Sorry Davey, this probably won't help much on how to get them in but another possible lesson or 2 learned. Going back probably 30+ years ago I get drawn for my 1st muzzleloader tag and order a CVA 209 muzzleloader, go out and get really comfortable with shooting it and season rolls around and out hunting I go. A very cold December morning maybe 0-5 deg and windchills in the negative. I have a doe in estrus call flip can and a grunt tube. Know nothing about using them but away I go. Get set up on a ridge on the river bottoms overlooking a big flat of willows below and out about 200-300 yards I see a very very decent 4 X4 working thru the willows and hit the doe in estrus can and he stops in his tracks. I am thinking ahhhh got a chance to get him in and about 1 minute later hit it again and he starts the loop to circle downwind and start coming in. As he goes into a thicker set of willows, I hit the buck grunt, and he is coming in on a string. I sit and wait about 8-10 minutes later he is 30 yards below me and I take aim and pull the trigger feeling very confident of the situation. All I get is a light click and nothing, recycle the bolt 3 times and same result. Buck is looking at me the whole time and pretty sure he had a smile on his face. Finally, out of boredom he walks away. Dejected I head back to truck pull the bolt from muzzleloader and set on dash with heater running. A few minutes later throw bolt back into muzzy and aim out into open, pull trigger and BOOM. Now head home totally dejected and start looking at muzzy and upon taking bolt apart find it full of cosmoline grease and in the cold grease was too stiff to allow spring to fire the firing pin hard enough to ignite primer. After a good cleaning back out the next day muzzy fired just fine in subzero weather. A day I will never forget. Lessons for me that day completely clean even a new weapon top to bottom. And I believe there is a 2nd rut sometime in December for does that weren't breed or didn't take in 1st rut so don't be afraid to try same November rut tactics in December. May my folies be you chuckle for the day.