Earlier this year, we covered several articles regarding Montana’s new muzzleloader season. In a meeting on August 20th, The Fish and Wildlife Commission has finalized the new season rules.
These final rules and season information all started back in the early 2021 Legislative Session. During that Session, House Bill 242 was passed. HB242 instructed the Commission to establish a nine-day muzzleloader heritage hunting season. This season will be for both deer and elk. For 2021, the season will run from Dec. 11th to Dec. 19th. As a result of HB242, the Commission has now finalized and adopted new rules and regulations. Below we will list these regulations.
New Muzzleloader Season Rules
- Hunters can use plain lead projectiles and a muzzleloading rifle that is charged with loose black powder, loose Pyrodex, or an equivalent loose black powder substitute and ignited by a flintlock, wheel lock, matchlock, or percussion mechanism using a percussion or musket cap.
- During the muzzleloader season, hunters may not use a muzzleloading rifle that requires insertion of a cap or primer into the open breach of the barrel (inline), is capable of being loaded from the breech, or is mounted with an optical magnification device.
- The muzzleloading rifle must be a minimum of .45 caliber and may not have more than two barrels.
- Use of preprepared paper or metallic cartridges, sabots, gas checks, or other similar power and range-enhancing manufactured loads that enclose the projectile from the rifling or bore of the firearm is also prohibited.
- A person may take a deer or elk with a license or permit that is still valid at the end of the general hunting season.
You can read our other articles covering this new muzzleloader season by clicking here and here. Likewise, you can read more about the muzzleloader rules by checking out the FWP website by clicking here.
