Muzzleloading story

[Dahitman44]

If you are looking for something fun to do between deer hunting and Ice Fishing you should think about Muzzleloading. It is fun and very challenging.

Try hitting the bullseye at 100 yards with open sights with a primative gun. It is pretty tricky.

You see a lot of deer even late in the season. I hunted Sunday night, before the big storm,, and the deer were moving and eating hard. I saw a nice wall hanger with three does but couldn't coax him in close enough. I think he was a 12-pointer with solid mass.

Can't blame him hangin' with three females.

Saw another five deer, one was a live decoy for me. It was a yearling doe or buck and had him about 20 yards from my stand.I kept moving him aound by using the can call. It was kinda entertaining. When he would move away I would call him back and he would come back. I did that about 6 times.

It was ccold, but not too bad. I know this is a fishing site, but I thought I would post an option to fishing when the ice isn't quite ready.

I hope to fish soon -- but if not the muzzleloader is ready.

[chart1444]

It is fun sometimes just watching deer, in the wild.

Muzzle Loading sounds like fun, but the eyes need a scope when I hunt.

I spent the last weekend in Zone 1A near Grygla, we hunted some, ate good and had a nice time just visiting, no TV and No telephone.

It was kind of strange, when you hunt and see nothing, but they are in the feeder, which is behind the shack an hour after sunset.

Good Luck with Hunting and Fishing.

[fischer43]

i have never muzzleloded in my life. but i tried it fore the first time this year! what a treat it was opening morning a beautiful 10 pointer came 55 yards away. i fired and the smoke cleared and there he layed! what a treat. i would suggest anywone to try the sport. i'm hooked!

[Dano2]

Thats one thing I've always loved about Bow hunting too, is just watching the deer, ecspecially when theres a young one hangen around by you, its fun to mess with them.

[fishin58]

Hey hitman, I was wondering fi thei is any public land out by hawley that has a few deer on it... i would like to get out at least once this week or next week. I live in fargo and i would like to hit that arae once if it is worthwhile info would be greatly appreciated.

[Dano2]

Theres alot of public land near hawley, just head to the north right from Hawley and start hitten some gravel, you'll find some.

[lenny4077]

There is a great spot I know of just to the northeast of Hitterdahl. Take County Road 26 (north of Moorhead on Hwy 75) to the west. You will cross Hwy 9, at the next tar road Hwy/CR 33 (about 5-6 miles west of Hitterdahl) go north, it is the first approach on the left. There is a WPA (Waterfowl Production Area) with pretty thick woods there is CRP and a pond to the south. There is also a bigger pond to the North and West that has small walleyes in it if you get boored and want to go fishing.

The other spot I know of is go back to CR 26 and head west. You will see a cell phone tower on the left, turn left on the gravel road right before the tower. The gravel road will turn to the left, keep going straight and the WPA is to the right - lots of CRP and small woodlots. This is the area I used to hunt before moving to ND.

I have also shot nice deer at a north up Hwy/CR 33, I can't remember the exact directions though. I know it was a large area that extended along both sides of a large creek bottom. The only thing I didn't like about this spot was that it was huge and if you shoot a deer on the back side of it, it is a long way to drag a deer (can't use an ATV on WPAs).

You could also go to the courthouse in Moorhead and ask for a map. A few years ago before I moved I went in and got a map of the county showing all public lands, I think it was a county road map; but I'm not sure.

[Dahitman44]

Thanks for the posts, guys.

One fun area to hunt is the public land near silver lake (south of Hawley on CR 31). People are always getting deer out of there. Some woods, water and buck brush.

Good luck.

I hope to get out hunting one more time. With the weather -- I don't know. The fish house is calling my name.

[Dahitman44]

I was going to go Muzzleloading last night, but I was too chicken. It was so cold I thought I would freeze down in my stand.

I figured I would go sledding over to my hunting spot and see if there were any tracks. It was about 4 p.m. I found some and decided to follow them.

Then I saw a buddy of mine that was hunting. I didn't know he was out hunting so I waived and took off.

I'm pretty sure I screwed his hunting up. The good thing I don't think he knew it was me.

Anybody else freeze their tails with an antique firearm?

[fishin58]

I went hardcore back home I was out in that kind of cold stuff for about 8 hours each day but it finally paid off sunday night i shot a monster doe, this girl was a pig.. I shot her at about 100 yards and she went about 300 yards and dropped dead on the spot. It was a great weekend to be out. I hope i can get out in the Hawley area once just to try it. I hope the vife dont try to shoot me she is getting P O d about this whole hunting every weekend thing. I just keep telling her one more weekend.