April 19, 2024

Question: What’s the attraction of hunting with a muzzleloader?

Answer: Muzzleloaders are single shot firearms where each round is manually loaded through the barrel. There are no rounds or casings, and instead primers, powder, a slug and wadding are used. The main attraction for many hunters using muzzleloaders is the challenge of the hunt, the experience of using a less common firearm and the potential of having additional hunting opportunities through the various muzzleloader tags available. Because the effective range of muzzleloaders is considerably less than modern rifles, this form of hunting requires a hunter to stalk closer to their quarry.

CDFW offered nearly a dozen specific muzzleloader deer hunts in 2023. Because of the challenge of this hunting technique, it’s often easier to draw muzzleloader tags than a similar rifle tag. The schedule for 2024 hunts is available at https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=200602&inline