New to muzzleloading

I shot my bull at eighteen yds, with my bow though, dressed at 785. Then packed it back 2 mi to the truck, Ouch.
 
Yeah they are to size of a medium sized horse .They certainly aren't like deer .

I was sitting on a rock on red and white mountain in Colorado smoking a cigarette and a damned cow walked right up to me .Within 15 feet no less .Nose twitching smelling the air like I didn't even exist .No way a deer would do that not even a Colorado muley .
 
My cousin lays asphalt for a living, and a big business at that. He has shot more deer puffing on a smoke whilst smelling like diesel and road tar than I have shot. It can be really frustrating after spending a lot of time and money to be"scent free”. I think they just want to know what the awful smell is.:lol:
 
Great thread, guys. Lotta good and funny stuff here.
 
I have heard that bears can get attracted to the smell of vegetable base chain oil. Might be worth trying a few dabs behind the ears.
 
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  • #33
Well, I leave tomorrow for opening weekend with my muzzleloader....... Wish me luck. Thanks for the tips and the stories. I have really enjoyed reading them all.
 
To "spook "a deer they have to detect you with at least two senses .Smelling ,hearing ,sight ,two out of three . Only one they try very hard to get another one to pick up .After a period of time if they don't detect with another scent they just go about their business if you aren't there .

Old bucks are smart one reason they became old bucks .During the rut which just happens to coincide with most states deer hunting times they run with a harem of does .The matriarch doe usually the oldest leads the way and usually the buck is right in the middle of the flock .The ladies kind of protect the "king " so to speak .
 
My cousin lays asphalt for a living, and a big business at that. He has shot more deer puffing on a smoke whilst smelling like diesel and road tar than I have shot. It can be really frustrating after spending a lot of time and money to be"scent free”. I think they just want to know what the awful smell is.:lol:

I have definately seen more deer, elk and bear while working in the woods than hunting in the woods. Critters are a curious lot. They do check out sounds and smells. Sometimes to our advantage.

Gary
 
They seem to have no fear of machinery .You can be in the field on a tractor and they just look up and then go about their business . Crawl down off that thing they make like the rooster and get the flock out of Dodge .Mucho rapido !

That's one of the reasons they hunt elk off horse back or a mule .Elk have no idea a horse doesn't have a hump on his back .All they know is it's large ,they can't diddle it and it ainta gonna eat them .Plus it probabley smells a little funny to them in a 'orse chitty kind of way .
 
To "spook "a deer they have to detect you with at least two senses .Smelling ,hearing ,sight ,two out of three . Only one they try very hard to get another one to pick up .After a period of time if they don't detect with another scent they just go about their business if you aren't there .

Old bucks are smart one reason they became old bucks .During the rut which just happens to coincide with most states deer hunting times they run with a harem of does .The matriarch doe usually the oldest leads the way and usually the buck is right in the middle of the flock .The ladies kind of protect the "king " so to speak .

I don't know about all that boss. Deer will often flee the scene if they detect you with one sense. I've been winded by deer many times that never spotted or heard me but got out of there because they knew.something was wrong. That and I've had deer spot me, that were upwind from me, and left because they simply saw me. Throw in the fact that I've coughed a time or so in the woods or made some sort of noise alone only to watch deer vanish.
 
You can pretty well tell when a white tail gets spooked .That tail comes up and those ears start moving .If that white flag goes up with a couple of feet stomps they are gone .

If the wind is right and they don't hear or see you they might walk right in on you .

Fact I had about a dozen pictures of a muley doe with a set of twin fawns I watched for over two hours up above her on a big rock the size of a barn .Every time I snapped a picture momma deer would move those ears .She knew something was up just not what it was .After a few minutes she settled down and the fawns played like little children .If they got too rambunkious she would snort at them .It was a hoot to watch .

Another year just prior to bad weather moving in I chanced across a herd of at least 40 muley does,not a damned buck in the bunch .It was at the junction of two trails and I was beside a big blue spruce tree .I didn't make a sound or a movement .As they crossed over every one of those does saw me but they never spooked and I was within 100 feet of them .
 
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  • #41
The only thing I shot was a tree while unloading my rifle for the last time of the season. I only saw 2 deer all season but they came while my oldest son was out with mw for his first time. He still talks about it:D

Even though I didn't get anything, I am hooked on muzzleloading. Sighting it in was a nice change of pace from my old (trusty) Marlin 30/30.
 
That muzzle loader will spit them out just as accurate as that brush gun which has an arc like a morter shell .It's lays them out faster though .Known fact ,more deer have been taken with a 30:30 than all the rest combined .At 80-100 yards though it really doesn't make that much difference .
 
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  • #43
I have heard that about the 30/30. I also heard that my particular gun is the model is the most common 30/30 out there. I believe it's the Marlin 360.
 
The Marlin is probabley the better of the two if compaired to the Winchester M 1894 .The Winchester however is the most recognized .

I'm not certain if the design for the M'94 was Oliver Winchesters design from other earlier lever action rifles or if John Browning had anything to do with it .Interesting note though ,both John Browning and John Marlin were in fact tool and die makers by trade until they got into the rifle business .--trivia --
 
I got a cheap muzzleloader to give it a try. I got a used traditions deerhunter in nickel/snow camo synthetic stock. They say its not a real great model but I don't want to invest much money into that game until I decide if I enjoy it. Ill do a trigger job on it to start and start playing with different loads. In the mean time my 7 mag and I have been pounding the woods.
 
I've got my dads' model '97 which is pre 64 so it's a good one ,all machined not stamped.It served the old boy well .I haven't personaly shot it in over 30 years myself but it was fairly accurate at 100 yards .

As I said before a muzzle loader used to be cheap to shoot .I supplied all my buddies with cable lead which at the time we were removing old underground cables by the hundreds I never but helped cast bullets because somebody else already supplied them since I kicked in all the lead .

Seems to me if I recall correctly I paid about 80 bucks for that 58 cal Zouave replica which was reasonable at the time .Early mid 80's .
 
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