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Muzzleloader Deer Season
Muzzleloader hunting is a little more challenging than hunting deer with a shotgun. You have only one shot and you have to make it count. However, it is made much easier with modern equipment. Ohio has been allowing the use of percussion rifles and rifle scopes. Even though muzzleloaders are referred to as primitive weapons, the new modern guns are very accurate especially when shooting sabot bullets through a rifled barrel using a scope. Ohio did have two muzzleloader seasons each year. The first which has been eliminated, was an early weekend muzzleloader (antlerless only) season which took place on the second weekend of October. The second season which still exist, is the statewide muzzleloader season in early January. The weather in Ohio during that hunt can be unpredictable. The cold doesn’t seem to bother the deer but it can be unpleasant for the hunter. Archery hunting has traditionally been allowed during this season. Below are some tips for hunting deer with a muzzleloader in Ohio.
Hunting Tips & Techniques
Early muzzleloader season was during pre-rut so some of the bow hunting techniques could be used, if the hunting pressure is low. Otherwise, you may have to sit and wait for the deer to come to you. With the modern muzzleloaders and scopes, you can kill deer up to 200 yards away. This allows you to pick a spot where you can see for a long distance increasing your chances of seeing an approaching deer and at the same time decrease the chances of it seeing you. However, deer have a keen sense of smell and can detect motion easily. If you are hunting on the ground, you may want to use a blind or at least sit in front of something to breakup your silhouette. Unlike turkeys, even though deer can see you, they can't distinguish you from part of a fallen tree, if you are sitting motionless with it behind you. Hunting during the late muzzleloader season is different from hunting earlier in the season and may require a different approach. Deer have already formed small groups. You can sit a long time without seeing a deer but when you do, you are likely to see several. If waiting for the deer to come to you is not working out, you may want to go to them. If the leaves are wet and you can walk quietly, this may be the best strategy.
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