I love reality shows that aren’t fake, or at least appear not to be fake. Shows like “Naked and Afraid,” “Life Below Zero” and “Survivor: SOS” show actual survival tips that could save a life or at least get you through a few days on some remote island or longer in Alaska.
If I had a chance to make my own reality TV show, I’d call it “Late Season Deer.” The goal is to put some venison in the freezer by any legal means possible while avoiding frostbite, amputated toes, hair-pulling boredom and a padded room with clipboard-holding observers.
When the last few shots of the nine-day gun deer season fade into the distance and the first few days of the 10-day muzzleloader deer season begin, those lingering doubts about gathering fresh venison begin to solidify. But I now had someone new to share my misery and pop-up blind with.
Scott Krebs, of Oshkosh, the spouse of one of my wife’s best friends, lost his hunting spot last season and briefly shared my blind last season at Fox Valley Muzzle Loaders Club in New London. Although no deer fell, I convinced him to join the club because he was anxious to learn more about muzzleloading rifles and enjoy hunting on the club’s 40-acre woods.
He purchased a new CVA Optima V2 .50-caliber muzzleloading rifle with Vortex scope combo online (one huge benefit of trying the sport is that you can purchase most muzzleloaders through the mail). It took us two sessions to get the rifle dialed in for his load of two 50-grain White Hots pellets and a Hornady 240-grain bullet. The lightweight rifle had an exceptionally light trigger, and he got to shoot at a doe Nov. 29 (muzzleloaders are legal for all gun deer seasons).
He missed. But our spirits were revived, because we had seen several deer that day. I chalked it up to rookie frontloader nerves and that hair trigger. Muzzleloaders take a little getting used to.
“It’s different than a regular rifle, because you don’t have a fast second shot,” Krebs said.
I’ve taught him how to load his rifle by first dropping two White Hots down the barrel, then inserting the pre-greased bullet and working it down a few inches with the short-starter (a short rod with a ball of wood on one end for a nice grip) before using the rifle’s ramrod to seat the bullet on top of the powder pellets. Open the hinged rifle to put a 209 shotshell primer into a hole in the breech plug, close the gun, cock the hammer and you are ready to fire. Elapsed time: a minute with practice.
They also make muzzleloading pistols, and they can provide a quicker follow-up shot. Note that blackpowder revolvers are not legal during the muzzleloader-only season, because they can be loaded from the rear. (I use a single-shot pistol that must be loaded from the muzzle.)
Although inline muzzleloaders like the rifles we were using are generally more reliable than the older sidelock rifles that some still use (inlines have caps that put the ignition fire directly in line with the powder, while sidelocks have caps that send the spark at an angle to the powder), both versions can fail. I had a small forkhorn buck come in to within about 25 yards of my blind on opening morning, and the 209 primer didn’t fire. The buck walked off as I struggled to figure out what happened. I believe I left too much oil in the breech and it saturated the primer, the powder or both.
Modern muzzleloader hunters, like their buckskin-wearing forefathers, need to carry a bunch of gear in a “possibles” bag, either of traditional or modern design. I’ve swapped out my fringed leather bag with shoulder strap that I carried years ago with my CVA mountain rifle for a nylon zipper pouch that tucks in my hunting coat pocket. Krebs chose a flat dark earth nylon tactical pouch with zipper for his necessities.
“You need a lot of stuff with a muzzleloader,” Krebs said. “You need bullets and powder and caps and a short starter and a ramrod and ….”
Rather than stuffing a rifle magazine with sealed, watertight metallic cartridges, you are essentially creating your own powder-bullet-primer combo with each loading.
When the muzzleloader season ends Dec. 11, the four-day antlerless season (Dec. 12-15) gives muzzleloader and regular firearms hunters another chance for a deer. Then Krebs and I can return to our blind with crossbows or vertical bows to wrap up our “Late Season Deer” reality show. By the time the Jan. 5 finale rolls around, it will resemble “Life Below Zero.”
Ross Bielema is a freelance writer from New London and owner of Wolf River Concealed Carry LLC. Contact him at Ross@wolfriverccw.com.
New muzzleloader hunter shares ‘Late Season Deer’ reality show
