Question:

Smotherman: That’s a good question. Your bullet drop will be less the higher up you go, because the higher the elevation at which you’re hunting, the less the bullet drop you’ll have. Remember, the air is thicker in the East, so you’ll have more bullet drop in most places in the East than you will in the West. Also, bullet drop will vary depending on the altitude at which you’re hunting. However, the difference when you sight-in your rifle in the East and when you sight-in your rifle in the West won’t be significant. You more than likely won’t see a 12-inch difference between these two regions. You may see a 2- or a 3-inch difference. But if you’re shooting a target, that bullet drop may be the difference between hitting in that 10 ring or hitting in the 12 ring. Again, accuracy is more important than knockdown power.

Question: Let’s talk about hunting elk. What makes taking elk so tough on a muzzleloader rifle hunt?

Smotherman: For me, it’s climbing those mountains. Too, when hunting in big, open country, you have to shoot at long distances. The hide and the hair of an elk are much thicker than the hide and the hair on a white-tailed deer. An elk has 1,000 pounds of body mass, while the white-tailed deer has only 150 to 250 pounds of body mass. That’s the reason I prefer to shoot larger bullets when I’m hunting elk. As a muzzleloading hunter, I harvest the animal with kinetic energy delivered, not velocity. Our bullets fly at about 1,800 feet per second, whereas a centerfire rifle bullet flies at about 3,000 or 3,500 feet per second. Although a muzzleloader bullet hits the animal much slower than a centerfire rifle bullet, it hits much harder due to of its weight. Therefore, muzzleloading hunters have to rely more on kinetic energy, and you need a lot of kinetic energy to knock a big elk off its feet.

Question: What bullet do you shoot, and why?

Smotherman: I shoot the 300-grain PowerBelt Platinum AeroTip Bullet, which is easy to load. Elk are such large animals that they can soak up 300-grain bullets. So being able to load quickly and getting that second shot will be extremely important to the success of my hunt. Also, I like having a 300 bullet, because it creates a lot of kinetic energy. Too, a heavier bullet at longer ranges will shoot flatter than a smaller bullet at that same distance. A lighter bullet will fly faster, but the mass and the kinetic energy of the 300 grain bullet allow it to hold its velocity longer, because it has more mass moving forward than a smaller bullet does. For example, if a Volkswagen Bug and a 1962 Cadillac are both running at 60-miles per hour, and you slam-on the brakes in both vehicles, the Volkswagen will stop much quicker, because it has less forward-moving mass than the Cadillac does. You can use this same comparison for heavy versus lighter bullets. If you’re shooting a 250- or a 300-grain bullet, the 300-grain bullet will go further and drop less energy than the 250-grain bullet will. So, for long-range shooting out West on elk or mule deer, the 300-grain bullet will have more kinetic energy and shoot flatter at those longer distances than the 250-grain bullet will.

Question: What powder do you use, and why?

Smotherman: I prefer Blackhorn 209 loose powder. This powder shoots unbelievably clean. Too, I can get better accuracy with this powder than I can with other powders in my CVA rifle.

Question: How much powder do you use?

Smotherman: I’m using the equivalent of 150 grains of powder for elk. Remember that most blackpowder guns are magnum guns designed to be able to take magnum charges and shoot 150 grains of powder. However, because of the formulation of Blackhorn 209, this powder is somewhat hotter than other versions of loose powder, and it’s harder than powder substitutes. Therefore, even though my gun will shoot 150 grains of powder, when I’m shooting Blackhorn powder, I have to reduce the charge to 110 -115 grains of powder, because the Blackhorn 209 powder is extremely hot. Blackhorn powder gives you more bang for the bucks you spend. Remember that although most magnum guns can shoot 150 grains of powder, each blackpowder gun works better at different loads and powder charges. Although my truck’s speedometer is set at 125 mph, my truck doesn’t perform its best at that speed; likewise, even though a muzzleloader can shoot 150 grains of powder, this may not be where the gun will perform at its best. So, determine at what powder charge your gun will shoot the most accurately. I can shoot the most accurately in my gun with 110 to 115 grains of Blackhorn 209 powder. I can shoot more powder, but that additional powder pushes the bullet harder and faster, thereby making the bullet not as stable as it can be and opens-up my groups (space between each shot). I get better accuracy shooting a magnum charge of 115 grains of Blackhorn 209 than I do shooting 150 grains of Blackhorn 209. Remember, it’s not how hard the bullet hits the animal that ensures a lethal hit; it’s where the bullet is placed. So, accuracy is far-more important than knockdown power. I want to shoot the maximum velocity I can with the greatest accuracy. Every one of my CVA rifles – whether I’m shooting the Apex or the Accura – all prefer a powder charge of 110 to 115 grains of powder.

Editor’s Note:

Question: Russell, you’ve said one of the questions you’re often asked is, “If you’re hunting for elk, are you going to shoot a magnum charge, or will you shoot a powder charge? You won’t know at what range you’ll be shooting. So, do you go with a magnum load that’s 150 grains of pellets, or do you prefer an accuracy load – 110 grains of loose powder?”
Lynch: My answer is if you’ve ever hunted elk or ever read about hunting elk, then you know that you may get a closer-range shot like bowhunters, or you may get a long-range shot like the centerfire rifle hunters have at elk. But generally most of your shots will be at extended ranges. Given the choice between knockdown power with a magnum charge of pellets or an accuracy charge with loose powder, I’ll take the loose powder over the pellets every time. If I’m shooting in the West, I don’t want my groups to be 2-1/2- inches or more at 100 yards, when I know I can have the same group at 2-1/2- or 3 inches at 200 yards. If I choose loose powder instead of pellets, I even can reach out to 250 yards if I must. 

50-grain pellets aren’t exactly 50 grains. They’re less than 50 grains. So, when you’re shooting loose powder, you’ll get more bang for your buck and be shooting less powder. That powder will pack more uniformly and ignite more evenly, and you’ll shoot more accurately than you will with the pellets. At 250 yards, I know that I can shoot a 2- or a 3-inch group with my CVA rifle, and that bullet will have enough energy to take a bull elk down at that range. So, I’ll always pick the option that will give me the best accuracy at the longest ranges. The answer to your question, how will I hunt elk with loose powder, well, I can tell you for sure that I won’t be loading my rifle with three 50-grain pellets.

One of the reasons some people think they need magnum charges is because they think that if their shot placement is off a little bit when shooting the magnum charges, they’ll  have a better chance of taking the animal down. However, if I can put a bullet in an elk at 250 yards and know almost exactly where the bullet will land because of good marksmanship and an accurate rifle, I know I can successfully take more elk, than if I have a 150-grain charge and aren’t as confident in my bullet placement. What I’ve learned is that at 250 yards with three 50-grain pellets, I’ll have terrible patterns. I think you’ll be shooting really well if you can maintain 10-inch groups shooting those magnum charges out to 250 yards. Now when you compare those groups to the 4- and 5-inch groups, I can shoot using loose powder and less powder than shooting a magnum charge. 

Something else you have to consider when you’re talking about magnum charges versus loose powder of about 110 grains is when you’re shooting on a bench you’ll shoot far-more accurately than when you’re propped-up against a tree with the rifle on your pack and/or when you’re shooting from a standing or a kneeling position. When the stress and the excitement involved in an elk hunt in the wild is put on a sportsman, his accuracy will suffer somewhat more than when he’s shooting-off a bench, especially when he has to trot up a hill to cut-off a big bull before the bull reaches the black timber, and the hunter sees those giant antlers and knows that he only has a few seconds to stop the elk before the bull vanishes into the black timber. That hunter’s marksmanship may suffer because he’s not only under emotional pressure, but he’s also under physical pressure and breathing heavily. If you’re not breathing properly, you won’t have as smooth of a trigger pull as you will when shooting off a bench. Plus, when you add the physical, mental and emotional aspects of trying to take a bull elk at 150 yards with a magnum charge of three 50-grain pellets, and the hunter knows that on the bench he’s shooting 10-inch groups at that range with that powder charge, more than likely the hunter may completely miss the animal.

Although I like to think that my blood runs cold as ice water when I’m about to take a shot at 50 yards or 250 yards on a big-game animal with a muzzleloader rifle, you have to remember that I’ve been hunting big-game animals for more than 30 years. I’m going to have myself under better control than those who only have been hunting for a few years, plus I have the advantage of all the marksmanship skills I learned in the Marine Corps Scout Sniper School. Based on my training, my experience and my skill level, I know I can make that 250-yard shot with a muzzleloader rifle on an elk, but that’s really a questionable shot for most hunters. What makes it even more questionable is when you know the best you can shoot with that rifle under controlled conditions is only a 10-inch group. I just don’t know whether you should take that shot or not. My gut feeling is probably not.

What I really enjoy about hunting elk with a muzzleloader is my ability to control my emotions, so that I can see and remember every step that the elk takes, until I finally pull the trigger. If you really want to shoot a magnum charge with three 50-grain pellets, I strongly recommend that you don’t take a shot of more than 125 yards. Even at that range, you’ll still be shooting 3-inch groups. I’ve tested a lot of rifles from all the manufacturers of muzzleloading rifles, and I feel I have some of the most-accurate muzzleloader rifles on the planet. Even with the best rifles and my marksmanship skills, I’m still not sure I can shoot a 3-inch group with 150 grains of pellets at 125 yards. When you put that much powder in pellet form in a muzzleloader rifle, you’re always going to have accuracy issues.

Editor’s Note:

For years my wife Marsha and I have been applying for elk tags in several different states.  This year we were approached by Roger and Audrey McQueen of Trophy Ridge Outfitters www.trophyridgeoutfitters.net about having our boys apply for New Mexico elk tags.  So this year we added our boys Walker and Wyatt to the applications and we all applied for elk tags.  When New Mexico posted the drawing results our oldest son Walker was the only one to draw.  The excitement filled our house as we told Walker he had drawn a youth rifle tag.
 
As his parents we wanted to help him be prepared with the right equipment, the right physical condition and to be mentally prepared.  Though the hunt was several months away we immediately started preparing a gear list for this hunt.  First, we needed to have a gun that would fit him properly.  The CVA Scout compact was just the right size for him.  The gun is balanced perfect and light enough for him to carry.  We debated about the caliber.  We topped the gun with a Konus Pro 3×9 scope.  I have been an elk guide for almost 20 years and I have always been a .30 caliber fan for elk.  However, I am also very recoil conscious when it hunting with a young person.  Upon a recent trip to Africa I witnessed my son Walker take a zebra with a .243 and dropped it in its tracks.  So we researched our ammo options and decided to choose the Winchester PowerMax Bonded with a 100 grain bonded bullet.  We also purchased several elk targets for him to practice on because we knew that bullet placement would be crucial.  We spent several days throughout the summer practicing at the range.  He already had a good pair of Schnee’s boots and with a stop to Cabela’s  we gathered up a few other items he would need.
 
It was finally time for the hunt.  We loaded up the Shoot Straight TV crew and headed to the Trophy Ridge Outfitters Lodge in New Mexico.  Upon arrival we checked his gun for accuracy and it was dead on.  The next morning we were heading to the field well before daylight.  Our guide  Sean started us in his favorite valley in the unit.  We heard one bull way off but he was in an area that would be very difficult to get to.  The weather was unseasonably hot and the elk were only moving very early and very late.  We saw elk on several occasions but we were having a challenge being at the right place at the right time.  Finally on the fourth day of a five day hunt we found a herd of elk with several bulls in it.  We got within 400 yards but it was a little too far for the .243.  We knew where they bedded and set up for the evening hunt.  The elk didn’t arrive until after dark so we were down to the last day.  The next morning we went back to where we heard them bugle in the dark the night before.  We set up in the dark and could here cow elk mewing around in the distance.  We thought we had everything figured out but had to move 300 yards to catch the elk where they would be heading to bed.  As the sun started to light the sky we had several bulls within 200 yards of us.  Walker took aim at a beautiful 6 point bull and cocked the hammer of his CVA Scout.  The shot echoed up the valley and the bull immediately started to wobble on his feet.  He dropped within 15 yards of where he had been standing.  With the cameras rolling he had just taken his first elk at 9 years old.  The whole Schearer family enjoyed the experience and Walker’s little brother Wyatt pulled out his Buck knife and, “said let’s get to skinning.”

Editor’s Note:

Big elk down in Wyoming! Well, he actually ain’t that big, but he is a FREAK!

I saw this bull or one just like him on the same mountain range in Wyoming last year, but I happened across a bigger one than him so I’m pretty sure you know what my decision was. However, last week on the 26 hour drive back out west I said to myself out loud that if he happened to get on my  path this year I was going to introduce him to my new CVA Apex chambered in 300 Win.

The first afternoon I headed down low, bout 6800 feet, to look up into an area that I normally glass over with my spotting scope from above just to see if that point of view looked different than from up above. Proving to be a good move, about 5pm opening day the “freak” decided step out onto a giant red rock and look over the meadow below him which is where I just happened to be. Way out of my range, I marked his spot with some old dead snags that was just to his left and backed out of the meadow and worked my way up to those snags and found a lookout point and waited. Minutes passed with no elk in sight, but I could see beat down trails in the cut over just below at 150 yards. Unfortunately for him his hooves were not far from where I was looking seconds before he walked into my line of sight. Cocking the hammer on my bipod equipped Apex, the “freak” standing at 180 yards was not able to tote the 180 grain Winchester bullet more than 10 yards or so before gravity took over.

It was one of the coolest elk hunts I have ever been on! Going after on certain animal happens in the whitetail world, but with such vast amounts of terrain and acres in the Wyoming mountains I feel really tripped out that I wanted one bull and actually was able to let him ride back to Tennessee with me……..cool passenger!

Editors Note:

This year elk season started out pretty slow for me.  September was hot and windy out here in Wyoming, but one of the beautiful things about living in the cowboy state is that, if you don’t harvest and elk during bow season you have rifle season to hunt also. No special tags or paperwork. Your tag just carries over to rifle season.  I am lucky enough to work on a ranch that allows me to hunt and come opening day of rifle season the CVA Apex 300 Winchester was my best friend.
    Living in a river bottom that is really boggy we don’t have many trees. The predominant vegetation is willow bushes and hay meadows. In order to get high enough to see into these 12 foot bushes we chose a hay stack that my neighbor had put up from the previous hay season.  WOW, it was like having an eagles view. The hay stack is positioned on the edge of the hay field and surrounded by a fence, to keep out the cattle and other animals in the winter.
    That most anticipated day had arrived and we had chosen our spot. It wasn’t long and the elk started filtering across the hay meadow. About 15 minutes after shooting light I hear my friend Ron, who is filming for me say, “There’s a good bull, but he might go behind us”. I jump to my feet and run to the end of the hay bales and look out across the meadow. Sure enough he was a good bull, on ONE side! I looked back at Ron and said, “he’s broken his left main beam off.  Disheartened I sneak back to my original position and start glassing again. I give the same bull another look as he comes in front of us and low and behold he’s not broke, he’s a freak!  The heart starts really beating now that I know what he is.  You see last year I was able to harvest a bull with 3 main beams so this would continue my “freak streak” I call it.  Ron is scrambling to get the camera on him and I am waiting for a good shot. Finally the bull finishes chasing a cow around and gives me the opportunity I needed.  With one report from the CVA Apex 300 right in the goodie box the bull ran 200 yards and tipped over. What an end to an exciting elk season.

Today’s modern muzzleloaders have come a long way since the days of Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett.  Though I still enjoy shooting the more primitive flintlock and caplock style muzzleloaders it is hard to beat the new modern inline muzzleloaders like the CVA Accura V2.  They are easier to load, easier to shoot, are more reliable in fowl weather and of course they are much easier to clean. 

Before you purchase a new muzzleloader      
Not every state in the West is equal when it comes to muzzleloader regulations.  So before you purchase your next muzzleloader you need to know what is legal in the state you intend to hunt.  As far as muzzleloaders go, states like Oregon, Washington and Idaho have much stricter equipment laws than you will find in Arizona or New Mexico.  For example, a muzzleloader that is legal in Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado may not be legal in Oregon, Washington and Idaho.  Many of these laws have to do with the breach plug.  The northwestern states require that the cap or primer must be exposed.  Therefore guns like the CVA Apex, T/C Encore, Knight Shadow or other break action guns with muzzleloader barrels would not be legal.  Most of the bolt action style muzzleloaders fit the description of exposed breech.  A good example of a gun like this is the CVA Elkhorn Pro.  Some of the other laws you may also see in one or more of these states are no scopes are allowed on muzzleloaders and one state goes as far as saying no fiber optic sights.  Minimum calibers are also something not to overlook.  You can hunt elk with a .45 caliber in Arizona and New Mexico but not in Arizona.  Don’t let this discourage you just make sure you know what is legal in the state you plan to hunt in prior to purchasing a new muzzleloader.  Remember laws are always subject to change so consult the states regulations prior to making your final decision. 

Don’t just limit yourself to elk for better tags
Start researching the best areas for drawing a muzzleloader tag.  Don’t just think that prized elk tags are the only thing to apply for; Kansas, Iowa, and Oklahoma have great deer seasons where you can use your muzzleloader.  Start at the range now so you are ready when that muzzleloader tag arrives in the mail   

If you don’t want to spend the time doing research for the best areas there is an outfitter who specializes in this.  Van Hale of Trophy Outfitters www.trophyoutfittersonline.com has a licensing service that will apply you in the best areas for elk and other game.  If you draw the special muzzleloading tag you can hunt on your own or hire them to guide you in the best areas.

When preparing for an elk hunt many people focus on physical preparation, packing the right gear, scouting and practicing their calling.  All of which are very important but there is one key step when hunting with a muzzleloader that is often overlooked.  That step is how to properly load your muzzleloader for maximum accuracy.

 Recently O’Neill Williams and I had the opportunity to participate in the new “Muzzleloading Basics” DVD production.  I was reminded of some of the basic principles that lay a foundation for successful muzzleloading. 

Safety First

Check to make sure that your CVA muzzleloader is unloaded.  If this is a new muzzleloader to you or you are unfamiliar with your muzzleloader you may have to remove the breech plug to make sure it is unloaded.  (It is always a good idea to mark your ramrod with something like an ink marker so you can tell if there is a load in the barrel.) 

Fouling your Barrel

Once you are sure there is not a load in your CVA muzzleloader fire a few primers down your barrel to make sure that there are no oils or moisture in your breech plug or barrel which could cause a misfire.  This step will also help with the fouling of your barrel.  Fouling your barrel is an important part of the loading process.  With some guns a couple of primers will be all it takes to foul the barrel, for others you may want to shoot a standard load with a bullet to get consistent fouling.  I have found that some guns shoot better with a dirtier barrel where other will like a cleaner barrel.  

Measuring your powder accurately

Fortunately for us, many blackpowder substitutes like IMR WhiteHots or Pyrodex Pellets come in pre-measured form making it very simple to load our CVA muzzleloaders.  Never exceed more powder than what your owner’s manual suggests.  If you choose to you loose powder, use a volume measurer as directed in your owner’s manual and not a scale. When a manufacturer mentions using 100 grains of powder they are referring to a volume measurement not a weight measurement.  Always read your owners manual and never use smokeless powder in a blackpowder muzzleloader.   

 Consistent loading pressures increase accuracy

Seating your bullet in the same place every time increases accuracy.  How do you do this?  I mentioned marking your ramrod previously to tell if your CVA muzzleloader is unloaded or not.  Load your muzzleloader with load you are going to hunt with and mark your ramrod at the muzzle.  That way each time you load your muzzleloader you can tell the bullet is consistently seated.  Make sure if you are using pelletized powder not to push to hard and crush the pellets.  But, make sure you apply enough pressure to seat the bullet against the powder.        

 Should you swab in between shots?

You will find that some muzzleloaders shoot better if they have a dirty barrel while others like less fowling in the barrel.  I prefer shooting a dirty barrel; however, if I am shooting a saboted bullet I will swab between shots because of the plastic residue left in the barrel making it difficult if not impossible to load the gun after two or three shots.  If you shoot a fouled barrel at the range then shoot a fouled barrel while hunting.    To achieve the best accuracy stay consistent with your loading.  Start with a three shot group swabbing (running a saliva soaked patch) in between shots.  Then try shooting your gun dirty (not swabbing between shots).  It is not necessary to use a cleaning agent in between shots.  With modern in-lines using PowerBelts or sabots bore butter is not recommended.

Some people ask if they should you rid the barrel of moisture and gunk with a cap after each shot?  This is not necessary as the primer will just make the barrel dirtier.

 Start close to your target

To make sure you are achieving consistent loading start close to your target.  I like to start at 25 yards to make sure I am getting good results.  Then I move to 100 yards and start with a 3 shot group.  If you get the results you are satisfied with you are good to go.  If you do not you may want to start by adjusting the load you are using.  You may have to adjust the amount of powder you use and or increase to a heavier bullet to reach optimum results.  The more time you spend at the range with a new muzzleloader the more confident you become for your upcoming hunt.  Just like center-fire rifles, muzzleloaders will have their favorite load too. 

 Learn more than just the basics

CVA has announced that it is releasing a new instructional video called “Muzzleloading Basics.”  This video, featuring TV personalities O’Neill Williams and myself, covers everything that shooters need to know regarding the safe and effective use of modern muzzleloading rifles.  The video will be made available at no charge to Hunter Education Instructors.  It will also be available to consumers as DVDs sold by CVA retailers or watch it free on www.cva.com.

 The topics covered in “Muzzleloading Basics” include:  Types of Muzzleloaders, Propellants, Projectiles, Ignition Systems, Accessories, Safety Precautions, Loading, Shooting, and Cleaning.  

Use the above tips and this new DVD to get more consistent accuracy on you next bear hunt.

Editor’s Note:

 Question: Chad, tell us about one of your most-memorable muzzleloader hunts for elk.

Schearer: I was hunting in Arizona, and we’d called-in 40-different bulls but never could find the one we wanted. Finally, we located a bull out in the flats with his cows. We stalked-in on him and used sparse scrub oaks as cover. We had to do some belly crawling to get-in tight to this bull and his cows. This hunt was during the second estrus of the rut, and this old bull was following his cows. I started doing some cow calling, and the bull came toward us.

 Finally, I was able to get a shot at the bull, but I missed. I don’t know why, but I shot over him. I was shooting a .45-caliber CVA rifle. I’d never missed an elk with that gun. When the bull whirled around, he didn’t know which way to run. He didn’t know from which direction the shot came. Immediately, I started cow-calling again, and at the same time, leaned my .45-caliber CVA rifle sideways, used a speedloader and started reloading. The bull elk couldn’t see me, since I was up against some oak brush. The cows walked within 5 yards of me and never saw or smelled me. The bull followed the cows. When the bull was close enough, I shot, and the bull dropped in his tracks. This hunt was the most-memorable I’d ever been on, because it was the first time I’d ever shot at an elk, missed, had the chance to reload and then shoot again to take him. Generally, actually almost always, an elk hunt elk is a one-shot hunt, unless you have to use a follow-up shot to finally put the bull down.

 Here are some interesting tips that may help you this upcoming elk season.

* Immediately start cow-calling if you shoot and miss. The bull doesn’t realize what’s happened, and he may not know where you’re located. You have nothing to lose by cow-calling right after the shot, and if the bull isn’t terrified, you may be lucky like I was and be able to get off a second shot.

* Keep your head in the game, until you touch the elk’s antlers. Some guys may throw a temper tantrum (stomping the ground, screaming, hollering and getting upset) after they miss. However, like Yogi Berra, the great baseball catcher, once said, “It ain’t over, till it’s over.” As long as you can see the elk, and even if you can’t see the elk after the shot, continue to try to call him, until you know for certain the bull’s totally spooked.

* Always carry speedloaders. You may have an opportunity for a second shot – if not at the same elk, then at another elk. Keep those speedloaders where you can reach them quickly and easily with minimal motion, so you can reload as quickly as possible without being seen.

Don’t get me wrong; I was extremely lucky on this muzzleloader elk hunt. Even if you don’t do everything right after missing the shot, you too may be able to get lucky.

Editor’s Note:

Question: Chad, most people believe that when you go elk hunting, you need a .50-caliber CVA Muzzleloader rifle. You hunt elk with both .50- and .45-caliber rifles. When and where do you choose one caliber over the other for hunting elk?

Schearer: One of the things a hunter needs to realize is that if he’s shooting a .50-caliber Muzzleloader rifle and using a saboted bullet, he actually has a .45-caliber bullet coming out of the barrel. I prefer a .45-caliber PowerBelt bullet because that’s the actual bullet diameter. That bullet has enough weight to kill an elk. I like a 275-grain copper-clad aero-tip PowerBelt bullet, or a 300-grain PowerBelt Platinum bullet. Either one of these bullets gives you enough weight and knockdown power to take an elk. We’ve taken elk out to 200 yards with both these bullets. If you load your .45-caliber CVA rifle with a magnum charge, you’ll have about 7 or 8 inches of drop at 200 yards, which makes the .45 caliber a really flat-shooting muzzleloader.

Question: Chad, if you were going to take a 200-yard shot at an elk and knew the bullet would drop 7 to 8 inches, where would you aim?

Schearer: I’d aim about 3-inches below the backbone and just above the back of the shoulder, which would drop the bullet right in the elk’s lungs.

Question: Why would you take a .50-caliber CVA rifle on an elk hunt, if you knew the .45 caliber would shoot much-more flat?

Schearer: Oftentimes you can find .50-caliber components for your rifle much easier than you can .45-caliber components. For instance, if you need more powder or bullets and have to go to a local sporting-goods dealer, that dealer much-more likely will have the components for a .50-caliber rifle rather than components for a .45-caliber rifle. Any area that has muzzleloading hunting for elk in the West will have bullets and powder for a .50-caliber rifle, because there are more .50-caliber rifles than there are .45-caliber rifles.

Question: How much drop do you have with a .50-caliber CVA rifle at 200 yards, and where should you aim on an elk?

Schearer: The .50 caliber will drop about 10-1/4-inches at 200 yards. I’ll aim right at the backbone and just behind the shoulder of an elk. That bullet will drop into the elk’s vitals at 200 yards.

Question: What bullet do you recommend for a .50 caliber?

Schearer: I like the 338-grain PowerBelt platinum bullet for a .50-caliber CVA rifle.

Editor’s Note:

Question: Chad, where have you guided for elk?

Schearer: I’ve guided and hunted for elk in Montana, New Mexico and Idaho.

Question: With elk season starting in October, what does an elk hunter need to do now to get ready for elk season?

Schearer: The biggest key to taking an elk with muzzleloader is being able to get to the elk. Now’s the time to start getting in shape for elk season. You need to start walking several miles a day. If you’re really serious about getting in shape, you can’t beat riding a mountain bike. Don’t use the mountain bike only for leisurely rides. You’ve got to push your body to some extremes when you’re peddling that bike, which means to peddle on the bike most of the time.

But before you begin getting into shape for elk season, I strongly recommend you have a checkup with your doctor to make sure your heart can handle a stressful elk hunt. In some places you hunt elk, you may be going up 10,000 feet or more where the oxygen is thinner. On some hunts, you may have to walk 8 to 10 miles to catch up to the elk. So you really need to be in shape for that kind of physical hunting. If you don’t live in a place with steep mountains or high elevation, you can get in shape by going to a football stadium and climbing those stairs, or by finding some deep draws and climb those draws. You really need to be walking up and down steep terrain, because more than likely, that’s the kind of terrain you’ll have to hunt to take a nice elk. If you’ll be riding a horse, I’d strongly recommend you go to a stable and start riding horses some right now. You use different muscles when you’re riding than when you’re walking. So, you need to get your riding muscles in shape. When you go elk hunting with a muzzleloader, you want to be able to do what you have to do in order to find and take the elk you came out to hunt.

Question: As we get our bodies in shape, what should we be doing with our Muzzleloader rifles to practice for elk season? What rifle, powder and bullets do you recommend for elk hunting?

Schearer: I use two rifles for elk hunting – the CVA Accura and the CVA Apex. Now’s the time to start shooting your gun and learning which powder and bullet your gun shoots most accurately. Also, you need to know what restrictions blackpowder hunters are under in the area where you’ll be hunting. For instance, if you’re going to hunt elk in Colorado, you have to use loose powder and PowerBelt bullets, but you can’t use any saboted types of bullets. You also have to use open sights and can’t use a riflescope. When you’re shooting open sights, more than likely, you won’t be shooting over 100 yards. If I’m hunting in Colorado, I’ll use 100 to 120 grains of loose Pyrodex powder and a 338-grain bullet. However, if I’m hunting in New Mexico or Arizona, I’ll probably be shooting a .45 CVA rifle, because a .45 is really a flat-shooting gun that I feel is better than the .50 when you’re shooting in flat terrain. If I’m shooting the .45 caliber, I’ll shoot a magnum charge of .150 grains of pelleted powder. I’ll use a 275-grain PowerBelt bullet, and I can shoot out to 200 yards with this load. I like to use a Winchester Triple Se7en Primer.