GOOSE HUNTING Q&A

“Scouting, and putting yourself and the birds in the same place at the same time, is without a doubt the most important part of any successful goose hunting equation,” writes author and longtime honker hunter MD Johnson. (GEORGE GENTRY, USFWS)

New to the field and pond? Here’s everything you wanted to know about calls, shot size, blinding up and much more, but were afraid to ask.

By MD Johnson

Ishot my first goose – a big fat Canada – in 1979 as it, along with 30 or 40 of its buddies, glided over my grandparents’ cornfield enroute to a nearby roost pond for the evening. No decoys. No calling. Not even a blind, really, other than the standing stalks I was, well, standing in. The gun was a ’66 Mossberg M500 pump with a Poly Choke; the ammunition, a 3-inch 12 packing 41 pellets of No. 4 buckshot. Lead, nonetheless. Yes, sir; it was a while ago.

Between then and now, I’ve learned a thing or two about geese and goose hunting. A lot, I’ll admit, was by trial and error, but there has been much, too, I’ve gained from talking and hunting with some of the best goose hunters to ever walk the planet – Fred Zink, the late Timmy Grounds, Chad Belding, Field and Clay Hudnall, George Lynch, Tony Vandemore, Scott Threinen, Ron Latschaw and the Northwest’s own Bill Saunders. These men taught me more than they’ll ever know about the right way to hunt geese. Do I always do it that way? I do not, but that’s another story for another time, I reckon.

There have, over the past four decades, been a lot of factors involved in my goose hunting education, with the common denominator being questions. Constant questions. Why this? Why not that? Will this work? What went wrong? And, occasionally, what went right? I’ve asked them, and, in recent years, had them asked of me. Figuring a partial list of these inquiries might make for an insightful read, especially for those new to the art of goose hunting, let’s take a look at some of the traditional – and maybe some not-so-traditional – questions I’ve asked and fielded over the years.

Q: Is there a “most important variable” in the goose hunting equation? A: Any goose hunter worth his or her salt will tell you that you can’t kill geese if there are, indeed, no geese to be killed; thus, scouting, and putting yourself and the birds in the same place at the same time, is without a doubt the most important part of any successful goose hunting equation. Finding a place to hunt, be it water, sheet water, ag field, dry ground or what have you,

is, perhaps obviously, the first step. OnX Maps can help; so, too, a map of state-owned properties.

Once you have a place in mind, it’s a matter of observation. Are there geese there? If so, how many? What time do they come and go? Where, specifically, in the field/on the water do they sit? From what direction do they arrive? It’s all part of the puzzle, and it requires commitment. A time investment. Fuel. Driving. Bottom line: The people who kill geese scout constantly.

Q: The “X” is on property no one can hunt. That means it’s hopeless, right? A: Ugh! I know of a field not far from home the geese absolutely love. The problem is the landowner despises all forms of hunting. How do I know this? He told me when I asked permission to hunt said field. End of story? Not necessarily. I can hunt fields and water both between the roost/daytime loaf and the “X.” So I run traffic; that is, I’ll set a spread between Points A and B, hoping to convince a bird or two to forgo the offlimits-to-hunters field and come visit me. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t; however, it’s what I have in this particular situation.

Q: Which call is the best? A: The one you’re comfortable and confident with. Maybe it cost $25. Maybe it cost $200. Price really doesn’t matter. What does matter is matching a call to your skill level and your calling style. Short reed? Perhaps. Flute call? Maybe. Both are fine instruments. Your challenge, then, is to find the call that fits you. You can always, with practice, improve, grow and upgrade, if you wish. Q: Are flute-style goose calls really no good anymore? A: Ah, pish-posh. Flute calls get a bad rap because they’re not YouTube cool. Flute calls are easy to use, typically less expensive than short reeds, and really – really – sound like geese. Can you do everything necessary to kill geese with a flute call? Yes, yes you can. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Q: Are there “bad” goose sounds? A: I’m sure there are. On any given morning, I’m positive that if my calling were translated, it would read to say – in goose, mind you – “Fly away! Fly away! There’s a man with a gun down here!” Or something like that. Thanks to Al Gore’s Internet, learning to use a goose call – good sounds and bad sounds – is as easy as googling “How to call geese,” which, by the way, will yield 17.6 million responses.

Q: Flagging doesn’t work for me. It’s a waste of time, yes? A: For those unfamiliar with the technique, flagging consists literally of waving a small black cloth flag on a stick from your layout blind, the thought being it simulates a goose standing up tall and stretching, i.e. flapping its wings, something geese do often while on the ground.

I have a love/hate relationship with flagging. At times, it seems to work like the tractor beam did on the Millennium Falcon. Mostly, however, geese ignore me and my flag. Do I carry one always? Yes. Do I unfurl it always? I do not. My advice? Try it in quick flicks or flaps, per se. Your goal is to get the birds’ attention before turning to the call. Or keep the birds’ attention should they need a little more convincing. Experimentation is key.

“Which call is the best? The one you’re comfortable and confident with. Maybe it cost $25. Maybe it cost $200. Price really doesn’t matter. What does matter is matching a call to your skill level and your calling style,” Johnson

states. (JULIA JOHNSON)

“I’m a believer in pellet count and pattern density,” writes the author about best shot size for geese. “Thus, I prefer the smallest pellet that will do the job effectively and efficiently.” (JULIA JOHNSON)

Q: What’s the best shot size for geese? A: As I’ve written before, I’m a believer in pellet count and pattern density; thus, I prefer the smallest pellet that will do the job effectively and efficiently. Over decoys (30 yards and in), I’m using No. 4 Hevi-X, No. 3 Bismuth or No. 2 steel. If I think the shots will be longer, I’ll move up to No. 2 Hevi-X and Bismuth, or No. 1 or BB in steel. Are these the best choices across the board? It works for me; still, you’re going to have to find what works for you, your shooting situations, your shotgun and your choke tube, and the only way to do that is to pattern your shotgun.

Q: Will a 20-gauge handle geese, especially big Canadas? A: With the right load (see above) under the right conditions in capable hands and, most importantly, coupled with a goodly dose of selfdiscipline and the willingness to pass on questionable opportunities – absolutely. Without question.

Q: I’m hitting ’em, but not bringing them down. What’s the deal? A: They appear big and slow, but they’re not. Canadas, believe it or not, are cruising right around 40 miles per hour, or only slightly slower than a mallard duck doing the same. So, because geese appear slow, we don’t lead them enough. We either miss them completely, or, if we don’t miss them, we hit them too far back. The former is no big deal, and you’ll get over it. The latter isn’t good. Personally, I try to focus on the bird’s head and neck; that is, don’t lead the body. Lead the head. If I’m starting to shoot behind targets, I’ll often switch to a faster load, e.g. Kent Fasteel 2.0 at 1,560 feet per second vs. a traditional velocity of 1,300 fps. and full-body decoys, right? A: I love silhouettes because 1) they’re light, 2) I can pack several dozen easily into the field if necessary, and 3) they work. But, I really like full-bodies for the fact they’re three-dimensional and look as good or better than live geese. Back in the day, it was considered a no-no – by whom, I’m not sure – to mix silhouettes and full-bodies. That changed, however, once someone realized the appear/disappear/ reappear motion, per se, of the silhouettes as the birds circled around the spread lent life to the otherwise static full-bodies. Win-win, eh?

Q: Do you need 1.742 million goose decoys to be successful? A: It depends on the goose or subspecies of goose you’re hunting. Snow geese and little Canadas, e.g. cacklers or Aleutians, fly and feed in huge groups. Hunt them, and the bigger the spread, the better, with

300, 400, 500 decoys not being out of the question. White-fronts, or specks, seem to fall somewhere in between little geese and big Canadas; sometimes 24 will work, and other times, you need 150. My typical big Canada rig runs from six to 18 fullbodies. That’s it; no more than 18. But I’m also often hunting the “X,” and operate under the principle that big flocks of big geese on the ground often start with only a handful.

Q: Why don’t more people hunt geese over water? A: Hunting geese over water is awesome; however, it’s a lot of work. The biggest complaint, and perhaps rightfully so, is that goose floaters are big, heavy and take up a lot of boat space. And if you have to hump them on your back? Ugh! That said, I’m of a mind that geese can be a bit easier to decoy over water. They feel more secure. Water means safety, and if you’re well-hidden, those honkers should not hesitate.

But note that calling geese over water is acoustically different than over land. It’s easier to blow birds out, i.e. too loud or downright frightening, over water. Keep that in mind. Q: The most important thing to have in your blind bag is ____? A: I’ll admit it. I pack a pretty hefty blind bag when geese are the target; in fact, I’ve often referred to the contents of said blind bag as being a potpourri o’ crap, most of which never gets used. Still, I’d rather have it and not need it than … you see where I’m going with this, right?

But as for the single most important thing, I’d say that’s my iPhone and a portable power source for in-the-field recharging. If something happens to me or to one of my hunting partners, the cell phone can be a lifesaver. Literally. I can’t call 9-1-1 with a folding saw, an extra headlight or a Gerber multi-tool, all of which I will have, by the way.

Q: Is there a right way and a wrong way to stubble a layout blind? A: It’s important to remember a layout blind is designed to conceal you with only the lightest addition, per se, of native vegetation, raffia grass or what have you. You’re not trying to completely cover up the blind. If you do, it will look like an out-of-place pile of stuff against an otherwise natural or regular background. Go light with the grass. If you don’t strip the blind at the end of the hunt, touch it up before the next outing. Or strip it and start fresh.

Always take a minute to stand back, say 30 yards, and look at your hide with a critical eye. Is the ground around the blind flattened? Empty shotgun shells? There is no such thing as an insignificant detail when it comes to hiding. None.

Q: And finally, what’s the best in-thefield goose hunting snack? A: That one’s easy. My wife’s canned jalapeño albacore tuna on generic Ritz crackers, Winco 58-cent apple and/or cherry fruit pies, dried mango slices and those little white powdered Donettes from Hostess, plus a big Stanley Thermos of coffee. Black, please. NS

“Do you need 1.742 million goose decoys to be successful? It depends on the goose or subspecies of goose you’re hunting,” Johnson believes, with more needed for those kinds that typically occur in large groups. But if you’re where birds want to be, you might only need a dozen or so.

(JULIA JOHNSON)

Use Waterfowling Lulls As Teachable Moments

Duck season is here, but it’s a slow day in the blind. It might be just the opportunity you need to get some dog work done. If you have a new pup, a dog that needs help in an actual hunting situation, or a driven dog that gets bored sitting in one place for hours, then you have a golden opportunity to make that dog a better hunting companion.

GUN DOGGIN’ 101 By Scott Haugen

EARLIER THIS FALL, a buddy had his

11-month-old black Lab on a duck hunt. It was incessantly whining and wouldn’t sit still. When birds approached, the dog would take off running into the water, breaking even before we shot.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with him,” said my buddy. “He’s from a very elite bloodline …”

Genetics are only part of the puzzle when it comes to building a good hunting dog. If you don’t teach a dog what to do, it’ll just keep doing the wrong things. As with raising a child or building a relationship with your spouse, communication is everything when it comes to training a dog.

Duck season is here, and evaluating what needs to be done to help maximize your dog’s potential – fast – is important in breaking bad behaviors and eliminating unwanted habits. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

Should your dog need help in actual hunting situations, working on bumpers across the pond is a good way to turn a slow day in the duck blind into a teachable moment that will help correct bad behaviors. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

I told my buddy to grab his dog, make it sit, make it stay quiet and hold on tight while I shot at the next flock of birds that approached, then release the dog once a bird hit the water – if I could hit one.

It worked. A flock came in perfectly, circled our spread two times, and I dropped a double. The dog did what it was supposed to do once my buddy focused on teaching the pup and not shooting birds himself.

If hunting alone and your dog breaks, remedy it by using an eye bolt on the blind or a stake driven into the ground with a check cord attached, and issue commands as the situation requires. Don’t let the dog whine, bark, fidget or break because every time you allow that, you’re reinforcing a poor behavior that will quickly turn into a bad habit.

During a hunt last month, another buddy had his five-month-old retriever along. The dog was quiet, but always moving and constantly digging.

“I just let him dig so he gets tired,” my buddy said.

Three hours later the dog had numerous deep holes dug around us in the muddy slough we hunted. It was covered in mud and not once did my buddy try to stop it. Again, it was a dog with a lot of names and prizes in the bloodline, but that doesn’t mean a thing if you’re not going to teach it the difference between right and wrong, and I pointed this out to him.

THE HUNT ISN’T an ideal place to train a dog, but realistically, few hunters devote proper time to train their dogs in actual hunting situations before the season starts. If not properly trained before hunting season, dogs won’t know where to sit, how to sit still, be quiet, mark approaching birds or react to a shot. All this should be dialed in before hunting season, but if not, turn those slow days into training sessions.

Take bumpers with you to train in and out of the water when birds aren’t flying. Work on multiple retrieves in the decoys, as well as blind retrieves on land. Work on hand signals and verbal commands. Teach your dog discipline and restraint, letting it know exactly what it’s supposed to do on a hunt. Blow your call, shoot your gun, emulate actions the dog will encounter all season long, and maximize those teachable moments by fixing what your dog needs remedied.

If your dog is high energy, take it on a walk and look for other birds in the

A great hunting dog is built by proper training well before the dog embarks upon actual hunts. Author Scott Haugen worked hard with his dog, Echo, who’ll quietly sit all day long, mark birds and retrieve on command.

(SCOTT HAUGEN)

area to possibly hunt. Oftentimes snipe, quail, crows, even rabbits can be hunted in surrounding duck habitat. These are great breaks to offer and create even more teachable moments. Then return to the duck blind and issue clear commands of what you expect your dog to do: be quiet, sit still, etc.

DOGS NEED TO be trained in real hunting situations, and those slow days in the duck blind can be the ticket to building a great dog or allowing it to remain mediocre; the choice is yours. The goal is to keep future hunts from turning into training sessions, as hunts are a place dogs need to focus and obey every command all day long, but if they don’t know this prior to the hunt, at least you have a starting point and the potential to turn things in a positive direction. Take charge; that’s what dog owners are supposed to do. NS

Editor’s note: To watch Scott Haugen’s series of puppy training videos, visit scotthaugen.com. Follow Scott on Instagram and Facebook.

Washington riflemen, muzzleloaders and bowhunters all have solid opportunities to notch their tags in November. (JASON BROOKS)

Better Late Than Never

Afew months ago my cellphone rang and I saw that it was my father calling. I answered in hopes he had good news about my brother and other family members who were out chasing deer with their muzzleloaders in the early season. Instead, it was the typical “We saw lots of deer, a few nice bucks, but other hunters kept driving by and scaring them off.” He ended with, “You need to be over here and bring us some of your luck.”

Apparently the fact that my deer tag is notched more often than not over the years means I am “lucky” at killing deer. In reality it is timing, not just intercepting deer during the right weather, but also the amount of time I hunt deer, as well as what I do with that time when I am hunting. For the Northwest sportsman, there is still plenty of time to fill that un-notched deer tag. NOVEMBER IS PRIME deer hunting time, whether for the whitetails of Northeast Washington, Central and North Idaho and Western Montana, or for the blacktails of the rainforests of Western Oregon and Western Washington. Deer are in the rut during the late fall and this means bucks will be on the move. Then throw in some cold weather that will require more calories

to keep warm and you have a combination for success afield. Whitetails are habitual by nature and mostly live on small parcels of land that are networked with trails from bedding to feeding areas. Same goes for blacktails, but NW PURSUITS for some reason deer hunters don’t always By Jason Brooks realize this. Many drive logging roads and scan clearcuts in hopes a deer will be out feeding or on the move. Regardless of species, hunters can do equally as well by concentrating on smaller areas and focusing on the deer activity for that given spot. Rattling works for both species and blacktails will even scrape and work trails looking for receptive does like whitetails do. If you find a new rub, it is best to find

a place to sit for a bit and rattle, look and listen. A good friend of mine, Brian Chlipala, used to hunt whitetails every year in Central Idaho. He would rattle in bucks in what he called the “icky thicky,” meaning he would find intersecting trails and sit in the thick brush and rattle. He described how mature bucks often just appeared out of nowhere. For blacktails, look to reprod that has Christmas-tree-sized Douglas firs, about 6 to 10 feet tall. You will notice trails going through the young trees and this is where to set up and wait for a buck, or call one to you.

This month’s prime for all three weapon types. Rifle hunters have a four-day late season in most of Western Washington, an opportunity that yields a good number of deer relative to October’s general season. Archery and muzzleloader hunters will be hitting the deer woods just before Thanksgiving with a liberal season as well, most three weeks or longer and often “any deer” is legal to take. Idaho offers general season hunts through the entire month and again, some units are any whitetail deer. Hunt either species the same way.

A FRESH SNOW really helps in locating deer. Not because you will find them easier to spot with their dark brown coat against the white backdrop, but the deer often use the same areas and trails. A snow means you can find fresh tracks and that is half the battle – knowing when the deer are passing through.

At first light look at trails to see if a deer was moving through during the night and then come back in the afternoon and see if new tracks appear. Snow also seems to keep blacktails out a bit longer and they often hang out near the snowline, preferring rain over snow. Of course the white stuff also helps with tracking deer when you get the shot opportunity.

Blacktails live within small areas, with studies showing a deer might live in only a few hundred acres for an entire year or even their entire life. This means if you saw a buck earlier in the year, and it made it through the previous hunting seasons, then it is still in the area. Again, this is why you should focus on a single area instead of driving roads and prowling logging decks. Look around and see where the bedding areas are and know that is where you need to be during the midday when the deer are bedded. Use the weather to your advantage.

A FEW YEARS ago I was hunting blacktails during the late season. It had snowed all night and the temperatures had dropped to 19 degrees during the day. A wind was also kicking up, so instead of looking at large clearcuts I looked down into creek drainages, places where the deer would be out of the wind and able to sit in the sunshine to warm up after a cold night. I found some deer bedded on a bench and was able to sneak down on them and notch my tag.

With the whitetail and blacktail rut peaking this month, look for signs of buck presence like rubs and scrapes. (JASON BROOKS)

On rainy days it seems blacktails prefer to move around and don’t mind being wet. One of my friends who is very successful in the late rifle season, which occurs during the rut, will sit in his truck, watching the road with binoculars to catch deer moving. The best way to do this is to find a stand of old growth or standing timber on one side of the road and a clearcut with reprod on the other. The bucks will move all day looking for receptive does and eventually will cross the logging road. Blacktails rarely take off and instead just meander; you can catch up to them if you walk quietly.

Testing his theory while out muzzleloader hunting several years back, I caught some deer moving across a logging road, coming off of the thick timber into the clearcut. I missed the first deer, and about 20 minutes later another came along and I missed again. I figured something was wrong with my muzzleloader and since I had already fired a few times, I set out a cardboard box to check my sights. While doing this, deer crossed on that same trail three more times while I was sitting there. After I rechecked my sights, I didn’t miss the last one and again notched my deer tag.

LUCK IS NICE to have, but knowing how to hunt the deer species, location and weather really helps you fill those tags. Sure, I don’t mind if I am considered a good luck charm, but I know that hard work helps too. November provides hunters one of the best chances to put venison in the freezer, so don’t let the late season go by without trying to notch your tag. NS

Edges between Douglas firs as tall as Christmas trees and blocks of tall timber are good places to hunt for blacktails. (JASON BROOKS)

Late deer hunters will hope for snow and cold temperatures to keep their quarry more active, and bucks will also be out and about seeking does during the rut. (BUZZ RAMSEY)

Don’t Buck Chance To Hunt Rutty Deer

ON TARGET By Dave Workman

Weather invariably plays an important role in the late buck hunts in both Eastern and Western Washington, and honestly, if you’re lucky, there’s going to be snow on the ground.

I’ve hunted the late season many times, and there is nothing like a good snow to help quiet things down, keep deer in a feeding mood to stay warm, and they will move around for the same reason. A whitetail buck I conked during a late season east of Colville was making his way through an older snowy clearcut and he made the fatal error of walking into the open within rifle range.

One shot through the ticker with a .257 Roberts at more than 100 yards downhill dropped him. For what it’s worth, dragging a buck out to your truck several hundred yards away is a lot easier if you can skid the animal across a layer of snow! I field dressed him and filled the body cavity with snow to cool him down.

If I have to make the late hunt, I’ll be carrying that .257 Roberts again. It’s got a synthetic stock, a powerful scope and

If author Dave Workman winds up hunting late-season bucks, he’ll likely be using his trusty .257 Roberts with its Ramline stock and Harris bipod. He’s notched a few tags with this buck buster. (DAVE WORKMAN)

bipod, so I can take a stand high on a clearcut and just sit still.

Westside blacktails aren’t impervious to weather conditions, either. When daylight starts fading in the afternoon around 3 to 4 p.m., depending upon weather conditions, be sure to work the edges of old clearcuts. Find a good spot to sit tight, use your binoculars to glass those areas where there is evidence of recent deer movement, and just wait.

This time of year, I keep a pair of stretch rubber scope covers over the scope lenses until it’s time to shoot. This keeps rain or snow and other crud off the glass.

THE EASTSIDE LATE rifle buck hunt for whitetails (no mule deer) runs November 6-19 in Game Management Units 105, 108, 111, 113, 117, 121 and 124 for any buck. It closes on a Friday, but hunters get two full weekends, and by the end of this season, expect bucks to be nearing the peak of the rut. Find does and you’ll likely find bucks nearby. Look for scrapes and stake them out.

The late Westside modern firearms buck hunt is the traditional four-day affair running November 18-21, Thursday through Sunday, in most units outside of the northern Cascades and by this time, the blacktail rut ought to be peaking too.

Regardless of which side of the state one hunts, bucks in rut can be kind of stupid at times because they’re interested in romance.

Along with rifle hunts, late muzzleloader seasons crank up later in the month. It’s time to break out the front-stuffer and your black powder or a substitute such as Pyrodex or Triple Se7en. (DAVE WORKMAN)

The late Westside season is open in GMUs 407, 454, 466, 501 through 505, 506, 510 through 520, 524, 530, 550 through 560, 568, 572, 601 through 621, 624 (except Deer Area 6020), 627 through 654, 658 through 684, and 699 for any buck.

In GMUs 410 through 417, 419 through 422, 423, 424, 564, 655 and Deer Area 6020, you can take any deer, according to the regs.

Get back into the brush and find those little clearings back from the roads a couple of hundred yards. Locate deer trails with recent traffic and find a spot from which you can spot movement. Watch for does and stay put because a buck could be following them.

GRANDPA WORKMAN USED to say that if you

sit down in the woods long enough, a deer is going to walk by. It’s more likely to happen where they already have been walking and it’s up to you to find those spots.

The full moon arrives November 19, so if the sky is clear leading up to that date, evenings will be bright. On the other hand,

LATE ELK OPS TOO

There are several Eastside units open for general late muzzleloader hunting for any elk through November 15. They are GMUs 203, 209 through 248, 250, 254 through 272, 278, 284, 290, 373, 379 and 381. Hunters must wear hunter orange and/ or hunter pink.

A season for any elk runs November 25-December 8 in GMUs 130 through 142, but note the area is very open and largely private, so permission is needed.

On the Westside, GMU 407 is open for any elk December 16-31, while Elk Area 4601 (mainly private) and GMUs 501, 503, 504, 505 and 652 (except Elk Area Brennon Hart bagged this elk with his muzzleloader during a late hunt in the Mashel 6013 is closed to antlerless) are open for Unit on the west side of Mt. Rainier a few three-point-plus bulls or antlerless elk. seasons back. (COAST HUNTING PHOTO CONTEST)

GMUs 454, 564, 666 and 684 and Elk Area 6014 are open November 24-December 15 for any elk.

GMUs 568, 574 and 578 are open Nov. 24-30 for three-point-minimum bulls.

And GMUs 448, 601, 618, 651 and 658 are open November 24-December 15 for three-point-minimum bulls.

Always check the regulations for details, and keep your powder dry! –DW

if we’re experiencing typical November weather, skies will be overcast and it won’t make any difference.

If it doesn’t snow, at least by then there will have been rain and maybe enough windy weather to blow all the leaves off the trees. Visibility will improve dramatically for folks who hunt from a stand, which can be anything including a stump or big rock. Just sit as still as possible and dress warmly. Wear gloves and don’t overlook a good pocket hand warmer.

The likelihood you’ll spot a buck in the road is pretty thin. Successful hunters get away from the roads because that’s where the deer will be. Always have binoculars for glassing an area.

And be sure to take along a .22 pistol if you have one. I’ve bumped into so many late-season grouse, especially in Northeast Washington, I lost count of them.

MUZZLELOADER HUNTERS ALSO have

late hunts, and bagging a deer with a blackpowder rifle is as challenging as doing so with a handgun. I’ve done both, and for the folks who like front-stuffers, your late seasons kick off after the late modern rifle hunts.

For blacktail deer, the late season runs November 24-December 15 for any deer in the following GMUs: 407, 410, 411, 412, 413, 414, 415, 416, 417, 419, 420, 421, 422, 423, 424, 454, 504, 564, 633, 654, 666, 667 and 684. Note that seven of those units – all islands in Puget Sound – require muzzleloaders to wear hunter orange or hunter pink like their modern firearms counterparts.

In GMUs 448, 460, 501, 602, 621, 651, 658 and 673, the hunt is open for any buck.

For whitetail, GMU 113 is open for any buck November 24-December 8, and November 25-December 8 in GMUs 130, 133, 136,139 and 142, with a three-point minimum.

GMUs 172 and 181 are open November 20-December 8, also for a three-point minimum, and in GMUs 379 and 381 the season runs November 25-December 8 for any deer.

There is a late muzzleloader hunt for buck mule deer, also in GMUs 379 and 381 on the same dates for whitetail, with a three-point minimum, and in Unit 382 (except closed in Deer Area 5382) November 20-30, also with a three-point minimum for mule deer bucks.

There have been many developments in muzzleloaders over the years with inlines far outdistancing caplocks and flintlocks in terms of popularity. Pyrodex and other black powder substitutes are more popular than genuine black powder.

I’m a caplock shooter, and own two good rifles. One is a slightly improved Lyman Trade Rifle in .54 caliber with buckhorn fixed sights and the other is a Thompson/Center Hawken Custom in .50 caliber with an adjustable rear sight. When I actively hunted with a muzzleloader, I preferred black powder in both guns and years ago obtained “quick loaders” that carry a premeasured powder charge and a bullet or patched round ball in the event a quick reload was necessary. NS