CHRISTIAN BERG
The (Allentown) Morning Call
ALLENTOWN, Pa. - It's been almost 40 years since Dave Ehrig was bitten by the muzzleloading bug.
Since then, Ehrig has toted single-shot rifles across North America in pursuit of deer, caribou, elk, bear, turkey and other game species, with several record-book trophies to his credit.
Ehrig's experiences and expertise have established him as one of the nation's leading muzzleloading authorities. The Berks County resident has written six books on the subject and is a regular speaker at outdoor shows across the nation.
Despite his many accomplishments, Ehrig knows muzzleloader hunting is about the thrill of the chase, not the size of the trophy. That's why he recently helped the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association create a new program that recognizes all successful hunters, whether they bag a yearling doe or monster buck.
"When somebody shoots Mr. Colossal, it just takes on a life of its own," Ehrig said. "What we're looking at is the guys who have been overlooked for years."
The Longhunter Recognition Program is open to hunters who pursue North American big game or wild turkeys with any muzzleloading weapon, from Colonial-era flintlocks to scoped, inline rifles. For a $10 fee, successful hunters will receive a parchment certificate and species-specific, pewter pin memorializing their accomplishment in the field.
"It tells the world that they were willing to take on the challenge of hunting game like our ancestors did," Ehrig said. "It's a badge of honor."
The concept for the Longhunter Recognition Program was developed this summer after Ehrig, of Longswamp Township, was named chairman of the NMLRA's Longhunter Committee, which administers the group's Longhunter Muzzleloading Big Game Records Program.
Established in 1988, the records program keeps track of trophy big-game animals taken with muzzleloaders across North America. The program uses the same scoring system as the well-known Boone and Crockett Club, but minimum scores required for inclusion in the Longhunter record book are slightly lower because of the added challenge of hunting with a muzzleloader - a single-shot firearm that must be manually reloaded after each shot by putting gunpowder and a bullet down the barrel.
Although Ehrig personally has three Longhunter record-book entries, he wanted to do something that would have wider appeal and celebrate the muzzleloading tradition. After all, he said, most muzzleloading enthusiasts will never have the opportunity to chase Dall sheep in Alaska or caribou in the Yukon Territory.
"We just want to honor guys who are willing to accept the handicap of hunting with a single-shot weapon," Ehrig said. "We're paying attention to all hunters, not just trophy hunters."
The Longhunter Recognition Program should also boost the profile of the NMLRA, which has 22,000 dues-paying members nationwide. By contrast, there are more than 200,000 muzzleloader hunters in Pennsylvania alone and about 3 million nationwide. Photos of hunters who participate in the Longhunter Recognition Program will be featured in Muzzle Blasts, the NMLRA's monthly magazine.
Including wild turkeys in the program is another attempt to increase participation and provide a much-needed outlet for turkey hunters. Because there is no standard for scoring turkey trophies, turkey-hunting records aren't kept by Boone and Crockett, Pope & Young, or Safari Club International.
In addition to the certificate and pin provided to successful turkey hunters, the Longhunter Recognition Program will offer special, laser-engraved plaques to dedicated turkey hunters who use a muzzleloader to take three or more of the five wild turkey subspecies found in the continental United States: Eastern, Osceola, Rio Grande, Merriam's and Gould's.
"It's not easy killing any wild turkey with a muzzleloader," Ehrig said. "It won't be in the Longhunter Big Game Record Book, because there is no scoring system. But in its own way, it will be just as prestigious."
Although the program is brand new, Ehrig said trophies taken in previous years are eligible for recognition. All hunters have to do to qualify is submit a photograph showing them and their muzzleloading weapon with the animal they took.
"If they have a mounted species and they want to take a picture of it with them and the gun, that's fine too," Ehrig said. "We're accepting a hunter's word as their bond because I think, as a group, hunters are pretty trustworthy."
Now that the Longhunter Recognition Program is up and running, Ehrig said the biggest challenge is simply letting hunters know it exists.
The program made its public debut in October during the North American Deer Classic at Cabela's in Berks County, and NMLRA officials plan to promote the program further at future outdoor shows nationwide and the annual conventions of organizations such as the National Rifle Association, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and National Wild Turkey Federation.
"Everywhere sportsmen gather," Ehrig said, "there will be visibility."
The (Allentown) Morning Call
ALLENTOWN, Pa. - It's been almost 40 years since Dave Ehrig was bitten by the muzzleloading bug.
Since then, Ehrig has toted single-shot rifles across North America in pursuit of deer, caribou, elk, bear, turkey and other game species, with several record-book trophies to his credit.
Ehrig's experiences and expertise have established him as one of the nation's leading muzzleloading authorities. The Berks County resident has written six books on the subject and is a regular speaker at outdoor shows across the nation.
Despite his many accomplishments, Ehrig knows muzzleloader hunting is about the thrill of the chase, not the size of the trophy. That's why he recently helped the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association create a new program that recognizes all successful hunters, whether they bag a yearling doe or monster buck.
"When somebody shoots Mr. Colossal, it just takes on a life of its own," Ehrig said. "What we're looking at is the guys who have been overlooked for years."
The Longhunter Recognition Program is open to hunters who pursue North American big game or wild turkeys with any muzzleloading weapon, from Colonial-era flintlocks to scoped, inline rifles. For a $10 fee, successful hunters will receive a parchment certificate and species-specific, pewter pin memorializing their accomplishment in the field.
"It tells the world that they were willing to take on the challenge of hunting game like our ancestors did," Ehrig said. "It's a badge of honor."
The concept for the Longhunter Recognition Program was developed this summer after Ehrig, of Longswamp Township, was named chairman of the NMLRA's Longhunter Committee, which administers the group's Longhunter Muzzleloading Big Game Records Program.
Established in 1988, the records program keeps track of trophy big-game animals taken with muzzleloaders across North America. The program uses the same scoring system as the well-known Boone and Crockett Club, but minimum scores required for inclusion in the Longhunter record book are slightly lower because of the added challenge of hunting with a muzzleloader - a single-shot firearm that must be manually reloaded after each shot by putting gunpowder and a bullet down the barrel.
Although Ehrig personally has three Longhunter record-book entries, he wanted to do something that would have wider appeal and celebrate the muzzleloading tradition. After all, he said, most muzzleloading enthusiasts will never have the opportunity to chase Dall sheep in Alaska or caribou in the Yukon Territory.
"We just want to honor guys who are willing to accept the handicap of hunting with a single-shot weapon," Ehrig said. "We're paying attention to all hunters, not just trophy hunters."
The Longhunter Recognition Program should also boost the profile of the NMLRA, which has 22,000 dues-paying members nationwide. By contrast, there are more than 200,000 muzzleloader hunters in Pennsylvania alone and about 3 million nationwide. Photos of hunters who participate in the Longhunter Recognition Program will be featured in Muzzle Blasts, the NMLRA's monthly magazine.
Including wild turkeys in the program is another attempt to increase participation and provide a much-needed outlet for turkey hunters. Because there is no standard for scoring turkey trophies, turkey-hunting records aren't kept by Boone and Crockett, Pope & Young, or Safari Club International.
In addition to the certificate and pin provided to successful turkey hunters, the Longhunter Recognition Program will offer special, laser-engraved plaques to dedicated turkey hunters who use a muzzleloader to take three or more of the five wild turkey subspecies found in the continental United States: Eastern, Osceola, Rio Grande, Merriam's and Gould's.
"It's not easy killing any wild turkey with a muzzleloader," Ehrig said. "It won't be in the Longhunter Big Game Record Book, because there is no scoring system. But in its own way, it will be just as prestigious."
Although the program is brand new, Ehrig said trophies taken in previous years are eligible for recognition. All hunters have to do to qualify is submit a photograph showing them and their muzzleloading weapon with the animal they took.
"If they have a mounted species and they want to take a picture of it with them and the gun, that's fine too," Ehrig said. "We're accepting a hunter's word as their bond because I think, as a group, hunters are pretty trustworthy."
Now that the Longhunter Recognition Program is up and running, Ehrig said the biggest challenge is simply letting hunters know it exists.
The program made its public debut in October during the North American Deer Classic at Cabela's in Berks County, and NMLRA officials plan to promote the program further at future outdoor shows nationwide and the annual conventions of organizations such as the National Rifle Association, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and National Wild Turkey Federation.
"Everywhere sportsmen gather," Ehrig said, "there will be visibility."
