traditionalist - Are we Loosing the Battle

[cannonball1]

I started making a new muzzleloader and have found making these last guns the the quality castings and quality wood are harder to find. When talking to suppliers they said they have to compete with the Orientals for the wood and the old quality parts were cast by by people now in their 80's now and very few have taken up the craft.

Then when I hit the hills to hunt, I find that most of them are shooting 500 yard plus guns that load from the muzzle and that is about all you can say about them. In our state the archers get what they want and the traditionalist get the "shaft". I have tried persuade the Big Game Board to change the hunts around to have the old time muzzleloader hunt available again, but have received deaf ears. The traditionists in our state are so fragmented and agree on nothing so we get nothing.

How do you see it?

 

[Stophel]

Where have you been? Anything (EVERYTHING) "traditional" has been going downhill FAST for the past 20 years. Just look at this very website. Compare the daily discussions of, say, 15 years ago with those of today.

 

[Davey Boy]

Well damn, I just got started with Muzzleloaders.

Guess I may as well give up as the golden days are gone.

Pile up your guns boys and let me free up your hands of 'em.

 

[Carbon 6]

Doom and gloom, you are running with the wrong crowd. Things look the best I can remember.

 

[Eterry]

Wherever there's a demand for an item, be it brass castings or flintlocks or iPads there will be a manufacturer step up to fill the void and turn a profit.

With plenty of folks staying home building guns the market on gun parts is drying up , but this too shall pass.

Cheer up.

 

[Greg Blackburn]

I just like the older stuff.....bear with it....you can still get what you want OR start making your own rifles. That's an option too.

 

[user 48679]

I think what happened to me will also happen to newer shooters currently using non-traditional muzzleloaders.

I stared off with several different traditional muzzleloaders in the mid-60's/1970's, then migrated to non-traditional guns as they were (re) introduced - me being young & wanting the latest/greatest.

About 30 years later, the non-traditional guns being "too easy" on game, with scopes & whatnot - I sold all my non-traditional stuff and moved back to sidelocks.

I first opted for percussion guns, then later added flintlocks to my muzzleloader shooting/hunting - currently having both lock types.

I still try to keep up the good work by exposing these newer shooters to traditional guns.

So, while there's still some hope, it might be awhile coming.

 

[rich pierce]

Conservation departments are facing declining numbers of hunters, with fewer young hunters. They’ve had to accommodate crossbows for archery, inlines for ML season, and so on just to keep hunting alive. So yes, traditional archery and muzzleloaders are in the minority in the field. But many of those hunters would not qualify as archery or ML enthusiasts. I feel the passion is still strong among traditionalists.

 

[Old Hawkeye]

Just my observation, but it seems to me that the newest of technologies has kept the old traditional muzzleloading sports alive. Without the Internet I am not sure any of us would have the access to the vast array of the "tools of our trade", so to speak, that we now do, nor would this forum exist. Can't think of any store in my metro area of about one million people that has much of anything on the shelves for the "traditional" muzzleloading crowd, yet "on line" I can access about anything, if not more, than I could have 30-40 years ago. People's concerns are based on what they see in the brick & mortar stores, but I think the sport is healthier than most realize. It's just how things are done now. Some game dept. have recognized the "traditional" way and have outlawed the modern ML stuff & I think more game dept. will follow that trend if we VOICE OUR OPINION to them, instead of crying to each other. My Ol' Man always told me, "the wheel that squeaks is the one that gets the grease".

 

[Grimord]

Conservation departments are facing declining numbers of hunters, with fewer young hunters. They’ve had to accommodate crossbows for archery, inlines for ML season, and so on just to keep hunting alive. So yes, traditional archery and muzzleloaders are in the minority in the field. But many of those hunters would not qualify as archery or ML enthusiasts. I feel the passion is still strong among traditionalists.

I would like to see more Conservation departments create a new hunting season for long bows and flint locks using PRB ONLY. I think that may get more hunters interested in the traditional gear and may just make some converts.

 

[Eterry]

I would like to see more Conservation departments create a new hunting season for long bows and flint locks using PRB ONLY. I think that may get more hunters interested in the traditional gear and may just make some converts.

Ask the Pennsylvania muzzleloader hunters how they feel about that.

 

[tnlonghunter]

Maryland introduced a 3-day "primitive" season this year - sidelocks or recurve/longbows only. I'm not certain how many new hunters it will draw, but at least they're trying.

 

[CoHiCntry]

Some game dept. have recognized the "traditional" way and have outlawed the modern ML stuff...

Not trying to challenge you but genuinely interested in where this has happened?

 

[CoHiCntry]

Maryland introduced a 3-day "primitive" season this year - sidelocks or recurve/longbows only. I'm not certain how many new hunters it will draw, but at least they're trying.

That's encouraging... The western states seem to be going the other direction allowing just about everything & anything in the muzzleloader season.

 

[Josephg]

I shoot nothing but original or custom copies of old time muzzloaders. If my rifle was made to shoot a conical that's what I shoot in it. If it was made to shoot round balls I shoot round balls. Don't care and pay little attention to what others do. Problem doesn't exist for me. Guess I'm just lucky.

 

[FishDFly]

Not trying to challenge you but genuinely interested in where this has happened?

It was not Texas.

 

[sussexmuzllodr]

Conservation departments are facing declining numbers of hunters, with fewer young hunters. They’ve had to accommodate crossbows for archery, inlines for ML season, and so on just to keep hunting alive. So yes, traditional archery and muzzleloaders are in the minority in the field. But many of those hunters would not qualify as archery or ML enthusiasts. I feel the passion is still strong among traditionalists.

Rich, Sad thing is I had submitted an application to my States Fish&Game Division to Volunteer on Hunter Education.
After Several contacts with those involved I have given up as no one has got back to me on my Status. I made one final attempt with my Contact and He said he would again touch base with his "higher up" and again nothing. No emails..nothing. In a State where Hunting culture is becoming fewer you would think they would need the Help.
I have since convinced myself not to bother.

Sm

 

[rich pierce]

Sussex, sorry to hear this. Some folks are very territorial.

 

[ppg1949]

Earlier this year I petitioned the Indiana DNR for a primitive only deer season for muzzleloaders. The answer was they did not see the need for additional ml season because only ten percent of ml hunters used primitive muzzleloaders. How they determined their ten percent number is anyone’s guess but to me it was not in their interest to add a season because they didn’t think the money wasn’t there.

 

[kemart17]

I started making a new muzzleloader and have found making these last guns the the quality castings and quality wood are harder to find. When talking to suppliers they said they have to compete with the Orientals for the wood and the old quality parts were cast by by people now in their 80's now and very few have taken up the craft.

Then when I hit the hills to hunt, I find that most of them are shooting 500 yard plus guns that load from the muzzle and that is about all you can say about them. In our state the archers get what they want and the traditionalist get the "shaft". I have tried persuade the Big Game Board to change the hunts around to have the old time muzzleloader hunt available again, but have received deaf ears. The traditionists in our state are so fragmented and agree on nothing so we get nothing.

How do you see it?

talking traditional, think i might kick a hornets nest here, but i really would like to see inlines and crossbows go away. they should be made to use them in regular rifle season. the inlines and cross bows these days are crazy good, way to easy to use.