# Am I the only one?



## ridgetop (Sep 13, 2007)

That will be shooting a 1x scope this year.
While most of the other members of the wolf pack are racing against time to get their magnifying scopes dialed in. I just didn't want to deal with it this year.
Maybe if I buy a new gun next year, then I'll throw on an old 3x9.


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## JuddCT (Sep 7, 2007)

I put on a new Vortex Diamondback HP 2-8x32and really enjoyed getting out to the range to dial it in. I have a brother that kept his 1x on, but he is the only one out of 5 of us.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

If I was hunting Utah's ML hunt this year I quite possibly would of put a 3x9 that is sitting on a shelf that I have. But I'm not so I won't but then I would of been going from a peep sight. 

I just need to watch the sales and pick up a third ML since I also hunt Colorado where scopes are not allowed. Then I could just have a ML set up for Utah and a couple set up for Colorado, a sidelock that just wouldn't look right with a scope and a in line.


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## deljoshua (Jul 29, 2013)

Sounds like you might be the only one!


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## wyoming2utah (Sep 12, 2007)

ridgetop said:


> That will be shooting a 1x scope this year.
> While most of the other members of the wolf pack are racing against time to get their magnifying scopes dialed in. I just didn't want to deal with it this year.
> Maybe if I buy a new gun next year, then I'll throw on an old 3x9.


I still shoot open sights...no scope at all! The object of the muzzy hunt is like the bow hunt--see how close I can get, not see how far away I can be and still kill a deer.


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## katorade (Sep 23, 2007)

You're the only one.


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## bowgy (Oct 10, 2007)

I still have my red dot on mine.


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

I'm shooting open sites as well.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

I have a 4x on one and open sites on the other.


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## OldRookie (Jun 30, 2016)

Going with the open sights as well.


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## woodskis (Sep 20, 2012)

I have a new 3x9. Yes the magnification is nice, but the light gathering during the low light times is AWSOME.


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## utahbigbull (May 9, 2012)

Both me and my boy still have the 1x's on. We're only gonna get out this Friday and Saturday hunting our second choice tags. I figure this year wasn't worth the headache for only a couple days out.


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## neverdrawn (Jan 3, 2009)

Open sights for myself, daughter and son. I like the up close aspect also. I'm curious to see the increase in wounded deer from extended range shooting this year. Hunters just keep getting lazier and lazier and woodsmanship is going out the window. With that being said I don't blame anyone for switching. Being a legal advantage you may as well take it if so inclined. I will say that I've shot numerous nice deer with my muzzleloader and none were over 100 yds. Most were actually inside 50.


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## Springville Shooter (Oct 15, 2010)

I'm guessing that there won't be an increase in wounded deer. I do, however, predict a much higher number of killed deer.......which presents another problem in itself. In my range experience the magnifying scope does not really increase my effective range. That being said, I can shoot with much more precision within my effective range. I passed on a 75 yard neck shot with my open sights. That shot is cake now and I would take it in a second.------SS


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## 2full (Apr 8, 2010)

I have killed 3 deer with a open sight, neck shot. 
A 28", a 27", and a 20" 5 x 5. 
First one at about 80 yards, second one at 30 yards, and third one at 60 yards. 
Sometimes it's the only shot you have. If you hit you know, if you miss you know. 
Okay, so the third one may not have been exactly where I was aiming. 
It was back in the days when I was shooting the 'ol Hawken with patch and round ball. 
Only a couple of my muzzle deer have been over 100 yards.


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

I just hope that this move encourages more of the "rifle" crowd to put down the archery equipment and go back to their noisy "weapons"!



It's (funny, sad, ironic, sorry, pitiful, amusing) the number of times this year that I've heard the comment: "if only I would have had a real weapon, I would have killed that buck...". These comments all have 1 thing in common: shots from near 100 yards.
Maybe next year we'll have magnifying sites on our bows?


Get closer.


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## Ut.juice (Aug 25, 2016)

My buddy's dad is still going with open sights. He actually wants to go more primitive with a flintlock. I put on a 3-9/40 Nikon this year and have it zeroed at 100.


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## Swampy_Dog (Oct 4, 2015)

I'm sticking with my bushnell red dot never had to shoot anything further then 75 yards


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## robiland (Jan 20, 2008)

OPen sights for my son. His 1st year, but I will hopefully buy a vortex for it this off season.


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## Cfillin27 (Aug 3, 2016)

Open sites side lock still for me.


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## OldRookie (Jun 30, 2016)

Anyone on the Wasatch East for the muzzleloader? I wont be up until Friday but I have the first week of October off. Hoping to have some areas all to myself after opening weekend.


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## Flyfishn247 (Oct 2, 2007)

I will admit I put a magnifying scope on my muzzy this year, but voted to keep it primitive on the survey. This is only my second muzzy hunt, I normally bow hunt. In talking with my hunting party, I think we will go back to bow hunting. There is just something primal about hiking around the woods chasing big game with a stick and string.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

While I am a cap, ball, and loose powder type of person why not take advantage of the law as it is written? 

The funny thing is that with my in line I can not focus on the front, rear sights and the target with open sights. So I went with a peep sight. With my cap lock I have no problem focusing on all three at the same time but then the rear sight is closer to my eye and larger. 

I personally would like to see it go back to open sights, loose powder, and a conical type of bullet or ball. The states that have this type of regulations seam to do all right for the muzzle loader hunt. But the next time that I hunt Utah's ML I'll have a 3x9 scope on my ML for the simple reason that I can.


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## BigT (Mar 11, 2011)

I put a Vortex Crossfire 2-7X32 on my TC. Only took 3 shots to get it dialed in... 

I will say that this hunt will become very popular after my experience yesterday. Having a magnifying scope on isn't real fair to the game. Does make for a better shot though. 

My son's muzzle loader still has his 1X on it, but he's doing the rifle this year anyways.


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## brendo (Sep 10, 2013)

Critter said:


> While I am a cap, ball, and loose powder type of person why not take advantage of the law as it is written?
> 
> The funny thing is that with my in line I can not focus on the front, rear sights and the target with open sights. So I went with a peep sight. With my cap lock I have no problem focusing on all three at the same time but then the rear sight is closer to my eye and larger.
> 
> I personally would like to see it go back to open sights, loose powder, and a conical type of bullet or ball. The states that have this type of regulations seam to do all right for the muzzle loader hunt. But the next time that I hunt Utah's ML I'll have a 3x9 scope on my ML for the simple reason that I can.


I wonder if they have ever considered doing a primitive muzzleloader season with the old muzzy dates in November. That would be sweet!!


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

brendo said:


> I wonder if they have ever considered doing a primitive muzzleloader season with the old muzzy dates in November. That would be sweet!!


Because there aren't primitive muzzleloaders anymore, even the replicas are not primitive. White Rifle who really kick started the inline craze was turning out inline barrels and hawkin barrels on the same CNC machine, same twist same everything, yet people said one gun was primitive while the other was not? Because the direction the hammer traveled? LOL

TC made a rifle called the Black Mountain Magnum. You could get it in caplock or flintlock. As a flintlock, it had special magnesium flints that sparked even when wet, a flame channel designed to ignite 3 pellets (150gr max charge!), 1/28" fast twist for sabots, composite stock, fiber optic sights, but drilled for scope mounts as well... as a flintlock. Does that sound primitive?

Whats highly amusing is you can go get a 100% authentic 1800's Ferguson rifle out of a museum and it would be illegal to hunt with today because it was breech load. Inline rifles were first created in 1734 over in Germany, 100 years before the "traditional" hawkin because Americas frontier weapon.

I wouldn't say there will "never" be a Nov ML Deer season, as we now have early high country rifle hunts with deer in velvet, but I would say there will "never" be a purely primitive ML season because no-one can appropriately define what that season would entail.

What is primitive and what isn't? Wood stock vs Composite stock? 1/72" twist vs 1/28"? Full bore conical vs pistol bullet in a sabot? What about pistol bullet in a patch like a round ball? Require real black powder vs substitutes? Optics? Open vs Scope? There were scopes back in the 1800s. What about ignition, exposed or not? Matchlock vs flintlock vs cap vs primer?

Who gets to draw the line? Problem is someone draws a line, and its easy to find an exception, the grey area.

IMO, guns ceased being primitive when they went from Flat springs to high tinsel steel Coil springs. The old springs got weak, broke, got out of alignment and had a whole plethora of ignition and reliability problems. All of that got solved, even todays most "primitive" replica muzzleloader benefits from so many technological improvements its incomparable to the true primitive guns of yesteryear.

There is a reason the DWR just prints "muzzleloader" on the license, there are just too many permutations of guns, components and other things to try to legislate.

But... if they ever did come out with a true Primitive ML season, I'll pick up a Black Mountain Mag and a **** skin hat.

-DallanC


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## RandomElk16 (Sep 17, 2013)

I am doing ML elk.. sticking with my 1x. I can shoot 150 pretty accurate with it, and haven't had to shoot that far. So, no reason to fix sumtin that aint broke!


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

I put on a 4-24X with mil dot's on mine....oh we're talking muzzle loaders. Never mind;-)


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## 7mm Reloaded (Aug 25, 2015)

LostLouisianian said:


> I put on a 4-24X with mil dot's on mine....oh we're talking muzzle loaders. Never mind;-)


 I turned my 1x around backwards to make it minus 1x. I didn't want to make it too easy.


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## Springville Shooter (Oct 15, 2010)

7MM RELOADED said:


> I turned my 1x around backwards to make it minus 1x. I didn't want to make it too easy.


I fully plan on stealing this idea and becoming extremely rich. Imagine the scope where you can adjust to make a 100 yard target appear to be 800 yards away. All the thrill and Internet bragging rights while still maintaining the level of ethics that the snobs at B&C like to preach about.

Throw in a flat-brimmed hat with each purchase........how can you go wrong?-----SS


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## Mavis13 (Oct 29, 2007)

Open sights for me. Not seeing any bucks though....
Hey at least I got the top of the page maybe my luck is changing.


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## Mavis13 (Oct 29, 2007)

DallanC said:


> Because there aren't primitive muzzleloaders anymore, even the replicas are not primitive. White Rifle who really kick started the inline craze was turning out inline barrels and hawkin barrels on the same CNC machine, same twist same everything, yet people said one gun was primitive while the other was not? Because the direction the hammer traveled? LOL
> 
> TC made a rifle called the Black Mountain Magnum. You could get it in caplock or flintlock. As a flintlock, it had special magnesium flints that sparked even when wet, a flame channel designed to ignite 3 pellets (150gr max charge!), 1/28" fast twist for sabots, composite stock, fiber optic sights, but drilled for scope mounts as well... as a flintlock. Does that sound primitive?
> 
> ...


I don't care so much about the rifle. For me it should be pure lead loose powder and open sights. However I'll concede nonmagnification as I understand not everyone's eyesight will work with open sights.


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