How to Improve Your Muzzleloader’s Accuracy

 

Via Field&Stream
(be sure to read the linked article on firelapping at bottom of post-and RTWT)
Follow these tips to eke out optimum ­accuracy from your in-line muzzleloader.

1. Fire It Smooth

The barrel is the most important component of a tack-driving smokepole. Any imperfections in the bore will hurt accuracy. So get a fire-lapping kit for muzzleloaders ($50; ­bear tooth ­bullets.com) and shoot 15 to 20 of the provided soft-lead bullets as directed. These have various grit compounds that will polish smooth any defects.

2. Mount It Right

Once you’ve perfected the barrel, do the same with your scope rings, using a kit like the Wheeler Engineering Scope Ring Alignment and Lapping Kit ($45–$62; midwayusa.com). This will take off any residual manufacturing marks that could allow the scope to shift after a shot. Most kits provide leveling bars that will ensure the scope runs perfectly parallel to the bore.

3. Get Loose

Granulated powders can be measured and fine-tuned more precisely than preformed pellets, yielding better shot-to-shot consistency. “Like a hand­loader developing recipes, a muzzle­loader shooter can adjust a loose-powder charge to perfectly match a specific bullet-and-gun combination,” says Chris Hodgdon of Hodgdon Powders (hodgdon.com).

4. Find Your Bullet

Pick a few bullets from the top manufacturers, like Barnes, Hornady, Power­Belt, and Thompson/Center, in a variety of weights for the game you’re after. For whitetails, stay in the 250- to 300-grain zone. Shoot each combination of brand, weight, and powder until you hit your smallest groups. Be systematic and clean the barrel after each shot. You may just squeeze MOA accuracy out of that smokepole yet.
***Related very long,but very imp0rtant article on firelapping muzzleloaders to greatly improve accuracy,and greatly lessen barrel fouling.***
Be sure to RTWT…
firelapping muzzleloaders
Firelapping can improve accuracy by as much as 50%,so it’s well worth the time and minimal investment.
Pay close attention to the process-and take note-you have to use real black powder-no Pyrodex,no Triple7, and no pellets-good old Goex blackpowder must be used-or whatever other brand you prefer.
The reason is the way black powder burns vs Pyrodex,etc. The Pyrodex,etc. does not reach full pressure until the bullet is well on it’s way down the barrel,so a good part of your barrel will not be lapped unless you use real black powder.
I’m going to firelap my sidelock and my inline in the next month or so,I’ll post before and after targets from 50,75,and 100 yds.
My brother in law firelapped his old CVA sidelock muzzeloader,and went from 6-8 inch groups at 100 yds to 3-4 inch groups at 100 yds. He’s also used the process on a couple centerfire bolt actions-a .243 and a .308 and got even better results.
He’s 100% sold on the process,and he’s a gunsmith,certified armorer,etc,etc.
They also have no kids-so he’s got way more time and $$$ to spend on shooting/firearms.
Read more.
Learn more.
Train more.
Do more PT.
You don’t have enough ammo.

Western States Move Forward with Potential Yellowstone-area Grizzly Hunts

Via Field & Stream

After 40 years of federal protection, grizzly bears may become fair game for hunters, as a handful of Western states push for the responsibility of managing the animals.
The Associated Press reports that a plan drafted by wildlife officials from the greater Yellowstone states of Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana estimates how many grizzly bears could be harvested while still maintaining viable populations if the species were no longer protected under the Endangered Species Act. 
Though the proposal doesn’t specify the number of bears each state would permit to be harvested, it does specify a 19,300-square-mile management zone that includes the wilderness and national forests near the Yellowstone National Park. Further, the proposal allocates a 58-percent share of the permitted harvests to Wyoming—likely because it’s home to most of the region’s grizzlies—while Montana would get 34 percent and Idaho 8 percent.
Officials estimate that there are more than 700 grizzlies in the defined management zone, though biologists say that there are likely more living outside the borders, as the bears have expanded their range as their populations have grown.
In a December 4, 2015, joint letter to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Director Dan Ashe, the states’ wildlife directors urged the federal government to retract the bear’s threatened status. “It is critically important that we capitalize on our tremendous progress and momentum. . . by proceeding with a long overdue delisting,” the letter stated.

The last legal grizzly hunt in the Lower 48 was in the early 1970s, and a total of 58 bears were harvested in the five years leading to the species’ being listed as threatened, in 1975, as the AP notes. Since that time, the bear's numbers have rebounded. Opponents to the proposal, however, argue that it’s too soon to consider hunting as a management tool because grizzly populations are still too low.
Quentin Kujala, chief of wildlife management for Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, says that the harvest quotas will likely be modest and on a sliding scale to help maintain viable bear populations and to avoid any chance of the species reverting back to federal protection. Hunting will be allowed if there were more than 675 bears, and it will be barred if the number drops to fewer than 600, Kujala said. Likewise, Wyoming Game and Fish spokesman Renny MacKay told the AP: “We’re definitely not talking about a large number. We’re not talking hundreds or anywhere near that.” 
The Christian Science Monitor points out that tourism is a $1-billion industry in the greater Yellowstone area, and that, according to research, the park could lose $10 million without the potential of spotting bear near the roadside.
If the FWS removes grizzlies from federal protection and the states proceed with the plan, the proposition will need to undergo a public-comment period. The FWS is expected to make a decision on whether to release grizzlies from federal protection early this year, but barring any court
challenges, it could take up to a year for any rule changes to go into effect.

Hogs a major problem for deer hunting

 This is a problem anywhere there's a large population of feral hogs or "wild boars",not just in Louisiana.
Killing off feral hogs is just as important as killing off coyotes for healthy deer herds.
The more of both you remove from the habitat-the better off your local deer herd is.
Both animals are prolific breeders,especially hogs. It's much easier to control the coyote population,as they only have pups once a year,hogs can have several litters of piglets a year,with each sow having as many as 8-10 piglets-that's 30 new hogs from just one sow's litters.
The boars kill fawns,and that puts a double whammy on your local deer herd-fawns now have to make it through the coyotes and the hogs alive-the coyote fawn kills in NE Ohio are staggering-I've seen no fewer than 30 dead fawns this year-and the entire month of June here was rain,so I wasn't out in the woods as much as I usually am,which means the 'yotes likely got many more fawns who's remains I didn't find.
In many parts of the country,hogs and deer eat a lot of the same foods-especially acorns.
It will help your local deer herd immensely if you start shooting as many feral hogs as you can-think of them as bacon on the hoof. The meat from feral hogs is excellent,better than farm raised pork.
So there's a double benefit to hunting feral hogs-you get lots of tasty free range pork-and your local deer herd gets more food,and exposed to fewer diseases.
It's best to hunt hogs at night,like coyotes. You can have lots of success hog hunting at dawn and dusk as well.
Feral hogs are smart,they learn quickly,so you have to change up tactics and hunting locations often.
Hunting hogs will also make you a better deer hunter,as you get practice at picking blind/stand locations,being quiet,controlling your scent,and at using your bow, muzzleloader,shotgun,or rifle.
If there are feral hogs in the areas you hunt deer-get out there and start getting some of that free bacon!
There's plenty of recipes and detailed instructions on making your own bacon on the 'net.


While loss of habitat is likely a main driver in Louisiana’s falling deer populations, biologists say feral hogs “continue to be a primary concern” even as the number of hogs killed is skyrocketing
A mail survey of hunters indicates 299,500 hogs were killed during the 2014-15 hunting season, according to the 2014-15 Louisiana Deer Report.
That’s a staggering 63-percent increase from the 183,600 hog kills reported in the 2013-14 deer report.
And, even more telling, is the comparison of hog kills to last season’s deer harvest.
“The mail survey hog harvest estimate was … over twice the current deer harvest estimate and higher than any recorded deer harvest estimate,” the 2014-15 report states.
The report attributed the transport of hogs from region to region as being one of the “areas of concern.”
Those who move hogs around in the belief that they are simply increasing their hunting options should understand that hogs aren’t a benign addition — the species actually impacts the ability of deer to survive.
“Hog populations affect deer numbers through direct competition for food resources and fawn predation,” the report sated. “Hogs carry infectious diseases such as Leptospirosis, brucellosis and pseudo-rabies.”

 source

Knife Sharpening

Since I’ve spent a considerable amount of time butchering deer for guys lately-90% of them had knives so dull they couldn’t be used-which is why I always bring my own if going to someone else’s home to cut up their deer.
Guys have handed me these “really great game processing knives and tools” that they wasted their $50.00-$75.00 or more on,and the pieces of crap wouldn’t cut through a cake without tearing it up.
Sharpening a knife is not all that complicated,it ain’t rocket science,you don’t need an engineering degree to get your knives sharp and keep them sharp.
You need a few basic things-a set of sharpening stones-( whetstones)-a butcher’s steel-a real one,not the 8-10″ pieces of shit that come with the equally useless knives in the wooden block on most people’s kitchen counters-an 18″ butcher’s steel-go to any restaurant supply store,any store that sells top quality cutlery,or order one online.
Lastly,you should have ceramic sharpening “sticks’-either the sticks that go in a wood block,or the inexpensive plastic sharpeners that have carbide sticks on one side,and ceramic on the other.
I have a tri-hone set of 3 sharpening stones made by Smith’s,it’s a coarse,a medium,and a fine stone,attached to a triangle shaped piece of wood that rests in notches in the wood base-you just turn it to whatever stone you need,as you do not always need to start with the coarse stone,sometimes you just need to “touch up” a blade.
I have a real butcher’s steel,have had the same one for 35 years or so,got it way back when I was a line cook,before I finished the apprenticeship and became an executive chef.
I’m on my 3rd tri-hone,they seem to last about 10 years-less if you’re keeping a bunch of knives sharp as you’re running a kitchen in a country club.
I use a small sharpener that has carbide and ceramic “sticks” ,along with a diamond coated,tapered rod for sharpening serrated blades.
The key to sharpening your knives is to be able to hold the same angle every time as you move the knife across the stone.If you can not do that-cut yourself some wood wedges,and hold those under the blade.
You want to use a 20-25 degree angle-( 20-25 degrees for each bevel-or a 40-50 degree inclusive angle)- for knives used to butcher game animals,mine always seem to end up at around 22.5-23 degrees,which works fine for me,if I need something more like a razor blade edge,I use a flatter angle-closer to 18-20 degrees-which is what I use for my filet knives.
As long as your knife blades are not full of nicks,or have chunks missing,you should only need 10-15 strokes on each side,starting with the coarse stone and repeated for the med. and fine stones,follow that up with 8-10 strokes on each side on the steel.

Read the rest @

http://starvinlarry.com/2015/01/14/knife-sharpening/

Back From Successful Deer Hunting Trip

Decided to shoot this guy-not much in the way of antlers-but he’s a big deer-right around 200# as he’s hanging in garage,after field dressing.
It was about a 40 yard shot,used a 240 grain Hornady XTP bullet,a .45 caliber bullet with a .50 caliber sabot,with 2 50 grain pyrodex pellets for a 100 grain charge.
The load develops around 1750-1780 fps,as chronographed.
Depending on where I’m hunting,I’ll use the above load for close/medium range shots,for longer range shots-anything from 100yards out to 250 yards,I use 100 grains of triple 7 FFFG powder instead of pellets.
That load gets 1900-1930 fps, depending on whether I use a .44 caliber bullet w .50 caliber sabot,or a .45 caliber bullet w .50 caliber sabot.
At 250 yards,either load still has over 1000 ft lbs of energy remaining,for deer,anything over 900ft lbs is plenty of energy to make a quick,clean,humane kill.

The 40 yard shot I made pretty much liquified the lungs,as the bullet went through both lungs,and got part of the heart.
The inconsiderate prick still ran about 60 yards,then dropped dead in a creek-a really deep creek.
Fortunately,his back legs were still in shallow water,so I was able to drag him out without getting soaked.
I shot him from a blind I made using camo burlap,the 2 pieces I used cost a total of $28.00,also used a few zip ties,4 six foot wooden stakes,and some jute twine,making the total cost under $35.00 I had some leftover green and black spray paint laying around,so I made a camo design on the wooden stakes.
Blind is big enough for 2 people to hunt from comfortably,youngest daughter and I hunted out of it,the days she had to hunt were lousy days for hunting,15-20 mph wind out of NW kept the deer bedded down during daylight hours.
I had 6 scent wicks with estrous doe urine hanging just off the 3 main trails,used a grunt tube and estrous bleat can call,there were a few freshly made scrapes,so I enlarged them,and made a few fake ones on Thurs. and added scent on Fri. and Sat am’s.
The rut peaked here the second week of Nov. I started seeing lots of signs of the rut starting the first week of Nov.
The does that were not bred in Nov. cycle back into estrous 28 days later-so that's the first two weeks of Dec.
Any late cycling does that still are not bred in Dec. will cycle back into estrous the first two weeks of Jan. Ohio's muzzleloader season is 1/2-1/5 2015,so it coincides with the last does cycling back into estrous. Estrous scent wicks,grunt tubes,and estrous doe bleat cans will work in the first two weeks of Jan. just like they did in Nov. and Dec.


The deer I shot was partially behind some brush,couldn’t see the head clearly at all,saw enough of the shoulder to make the shot-I thought I was shooting a doe.
I had already reloaded before I walked to the creek,as I thought I may have needed a second shot.
As I said,the 240 gr JHP XTP passed through the deer,got both lungs,there was very little left of them-and the heart had a hole all the way through it.
Hell of an adrenaline dump for him to run 60 yards with no blood pressure,and no oxygen being inhaled.
The weather is perfect for letting the deer hang to age the meat.
I’ll let him hang ’till Fri. or Sat,then butcher him on the weekend.
I’m going to grind a lot of the meat,I’ll keep the 2 good shoulder roasts from the front,two good roasts from the hindquarters,cut the backstraps-(loins)- into steaks,smoke the tenderloins,slice the other 4 roasts-2 from shoulders,2 from hindquarters for jerky,the rest will be ground with some beef fat,with 1/3 being made into burger,1/3 into Italian sausage,the last 1/3 into country style/breakfast sausage.

One of my good friends also got a deer-he got a really nice 8 point-has an 18″ antler spread with a perfectly symmetrical rack-it’s not a big deer though-it’s about 140-160# hanging weight.
We’re going to cut his up Wed or Thurs,as he got his last Thurs. That one will be processed the same way as mine.
I still have another tag,so I’ll continue to bowhunt until end of Dec,hunt the 4 day Jan muzzleloader season,then go back to bowhunting the rest of Jan.
I’ll try to help the daughter get a deer,and my brother get his.
The $24.00 for an either sex deer tag is well worth it for the 100# or so of meat I’ll get from the deer I just got,another $24.00 for another 100# or so of meat.
Where else can you get 200# of organic,free range meat for $48.00?