Tips to Cleaning A Muzzleloader

Cleaning a muzzleloader is essential to gun longevity, but also accuracy.  Black powder is more corrosive, and "dirtier" than standard smokeless powder, so regular cleaning is even more important for your muzzleloader than for your standard gun.

The process for cleaning a muzzleloader is essentially the same as it is for cleaning any other gun.  However, there are three tips I can pass on that make the job much easier. 

Tip #1 -- Consider the type of powder used:
Certain powders are specifically designed to burn cleaner.  Using these powders will make clean up easier without any loss in performance that I can see.  Winchester Triple 7 powder and primers are both designed to be cleaner burning.  I have been using this powder for a while now, and I recommend it.

Tip #2 -- Use a cleaning solvent specifically designed for black powder:
Regular cleaning oil (like Hoppes #9) will not work to dissolve black powder.  You need a solvent specifically designed for black powder.  These solvents are generally water based, and many have a citrus scent.  They work great to break down black powder.  My method is to take out the breech plug, and letting it soak in a bowl of solvent.  I then proceed to clean the bore dipping the patch in the solvent-filled bowl. 

Tip #3 -- Lubricate the breech plug before screwing it back in:
Taking the breech plug out can be a struggle if it's not lubricated.  Lubricant specifically designed for black powder is available.  I use this, but I suspect some standard type of lubricant would do. 

Lessons From Butchering Your Own Deer

I'm no expert.  In fact, this was the first time I ever attempted to cut up my own deer.  Normally, I take them to the butcher.  However, there is a certain satisfaction acquired from taking an animal from field to table 100% on your own.

It came out OK.  I was able to get it done.  I did not really consult any books.  I just sort of did what I thought was right based on previous cuts I've received from the butcher, and some general knowledge.  Below I've listed some tips to consider based on my first-time experience.

Tools
The only hand tools I used to butcher the entire deer were 2 hunting knives, a sharpening stone, and a hack saw.  This is assuming that you have an area set up to work.  My work station consisted of a piece of ply wood on 2 saw horses.  I hung the deer from a cross beam in my garage (head facing the earth) using clothes line rope strung through the hind legs.
I got several large bowls to put the meat in once it was cut.  I also used a cutting board.
It would be helpful to have water available to clean.  I had an outside hose that I was able to use to wash the meat.

Below I've listed every thing I used:

• 2 hunting knives
• 1 sharpening stone
• 2 saw horses
• 1 piece of plywood
• 1 cutting board
• 3 bowls
• 1 garbage can
• 1 hose
• 1 rope
• hack saw

There were several tools that I did not have that would have been useful.

Tools I did not use, but would have liked to have had:

• gambrel
• large butcher knife
• bone saw
• sink
• meat grinder

Supplies
Before starting I went and purchased a new saw blade from the hardware store.  I bought some butcher paper from the local grocery store.  I had a difficult time finding freezer tape, so I ended up using normal all-purpose masking tape.  It seemed to work OK, but certainly not as good as freezer tape.  I had to use excessive amounts of the masking tape to ensure it would stay sealed. 

• 1 roll of freezer paper
• masking tape (although I would have preferred actual butcher freezer tape)
• 1 permanent marker for labeling the packages

Steps
These are the steps I took to butcher this deer.  Again, this was my first time, so the purpose of me writing this is not not really give you the step-by-step instructions, but rather to tell you what I did so you can make a better decision on how you want to proceed.

1. Clean the deer - This is done in the field. This article is assuming that you've already completed this crucial first step.
2. Hang the deer -- I used standard rope to hang my deer.  I cut slits in the hind leg tendon just behind the knee, and tied a rope to each leg.  I then threw the rope over a cross beam in my garage, and pulled like hell to hoist the deer.  I tied off the ropes to a camp trailer in my garage.  At that point, I let the deer hang for one full week.  You will see differing views on how long to let a deer hang.  However, if you can do it, I recommend 1 week.  Hanging the deer, even for just a few days, tenderizes the meat, and greatly increases the taste and enjoyment of the meat.  Of course, this is assuming temperatures are low enough to allow hanging.  In Connecticut and most of New England this is generally not an issue during the hunting season.  You want the meat to be at "refrigerator temperature" while it hangs.  Generally you don't have to worry about freezing, especially if the deer is hung inside and the hide is left on.
3. Skin the deer -- This is pretty simple to do, but one of the most physical parts of the process.  I started by cutting a ring around the hind legs, then following a line from the leg down to the body cavity opening.  At that point, I simply started pulling.  The skin peels off.  I would gently run my knife along the connection of the skin to the body as I pulled to loosen the skin as I went down.  I took my time and just slowly worked the hide down from both legs to the neck.  I pulled the hide as close to the head as possible.  At that point, I used my saw to remove the head.  The hide and all came off along with the head. 
4. Bisect the deer -- Using my hack saw, I carefully cut the deer in half length-wise.  I started at the tail bone, and cut down towards the neck.  I was careful to stay in the middle so as not to damage any of the valuable backstrap meat.
5. Now with the deer hanging in two pieces from my garage, I untied a half and slapped it onto my plywood work station.  First I removed the backstraps.  This is the meat strip on the back of the deer along the spine.  I ran my hunting knife along the spine, then underneath and removed the back strap in one long strip.  At that point, I cut the back strap into steaks, putting them in the bowl for later packaging. 
6. With the backstraps removed, I next went about the business of removing the 2 shoulders from the brisket.  I cut the connecting meat, then simply twisted the joint.  The legs came off.
7. I cut the rump in half making a roast including the bone.  The rest of the leg I removed from the bone and cut into steaks.  Any small pieces, I cut into stew sized chunks.  As I got lower on the legs, I got more stew, and less steaks.
8. I repeated this for the front leg, but did not make a roast.  The front leg was only steaks and stew.
9. Any other meat areas were cut off and made into stew meat.
10. I tried to remove as much silver skin and fat from the steaks as possible.  Some of the direction of cuts I made could have been done better to minimize this.  I won't really know how good a job I did until it's time to eat the steaks.
11.  Repeat for the second half of the deer.
12. Wash the meat -- Before packaging I washed all the meat to ensure no hair or bone particles was left on the meat.
13. Packaging and labeling -- I packed the backstrap steaks together.  I packed the shoulder steaks together.  I double wrapped everything, and labeled them "Backstrap", "Shoulder", "Stew", "Roast".
14. The meat is now stored in the freezer ready for consumption.

If you have the time and want to save some money, cutting them up yourself is an option.  In this case, I only shot a small deer, so I knew this would be an easier job than usual.  However, I can say that after cutting up the deer myself, for my money, the butcher is worth it.  The butcher will cut the deer up exactly as you wish, wrap it, and label it.  Unless you have a meat grinder at home, you will not get full use of the entire deer.  Even if you have a grinder, the butcher adds either beef or pork to the ground meat, which is necessary for venison.
If you want to get in touch with your inner caveman, don't be intimitated.  Butchering deer yourself is a job you can handle.  It may not come out perfect, but who's going to know?   I was glad I did this to learn, and depending on the circumstances I may try it again, but I can say that my default process in the future will be to take the deer somewhere and let the experts do a first rate butchering job. 

First Muzzleloader Deer Avoids 2010 Shut Out

I harvested a doe this past weekend to put meat in the freezer for 2010. It was my first muzzleloader deer. I was able to hit the deer in the vitals (although about 3 or 4 inches lower than ideal) using my CVA Wolf Magnum inline muzzleloader from about 120 yards. I know the muzzleloader advertisers and scope makers publish muzzleloader capabilities up to 200 yards and beyond, but in my mind, this long of a shot was quite a test of muzzleloader accuracy. The CVA Wolf passed the test. I was slowly and carefully walking up a steep hill when I spotted this deer. The shot was taken standing while leaning against a tree. I used 2 powder pellets (100 grain equivalent) with a 245 grain Powerbelt muzzleloader bullet (green in color). Most modern magnum muzzleloaders can take up to 150 grains of powder (3 pellets). I chose to use only 100 grains and it seems to be accurate up to long distances. You don’t get many 100-plus yard opportunities in the dense forests of New England. I was fortunate enough to get a clear opening.


Because of the smoke cloud that lingers after a muzzleloader shot, it can often be difficult to determine if your shot hit target or not when using a muzzleloader. This was the case for me. By the time the smoke cleared, I looked around and saw no sign of the deer. I walked over to the spot where the deer was standing. I saw absolutely no blood. I looked around intently in all directions. No sign of the deer. I decided to remain in the spot in which the deer was standing. I was hunting with a friend, and upon hearing my shot he decided to walk towards me. I was ready to declare a missed shot, when he told me that he found the deer on the ground about 40 yards from where I was standing. I was quite lucky that he happened to find that deer. There was no blood anywhere! Even with a layer of snow on the ground, there was no blood trail. That deer would have been lost if not for my friend running into it. As you can imagine, I was quite pleased that we found the deer.

My friend and my father continued hunting the rest of the day. After cleaning the deer, I dragged it back to the parking area. Since my hunting was done, I decided to sit in the car and listen to the radio until they returned. I took a short nap while sitting in the car. At one point, I opened my eyes to see two deer running right in front of my car! It was a doe being chased by a full grown buck, 6 or 8 points). He had his head down and was pursuing the doe impervious to my presence. It was a scene typically reserved for the peak of the chase phase of the rut, but this was December 11. I’ve read about the “second rut” (a second estrus cycle for does that happened to not be impregnated during the initial rut), but this was the first time I had seen it in action. This buck was definitely in rut mode. Little did I know that I could have stayed at the car, and had a shot at a better deer than anything I saw in the woods!

This deer is presently hanging in my garage. Next weekend I’m going to try butchering the deer myself. This will be the first time I’ve done this on my own. I’ll include an entry next week regarding this task.

Lessons Learned
In every trip into the woods, whether successful at harvesting game or not, I find that I learn something.

1) The distance and accuracy capabilities of modern inline muzzleloaders are not just hype. They indeed are capable of shots in the deer woods approaching rifle capabilities.
2) Not every deer shot in the vital area produces a blood trail. Be careful when you think you missed. Search the entire area because even though you see no blood, you still may have hit the deer.
3) The second rut is not all hype. It certainly does exist. This means that doe scents can be effective into mid-December.
4) When taking a long shot, take time to get yourself a good rest. I made sure I was securely resting my front hand on a tree before taking the shot. I also took the time to adjust my scope. I’m sure I would have missed if I did not take the time to do these two things.