Hunting With Muzzleloaders

When it comes to firearms, hunting with muzzleloaders is a nice choice. Many states permit larger calibers such as the .50 caliber or even a .720. This gives you more take down power as you will only have one shot at that big buck. By the time you reload, he'll be gone and all you'll have to remember him by an image of that white tail flipping through the trees!

Muzzleloaders are regarded as the weapon of choice for true sportsmen. Many people prefer to take their quarry down with a single shot. Others just like the idea of loading their own ammunition. In either case, hunting with muzzleloaders is exciting, fun and a challenge all at the same time.

Hunting with muzzleloaders is like any other type of hunting. Your state of residence will set forth the season for hunting with muzzleloaders. This usually falls between early archery and firearms season and overlaps the end of one and the start of the other. See your state's DNR site for specific dates each year. After muzzleloader season, late archery normally kicks in.

Here are some tips for hunting with muzzleloaders.

• 1. Know the equipment you are using. You will most likely have to carry more with you into the woods, so be sure you know the equipment you need to carry and what you need after the shot.
• 2. Adjusting to a one shot hunt. Moving from a standard deer rifle is a necessary adjustment for any hunter. Going from having 4 or 5 shots to bring that buck down to having one, single shot is daunting. Take your time and make that one shot count.
• 3. Know the limitations of your weapon and yourself. The effective range of a muzzleloader is not much different than that of a deer rifle or shotgun. The gun itself can be accurate at long ranges, but since most states require you to use open sights, the range is dependent on the hunter's ability to see and sight in that target clearly. Hunting with muzzleloaders means you MUST know your weapon's limits as well as your own.
• 4. Going scouting in the pre-season is tantamount to successful hunting with muzzleloaders. A muzzleloader is considered to be a primitive weapon; not because it is less of a piece of technology than rifles or shotguns, but because of the effective range needed to pull down the quarry. The successful muzzleloader hunter needs to KNOW that the area he/she is in actually has deer residing there. This will typically place you within fifty yards of that buck when he comes proudly walking through his home giving you the best possible chance of putting him in your freezer.
• 5. After that first shot is taken, you need to know what to do. Scent control is very important to the muzzleloader hunter. Even the best of them will have the smell of black powder on their person after firing a muzzleloader. Performing a scent control routine afterwards is vital. Having a plan on where to out the cleaning patch and odorous items is absolutely critical.

These are just a few of the things you should be aware of when hunting with muzzleloaders. As you hunt and gain experience, you will develop a routine that will become second nature.