Michigan muzzleloader hunting..

[Steelheadwe323]

I have used a traditional muzzloader for years..since I was 12 when I learned how to load,shoot,and clean one..but our season in Michigan is a joke…In fact the last few years they allowed shotguns and straight wall cartridges during our muzzlelaoder season…so basically we don’t have one anymore…what do we have to do to get an actual traditional deer season? Even just an Open ignition law would be nice…the woods used to be somewhat normal during muzzleloader season as not everyone participated..but now the woods has no time to calm down and the deer are on the run from November 15th to January first.

 

[Stub]

Michigan has a deer hunting season for most everyone. I’m still waiting for the season that only open for deer hunters with hair loss.

 

[Stub]

Now that I think about it, they have a season for the disabled which even includes the blind. I think being bald is a disability too!

 

[Stub]

My local pawn shop has lots of muzzleloaders turned in because of the rules change. That’s the good news. The bad news is most of them have rusty bores. I think that is because those that had them weren’t black powder people. They were just hunters wanting more time afield.

 

[Steelheadwe323]

Yea my local gun stores all have trade ins a lot more now but most of them are inlines…it would just be nice to have our own season. A traditional season with open ignition muzzleloaders and traditional bows would be cool..even if it was just for a couple days

 

[brushblind]

Between the wolves and the Mi. Liberals that seem to be running everything in the state, Michigan deer hunting is mostly about selling permits now. Habitat and proper management are fleeting thoughts. Deer hunting in Mi. must be controlled by sound management in all the different units. What may be a good plan down by Battle Creek will not work up in the northern UP counties. The one plan approach that many in the state seem to lean towards will not work. As far as muzzle loader season goes it just keeps getting more liberal every year just to sell more liscenses IMO. We need to go back to a primative season for black powder but it will take more than that to fix the deer herd in the UP!

 

[Steelheadwe323]

A primitive awesome would be great..and yes I agree it’s all about the money they can make off licenses. As far as saving the deer heard it will definitely take a lot more..I’ve seen the heard down this way thin down quite a bit. I’m my area alone I have lost I’d say 30 percent in the last 10 years. The properties i hunt are small so even when I do regulate what I shoot the neighbor takes out the 4pt I passed on the day before. Seems like a never ending battle these days to manage the herd.

 

[IronHand]

In Michigan if you don't live in a city you might as well not vote. The majority of voters are in the southern counties.

Herd management is based on suburban herd dynamics and greed. Increase license sales by giving politically active groups what ever they want and at the same time, decrease the herd so suburban voters don't complain about their lawns being eaten and there cars wrecked. Never mind that most of the state has a different dynamic.

Traditional BP shooters just can't compete with money groups like QDM and insurance companies. We don't have the money or the votes to be heard.

Sad but true
Ironhand

 

[Jaeger]

I have used a traditional muzzloader for years..since I was 12 when I learned how to load,shoot,and clean one..but our season in Michigan is a joke…In fact the last few years they allowed shotguns and straight wall cartridges during our muzzlelaoder season…so basically we don’t have one anymore…what do we have to do to get an actual traditional deer season? Even just an Open ignition law would be nice…the woods used to be somewhat normal during muzzleloader season as not everyone participated..but now the woods has no time to calm down and the deer are on the run from November 15th to January first.

I have not found any Michigan regulations which allow modern shotguns or guns that use straight-walled cartridges during muzzleloading season. Is this only in certain zones or under certain circumstances? Where do I find this info?

 

[Steelheadwe323]

I have not found any Michigan regulations which allow modern shotguns or guns that use straight-walled cartridges during muzzleloading season. Is this only in certain zones or under certain circumstances? Where do I find this info?

Zone 3 it has been like that for a couple seasons now unfortunately

 

[Jaeger]

Zone 3 it has been like that for a couple seasons now unfortunately

I was not aware of that, and I agree with you wholeheartedly that this totally perverts the muzzleloading season.

 

[Jaeger]

If they are going to eliminate season restrictions that favor hunting with certain weapons, maybe they should simplify things and just create one long deer season: October 1st - January 1st and use any firearm or any type of archery equipment. That would increase license sales.

 

[brushblind]

I was not aware of that, and I agree with you wholeheartedly that this totally perverts the muzzleloading season.

I"m thinking maybe our entire country is being run by perverts! After hearing big Joe's comp. monicker on his sons laptop is "**** Peter" but that's getting away from effective deer management!

 

[RMH]

Michigan opened seasons up in the south due to large herds and CW disease. There are not enough people killing deer. Hunters numbers are down and falling in all seasons. There are 250,000 fewer hunters in Michigan today than 25 years ago. I think the real problem is hunter access in the area's that need more deer harvested.

Some years back I talked with an owner of a sports shop in the UP who was complaining about the complexities of Michigan licensing. At that time there were some 111 different permutations of deer licenses and different regulations for each of them. He was arguing for simplification.

Its about more than money.

 

[Newaygo77]

I agree that the way black powder hunters have been short changed by the new regs in southern Michigan is outrageous, but I also understand why the DNR has made this decision. Zone 3 in the southern part of the state simply has too many deer and too few hunters. The new regs are a effort to get hunters into the field to kill antlerless deer. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be happening. Hunters today seem so obsessed with big antlers that they’re not willing to shoot does the numbers required to manage the herd.

Based on what I’ve seen in recent years, even by allowing hunters to use any gun in the rack, there’s not much hunting pressure during the December muzzleloader season or the late doe season. Deer don’t seem very pressured, and I can hunt all day without hearing more than a few shots. If a hunter wants to carry a muzzleloader from November 15 to January 1 he can (as well as in the early doe hunt in September). Doe tags are plentiful (up to 10) and I know farmers who are happy to provide access to hunters who are serious about killing does. So while I’m a little annoyed by the DNR’s decision to take away our BP only season, in the final analysis Michigan has a lot of days available where a guy can have the woods to himself and hunt with a muzzleloader.

 

[Mr. 16 gauge]

I agree that the way black powder hunters have been short changed by the new regs in southern Michigan is outrageous, but I also understand why the DNR has made this decision. Zone 3 in the southern part of the state simply has too many deer and too few hunters. The new regs are a effort to get hunters into the field to kill antlerless deer. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be happening. Hunters today seem so obsessed with big antlers that they’re not willing to shoot does the numbers required to manage the herd.

Based on what I’ve seen in recent years, even by allowing hunters to use any gun in the rack, there’s not much hunting pressure during the December muzzleloader season or the late doe season. Deer don’t seem very pressured, and I can hunt all day without hearing more than a few shots. If a hunter wants to carry a muzzleloader from November 15 to January 1 he can (as well as in the early doe hunt in September). Doe tags are plentiful (up to 10) and I know farmers who are happy to provide access to hunters who are serious about killing does. So while I’m a little annoyed by the DNR’s decision to take away our BP only season, in the final analysis Michigan has a lot of days available where a guy can have the woods to himself and hunt with a muzzleloader.

Too many deer and too few hunters? Brother, not where I hunt! State land anywhere in S.E. Michigan is a cluster, esp. on a weekend.
Michigan politicians and special interests HAVE perverted the muzzleloading deer season, but I refuse to let that ruin my experience........I will still be out there with my .54 Hawken (and hopefully this year, my .50 cal flintlock) hunting as it SHOULD be done.........I will not take an "easy" or "lazy" way out, because it is more about the "how" than the "what"...............
Good luck to all this fall................