Which state is the best for ML?

[sheriff john]

Missouri is open to muzzleloading for anything a firearm is allowed. Theres always something open. Out-of state licenses are high for deer, but we have lots of deer and public lands. Only no-lead shot applies to some areas and migratory waterfowl. Quite a few special managed hunts where only muzzle loaders and archery are allowed (mostly in state parks to cull due to too many deer). Waterfowl hunting areas are well-managed and muzzle loaders are welcome.

Season permitting, you can hunt everything from possums to elk with ol' Betsy. Spoiler alert - Elk season hunters killed three (3). There are better places to get elk meat than the Show-Me state.

 

[hanshi]

Being a native Georgia Cracker that's where lots of opportunities can be found. Plenty of public land and hunting clubs. I never paid any attention to a specific ML season; soon as the season opened I was in the woods with a flintlock until all seasons closed months later.

Georgia deer are large and the limit - in effect for years - is 12 deer per season but only two can be bucks with at least one required to have 4 pts on one or both sides. And deer are everywhere you look. Squirrel, rabbit, ****, bobcat seasons are long and some run concurrent with deer season. There is a bear season and the state is overrun with coyotes. Seasons for many bird species like turkey, waterfowl, dove, etc. are lengthy. And yes; it's possible to hunt all day without hearing a banjo.

 

[smo]

Definitely not Tennessee….

 

[user 48702]

God's country...Alabama!

Deer: Varying season per zones but generally Mid-November thru Mid- February season for guns with a special ML season 1 week before regular gun season. 3 bucks per season, 1 doe a day thru the season

Squirrel & Rabbit September thru March

Turkey, quail and other game birds: varying seasons per zones

Pigs year-round

Oh Yeah…Gator season!

We have public lands for hunting but I am not familiar with the regulations. I have been fortunate and blessed to have private land available to me.

Weather suitable for hunting most all the time.

Kindest regards,
DanL

I remember the days of not too long ago when there was no limit on the number of bucks or does you could take per season in Alabama. In about 1979, while I was stationed at Camp Lejeune, my Mom sent me a Birmingham News article about Charlie Beavers who owned an archery shop at 1st Ave and 50th St, Woodlawn, Alabama. He had taken over 60 deer with a bow and arrow during the season, which was one per day at the time. The current muzzle loading season in Alabama is always 5 days, the Monday through Friday before gun season, which is a pain if you work a regular job. Thankfully I have my own business, so I can take off when ever I want.

 

[PK]

One more vote for Florida, *especially* if you have private land. The problem with the WMAs is that they are either quota limited OR they have small mini-seasons that are separate from the general zone seasons.

"How do I get the private land access" you ask? Well... If I had the $ I'd buy a 10 acre lot between me and the gulf coast in Levy county, I see several for sale on my drive through the Lower Suwanee wildlife refuge to go fishing in Cedar Key area. Only paying taxes on 10-20 acres surrounded by refuge and timber properties, you can set up your food plots, etc. and have hunting from late September (bow, ML starts mid/late October) thru mid January for deer including quite a few doe days and a 5 deer limit, late Sept thru Jan 1 for turkey (2 bird limit, must have beard), from late Sept (again, bow, ML in mid/late Oct) thru early March for small game, a second Spring turkey season from March thru April, and year round for pigs and rabbits.

I spend about 6 months over winter in Cedar Key. I brought a couple guns with me this year and plan to hunt the Lower Swannee River Wildlife refuge for hogs this January. I hear there’s a good population of them there. How is the deer hunting in the refuge?

 

[frankie]

Oklahoma!!!!!

 

[appalichian hunter]

Maryland has a three-day early muzzle season in early Oct. then a two-week muzzle loader season end of Dec. and a three day later season set aside for traditional muzzleloaders must be either flintlocks or percussion. Past Monday tagged out late muzzleloader on a nice 5-point buck.

 

[Fisherking]

This is exactly the type of info I was hoping to read. My son and I are tired of beating our heads against the wall and want to take on an out of state hunt. Just once probably.

I’ve never been a trophy hunter, my focus has always been filling the freezer. I’d love to shoot another decent buck someday, but that isn’t the priority here. I just want to see deer! When I was younger, there were deer everywhere out here. They were hard to see because the woods are so thick but you’d still get your chances. I had a multi-season permit for the second year in a row and, over three months of hunting, I saw three does. My personal non-scientific opinion is; when the tree companies started spraying herbicides, the deer vanished. Also, there were two major diseases that affected the deer- Blue Tongue and Hair Slip Syndrome. One wiped out the Mulies and the other, the Blacktail. And of course they introduced wolves and Grizzly in Eastern Wa. The department of wildlife has a new slogan, as of just recently, they “don’t need hunters to regulate the deer populations any longer.” Isn’t that just great. Now they intend to cater to the eco-crowd and they just closed all of the western rivers for Steelhead as well. (There is more to both of these stories)

My son is 23 year old RN and loves hunting, archery in particular. I keep trying to get him to muzzleload with me and this trip might just be the ticket!

 

[wtilenw]

The down side to MO is no ML only hunts, must hunt concurrent w/ any weapon hunts

 

[wtilenw]

Not Idaho

 

[Ben Meyer]

Indiana is pretty good. This year, firearm season was 11/12-11/27, and you can use muzzleloaders. Then the actual muzzleloader season ran 12/3-12/18.

Basically, you can hunt with a smoke pole for a full month.

 

[Ballshooter]

I wondered this for a while, but after reading the post about Missouri, I want to ask… which state is the best for muzzleloading opportunity? I am just asking about deer specifically. Success? Numbers? Public land?

Washington State, at least on the west side, is terrible. The bulk of the public land is leased by tree growing corporations and are either closed completely or you have to pay for access through a limited permit process that is usually sold out twenty minutes after the listing is posted. Don’t even get me started about the politics!

I doubt I’d ever relocate, but the fantasy is fun.

I hear you I live in Washington west side. We get about a month of hunting. One good thing is muzzleloader Elk season is during the rut. Yes, public land is shrinking my advice is get Onx map and find the public land that is surrounded by the private.

 

[Tacitus]

Definitely not Idaho! Nothing to see here, move along.

 

[Cherrybow]

In Arkansas we had 41 days available to us to hunt with a muzzleloader with 13 of those being a separate ml season for deer. We have a ton of national forest areas available access but you better be in good shape to traverse the terrain of the Ozark Mountains.

 

[Rawhide67]

Although NYS may give you muzzleloader opportunities, the deer population doesn't. I'm in the northern zone, snd consider it a successful season if I see a deer. It's something like 4 or 5 deer per square mile in my area. In the southern zone, there tend to be more deer, but public land is overrun with hunters any place I've been.

You can carry a muzzleloader during the entire firearms season if you choose. Usually, by the late muzzleloader season, I'm so desperate to put meat in the freezer, that I hang up the flint and percussion guns and just grab a scoped inline unmentionable. I know, booooo.
By the time the late season roles around, the deer have been pressured and chased for 7 or 8 weeks. Just the reality of where I can hunt.

 

[mkabe]

Anymore Kansas has deer near as thick as rabbits and many trophy bucks.
ML season, archery and firearms, you can use a ML in firearm season as well. I believe one buck, and several does. When I was in high school, mid 60s, KS had abundant rabbit, pheasant, quail, coyotes. Now the pheasant and especially quail numbers are down and the deer population has exploded. Weird!

 

[Billywfe]

Florida, particularly North Florida.. I'm located between zones c an d, this gives an extra month of hunting ( mid September-c, thru mid February-d) rut varies from November in c , to January in d. Plenty of public land. If your a resident over 65 no license required, including WMA permits.

 

[Ames]

Maine!
Deer season in my area with a front stuffer is 6 weeks. Miles and miles of private land that is open to hunting. And the big ones are here to boot. My tagging station just down the road sees plenty of swamp monsters. The big one this year was 265 dressed!

 

[springfield art]

I love PA, we have a flint lock season and and you can hunt with a flint lock through our rifle season. Public land is pretty plentiful and though it’s not as beautiful as some places it’s got it’s own beauty! Lots of great builders here too so lots of options for new guns!

PA is a rockin' State for ML'ers. I saw a figure in the Game News as to how many ML hunters there are, and it's a huge number. Again, not all are into the "culture" or history of MLs and many just want the additional hunting experience, but the history of the Pennsylvania Rifle around the Eastern part of the State is beautiful. Lancaster, Bethlehem, York, Lehigh, and others, the names drip with history!

 

[Fisherking]

A long season, multiple tags and lots of deer would be amazing. Sounds like the south East states have it going on!

The history in PA is totally appealing. I want to see one of the CLA shows this year for sure!