Fire Danger?

[Flinty Scot]

I wouldn't do it, were I you. It can only take one spark, landing in the wrong spot, unnoticed or overlooked. Shooting at game, my attention is on it at the very time i should be checking for any sign of a moldering patch or something dry that caught a bit of muzzle excess. If that game is a deer, and doesn't drop in it's tracks, is your first instinct to scout for smoke, or trail the game?
As a former fire fighter, I'm aware of how scary fast even a small grass or undergrowth fire can spread and grow. Living in fire country, and from your question, I'd guess you do to

 

[Howard Pippin]

While experimenting with different patch lubes, I started a small grass fire with moose milk lubed patches. there had been lubed per instructions, and allowed to dry. Regardless how good it's suppose to be, I went to using MAP instead with a felt/wool wad between the powder and ball to keep the powder dry. takes a little more time to load, but seems effective. So far haven't had any wads catch on fire.
Squint

 

[toot]

you have too realize that NEWTONS LAW will allways trump the falling of burning patches. that is why I use PAPER HORNETS / WASPS nest. powder/ nest/ ball or shot/ nest. no smoldering debris on the ground.

 

[Einsiedler]

Don’t chance it. Seen it at ranges dozens of times. Literally.

We lost 2/3rds of our family ranch week before last in the East Troublesomes fire in Grand co. Colo. Thanks to prior ( and ongoing) beetle kill mitigation as well as the heroic fire fighter efforts, we only lost one structure. And that was an old horse shed.

 

[Juice Jaws]

I'm out here in CA where our woods are either on fire or soon will be. Our hunting season up in the Sierras was effectively cancelled this year due to major fires. Given the damage, I'll be surprised if I'll even be able to get a tag for the next few years.

However, I still have a late season tag for the coastal area to give me one final shot at the season. Typically, it rains just before the season opener and the humidity down in the canyon is usually high enough to prevent me from ever having much of a campfire while I'm there. But this isn't a typical year.

I'm curious how much a risk it is to be shooting off a smoke pole if we don't get some rain before the season opens. I can use a patched ball (ITX here) or a copper conical (Thor). Both shoot very well. The barrel is usually cleaner after shooting the patched ball than the conical, which makes me think it is a better burn & less likely to throw out as many sparks. But the conical doesn't have any patch to potentially smolder on the ground either.

From a fire risk standpoint, is there any reason to choose one or the other? Or is the question just me being stupid by taking a muzzleloader at all if we don't get some rain? Under such dry conditions, would it be wiser to just take the longbow?

I would not do it. Live up by Yosemite and come mid summer just don't shoot my smokepoles until the first rain comes. Just the way it is. We might get some rain and snow this weekend. Ask yourself this " DO YOU WHAT A FIRE NAME AFTER YOU "

 

[brassell31]

I almost started a fire pronghorn hunting several years ago with my flintlock. I was shooting a PRB with bore butter lube. The patch landed in tall dry grass and was starting to throw off a goodly amount of smoke before I saw it and stomped it out. First time in 35 years of shooting muzzleloaders that I ever saw this. ML hunting here in NW Colorado this year with extreme drought conditions was somewhat spooky - there is a 20,000 acre fire just 10 miles north of town (Middle Fork Fire) that started the week before ML season in September that didn't stop growing until a snowstorm cooled it down 2 weeks ago, and will not go out until the winter snows hit.

 

[Carbon 6]

Ask yourself this " DO YOU WHAT A FIRE NAME AFTER YOU "

Not to mention possible civil or criminal litigation.

 

[Zonie]

Then, there's Musketman's story about the time he was shooting his Brown Bess.

He used some hay bails as a rest as he aimed at his target. He touched her off and waited until the smoke had cleared to see where the shot hit. But, the smoke didn't clear. Much to his horror, the hay bail's were blazing merrily.

The flash out of the vent hole of a flintlock can set dry bushes alongside the shooter on fire even better than a smoldering patch on the ground can and the ignition can be almost instantaneous.

(Musketman was the first moderator here on the MLF. He did more to make the MLF what it is than anyone except Claude, the man who set up and owned the forum for years. Unfortunately Musketman passed away in 2011.)

 

[Sam squanch]

I personally know two people who accidentally set fires in drought conditions. They paid big$$$ for their stupidity. One almost did a jail term.

 

[Packrat]

Historically speaking, Admiral Nelson would not allow Marines in the so called fighting tops for danger of fire

 

[dragnetbill]

Then, there's Musketman's story about the time he was shooting his Brown Bess.

He used some hay bails as a rest as he aimed at his target. He touched her off and waited until the smoke had cleared to see where the shot hit. But, the smoke didn't clear. Much to his horror, the hay bail's were blazing merrily.

The flash out of the vent hole of a flintlock can set dry bushes alongside the shooter on fire even better than a smoldering patch on the ground can and the ignition can be almost instantaneous.

(Musketman was the first moderator here on the MLF. He did more to make the MLF what it is than anyone except Claude, the man who set up and owned the forum for years. Unfortunately Musketman passed away in 2011.)

Years ago when my Aunt/Uncle had a farm I had the bright idea of building a deer blind out of hay bales to hunt with my ML. Now I know that the next part of this story is kinda unbelieveable, but, possibly due to my procrastinating manner, it actually occured to me BEFORE building such a blind that it could end up being too hot of an idea.........

 

[Nuthatch]

Great thoughts and exactly the kind of experiences I was hoping to read about. Renegadehunter -- thanks for those pictures. While patches seem to be the more common risk, the spark show in those photos seems reason enough to tote the longbow unless we get a good soaking before Dec. Thanks, all.

 

[Nuthatch]

Just some continued info for anybody interested. I have a call out to the fire dept in the area to ask about any data they have about fuel moisture content. But I also ran across this study published by the USFS.

https://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs_other/rmrs_2009_haston_d001.pdf

The gist is that they tried to get fires started on dry paper under controlled, low humidity conditions and only managed to get any charring at all from patches. Conicals had zero charring. From the patches, mostly only dry patches smoldered. Even the anecdotal evidence of actual muzzleloaders causing fires from hunting (one or two shots vs hundreds) has been from oddball equipment, such as using paper instead of cotton or linen patches.

That being said, if we don't get a good dousing before my trip, I may still take the longbow. And if I take the muzzleloader, I may opt to carry an aerosol fire extinguisher can with me just in case. The spot is at the bottom of a lush canyon that tends to have humidity high enough that I've never managed to get much of a campfire going from what little I could scrounge around at camp after dark. And none of my clothing can dry once wet down there. But this isn't the average year and the deer aren't always at the bottom of the canyon. Again, I appreciate the input & especially the pictures.

 

[kje54]

Can you make your owned reasoned decision? That’s what counts. I would say if your the type to pick up a traditional ml, in fact even asking this question is indicative that your pretty responsible.
In over forty five years of shooting ball Ive never had a patch smolder. Well greased patch just isn’t in the barrel long enough to get hot enough to burn.
Sparks from powder could be a problem. But I’ve tried lighting a fire off of muzzle flash and have been unable to do it unless I primed the area. And that’s with the blank loaded muzzle shoved right in to the tinder nest.
That said the WTBS did set the woods on fire at Wilderness. And that was late springtime in humid Virginia.
I don’t live in California so I have no idea about the land except what I saw over thirty years ago. When we have a fire alert here I don’t shoot in the woods. But it’s often too hot anyway.
I Think you will judge the conditions and make the right decision. It never hurts to ere on the side of caution

At Civ War reenactments we were not shooting live ammo, one would hope....... When firing loose BP some is still "igniting" as it comes out the barrel and I've seen a few small fires started by BP at reenactments, in every case they were small and we were able to put them out quickly.

 

[Eterry]

In 2012 or 2013 I was a deputy sheriff in north Texas during the worst drought since the dust bowl.

A fire broke out at a hunting camp and burned thousands of acres and a few structures. I was heavily involved and did everything short of donning bunker gear.

After the bulldozers were loaded i was dispatched to the camp to take a report.

Three hunters had been practicing at a make shift range. Two had muzzle loaders, the kind we don't talk about. They each blamed the other for starting the fire.

It was fairly easy to see how a muzzle loader started the fire.
The country decided not to prosecute, the guys promised to help rebuild a barn and other buildings, but I don't know if they did.

Yes, muzzle loaders can start a fire in dry conditions.