How It All Began

The Labrador Retriever was developed in Newfoundland to help early settlers hunt and fish in the cold, northern climate. There was only one type of dog.

This was the case until around the 1940s, when showing dogs became more popular. Two types of Labradors were then bred for.

The traditional Lab continued to be developed for its working abilities. They have more energy and more drive, and they have a slimmer build that enables them to be more agile. This type of Lab is called the American. They excel at hunting and taking part in field trials.

The new Lab in town was developed from the traditional and bred for appearance and to excel in the show ring – these are known as English Labs and are not particularly bred for work.

The British Lab is somewhere in-between!

Let’s dig a little deeper to find out more!

The Athletic American Labrdor retriever

If you’re looking for a working Labrador, look no further than the American. They were specifically bred to hunt and later to perform well in field trials. It’s worth noting that a A good American lab will have Field Trial Champions in his pedigree.

Even though English and British Labradors can do well as working dogs, the American lines are Olympians in that arena and performance-tested to excel.

So, what are the traits of a working wonder dog? If you look at the photo above, compared to an English Lab, you will see:

A slim body with a narrower head. A longer, rangier, harder body. Outstanding natural balance and athleticism. More endurance and an excellent attitude towards accomplishing goals. Higher energy. Better at motion exercises and works well with handlers to accomplish complex tasks such as retrieving – and very sensitive to handler direction. Tough dogs that run through briers and bush without thinking. Not smarter than English labs, but recognize patterns more quickly. They are very active and constantly looking at their owners to do fun things with them. They live for activities such as kayaking, dummy retrieving, swimming, running after or riding four-wheelers, and more! “On the go” dogs that will retrieve until they fall over. Owners must keep an eye on them so they don’t overexert themselves. Have trouble being still, and calm, attentive behavior and good manners need to be trained but they take very well to training.

The American Labrador retriever is best for an active and fit family. Or use the American Lab to be your highly successful hunting partner.

The Picture-Perfect English Labrador

Roll out the red carpet for these gorgeous dogs. English Labradors are selected for their show-stopping looks to appear in movies and on TV ads. And they’re definitely more likely to win an Oscar than master an Olympic sport!

English Labradors were bred from the working Labrador lines to perform well in the show ring and dazzle us with their good looks!

So how does the English Lab differ from the American?

English labs are also called Show Labradors, so their name gives us a clue! They have a sturdier build than the other lines, with a heavier, blockier head, shorter, stubbier legs, bigger feet, broader chests, and squishier, cuddlier bodies. As a result, they’re considered prettier than their working cousins and not usually performance-tested. It’s a look that people just can’t resist! They’re pretty chill, and after morning exercise or play, they’re ready to lie down and rest. They have more trouble with physically and mentally demanding activities. After a few rounds of retrieving, these regal dogs are happy to leave continued exercise to their working dog pals! English Labradors are very food-oriented and are easily trained with treats. Show them something yummy to eat, and they’ll put a lot of energy into getting that food, at least in the beginning stages of a training session. While they’re excited about food, they can’t do many reps because their shorter, stockier physique makes it harder for them to deal with the heat. They are calmer than the Americans with better manners and attention spans but have an off-switch and do not need as much exercise.

English labs are much better for less-active families or those that want everyone to compliment them on their dog’s movie-star looks!

The Lesser-Known British Labrador

You won’t be surprised that British Lab lines are often confused with English Lab lines. Despite the name, British Labradors are actually European imports coming from European hunting lines. If you study their pedigrees, most of them come from Ireland, Scandinavia, and France. What do we know about the British Lab?

Their body shapes and temperament are between American and English lines. However, they are working dogs bred more in line with the traditional Lab. We value them for their excellent work ethics, intelligence, and good off switch. They have a strong desire to hunt but are calmer like the English Labs and not highly strung. Great gundogs – they’re all about adventure but calm enough to be service dogs. Some Labrador breeders proudly brag that they’re “masters in the field but gentle in the house,” which might be the best way to sum them up.

What All Labs Have In Common

Labrador Retrievers are widely regarded to be the most popular dogs in the world. And it’s easy to see why.

Intelligent, funny, family-friendly, easily trainable, loving and loyal with an intense desire to please, although they have their differences, ALL Labs share these wonderful qualities.

Of course, it’s a trade-off when it comes to Labs. Each type is a Lab through and through, and the only differences lie in what they do best.

People love English Labs because of how they look and don’t need as much exercise. Hunters and active families will look to the American. The British might be perfect for others.

Any Lab will enhance your life; you just need to find the one that best suits your pack!

Silver labs

Silver labs are often offered as something rare or special. Well’ they are no labs! They are crosses between a lab and a weimaraner and should be sold as such. Not only is their coat different, so is their behavior and conformation. Well, weimaraners are nice dogs too but no one is marketing a labradoodle as purebred. On the east coast they are sold as “Georgian Bay Sporting Dog” or “Georgian Bay Retriever”

Videos

Below some videos with Stonnie Dennis.

He explains in detail the differences between the lab lines.

He also has plenty of great training tips.

English vs American Labrador Retrievers Part 1

English vs American Labrador Retrievers Part 2

Cut 1

With the deer on its back, lift its rump and slide something beneath its hindquarters to expose anal and/or vaginal openings. Using a sharp, “pointy” knife with a 4- to 6-inch blade, puncture the skin an inch to one side of the anus. Push the knife straight in to its hilt. Keeping it level and pointed straight ahead, cut a coring hole around the anus. If you shot a doe, include the vaginal opening in the cut.

Make one more knife pass around the pelvic canal’s interior to cut all connective tissue between the colon and pelvic canal. Don’t sever the colon. With one hand, tug lightly where the anus connects to it. Reach inside the pelvic canal with your index finger and tear any remaining connective tissue so the colon slides freely. Leave it and proceed.

Cut 2

Retrieve your knife and straddle the deer at its sternum, facing its rear. (Some hunters prefer to make this cut from the pelvis to sternum, but I recommend working from the sternum to the pelvis, as you can straddle the ribcage to keep the carcass fairly immobile.) Find the sternum bone’s flat surface and cut about a 5-inch slit through the hide atop the sternum. Point the knife toward the deer’s rear and hold it so the blade’s edge faces upward. With your free hand, form a “V” with your index and middle fingers and slide them safely beneath and behind the blade on each side.

Press your two guide fingers inside the cut on the sternum, push lightly into the abdomen and lift the hide from inside. With your two guide fingers leading the way, and being careful not to cut into the stomach and intestines below, use the blade’s tip to slice the hide from the sternum to the deer’s pelvis. Don’t cut into the pelvis; there’s no need to cut or saw through the pelvic bone. At this point, you can also remove a buck’s penis and scrotum, or a doe’s udders.

Cut 3

Pull the cavity open and locate the diaphragm. This is a taut membrane separating the chest cavity (lungs and heart) from the liver, stomach and intestines. Carefully cut the diaphragm away from both sides of the body cavity to the spine below.

Cut 4

Using your free hand, reach far inside the chest cavity to the neck and find the esophagus (windpipe), which feels like the ribbed tube on an elk call or vacuum cleaner. Using extreme care, reach up inside with your knife and cut through the esophagus above where you’re holding it with your other hand.

While keeping one hand firmly around the esophagus, withdraw your knife and lay it on the ground. Now reach back inside, grip the esophagus with both hands and pull firmly. Everything inside the deer—stem to stern—will pull free of the deer’s interior. You’ll need to pull hard at times to tear some connective tissue, but more cuts shouldn’t be needed.

Watch the innards as you pull them from the abdomen. If the bladder is full, guide it gently with one hand as it slides out with the rest of the entrails. If you properly cored the anus and colon, they’ll pull into the abdomen and slide out with everything else.

Flip the deer belly down and splay its legs to drain pooled blood from the body cavity. While it drains, clean and stow your gear for the pack-out.

Follow these steps, and gutting the deer will be your easiest task of the day.

Black trumpet mushrooms, also known as the horn of plenty or horn of death. Don’t let the name confuse you though-these are one of the best wild mushrooms to harvest, hunt and cook, and are valued around the world as a gourmet ingredient and choice edible mushroom.

In this post I’m going to share with you everything I know about hunting, identifying, harvesting and cooking these mushrooms, along with some of my favorite recipes for black trumpets at the end.

For reference, I’m in the Midwest, so most of what I discuss here for hunting will refer to Craterellus fallax as it’s the most common species near me. Older field guides may use the name Craterellus cornucopiodes, now seen as a European species.

Where to Find Black Trumpet Mushrooms

In mid-summer, typically early July through October, (I’ve picked them as late as November) I will start to check my patches. Where do black trumpets grow? In my area, around white and red oak trees. One species (Craterellus caeruleofuscus) grows with pines, but isn’t as widely available.

One of the best parts about these mushrooms is the sheer volume you can find, when, and if you find the right kind of patch. The harvests will vary from year to year depending on seasonal conditions, but there will usually be some.

Two friends of mine have near-legendary patches in Minnesota, that, on a good year, with an extra hand or two, you could pick 30, 40lbs or more. As trumpets are very light weight compared to others, that kind of quantity is massive.

Wet and decaying areas

Often when you’re hunting these I look for moist, shady areas. They may be close to a small source of water or a wet/swampy area where there’s decaying and dead wood. Golden chanterelles, by comparison may occasionally be nearby, but I don’t see them as much in wet areas as I do trumpets.

At least to me, black trumpets seem to operate in two ways: mycorrhizal and saprobic, meaning that they grow both in harmony with certain trees, and will seem to live off of decaying matter. Contrastingly, golden chanterelles are only mycorrhizal.

Most of the time with mushrooms from my experience, they’ll be one or the other but not both, which makes trumpets extra special.

A good trick to remember when you’re searching for new patches is that trumpets like to be often in the same areas as some of their other chanterelle cousins, especially the yellowfoot chanterelle which is much easier to spot from a distance as it isn’t black.

If you see one of the orange mushrooms pictured above, or golden chanterelles, it’s a good indication you’re on the right track.

Sphagnum moss

It isn’t true everywhere, but trumpets seem to have an affinity for sphagnum moss. When I’m in a forest with red or white oaks, and I start seeing sphagnum moss during the summer, I make sure to keep my eyes open for trumpets.

More often than not, when I see moss and start looking closely, and walking slowly, I’ll find some.

Black Trumpet Mushroom Identification

Found across North America, black trumpets are one of the easiest wild mushrooms to identify, with nearly no real look-a-likes. Your biggest challenge will be finding a good patch at the right time.

Black trumpets

• Have a whitish to creamy spore print.
• Have an unique aroma I describe as dark and intensely sweet aroma of apricots that are nearly overripe. Golden chanterelles, by comparison, smell like fresh apricots.
• Are mostly black, or shades of grey, but one species is nearly blue (see below) and white, albino mutations are also possible.
• Often grow clustered, with a shape like a horn or funnel.
• Do not have gills, but can have false gills. They may have veins that are difficult to see on the outside (called the spore-bearing surface or hymenium) or the veins may be more pronounced with some specimens-see below.

Different Species

There’s more than one species to learn about and enjoy, each one with slightly different characteristics. Two I’ve found are craterellus foetidus and craterellus cinereus, which some may call black chanterelles, but there’s others too.

No matter what kinds grow near you, one thing’s for certain: if it’s a true black trumpet it’s edible and delicious, and knowing the exact species is purely academic. If you’re like me though, the more you learn about wild mushrooms, the more you’ll want to know the exact types your finding.

Look Alikes

Some consider devil’s urn (Urnula craterium) a trumpet look alike, but they’re more cup-shaped and appear in the spring. They’re edible, but don’t taste very good.

Cleaning Black Trumpet Mushrooms

Cleaning starts in the field. Some people just pull the mushrooms out of the ground and put them in a basket-don’t do that. To avoid dirty mushrooms that can ruin your food with grit, I pull them from the ground, cut the end off, along with any dirt, then put them in the basket.

If I’m going to a patch where I expect to harvest lots of mushrooms, I like to bring a scissors since I can just bend down and snip-snip-snip, leaving the dirty bottoms behind and keeping all the mushrooms in my bag clean.

If my trumpets are very clean, I just open them up, leaving them in one piece, and give them a brush with a mushroom or pastry brush.

One of the best things about these mushrooms is that they’re often very clean, and may not need any additional trimming after they’re cut from the field, if you pick clean and carefully.

If my trumpets are a dirty or it’s rained recently, I slice them in half lengthwise and then give them a gentle dip in some cool water, working quickly so that they don’t absorb too much liquid.

After you wash them, just set them on some paper or cloth towels to air dry a bit and shed any water that may be sticking to them. I describe this a bit in the video below.

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How to Cook Black Trumpet Mushrooms

Black trumpet mushrooms have one of the most potent flavors of all wild mushrooms, especially when fresh.

They may be fragile or small, but they pack a punch. It’s hard to describe exactly what black trumpets taste like besides saying they’re delicious, but the flavor is a sort of a rich, earthy, oddly sweet and fruity taste that will remind you of fresh apricots and ripe stone fruit, with a bitter note at the end. It’s a delicious, unique taste.

One of the best things about these is their versatility. If you’ve just come back from a long hunt, there’s nothing wrong with just tossing some mushrooms in a pan with butter.

But if you have more time, you can make all kinds of things, limited only by your time and imagination. Here’s a few things I think are helpful.

Quick tips

• As they’re hollow, trumpets cook very fast-so don’t overcook them.
• A large amount will wilt down to a fraction of it’s size in the pan.
• Trumpets will turn other foods they come into contact with black or grey if the mushrooms are fresh.
• Another name for them is poor man’s truffle. Finely chop them as a (visual) substitute for black truffles.
• With a sweet aroma and tender texture, these can work in sweet and savory dishes, such as candying.
• Black trumpets can be eaten raw in small amounts as a garnish.

Like most mushrooms, these marry wonderfully with cream. Like other chanterelles, I would encourage you to cook these by themselves first, and keep things simple as their flavor can be overwhelmed by strong flavors like excessive garlic, smoked food, spices, and spicy/hot seasonings.

Bitterness

Use trumpets with a light hand at first as they can be bitter if you use too many in a dish. The bitterness will concentrate itself, so be careful when making reduction-type sauces, for example: purees, or putting too many in a soup.

The bitterness is a bit of an acquired tastes, and most mushroom hunters grow to like and crave it to some extent. It’s not unpleasant, but some sensitive people may not like it.

How to Dry Black Trumpet Mushrooms

There’s a few different ways you can preserve trumpets, but drying is by far the best. Luckily, as black trumpets are hollow, they dry like a dream, and are one of the best mushrooms for drying and using in the off season as they don’t get tough. To dry the mushrooms, I look over them for debris, then put in a dehydrator at 120-145F until cracker dry, typically overnight.

Occasionally I’ve left mushrooms spread out on cookie sheets with a ceiling fan blowing on them and found them naturally dehydrated after a day or two-something you can’t do with golden chanterelles.

Once they’re cracker dry, I store the mushrooms in a sealed glass container or mason jar. For cooking, rehydrate the mushrooms by covering with warm liquid, stock, or alcohol. Remove the mushrooms, strain the liquid for debris, adding the mushrooms back to their liquid for whatever recipe you’re making, or simply frying them up and discarding the liquid if you don’t need it.

Black Trumpet Mushroom Recipes

Here’s some of my favorite black trumpet recipes, or places where they can be substituted. One of the most unique things about these mushrooms is that they can work in savory as well as some sweet applications, so find a few of both below.

• Black Trumpet Pasta
• Candied Trumpets
• Sweet Mushroom Jam
• Jacques Chibois’s Carbonara of Chanterelles and Black Trumpets
• Baked Fish with Trumpet Crust
• Rack of Lamb or Venison with Dried Trumpet Crust
• Black Trumpet Coulis
• Rabbit Braised In Milk, with Trumpets And Carrots

More Trumpet Recipes

More

35 Essential Wild Mushrooms Every Forager Should Know

References

David Arora: Wild Mushrooms Demystified

MushroomExpert.com: Craterellus Fallax

A barrel is essentiallya steel cylinder with the bore drilled out. It’s as simple as that. For typical handguns (with their short barrels), there isn’t that much more to it. But with rifles, for which the barrel is often the largest and heaviest component, the overall shape of the barrel can take many different forms. This is generally referred to as barrel contours or profiles.

As a baseline, consider a barrel with no exterior material removed, known as a bull barrel. Here, the outer diameter is constant along its length. Naturally, as a perfect cylinder, this is the heaviest profile, though the diameter can vary from large to small (typically referred to as heavy, medium and light).

At the cost of weight, bull barrels do provide some benefits. With all that steel and surface area, they take longer to heat up. This helps maintain accuracy under sustained fire and prolonging their useful life.

Their rigidity also helps prevent deflection, whether from a sling or pressure on the handguard (if not free floated) or from the addition of a suppressor. While it can be unpleasant to carry the damn thing and potentially awkwardly front-heavy, a heavier barrel equals a heavier weapon. A heavier weapon is generally steadier while shooting and helps mitigate recoil impulse.

Of course, you could also simply select a shorter barrel. This reduces weight and can actually increase stiffness of the barrel, potentially helping with accuracy but at the cost of a loss of muzzle velocity. And if you plan to shoot longer distances, you’ll appreciate a higher velocity.

Tapering

Metal can be removed in various ways from this perfect cylinder, thus also lightening the barrel. It can be tapered, where the diameter at the breech end is greater than at the muzzle — with everything from a linear taper to various other profiles, limited only by the manufacturer’s imagination. It doesn’t make much sense for barrels to be tapered in the other direction, since pressures are greatest in the chamber and decrease as the bullet travels down the bore. Not to mention that it would make the rifle imbalanced all together.

Yet, there are lots of AR-15 barrels that have profiles mimicking military configurations, such as the ubiquitous M4 profiles that have thinner diameters under the handguards and thicker in front of the gas block, along with a cutout to mount an M203 grenade launcher.

Eric Kincel, Director of R&D for Bravo Company USA, Inc., explains, “The original AR-15 and early M16 barrel profiles were never like that. But with the adoption of the M16A2, the mass at the front of the barrel was added for one reason and one reason only — the barrels were bending when soldiers were prying crates open with the muzzle end of the barrel. Seriously.”

Tapering is a time-worn method of reducing the weight and improving a rifle’s balance and handling. While less weight is always a bonus when carrying a rifle, there are tradeoffs in heat dissipation and barrel rigidity. It’s a delicate balance to maintain. This is why matching barrel contours and treatments to your rifle’s intended use is key.

Fluting and Other Treatments

Material can also be removed in other ways, leaving the overall diameter constant but relieving metal in other patterns. With advancements in machining tools, more and more complex patterns are possible. Everything from fluting, which is longitudinal grooves (either straight, spiral or radial), to other geometric patterns (such as dimples, hexagonal honeycombs, etc.) are possible.

These sort of treatments are intended to shave some weight. They also maintain greater outer diameter and provide quicker cooling of the barrel during sustained fire, since more surface area of the barrel is exposed. And since beauty is in the eye of the beholder, they can look pretty damn cool as well, while still serving as an attractive host for your suppressor.

Let’s look at two identical barrels. If you flute one of them, the fluted one will not be as stiff as the non-fluted barrel. In theory, you can increase a barrel’s diameter enough to offset what you lose in stiffness from adding fluting. However, the simple rule is that no fluting means a stiffer barrel.

For complete rifles (or complete uppers), manufacturers tend to offer barrel contours that match the intended purpose of the weapon — from hunting rifles with relatively lightweight tapered barrels to target rifles meant for a benchrest with bull barrels to general-purpose ARs with medium-weight barrel contours.

Barrel makers are churning out custom, semi-custom and prepackaged offerings with a wide variety of profiles and contours. For those spec’ing out a build, whether bolt gun, gas gun or otherwise, virtually anything you desire can be done … with judicious application of cash or credit.

We’ve never had so many options as we do right now. So as always, choose what best matches your intended use, and enjoy!

Barrel Contours: Tale of the Tape

To demonstrate a variety of options, we obtained four identical standard 16-inch mid-length gas system barrels with government profiles (and 0.750-inch gas block) from Bravo Company USA. We sent three of them to Adco Firearms to be dimpled, fluted and turned down to a lightweight contour.

Dimpling is harder to apply, hence the price premium. It also results in less weight loss. So we dare say one would need to really like the aesthetics to make this choice.

It’s not uncommon to see a fluted process, and this provides a nice balance of characteristics.

The lightweight contour removes the most material, winning the “Biggest Loser” competition here with its anorexic pencil profile.

The pricing listed in the chart in the gallery above encompasses Adco’s gunsmithing fees plus parkerizing (shipping not included). Note that the stripped standard barrel retails for $310. Dave O’Malley with Adco suggests fluting or dimpling for those who want to use a suppressor or crank out high rates of fire. But he advises that “none of these services are ‘needed’ and fall into the ‘want’ category.”

Nevertheless, he’s more than happy to turn “end users’ ideas into reality.”

This article is from the summer 2015 issue of Ballistic Magazine. Grab a subscription to Ballistic Magazine at OutdoorGroupStore.com.

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There should not be any land mammals living in the wild on any of the Hawaiian islands. There shouldn’t be many wild mammals, period; the only endemic mammal in Hawaii, besides marine mammals, is a single species of bat. But there are many mammals traversing the eight main islands in the archipelago today. There are wild sheep, goats, cattle, mongoose, wild boar, rabbits, rats, mice and a small but stable population of brush-tailed rock wallabies on Oahu. None of them should be there.

But the most important invasive species for a few islands, especially Maui and Molokai, is the axis deer. On Molokai, an island of only around 7,000 people, there are somewhere around 70,000 axis deer. On Maui, there are around 50,000.

The axis deer are a fascinating and multi-dimensional inhabitant. They are simultaneously invasive and part of traditional culture; they destroy food supplies and are an extremely important source of food themselves; they are protected by law and despised by some parts of law enforcement; they are wildly destructive to Hawaii and also, during the worst of COVID-19, were a beacon of hope.

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Axis deer, which are sometimes known as chital, are native to Sri Lanka, parts of India and Nepal. They’re sometimes known as the spotted deer, because they have white spots on their tawny coats, and sometimes as the barking deer, because they are extremely vocal. They first showed up in Hawaii in 1867, given as a gift to King Kamehameha V: three bucks, four does and one male faun, for a total of eight deer. The gift-givers were from Hong Kong, then a colony of Britain. The deer were initially released on Molokai, and they multiplied quickly; some were later moved to Oahu, Lanai and, eventually, in 1959, to Maui.

“Introducing grazing animals here was considered a good thing,” says Jeff Bagshaw of the communications and outreach team for Hawaii’s Department of Forestry; he focuses on deer in Maui. Hawaii was a base to explore the Pacific and a halfway point to Asia, but some of the early sailors found it tough to restock their ships without land mammals to hunt. A few different peculiarities of the Hawaiian islands made it a great home for the axis deer. As grazers, they prefer to eat grass, but they will browse for just about anything. And Hawaiian plants, without any native mammals that might eat their leaves or shoots, never bothered to evolve thorns, spines or toxins to discourage herbivores. There’s even a variety of native Hawaiian raspberry, called the akala, that doesn’t have any thorns.

The deer found no predators in Hawaii, either; none of the wolves, big cats, terrestrial snakes or alligators that prey on them in Asia. But because they had so many predators in Asia, the deer evolved to give birth much more often than other deer species, in the hopes of outpacing the rate at which they get eaten. In Hawaii, they have no predators, but they still give birth year-round.

The dream of those early sailors was realized, but far too well: Soon, Hawaii had an absurd number of land mammals to hunt. The deer, on a few of the islands, became an environmental and sometimes a public health disaster. “They have a huge impact on all our native species,” says Bagshaw. One example: The ōhia tree, which grows in high elevation forests, is both sacred to Hawaiians and vital for the state’s water supply (when clouds come into contact with the tree, condensation forms and drips onto the ground, eventually flowing down the mountain into rivers and reservoirs). Starting in 2010, two new-to-science types of fungus were found on the tree that are harmful to it. Trees do have the ability to heal scars in their bark, which would eventually block the fungal infection, but ōhia trees heal slowly and much more slowly now because the deer nibble and rub on the bark, keeping those wounds open and the infection much more deadly.

There are more common environmental problems, too. The deer trample the land, damaging the nests of ground-nesting endemic bird species. They’ll eat a wide variety of plants, including endangered ones, which has cascading effects on insects and birds. They’ll eat just about anything, really, including crops: Farmers have reported big losses in fruit crops and vegetables, as well as damage to sugarcane. They’re a public health issue, too: They provide food for (also non-native) mosquitoes and, when they die, they can poison delicate water ecosystems. This became a much larger problem recently, when drought led to Molokai deer dying of starvation by the hundreds—although not in large enough numbers to put their population in any jeopardy. And they’re extremely dangerous to drivers; axis is just one of many deer species that seems magnetically attracted to moving vehicles.

Given all of this, it’s not unreasonable to wonder whether the deer should simply be completely eradicated from Hawaii. And, in truth, Hawaii has taken some measures to keep the deer population from spreading: It is now illegal to move deer from one island to another, and when they were illegally brought to the Big Island in 2009, it took only a few years for the government to remove them all. Even in Maui, the Department of Forestry will remove deer from particularly delicate ecosystems, especially watersheds or places where there are endangered species, provided those places are on state land. “We’re the most isolated landmass on the planet,” says Jake Muise, one of the owners of Maui Nui, a commercial venison operation in Maui. (Muise also handled removing the deer from the Big Island, a few years back.) “If our watersheds aren’t functioning properly…water is the most valuable thing we have.”

Hawaii’s governor, David Ige, has committed to what’s referred to as the “30 by ’30” plan: to fence in 30 percent of the state’s priority watersheds by 2030, largely to protect them from the deer. That may not sound like all that ambitious of a plan—only 30 percent?—but the difficulty of constructing this fencing is truly staggering. Bagshaw says that a minimum height of seven feet is necessary for hog fencing to keep out the deer, and Muise says that even that isn’t guaranteed; the deer are clever and persistent. They’d love to construct 12-foot fences instead, with proper skirting on top and bottom, but the expense is daunting. All the steel must be imported from the mainland, and constructing long expanses of fencing on extremely rugged state lands, over rivers and creeks and mountains, is a major undertaking. That same cost of installing fencing can eat into farmers’ profits too much for it to be worth it.

But for whatever efforts the Department of Forestry has taken, the process for actually eradicating these deer from Hawaii would be insanely expensive and maybe impossible; while the Department can remove deer from state land, that land is often remote and rugged and not really the preferred habitat for the deer. Getting permission from every private landowner with deer on their property, and figuring out the liability situation for having government agents with guns there, all in the service of somehow killing and removing more than a hundred thousand deer? It’s just not going to happen.

Another reason it’s not going to happen, beyond the practicalities, is that, according to Bagshaw, the deer are legally protected. The state constitution, dating back to at least 1950, has included a clause meant to protect the traditional subsistence practices of Hawaiians. But therein lies the question: What exactly is “traditional”? Hawaiian courts have set the precedent that any practice that existed in Hawaii before November 25, 1892 counts as “traditional.” That date was chosen for its importance to Hawaiian law; it was the last reorganization of the Kingdom of Hawaii’s judiciary system prior to American annexation. And the axis deer, of course, had arrived a couple of decades prior to that date. So the law that protects traditional subsistence practices applies, just barely, to a wildly destructive invasive species.

Not only is the Department of Forestry not allowed to completely eradicate axis deer from Hawaii, it is theoretically required to ensure that the population is stable and secure. Of course, that’s not a problem it’s really worrying about; the deer is so overpopulated that the idea of saving the deer is laughable. But it would have to, if it came to that.

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Despite the fact that the axis deer doesn’t belong in Hawaii, that bit about it being protected as a subsistence practice isn’t actually that crazy. Deer hunting, although only 150 years old, has legitimately become a tradition on the islands of Molokai, Maui and Lanai. Deer, especially but not exclusively in the more rural parts of those islands, is a major part of the culture. Many families have extra chest freezers to store axis deer, and you can find it on the grill at backyard barbecues. (Most often, it’s sliced thin and marinated in teriyaki sauce, according to Muise.)

The deer also serves a pretty vital role as a source of protein. While Hawaii was perfectly capable of feeding its own population prior to European contact, the late 19th and early 20th centuries destroyed Hawaiian agriculture. Instead of planting crops that could feed the Hawaiian people, such as taro, breadfruit and coconut, Europeans (and soon, Americans) tore all that out to plant the crops that could feed foreign imperialists, such as sugarcane and pineapple. By 1936, Hawaii was, according to a University of Hawaii study, in desperate straits: Only 37 percent of its food was grown locally. The rest was, and remains today, imported, at great expense and significant risk, mostly from the mainland United States.

On Lanai, for example, the 3,100 or so residents rely in large part on the barges that deliver their food. If there’s a disruption in that service, from, say, a devastating global pandemic, store shelves are empty. Those on Lanai and Molokai, and to a lesser extent Maui, have to figure out some other way to feed themselves, and the incredibly abundant axis deer are a major part of that equation.

Of course, the deer aren’t exclusively a help. Fresh produce imported from the mainland is quite expensive in Hawaii, and backyard gardening is more than just a hobby for many Hawaiians. But as anyone who lives near a deer population knows, there are few things deer like more than absolutely destroying a carefully planted garden. They are damnably difficult to keep out, requiring at least an eight-foot fence, which is not affordable for most people. So the deer provide subsistence, but they also might take some away.

The Department of Forestry is engaged in an awkward dance regarding the deer. It can’t eradicate the deer, even if that makes ecological sense. But it’s also the agency that hands out hunting permits, and boy, is it ever handing them out. “On Maui and Molokai, there is no bag limit and there is no season,” says Bagshaw. “You can hunt ’em like a videogame from sunrise to sunset, if you want.” The permits cost $20 for the year and require no more than a gun license and an easy online application. Frankly, the Department of Forestry would love it if hunting was even more common than it is.

But the state’s resources for actually dealing with the deer problem are extremely limited. With most of the deer on private land, the ability to actually hunt on prime land tends to come down to one-on-one relationships between landowner and hunter, which isn’t much good for efficiency.

Commercial operations have been slow to take hold. Muise, a Canadian who came to Hawaii on a volleyball scholarship more than 20 years ago and never left, started Maui Nui with his wife, Ku’ulani. Muise grew up in an extremely rural part of far northern Alberta, and the self-reliant subsistence he learned there carried over to a place that’s about as different, ecologically, as any place on the planet. Maui Nui is one of the only companies selling axis deer commercially at scale, and the reason for that is, well, it’s insanely difficult to do so.

“The process of harvesting a wild animal has crazy amounts of overhead that go into it,” says Muise. It is legal to give hunted meat to anyone you want, in the United States, but to sell it, it has to be inspected. Unlike some states, Hawaii has no state meat inspection service, so Maui Nui has to go straight to the USDA. On every single hunt, a USDA inspector must accompany Maui Nui’s hunters and examine every single wild axis deer for health before giving a thumbs up to the hunter to take a shot. And that hunter can only take that one shot; the USDA regulations for humane commercial hunting strictly require that the animal be rendered unconscious immediately, with a single shot to the skull. This process is slow and liable to spook the deer, so it has to be done at night, when the deer are more calm, which requires all kinds of equipment. Maui Nui’s hunters use military-grade infrared binoculars and, as of recently, a drone, to locate deer in the dark.

Until very recently, there were no USDA-approved butchers for deer in Maui, so Maui Nui had to, at truly ridiculous expense, send whole deer carcasses via barge to processors on the mainland, and then have the broken-down deer shipped back. It now has its own butcher, but all of this—the equipment, the hunting training, the hourly fee for the USDA inspections, the butchering facility—requires an insane level of investment. The idea of, say, selling axis deer in Whole Foods? It’s not nearly as easy as going hunting.

Other states have programs to make use of overpopulated game animals. In Pennsylvania, a public-private partnership called Hunters Sharing the Harvest operates a network of deer processors throughout the state. Hunters can bring in a kill to any of these facilities, it’ll be broken down and venison—highly valuable protein!—will be put into the food bank system. Hawaii has no version of this, owing to the lack of state resources to inspect and approve processors. And that’s especially galling, because, unlike the white-tailed deer of Pennsylvania, the axis deer in Hawaii is apparently delicious. As a subtropical species, the axis deer has much less intramuscular fat, which carries that gamey flavor that many find unpleasant in other deer species. “When we talk about people eating venison, there’s a general apprehension because it’s most associated with something gamey they’ve had in the past,” says Muise. But he describes axis deer as an extremely clean, non-gamey meat, somewhere between beef and lamb in flavor.

To Muise, there’s a balancing act involved and some point at which the damage caused by the deer and the value of the animal to Hawaiian society can meet in the middle. But his operation by itself isn’t nearly large enough to slow down the population growth of the deer, let alone reduce the population to a sensible number. Neither the public nor the private sector has the ability to get the axis deer under control. And given their damage to public health, the delicate ecosystem of these islands and agriculture, the time might have come for a better plan.

BY CURTIS NIEDERMIER

They say birds make the bird dog, meaning the more contact your pointer or flusher has with live birds, the more effective he or she will be as a hunter.

Whoever “they” are never said those birds have to be actual wild upland game species. A small flock of homing pigeons makes a great substitute for the real thing. Homers are easy to obtain and fly well on the flush. They’re durable, disease-resistant, and in most areas can be kept and used for training without any special permits. Best of all, pigeons can be trained to home back to your coop to be used again later, which makes them a highly affordable option for long-term training.

Chad Hines, owner of Willow Creek Kennels in Little Falls, Minn., offered up some tips on how to assemble a flock of homing pigeons and put them to work.

BUILD A FLOCK Hines suggests starting with 12 to 15 birds for training one or two dogs. Adult pigeons can’t really be trained to home. Seek out young birds, which are called “squeakers.” They’ll have soft beaks and actually squeak when you pick them up.

It’s possible to trap feral squeakers along with adult birds (use the adults as “kill birds”) in barns and under highway overpasses, but Hines buys most of his birds from pigeon-racing hobbyists. Racing birds can sell for thousands of dollars, but in most areas, squeakers cost $5 to $20 apiece.

TRAINING HOMERS Keep new birds in the coop for about two weeks before flying them. During that time, teach them to use a recall funnel by temporarily fixing a wire box to the outside wall around the opening of the funnel. From the inside of the coop, put the birds through the funnel and into the box. After a few tries, they’ll learn how to get back into the coop.

Once his birds can use the funnel, Hines flies them daily. He starts by keeping them close to the coop and then gradually increases the distance.

CARING FOR BIRDS Pigeons are easy to keep. Buy a gravity-style poultry feeder and fill it with corn or commercially sold game-bird pellets. Add a rubber tray with sand for dusting and some type of grit. Clean their water daily, and add a teaspoon of vinegar in the winter.

BUILD YOUR COOP A coop can be a plywood box or an elaborate pigeon condominium. The simplest structure is a repurposed pre-built garden shed like the kind sold at big-box hardware stores. A 10-foot-by-12-foot shed can house 40 to 50 birds without overcrowding, but first you’ll need to make a few modifications.

• Nail short pieces of 2-by-4 boards between the studs as perches. • Add nesting boxes if you plan to raise young birds. A 5-gallon bucket screwed to the interior wall works well. Cut a half-moon-shaped opening in the lid, and screw the lid in place. Add some straw to the inside. • Affix a wire aviary along an outer wall with a door to allow the birds to enter. • Install a wire recall funnel through one wall. The funnel should taper down from about 8 inches to 6 inches in diameter. Add a wooden shelf or perch beneath the exterior opening.

Today I’m going to show you the best muzzleloader scope.

In fact:

I’ve hand-tested over 10 scopes alone for this review.

The best part?

I’ve sorted the scopes by use. So whether you’re on a budget or need the best muzzleloader scopes, you’ll find it here.

Let’s dive in!

How to Choose a Muzzleloader Scope

Optics can be a crazy expensive addition to your firearm.

But don’t just go throw any old scope on top of your boom stick.

There are considerations you need to make in your purchase, and you need to be more selective if you’re putting an optic on your muzzleloader.

Glass Clarity & Reticle

One of the most important aspects of choosing a scope is to consider the glass quality. You can only shoot as well as you can see. And if you can’t see well through your new optic, you wasted your money.

Higher end scopes from brands like Nikon and Leupold will have excellent glass with crystal clear picture clarity and color fidelity.

If you choose a more affordable scope, don’t cut corners on glass. Vortex Optics makes many scopes that fall in affordable price ranges while still having a wonderfully bright sight picture.

When choosing a scope, you want to pick one that lists having fully coated lenses. This means that all of the exterior lenses have a coating that increases light transmission to your eye-this will give you a bright sight picture.

Ideally, getting fully multi-coated lenses is best. This means that all of the lenses have many coatings that improve the light transmission and cut down on glare. You’ll get a clear and bright view through the optic. And the anti-glare coatings will prevent objective lens reflections that could give away your position.

The reticle you chose is up to you. You can choose to get a reticle that is hashed to account for bullet drop (BDC reticle) to help you estimate holdover for your shots. Some shooters prefer a clean and simple duplex crosshair. I’m not sure if an illuminated reticle is really beneficial for a muzzleloader, but if you want one, no one will stop you.

Eye Relief & Eye Box

As a muzzleloader shooter, eye relief is a spec that you can’t ignore like some centerfire riflists do.

If you have an eye relief that is shorter than 3 inches, your scope is going to scrape off your eyebrow when you shoot. That’s both painful and embarrassing.

Save yourself the trouble and get a longer eye relief scope with at least 4 inches.

You also want a generous eye box with room to adjust behind your optic and still get a good sight picture. The bigger your ocular lens is, the better this feature will be.

Durability

If a scope isn’t listed as being o-ring sealed. Pass on it. It’s worth spending your hard earned money on an o-ring sealed optic. This makes it rain and waterproof.

You also should look at getting a scope that is argon or nitrogen purged. This will not only help with light transmission but will keep your scope from fogging in crummy weather.

You don’t want a hunt ruined by less than ideal weather. Invest in a durable optic from the start.

Another special consideration for muzzleloaders is to make sure that the scope you choose is shockproof or recoil proof. Your firearm has harder recoil when you shoot compared to many centerfire rifles.

You will want a scope that can handle the extra kick.

Leupold boasts that all of its scopes must survive 5,000 rounds on the Punisher- a device that mimics recoil 3x stronger than a .308.

Vortex also makes nearly indistructive scopes that are a bit more budget friendly.

No matter which brand you choose, do your homework and sift through product reviews looking for durability or other shooters using it on a muzzleloader.

Elevation & Windage Knobs

Elevation and windage knobs, also called turrets, are what you use to make fine-tuning adjustments to your scope. You use these to zero your optic, or adjust it so that your shots actually land where you’re aiming.

The elevation turret will move your shot up and down. The windage turret will adjust your shot from left to right.

Ideally, you want turrets that have a tactile and audible click that you can hear and feel when making adjustments.

Getting locking turrets that can not be accidentally turned are a nice feature, but those will add to the cost. Less expensive optics will have capped turrets with screw on caps that cover both turrets.

Some brands will send you elevation turrets that are marked to compensate for bullet drop for your particular load upon request.

Parallax & Magnification

Centerfire rifle scopes often have the parallax fixed at 100-150 yards for centerfire rifles. That’s pushing the range for a muzzleloader, where parallax should be fixed to about 75 yards.

If you want to put a centerfire rifle scope on your muzzleloader, you need to take this into consideration.

Some more expensive scopes have a side parallax adjustment so you can lock it out for your shooting distance.

Some brands will factory adjust it for you if you send your new scope to them.

A muzzleloading rifle cannot fire shots that move as fast or as far as centerfire rounds. You will not be making shots from several hundred yards away from your prey, so don’t go crazy on magnification.

A high powered scope will hurt more than it helps because it will bring your target too close to you. If you take a high powered scope on your next deer hunt, all you’ll be able to see will be a big hairy patch on the animal’s hide-if you can even find the animal at all.

High powered scopes will have a narrow field of view too-which will make it harder for you to spot your target.

When looking at scopes, the magnification is the first set of numbers before the “x”, so 1-5×24 would be a scope with magnification powers that will make your target 1 to 5 times bigger than what you can see with your naked eye.

You don’t want anything higher than 5x.

Many muzzleloading minutemen prefer a 1-5x or even 1x, 2x, or 3x fixed magnification. For muzzleloading, smaller magnification is better.

The number after the “x” is the size of the objective lens (the lens at the end of the scope) in millimeters. A 1-5×24 scope has an objective lens that’s 24 mm in diameter.

You can look here for a list of the best 1-4x scopes.

Mounting & Rings

Because your muzzleloader kicks like a mule compared to many centerfire rifles, it will do a number on your scope and the equipment you use to attach it.

You want to be sure to use a solid mount (if you need an aftermarket one) and solid rings. You don’t want to cut corners on your mounting hardware.

Here’s a great video that will help you pick top notch mounting hardware:

Final Thoughts

You can easily pick a top-notch scope for your muzzleloader. You just need to keep a few key points in mind.

You want:

• Quality Glass
• Low magnification
• Highly durable scope design
• At least 4 inches of eye relief
• Heavy duty mounting hardware

With these 5 things in mind, you’ll be able to pick an optic-at any price range- that will fit your budget and your needs.

If you’re also looking for an ACOG, look here.

The 4 Best Muzzleloader Scope

If you’re pressed on time, here’s a quick list of the best muzzleloader scope:

1. Vortex Diamondback 1.75-5×32: Best Overall
2. Bushnell Banner 3-9×50: Best Muzzleloader Scope Under $100
3. Leupold VX-3i 3.5-10×40: Best Long Range Muzzleloader Scope
4. Simmons Truplex Prohunter 3-9×40: Best for the Budget

1. Vortex Diamondback 1.75-5×32: Best Overall

The Vortex Diamondback 1.75-5×32 is the best overall scope on the market, especially for hunters.

In fact, it’s got all the features and qualities that you could need at an affordable price that won’t break the bank.

I put this on my AR-15 to test it out months ago and have yet to take it off because it works so well.

Want to hear more? Keep reading…

Glass Clarity & Reticle

The first time I looked into this scope I was surprised to find the glass was just as clear as other scopes that are twice the price!

The lenses are fully multi-coated, which means you get a nice, bright sight picture, even in the midday sun.

The Dead-Hold BDC reticle is my favorite part of the Vortex Diamondback 1.75-5×32.

Having a bullet drop compensation reticle means that you’ll easily be able to estimate your holdover at varying distances, even as far out as 500 yards.

The reticle is second focal plane, which means that it doesn’t change size with magnification. With 1.75-5x magnification, this works great.

If you had a higher magnification to shoot at extra long distances, you might need the reticle to increase in size. But since I’m not using this scope for 3-gun competitions, my average prey is usually only around 100-300 yards.

Eye Relief & Eye Box

The Vortex Diamondback 1.75-5×32 has 3.5-3.7 inches of eye relief.

If I have one complaint about this scope, it’s that the eye relief does seem to be a little unforgiving, depending what you mount it on.

On my AR-15 it’s tolerable with a good cheek weld, but on something like 6.5 Creedmoor, it would be pretty tight.

However, I do really love that this scope has a fast focus eyepiece. This allows you to get the reticle focused quickly.

Target acquisition is fast and easy, almost as good as a prism scope or red dot sight.

Durability

This scope is built like a tank and can handle whatever you throw at it.

It’s a one-piece tube with a hard anodized finish that can take a beating. This finish also helps to keep your setup camouflaged when you’re out hunting.

Plus, it’s O-ring sealed and Argon purged, which makes it waterproof and fogproof.

If that’s not enough, it’s backed by Vortex’s unlimited lifetime warranty that covers anything that could go wrong.

Elevation & Windage Knobs

The elevation and windage turrets are ¼ MOA click adjustments.

The turrets give nice, audible clicks and have a zero reset under the caps.

Speaking of zeroing, it couldn’t be easier. After only a handful of shots, I was hitting a half inch target easily and exceptionally accurately.

And, after at least 400 rounds or so, the zero has held. I even accidentally dropped it on the gravel road and it was still dead on.

Parallax & Magnification

The Vortex Diamondback has 1.75-5x magnification.

This is the perfect range for brush hunting and big game hunting. It gives you an accurate sight picture from 100-500 yards easily.

For deer hunting, you’ll be hard pressed to find a scope that’s better than this one.

As for parallax, it’s fixed at 100 yards and I really haven’t noticed a problem.

Mounting & Rings

This scope is an excellent value, but you will need to buy your own mount.

I’d recommend getting Vortex Pro Series Rings. That’s what I used and they’re great.

As for other accessories, it doesn’t come with much. Just removable lens caps. I’d suggest getting some flip-up caps like the Vortex Optics Defender Flip Caps.

Is the Vortex Diamondback 1.75-5×32 worth it?

This scope is really the best overall scope for hunters, with all the features you need.

It has:

• Audible click turrets
• Fast focus eyepiece
• 1.75-5x magnification
• Dead-Hold BDC reticle
• Fully multi-coated lenses
• Shockproof, waterproof, fogproof

If you’re an avid hunter and want a scope that has all the features you’ll need to bag your prey, try the Vortex Diamondback 1.75-5×32. You won’t be disappointed.

2. Bushnell Banner 3-9×50: Best Muzzleloader Scope Under $100

The Bushnell Banner 3-9×50 is by far the most elite budget friendly muzzleloader scope I have found throughout my hunting career.

Not only does the scope come in at an amazing price, but the quality and attention to detail is apparent.

If you want to learn why this scope hasn’t come off my muzzleloader setup since the day I purchased it stick around.

Glass Clarity & Reticle

The Bushnell Banner 3-9×50 is a scope with unbelievable brightness and glass clarity.

Even with the impressively low price, Bushnell did not sacrifice any quality with the building of this scope.

The dusk and dawn brightness multi coated lens provides amazing improvements to both the clarity and brightness of the scope.

In addition, the scope has a fast-focus eyepiece that makes target acquisition even easier.

The Bushnell Banner 3-9×50 gives me great confidence whether I am out for a day on the range or sitting in a tree stand during muzzleloader season.

The reticle that comes on the Bushnell Banner 3-9×50 is the multi-x reticle.

This was my first experience with this particular reticle and I am really enjoying it so far. I tend to be slightly picky about my reticle and this one has fit my shooting style unbelievably well.

This scope was an absolute dream addition to my muzzleloader setup.

Not being my main form of hunting, I try to keep my muzzleloader setup on a tight budget and the Bushnell Banner 3-9×50 fit right into that.

Eye Relief & Eye Box

The eye relief on the Bushnell Banner 3-9×50 is very forgiving and a great option for any setup.

I have found that with the forgiving eye relief, the sight can be mounted in a comfortable position on any firearm.

I have used this primarily on my slug shotgun setup and muzzleloader setup.

It would also work great on any other rimfire options.

In addition, the scope has a fantastic field of view which makes this a great option for any hunting setup.

The Bushnell Banner 3-9×50 has got to be one of the best budget muzzleloader scopes I have used.

Also, here are some great options if you are looking for a handgun scope for those long muzzleloader hikes.

Durability

The durability so far on the Bushnell Banner 3-9×50 has been fantastic.

My muzzleloader definitely takes the stress of long hikes and some crazy weather. This scope has seen it all and continues to perform like I just took it out of the box.

The Bushnell Banner 3-9×50 is waterproof, fogproof, shockproof, and dry-nitrogen filled.

This scope has taken a beating and keeps on going. Especially in my muzzleloader setup, I need a scope that works 100% of the time no questions asked.

Elevation & Windage Knobs

The elevation and windage knobs have performed surprisingly well for the low price tag this scope comes in at.

Usually on budget scopes I find the turrets are often mushy and inconsistent.

This is not the case with the Bushnell Banner 3-9×50. The turrets have been precise and accountable every time I have used them.

They have well defined movement and sound that makes it a satisfactory scope to zero.

My zeroing process was surprisingly easy. I took the scope directly out to the range right after I got it.

In maybe 30 minutes I was able to achieve some of my best muzzleloader groupings at 100 yards.

In addition, I have rarely had to touch the turrets since I zerod for the first time.

This tells me that the zero holds fantastically well on the Bushnell Banner 3-9×50.

Parallax & Magnification

I have been using the Bushnell Banner 3-9×50 for a few months and have noticed a slight parallax as I get higher in magnification.

It is nothing excessive and certainly doesn’t hinder my shooting abilities; however, it is something that I noticed throughout my testing.

The Bushnell Banner 3-9×50 has a magnification of 3x to 9x which is perfect for my usage.

This being on my muzzleloader setup means that it is not often I am taking shots beyond 100 yards.

9x is far more magnification than is needed for a shot at that range, but it is certainly nice to have when the heart is racing and the hands are sweating.

Mounting & Rings

The Bushnell Banner 3-9×50 did not come with mounts so I purchased a set of Warne 1inch Quick Detach Rings in a Low Matte finish.

I ended up going for the quick detach mounts because I thought I was going to be swapping it out on my slug setup.

This was not the case and I can’t seem to take it off my muzzleloader because I like that setup so much.

I would also recommend getting Monstrum Rubberized Flip-Up Lens Covers (Objective Lens: 37-42mm).

These have been some of my favorite flip up lenses I have found to date.

Is the Bushnell Banner 3-9×50 worth it?

I am very cautious about spending money on budget scopes because I am unsure how long they will last me. The Bushnell Banner 3-9×50 has put all of my worries to bed and has become my favorite muzzleloader scope in my entire arsenal.

Here’s why:

• Price
• Clarity
• Durability

In short: the Bushnell Banner 3-9×50 is a fantastic scope that will outperform scopes that cost over double the price.

If you are still unsure whether the Bushnell Banner 3-9×50 is the right scope for you, give it a try. I am sure you will be just as thrilled as I am.

3. Leupold VX-3i 3.5-10×40: Best Long Range Muzzleloader Scope

For the true muzzleloader fan, a high quality scope is a must.

Whether hunting or target shooting, accuracy with a muzzleloader can be tough.

The Leupold VX-3i can remove one part of that difficulty.

Glass Clarity & Reticle

The glass is some of the finest I’ve seen on a rifle scope.

A military-grade coating called DiamondCoat 2 is the reason. It allows maximum light transmission while being very scratch resistant. The lenses are built for life.

The DiamondCoat 2 also lets all colors of light in, so there is no tinting whatsoever, and it shows when you have a big buck sighted near twilight. The only thing brighter is night vision.

The duplex reticle is pretty plain, but for a muzzleloader it isn’t a big issue. You aren’t going to be taking game at 300 yards. It’s perfect for a muzzleloading application and many others.

Eye Relief & Eye Box

I’ve found the scope to be very comfortable on top of my modern front stuffer, then I found the reason.

Even at maximum magnification, the spec sheet on the Leupold boasts 3.6 inches of eye relief. It’s even greater at 3.5x power, a whopping inches. I could mount this thing on my shotty and fire 3.5 inch shells without worry of scope bite, much less the kick from any black powder rifle out there.

That said, you won’t need to adjust anything on your rifle’s mounting location to plop this guy on. It’ll work fine for pretty much every rifle out there on a standard rail.

Durability

Leupolds are tough. I’ve owned several over the years and this is one area where they never cut corners.

They have a special scope torture device at their lab, called the Punisher. This machine bangs the test design 5000 times with three times the force of a .308, and any design that doesn’t pass gets sent back to the drawing board.

It’s one of the main things I love about this brand. They are simply the toughest scopes out there, and the new DiamondCoat 2 coating adds another layer of military-grade durability to the lenses themselves.

They’re also waterproof to 33 feet and have a special proprietary gas blend inside to keep moisture out. They won’t fog or falter, even at 40 below.

Elevation & Windage Knobs

Super reliable turrets, but what else would you expect?

The clicks are firm and precise, which makes zeroing the scope a breeze.

It won’t be too often on your muzzleloader that windage and drop will be an issue, but if you do want to take a long shot, you know the drop on a lead ball can be tremendous.

Being able to click down for some skill shots to impress your friends is important, and the scope has an adjustment range of 52 MOA. It’ll give you the adjustment you need for any range you would ever want to shoot your muzzleloader.

Parallax & Magnification

Magnification ranges from 3.5 to 10, and adjusts easily with the smooth turning dial.

The adjustment is perfect for a muzzleloader scope. At 3.5x, you have a wide enough field of view to hunt accurately while still getting a huge boost in the accuracy of your shots, and 10x makes even the tiniest targets at 100 yards big enough to see.

10x is also a great magnification for testing the accuracy of your loads. We put so much effort into weighing bullets, picking the right wadding, carefully measuring powder, and greasing with the right lube, that it’s nice to see how reliable all that work really is at the range.

If there was a complaint about this scope, it would be that the parallax is non-adjustable. It’s set at 150 yards with Leupold. But again, for hunting or target shooting, the scope is still going to be tighter than most muzzleloader groups.

Plus cheek rest is a skill, and most of use wouldn’t be shooting black powder if we didn’t like a challenge.

If you won’t need the high magnification, of course, you might consider something designed for a battle rifle.

Mounting & Rings

No rings are included with the scope, and while any ole one-inch rings will do the trick, you are pairing a rugged muzzleloader to a rugged scope. Prudence dictates using something sturdy to do it, like Leupold Permanent Weaver-Style Cross-Slot rings.

Leupold also makes lens covers to work with their VX-3 line.

Is the Leupold VX-3i 3.5-10×40 worth it?

If you are looking for a budget scope, this probably isn’t it. That said, one feature of the VX-3i is that it was designed to be a bit more wallet friendly than some other Leupold scopes.

If you want the absolute best value in a quality scope for your muzzleloader, this is the one.

Let’s recap.

• Crystal clear view
• Military-grade coatings
• Tremendously long eye-relief
• Passed Leupold’s torture testing
• Great magnification range for muzzleloaders

And it comes with the best lifetime guarantee in the world of shooting.

Really, you can’t go wrong with the Leupold VX-3i 3.5-10×40 scope. It’s the obvious choice.

4. Simmons Truplex Prohunter 3-9×40: Best for the Budget

The Simmons Truplex Prohunter 3-9×40 is a versatile scope and great quality for the price.

In fact, it’s less than half the cost of other brands and has most of the same features and qualities.

I am an avid hunter and use this scope regularly on my trips.

Want to know why? Keep reading…

Glass Clarity & Reticle

With this scope you’ll get a sharp, bright image.

The glass is high quality and the scope has multi-coated lenses to cut down on glare and give you a crystal clear sight picture.

And what about the reticle?

The Simmons Truplex Prohunter 3-9×40 has a Truplex reticle, as it says in the name. What that means is that the edge of the posts are thicker and then the crosshairs thin out towards the center.

This makes it much easier to target in low light and thicker background brush. It also makes target acquisition super quick and easy.

Eye Relief & Eye Box

You’ll get 3.75 inches of eye relief with this scope.

That’s pretty great compared to most similar scopes. And it means you won’t have to worry about how much your rifle kicks.

Plus, the Simmons Truplex Prohunter 3-9×40 has Quick Target Acquistion (QTA) eyepiece. This, along with the Truplex reticle, makes target acquisition incredibly fast. And easily comparable to something like a red dot sight.

Durability

Even though this scope is extremely affordable compared to most, Simmons didn’t stinge on the materials or features.

It is O-ring sealed, making it completely waterproof. And, it has a nitrogen purged housing too. So you don’t have to worry about your optic fogging up.

It’s also recoilproof and can handle whatever caliber rifle you want to put this scope on.

From personal experience, I can tell you that the Simmons customer service is excellent. So, even if you have a problem, you can rest assured they’ll take care of you.

And Simmons makes a lot of other products too, including scope for air rifles. Which means if you love the Truplex reticle, you can get it in different types of scopes.

Elevation & Windage Knobs

The elevation and windage turrets are easy to adjust and give you ¼ MOA adjustment clicks.

This scope has the TrueZero elevation and windage adjustment system, which gives you a locked in zero.

And speaking of zeroing, it only took me about 15 minutes, if that, to get this scope set.

The TrueZero system helps the scope hold zero extremely well. I’ve taken mine hunting many times and never had to readjust.

Parallax & Magnification

You’ll get a lot of versatility with this scope because it has a variable magnification of 3-9x.

With that range, you can shoot accurately from around 100 yard out to about 900 max.

Which makes this scope the perfect attachment for your hunting rifle. I use it mainly for varmint hunting, but feel confident I could take bigger game at greater distances with this scope.

It’s also great for just target plinking and is a lot of fun to use for shooting at the range.

Plus, the parallax is fixed at 100 yards and I haven’t had any noticeable issues with it.

Mounting & Rings

The downside to this scope is that it doesn’t come with a mount.

But, when you’re buying a scope at such a great price, you can’t expect to get too many accessories.

I went with AccuShot Picatinny/Weaver Medium Profile 2-piece 1-inch Rings for mine.

It does come with lens caps, but they’re not flip up. You just put them on when you’re not using the scope. If you want flip up covers, these Monstrum Rubberized Covers work pretty well.

Is the Simmons Truplex Prohunter 3-9×40 worth it?

This scope is the perfect choice for any avid hunter.

It has:

• Clear Glass
• Truplex reticle
• Unbeatable price
• TrueZero System
• 3-9x variable magnification

If you’re looking for the best quality scope that’s budget friendly, try the Simmons Truplex Prohunter 3-9×40. You’ll be happy you did.

Now It’s Your Turn

I hope you enjoyed my best muzzleloader scopeguide.

Now I want to turn it over to you:

Which scope will you pick for your rifle?

Let me know by leaving a quick comment down below.

The AR-15 is one of the most popular rifle platforms of all time. It only stands to reason that its popularity would bleed over into the hunting world. It has, in a big way. According to a recent study by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, 27 percent of hunters surveyed have used a modern sporting rifle (MSR) in pursuit of game. Of those, 48 percent report having used a MSR within the past five years, illustrating a growth in the use of the platform among those hunters surveyed. Of those answering yes to the use of an MSR for hunting, nearly 60 percent state they have used that platform to hunt large game.

That popularity has spawned a number of larger caliber choices for AR-15 rifles. Bullet diameters ranging from 6.5mm all the way up to .450 are now mainstream. Some of the most popular include the .300 Blackout, the .450 Bushmaster, and the 6.5 Grendel. Rifles and ammo for all of these are readily available and they all do a great job on deer-sized game.

But what about the most popular caliber in the platform, the .223/5.56? With their adjustable stocks, light weight, and nearly non-existent recoil, AR-15s in the .223/5.56 caliber make the perfect gun for young or small-frame hunters. But is that caliber a legitimate choice for the deer hunter? Just a few short years ago, I would probably answer that question with a not really. Yea, the .223 would get the job done, particularly on smaller deer in the deep south, but there was just too much margin for error to make it a reliable deer cartridge.

But, all that has changed in recent years. Ammunition manufacturers, noting the increased popularity of AR rifles among hunters, have set about making the .223/5.56 a genuine deer cartridge. To make this happen, they have borrowed proven designs from other big game bullets and added innovative new features specific to the lightweight bullets found in the .223 to form a tough and reliable cartridge tailor made for deer hunting with the modern rifle platform.

Winchester Ammunition

Winchester’s foray into this market is the 64-grain Power-Max Bonded. According to Mike Stock, the center-fire product manager for Winchester, he loves the round.

Our .223 Remington 64-grain Power-Max Bonded really was created purely as a deer hunting bullet, Stock said. What makes a good deer bullet in .223 is very different than what makes a good deer bullet in larger calibers. In heavier bullets, I will always recommend a deer bullet to rapidly fragment which means a tapered jacket that is thin at the nose. However, in .223, we often max out at about 64 grains to achieve good accuracy in 1:12 bolt rifles so we have to put that weight to good use in order to get the penetration we need for deer. That means relatively thick jackets all the way to the nose and in the case of Power-Max Bonded, a protected point also helps with the delayed expansion. This all goes together for an accurate, controlled expansion bullet that can penetrate more than enough for use on deer.

Since 2005, Federal Ammunition has offered a bonded .223 bullet in their proven Fusion line as their go-to for medium game. That changed in 2015 with the introduction of their new Trophy Bonded Tip to their Premium Vital Shock line of hunting ammunition.

MODEL R-15 PREDATOR RIFLE

Federal’s J.J Reich says, The new Trophy Bonded Tip is based on our time-tested Trophy Bonded Bear Claw design. For decades, the Vital-Shock Trophy Bonded Tip has proven itself as one of the most effective cartridges available in many popular calibers. New in 2015, the .223 Rem is the newest caliber in the lineup. The bonded bullet retains more than 90 percent of its weight, penetrates deep, and shoots flat and accurately thanks to its high-ballistic coefficient. Polymer Tip, Long Boat Tail and Skiving all help that performance. The solid copper shank crushes bone, and exterior skiving on the nickel-plated bullet ensures optimum expansion at any range.

Both of these bullets have proven themselves numerous times in the field on white-tailed deer. These new premium bullets have changed how we look at the .223/5.56 as a deer hunting caliber. While shots should still be limited to ranges maxing out at around 100 yards (the small bullet just sheds too much energy beyond that range), hunters can now feel confident in taking their rifles afield during deer season.

Bonus reads: The Great Debate: Firearms Seasons During the Rut | 18 Great Gun Hunting States for Deer Hunters

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