Hunting Stories Thread

Hey everyone, I thought it would be cool to ask you guys some of your favorite personal muzzleloader hunt stories. I'm fairly new to the game and enjoy reading everyone's proudest moments or cool things they've experienced hunting with their front stuffer.

What you hunting for a start. You being new to hunting? Everything's?

Like some hunting isn't going to cost as much to start..
depending where you are...

cold deer you spend allot more on cloths boots and etc.. tuff place to start. But you can on a budget use what winter gear you have with some orange stick to fair weather get started

Turkey spring walmart camo a call timberlands bug spray your good.

Trigger said:

What you hunting for a start. You being new to hunting? Everything's?

Like some hunting isn't going to cost as much to start..
depending where you are...

cold deer you spend allot more on cloths boots and etc.. tuff place to start. But you can on a budget use what winter gear you have with some orange stick to fair weather get started

Turkey spring walmart camo a call timberlands bug spray your good.

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I've been hunting since I was a kid, taken all manner of game. I've only been muzzleloading for a year. I just want to hear some peoples cool stories, a lot of the guys on here have been in the game longer than I've been alive. I thought it would be entertaining to hear their favorite hunts and experiences.

3 turkeys lol got away

One to far 30 yard

Second 10 feet from me.. popped a cap at him.

Third.. I cleaned the gun.. forgot to dry it out. Loaded it the next day.. a week later I had a Tom run up the trail to me like yup I was right on the edge of the trail.. 10 feet I nailed him in the face with air soft.

JJohnson2023 said:

Hey everyone, I thought it would be cool to ask you guys some of your favorite personal muzzleloader hunt stories. I'm fairly new to the game and enjoy reading everyone's proudest moments or cool things they've experienced hunting with their front stuffer.

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There are nearly 7k different threads in the ‘Traditional Muzzleloading Hunting’ sub forum going back over 20 years. It should take a while for you to peruse through the collection of hunting stories you will find there (actually the sub forum you posted this thread in).

Trigger said:

3 turkeys lol got away

One to far 30 yard

Second 10 feet from me.. popped a cap at him.

Third.. I cleaned the gun.. forgot to dry it out. Loaded it the next day.. a week later I had a Tom run up the trail to me like yup I was right on the edge of the trail.. 10 feet I nailed him in the face with air soft.

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That's gotta sting. I get it. The only day I ever called in two separate turkeys a few hours apart, was also the first day I missed two separate turkeys.

Two, both rabbits
I was hunting in New Mexico. Near Aztec off a long country road called ruins road.
Came up over a low sagebrush covered hill. Below on the other side the land dropped off to an arroyo. There were a few juniper trees along the arroyo.
Our steps a good sized mule deer. Who steps in to the arroyo and starts a slow walk up the stream bed.
I didn’t get a deer that year and grumbled at the site of him, though he was far out of range
I had a navy arms .45 ‘Kentucky’ rifle, and sighted on the old boy and just dreamed I was closer and it was earlier in the year.
Suddenly the deer burst in to a run, he sure didn’t see me.
He didn’t run far till a cougar took him down.
That was the first time I ever saw a cougar in the wild, and only seen one since
Early the next year I was again playing Elmer after Buggs.
Having a .45 I liked to get close and go for head shot. Bunnies will often sit still under a sage and you can get a good shot. But they like to bust and run. If you walk a circle around them you can get closer and close but never spoke them.
I held one sitting watching me for about fifteen minutes as I circled.
He watched me I watched him, no one watched the hawk who watched it all. I was about thirty yards and ready to take a shot a hawk fell out of the sky and took my rabbit

tenngun said:

Two, both rabbits
I was hunting in New Mexico. Near Aztec off a long country road called ruins road.
Came up over a low sagebrush covered hill. Below on the other side the land dropped off to an arroyo. There were a few juniper trees along the arroyo.
Our steps a good sized mule deer. Who steps in to the arroyo and starts a slow walk up the stream bed.
I didn’t get a deer that year and grumbled at the site of him, though he was far out of range
I had a navy arms .45 ‘Kentucky’ rifle, and sighted on the old boy and just dreamed I was closer and it was earlier in the year.
Suddenly the deer burst in to a run, he sure didn’t see me.
He didn’t run far till a cougar took him down.
That was the first time I ever saw a cougar in the wild, and only seen one since
Early the next year I was again playing Elmer after Buggs.
Having a .45 I liked to get close and go for head shot. Bunnies will often sit still under a sage and you can get a good shot. But they like to bust and run. If you walk a circle around them you can get closer and close but never spoke them.
I held one sitting watching me for about fifteen minutes as I circled.
He watched me I watched him, no one watched the hawk who watched it all. I was about thirty yards and ready to take a shot a hawk fell out of the sky and took my rabbit

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Awesome stories. Both of those must've been cool to see.

at 70 and been doing it for 30 years the muzzleloading season starts the Saturday after thanksgiving up here in the frozen north (nw Minnesota) it wasn't to bad this year about 30 degrees opening nite dropped a 150lb live doe, the kids both bitchn the hole time draggen it. Monday the same stand dropped another one 170lb live they didn't complain about that one as they drove rite up to it

My story’s have a form that they follow. Most start, “well there I was” spoken in a hushed tone, a few incredible details followed by “it was an impossible shot!” With an occasional, “ when all of a sudden” thrown in. Anyone who has ever hunted can fill in the details.

Reminds me of the Irish song
Even if you saw it yourself
You wouldn’t believe
I wouldn’t trust a fellow like me if I was you
Sure I wasn’t there
I’m sure I have an alibi
But I know a man who has a friend
Who swears it was all true

While I appreciate the concept of an ongoing thread, I personally don't wind up keeping up with them. I'd rather have an independent post about a hunt. If I like the title or know the author, I will read it and then I can easily find it if I want to revisit it. Just look in the Muzzleloading Hunting section for hundreds of stories. Some are just a synopsis, a re-cap or Joe Friday's "Just the facts", and others are like a well written book. I just like them separately.

JJohnson2023 said:

That's gotta sting. I get it. The only day I ever called in two separate turkeys a few hours apart, was also the first day I missed two separate turkeys.

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Nope..

Some of my larger birds... the biggest 28 pounds. there spurs here get round over but they just clear an inch..

The big one was on the edge of a swamp lol it was modern Shotgun but still good hunting

The ground mud.. I had it's head down under my foot in mud mud.. you know had to keep bearing my foot down kept sinking it's head deeper into the mud

He was alive for I don't know a min or two.. well finally he went death flapping under me and i was plastered in mud..

Trigger said:

The big one was on the edge of a swamp lol it was modern Shotgun but still good hunting

The ground mud.. I had it's head down under my foot in mud mud.. you know had to keep bearing my foot down kept sinking it's head deeper into the mud

He was alive for I don't know a min or two.. well finally he went death flapping under me and i was plastered in mud..

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nice spurs!

The 20 30 yard min shots max distance of a cyl bore is no good. It's the min and max..

But
With that dp10 its real hard and fun though cuz you got no choice but to let them get to closer close

Granted 20 30 yards is the best shots.. there standing or strutting or obviously seen you and just a walkn away... nice shots.. but you need 12 hits 18 hits.. it's better..

But that bird now 10 yards and you pinned down... up against a Ferrari it's go time.. if seen is go time.. the closer you let them get the faster they run and your trying for a 10 15 yard back off the head. Gun up hammer back shoot he is running. It's a bird where you are shaking after.

Birds has been fun. Pheasant. I was surprised it's funner with the muzzloader.

Not for the meat and I don't think I'd go much if no dog you know. I kinda thinking breeding and training when I retire.

used to be a good size group I was the youngest by allot and they all acted like it was the last hunt it was allot of fun.. had good dogs good company.. im older now and there gone.

I do enjoy me and the dog more.. during the week before after the crowd etc.

It's not easy getting pictures and I wish I would take more.

Trigger said:

Birds has been fun. Pheasant. I was surprised it's funner with the muzzloader.

Not for the meat and I don't think I'd go much if no dog you know. I kinda thinking breeding and training when I retire.

used to be a good size group I was the youngest by allot and they all acted like it was the last hunt it was allot of fun.. had good dogs good company.. im older now and there gone.

I do enjoy me and the dog more.. during the week before after the crowd etc.

It's not easy getting pictures and I wish I would take more.

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What's your choice of ML for pheasant?

The pedersoli 10ga...

Both gun and dog were gifts from mommy..

She likes midway.. so I got it threw them and they only had that model.. I got the right one.

I have a tc new Englander to try out with chokes but it's not the favorite

I used to call coyotes every time I had the chance and one evening I was out with my 54 cal. Hawken style rifle and called one up. Because of the wind direction and topography the only location was facing into a setting sun. He came in and stood facing me. When I shot I saw dust kick up behind him with the sun shining through the dust and after a bit of a time delay he fell over side ways. Only one with a muzzle loader.

My wife and I were muzzle loader deer hunting when we found a young buck lying in a ravine. We waited awhile for him to get up. After awhile I told my wife that I'd whistle and when he gets up for her to shoot. Well after several whistles he still layed there. So I got out my predator call and blew some calls not too loud but loud enough. He still layed there. We looked at each other with that now what look. So I started trying to play a song with the call which made us both laugh. Well that finally got him to stand. My wife shot and missed, then I shot and didn't. That was 30 years ago and we still chuckle.