Tips for Muzzleloader Elk HuntingTips for Muzzleloader Elk Hunting in Colorado can be quite different than deer hunting. Elk are a lot more heavily constructed than a deer and therefore require a bullet that has more sectional density to penetrate thick hide and break leg bones if necessary. Having used many different types of muzzleloaders and bullet designs while elk hunting I would look more towards medium to heavy weight slugs that will shoot well in your particular firearm. Colorado prohibits the use of sabots and powder in pellet form and a minimum of 50 caliber for elk. I still can't figure out what difference it makes to carry pellets in your speed loader as to carrying powder in the same manner but maybe someone will explain it to me one day. Sometimes it can take a lot of shooting with different bullets and charge volume to get decent accuracy. I have used different styles of conical bullets like Thompson Centers Hunter and Maxi Balls and Buffalo bullets with great success but watch for base dents from handling and leading with other brands which can cause fliers. I have had great expansion and still penetrate front leg bones with these slugs. My favorite shot on an elk is to hit the front leg bone as this usually puts down the elk and drives bone and lead fragments into the vitals making for a very quick kill. I always load as heavy of a powder charge of triple 7 that a manufacturer recommends for the firearm being used if accurate and efficient. In short barrels loading more than 100 grains of powder will not get more power as it can't burn so use your own judgment and focus on accuracy. By placing a white sheet on the ground in front of your barrel you will be able to see if the powder is completely burnt as it will blow out onto the sheet if it is not burned. 100 grains behind a good bullet will get the job done easily. Some bullets need special cleaning rituals like the plastic belted bullets. All bullets with plastic I have used seem to leave a coating in the barrel that needs to be swabbed between shots to prevent fliers after a couple shots. I had been using Powerbelt bullets which have proven excellent on my last two elk a cow and a bull which went down 10 ft. of being hit. I like these for their accuracy and cleanliness, not having the grease other slugs have. These load easily but still need the cleaning between shots of one wet patch followed by a dry patch so point of impact will not change. This past 2009 season I used the new Hornady FPB 350 gr. bullet on a cow elk and liked them allot. Accurate without the cleaning ritual of plastic based bullets. The main thing with muzzleloader load development is always be consistent and keep track of what works and what will not. Muzzleloaders can be very fussy about what will shoot well. The slower twist barrels like the compromise 1 in 48 barrels and slower can be real buggers to make shoot a heavy bullet consistently with. They are supposed to work well with balls and conicals but after shooting many styles of bullets I find them lacking in both categories. Go with a tight twist designed for a bullet like a 1 in 28 or 1 in 32. I have used both 54 and 50 caliber and can't see any difference, never having an elk go much further than 50 yds. If you decide to go traditional and us a ball then use at least a 54 or larger and remember that a ball loses 2/3 of its power by the time it gets to 100 yards because of poor sectional density. All of the elk that I have shot with a muzzleloader have been well under that distance but a bullet holds its energy better than a ball so I prefer to go with the bullet. Colorado hunting for elk during the muzzleloader season can really keep you moving as elk get pushed from one area to another. Because archery has been going on for two weeks previously, animals can get pretty call shy and spooky. One good thing is that elk don't usually get into the rut hard until muzzleloader season gets going depending on the weather. Once elk start bugling it can sure help with locating them as long as its a bull and not another hunter. Going out before light and listen for bugling elk can get you pointed in the right direction. Once located put away your bugle and use cow calls when getting close to them. Some areas are heavily hunted and elk become very call shy from people over using calls from watching to many videos of hunts on private lands where elk act as their suppose to. Colorado has more elk than any other state and are quit plentiful in many game units. Always look for good drainages and plenty of forage above tree line or lush growth in the Aspen trees near north facing slopes for bedding areas. With hunting pressure elk can move into areas that you would not expect to see them like close to roads and camps or down in the oak brush. If everyone goes high to hunt then it won't be long before the elk move down low into thick cover or stay in the pines on north facing slopes till completely dark and then come out. They also will go to where the best feed is like acorns in the oak brush. When elk are spooked they take off and go and aren't the least bit curious to stand and stare. Colorado hunting for elk requires that you cover lots of ground while looking for sign and that familiar barnyard smell of elk to be successful. Most Importantly always hunt uphill or parallel with the mountain so that you can pack the animal down to a road or trail unless of course you have a helicopter, horses, or friends with strong backs. Bellow is a mountain saddle that elk will use to travel over from one side of a mountain to the other and can be a good place to ambush elk. These are natural travel routes for feed and bedding as well as escape routes.
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