My sentiment exactly.

I got into it for the extra two weeks and the fact that the rut seems to coincide with the ML season. Now I am increasingly using my Omega during regular firearms season. I'll likely never completely give up my .308 Sako (my Dad's) but I find the one shot mentality along with forever searching for the "perfect load" combination appeals to me.

That being said, I know plenty of hunters that picked up a ML solely for the extra time in the woods and never got beyond the "2-3 pellets and a Power Belt and yer good to go" mindset. Nothing wrong with that.

i know some shoot muzzle loaders just to extend their season but for me, its an addiction and a very challenging way to hunt. A centerfire just doesnt get me pumped up and feeling good the way the smoke pole does. my brother in law often uses only a centerfire and so im next to him with my muzzle loader and him going, You aint going to get in range of anything! They've already been hunted to hard and are spooked!

My experience -- Drawbacks are:
Loading is more complex than a cartridge rifle or shotgun.
Not as consitent grouping as smokless due to slight variances in powder burning and bullet seating.
Top limit on range is, for me , 150-165 yards(In line) ... 75 yards (Round Ball-Cap Lock)
Relatively easy to experience hang fire due to contamination of either or both the primer and powder, especially in wet weathwer.
Usually one shot and only one shot.
Smoke can often obscure whcih where the critter went after being hit.

But the fun is in the challenge. Especially when I use my Lyman "Plainsman".

Pros:
You can reload without buying any reloading equipment.
One shot makes you a better hunter.
Guns should blow lots of smoke.

Cons:

????

Completely agree! Dropping a deer at 200+ yards with a 30-06 is not hunting IMHO - that is target shooting.

When it comes to guns if you like to tinker and experiment you may like muzzle loaders(MLers). We are all about trying new things to see what the effect will be.

IMO if you reload centerfires then MLers are the next step. Now you can tailor your loads at the range without loading up a batch of cases just to find they are too hot or shoot like bovine excrement.

Well said! It is just like traditional reloading. You have to play with different combinations of components to see what it "likes to eat".

Thats my feeling, also I equate it to archery hunting you have to get more involved and up closer if you score you truly deserve it

I started with flintlocks back in the 70s...I'm also a huge history buff and grew up hunting so it just was natural for me to want to hunt with a flintlock...Through the years I have built my own flinter, put together an outfit from the American Revolution and given and attended many talks on Colonial America...Kids love these talks and you are teaching them history...At the end of the talk, I always give them a demonstration of how to load and fire a flintlock...They scream with joy and beg me to do it again...

I've also had a young fellow that remembered my talk from years ago...He built a .40 caliber flintlock and hunts with it...He just got back fom a tour in Afghanistan as a sniper...Currently he is in training to be a game warden...

Also, as mentioned...I have a few pounds of powder on hand, I have a hundred flints I bought back in the 80s...I make my own balls from free lead, buy ticking in bulk for patches and make my own patch lube...Shooting is very cheap when you go that way...

That's what I love about muzzleloading...I've been doing it for over 35 years and still remember the first shot I took with a muzzleloader...You can also grow and get just as deeply into it as you want, there are few limitations...