'MeatEater': Steven struggles to make his muzzleloader work, will this affect his hunt for Colorado elk?

Steven Rinella is known for coming back home with a good hunt and in the season premiere of 'MeaEater', he decided to hunt for Colorado elk in the San Juan Mountains. The mountains are known to be the home for many Colorado elks and are often the ground for many hunters. 

Despite having a good number of elks running in the wild, the authority does not allow a lot of hunters to come in. The selection for people who are allowed to try their luck at hunting an elk is decided by a lucky draw system. While anyone can put their name in the lottery, only 50 people are given a chance to come and hunt for the elks. 

If one is lucky, their name would come out in the first try and they would not have to wait for another lottery round to come by. At the same time, the authorities have imposed certain rules about the type of tool used to hunt the elk. Steven pointed out that only classic iron sights can be used and no telescopic rifle scopes are allowed. 

While he had the right tool for the shooting, Steven noticed that one of the pieces in his muzzleloader had been missing. He pointed out that although the piece is small, it has a crucial role to play in hunting. Luckily, he managed to find the missing piece and get his journey started. Even though Steven felt a setback at first, he knew that the only way to have a good hunt is by going forward and not thinking about what may happen. 

To make sure he had the right spot for hunting elk, Steven climbed nearly 12,000 feet above sea level. He noticed that he was getting out of breath and admitted that after a certain about, the ability of a human to perform reduces if they reach a height that is different than the normal. Despite this, his determination to hunt an elk made him go on. As he reached higher ground, he made use of a cow calling tool in a bid to catch the attention of the elks. He knew he was getting close when he noticed their footprints on the ground. Unfortunately, his first attempt did not yield any results. 

He then went on to different areas of the mountain and looked for places where he thought that the elk might have rested. As he was walking by, Steven noticed an elk that had been standing alone. He thought it was the best chance to take a shot. However, he knew there was a risk involved as a potential miss could mean the elk running away. 

Despite this, he took a chance and shot fire. While the elk was injured, it needed a second shot to be completely dead. Unfortunately, as Steven tried to reload his gun, the elk saw this as a chance to escape. In a matter of split seconds, Steven managed to lose his elk. He felt guilty about making his shot go to waste. However, he hoped that the meat of the elk would be of use to other wild animals, if not him. 

'MeatEater' is now streaming on Netflix.