Muzzleloaders are harder to use. You get extra challenge this way, and give the deer a chance. (There isn't much of a chance with .30-06 at 50 yards.)
You can also have an extra week or two of hunting if you use a muzzleloader. Bow hunters get even more time.
And it's open season year-round if you use your car.
“So what’s wrong with having a real gun?”..
Muzzle loaders ARE real guns, just single shots. They have been around longer than modern day firearms and will do exactly what they are intended to do in the hands of someone who respects them. Shooting ones toe off is not on the “intended use” list however.
“Muzzleloaders are harder to use. You get extra challenge this way, and give the deer a chance. (There isn’t much of a chance with .30-06 at 50 yards.)”
Here in Ohio it is shotgun with slugs, muzzleloaders or bow. No rifles. And yes, the season is longer with muzzleloader or bow.