Don’t know if this has been polled before but a recent change of opinion (mine) made me curious how many shoot with open sights versus scope.

My take – I got into muzzleloading about four years ago to take advantage of the VA ML season, which usually coincides with the rut. Got hooked and now am using the ML for most of the regular season as well. My only ML gun is an Omega X7, which comes standard with a Williams peep sight. At first I mounted a scope to figure out loads and build confidence. In the off season I practiced a fair amount with the peeps. Finally last year I took off the scope and went “old school.” Did fairly well. I limited my range and passed on quite a few shots that I would of taken with the scope on. Still filled the freezer.

This year went pretty good as well, until about a month ago. I was at my favorite stand for about two hours when a tight group of 4 – 5 does came over the ridge. They somewhat skirted my stand but I waited for an opening and took the lead doe. Only about a 40 yard shot. Smoke cleared and some of the does still hung around. As it was not a DRT, I could not tell which doe was mine, assuming she did not bolt. Reloaded, and waited a bit, then packed up to check the impact area. When I got there, there was a fair amount of blood and I started tracking.

Long story short, I could not recover this deer. 2 ½ hours later with dark coming on, it was pretty clear I was pushing the doe, so I marked the last blood and packed it in, to try again in the morning. In the morning I could not find any more blood from my last point after another two hours. I was also trespassing since my stand was near the edge of the property I was hunting. I was pretty bummed. I don’t know for sure what happend with my shot, I can only guess I hit a twig or something. I should have said earlier, all my hunting is in pretty heavy brush.

With the scope back on, yesterday I took what was for me, a pretty good shot. Through lots of brush (same stand), I threaded the needle to hit a deer high shoulder, just where I wanted (did not want the deer to run). DRT. Whille dressing the deer, I was thinking that I never would of/could of taken this shot without a scope. Not because of distance (65 yards), but what may have looked like a clean shot open sights, revealed a ton of small twigs in the way when using a scope.

So I’ve concluded that as long as I am hunting heavy woods, the scope stays on. What’s your take?

My hunting is probably 80-90% with scopes. I do use one of the sidelocks with peep sights for several hunts each year "just because" (feels cool to take a deer that way). For me, iron sights usually mean 75 yards or less and any shots beyond that are passed unless conditions are absolutely perfect - relaxed animal/clear shot/very good rest.

I use a scope, only because of the wide open terrain i have to hunt.

Here we must use iron sights during our muzzle loader season. For this reason, i use my muzzle loader during our rifle seasons. Using a muzzle loader with a scope mounted is so very much fun for me. Because i cannot focus on the front sight, Using iron sights isn't very much fun for me. Wishing i could use a scope during our muzzle loader season, has not kept me from hunting. What i do is squint the front sight from looking like an hour glass to looking round; squeeze the trigger. It kinda always surprises me when i kill a deer whilst hunting the muzzle loader season.

Open sights for me due to our laws.

Open sights with my flintlocks and a Leupold on my Knight...

After cataract surgery in July and August it might be scopes from now on...

I have both kinds of rifles, and use what ever suits my fancy that day. Where I hunt, either work fine. But in all honestly.. I feel much better armed with a scoped muzzleloader.

With my vision I like using a scope but during muzzleloader season I have to use open sights. I practice with both. When I shoot open sights I do better with peep sights.

Im kinda surprised that more would'nt use a scope if they were allowed. I mean open sights are ok for some shots but would'nt one want to be as percise as possible when shooting at game.
I'd be lost now if I could'nt use a scope, the use of a scope has upped my game harvest and made me a better hunter.
Ever since we were allowed to use a scope for MLing Season it made me throw out the idea of ever uning a shotgun or rifle ever again. I only use open sights if it's really super cold out and I get excited and fog over the scope with my panting over the big buck in my sights or if it's snowing so hard that I cant keep my scope clear even with scope caps, then Im glad to have open sights just in case. I use high basc see thru scope mounts, Im sighted in both for scope and open sights, but use open sights less than 1% of the time.
(BP)

Gotta use a scope with my eyes.