Mainely Outdoors: It’s overtime for County deer hunters

When the regular firearms season for deer ends each November, a few sportsmen who didn’t tag a whitetail and aren’t willing to throw in the towel turn to black powder hunting. If you are one of the many Maine deer hunters who still possess a tag, don’t despair just yet. Think of the regular rifle season as a basketball game
that ended in a tie between two great, competitive teams. The orange team stuck to their game plan and even threw in a few trick plays, but the brown team used great defense to stay in the game and run out time in regulation play. Now it’s muzzleloader season, an overtime to deer season that offers black powder hunters one last chance to end the season with a ‘W,’ a whitetail that is.
Muzzleloading season runs for one week throughout the state from Dec. 2-7, and for those diehards that don’t mind traveling, zones 12, 13, 15 through 18, 20 through 26 and 29 are open for an additional week from Dec. 9-14. If you don’t own a muzzleloading rifle, it’s time to beg, borrow or buy one to not only enjoy extra hunting days, but to experience a new shooting challenge. Although these guns are often referred to as black powder rifles, this is actually a misnomer since most use a more dependable and powerful substitute propellant such as Pyrodex or Triple 7.
Modern propellants for muzzleloaders have less smoke and leave less caustic residue, therefore firearms clean up much easier. Some of the substitutes even come in pre-measured discs or pellets to aid convenience, speed, safety and most of all assure precision ballistics through load consistency. Old style lead ball or slug shaped bullets have been replaced with sabots and copper jacketed plastic tipped projectiles that shoot flatter and hit harder.
Although a few traditionalists still prefer to emulate our forefathers and hunt with flint lock, matchlock, caplock, and wheel lock-style long guns, in-line muzzleloaders are taking over the industry. No more misfires, regardless of weather conditions. Lightweight, camouflaged synthetic stocks and short, balanced barrels with fiber optic sights or top quality light gathering scopes are the norm. Some muzzleloading models even come with dual safeties, adjustable trigger tension and camo neoprene slings.
For most deer hunters a .50 caliber smoke pole is perfect, but for youths and small framed women a .45 caliber rifle will fit and fire more comfortably. Outdoorsmen who plan to hunt larger wild game at longer ranges might step up to a .54 caliber to get most any job done. A few sports even opt for a muzzleloading shotgun with slug or buckshot for deer, which can be used for wingshooting upland and waterfowl during other seasons.
A great plus to the muzzleloading season is the reduced number of hunters, which allows the deer to become a bit less wary as pressure subsides. Since a few bucks may still be in rut, taking stands over heavily used trails or near rubs and scrapes can work well this week. Using doe in heat scent in conjunction with a bleat call is a good method to coax a buck into muzzleloader range.
Over the last few years, interest in enjoying a longer hunting season has enticed more sportsmen to become muzzleloader enthusiasts. In 2012, 15,603 muzzleloading licenses were sold, about a 3 percent increase over the previous year, and 917 hunters filled their tags. While this equates to roughly a 6 percent success, that number may well increase if this fall’s regular firearm season is any gauge.
So far Aroostook has experienced an average November as far as snowfall and temperature levels, but the mercury will plummet and snow levels will rise, leading deer to travel more and feed more. A bit of fresh snow cover would work wonders for sportsmen who like to take a track and try to sneak within shooting range. It’s not too late in the season for rattling to work either; if you can find a spot where at least half a dozen whitetails are bedding down, feeding or traveling through every day, and that’s a big and crucial if.
Deer hunters don’t really need to change hunting styles or even favorite locations, only their choice of weapons for this short extra season. Any time you can enjoy a few extra days afield, it’s a gift and an extra opportunity regardless of the circumstances. Just $13 or about a dollar a day will purchase two weeks of overtime play and a chance to be a winner in a season that ended deadlocked. And if you really think about it, even if you don’t put venison in the freezer, just being able to spend a few more hours outdoors hunting Maine’s favorite big game animal is a winning situation. Black powder and white snow are a great combination.