agree with you Ash.
The very idea of "archery" season and "Muzzleloader" season was to give a special season for those that wanted to use the weapons of earlier times to find the appreciation of hunting as it was known 160-400 years ago.
But......out come the marketeers that want to give those with special licenses a way to cheat the system and their fellow sportsmen. And unfortunately, human nature predictably will take advantage when it can in most cases.

As an example, if I want to hunt with an original breachloading sharps rifle, using paper cartridges, or a 4" 44 magnum revolver with iron sights, or an original Remington Rolling block rifle I can, but I have to hunt in the regular "rifle season" with them all.

But if I want to use a rifle (which loaded from the muzzle) fiberglass or plastic stock with a 16 power Nightforce scope, using an electronic ignition system, shooting the most modern projectiles known to the industry, in a 100% weather-proof rifle made of stainless steel, and sometimes using smokeless powder, it's ok for me to get a special license because I am "shouldering the extra challenge"
BS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If I want to use a "bow" with space age technology shooting carbon fiber arrows with an optical sight and a trigger I can use this in the "archery season" because it's just as much a challenge as using a wood long bow with wood arrows, drawing and releasing the string with my fingers.....................right?
Again I cry BS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now I am NOT against using these weapons for harvesting game. not at all. But I AM AGAINST THEM BEING ALLOWED A SPECIAL SEASON. I have killed game with flintlocks and with a long bow with wood arrows and I did so in the regular rifle seasons. In fact in my whole life I have only hunting 3 times in special seasons. Two times in "Archery season" and 1 time in "Muzzleloader season". All the rest of my game I have killed with with a (real) bow and arrow I have killed in regualr rifles season and every single animal I have killed with muzzleloaders I have killed in regular rifle season. So I can say I do know the difference. I have no interste at all in in-line muzzleloaders and even less in compound bows. But I am 100% for the use of them both as hunting weapons if hunters like them. I just wish the government would stop giving out special tags for their use. They are as modern as you can get, and therefore they should have to hunt with them in seasons for other modern weapons.

I have killed 26 different big game animals in my life with handguns. All were used with iron sights just as they left the factories. All were killed in "Rifle season"

Is there anyone that believes that it is harder to make a good hit on an animal with a plastic stocked, scoped, stainless, ultra modern rifles with a speed lock, and shooting smokeless powder (or even black powder for that matter) than it is to make the same hit with a 6" iron sighted revolver?

If not, why do the revolver hunters have to hunt with the modern rifle hunters, who may be using a 30-378 Weatherby or a 50 BMG? That is supposed to be "in the same class" so they license is the same.

But this gun can be used in a special season because "it's more challenging" ????
http://www.remington.com/pages/news-and-...zzleloader.aspx