Southern Michigan’s Limited Firearms Zone is celebrating its 10th

By the early 20th Century, there were very few whitetail deer found in southern Michigan, which resulted in closing the annual deer season in that region for quite a few years to allow the deer population to rebound. The first reestablished deer season for southern Michigan occurred in 1948 when, due to possible safety concerns, only shotguns would be allowed creating what would be known as the “Shotgun Zone”. During the first couple years, deer hunters could only use buckshot, but shotgun slugs were eventually allowed as well as .22 rimfire rifles, which were fortunately banned for deer hunting in Michigan in 1968.

Muzzleloading rifles using black powder and patched round balls .44 caliber or larger appeared on the scene allowing for a little more reach and accuracy in the Shotgun Zone, and for that reason, a .54 caliber muzzleloader was my preferred deer hunting arm for quite a while. During the late 1980’s conical bullets and black powder substitutes were allowed, and the modern muzzleloader evolution came into being. Handguns using straight wall cartridges .35 caliber or larger soon became allowed in the Shotgun Zone and yep, folks I didn’t hesitate to jump on that bandwagon, and it is something I still enjoy. During the late 1990’s, rifled shotgun barrels and specialized “sabot” ammunition came into the picture which certainly added more reach and accuracy. Prior to that, smoothbore shotguns were typically only a 100-yard option, but the rifled barrels, and modern muzzleloaders using specialized ammunition, would easily extend the accurate range, and a successful 200-yard shot became a distinct probability.

In June 2014, the Michigan Natural Resources Commission would turn the Shotgun Zone into the Limited Firearms Zone, which would completely change the complexion of deer hunting in southern Michigan. The new rules, in my opinion, were very well thought out and essentially groundbreaking. Michigan would create a roadmap for other states to follow in changing their shotgun zones into limited firearms zones with the same rules which entails rifles using straight wall cartridges .35 caliber or larger with a maximum case length of 1.80 inches and a minimum case length of 1.16 inches, all of which are “mid-range” rounds (not to be confused with long-range rounds).

This allows for a wide selection of rifles and calibers which are more compact than typical shotguns, with most offering a milder recoil, which is ideal for slighter-framed adults and especially so for youth hunters. The first thing I did was purchase a custom .44 Magnum barrel for my single-shot T/C Contender Carbine, which I took several deer with. Although I can hit my mark out to 150 yards with the .44 Magnum round, it excels when shots are kept to 100 yards or less, which truthfully covers most whitetail encounters in my neck of the woods, especially when using deer calls in heavy cover. Having long used muzzleloaders, I have never felt “under-gunned” when using a single-shot firearm for deer hunting.

However, when Henry Arms brought out their lever-action .44 Magnum “Big Boy Steel Carbine”, I had to have one because I have a deep fondness for lever-actions. Topped with a variable 1-4X Leupold scope (my favorite optics for mid-range rifles) it does its part if I do mine and remains to be one of my favorite deer rifles.

There is no question the most popular round in Michigan’s Limited Firearms Zone, is the .450 Bushmaster, which packs a dandy punch, and I have done a lot of field testing at the shooting range and am very impressed with its performance. Mine is a bolt-action Mossberg “Patriot” rifle with my favorite round being the Federal 300-grain Power-Shok. Every deer I have shot with this rifle/cartridge combination have gone right down for the count and I didn’t hesitate to take it on a black bear hunt last year. It has a relatively flat trajectory out to 200 yards, but drops rapidly after that, and although it has enough oomph to put a deer down at 300-yards, the shooter needs to have a thorough understanding of bullet drop. There are some “smart scopes” out there which can handle such matters, but I’m old school and only into holdover when required.

With quite a few states turning shotgun zones into limited firearms zones, ammunition manufacturers have been developing new straight wall rounds. Winchester unveiled its .350 Legend at the 2019 Shot Show, touting low recoil and a flat trajectory out to 200 yards which was ideal for recoil sensitive hunters. Well, folks, I must admit I was a bit skeptical at first, but the .350 Legend round has become quite popular and works as advertised, and yep, I had to have one to see firsthand and I ended up with two, a Savage bolt-action and an AR – 15. I can attest that with the right trigger (something all guns need), the AR-15 is as accurate as the bolt-action and is a dandy piece to have on an old-fashioned deer drive!

Winchester would also bring out the .400 Legend in 2023, as did Remington with the .360 Buckhammer. The .400 Legend is touted to give the .450 Bushmaster a run for its money by offering less recoil and a flatter trajectory out to 300 yards. I have yet to try it, but I’ve talked to several shooters who absolutely love it.

The round which caught my eye right away is the .360 Buckhammer. Its parent case is the legendary .30-30 and features a rimmed case which is ideal for use in lever-actions. The first rifle chambered for it was the Henry Arms lever-action, obviously an ideal combination, with their single-shot rifle soon to follow. The .360 Buckhammer presently comes in two bullet weights – 180 grain and 200 grain. One of my favorite bear guns is a vintage Remington Model 141 pump chambered in the .35 Remington, which uses the same bullets as in the .360 Buckhammer (which offers a bit more oomph). My favorite is the 200-grain, which put my first black bear down on the spot many years ago and the .35 Remington would be a great mid-range round for the limited firearms zone, but being a bottleneck, it isn’t allowed.

Curiosity got the best of me, and I recently purchased a Henry Arms single-shot rifle in .360 Buckhammer (I always tell my wife firearm purchases are a business expense). Like my Henry lever-action, the fit and finish are outstanding and features splendid American black walnut for the buttstock and forearm, with tasteful checkering. Having a rebounding hammer, an external safety isn’t needed, and the locking lever is located right behind the hammer spur and can be moved right or left to break the rifle open, making it quite ambidextrous. I topped it with a variable 1-4X Leupold scope and sighted in for 100 yards using Federal 200-grain Power-Shok bullets, it has less than an 8-inch drop at 200 yards. However, after that it drops like a rock, but it works fine for my required needs in the field. On top of that it is quick to quietly load or unload in “deer country”.

I’m looking forward to giving it a whirl this fall!

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Tom Lounsbury

Tom Lounsbury has been an outdoor writer and photographer for more
than 40 years and has had his weekly radio show, “Tom Lounsbury
Outdoors” for more than 20 years. Tom grew up on a farm in
Michigan’s Thumb, and it is where his first outdoor adventures began
as a kid accompanying visiting pheasant hunters into the field during
the “pheasant hunting heyday” of the 1950’s and 1960’s. It is a passion
he still has to this day and being the 4 th generation to own the family
farm, he has put most of it into conservation programs with a focus on
wild pheasants, which in turn helps all wildlife.
Being an outdoor communicator, Tom appreciates all the outdoor
adventures he experiences in different places, and especially the
people he meets in which to share them.