woodmaster62
32 Cal.
- Joined
- Sep 6, 2005
- Messages
- 31
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Hey All! :hatsoff:
Just food for thought, and maybe some of you have run into this yourselves.
I recently took my ten year old son to take a Ohio State Hunters Education Class at my local fish and game club. Now I have to admit it wasn't my idea of a good time and my son is a bit shy around strangers, but since it's the law around these parts these days, mom and I decided it was time to have him take the class. Parents are to attend so off my boy and I went.
We had a 3 hour class on a friday night, and an 8hour class saturday. I had told him beforehand that he would be a bit different than other kids that might be there because he shoots a 50 cal CVA Youth Muzzleloader. I had grandfathered into the hunting hunting licence system without testing but said sure about takeing the test my self.
The class had older and younger guys some with kids and some of the men just getting their licence for the first time. We went over shotgun and rifle design, usage and saftey first. He had a rifle and a shotgun to look over. Then we hit on muzzleloaders.
While the teacher was probably the 50-60 range (a retired policeman) and seemed very knowlegable on the class, the muzzleloader he presented to us was a Thompson Center Contender muzzleloader. While it was a beautiful gun with a thumbhole stock and scope it was AN INLINE. I guess it bothered me when he presented it as THE MUZZLELOADER it just kind of hit me wrong. He said the gun was todays muzzleloader, and the old style was no longer used much. Now I didn't quite agree with some of the things he had said so far I had kept my thoughts to my self. But when my son asked me was that really a muzzleloader I just couldn't help my self.
I told the teacher about some of the folks that I have been with here and there with period style muzzloaders and that they were definately still in use. I then told him about my Great Plains 50 cal capper and my sons 50 cal CVA Youth Model capper. He seemed a little surprised and seemed doubtful about my sons gun usage of a 50 cal muzzleloader. So after the friday class, I asked the teacher if he would like me to bring my boys gun with us the next day and he said sure.
So the next morning we took the Great Plains, the Youth Model, and I borrowed my bro-in-law's Traditions flinter. We also took my possibles bag and my powderhorn. The teacher had also brought a TC capper with a scope. There seemed to be a lot of surprised faces-kids and grownups. So then I ended up in front of the class demonstrating the REAL MUZZLELOADERS. I showed my horn and the teacher seemed surprised when I told him we used real blackpowder and that we shot patched roundballs. He seemed very surprised that we didn't shoot mini or maxi balls or sabots. I told him if I couldn't get my target at 40-50 yards I would probably hold the shot anyways since we used iron sights. I then had to show all the stuff in my possible bag and again had some "what is that thing" comments. I was probably up a half hour, but it seemed like hours.
Some of the class looked at the guns at break time and a few questions were asked. Most of the grownups seemed more interested in the inline but some did ask where you could get ones like ours.
I was surprised that the teacher did thank us for bringing the guns out to show as usually most people only asked about inlines. I just wish I could have talked my bro-in-law into letting me borrow his fowler flintlock instead of the Traditions flinter. I just hope we planted some seeds of thought.
And we did both pass the test. 99% for me and 100% for him.
Have a good one!! :thumbsup:
grumpy bear
Just food for thought, and maybe some of you have run into this yourselves.
I recently took my ten year old son to take a Ohio State Hunters Education Class at my local fish and game club. Now I have to admit it wasn't my idea of a good time and my son is a bit shy around strangers, but since it's the law around these parts these days, mom and I decided it was time to have him take the class. Parents are to attend so off my boy and I went.
We had a 3 hour class on a friday night, and an 8hour class saturday. I had told him beforehand that he would be a bit different than other kids that might be there because he shoots a 50 cal CVA Youth Muzzleloader. I had grandfathered into the hunting hunting licence system without testing but said sure about takeing the test my self.
The class had older and younger guys some with kids and some of the men just getting their licence for the first time. We went over shotgun and rifle design, usage and saftey first. He had a rifle and a shotgun to look over. Then we hit on muzzleloaders.
While the teacher was probably the 50-60 range (a retired policeman) and seemed very knowlegable on the class, the muzzleloader he presented to us was a Thompson Center Contender muzzleloader. While it was a beautiful gun with a thumbhole stock and scope it was AN INLINE. I guess it bothered me when he presented it as THE MUZZLELOADER it just kind of hit me wrong. He said the gun was todays muzzleloader, and the old style was no longer used much. Now I didn't quite agree with some of the things he had said so far I had kept my thoughts to my self. But when my son asked me was that really a muzzleloader I just couldn't help my self.
I told the teacher about some of the folks that I have been with here and there with period style muzzloaders and that they were definately still in use. I then told him about my Great Plains 50 cal capper and my sons 50 cal CVA Youth Model capper. He seemed a little surprised and seemed doubtful about my sons gun usage of a 50 cal muzzleloader. So after the friday class, I asked the teacher if he would like me to bring my boys gun with us the next day and he said sure.
So the next morning we took the Great Plains, the Youth Model, and I borrowed my bro-in-law's Traditions flinter. We also took my possibles bag and my powderhorn. The teacher had also brought a TC capper with a scope. There seemed to be a lot of surprised faces-kids and grownups. So then I ended up in front of the class demonstrating the REAL MUZZLELOADERS. I showed my horn and the teacher seemed surprised when I told him we used real blackpowder and that we shot patched roundballs. He seemed very surprised that we didn't shoot mini or maxi balls or sabots. I told him if I couldn't get my target at 40-50 yards I would probably hold the shot anyways since we used iron sights. I then had to show all the stuff in my possible bag and again had some "what is that thing" comments. I was probably up a half hour, but it seemed like hours.
Some of the class looked at the guns at break time and a few questions were asked. Most of the grownups seemed more interested in the inline but some did ask where you could get ones like ours.
I was surprised that the teacher did thank us for bringing the guns out to show as usually most people only asked about inlines. I just wish I could have talked my bro-in-law into letting me borrow his fowler flintlock instead of the Traditions flinter. I just hope we planted some seeds of thought.
And we did both pass the test. 99% for me and 100% for him.
Have a good one!! :thumbsup:
grumpy bear
