Scopes for 2021 WA Muzzleloader season?

[millerwheeler]

Hey guys and gals.  I just joined the forum last week.  Mostly just lurking and reading.  You guys make some real good points.  Saw this topic and just had to chime in. I fall into the group of old guys who wish they could still see the iron sights on their rifles. Accuracy has suffered horribly in the last 10 years. I would welcome the opportunity to put some sights on my Big Horn that would give me a better sight picture. I don't think it is the sights on a muzzy that attracts hunters to the season or distracts them from it. It's all about pouring powder and stuffing a bullet down the barrel.  Peep sight, open sight, plain sight or 1x scope sight, is not what the muzzy is about. Pour the powder, keep it dry and then you get ONE shot.  Modern hunters are not going to flock to the muzzy season because of a sight change. I am sure there will be less wounded animals with that ONE shot too.  The funny part of all of this is nobody makes a 1x scope anymore.  They have all been discontinued. Weaver, TC and Nikon all made one at one time. If WDFW approves this come March, the price of used 1x scopes will go up nicely if you have one.

People will flock to it just as they have because a lot less chance of fire closures , the best early and late seasons usually fall within muzzy season, and if you can’t see how much further muzzleloaders are shooting now well you haven’t paid attention much , and yes a scope will in fact bring more people and keeping the powder dry not really a terrible concern much any more since we can use the 209primers another huge advantage to us just cause it’s one shot means nothing animals getting wounded by rushed shots with modern rifles as well

[hunter399]

I'm assuming Alot of muzzleloader scopes have drop reticle in them .So it's not just advantage of seeing better.But also shooting further.
C'mon don't lie now ,it's not all about seeing better.
If you can shoot past 200 yards consistently with a drop reticle ,I don't really consider it primitive weapon.

[millerwheeler]

I'm assuming Alot of muzzleloader scopes have drop reticle in them .So it's not just advantage of seeing better.But also shooting further.
C'mon don't lie now ,it's not all about seeing better.

Exactly

[Magnum_Willys]

With my eyesight I love the idea.   If I wanted a challenge I would stick with modern rifle.   You see a guy that gets elk regularly with modern rifle in w washington - now thats a real hunter!

[MIKEXRAY]

Any " feature " added to archery, muzzy or rifle will increase success at some level even if minutely causing opportunities in areas and seasons to decrease. I think we should be going in the opposite direction with equipment.  If one segment doesn't work for you anymore then move to another segment that does. One thing we can ALL agree on is we want more opportunities.  I'm 56 YO and have trouble with blurry bowsight pins and understand everyone's pain above.

[dilleytech]

Hey guys and gals.  I just joined the forum last week.  Mostly just lurking and reading.  You guys make some real good points.  Saw this topic and just had to chime in. I fall into the group of old guys who wish they could still see the iron sights on their rifles. Accuracy has suffered horribly in the last 10 years. I would welcome the opportunity to put some sights on my Big Horn that would give me a better sight picture. I don't think it is the sights on a muzzy that attracts hunters to the season or distracts them from it. It's all about pouring powder and stuffing a bullet down the barrel.  Peep sight, open sight, plain sight or 1x scope sight, is not what the muzzy is about. Pour the powder, keep it dry and then you get ONE shot.  Modern hunters are not going to flock to the muzzy season because of a sight change. I am sure there will be less wounded animals with that ONE shot too.  The funny part of all of this is nobody makes a 1x scope anymore.  They have all been discontinued. Weaver, TC and Nikon all made one at one time. If WDFW approves this come March, the price of used 1x scopes will go up nicely if you have one.

In my experience you usually get 2-3 shots with a muzzy. For whatever that’s worth.

[Cougartail]

Ok, no scope for deer and elk. Let's have a year round season for bears and cougars with non-illuminated scopes on muzzleloaders. After a few years they can evaluate how much more lethal the scope is.

 

[dilleytech]

Ok, no scope for deer and elk. Let's have a year round season for bears and cougars with non-illuminated scopes on muzzleloaders. After a few years they can evaluate how much more lethal the scope is.

 

Open spring bear with muzzy and scope? That would be awesome and super productive. Clearly more productive then the no year around season we have now..

[JimmyHoffa]

I used to argue against scopes on muzzies until I hit my mid 40's and eyes started going bad. Now open sights or a peep is blurry and with my readers on I can't see the target so I understand the reasoning behind it. I don't think it will suddenly get guys shooting 200 yards with them but it may keep some of the older guys in the game..

That.

So what I read is you want to hunt modern , with a modern rifle because of your eyesight ?  And I can shoot 200 with my knight ultralight in a very decent group all day a scope would make it that much easier and yes it would make people flock to muzzleloding because we know we really do get the best seasons

I think the season timing, particularly the early season, is what draws the most over to the muzzy.  Next would be unit availability.  The technology and modernizing of the weapon do help quite a bit.  My guess is that adding days to early season or having early units the same as late units would bring in the most.  Now, would it be the actual tech advances or the uptick in harvest to cause more modern guys to switch?  I know guys that happily hunted modern in units that saw drops in harvest (for modern) after muzzy season was added in their unit, a fair number made the switch.

[Dan-o]

I used to argue against scopes on muzzies until I hit my mid 40's and eyes started going bad. Now open sights or a peep is blurry and with my readers on I can't see the target so I understand the reasoning behind it. I don't think it will suddenly get guys shooting 200 yards with them but it may keep some of the older guys in the game..

That.

So what I read is you want to hunt modern , with a modern rifle because of your eyesight ?  And I can shoot 200 with my knight ultralight in a very decent group all day a scope would make it that much easier and yes it would make people flock to muzzleloding because we know we really do get the best seasons

Yeah......   Not so much.

I've gotten older.....  my eyes don't work so good anymore... But I've hunted muzzy for 40+ years and would like to for a few more.

You can be against the rules without twisting what people are saying.

[hunter399]

Ok, no scope for deer and elk. Let's have a year round season for bears and cougars with non-illuminated scopes on muzzleloaders. After a few years they can evaluate how much more lethal the scope is.

 

Open spring bear with muzzy and scope? That would be awesome and super productive. Clearly more productive then the no year around season we have now..

I'm ok with that.
Give me a reason to buy a muzzleloader.
See how that works ,if you think your getting advantage ,I will be next in line to receive said advantage.
Same goes with deer and elk.
I've been looking at muzzleloader/archery Alot the past few years .Cause I spent most of modern guided my son and other family members.Which makes it hard for myself to hunt. Don't get me wrong I very much enjoy time spent with family,but if I choose another season it will just be more time in woods.
I will be holding off on choosing which season I'm hunting for deer and elk.Intell these rule changes have gone through and the reg book before permits ECT.
But see how that works just talking online has caused me to reconsider what season I'm hunting.

[Dan-o]

I'm assuming Alot of muzzleloader scopes have drop reticle in them .So it's not just advantage of seeing better.But also shooting further.
C'mon don't lie now ,it's not all about seeing better.

Exactly

Do either of you know of a single 1X scope with a drop reticle, or are you just "assuming'?

[JimmyHoffa]

I'm assuming Alot of muzzleloader scopes have drop reticle in them .So it's not just advantage of seeing better.But also shooting further.
C'mon don't lie now ,it's not all about seeing better.

Exactly

Do either of you know of a single 1X scope with a drop reticle, or are you just "assuming'?

I think I've seen them for crossbows.

[hunter399]

I'm assuming Alot of muzzleloader scopes have drop reticle in them .So it's not just advantage of seeing better.But also shooting further.
C'mon don't lie now ,it's not all about seeing better.

Exactly

Do either of you know of a single 1X scope with a drop reticle, or are you just "assuming'?

All I'm going say is I hope all the proposal go through.
I'm going full auto pellet gun for grouse.
Hehehehehe...........
 

[BULLBLASTER]

When utah had a 1x limit on muzzy scopes there were a few options. Hopefully the lack of scopes on the current market makes wdfw keep status quo.

A 1x scope with dials would most definitely increase effective range of a muzzle loader.