Above - Preparing To Take A Shot With A CVA .50 Accura V2 LR - With Hi-Lux Optics PentaLux 2-10x TAC-V Scope
North American Muzzleloader Hunting
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When NOT To Take The Shot!
Years ago, following a seminar on muzzleloader hunting I had just presented, I was autographing a couple of books I had written on muzzleloading, and met a young muzzleloading hunter by the name of "Phil". On the title page of the book, I scribbled something to the effect of "To Phil ... Keep Your Powder Dry ... Toby Bridges" ... and dated it. It was late winter 1994. Well, Phil hung around until everyone else had left, then shared a story about one hunt he had made the previous fall.
He and a partner had traveled from the Midwest to Wyoming for a muzzleloading mule deer hunt, and on the second day of the hunt Phil and his partner had spotted a good 4x4 buck feeding along the face of a rock wall. They saw the opportunity for a stalk, and 15 minutes later were watching as the deer slowly worked past at about 65 yards. Phil was hunting with a .50 caliber Knight MK-85, topped with a Burris 2-7x scope - a rig very similar to the one I was using at the time, and which I had written about numerous times. His load was also the same load I used - 110-grains of Pyrodex "P" and a saboted 300-grain Hornady .452" XTP.
The previous evening, the pair had decided that Phil was to get the first shot, since he had never taken a mulie before. At the roar of the rifle, the buck went down ... then tried getting back up. Phil rushed to get the rifle reloaded, but before he finished the deer had expired. The big jacketed hollow-point had been right on target ... punching out the other side. After field dressing the deer, the pair walked up the slope to the rock wall, to see if they could see where the bullet had hit. Just 50 or so yards beyond the downed deer, there stood another 4x4 buck ... with a bloody front shoulder. The deer was seriously injured, so Phil's partner put in a finishing shot ... dressed it ... and put his tag on the buck. Their hunt was over.
He and a partner had traveled from the Midwest to Wyoming for a muzzleloading mule deer hunt, and on the second day of the hunt Phil and his partner had spotted a good 4x4 buck feeding along the face of a rock wall. They saw the opportunity for a stalk, and 15 minutes later were watching as the deer slowly worked past at about 65 yards. Phil was hunting with a .50 caliber Knight MK-85, topped with a Burris 2-7x scope - a rig very similar to the one I was using at the time, and which I had written about numerous times. His load was also the same load I used - 110-grains of Pyrodex "P" and a saboted 300-grain Hornady .452" XTP.
The previous evening, the pair had decided that Phil was to get the first shot, since he had never taken a mulie before. At the roar of the rifle, the buck went down ... then tried getting back up. Phil rushed to get the rifle reloaded, but before he finished the deer had expired. The big jacketed hollow-point had been right on target ... punching out the other side. After field dressing the deer, the pair walked up the slope to the rock wall, to see if they could see where the bullet had hit. Just 50 or so yards beyond the downed deer, there stood another 4x4 buck ... with a bloody front shoulder. The deer was seriously injured, so Phil's partner put in a finishing shot ... dressed it ... and put his tag on the buck. Their hunt was over.
In most states, what the pair had just done is illegal. Although the second buck was hit accidentally, the fact that Phil's bullet had hit both deer, then "another" hunter put his tag on one can easily be misconstrued as "party hunting". I was glad that I never knew Phil's last name, so if I ever shared this story and was pressured to identify him. I couldn't. Personally, I think the pair did what needed to be done. Period. If the Hornady 300-grain XTP had never punched out the backside of the first buck, they would not have walked up to take a look. Likewise, if they had not walked up to see where the exited bullet hit the rock wall, they likely would not have ever known about the wounded second buck. What they did was to ethically put down the deer ... and to not waste the meat.
I shared this story for one reason, to stress the importance of making a real effort to assess what is beyond the game being hunted ... the game being shot at!
In the photo directly above, it's very clear that anyone taking a shot at this nice 6x6 bull stands an extremely high chance of hitting another elk in the background should the bullet exit. I took this photo on a very overcast afternoon in September 2017. In addition to the elk visible in the meadow with the bull, that brush in the background held dozens of others. Even though the bull is offering great broadside shot placement, the risk of hitting and wounding another elk is too great for any one to squeeze off a shot.
I shared this story for one reason, to stress the importance of making a real effort to assess what is beyond the game being hunted ... the game being shot at!
In the photo directly above, it's very clear that anyone taking a shot at this nice 6x6 bull stands an extremely high chance of hitting another elk in the background should the bullet exit. I took this photo on a very overcast afternoon in September 2017. In addition to the elk visible in the meadow with the bull, that brush in the background held dozens of others. Even though the bull is offering great broadside shot placement, the risk of hitting and wounding another elk is too great for any one to squeeze off a shot.
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The photo of another nice 6x6 bull elk above left is also the same photo used as the lead illustration for this article. This rutting bull had failed to steal a few cows away from another bull, which I had been photographing for several hours. When this bull decided to head for higher ground ... I tagged along. The elk was walking up a finger ridge, as I did the same on another to the left of the bull ... maybe 80 yards away. As I snapped away with the camera, I can remember thinking to myself ... "What muzzleloading hunter hasn't dreamed of getting a shot liked this at such a good bull?"
Well, the above right photo was shot just 20 or 25 yards on up those two finger ridges. If this bull was still standing broadside, would you take the shot now? I wouldn't either. I had no idea that this bull had been spotted by the occupants of the pickup, who had driven to where they thought the elk would cross the dirt and gravel road. When I had taken the above left photo, I had no idea that the bit of brush behind the bull was blocking the vehicle from sight. If this had been a "hunting situation" rather than a "photographic opportunity" and I had purposely placed a heavy, hard hitting bullet squarely through the chest cavity just to the rear of the front shoulders (to prevent ruining some great meat), an expanded bullet or the remnants of the bullet punching out the backside could have had secondary deadly results as well.
Well, the above right photo was shot just 20 or 25 yards on up those two finger ridges. If this bull was still standing broadside, would you take the shot now? I wouldn't either. I had no idea that this bull had been spotted by the occupants of the pickup, who had driven to where they thought the elk would cross the dirt and gravel road. When I had taken the above left photo, I had no idea that the bit of brush behind the bull was blocking the vehicle from sight. If this had been a "hunting situation" rather than a "photographic opportunity" and I had purposely placed a heavy, hard hitting bullet squarely through the chest cavity just to the rear of the front shoulders (to prevent ruining some great meat), an expanded bullet or the remnants of the bullet punching out the backside could have had secondary deadly results as well.
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There are a few muzzleloader bullets which have been specifically designed to "not expand" or to "expand very little". One is the "Hard Cast" saboted bullet from Harvester Muzzleloading, shown above left. The company offers the .451" diameter hardened lead bullet in 330- and 400-grain weights. I've shot and hunted with both, but tend to prefer the 400-grain weight. Pushed by a hefty charge of Blackhorn 209 or FFFg Triple Seven, the bullet generates a lot of wallop ... and tends to be my favorite "up close and personal" heavy cover bullet - when and where shots are likely to be inside of 50 yards.
The short and fast handling .54 caliber "Brush Rifle" shown above right was built during a special limited edition run by Green Mountain Rifle Barrel Co. back in 2007 & 2008. Out of the short 20-inch barrel, a stout 110-grain charge of Blackhorn 209 gets the 400-grain "Hard Cast" on its way at about 1,800 f.p.s. - with about 2,850 f.p.e. Jumped from brushy bedding cover after being tracked in a fresh snow cover, this buck was barely 20 feet away when a quick shot from the stubby .54 caliber rifle caught the deer several inches to the rear of the facing shoulder. The slightly angling away shot sent the big flat-nosed "Hard Cast" bullet through the chest cavity ... and out through the opposite shoulder. Hammered by nearly the full amount of energy generated by the rifle and load, the deer went down on the spot - and hadn't quite stopped skidding when the big lead bullet was heard hitting a tree far back in the forest ... maybe as far back as 200 yards.
Now, I know that many of you reading this participate in deer drives - where a number of hunters line up at one end of some heavy cover, and in something of a spaced out line, they slowly work their way through. The idea is to push deer holed up in that cover out to other hunters waiting on the other side or end. Such drives can be very effective ... and very dangerous at the same time.
The short and fast handling .54 caliber "Brush Rifle" shown above right was built during a special limited edition run by Green Mountain Rifle Barrel Co. back in 2007 & 2008. Out of the short 20-inch barrel, a stout 110-grain charge of Blackhorn 209 gets the 400-grain "Hard Cast" on its way at about 1,800 f.p.s. - with about 2,850 f.p.e. Jumped from brushy bedding cover after being tracked in a fresh snow cover, this buck was barely 20 feet away when a quick shot from the stubby .54 caliber rifle caught the deer several inches to the rear of the facing shoulder. The slightly angling away shot sent the big flat-nosed "Hard Cast" bullet through the chest cavity ... and out through the opposite shoulder. Hammered by nearly the full amount of energy generated by the rifle and load, the deer went down on the spot - and hadn't quite stopped skidding when the big lead bullet was heard hitting a tree far back in the forest ... maybe as far back as 200 yards.
Now, I know that many of you reading this participate in deer drives - where a number of hunters line up at one end of some heavy cover, and in something of a spaced out line, they slowly work their way through. The idea is to push deer holed up in that cover out to other hunters waiting on the other side or end. Such drives can be very effective ... and very dangerous at the same time.
I remember one such drive that resulted in the taking of three good bucks ... and one saboted bullet that came my direction a bit too close for comfort.
The hunt took place in Western Iowa, during the 1998 shotgun season. It was the last day of a five-day hunt for five Georgia hunters. Although two of the seasons scheduled for December were technically "Shotgun" hunts, muzzleloaders were allowed. All of the hunters were using modern in-line muzzleloaders.
Before the drive began, the hunters had been taken around to the other side of a large brushy pasture that was to be driven ... and those hunters were spaced out 100 or so yards apart, along an old long abandoned railroad bed. Three of us then went around to the other side, and began a long slow zig-zag drive though about a half-mile of thick hardwoods cover. Those of us making the drive kept a hundred or so yards between us. We all saw deer as we worked back and forth, attempting to push through every small pocket of heavy cover in the large stand of hardwoods. I was working the center and widest ridge point that dropped back down to where the hunters waited.
We were about half way through when a shot rang out, to the right front of the drive. A minute or two later, another shot sounded ... and a split second later a bullet ricocheted off the side of a big oak tree no more than 10 yards in front of me, then struck another barely ten feet from me. That was definitely too close for comfort. Immediately, a third shot bellowed out off to my left front ... and a few minutes later, a fourth shot sounded from the old railroad bed. The other two drivers had pretty much kept their blaze orange in sight of my center position. We knew the hunters were no more than 200 yards ahead, so I signaled for all driving to stop. We stood there for about ten minutes, then yelled to let the standers know were were coming out - to find that three of the four had taken bucks.
One of the standing hunters had tried taking a shot at the best of the bucks, a dandy 5x5, that was on the opposite side of some thick brush. That bullet had been apparently deflected by some heavy saplings, and was the bullet that came flying up the point in my direction. After his shot, the deer had run to his right, parallel with the old railroad bed ... and right in front of another stander - who made a great shot and put the deer down almost on the spot. The hunter who had missed that buck, had just gotten reloaded when a half dozen whitetails came down off the point, including a very nice 4x4. A 40-yard shot put the deer down.
The hunt took place in Western Iowa, during the 1998 shotgun season. It was the last day of a five-day hunt for five Georgia hunters. Although two of the seasons scheduled for December were technically "Shotgun" hunts, muzzleloaders were allowed. All of the hunters were using modern in-line muzzleloaders.
Before the drive began, the hunters had been taken around to the other side of a large brushy pasture that was to be driven ... and those hunters were spaced out 100 or so yards apart, along an old long abandoned railroad bed. Three of us then went around to the other side, and began a long slow zig-zag drive though about a half-mile of thick hardwoods cover. Those of us making the drive kept a hundred or so yards between us. We all saw deer as we worked back and forth, attempting to push through every small pocket of heavy cover in the large stand of hardwoods. I was working the center and widest ridge point that dropped back down to where the hunters waited.
We were about half way through when a shot rang out, to the right front of the drive. A minute or two later, another shot sounded ... and a split second later a bullet ricocheted off the side of a big oak tree no more than 10 yards in front of me, then struck another barely ten feet from me. That was definitely too close for comfort. Immediately, a third shot bellowed out off to my left front ... and a few minutes later, a fourth shot sounded from the old railroad bed. The other two drivers had pretty much kept their blaze orange in sight of my center position. We knew the hunters were no more than 200 yards ahead, so I signaled for all driving to stop. We stood there for about ten minutes, then yelled to let the standers know were were coming out - to find that three of the four had taken bucks.
One of the standing hunters had tried taking a shot at the best of the bucks, a dandy 5x5, that was on the opposite side of some thick brush. That bullet had been apparently deflected by some heavy saplings, and was the bullet that came flying up the point in my direction. After his shot, the deer had run to his right, parallel with the old railroad bed ... and right in front of another stander - who made a great shot and put the deer down almost on the spot. The hunter who had missed that buck, had just gotten reloaded when a half dozen whitetails came down off the point, including a very nice 4x4. A 40-yard shot put the deer down.
That drive, nearly 20 years ago in Iowa, was my last "real" deer drive. Likewise, it was the last hunt I went on with so many hunters. After coming so close to being on the business end of a saboted bullet, my deer and other big game hunting became more a personal thing. I often camp with another hunter or two, but when it comes time to actually "hunting" ... easily 90-percent of the time I hunt alone - either from a stand or blind ... or still hunting slowly ... or relying on spotting then stalking.
I have actually come closer to being seriously injured by another hunter while turkey hunting than hunting anything else. The hunt on which the whopper Missouri gobbler shown at right was taken started with less of a smile.
An early follower of this website, when first launched back in 2003, had invited me to drive up from where I then lived in Cape Girardeau, MO to hunt the spring turkey season on several sizable tracks of ground he owned in Northern Missouri. The first afternoon, he drove me around to show me a few of the tracts. One was about 300 acres in size, consisting of about half fields, half hardwoods. When we pulled onto a closed county road, which was his property line, I glassed seven different gobblers strutting along the edge of the timber. I knew right then where I'd be hunting the next morning.
That evening, I studied an aerial of the property and saw that a small creek ran through that timber ... and that a long narrow field bordered the creek. The closed and gated old county road offered an easy 3/8th of a mile walk into that field, and that's what I did in the dark of the next morning. It was a cool and clear late April morning, and I had slipped a heavy camo jacket on over lighter camo, figuring that later in the morning when the sun popped up, I could shed the heavier jacket.
As the light slowly grew brighter, a real owl beat me to hooting ... and the woods ... the entire country surrounding me ... came alive with roll after roll of gobbling. Then I could hear birds flying down from the roosts. Glancing down at my watch, I saw that it was legal shooting time, and when I looked back up ... there stood six nice gobblers out in the field about 150 yards away. I had purposely set up with my back to the East ... so I wouldn't be blinded by the rising sun ... which I knew would soon climb above the horizon.
I had also chosen to sit with my back to a big oak ... about 100 yards from where the end of the field bordered the closed gravel road. A couple of light yelps from my box call were cut short by the gobbles of at least a dozen toms - several from the neighboring property on the other side of the road. The birds already out in the field all began strutting, but didn't come any closer. Then two really nice gobblers came down off the roadway, about where I had entered the field and also went into full strut.
I have actually come closer to being seriously injured by another hunter while turkey hunting than hunting anything else. The hunt on which the whopper Missouri gobbler shown at right was taken started with less of a smile.
An early follower of this website, when first launched back in 2003, had invited me to drive up from where I then lived in Cape Girardeau, MO to hunt the spring turkey season on several sizable tracks of ground he owned in Northern Missouri. The first afternoon, he drove me around to show me a few of the tracts. One was about 300 acres in size, consisting of about half fields, half hardwoods. When we pulled onto a closed county road, which was his property line, I glassed seven different gobblers strutting along the edge of the timber. I knew right then where I'd be hunting the next morning.
That evening, I studied an aerial of the property and saw that a small creek ran through that timber ... and that a long narrow field bordered the creek. The closed and gated old county road offered an easy 3/8th of a mile walk into that field, and that's what I did in the dark of the next morning. It was a cool and clear late April morning, and I had slipped a heavy camo jacket on over lighter camo, figuring that later in the morning when the sun popped up, I could shed the heavier jacket.
As the light slowly grew brighter, a real owl beat me to hooting ... and the woods ... the entire country surrounding me ... came alive with roll after roll of gobbling. Then I could hear birds flying down from the roosts. Glancing down at my watch, I saw that it was legal shooting time, and when I looked back up ... there stood six nice gobblers out in the field about 150 yards away. I had purposely set up with my back to the East ... so I wouldn't be blinded by the rising sun ... which I knew would soon climb above the horizon.
I had also chosen to sit with my back to a big oak ... about 100 yards from where the end of the field bordered the closed gravel road. A couple of light yelps from my box call were cut short by the gobbles of at least a dozen toms - several from the neighboring property on the other side of the road. The birds already out in the field all began strutting, but didn't come any closer. Then two really nice gobblers came down off the roadway, about where I had entered the field and also went into full strut.
The birds knew well where those yelps had come from, and seemed to be waiting for a hen to show itself before advancing any farther. Fortunately, the trunk of a wind toppled oak provided a bit of cover for my lower half, so holding the Rohm box call in my lap, I threw a few clucks into the morning air. Every bird in the field gobbled, which caused a number of others still in the woods to sound off as well. The two toms which had moved down from the neighboring property worked another 20 or so yards closer - but were still a good 30 yards too far for the Lenartz 12-gauge muzzle-loaded "Turkey Taker" shotgun being hunted with that morning. (Shown In Above Photo)
That stand off went on for another 15 minutes, then a couple of light purrs with the walnut box call got the two closest birds to begin inching my way. The shotgun was loaded with 100 grains of Pyrodex "Select" and a Ballistic Products "Turkey Ranger" wad slightly overfilled with 2 ounces of No. 4 lubaloy coated shot - with a styrofoam over-shot wad holding the load in place. With that load and the Hastings .665" Extra Full choke tube screwed into the muzzle, the short barreled shotgun was an honest 40+ yard turkey gun. So, when those two gobblers were, maybe, 50 yards out ... I decided to slowly bring the gun up to my shoulder.
Just as the rubber butt pad hit my shoulder and my cheek was making contact with the comb of the stock ... ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE! Two shots rang out from the heavy growth along the bottom edge of the built up road crossing that spanned the creek. It doesn't take an old Marine long to realize that shots are being thrown his way. Before I could react, I felt the sting of a couple of pellets as I dropped to my side and rolled with my back toward the gun fire. Three or four more shots roared as both of those gobblers came running up out of the field and into the timber where I was sitting ... not more than four or five yards away. For a minute or so, I was afraid to stick my head up, but couldn't resist any longer and jumped to my feet, yelling at the top of my lungs ... "Don't shoot ... Don't shoot!" Maybe with a few superlatives thrown in.
It was a good thing that I had slipped on that heavy jacket that morning. Although I was 90 or more yards from where two hunters had used the creek to slip in on the two gobblers, two of the pellets had penetrated deep enough to break skin ... one on my left shoulder, the other on my left arm. I found their shotshell hulls (all 2 3/4-inch No. 4 shot) about 50 yards from where the turkeys had been standing. No one else was supposed to be on the property, and we never did find out who it was. The very next morning, I set up on a different field ... without any heavy cover on the opposite side ... and managed to call four great gobblers in to within 30 yards - and cleanly dropped the big heavy-bearded gobbler above right with the "Turkey Taker" in-line shotgun.
To read about a more recent hunt with this shotgun go to - http://www.namlhunt.com/mlturkey6.html
That stand off went on for another 15 minutes, then a couple of light purrs with the walnut box call got the two closest birds to begin inching my way. The shotgun was loaded with 100 grains of Pyrodex "Select" and a Ballistic Products "Turkey Ranger" wad slightly overfilled with 2 ounces of No. 4 lubaloy coated shot - with a styrofoam over-shot wad holding the load in place. With that load and the Hastings .665" Extra Full choke tube screwed into the muzzle, the short barreled shotgun was an honest 40+ yard turkey gun. So, when those two gobblers were, maybe, 50 yards out ... I decided to slowly bring the gun up to my shoulder.
Just as the rubber butt pad hit my shoulder and my cheek was making contact with the comb of the stock ... ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE! Two shots rang out from the heavy growth along the bottom edge of the built up road crossing that spanned the creek. It doesn't take an old Marine long to realize that shots are being thrown his way. Before I could react, I felt the sting of a couple of pellets as I dropped to my side and rolled with my back toward the gun fire. Three or four more shots roared as both of those gobblers came running up out of the field and into the timber where I was sitting ... not more than four or five yards away. For a minute or so, I was afraid to stick my head up, but couldn't resist any longer and jumped to my feet, yelling at the top of my lungs ... "Don't shoot ... Don't shoot!" Maybe with a few superlatives thrown in.
It was a good thing that I had slipped on that heavy jacket that morning. Although I was 90 or more yards from where two hunters had used the creek to slip in on the two gobblers, two of the pellets had penetrated deep enough to break skin ... one on my left shoulder, the other on my left arm. I found their shotshell hulls (all 2 3/4-inch No. 4 shot) about 50 yards from where the turkeys had been standing. No one else was supposed to be on the property, and we never did find out who it was. The very next morning, I set up on a different field ... without any heavy cover on the opposite side ... and managed to call four great gobblers in to within 30 yards - and cleanly dropped the big heavy-bearded gobbler above right with the "Turkey Taker" in-line shotgun.
To read about a more recent hunt with this shotgun go to - http://www.namlhunt.com/mlturkey6.html
I've always considered myself a safe and considerate hunter, when taking a shot I've always tried to keep in mind what lies beyond the intended target. I think most responsible hunters do. In the Midwest where I grew up, much of the countryside is now heavily dotted with homes as more and more people look to buy 20 to 40 acres, and build a home so they can live a rural lifestyle. Many immediately stop all hunting on their property, fearing errant bullets flying around. This in turn has in many areas resulted in an explosion in the deer populations.
Across the country, motorists hitting deer has now become a leading cause of motor vehicle accidents, and where the speed limits are above 50 or so m.p.h. - also a major contributor to the number of motorist deaths caused by such accidents. Removing enough of the deer to even alleviate the problem by a small degree has become extremely expensive for state game departments and local law enforcement or animal control.
Still, the residents of these areas who are largely at fault by creating such large rural "neighborhoods" laced with multiple "No Hunting" private wildlife sanctuaries, continue to ban hunting ... in fear of projectiles hitting unintended targets. And ... to some degree ... that is understandable.
The great thing about hunting with a muzzleloader can be a couple of the sport's most limiting factors. One is that the vast majority of the rifles being hunted with are limited to a single shot. Another is that even the hottest in-line rifles and loads have a very limited range when compared to modern center-fire big game rifles. The hunter who has made the effort to know where his rifle is hitting, and builds a load that can effectively put down game quickly, is very likely to concentrate on that "first shot" ... which for the vast majority of muzzleloading hunters is the "only" shot they have before having to take the time to re-charge a slow-to-load frontloading rifle.
That very deliberate careful alignment of front and rear sights, or placement of a scope's crosshair, on a deer that's most likely inside of 100 yards, in turn means that the muzzleloading hunter preparing to take a shot at suburban community deer is extremely likely to be fully aware of what lies beyond his or her target. Where hunting such congested rural deer habitat becomes truly dangerous is when hunting with a "repeater" of any kind ... when hunting with a "gun" capable of firing successive shots. While there are or have been a few double-barrel muzzleloading rifles built and sold, both originals and modern reproductions, when it comes to the several million muzzleloading rifles carried afield each fall in North America, it's a good bet that more than 99-percent of the rifles used are of the single-shot variety.
It is when a hunter either misses or fails to drop game on the spot with that first shot when full cognizance of what's in the background becomes lost as follow up shots are taken at a running target. That danger can be largely eliminated by limiting suburban community hunters to using a "single-shot" rifle (or handgun) when hunting in or close to such human populated deer cover.
Still, the residents of these areas who are largely at fault by creating such large rural "neighborhoods" laced with multiple "No Hunting" private wildlife sanctuaries, continue to ban hunting ... in fear of projectiles hitting unintended targets. And ... to some degree ... that is understandable.
The great thing about hunting with a muzzleloader can be a couple of the sport's most limiting factors. One is that the vast majority of the rifles being hunted with are limited to a single shot. Another is that even the hottest in-line rifles and loads have a very limited range when compared to modern center-fire big game rifles. The hunter who has made the effort to know where his rifle is hitting, and builds a load that can effectively put down game quickly, is very likely to concentrate on that "first shot" ... which for the vast majority of muzzleloading hunters is the "only" shot they have before having to take the time to re-charge a slow-to-load frontloading rifle.
That very deliberate careful alignment of front and rear sights, or placement of a scope's crosshair, on a deer that's most likely inside of 100 yards, in turn means that the muzzleloading hunter preparing to take a shot at suburban community deer is extremely likely to be fully aware of what lies beyond his or her target. Where hunting such congested rural deer habitat becomes truly dangerous is when hunting with a "repeater" of any kind ... when hunting with a "gun" capable of firing successive shots. While there are or have been a few double-barrel muzzleloading rifles built and sold, both originals and modern reproductions, when it comes to the several million muzzleloading rifles carried afield each fall in North America, it's a good bet that more than 99-percent of the rifles used are of the single-shot variety.
It is when a hunter either misses or fails to drop game on the spot with that first shot when full cognizance of what's in the background becomes lost as follow up shots are taken at a running target. That danger can be largely eliminated by limiting suburban community hunters to using a "single-shot" rifle (or handgun) when hunting in or close to such human populated deer cover.
Due to accelerated whitetail populations where "urbanized" woodlands continue to spread, in a number of areas the annual bag limit (mainly for does) is extremely high. In Virginia, several counties have established an unlimited bag limit for whitetail does. In many of these areas, liberal special archery seasons or hunts have been tried, and while they help, bowhunting has failed to curb the deer population growth. Still, in many human congested rural areas, even where there is a muzzleloader season, residents refuse to allow hunting with a muzzleloader.
The problem is not just in the East ... Southeast ... or Midwest. In quite a few areas of the West, as critical river and creek bottom deer habitat is now seeing more and more residential development - and hunting has been curtailed, deer populations are now growing rapidly. Likewise, a glut of major predators are now pushing deer populations down into the human populated valleys.
In Montana, the state's Fish, Wildlife and Parks agency has a few so-called "Special Weapons Restriction Area" requirements imposed on and within a number of such human inhabited areas. To hunt these areas, a hunter must hunt with only specified arms ... supposedly aimed at limiting the maximum range of what hunters use to harvest game. MT FWP's restrictions on muzzleloaders (during the "Special Weapons Restriction Area" hunts) "allows/prohibits" the following:
"Muzzleloader • must not be capable of being loaded from the breech of the barrel; • may not be loaded with any pre-prepared paper or metallic cartridges; • must be charged with black powder, pyrodex, or an equivalent; • must be ignited by a percussion, flintlock, matchlock, or wheelock mechanism; • must be a minimum of .45 caliber; • may have no more than two barrels; and • must only use plain lead projectiles. • Sabots or other similar power and range enhancing manufactured loads that enclose the projectile from the rifling or bore of the firearm are prohibited. “Skirts” or gas checks on the base of a projectile are acceptable."
These restrictions clearly show MT FWP's total ignorance of muzzleloading today ... and an extreme bias against those who choose to hunt with a modern in-line rifle and modern saboted bullet. In addition to allowing regular archery equipment and crossbows, the "Special Weapons Restriction Area" hunts also allow ... if ... "Traditional Handguns • are not capable of being shoulder mounted; • have a barrel length of less than 10 ½ inches; • chamber only a straight wall cartridge, not originally developed for rifles." ... And ... "Shotgun Must be shouldered, breech-loaded or muzzleloaded firearm with a smooth bore and/or rifled barrel and/or rifled choke device designed to fire shot or slugs."
This is the exact wording as published in the 2017 MT Fish, Wildlife and Parks regulations.
Note: With handguns and shotguns there are no "restrictions" regarding bore sizes ... or types of projectiles allowed. In reality "straight wall" cartridges like the .454 Casull are fully capable of producing velocities of 1,900 to 2,000 f.p.s. Likewise, some of today's saboted shotgun slugs are capable of 1,850 to 1,900 f.p.s. - and honest 200+ yard effectiveness ... BUT MONTANA FISH, WILDLIFE AND PARKS DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE AGAINST THEM ... even though they have the same range ability as today's modern "single-shot" in-line muzzleloading rifles and saboted bullets. The only difference is that those modern "breech-loading repeaters" present a much greater danger to the human residents living in the vicinity of where those so-called "Special Weapons Restriction Area" hunts are conducted ... thanks to the ability to fire multiple shots at running game.
Why is this game department seemingly out to destroy our muzzleloader hunting opportunities? If you have seen similar bias and discrimination against any segment of muzzleloader hunting anywhere that you hunt, please let us know. Drop me an e-mail at the following address. - Toby Bridges, NORTH AMERICAN MUZZLELOADER HUNTING
namlhunt@gmail.com
Hunt Responsibly ... And Defensively!
Published February 1, 2018
The problem is not just in the East ... Southeast ... or Midwest. In quite a few areas of the West, as critical river and creek bottom deer habitat is now seeing more and more residential development - and hunting has been curtailed, deer populations are now growing rapidly. Likewise, a glut of major predators are now pushing deer populations down into the human populated valleys.
In Montana, the state's Fish, Wildlife and Parks agency has a few so-called "Special Weapons Restriction Area" requirements imposed on and within a number of such human inhabited areas. To hunt these areas, a hunter must hunt with only specified arms ... supposedly aimed at limiting the maximum range of what hunters use to harvest game. MT FWP's restrictions on muzzleloaders (during the "Special Weapons Restriction Area" hunts) "allows/prohibits" the following:
"Muzzleloader • must not be capable of being loaded from the breech of the barrel; • may not be loaded with any pre-prepared paper or metallic cartridges; • must be charged with black powder, pyrodex, or an equivalent; • must be ignited by a percussion, flintlock, matchlock, or wheelock mechanism; • must be a minimum of .45 caliber; • may have no more than two barrels; and • must only use plain lead projectiles. • Sabots or other similar power and range enhancing manufactured loads that enclose the projectile from the rifling or bore of the firearm are prohibited. “Skirts” or gas checks on the base of a projectile are acceptable."
These restrictions clearly show MT FWP's total ignorance of muzzleloading today ... and an extreme bias against those who choose to hunt with a modern in-line rifle and modern saboted bullet. In addition to allowing regular archery equipment and crossbows, the "Special Weapons Restriction Area" hunts also allow ... if ... "Traditional Handguns • are not capable of being shoulder mounted; • have a barrel length of less than 10 ½ inches; • chamber only a straight wall cartridge, not originally developed for rifles." ... And ... "Shotgun Must be shouldered, breech-loaded or muzzleloaded firearm with a smooth bore and/or rifled barrel and/or rifled choke device designed to fire shot or slugs."
This is the exact wording as published in the 2017 MT Fish, Wildlife and Parks regulations.
Note: With handguns and shotguns there are no "restrictions" regarding bore sizes ... or types of projectiles allowed. In reality "straight wall" cartridges like the .454 Casull are fully capable of producing velocities of 1,900 to 2,000 f.p.s. Likewise, some of today's saboted shotgun slugs are capable of 1,850 to 1,900 f.p.s. - and honest 200+ yard effectiveness ... BUT MONTANA FISH, WILDLIFE AND PARKS DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE AGAINST THEM ... even though they have the same range ability as today's modern "single-shot" in-line muzzleloading rifles and saboted bullets. The only difference is that those modern "breech-loading repeaters" present a much greater danger to the human residents living in the vicinity of where those so-called "Special Weapons Restriction Area" hunts are conducted ... thanks to the ability to fire multiple shots at running game.
Why is this game department seemingly out to destroy our muzzleloader hunting opportunities? If you have seen similar bias and discrimination against any segment of muzzleloader hunting anywhere that you hunt, please let us know. Drop me an e-mail at the following address. - Toby Bridges, NORTH AMERICAN MUZZLELOADER HUNTING
namlhunt@gmail.com
Hunt Responsibly ... And Defensively!
Published February 1, 2018
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