Hunting question

[tom duffy]

New guy here, Hi.
I want to try muzzleloader next year for deer. I currently use a bow and I want to extend my season. I do not have a FID card which is required for shotgun. So I cannot use a shotgun at this time.
I learned all about my states Muzzleloader restrictions for deer.(Massachusetts) So as I also like to hunt turkey. (Tough with a bow) I figured I would ask the state if I can use a muzzleloader to shoot a turkey.
They replied that as long as it's a Smoothbore I can hunt turkey. I have no idea what that means.
Could someone explain that to me? Also is there an inline modern smoothbore?
Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[Rebel]

You mean to tell me that you have to have some kind of card to be able to have a black powder shotgun in Kennedyville? That's terrible. Yes there are some of what you asked about but we don't discuss them on this sight. It is for Traditional MLers only. Ohh, and a smoothbore is a shotgun.

 

[Slamfire]

At this forum we will discuss, matchlocks, wheelocks, flintlocks and percussion sidelocks, underhammers, and/or mule ears. We won't discuss the modern inlines, there are however, plenty of sites that do. :winking:
Smoothbores, are any of the above lock styles without rifling. Common ones are 12, 20 and 28 gauge, although you'll find some other, strange sounding bores like 14s, etc., also. Searching through the back pages in this forum, will give you a good grounding, and we'll be happy to answer any questions you may have to the best of our ability. :v

 

[szihn]

I mean no offence, but in total honisty, the best advice I can give is:

Move out of that communist "country" and into the United States of America!
(which Mass. has stopped being a part of)

 

[crgabel]

:rotf: :rotf: :rotf:

 

[TANSTAAFL]

New guy here, Hi.
I want to try muzzleloader next year for deer. I currently use a bow and I want to extend my season. I do not have a FID card which is required for shotgun. So I cannot use a shotgun at this time.
I learned all about my states Muzzleloader restrictions for deer.(Massachusetts) So as I also like to hunt turkey. (Tough with a bow) I figured I would ask the state if I can use a muzzleloader to shoot a turkey.
They replied that as long as it's a Smoothbore I can hunt turkey. I have no idea what that means.
Could someone explain that to me? Also is there an inline modern smoothbore?
Thanks in advance for the help.

Welcome to the board tduffy, stick around and ask questions, you will get lots of info. Guys and gals here are always ready to answer to best of their ability.

One cardinal rule, we don't talk inlines here, well, we do talk them down.:winking:

Plenty of muzzleloading smoothbores (shotguns) around. If you look on a modern box of shotgun shells, it gives the powder load on many, as being of drams equivalent. This merely means that the smokeless powder load approximates a given amount of black powder to achieve the same velocity. So with a ML smoothbore, you are not under powered for the one (or two for a double) shot you are taking.

The beauty of ML smoothbores, is one can custom tailor each and every load. For quail, one might use less powder and shot, for turkey you could really increase the load. Or, the smoothbore with patched round balls is a fine deer or big game gun, limited only by your accuracy ability at a given range.

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

You can buy a muzzleloading firearm in Massachusetts without an F.I.D. You can hunt turkey and other gamebirds with a smoothbore flint or percussion gun. In fact, with the right smoothbore, you could do all of your hunting with one gun. I would suggest at least 20 gauge or better. You can't use a rifle for turkeys, but that really isn't a problem. I think you asked about turkey hunting with a frontloader and they said that you could, so go for it. And good luck.

 

[Vairochana]

Hey man, in Australia a rifled muzzleloader is treated the same as a centrefire

 

[CoyoteJoe]

Sorry to hear that mate, but you should have taken Mathew Quiggly's advise and "shipped your undesirables back to England". Maybe it's not too late. :grin:

 

[Greenmtnboy]

Hay tduffy welcome to the REAL fun world of traditional muzzleloading.
sorry to hear you are governed by a bunch of nonfreedom massholes :cursing:
I grew up in VT where we could carry any dang gun we wanted any dang time we wanted, if you are gonna stay back east you should move north where they still belive in the constition, you sound like a damn fine lad who deserves his rights as redblooded american. No disrespect to Mass it's not you it's your government.
This is how I turkey hunt. It's fun and very!! effective.
goodluck
:hatsoff:

 

[TANSTAAFL]

Good pic and great example for a neophyte to the sport to strive for.

 

[tom duffy]

I mean no offence, but in total honisty, the best advice I can give is:

Move out of that communist "country" and into the United States of America!
(which Mass. has stopped being a part of)

Mr. Zihn I can't agree with you more. Especially with the election we just had. I am screwed. And to think I thought I had it bad in RI? lol
I just moved here. Beleieve me I take no offence.
I already got offended by my fellow citizens that voted this new governer in.
(Sry for the politics moderators.)

 

[tom duffy]

Hay tduffy welcome to the REAL fun world of traditional muzzleloading.
sorry to hear you are governed by a bunch of nonfreedom massholes :cursing:
I grew up in VT where we could carry any dang gun we wanted any dang time we wanted, if you are gonna stay back east you should move north where they still belive in the constition, you sound like a damn fine lad who deserves his rights as redblooded american. No disrespect to Mass it's not you it's your government.
This is how I turkey hunt. It's fun and very!! effective.
goodluck
:hatsoff:

That is a nice bird you got there. thanks for the post.
Unfortuately My family and my wifes family roots are very deep round here. So I'm stuck for a bit. lol
Mr. Frizzen and the rest of you fine gentlmen. I thak you for the info, very helpful.
I do believe I'm a gonna look into a flintlock they are some nice lookin guns. And it looks like a lot of fun

Thanks again I'll bee talkin.


Tom Duffy
A republican trapped in Massachusetts.

 

[bob308]

well there is still one way to do it. get a pa. hunter in precussion in .50 cal for deer. then get a shotgun barrel for it for birds and small game. you could use ant other rifle that has an easy to change barrel.

 

[J.M.]

Hi tduffy, I too am trapped behind enemy lines in Mass, with no sign of rescue in sight! I am pretty sure you can get a muzzleloader without an FID, but I dont think you can buy any components (powder, caps etc) without one. You might want to check into it before you go too far down the road on this.

 

[tom duffy]

Hey J.M nice to meet someone who is feeling the same pain as me lol
Actually I was concerned about getting ammo and powder.I have been doing a lot of reading about these tiresome regs in MA. I do live on the RI border. I need to look into buying the stuff there. However can I get the stuff shipped to me from the phone or the internet? I could use my family's address in RI if I had to. Thanks.

PS Moderator, if I'm butchering this on the wrong forum please let me know or feel free to move it., I can go to the proper forum on this site.

 

[tom duffy]

well there is still one way to do it. get a pa. hunter in precussion in .50 cal for deer. then get a shotgun barrel for it for birds and small game. you could use ant other rifle that has an easy to change barrel.

Not a bad idea. Is that gun still in production?
I did consider a gun with two different barrels. But if it came down to it, I would get the turkey gun first. I love callin those damm birds. I'm new at it. But i love it.

 

[J.M.]

I dont know about R.I., laws but there is a shop in R.I. where I have gotten black powder. I think the key is figuring out if you need a card to have it or not, which I dont know. Getting a card is pretty easy anyway, just call your local P.D.

 

[TANSTAAFL]

Hey J.M nice to meet someone who is feeling the same pain as me lol
Actually I was concerned about getting ammo and powder.I have been doing a lot of reading about these tiresome regs in MA. I do live on the RI border. I need to look into buying the stuff there. However can I get the stuff shipped to me from the phone or the internet? I could use my family's address in RI if I had to. Thanks.

PS Moderator, if I'm butchering this on the wrong forum please let me know or feel free to move it., I can go to the proper forum on this site.

I understand there are several ML organizations there in MA. (I know at one time the importer for Pedersoli was there, but think I heard he went south to another clime) Do some investigating, find one or more, and I am sure they are up on regs and would be more than happy to answer your questions. :v

 

[DrTimboone]

Well, after seeing your pic I am really upset that we don't have a fall turkey season here in GA. I have to wait til March to try my new fowler.

What turkey hunting tips can you share??