Jim Bridger, Daniel Boone, Davy Crockett. All legendary frontiersmen who carried their trusty muzzleloaders everywhere they went. Their adventures are well documented, and their abilities when using these primitive firearms – whether for self-protection or to harvest game – is equally impressive. That era ended long ago, with the invention of smokeless powder cartridges and the repeating firearms that accepted them. But for their capabilities to “get the job done” with a single shot, the old muzzleloaders did just that, despite the occasional misfire or hangfire.
Now let’s fast-forward ahead a couple of centuries. Following the closure of the Southern Zone’s regular deer season on Dec. 12, many hunters will trade their modern cartridge rifles to carry their muzzleloading rifles during the SZ’s special late season, which allows both muzzleloaders and archery hunters an extra week of deer hunting opportunities. Although many of the muzzleloaders will bear little resemblance to those of centuries ago – being in-line ignition and carrying scopes – they must still be loaded in the same manner as the Boone and Crockett era, through their muzzles and allow just a single shot to be fired before being reloaded. The allure of hunting with a muzzleloader probably has a much to do with nostalgia as it does with the opportunity to extend the hunter’s season to hunt deer.
However, of the two methods, archery presents the biggest challenge since it involves drawing and then accurately releasing an arrow despite the cold conditions and deer that were made extra wary by weeks of already being hunted. The muzzleloading hunter has it a bit easier, but there are hurtles unique to hunting with a muzzleloader that modern gun hunters need not be all that concerned with. Paramount is the fact the hunter gets just one shot when or if the opportunity presents itself, and there's also still the chance of a misfire. And despite modern in-line designs, no muzzleloader is as accurate or as long range as modern centerfire rifles. Generally, any shots over 75 yards are iffy at best, despite the claims made by some manufacturers and a few hunters.
Bowhunters brave enough to take advantage of the late bonus season encounter a far different environment than they did during the regular archery season. For one thing, the technique of hunting from a tree stand can be a real ordeal if it's cold and windy. Also, if there's a snow covering, deer are more apt to spot the hunter before they get within bow range. Even if the deer doesn't initially spook, the bowhunter will probably alert and spook it when he tries to draw. And when it's below freezing, the draw-weight of a bow is increased due to its parts becoming frozen. That, coupled with cold muscles and heavy clothing, can often make what is normally an easy draw-and-release into a grunt-and-strain one.
Those who hunt with a muzzleloader, regardless of the in-line or sidelock ignition type, normally put some kind of thin seal material over the muzzle to keep rain or snow from getting down the barrel and contaminating the propellant. Some use tape while others use a section of a small balloon (when fired, the force blows the seal off without affecting accuracy). However, the biggest problem with moisture often occurs when a muzzleloader that's been in sub-freezing temperatures for several hours is brought inside where it's warm. The gun sweats due to the temperature change and the moisture contaminates the propellant. If you plan to remove the ignition cap but leave a charge in the barrel for tomorrow's hunt, don't bring the gun inside. Either leave it locked in an unheated garage or vehicle, or unload it, let it sit an hour, dry it thoroughly, and place a fresh charge in it just before you hunt the next day.
Over the years, and having hunted the late seasons with both bow and muzzleloader, I can honestly say that I no longer even consider hunting this special season with the bow. Several of my bowhunting friends have also taken up the muzzleloader rather than the bow. Why? There are several reasons, but one dominates that decision.
It has to do with my – and their –self-set ethics. They just don't shoot a bow as accurately when it's cold and they’re shivering in a tree stand. If they made a bad shot and only wounded a deer, they’d never forgive themselves.They hunt because they enjoy the challenge, regardless of what tool they use to hunt with, and their goal is always to make a quick and humane kill when they harvest any game. If, by chance, we happened to get a belated "Indian Summer" during the late December season, maybe they'd bowhunt again. But that hasn't happened in a while. Heck, we bowhunters already have enjoyed a month-long fall season before gun season ever opened, so we've had plenty of opportunities.
To me, the muzzleloader is a fair compromise – one that's about halfway between a bow and a modern centerfire rifle. Keep in mind that those deer that were easier to hunt a few weeks ago are now educated to most hunting tactics. So getting an accurate shot opportunity under 50 yards – at least one that's not at someone's backyard bird feeder – isn't all that easy now. If or when one does offer me a 50-yard shot, the muzzleloader can do it effectively, while a bow may not.
There's been increasingly more support to legalize crossbows in New York (one of the few states left that they're banned in). To me, it makes a lot of sense, given the fact the state's hunter numbers have been declining as present hunters head toward senior citizen status, and fewer young people hunt. It could also be the answer to solving how to control the burgeoning deer populations near suburbs and other "protected" areas where gun hunting isn't allowed or practical.
Maybe the test is to allow crossbows to be used during this late December season. Although their range would be no farther than a vertical bow's, at least it would allow older hunters who've quit bowhunting altogether the opportunity to try them out and make their own decision as how they compare to compound bows. I know my initial impression was that modern crossbows shot like a gun and would reach out much farther than a compound bow. But once I'd used one, I quickly discovered the main difference was a crossbow can be drawn and locked, while a standard compound has to be drawn and hand-held. In fact, I can still shoot more accurately and farther with my modern Hoyt RazorTec compound than I can with the modern crossbows, but with practice, the crossbow is accurate out to about 25 yards,, about the same as many bowhunters limit their shots.
So, to you hardy late-season hunters with either muzzleloader or archery licenses, or both, I wish you good luck and no hypothermia. One thing's for certain this year ... if you take a deer then, you can rest assured you’ve accomplished a challenging feat.