Creating a Personal Challenge for Hunting *Decided*

[86er]

Have any of you ever done something like this?

I am considering hunting the whole season with a muzzleloader. I have also thought about using the Mzldr for local game and sticking to conventional rifles (mostly levers) for out of State or Country hunting. I can see myself severely handicapped for varmints in terms of range and accuracy. I will also need to use a conventional rifle if I am guiding dangerous game (back-up/protection). I was thinking along the lines of using a front stuffer this season, a handgun next season, maybe one cartridge for everything in the next. I'm just trying to spice it up a bit but I can't decide if this is practical, and whether or not it will turn into an exercise in frustation.

Who's done something like this, when, how, with what and how did it go overall? Would you do it again, the same or differently? Any variables?

I value you input while I continue to explore and consider this novel idea.

[TedH]

I've tried something similar in the past. I've hunted one whole year with a S&W 629, with the exception of turkey hunting where we must use a shotgun. Never killed any coyotes or other varmints in the off season, 'cept a crow, but did kill a whitetail buck in the fall with it. That's been several years ago. Might be time to try again with another handgun, like maybe a 357.

[Andrew]

I don't hunt but I think it could be fun depending on how your mind is. I don't always enjoy challenges but sometimes they are good fun.

I say go for it.

[marlinman93]

I started about 5-6 yrs. ago hunting with vintage Marlins and Ballards. I don't go on a lot of hunts, as it's just deer and elk here, but it has definitely changed hunting for me, and brought more pleasure than I've had for some time. I sure wasn't down or tired of hunting, just wanted to do something fun, and this sure has been that!

[horsesoldier03]

Two years ago, I made the restriction to only hunt deer with a bow, and took my buck tag as an archery permit. I finally connected on a nice 8 point at a distance of about 30 yards and got a nice quartering away shot that left a nice blood trail. Unfortunately, there were cows in the pasture and as I was trying to back off and let the buck bed down and die, the cows took off into the grove of trees and pushed the buck out. I waited an additional hour before taking the trail, I was ticked when I finally got to the end of the blood trail only to find someone had found my deer and gutted him out and left the feet and wet hide.

Needless to say I am a bit hesitant on restricting myself now although the restriction didnt have anything to do with bad luck.

[rjohns94]

I have hunted decades with bow (longbow or recurve) only till about 10 years ago. I shot deer, fox, squirrel, rabbits, pheasant, raccoon, opposum, frogs, rays, carp, gar, bass (oops), rattlers, coyote. I ran a trap line with .22lr for several years. I also hunted with a shotgun only for deer, small game and upland game for a couple of years. When I moved to Pa, I hunted with bow and flintlock and BP shotgun for 7 years, hunting deer, small game and upland game. Started using leverguns three years ago, for squirrel, deer and occasional stuff on your game ranches. I'm likely to to use bow, BP, leverguns and shotgun for the next few years. I expect eventually to go back to bow/shotgun only.

[El Chivo]

I think it's a good idea to hone your craft if you have the interest in muzzleloading. Especially if you can hunt enough so if one gets away, you aren't kicking yourself for 10 years.

I also have a challenge, to go to tang sights only, getting rid of the scope. This is mostly for carrying purposes, it's not that I want to make it more fair for the deer. For me, getting used to using the lightest and most versatile sight system is a good idea.

[jnyork]

I have successfully hunted the pronghorn with a flintlock for over 20 years, only been skunked once.

Are you talking about hunting with a real muzzleloader or one of the modern inline bolt action infernal machines?

[tman]

would like to try it with a repro blunderbuss,but haven't found one yet. due to various state hunting regultions, my other choice would be my 1887 lever 12 gauge, got to figure out how to plug the magazine to 2 shots first.

[iceman]

In my area the deer herd is rather small and spread out over a large area. I have had more success with my inline muzzle loader than my levers lately. In my rifle only zone it is bucks only but my front loader zone is anything goes. I have a very basic Traditions inline using #11 caps and I use Hornady Great plains lead bullets with good results. You have to be closer, but with practice a 100 to 150 yard shot is very do able. My closest is around 25 yards and longest is an honest 175 yards. ( I had to follow up and finish that one) Most have been hit well in the chest and fell within sight. I have used both open sights and low powered (2.5x) scopes. It is a different way to hunt but very rewarding. Makes you think about your shot as you only have one and hones your woods skills. I don't have the patiences to sit more than an hour in any one spot and get most of my deer as I sneak around the thick swamps or edges of abandoned fields. Try it you'll like it. Just my .02

[2X22]

I"ve done that many times. At one point I took a 20ga O/U, a 44 rifle and pistol out of the safe and hunted 3 years with ONLY those guns. Took every bit of game I usually do, from elk, mule deer, blacktail deer and bear. I tend to take 1 hunting rifle out every year and try and stick with that caliber for the season.

I've done that for most years out of about 30+.

22

[Ysabel Kid]

Sounds like the makings of a really interested year, filled with a lot of good posts and pictures for all of us to enjoy!

What ya waiting for Joe?

[Old Savage]

jnyork - now there is a deal!

[El Chivo]

I SHOULD get into muzzle loading because up in SLO county where I have gone to hunt, they have a special muzzle loading season which includes does, unheard of out here. It's in December, too, not interfering with the regular deer season. I just heard about that summer.

[k8bor]

+1 for El Chivo's discipline.

All my hunting now for the last 5 years= open sights and either a lever or handgun.

[Dave]

There is no reason not to. There may be times when you get busted trying to put the sneak on a critter, but the way you feel when you are slipping up on your quarry, your heart beating fast, your mind sharp, is a thrill.

People laugh at me but when I see a squirrel in the distance and spend 15 minutes slipping from tree to tree to get close enough to make a shot I am really having fun.

With Whitetails if you happen to bump them they usually don't go that far and playing cat and mouse with a deer is an exciting game.

Unless you really need the deer it isn't about just stacking up meat until you can't close the freezer anyway. Trophy hunting is over rated because some parts of the country just don't have really big deer, but that doesn't mean the deer there aren't smart when they are mature.
A deer you spotted and spent a lot of time easing up on playing the wind and cover to within 30 yards is more of a trophy than a 170 class bruiser you shot at 300 yards to me.

In fact some years I close one eye when I aim. That's right I am shooting with just one eye giving up half my vision!

[Bang]

I did some paintballing of some Sambar deer last year - deer aren't the smartest of Gods creatures.

[morgan in nm]

There are some benefits to using a muzzle-loading rifle depending on where you live. Here in NM, the restricted muzzleloading season is early in the year so you don't have to put up with the overcrowded lands. Also, it seems that for muzzleloading, most of the individuals that go for it don't like to get very far off the main trails so the chances at getting a trophy are greater if your willing to look for them.

[20cows]

Sounds worthwhile!

[piller]

Sounds fun, and aren't challenges one of the things which make life worth living. Let us know what you decide and how you do.

[86er]

OK - I decided what I am going to do. I am going to rotate using my hunting guns until I have taken one animal with each. If a hunt doesn't yield game, I will stick to the same firearm until I get something with it. I already had success with my 30-30, so I am going to use:

30-06
50 Blackpowder
45 Colt Scoped Handgun
7mm Rem Mag
300 Win Mag
12 gauge Slug Gun
45 Colt Rifle
303 British Enfield
45-70
308 Win

more or less in that order. That's about the right # of animals I will take each year in personal hunting, not including culling and animals taken during the course of acting as PH. I foresee hogs, Addax, Elk, Barasingha, Sambar, Alligator, WTD, Chinese Water Deer, Moose, Mule Deer, javelina and bison. Of course multiples on the WTD and hogs. The Sambar, Barasingha, Moose and Mule Deer and subject to being selected in one of the drawings. I am looking forward to it and it is fun already.

[rjohns94]

Joe, Alligator is on my list for the longbow. Do you guide those?

[86er]

Yup

[piller]

Joe, I'll be looking forward to the hunting reports.