Top Hunts
There are great ones in every state, but here are some classics:

Colorado Elk
Colorado, with its wealth of public land, remains the top destination for do-it-yourself elk hunters. Nonresidents typically draw bull tags every other year and buy cow tags in off years. Colorado prohibits scopes, sabots, and pelletized powder.

Iowa Late Blackpowder Season
The best time to bag one of Iowa's big whitetails is the late blackpowder season, which begins before Christmas and ends January 10. When the weather turns cold, deer lose their caution and pile into cornfields like hungry Canada geese. There are no restrictions on rifles.

New Mexico Elk
This is paradise for the blackpowder elk hunter. The elevations are lower and the terrain is gentler than in many elk states, and the bulls are huge. Some units are set aside for archery and blackpowder only. Be patient and build up six or seven preference points for a tag in the famous Gila Wilderness.

Oregon Antelope
Blackpowder seasons here are strictly old school: exposed-hammer rifles only, with no pelletized powder, sabots, scopes, or fiber optics allowed. Southeast Oregon produces some very big pronghorns, and the mid-September season lets you hunt them during the rut. There's lots of public land; the catch is limited tags.

Pennsylvania Flintlock Season
Since 1974, the state has held a popular after-Christmas season for flintlocks only. Every year thousands of Pennsylvanians wish for a flintlock under the tree and fresh tracking snow on the mountains.

Bonus Web Coverage: Blackpowder Records
The Longhunter book recognizes animals taken with any muzzleloader, traditional or inline.
Whitetail (Typical) 193 2/8, 1992, Chitek Lake, Saskatchewan. David Wilson, Gonic Arms .50 percussion
American Elk (Typical) 397 5/8, 1998, Socorro County NM, Richard Westwood, T/C .50 percussion
Mule Deer (Typical) 205 4/8. 1994. Summit County. Utah Mike Bowen Lyman .50 percussion rifle