Why does man do anything dangerous, to test himself. If, as Capstick amd Ruark say, "something earned the hard way is something of value", then what truer test than to hunt dangerous game with a muzzleloader? You don't have to be stupid about it. Use enough gun and proper shooting style and it is not a stunt but a test of skill and nerve. I've seen the videos of the buff that gets hit and goes down then gets back up and takes 5 more rounds. The one I'm mentioning took six rounds from what looked like a 375 H&H. It is my personel opinion, that the hunter was a lousy shot and the rounds never hit vital areas. An 8 bore using hard round balls in the boiler maker would have nailed that buff to the ground. And thats an 8 bore double with another matched 8 bore double in reserve. Four rounds from an 8 bore should stop any critter on earth. I believe a 12 bore could perform very well, but an 8 bore would be safer.

IMHO,
Colorado