Anybody thinking muzzle loader?

I am getting excited about blk. Powder season had lots fun last season took some cool pics.

I love the smell of black powder in the morning.

I enjoy shooting them, but I haven't hunted with one in decades.

Considering it will give me the opportunity to take a doe, now that they are showing up, since we haven't been able to since the Sunday before Thanksgiving I am ready.

Cool pics!

Yep, Red River county, try to get another doe.

yep gonna pull my muzzleloader out and make sure its good to go this week.

Our season here starts the 8th. I have my .62 ready and waiting.

I love hunting with a smoke pole. Did for years in Nebraska when I was married, now it just sits in the safe. I miss it. Was a different world to me hunting in the COLD ice and snow, hunting creek bottoms and doing drives. Made a lot of good memories with my ex FIL (RIP). It's just not the same using it in S Texas.

First deer with a muzzle loader, cold Nebraska Winter. Flew in from offshore, loaded the truck and drove 17 hrs straight. Gun was still in box. Got there, pulled it out and went hunting with no sleep. Only time in my life I had not sighted in my rifle before the hunt and was very nervous about it but was no time to do so. Was sitting in the snow against a tree when a big doe stepped out at 70 yrds and I drilled her, open sights. I put both of my hands together and could stick in the exit wound. She still ran over 100 yrds before she crashed into another creek. The amount of blood on the snow was eye opening to me, and was awesome to see that red mist against a white background. 285 grain Barnes HP is a nasty pill. BIG deer up there. FIL shot a buck that scaled 300 lbs on the nose, and his buddy killed one that went 275. Good times.......

Give me readers digest version of muzzleloader season in AR counties.
Doe and Buck or buck only.

Been shooting mule deer and elk in CO with black powder since I was 16 years old. My first bull elk fell to a round ball from a T/C Renegade in 54 cal.

Yep ready to go for my first season. Plan to hunt every opportunity.

Love the cooler weather.

Z

Not in Moore County, No muzzle loader season here.

During muzzle loader season you can kill whatever the legal limit is with the tags you have left. If you have killed the 13" buck then you can only kill the spike. If your doe season closed sometime during the general season, like ours did in Nacogdoches county, you can now kill does again.

You need to check the county regs for county you will be hunting. Each one is different. In the AR county I plan to hunt the muzzleloader regs allow antlerless without MLD tag (you can use your hunting license tag) and bucks are same AR restriction as general season.

Saving a tag. Move the feeders a little closer. TC Hawken .50 I got in 1977. Shoot the Maxiball with a little butter.

I did it last year and would like to again this year, was fun and a lot less competition for the harvest.

thats great mine was on from the box 25 years ago never changed sight good to 150 yards with.45 sabot.

i have same gun but bought it in 1993 from Cabellas for like 100.00 bucks its .50 cal but i like 45 sabot.

You mean they can be killed with less than a .338 and below 700 yards?

Surprisingly the answer is yes, the old stuff still works.

Check your county regs. In Red River county, you can take a spike and a 13" buck or two spikes. Does are legal too for us during BP season.

I'm heading out this weekend in Cass county for my first ever hunt with a muzzle loader. I've shot a lot of deer in my lifetime. I hope I don't get buck fever when I bring
this new and different rifle up to my shoulder........

I wish it was shotgun/muzzle loader. Cant bring myself to buy another gun and all the crap to go with it.

I think you need to have your wife take you to the doctor to see whats wrong. It's obvious that you are not thinking right!

Have a 54 cal hawkin I have shot a few deer and hogs with. Lots of fun to shoot and hunt with. Havent had it out in a few seasons, gonna have to work on that.

I love muzzleloader hunting. It is my preferred method. Have probably taken at least as many deer and hogs with my smokepole as with centerfire guns. Usually take a week off work in October and drive to NE Oklahoma for their ML season. Oklahoma and Arkansas have their ML season in October before modern gun season, so it is a great time to catch pre-rut and early-rut hunting. 2017 ML season was a rodeo, with bucks running does like mad. No better time to be in the woods.

When you say "surprisingly the old stuff still works," you are talking about your gun?

Haha ok, let me rephrase that. I can’t afford to buy another gun and all the crap that goes with it.

Yep. Both of them!

Hunting military installations most of my career, I've been relegated to either shotgun slugs or muzzleloader, especially post-9/11. Back when I started hunting those locations, I added a Savage 10 ML-II smokeless muzzleloader to my safe and it quickly became one of my favorite rifles. I'll admit it's not the most rustic ML in the world, but it's hard to argue with no cleaning and only a 10 inch drop at 200 with a 250 gr bullet.

I don't get to hunt with much these days, but if I'm ever able to, I'll definitely be dusting it off.

Wife and i both bought cva optimas several years back, love hunting with them. I do meed to play around with the powder a little more, but for now i use 80 grains of blackhorn by weight, hornady 250 sst and a federal 209a primer and both will shoot about 3" at 100 yards depending on the wind. I plan on backing off that load a little and doing a little more load development, but for now its good enough. Im a firm believer in the blackhorn powder is much less corrosive and no swabbing between shots is a huge plus. My silly dad left his powder/bullet in his dam muzzy for year a couple years ago, i was quite suprised he hit within 2" of the bullseye and the bore had no rust where the charge was at in the barrel. I believe if he had been using the ole blackpowder, that rifle would of been toast. Fun stuff!

Putting a final cleaning on the old 50 cal. the weather is getting right you know I will post plenty pics.

Enjoy it, from what I hear this could be the last year we have a muzzle loader season in texas, next year they are considering just extending general season through the current late season.

Out this morning it's cold but nice first deer 7:30
Think might be nubber.

Girls showing up 7:45

This guy showed up bout 8:15

You can hunt with a muzzle loader during the regular season, and the original idea was generating more funds from charging for the extra stamps, and then most everyone ended up just buying the super combo's.
Right now in some counties if not all, the youth late season runs the same time as the muzzle loader season, so the kids can use a centerfire rifle and dad can only use a muzzle loader.
I've wondered for a long time why they don't just extend the season.
The deer can't tell the difference if it was shot with a muzzleloader or a centerfire, and you still can only use the same amount of tags that were allowed during the general season unless MLD.

I would think part of it is ML doesn't ahve the range or quick reloading capability of centerfire, not as easy. Same reason we have a separate archery season.

Out with Karsen my grandson had beautiful sunrise we have doe all around us and a young coyote ran by great morning .

Apples and oranges basically!
The modern in-line muzzle loaders can reach out as far as center fire rifles, and most folks don't need or get more than one shot at a deer after that first shot.

Then texas should ban modern inlines ML during that late season, other states have, side lock only.

Last day got it loaded up going to stay till coffe runs out. Who else is out?

I'm enjoying the last day also. Cant stay to long this morning daughters truck needs some brakes and have a party at 1 but I will be back in the stand this evening rain or shine.

Good luck!

Hunted Saturday morning, and saw a nice buck before it was light enough that I could make out my iron sights.....Saw several small bucks, but he never came back out when it was light enough to see.
Oh well, he will be a good one next year!

Went a couple of times this weekend Coyote busted my deer once and cocking the gun got me the second time. Want to upgrade before next season.