Sledneck-my thoughts excatly, them muzzleloaders nowdays dont look traditional and way better than the old days, more accurate, bettter bullets, less time to load and whatsoever.



I said the same thing because its traditional but why scopes on rifles if they didnt have them on rifles in the past. Well we'll be seeing scopes being legal on Muzzleloaders within the 5 years.

I've come very close to using my muzzleloader with a scope on it for regular rifle season, I guess it's no real surprise since we've applied a ton of technology to a rifle system that's 150 years out of date...... But, my muzzle loader is almost as accurate as the rifle I've used to hunt deer my entire life.

With, or without a scope, I'd feel completely 100 percent confidant to take a shot at 150 yards, and about 90% confidant at a 200 yard broadside shot.

I had a nice buck in last night at 40 yds well within legal shooting time. i glassed him all the way in from 80 t0 40 yds, He was easily visible at 80 with binoculars, yet when he got to 40 I could hardly make out the form of the deer. I glassed him again and easily saw him. I put my gun up 4-6 times and could not see him at 40 yds to take a good shot. waited for 45 minutes forhim to walk off so i could sneak out.
I f I had a scope It would have easily had enough light to take the shot (I had ten minutes of legal light when he was at 40 yds) I would have loved to shoot him, but could not pull the trigger. I had the saftey off for a long time waiting for a "good" shot. Hope fully I will get a crack at him yet with gun or bow.
I would love to have a scaope on the smoker, but the law says no, I was at a major outdoors retailer in brainerd yest am and was SHOCKED at the wall of quick release scope mounts in the ML section.
I wonder how many guys get to their stand and throw on the scope themn pull it off at the end of shooting light?
I think a LOt more people hunt with scopes than we realize.

Again, then I say forget muzzleloader season and just lobby the DNR to open up shotgun/rifle season from where its at now through mid-December. Same difference. I'm also going to start lobbying the DNR to use night vision goggles and laser pointed sights while bowhunting because what's tradition and what's the difference? Killing a deer is killing a deer.

well, if we gotta go naked on all 4's then i'm all for moving the season away from the rut

Naked and on all 4's would be perfect for knife season.... provided it's still during the rut.

Again, then I say forget muzzleloader season and just lobby the DNR to open up shotgun/rifle season from where its at now through mid-December. Same difference. I'm also going to start lobbying the DNR to use night vision goggles and laser pointed sights while bowhunting because what's tradition and what's the difference? Killing a deer is killing a deer. [/quote]


Scoping a muzzeloader would not be the same thing as lengthening the shotgun and rifle season. How many shots do you get at one time out of your muzzy? I only get one, have to make it count. Let me know when they come out with a semi auto muzzy so I can buy one.

No, it's not the same, but it's headed in that direction. Next, it will be, well why only one shot? What if I wound the deer with my first one? (And than can happen to anyone no matter how good of a marksman they are.) I've got the scope, now give me the ability to take another shot too. Let me use my rifle or shotgun instead.

I hope you understand, I'm not for limiting hunting opportunities or saying guys should only use traditional equipment. I'm just saying, the muzzleloader season was originally established when muzzys were more traditional because it was and is harder to get a deer with one. And if those disadvantages are slowly taken away, than the DNR might want to think about making a change to muzzy season or eliminage it altogether or open up a longer gun season, etc.

I think a little to is it changed. Before all-season licenses came on-board you had to declare either rifle or muzzleloader, you couldn't hunt both. Starting this year you could buy all 3 if you wish, basically to save the cost of 1, meaning I got rifle/musket. I get the feeling it's most likely the new wave muzzleloader hunters that want scopes, we are so used to them rifle hunting, why not bring them onto the muzzleloader front. The before all-season tag musket guys, the original die hards probably prefer it being more traditional, just speculation. I have to agree with the guy about that buck he couldn't quite get zeroed in on, last year I knew it was a buck, not sure of the size so I passed, if I had a scope I would've gotten a full update, last 10 minutes of shooting light, binoculars wouldn't have been an option, I had about 5-10 seconds to analyze, 1 shooting lane and gone, oh well, I'd rather take a doe than an immature buck so that is how it went. Maybe we'll see a double barrel muzzy someday, 2 hammers. I hope not.

I'm amused by all the people that say "oh i would have got him if I had a scope, or if I had more than one shot"

Newsflash! That's the point. Traditional hunting means harder hunting, usually. If you don't want the challenge, hunt the rifle season like everyone else.

I'm guessing that most of the new comers to muzzy hunting already hunt with a rilfe/shotgun. There has deffinitely been an increase of new hunters to the sport since there is no longer that choice of having to choose one method over the other. I sure do miss the all season license though, much nicer having it all on one tag instead of three different ones. Muzzy hunting is stil much easier than bow hunting, so for me, if I want the really hard challenge for that day then I will sit with my bow.

I agree goblue, if I had a scope that buck may be deceased, I don't want scopes allowed, my gun couldn't fit one anyway,I certainly wasn't thinking oh man if I had a scope he'd be done, I think I was getting at that in low light times of the day a scope would be a huge plus because that is when most of the musket deer activity takes place, I'm certainly not in favor of scope use,I let him walk with no problems, T-Center Black Mt. Magnum is a synthetic old school basically, I use black powder and a cap. I agree that's what makes it more of a challenge, so does the colder temperatures, and that a quarter million or more are already in freezers.

traditional, once again why scopes on rifles then? in the past there were no scopes on rifles.

in the past there wasn't denalis, tahoes, f-350's, etc to get you to and from a stand. even if you could have a scope on a muzzy, i wouldn't have one. i bet a muzzy with a scope is more effective, or useful at 200 yards plus than a scoped 30-30. if you could have it scoped, why wouldn't u be able to use your 7mm mag instead?

the way i look at it is this. muzzleloaders are an effective way to harvest deer. so are modern compound bows. muzzys are just another way to hunt, with a lot less chance of harvesting an animal. a lot of things have to go right in order to bag, just like archery hunting.

the only thing i don't understand is with a Dr.'s note, why can a person use a scope with 1x magnification. isn't it easier to see open sights with poor vision rather than the fine crosshairs in a scope. guess i don't know, i eat my carrots!!

vister made a point. if muzzleloaders advancement in the field is opposed then why should the new 350fps bows be allowed? i'm for longbows and flintlock only!