Muzzleloaders and cool mornings

To start one must understand I am, and always will be, a bowhunter at heart. From Ishi to Fred Bear to Chuck Adams, their spirits fill my veins and fuel my soul. However, every year I look forward to one specific moment. I don’t always get it but, when I do, it’s an epic ride back to the days of Damiel Boone and John Coulter. That moment is a cool fall morning with the smell of gunpowder wafting through the air! 

That combination takes me on a mental journey back in time. Back to the days when one could venture out into the frontier and be the first human to experience the wonder of an undiscovered land., I wonder what went through Daniel Boone’s mind when he first saw the Cumberland Gap with his trusty muzzleloader in hand? Can you imagine being John Coulter and seeing the west as no other American had at that point? History says the lever action rifle and the invention of rifle cartridges settled the west. History, by way of theatrical drama, tends to skip over the fact the muzzleloading rifle is the device and both fed and defended the frontiersman, and their families, of yesteryear.

The equipment may have evolved, seemingly out of control, but the season remains the same. Here in the mid south most seasons span two defined patterns. The normal fall and the prerut/rut. If a hunter is wanting to hunt the rut for bug bucks the muzzle;oader season generally holds the best 7-10 day window of the year.

In early muzzleloader season the deer are in the early fall pattern of acorns, persimmons, and feeding in the harvested agriculture fields. Setting up for this pattern of behavior is similar to early season bowhunting, except for the need to make a longer shot on those harvested fields. Setting up on established travel corridors between ag fields and heavy cover, bedding areas, is almost a sure bet. This is the time of year when “edges” become key as generally the edges and travel corridors coincide. Pay close attention to the bedding areas with high concentrations of does as this will be important information to have in a week or so.

The next phase of the season has two defined parts. The pre-rut and Full rut may run together but the buck behavior will tell you exactly where you are at in this cycle.

Pre-Rut

Sometime around early November the bucks will start establishing dominance. This is when you will start seeing rubs, and scrape lines. Setting up along these scrape lines can be extremely productive. THe bucks will also start sparring so rattling becomes a deadly tactic as well. When rattling its not advisable to try to sound like two mature bucks in a roman stadium. Better to imitate the sounds of two immature bucks sparring one another. This tends to bring in a more mature buck to see who is invading his territory. As the days progress grunt calls become another effective tool. Prime set locations in the pre-rut will be anything close to a bedding area in the mornings and travel corridors to a local food source in the evenings. 

Peak Rut

Peak rut is the most magical time of the year for the muzzleloader hunter.. It is the time of year one wants to stay in the stand or blind all day and that’s the best advice I can give anyone. Pack your lunch and fill your thermos because peak rut is an all day affair. During this time the bucks will be actively chasing does and a majority of this chasing has been observed around mid-day. The bucks will be cruising downwind of the doe bedding areas, like i mentioned earlier knowing those locations becomes paramount. Setting up near these areas is a high percentage bet for sure. 

This time of season is when one can use estrus scents to their advantage. I enjoy being a low tech man in a high tech world so I still use the old standard of Tinks 69. It’s worthy to note that one can use too much scent and make mature bucks wary. Less can be more this time of year. It’s about balance when using scents. Use just enough and not anymore than needed.

Peak rut is when really aggressive rattling can be effective. Bucks are looking to breed and the sound of the competition fighting over a hot doe will pull them in. This is when you don’t need to be timid when rattling. Make it loud and aggressive. 

Since the bucks are traveling all day during the peak rut ambush points turn into the pinch points and funnels. These will be the “mini highways for bucks looking to breed”. This opportunity will only last 10-14 days and in the mid south that tends to be when rifle season opens.

So pack a lunch, fill a thermos, grab your smokepole and get after it! Always hunt safe, hunt hard, wear a safety harness, and hunt all day long.