I started shooting muzzleloaders back in the 70's. The closest thing to a persona was Fess Parker on TV. In fact, my shooting bag is the fringed bag from that time. I never got involved with the clubs and gatherings. I built my kits, shot them, and hunted with them. Info was Sam Fadala, J Wayne Fears, or a Muzzleblasts picked up from a Tandy leather store. After all those years, I started going to the shoots and gatherings a couple of years ago. I went to sign up at one and they told me I had to be in period dress to shoot. Jerry L. said he would put me in a shirt and off to the camper we went. I have the guns. I now have a shirt and a pattern to make a tunic, just to be acceptable to the people there. I have no interest in being anyone but me.
I see little difference between walking off into the woods with my scoped high tech pre-charged air rifle or with my 36 squirrel rifle. Most of what I see done for period correct is just one way to skin a cat. There are many ways. Crawl under a cedar. Cut the limbs off one side about four foot up. Tie one corner of your tarp to the trunk and stake two of the other corners as seems appropriate. Tie the other up to a limb. You now have a period correct shelter to ride a storm out in. Drop the open side and tie to the base of the tree when the weather hits. Not only will it keep ya dry, it can be really hard to find unless you know where it is. The cut branches can make a nice bed and will provide plenty of small dry tender to start a fire with when the storm is over. I am not PC I guess.
Dad bought 72 acres snuggled up to 12 sections of national forest last year. I have a base camp with a microwave and right across the road I have a trail that leads to places I have not been. I will spend a few days in there this year living on what I have with me. I will likely have boots on, since that is what I own. I will likely have trail mix instead of the more PC options. I will have a knife and a hawk. I will have a gun, whether it is the air rifle or the 36 does not really matter. I will have some fishing line and hooks. I will have a couple of pans, a tarp, a blanket, and I will have my digital camera! What I find out there does not care if I am PC or not. Anyone that wants to make a trip with me is welcome, but don't come as a PC judge. I only pass the PC test on my love of the outdoors. Heck, most of my guns are caplocks, so I must be a heathen. If a person wants to be PC, then drag a 14 pound Hawken and 100 pounds of traps into camp with you next time you go out!