Still a load of BS. In the private sector you make this mistake and you are looking for work, in the public sector you get patted on the back and told to do better next time. Whoever was responsible for editing and updating the hunting guide should be fired. Or an executive action should be taken to provide a temporary fix for the law to match the printed regulations. Hunters education refers to the guide and most will not be privy to the inside information that the C/O's will be operating with. Sound discretion is a BS term meaning "if you feel like ticketing the hunter, do it". If the upper echelon of the DNR was worth their salt they would have had the word out more than a month before the season starts. Seems like a great way to say "we arrested x number of people in 2017 illegally hunting with centerfire rifles on public ground. We do not recommend allowing high power rifles to be used." This needs to be on t.v., radio, newspapers. Like changing a speed limit without changing the signs then telling the highway patrol to enforce the speed limit hidden in the code and not the one posted on the road.
I agree that this is total bs, and like i stated up thread when you get your license they want your email. No reason why they cannot send an email to clarify this situation. I also believe a refund should be in order for those that ask for it. Sure i can use a shotgun but i built a rifle specifically for the rifle season that i now can no longer use due to what im gathering is incompetence! I can say I'm glad i didn't bother buying the bundle this year due to the fact i have some land to hunt less than 5 minutes away(using bow only as it is residential/no firearms allowed) instead of making the trip to JP or Winimac. I would be extremely pi**ed off if i paid for a license i now cant use