Which state is the best for ML?

I can't complain about Pennsylvania, an early, 7 day antlerless season. 14 day firearms and a 3 week flintlock season across the state. If you live in certain areas there are extended seasons. Plus lots of public land available. Public can get busy in the special regs areas, however the more remote parts have some low pressure hunting opportunities and plenty of deer!

Fisherking said:

A long season, multiple tags and lots of deer would be amazing. Sounds like the south East states have it going on!

The history in PA is totally appealing. I want to see one of the CLA shows this year for sure!

Click to expand...

Long seasons ….equates too hunting in 90f temps with high humidity & bugs of various descriptions…

Multiple tags …. Especially in the CWD areas.
Kill ‘em’ all, seems too be the approach many States pushing.

Lots of deer…. I’m sure the Insurance Companies benefit from those reports more than the hunters…

Did I mention snakes….

Comfortably_Numb said:

If you want big dear, any of the Mid western states are a good choice. WI, MI, IN, IL, MO IA, MN. All have big deer. Bucks over 220 field dressed are not uncommon, does usually go 140-160.

Click to expand...

Michigan does have some big whitetail deer, but the monsters are usually harvested in the lower portion of the Lower Peninsula where the majority of the bigger farms are to be found. There is plenty of State land and if you check the DNR website they will also list the private lands that have agreed to allow public hunting.
The Upper Peninsula, while a great place to visit, is not the deer hunting mecca that it once was, probably due to the fact that the Yooper deer season starts on July 5 every year and runs until July 4 of the following year.

Montana is as bad, if not worse than Idaho. Last year they opened a ml season for the first time. You can use any of your unfilled tags, but it is after the general season. Too much wide-open here. Everybody hunts with calibers like Creedmoor and 300 Win Mag. The game is shot out. What the wolves don't get. Kevin Costner and his ilk are buying up all the private land and posting it.

Ohio: it is all here, whatever you want to do with a muzzleloader.

Minnesota, the northern part of the state where I live produces some big bucks. Deer numbers can fluctuate widely due to harsh winters and wolf predation but We have a 16 day gun season where I use my muzzleloader followed by a 16 day muzzleloader season. Often need snowshoes during the late muzzleloader season. Did I mention it can be cold too?

I was up in the UP a couple years ago, up near Munising, a little east of there. Stopped in a cool little mom and pop outdoor store and was talking to the owner. He said the wolf population has really hurt deer hunting up there.

Some_Mook said:

The Upper Peninsula, while a great place to visit, is not the deer hunting mecca that it once was, probably due to the fact that the Yooper deer season starts on July 5 every year and runs until July 4 of the following year.

Click to expand...

GregK said:

For a not too gun friendly state, New York has a lot of muzzle loading hunting opportunities. Northern zone for deer/ bear from Oct 15-21. Southern zone Deer / Bear Dec.12-Dec 20. Southern zone deer only "holiday hunt" Dec. 26-Jan1.
You can also use your ML during the regular gun seasons.

Click to expand...

there is also a month of january m/l and shotgun hunt in suffolk co. long island. it by entry . but you can get as many doe tags as you want. [ to a point]

Comfortably_Numb said:

If you want big dear, any of the Mid western states are a good choice. WI, MI, IN, IL, MO IA, MN. All have big deer. Bucks over 220 field dressed are not uncommon, does usually go 140-160.

Click to expand...

My mom killed a doe in IL one year that field dressed 207. I, my nephew, and my cousin have all killed monster bucks on the IL family farm. They do indeed grow big there.

I mostly hunt in the state of Confusion. Been going there once or twice a year since retirement.

No one comes to Maine to hunt. It's terrible .... don't come.

Ben Meyer said:

I was up in the UP a couple years ago, up near Munising, a little east of there. Stopped in a cool little mom and pop outdoor store and was talking to the owner. He said the wolf population has really hurt deer hunting up there.

Click to expand...

Wolves get a bad rap. Livestock Farmers have been pushing for an open hunting season on wolves in the UP and truth be told would probably like to see them hunted to extinction. The 25 mile stretch of M28 between Munising and Seney (probably the most boring and tedious piece of roadway in the State) sure does accumulate a lot of road killed deer every year. I would not put all of the blame on wolves for poor deer hunting. Biologically wolves are pretty good at adapting their reproduction rates to the availability of their food sources. If they didn't, there would be a lot of starved to death wolves on Isle Royal and hardly any moose on that island.

Wow would you look at that barn framing with the T steel bracing

Is that up in the county?

Good pics

Davey Boy said:

Wow would you look at that barn framing with the T steel bracing

Is that up in the county?

Good pics

Click to expand...

It is! We did all the repairs, it was one good storm away from colapse. It's 50'w x 80'l x 40'h. It's a money pit. Anything you want to do to it - plan on starting at $10,000+!

By God man if I were up there with ya you could count on my help don't say a word.

Maine people can make something work and work well and your barn shows that ability.

You could bury it under ground and they could dig it up in a century and just marvel at it.

It looks just terrific

Keep having fun

dave

Texas has a 6 week deer season for gun, but very few counties have a separate muzzleloader season. Nearly every county has 2 bucks and 2 or 3 doe limit. East Texas has some huge National parks for hunting, but most of Texas is private land.

The state has over 100 draw hunts at state parks or WMAs, some only for muzzleloader. The TXPWD website has the details.

The tags, for deer and turkey, come WITH your license and are good anywhere in Texas.

Texas has almost every type of hunting, piney woods, post oak savanahs, salt cedar hill country, high desert, mesquite flats.

Believe it or not, Massachusetts is a good state for muzzleloaders. We have a Primitive Firearm season albeit at the end of deer season. We are allowed to use the muzzleloader during shotgun season which precedes the muzzleloaders. We can take two bucks on one license and are allowed to purchase doe stamps at a very reasonable rate. There are plenty of animals due to smaller tracks of land and under harvesting. With a little effort, prime hunting areas can be found. I just wish Primitive Firearm Season came right after Archery instead of at the end of the season.

Nor'Easter said:

No one comes to Maine to hunt. It's terrible .... don't come.

Click to expand...

Shhhhhhh......

Michigan had a good b.p. season years ago. But to sell more licenses you can use about anything you want. Including straight wall cartridge guns in the southern areas.
You can buy up to ten doe tags plus your two combo tags. So you could shoot twelve deer with two of those being bucks.
The deer season starts in September with Veteran and youth hunts. Then keeps on going to January.
Tags are deadly available..

This state hates firearm's so much, they outlawed lead, tho it grows in the eastern part of the state.
Then they out lawed transportation of black powder to keep it out of the hands of terrorist's.
Not my words, the prior Govna. This one only outlawed cartridge firearms.