What game do you hunt? Especially for members in other nations.

[bigbore442001]

I would like to start a friendly discussion on what you hunt for with your muzzleloaders in the area you reside. I know we have hunters from other nations and it would be interesting to hear from them as to what game is available to them with their muzzleloader.

Here in Massachusetts we have access to hunt whitetailed deer and black bear as big game for muzzleloaders as well as the Eastern wild turkey with a muzzleloading shotgun. Also, all small game such as rabbits, snowshoe hare, red and gray squirrels, raccoons, oppossums,porcupines,red and gray fox,coyotes, skunks, weasels as well as upland birds. Pheasant,ruffed grouse and bobwhite quail in some areas.Waterfowl are allowed to be hunted with the appropriate muzzleloading shotgun as well.


I've enjoyed stories of Kirrmiester in his pursuit of roe deer as well as red stag. I know some from Australia have access to Sambar stag( there is some access to that in the US. St.Vincents Island in Florida has a three day muzzleloading/archery hunt for those deer that were released almost a century ago.)

So. What is available to you?

 

[Britsmoothy]

Hi Bigbore :thumbsup:

Crows including magpie and jay and pidgeons, partridge and pheasants. Red grouse, Squirrels and rabbits, brown hare and mountain hare, oh and woodcock. All can be taken with a shotgun, fox too. Must not forget the weasels and stoats.
No badgers!

Rifles and smoothbore ball can only shoot paper over here :idunno:
Some folk do though :thumbsup:

Brits.

 

[123.DieselBenz]

Whats the differnce between the Brown & Mt Hare?

What is a Stoat?

Got any pictures of your other hunts?

 

[Stayangry]

The hares - called jackrabbits in the US - that we have in the UK are the mountain hare(mostly in Scotland) and the brown hare.

They are separate species, with the mountain hare changing colour from brown to white in the winter.

Brown hares are locally common (and delicious) but are often culled or entirely wiped out by landowners, as the presence of hares encourages poachers.

A stoat is a small predator, but very fierce. In winter they change colour to white but retain a black tip to the tail - in this phase, they are called ermine.

Ermine fur has heraldic significance - if you watch the state opening of parliament in November, many of the lords wear it.

Across most of the UK, stoats and weasels are often hunted to protect pheasants and partridges.

Any help?

James

 

[123.DieselBenz]

Thanks James!

Sounds like the mountain hare is like our snowshoe hare . . . interesting!

I eat our blacktail jack rabbits (hares) that I shoot here in the high desert of AZ, but prefer the cottontail . . . just takes more to fill the pot!

 

[Stayangry]

It's a shame that muzzle loaders are not legal for deer hunting here in the UK as they would be ideal for woodland stalking.

The UK is a very densely-populated nation (and getting more so) and dog walkers and horse riders have a tendency to pop up everywhere, even where they have no right to be.

A patched roundball would have a real safety benefit, since they will not "carry" downrange like a modern rifle bullet will.

Still, try telling that to the licensing authorities. Getting a sound moderator is not problem but, for some reason, using a muzzle loader is illegal. Go figure...

James

 

[flintlock75]

Well Alaska is almost another country so here goes,
The main big animal i hunt is moose. They are every where, I have them in by back yard all year long. We also have Black bears and Brown Bears.
I have also gone down to the islands and hunted Sitka Blacktail Deer. For small game i hunt Spruce Grouse and Snowshoe hares. We do not have a big variety of small game like other places.

 

[RossN]

Here in New Zealand we hunt Deer (red, sika, sambar, fallow, rusa, whitetail), wild pigs, ferral goats, chamois, thar, rabbits, hares and wallabies all year round.
During the bird season (1st weekend in May till the last weekend in June for waterfowl, till the last weekend in August for upland birds) we hunt Mallard, Shoveler, Grey and Paradise ducks, black swans, Canada geese, quail, pheasants, chukar and a very few Hungarian partridge.

All of these can be hunted with black powder weapons, but there is a world of difference between being hunting and actually shooting a thar with a bp weapon. It has been done though, and I hope to get one with my 54 when it is finished.
I'm off this evening to shoot some rabbits and a couple of goats.
Regards

Ross

 

[ravenousfishing]

Sounds like plenty of varity. What's a Thar?

 

[RossN]

They are from Nepal, very strong, with short, non shedding horns and about the neatest looking animal we have. I haven't worked out how to post pictures but try google. The name can be spelt either Tahr or Thar.
I forgot we also have elk, peacocks and australian possums, which are very different to your possums.
And good river fishing, rainbow and brown trout as well as salmon. The sea fishing is not to shabby either, marlin, tuna, mahi mahi, plenty of sharks, kingfish, snapper...... better stop before it looks like I'm showing off I suppose.
Regards
Ross

 

[stubshaft]

Hey Bigbore,

In Hawaii there is not too much variety of game animals to hunt. I usually hunt alot of hogs and goats and intermittently apply for a Muzzleloading tag for Axis Deer or Mouflon. During the Fall I generally use my SXS for Doves.

 

[Sunkmanitu Tanka]

In Belgium no hunting is allowed with the use of muzzle loading guns. With modern guns you can during season hunt for rabbits, partridges, feasant, and in the Ardennes deer... Somethimes you can hunt doves or foxes...
Another thing is that hunting licenses don't come cheap nor easy ... They have a totaly different view on fire arms over here ... Bad luck for us gun enthousiasts.... :barf:

 

[Sunkmanitu Tanka]

I forgot: wild boar! In the Ardennes you can hunt wild boar too...

 

[bigbore442001]

I am happy to see many responses. Sometimes I like to daydream of hunting in the different places of the world.

 

[schmidt]

Because the German hunting law doesn´t say anything about MLs (I hope it will stay so for my livetime)
we can hunt every game.
I got since 2007, rabbit, dove, fox, roe deer, fallow deer und wild boar.

 

[dwarvenchef]

I consider California a seporate country... all F'd up...

I used to hunt pigs, deer, rabbits and such at my folks ranch. But now with the Condor act I haven't got anything that shoots a No Lead bullet... So all thats left are the super magnum rounds that the locals like to shoot at anything that moves out to 800yds... Oh well...

May have a barrel made to shoot sabots in, but I hate those rounds

 

[Jason Lewis]

$5 says the stupid birds still die off without lead bullets, they can't stop eating shiney stuff which they choke on, not lead.

 

[gmww]

Hey Bigbore,

In Hawaii there is not too much variety of game animals to hunt. I usually hunt alot of hogs and goats and intermittently apply for a Muzzleloading tag for Axis Deer or Mouflon. During the Fall I generally use my SXS for Doves.

Hawaii has a lot more to offer in hunting. I used to hunt pheasant, partridge, quail, turkey, dove (both kinds). We even got Peacock on the Big Island above Capt. Cook. Lanai, Molokai, Maui, the Big Island have ton's of birds to kill. Kauai I believe has deer as well but I haven't hunted there to confirm this. On Molokai I've killed wild dogs at the request of the rancher while hunting Axis deer. Mongoose is also fun to shoot at if you are fortunate enough to see one. The difficulty with Hawaii is gaining access. Then again here in the Mainland that's the same problem.

Let's not forget the critters you can kill in the water with a spear. I used to go skin diving, and torching (walking in shallow water at night with a lantern and spear) every weekend as a kid.

 

[Britsmoothy]

Whats the differnce between the Brown & Mt Hare?

What is a Stoat?

Got any pictures of your other hunts?

Brit.

 

[Little Wattsy]

Here in Oregon we have a pretty good assortment of critters and unfortunately our state department of Waste and Fraud errrr Fish n Game keep them at minimal levals. :cursing:
We have Elk, Mule Deer, Blacktail Deer, Two subspecies of WhiteTail Deer, Sheep, Goats, Bear, lots of varmints like cougars, coyotes, bobcats, etc...We have dove, piegon, quail, chuckers, phesants, ducks, geese, and Hippies LOTS of hippies. Im pushing for a 5 a year limit on those myself! :wink: