Carry shotgun during MZ season

[wildcat junkie]

Same page of that web site:

 

"The legal firearm for this season is a muzzleloading rifle or pistol (including smoothbore muzzleloaders) loaded through the muzzle, shooting a single projectile and having a bore of .44 inches or larger. Double-barreled muzzleloaders and percussion cap revolvers are not legal during the special muzzleloading season."

Yep, forgot about that. Indiana allows double barrels in ML season. For a moment I was not in NY any more. The trouble with double barrel ML rifles is, to get both barrels to hit the same POA in a double barrel rifle would require lots of trial & error when the barrels were joined. That's why H&H double rifles cost 10s of thousnads of $$. Might as well sight in the left barel for slugs & use the right for shot. A 20ga with the left barrel rifled & the right smooth bore could fire .600 RBs with accuracy & still be available for small game. Problem there is, even in Indiana, I think having the right barrel loaded with shot might also be a violation.

 

In Europe thay have many such breech loading combos & some "drillings" have double shotgun barrels with a rifle barrel, often 8X57R (rimmed) centered underneath.

[wildcat junkie]

You will be really hard pressed to find a person working at one of those retailers that knows their butt from their elbow. I have heard conversations like that and I just can't help but correct the person. These salespeople should just button it if they don't know. I have seen it at Dick's, Field and Stream, Bass Pro and Gander.  

The Gander Mountain in Watertown used to have a moose shoulder mount above the South entrance. The mount obviously had removable antlers, most likely for transport, as for over a year, it was up there with the antlers upside down, on the wrong sides & none of the experts in the store seemed to notice.

 

Don't forget Home Depot & Lowes for having employees that are clueless about what they are selling.

[Two Track]

Wonder if you can legally do hunt a deer with the muzzle-loader/bow in the early morning, go back to your vehicle and swap for the shotgun for small game later in the day without having to drive back home and do the swap.

 

After all, it would be rather difficult to carry both around, especially the archery stuff with a long gun too.

Not saying impossible to do, just not easy to haul all that with a stand/climber, lunch, calls, scents, extra gloves/hat, etc.

[wildcat junkie]

Wonder if you can legally do hunt a deer with the muzzle-loader/bow in the early morning, go back to your vehicle and swap for the shotgun for small game later in the day without having to drive back home and do the swap.

 

After all, it would be rather difficult to carry both around, especially the archery stuff with a long gun too.

Not saying impossible to do, just not easy to haul all that with a stand/climber, lunch, calls, scents, extra gloves/hat, etc.

Why wouldn't it be legal?

[Culvercreek hunt club]

As long as we have pretty much had the question answered, let me totally derail this...lol. Years ago I had my hands on a swivel breech 50 cal muzzleloader. I cant remember the manufacturer but it was a pretty long one. I know we can't use them in NY for ML season but it is one gun that always stuck in my mind and being really cool and I would like to get one some day. Anyone ever shoot one?

[the blur]

I see don't see the difference between carrying my .30-06 with 1 round in the chamber, and a MZ. Except no smoke !!

[wildcat junkie]

As long as we have pretty much had the question answered, let me totally derail this...lol. Years ago I had my hands on a swivel breech 50 cal muzzleloader. I cant remember the manufacturer but it was a pretty long one. I know we can't use them in NY for ML season but it is one gun that always stuck in my mind and being really cool and I would like to get one some day. Anyone ever shoot one?

You should have hung onto it.

 

Even a repro is worth a couple K if it is well executed. An original would be worth even more.

 

I saw a couple in 'The Ramrod Gun Shop" in New Castle, Indiana back arond '79/'80. I think they were both flintlocks. Each barrel had a frizzen & pan with a common cock & lock work. Beautiful rifles. the nice thing about swivel breeches is that each barrel has its own set of sights so each can be zeroed for the same POI. I gotmto fondle them both & they were surpisingly well balanced.

 

That place was awesome. The only "supository guns" in the house were in a collection of Lugers displayed in a showcase with out any pricing. This was before the pyrodex era that brought about all of the "improved" ignition systems to get at least close to the reliability of actual black powder with the various substitutes. Modern technology was in its infancy in the ML world since the systems that had worked just fine for over 200 years were still doing just that with the mixture of charcoal sulfer & salt peter.

 

As you walked through the door, there was a full mount male African lion leaping right at you over a deadfall log with its paws spread out & claws extended. That sucker was HUGE. You had to look up slightly to make eye contact which of course you did the instant you came through the door. The 1st time was a bit of a shock. I think the place was owned by some well heeled individual that turned his hobby into a "business".

Edited December 10, 2014 by wildcat junkie

[wildcat junkie]

I see don't see the difference between carrying my .30-06 with 1 round in the chamber, and a MZ. Except no smoke !!

I have had to shoot at a deer more than once on exactly 3 occassions in 31 years of serious deer hunting & harvesting aound 50 deer..

 

The 1st one was a small doe I had shot at across a valley. I hit her & thought I had missed. I shot at another deer in thengroup after theb 1st one walked away slowly as i was relaoding. The small heard ran away after the 2nd shot & when I went over to investgate, I saw a ltge vine bouncing & as i got closer I saw the 1st deer trying to lift her head. A .535 through the head finishe that.

 

Another  was a button buck I knocked down at a full run from about 20 yds with my flintlock. My lead was perfect, but he ,535 RB hit a little high separating both shoulder blades taking out the front legs. Again, I had to reload to finish it with a shot to the back of the head.

 

The only time I've had to shoot more than once with a suppository gun was wnen I shot at a huge doe running across a weed field. the shot was wide open but she was really carrying the mail.  I missed the shot (I was able to investigate in 3-4" of fresh snow) just as she was about to enter the brush. At the carack of the 280, she whirled & reversed direction running right across the wide open field in front of me. I connected with both shots that followed  she piled up in a fence row just out of my sight.

 

I have only taken 3 running shot attempt at deer that were unwounded before the shot. In every instance I was on the ground & the shots were wide open at deer running perpendicular to me.

 

To me, the modern technology has only extended the gun season. When a scope sighted muzzleloader is theoretically capable of taking a deer at 200+ yards in the hands of a capable hunter, what's the difference? I seldom chamber a round in my breechloader until I come down out of my stand to go check the deer I just shot. My primary endeavor immediately after the shot is to get back on the target to see what it doing & where it is headed after the shot if it isn't DRT. Seldom would I have had a chance for another shot.

[Two Track]

 

wildcat junkie

Posted 10 December 2014 - 03:47 PM

Two Track, on 10 Dec 2014 - 3:43 PM, said:

Wonder if you can legally do hunt a deer with the muzzle-loader/bow in the early morning, go back to your vehicle and swap for the shotgun for small game later in the day without having to drive back home and do the swap.

 

After all, it would be rather difficult to carry both around, especially the archery stuff with a long gun too.

Not saying impossible to do, just not easy to haul all that with a stand/climber, lunch, calls, scents, extra gloves/hat, etc.

Why wouldn't it be legal?

 

Some state land by me has LEO's and DEC officers at the exit point doing checks to verify guns are unloaded and deer/bear are properly tagged.  Not sure if having both implements in a vehicle would lead to questioning/ticketing.

 

Where I grew it was and still is, separate seasons for big and small game.  No over lap.  Legally they could check your vest/pockets for what rounds you were carrying.  All you needed was to miss taking out a single slug from your vest when the season changed to small game to be considered poaching deer out-of-season or the reverse when it changed back to winter anter-less season and you still have #6 in pocket from rabbit/dove/quail/pheasant season.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Some state land by me has LEO's and DEC officers at the exit point doing checks to verify guns are unloaded and deer/bear are properly tagged.  Not sure if having both implements in a vehicle would lead to questioning/ticketing.

 

Where I grew it was and still is, separate seasons for big and small game.  No over lap.  Legally they could check your vest/pockets for what rounds you were carrying.  All you needed was to miss taking out a single slug from your vest when the season changed to small game to be considered poaching deer out-of-season or the reverse when it changed back to winter anter-less season and you still have #6 in pocket from rabbit/dove/quail/pheasant season.

Where was that?

[Doc]

Where was that?

Almost any state land parking lot gets the attention of game cops. Its easy pickins for them. It winds up to be the most efficient use of their time, guarantee to put them in contact with the most hunters per hour.