Minnesota has a muzzle loading deer season, usually starting the last full weekend in November and running for two weeks & three weekends, 2012 is Nov 24 thru Dec 9. The firearm must be loaded from the muzzle, and optical sights are prohibited. Minimum for smoothbore barrels is 45cal, 40cal for rifled. Muzzle loading handguns (regs specifically exclude C&B revolvers) can be used with the same caliber restrictions, and there is no minimum barrel length.
During the firearms season, one can use a rifled muzzle loader with a scope in the area reserved for shotgun&slug only. So there you can use an in-line with plastic sabot bullets. During the muzzle loading season you will need to remove the optics from the in-line, however.
As the muzzle loading season is in early winter, the days can be balmy 30F, 2" snow cover, to -5F and 24" snow cover. Most hunters delay purchasing a license to the last minute to see a weather forecast.
Muzzle loaders can be used for turkey, but can be no smaller than 20ga, and there is no special season for them.
MN Hunting Regulations are complex, requiring a booklet of 125 pages, plus many changes from year-to-year, some highlighted and some not. ESL and those with limited reading skills have a tough time with the regs, but then so do the judges and prosecutors.
FWIW, since 2010, handguns using centerfire cartridges of 22cal or greater can be used for deer, so the little Browning 25ACP is a legal deer firearm ... go figure that one out!
