Minium muzzleloading Caliber for deer hunting

[streak]

Looked in the Texas hunting regs and could not find any reference to minium caliber that can be used during muzzleloading season for deer. Anybody have any experience with this or information?

[flintlock]

May not have any...NC doesn't list any restrictions, kind like it that way...

[Lonegun1894]

Texas doesn't have a minimum caliber for muzzle loaders.  We also do not have a minimum caliber for modern guns either, as long as it is centerfire.  It's one of those things of, yes, you can legally hunt deer with a .25 ACP, but that doesn't make it a wise choice, so you have to use your head and choose carefully like with anything else.  The smallest I have seen used was a .45, but have heard of .40s being good too if you pick your shots and place them exactly where needed.  Havinf said that, I use .50s and .54s, because the deer deserves respect and to be taken as humanely as we can possibly do it.  I have always been told to consider the .45 as a .243 with a 75yd effective range, and a .40 as a .223 with a 50yd range.  Not that these calibers won't do it at longer ranges, but I will stick with my .54 as my most used ML rifle and my .50 as second most used.

[streak]

LG,
 I concur with your .50 and .54 calibers! I have both and like the the ability to choose as I see fit!!

[Ranger99]

i've used only .50 and .54, but
i've read in some of the old books
where a lot of the old rifles before
western expansion were .36-.40 caliber.
some of the other old writings refer
to the rifles sizes in gauge as opposed
to caliber and have gotten buggered up
by modern gun writers.
i like the larger ones myself and where
i hunt i might see some big hogs as
well as deer. one of the older men i used
to hunt with used one of those old cva
kentucky rifles he built from a kit, and
he had no problem tagging deer. he was
also an accomplished bowhunter, and i
don't think he ever made any shots beyond
bow yardages, but i usually don't either.

[Ranger99]

i was looking at the book and i forgot,
there is no minimum size.
the only stipulation is no b.p. revolvers allowed.

[streak]

i was looking at the book and i forgot,
there is no minimum size.
the only stipulation is no b.p. revolvers allowed.

Ranger99,
 You are correct on no black powder cap and ball revolvers! Just another example of people legislating on subjects that they are completely clueless!
Some of the black powder revolvers are quite capable of taking hogs and deer at fairly long pistol ranges with devasting results!!

[Ranger99]

yeah. . . .


some years back we hunted a b.p.
hunt that was not a regular hunt, but
like a survey hunt where they take biopsy
samples. a gent had driven a long way
and had brought a b.p. revolver and couldn't
hunt after that drive. i felt really bad for him.
that was a couple of years before they spelled
it out clearly in the book.


some of our regs are pretty odd, i'll agree.
the p.t.b. are really hard nosed about a
lot of them, and make absolutely no sense.


what can you do?

[streak]

Ranger99,
 As a landowner in Texas, I will be getting in touch with the Texas Department of Wildlife & Fisheries and finding out who authors these rules and regulations.
Then I will send them a request as to their reason or reasons for not allowing cap & ball revolvers during the black powder season. Upon their reply I will then question their response and send them documented proof of the capabilities of the black powder revolver. Unfortunately I am not at present a citizen of Texas, but buy out of state hunting license every year from Texas to hunt on my own property in Texas!!
I think if you can start to bend the correct persons ear you probably stand a chance of getting some good results!!

[Ranger99]

well i hope you get somewhere, but
i'm sorry to say i don't think you'll
get any positive action, maybe a form letter.
i wrote bunches of letters and showed up at
hearings when i could, but never got anywhere.
the present antler restriction and doe situation
are 2 things i worked against to no avail.
i tried to get some attention about hog hunting,
but got waved off. at one time ( not sure of now)
our outdoor dollars were going to pay for hired
hog trappers on our wildlife management areas
and state land. we didn't get any chance at
them but a short muzzleload season (revolvers excluded)
i suggested to one of the biologists that since
we were paying the bills and the hogs were causing
much landscape and other damage, why didn't
we get an anything goes ( any means) open
season, excepting during draw hunts, etc.
his answer was that they were afraid that if
somebody saw the muey grande big hoss
buck there would be too much temptation
to shoot it. well it's already illegal says i,
but i just got shined on.


good luck

[streak]

Ranger99,
Thanks for your detail reply!
I know it will probably be a uphill battle, but fortunately I do have some pretty good connections in Cass County, so I will start with them and see where that leads first.

[Ranger99]

good luck with cass county too.
best way to deter poaching and trespassing
is stand at the fence 24/7 with a loaded
gun. i don't go up that way very much
anymore. used to go to white oak,
but last time i was there one of the
local folks semi-threatened me and some
other things so i figured why bother.
not worth getting shot or having to shoot
someone or having my truck vandalized
or burned.


again, good luck

[streak]

Thanks Ranger99!
Yep you are right about poaching! There used to be alot of that until my cousins started to watch things a little closer! Even had one year a guy shot a deer in my cousins pasture and then cut my cousin`s fence by the road and drove into the pasture to get the deer! Left the fence down on his exit! He better pray everyday that he awakes that my cousins did not catch him!!