WHRRI Sticky Tires News Letter
February 1, 2024
The Oakland County Sportsman – February 2024
February 1, 2024
Shooting a Muzzleloader at a target can be a blast. Hunting with a muzzleloader can be over the top fun. Muzzleloader deer hunting tends to be late in the season when the woods are once again quiet, and the weather gets really cold and snowy. By then most hunters are done dragging trophies and ice fishing is on their minds.
The muzzleloader hunters are after that big smart buck that made it past the first waves of hunters and still kicking. The rut is over, and deer are starting to yard up to make it through the winter.
In some ways, deer hunting with a muzzleloader is a bit like an archery hunt. Usually up close and personal with your quarry, not a lot of pressure from other hunters. And just like archery, you tend to only get one shot so you better make it count. Although a modern muzzleloader can shoot accurately out to three hundred or more yards, it is more likely to be a 100-yard shot or less, sometimes much less.
When archery hunting, I make it a point to watch my arrow fly and see how the deer reacts to the shot. I like to make note of the direction the deer heads, remember trees it passes and compass direction it runs. I planned to follow that same process for my first muzzleloader kill, but I quickly learned I may need a different approach. Squeeze off a muzzleloader shot at a deer and all you’re gonna see is smoke. No chance to see the deer react. Luckily when my smoke cleared, I was able to see a leg pointing to the sky twitch at 40 yards!
Once a muzzleloader deer is harvested, it is usually much easier to recover if there is snow. Once recovered they may be much easier to drag over the snow. I’m not getting any younger and the drags are getting tough, so anything making a drag easier is a bonus. Having some good buddies to help drag is a must.
Kerry Bush