When it comes to the quest for North America's record-book trophies, the whitetail may be one of the easiest to get.

When a hunter has hunted for, and taken, one example of every big game animal that can be hunted in North America, he will have taken what is variously called the North American Slam, North American 30 (the number changes as species are listed or delisted) or the Super Slam.

But when a hunter has taken a record-book-qualifying animal of each North American big game species, he will have completed the Ultimate Slam. While there are at least a thousand rifle hunters who've taken the Super Slam, the late Basil Bradbury, former editor of HUNTING, is the only hunter to complete the Ultimate Slam with a rifle.

Likely his feat will never be matched; Basil killed at least one animal of each species that was large enough to qualify for the prestigious Boone & Crockett record book. To date, no hunter has taken the Super Slam or the Ultimate Slam with a muzzleloader, although yours truly needs only a Roosevelt elk and Rocky Mountain bighorn to complete both.

The great thing about trying to complete any of the "slams" is that hunting the high and low corners and the farthest reaches of the continent gives one a unique perspective. Some animals are just plain tough to hunt with a muzzleloader--if for no other reason than the huge expense involved with getting a tag; a desert sheep tag for example can cost upwards of $50,000. Cost aside, there are some animals that are tougher to hunt than others.

The Toughest
The animal that pushed the capabilities of my muzzleloader and myself to the edge wasn't the largest, meanest or fastest animal--it was the Coues deer, the smallest. These smoky-colored wraiths exist in some kind of third dimension that only perseverance can penetrate. It took me two hunts and 13 hard hunting days to catch one close enough and unawares enough to shoot. It wasn't largest Coues deer in the world, and I'll be going back to Old Mexico some day to look for a larger one, but it did make the muzzleloader record book.

Of course, getting within shooting distance of coveted game doesn't come into play until after you've located what you're looking for, and some animals are harder to come by than others.

My vote for most difficult animal of all to find is an old, trophy-class male grizzly bear. Such an animal might be 30 years old and is more at home in the darkest recesses of this continent than the devil himself. Old boar grizzlies don't go nocturnal, they are nocturnal. To date, I've taken three with a muzzleloader, but none would classify as a true trophy--despite more than 80 days of searching.

Polar bear hunting ranks right up there among the most grueling adventures I've ever experienced. The elemental conditions alone--and the tedium of riding a dog sled day after day--make the hunt even tougher than you might imagine. Mind you, the hunt doesn't always have to be a long, drawn-out affair--like mine was--but when you choose to be selective, you greatly increase the odds that your polar bear hunt will turn into an ordeal. Just knowing that many polar bears are taken when they come right into camp to eat the hunter and his Inuit guides adds to the degree of difficulty.

The Easiest
Believe it or not, my vote for easiest of the big game species to hunt with a muzzleloader is the whitetail deer. Any decent whitetail area will hold bucks of the class needed to qualify for the record book--if that is the hunter's goal. Once the hunter is in a good area, it's just a matter of spending the time.

Caribou, by their very nature, are another easy animal to find and take with a muzzleloader. When you're in a good area and the herds are migrating, the problem isn't finding big-enough caribou but judging overall antler quality. Caribou aren't exactly known for their sagacity, so take your time looking 'em over.

Many muzzleloader hunters, including myself, consider antelope to be the right up there among the easier animals to hunt--never mind the potential for long-distance shooting. It only took me about five minutes to get a good one.

Nevertheless, the fact remains that muzzleloader hunters, like all hunters, will find that any species of game can be tough to hunt once you get selective. The big ones rarely come easy.