Strategies for Muzzleloader season

[buckchaser]

This will be my first muzzleloader season. I am hunting a huge area of Crown land in Eastern/Central Ontario that I also hunt during the rifle season. I am very familiar with hunting this area during the rut period, but this will be my first attempt in late season. What sort of strategies have others used in similar areas during the late season? Do folks find that mature bucks have returned to the summer/early fall range? Hunting food sources (areas of woody browse, mast) the way to go?

[GW11]

Just stick to the same good spots that you use during the rifle season. You'll be amazed at how much rutting activity is going on at this time of year. The "second rut" is starting and bucks are still chasing does. I tend to see more of this going on in early December than I would see in early November around here.

The biggest buck I ever saw with my own eyes on the hoof was chasing does on December 8th a few years back. Had the crossbow in my hands and never got a shot.