Big Gun, Little Patience

One of my good buddies just bought a muzzle loader from Cabelas as a christmas present to himself. He's only been elk hunting for two years, the same as me. I asked him "Why a muzzle loader?" and his simple answer was "Because I can hunt earlier in the season and call in the elk." His answer sounds reasonable, but there's more to the story...

My buddy is ALSO going to take his new muzzle loader hunting on private property in a unit that is known to be full of elk for most of the year. Besides having the advantage of hunting an earlier season he'll also enjoy the benefit of hunting on private property, which in Colorado is rapidly becoming a HUGE advantage. It seems as if more and more of the elk have figured out that private property is safer and more secure that the public property crawling with tons of hunters. Despite the falling number of hunters there seems to be no drop in the amount of pressure put on public lands during hunting season. Let me restate that - even with the falling number of hunters there seems to be no drop in the amount of pressure put on public lands within 5 miles or less of a road during hunting season.

Here's my takeaway - switching to a muzzleloader is NOT the end-all-be-all for getting an elk. Even if you are hunting on private property. I know in my heart-of-hearts that what's going to get ME an elk is hard work - lots of scouting, lots of conditioning, and unwaivering determination. A bigger gun and the same (limited) patience is not the solution. Sorry buddy.