What is your favorite game hunted using muzzleloaders?

[Howie1968]

hogs then squirrel and varmits

 

[user 31257]

When this thread started I never would have guessed that squirrels would be the most popular.

How many squirrels does it take to equal the amount of meat in one elk?

It’s not that at all, obviously it’s tough to beat big game for filling a freezer, it’s just that squirrels are fun to hunt, widely available and cooperative more often than not.

 

[slow]

Deer and Elk!!!

 

[lbtresident]

I wish the rabbit population would rebound around here...

I agree, starve to death hunting rabbits round here nowadays.

 

[Poconobear]

Mostly whitetails here in PA. Last year we had our first bear season, and got out several times. Very interested in doing some squirrel hunting. Considering a smaller flinter for them.

 

[Feltwad]

Yes it seems that squirrels are the main small quarry but here in the UK they are foreign pests better known has tree rats ,they can be shot all year mostly by air gunners .They are destructive taking young birds and eggs from nests and are rated the same has magpies and crows they have reduced the native red squirrel to near extinction. They are the offspring of escape's from fur farms just like the mink and are diminishing the resident small bird and animal wildlife . Do I like the grey squirrel NO
Feltwad

 

[Kan-do]

Yes it seems that squirrels are the main small quarry but here in the UK they are foreign pests better known has tree rats ,they can be shot all year mostly by air gunners .They are destructive taking young birds and eggs from nests and are rated the same has magpies and crows they have reduced the native red squirrel to near extinction. They are the offspring of escape's from fur farms just like the mink and are diminishing the resident small bird and animal wildlife . Do I like the grey squirrel NO
Feltwad

... Man! I think your gray squirrel and our gray squirrel are entirely different beasts. You shoot them with a .58 bore I take it?

 

[Flintlock58]

TURKEYS!!!!!

 

[user 36911]

If I had to put a 2nd place behind elk it would be bear. In my area it's the biggest challenge because of a lack of natural food for the bears. Plus, i'm stubborn and won't hunt any other way than still hunt. It's tough to sneak up on a bear who isn't feeding. With that said. I do have a bear tag for this year.

I'm surprised nobody picked bear in this thread. Bear hunting is #2 in popularity in the US with deer being #1.

 

[Feltwad]

... Man! I think your gray squirrel and our gray squirrel are entirely different beasts. You shoot them with a .58 bore I take it?

Yes the same imported into the Uk for fir farms I shoot them with a 12 bore sxs M/L shotgun
Feltwad

 

[bradly_tx]

Yes the same imported into the Uk for fir farms I shoot them with a 12 bore sxs M/L shotgun
Feltwad

So let’s here what you hunt and eat instead of bashing others preference for huntin an eatin limb chickens! Bloke

 

[appalichian hunter]

WHIT TAIL DEER, tree rats in that order

 

[Loyalist Dave]

My favorite ?
Whatever season just opened up!

LD

 

[Feltwad]

So let’s here what you hunt and eat instead of bashing others preference for huntin an eatin limb chickens! Bloke

I think you got it wrong nobody is bashing others if they like to shoot squirrels to eat it is their joust. I am not bashing that ,has I said here in the UK they are classed has a pest. It seems some jump to conclusions where there is no need because they have not read the whole thread then they would see what I preferred to eat.

 

[Zonie]

So let’s here what you hunt and eat instead of bashing others preference for huntin an eatin limb chickens! Bloke

I didn't see one place in this thread where Feltwad bashed anyone for hunting anything. He only said he hunts squirrels with a 12 guage in response to a question about the caliber of the gun he uses. As for using a 12 guage to hunt squirrels goes, a lot of people do that.

 

[TNGhost]

Yes the same imported into the Uk for fir farms I shoot them with a 12 bore sxs M/L shotgun
Feltwad

Do you use a 12 for waterfowling as well?

 

[Stony Broke]

 

[bradly_tx]

SWEET! Little info on the gun.

 

[longcruise]

Guess I will pick elk. I like to hunt deer too but I like hunting in the country elk prefer.

Squirrels!!! We have a few fox Squirrels in the river Bottoms on the plains, but the very common ones are in the mountains. Here in the west they are called pine Squirrels although where I grew up in the UP we called them red Squirrels (the ones here in the west are a grey color, but the same squirrels in the upper Midwest are red).

These little guys are not hard to hunt when they are active but some Days they are not to be found in the same place that they were everywhere the day before. If you are hunting deer or elk from a fixed location they will raise a ruckus scolding you.
They have a reputation for poor eating since they feed on pine seeds but sometimes I think those with that opinion have never tried them. My grandkids like to hunt them and eat them and I have tried them and found them to be ok eating. They are too small for me to want to bother with though. It's kinda like you might like fish but probably don't want to prep a mess of five inch bluegills.

 

[flintlock75]

What game do you enjoy hunting the most using muzzle loaders?

For me, I'm going to say deer 1st, then squirrels, then pheasant.

We are limited to Moose and Caribou. Taken many of both mostly with a .54 orb. A couple with the .72 bess.