Yeah Sheridan, if a guy is buying a "non-rifle" weapon to gain some huntable season time, then yeah, the ML isn't the best in KS.

Years ago, muzzle loaders got the first crack at the deer before everybody else in KS. They had 2wks to themselves before archery season started. Back then, we weren't allowed to hunt archery during ML or firearms seasons either. Archery still had 3months of season available, so bows were the best investment in terms of hunting days, but then it became even moreso a few years back when they changed the season definitions to allow archery equipment during all seasons.

Then a couple years ago they approved Xbows during rifle season, and now for 2014, Xbows qualify as "archery equipment". So if you had ONE weapon, it should be a bow or xbow, as you could hunt every day of the season. ML's only get 14 extra days of season over centerfire firearms, and again, bows are legal equipment during those weeks too. Of course, you get a lot more range with the ML than the bow for those 2wks, but in general, those 2wks also fall before "pre-rut" starts, so things are dead everywhere anyway.

I own ML's, sidelock, inline, and flintlock even. I can't tell you the last time I shot the flintlock or sidelock, seems like the flintlock was before I met my wife 5yrs ago. I hunt the inline occasionally, usually just in doe-only season during the first week or two of January about every other or every 3rd year. I don't have anything against ML's I guess I'm not romanced by muzzle loaders, so logically, it makes a lot more sense to me, if you're spending money, to increase your huntable days. Xbow, compound bow, even recurve bow would do that.