Hunting during muzzleloader season - dumb question?

[JimP]

I have a friend that hunts elk with a muzzle loader just about every year and his success rate is below 50% and this is on BLM and private land.

Sometimes the elk are there and sometimes they are not, you just never know where they will show up at. There have been years that he never does see a elk.

 

[Slugz]

Good stuff Slugz. Thanks for the post.

I'm surprised at how low the success rates are for muzzleloader. I would think if a guy hunted hard and had an idea of what he was doing, that he should be able to shoot a bull with a muzzy during the rut. Not saying it would be easy but I would just expect better success. Lots of the muzzy tags are easy to draw though so maybe lots of guys figure if they don't shoot one, they can get a tag the next year or the year after?????

I think its a mentality also during muzzle loader season and what tag they have in their pocket. Bull, either sex or cow tends to make people overthink it a lot....let animals walk...etc etc.....they watch too many shows on tv and see people let animals walk within easy shot range in hopes of another chance.

And look.....I get it.....I understand the whole non resident dilemma of trying to do research, scout, picking a good GMU, picking a good hunt etc etc.....its tough.

I think also people underestimate open sight shooting and think they are getting a great deal of extra range out of it vice archery range shots. Muzzle loader hunting though in Colorado can be a slay fest if you can effectively use the wind, decoys and a caller. Usually the herd bulls are cowed up by then but the satellites and herd bulls that are still cruising come to a call from great distances away.

How ever you slice it, regardless of State, September is an awesome time to be in the woods.

 

[NDHunter]

I think its a mentality also during muzzle loader season and what tag they have in their pocket. Bull, either sex or cow tends to make people overthink it a lot....let animals walk...etc etc.....they watch too many shows on tv and see people let animals walk within easy shot range in hopes of another chance.

And look.....I get it.....I understand the whole non resident dilemma of trying to do research, scout, picking a good GMU, picking a good hunt etc etc.....its tough.

I think also people underestimate open sight shooting and think they are getting a great deal of extra range out of it vice archery range shots. Muzzle loader hunting though in Colorado can be a slay fest if you can effectively use the wind, decoys and a caller. Usually the herd bulls are cowed up by then but the satellites and herd bulls that are still cruising come to a call from great distances away.

How ever you slice it, regardless of State, September is an awesome time to be in the woods.

I should pull a muzzy tag this year so I'm looking forward to it!

 

[mallardsx2]

I hunted hard from daylight to dark the entire muzzlerloader season deep in the flattops of Colorado in 2016. Never cocked the hammer.

Could have shot a couple cows so technically I could have went home with an elk if I had chosen to shoot. I was hunting for a bull.