Pulled a muzzleloader deer tag!

[muzzleloader48]

I'm too old to camp anymore but i'm lucky enough to live close to where I hunt. So, all my hunts are day hunts. I just wear a small day pack that's blaze orange. That way I don't have to worry about getting a ticket from a grumpy warden for covering up my orange vest.

All I need in the pack is what I need for the day. Food, water, knife, game bags, rain gear, and a small sled to drag out the meat. It's plastic and rolls up to a tube. It fits in the pack. I find it easier to drag out the meat on the sled than wear a bigger pack and put the meat on my back. Crappy back can't handle it anymore.

Careful Pete...where and what are you hunting this season? We didn't pull one tag for deer or elk. I think we're going OTC for elk...don't know where yet....

 

[muzzleloader48]

I am not saying that Colorado isn't beautiful. Sure, it has green areas and dark timber, clear mountain lakes, etc. I am not saying I don't like the hunting or fishing here, I just feel it's better (in some aspects) in other places.

I guess my issues are with the CDOW and not really the state. The CDOW couldn't manage game if someone did it for them, and they would still f*ck it up. And the more B.S. laws they put into place that limit my ability to hunt really deters me, just like the caliber restriction for a ML round ball. That is absolute B.S., but because some anti or stiff in a suit either complained or made a statement, they changed the rule.

When I complain that CO has too many people, yeah, it's probably where I live (northern front range), but the areas everywhere in CO are exploding in population. I don't like it.

Don't worry...the population will decrease once the Denver and Boulder area start to dismantle the police departments!! You're right about CPW...to many Commiefornia transplants ruining the state with nonsense regulations!! How they figured a .54 cal. PRB will kill an elk and a .50 cal. PRB won't kill an elk is beyond reason!!

 

[Buck Conner1]

Who makes an ML in .54 with a full stock that won't break the bank? I prefer percussion.

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That will be a job to fill, maybe Tradition has something, ask Jonathan. GRRW Collectors Association are expensive guns that run in the $1,800 to $2,200 range depending on style (parts are expensive these days). Good luck.

Where in Northern Colorado do you live - Fort Collins, Loveland, Greeley ???
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[ElkFever]

I hear you Hanshi, experiencing similar problems now. Both knees need to be replaced, now waiting for my name to come-up for operations. Who said "It's going to be fun being retired", like hell it is .... :cheers:
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I had both my knees replaced in 2012, 4 mos. apart. Best decision I made, pain free and still roaming the hills for deer, elk and fishing. Rehab is tough but gets the best results!!

 

[Hanshi]

Because of ra and lots of nerve damage chronic fatigue dogs me 24/7. I'm actually healthy to be in the shape I'm in.

A high pain tolerance allows me to still shovel snow and do work around the house. I can't mow grass (allergic to it also) because of what the vibrations do to my hands. I can still exercise some and walk around the neighborhood although it leaves me wasted for hours. Funny, but I don't feel it until I stop/quit. After walking if I stop I have to hold onto something to keep from falling. I stagger a bit when I walk (hence the cane) and have to watch the ground or I'll lose my balance and fall. But I'm still mean as hell and never know when to stop - shoveling/working/anything - since I only "collapse" when I stop.
This was a class I taught during an all day clinic by a multi-arts organization a few years ago. I can still do this if I'm careful. I might look fat but at 5'5" I only weigh 140#.

 

[Muley Hunter]

At least you have hair. More than I can say.

 

[White Fox]

So what do you Colorado guys carry while ML hunting? Gear, type of pack, etc. I have a good backpack and a small canvass shoulder bag. But I want to slim down what I take out hunting and leave some of the non essential crap in camp.

LongRifle, I am a long time Colorado hunter- since my freshman year at CSU in 1963. When out for big game I carry a suitable rifle, a few extra rounds, and what I could conceivably need for the day, which varies a lot. Many deer hunts have been close to home, with cell service, all I will take is binocs, seat cushion, water, lunch, game care gear, and maybe an extra sweatshirt. On the other hand, on some deer and particularly elk hunts you will find me with a fair sized day pack with the Ten Essentials plus a bit more. Though I usually "hunt with" one or more partners, that may mean being a mile or more apart. I make sure I have with me what I need to take care of myself for at least twenty-four hours.

I've spent two unplanned nights out, one by accident and one by being dumb enough to whack an elk a bit too late in the day. In that instance it seemed wiser to spend the night than make way way back to camp by flashlight.

The other instance arose from not knowing the area to be hunted and not asking the right questions of some folks I had not hunted with before. At Oh-Dark-Thirty I asked "this road we are on runs east-west, and were hunting out north, right?" Right. What they didn't tell me was the road ended a quarter mile beyond the camp. You know who hunted north, then east, then headed back south to intercept the road, Went south and south and south, and it was getting darkish when I realized what I must have done. Sure was glad I had my big piece of Visqueen, some light rope, fire-making supplies, GI canteen cup and instant soup. For those who know Colorado, this was in Moffat county north of Craig, off the road that runs from Hwy 13 to Freeman Reservoir.

If you think I'm preaching like a HE instructor, well, I've been a Master HE instructor since 1985. Very rewarding!

 

[LR]

Where in Northern Colorado do you live - Fort Collins, Loveland, Greeley ???
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Technically I live in Larimer County. I am between Loveland and Foco slightly to the west.

 

[Buck Conner1]

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Good area, know many muzzleloaders and rifle guys in the area since 1970.
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[Buck Conner1]

The other instance arose from not knowing the area to be hunted and not asking the right questions of some folks I had not hunted with before.

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This will make you laugh ... I have always had issues with getting lost, can't tell north from south. We were hunting in the northeast corner of Colorado, it's getting dark faster than usual for the time of the year. Lost my bearings, can't tell my location. Have an Army Ranger and a Navy Seal with us in the party, no problem they are experts with reading the stars. These two have us (group of 5) following their instructions for getting back to the trucks.

We stumble around most of the night (3 hours or more) until I build a fire. I'm staying here until daylight guys, stay or stumble around in the dark. One friend stays while the experts and another go off into the night. At day break the two of us see our tracks from the trucks and follow them to warmth and food. Build another fire have coffee on and my freind is cooking breakfast when the others show up after firing a few shots. They had been following the wrong star - not the North Star..... [Polaris designated α Ursae Minoris commonly the North Star or Pole Star, is the brightest star in the constellation of Ursa Minor. It is very close to the north ... ].

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[LR]

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This will make you laugh ... I have always had issues with getting lost, can't tell north from south. We were hunting in the northeast corner of Colorado, it's getting dark faster than usual for the time of the year. Lost my bearings, can't tell my location. Have an Army Ranger and a Navy Seal with us in the party, no problem they are experts with reading the stars. These two have us (group of 5) following their instructions for getting back to the trucks.

We stumble around most of the night (3 hours or more) until I build a fire. I'm staying here until daylight guys, stay or stumble around in the dark. One friend stays while the experts and another go off into the night. At day break the two of us see our tracks from the trucks and follow them to warmth and food. Build another fire have coffee on and my freind is cooking breakfast when the others show up after firing a few shots. They had been following the wrong star - not the North Star..... [Polaris designated α Ursae Minoris commonly the North Star or Pole Star, is the brightest star in the constellation of Ursa Minor. It is very close to the north ... ].

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This is why I carry a compass....and a map.

 

[LR]

So for those of you that shoot a PRB in .50, what is your powder charge. I am currently using pyrodex select RS.

 

[Newtire]

I got my best accuracy using 70 gr. 3f or 80 gr. 2f. A guy with a chronograph let me chrono the 3f load and it got around 1780 fps for the one shot we did from a Green Mt. barrel. Might give that a try.

 

[muzzleloader48]

I currently have 27 Elk preference points for Colorado. I am hoping to do a muzzleloader hunt in one of the northwest units in a few years from now. I plan on using one of my .50 cal Renegades with a 460 gr Bullshop conical.
If any of you gents have first hand knowledge of that corner of the state that you would like to share, I would certainly appreciate it.

That Browns Park area North of Craig Colorado has some really big bulls. You should be able to get a hunt there with all those pref. points. If or when you do....keep us informed. used to take my boys up there camping along the Green River and exploring in Irishmans's Canyon.

 

[McClura]

LR, do like I did. In 1992 or 1993, can't remember now, I drew a muzzleloader tag in unit 72 or 76, anyway, around Dolores on Lone Cone Mountain.
I had been shooting a .50 cal full stock fainter since building a few years earlier. Found I had to have a .54. I ordered a .54 Ed Rayl 42"x 15/16 barrel that would drop right into the stock I built. Installed a tang with exact measurements like the .50, browned and started load development one week before the hunt.
It is a flintlock so I was shooting 100grn of 3F Goex, .540 cast ball from a Rapine mold and it was deadly at 100 yds. Third day of the hunt I walked up on a bedded legal bull under a spruce. I sat down, got my shooting position and started cow calling. When he stood, I put one in his heart. He started slowing walking a trail, and with lightning speed loading another round, put another in his heck. Down right there. 40 yards and neck shot passed through and the heart shot stopped against the hide on the exit side.
Mike

 

[Hanshi]

I got my best accuracy using 70 gr. 3f or 80 gr. 2f. A guy with a chronograph let me chrono the 3f load and it got around 1780 fps for the one shot we did from a Green Mt. barrel. Might give that a try.

Best accuracy in my .50 was achieved with 70 grains of 3F. Ballistics pretty much matched what you got.

 

[Hanshi]

Maine does have some gorgeous scenery and it can also be breathtaking.

 

[Hatchet Jack]

That Browns Park area North of Craig Colorado has some really big bulls. You should be able to get a hunt there with all those pref. points. If or when you do....keep us informed. used to take my boys up there camping along the Green River and exploring in Irishmans's Canyon.

I appreciate the info.
Thank you

 

[muzzleloader48]

I appreciate the info.
Thank you

Update: It is actually West of Craig, CO. to a little town called Maybell then North. Beautiful and full of elk.

 

[rusticbob]

Maine does have some gorgeous scenery and it can also be breathtaking.

I lived on the NH-Maine border for over 20 years. Hunted both successfully . The Portland area is a den of evil, scary liberal. Most of the State is OK, but there is no Sunday hunting, a game changer for me when I was younger and had a full time job.