% of traditional muzzleloader hunters?

[Vaino]

The unmentionable MLers as far as this Forum is concerned are used by OK guys....you'd think from some remarks that they're sub-human or worse.

Our elk camp usually had 5 hunters and the type of rifle used wasn't even discussed and yes, some were at times the "unmentionables".

We went MLer elk hunting to hunt....Fred

 

[Howie1968]

Where i live i dont know of anyone except for me, they choose the other style when our muzzleloader season is here. ive been in the woods alot and never seen a single person carrying a traditional muzzleloader. For some reason its not popular around here

 

[George]

Skychief, I checked the total harvest numbers for whitetail in Kentucky for 2015, based on our call-in Tele-Check system of reporting. Of all deer killed by firearms, 15% were taken by muzzleloaders of all types. For 2014 it was 14%, for 2013 it was 15%, so that seems about average.

Spence

 

[George]

According to figures from QDMA for 2012 & 2013, 13% of deer killed were by muzzleloader.

Spence

 

[larry wv]

Any bets on the % of center fire kills on the call-in Tele-Check system of reporting. We have that in Wv now. It is a unlawful hunters wet dream.

Larry

 

[Stumpkiller]

Traditional during m/l season or traditional during regular season?

I'd say 0.10% and 0.0005% respectively.

 

[Eric Krewson]

I hunt a couple of management areas that have sign in permits before a two day gun hunt. There are usually 100 to 200 hunters on these hunts. If there is another flintlock or BP shooter in attendance other than myself I haven't heard of them and I am good friends with the area manager. We always have a chat when I pick up my permit, I show him my gun if I have something he hasn't seen. No mention of other weirdos like myself from him and he checks every one in.

 

[robinsroost]

One of my neighbors hunts with a .50 caliber inline, with traditional non-adjustable iron sights, loaded with 3Fg black powder, a patched round ball, and fired with a #11 percussion cap. He is almost there with us, LOL.......robin :hmm:

 

[robinsroost]

One of my neighbors hunts with a .50 caliber inline, with traditional non-adjustable iron sights, loaded with 3Fg black powder, a patched round ball, and fired with a #11 percussion cap. He is almost there with us, LOL.......robin :hmm:

 

[Patocazador]

I personally know 4 people who hunt with sidelocks during our short muzzleloading season. That's the only time they use them.

I used my .45 flintlock at a local public hunt area. Everyone crowded around like I was an 18 y.o. naked woman to see the oddball gun. :shocked2:
Trouble is I missed a 7-point with it earlier when I had a hangfire.

 

[sidelock]

Years ago I was camped in the George Washington NF in VA waiting for deer season opening the next day. Late in the day I was loading my .50 TC when a close camping neighbor saw me and commented "what you goin to do with that thing". This is my deer rifle I'm huntin with. About 10 am next day I killed a very nice 8 pointer and when I brought it into camp my camping neighbor pitched a fit, saying they ought to outlaw such (%!&%) in the woods. He went home empty handed !!!!!!

 

[Lonegun1894]

I have one local friend and one a few State-lines over that hunt with MLs, but all 3 of us use moderns also when needed. As far as others in my area, other than the one friend I mentioned, I have not seen a single other hunter hunting with a side lock of any kind. I have no clue how many people have tried shooting my various cap and flint guns at the range, and there's a handful that shoot them every time we run into each other at the range, and they keep saying they will get one to hunt with, but they have been saying the same thing for years now, so I'm not holding my breath.

 

[Cowboy]

I belong to a private shooting club of 230 members. Been with this club for 10 years now. I can honestly say that I am definitely the only one who shoots traditional muzzleloader's.

Used to get alot of attention from the others whenever they'd see me and my muzzleloader's I'd bring. Now not so much. They're use to seeing me and my guns. So I can say without a doubt, I am 1 out of 230 people.

Some have shot my muzzleloader's with me, but I have failed to spark an interest.

When Muzzleloader season starts in my area, they all show up with their unmentionable's that are all camouflaged up and have scopes as long as rolling pins. They pull out their pyrodex solid pellets and plastic/bullet combinations to load. You would think that they were a member of a Swat Team with their sniper looking muzzleloader's.

Just makes me think that Traditional Muzzleloading and BP shooting is something you have in you or you don't. It's like part of your DNA. It's something in you that can't be easily explained. You are either passionately in love with it like we are, and then they're others who could give a rats !&$+

This is why I'm so grateful for this forum and all our member's here. A place of like minded people who represent every state and other countries as well!

I thank Claude and all our moderator's for providing such a place that we can all come to.

Respectfully, Cowboy

 

[hanshi]

Back in Georgia before I moved to Va, I was known around as "that guy that hunts with flintlocks". And many of my friends hunted and used modern rifles. So the % was quite small to say the least.

 

[Skychief]

Did those Georgians ever do this ( :youcrazy: ) behind your back hanshi, that you know of?

Best regards, Skychief :haha:

 

[rushlake1]

I did the math...
wisconsin population in 2015= 5,686,986
there are 12 muzzle loader clubs in the state.
i gave each club 200 members X 12 =2400
2400 divided by 5,686,986=.00042201616 %
of that percent not sure how many actually hunt ?
The few the proud the white smoke crowd...

 

[cynthialee]

I wouldn't know but I do know that every year on the first day of muzzle loader season (we have restrictions that pretty much prohibit most in-line rifles and only traditional rifles are left) the butcher is already plugged with deer from the days hunt. Couple years ago my hunting partner and I took a deer in on day 4 of the hunt and we had a hard time finding a spot in the freezer at the butcher shop for our deer. The place was a deer apocalypse.

Around August I start to hear the occasional BP shot, followed a few minutes latter by another shot, and another. Then the next day I will hear that familiar report come from a different direction. Then come early muzzle loading season as I am sitting out doing my hunt in my spot I will hear a lone shot ring out miles away with that distinctive boom that says black powder. Someone just took a shot at a buck I think.

I don't know any traditional hunters but they are certainly out there for sure.

 

[sidelock]

If the states would nix the in lines there would be many more, but that ain't going to happen.($$$$$) There are a few on here form Montana, but I only know one other, who is known as SASQUACH who is on the TV series. He is for real folks owns a ranch a few miles from me and hunts somewhere every day with a TC cap lock.

 

[Onojutta]

Here in PA, I can't tell you how many times I have heard "you can't kill a deer with a flintlock". Many believe they are too unreliable and too inaccurate. I wonder how they think it was done 200 years ago.

Our late season is limited to flintlocks, no percussion guns. There is also an early antlerless muzzleloader season in October when any type of muzzleloader can be used, commonly referred to as "in-line" season, and as you might expect the in-lines are far more popular. There used to only be the flintlock season, and the Game Commission's intent of that was to provide for a primitive hunting experience. From my prospective, the "in-line" season is a bastardization of the original intent in which the Game Commission succumbed to lobbying pressure by the gun manufacturers by providing a technicality to allow modern firearms (in-lines) to be used instead, which was also justified as a way to increase license sales.

I'm just glad that the in-lines haven't encroached upon our late primitive season, but I fear that day may come as the Game Commission continues to look for ways to reverse the trend in declining license sales.

But for now the positive part is that the few of us who are dedicated to using our flintlocks (and know how to kill deer with them) have the woods to ourselves for two and half weeks after Christmas each year.