down here in clermont county, its moslty woody terrain. makes me thing the rifle round would get stuck in a tree before it ever got close to hitting anyone. least where i am it is.
Yeah. Where I hunt in Jefferson County is just like the terrain across the river in West Virginia that allow rifles. Doesn't change anything that other places are flat and it's the way it's done. It hasn't caused me any shortage of meat in 20 gun seasons to use a shotgun.
Watch a tracer round skip and go sailing after the ricochet. That will paint a very real picture about just what a deflected bullet can do and it's alarming. I hunt quite a lot the farms and areas around central Ohio for Coyotes and other varmints. While I use anything from .308, 22-250 and .223 it's very specific when and where. I don't take some shots that don't have a safe backstop because I've seen one of my tracer rounds go sailing. It's a helpless feeling and you're only relying on chance it doesn't hit someone. Not good enough odds for me.
Tree branches won't stop a high power round nor will it get stuck in them. I'm fine with the rules the way they are and it's reason enough for me. Some years ago my dad was on a trip in WV. He was standing on a hillside when a loud crack and flip of a few leaves happened only yards from where he was standing. It was a bullet and he never heard the shot. It makes it real and while it's not a genuine concern for me to be hit by a bullet (lightning has better odds I'd expect) it does cause me worry about
my bullets.
