Why Do You Hunt With a Muzzleloader?

[jerem0621]

I like the feel of the wood, the chill of the steel, the smell of the smoke, the shine of the cap. I love that I can teach my children how to tenderly, lovingly, and fondly care for the fire arm, clean it, detail it, know it inside and out.

Prepare each and every charge to be precisely the same, to control the environment, to control the equipment. To take aim, to aim small, to wait, to be patient, to pull the trigger and watch the cap fire into the powder that I carefully put into the barrel, to light off and propel the patch and ball down the barrel towards its intended target..... to watch the end result of careful calculated attention to detail....The target.. on the ground.. soon to be on my plate.

I traditional muzzleload because its something not everyone understands, wants, enjoys, or cares for. I get extreme pleasure out of my Muzzleloaders. Something I can't get out of an AK or an AR or a 308, even a 30-30.

One Shot.... One opportunity... My rifle... myself...Nature...

Peace....

Thanks!

 

[starlight]

When I joined up in the early '80's, the Army didn't consider muzzleloaders to be firearms.
Therefore there was no requirement to store the musket in the armoury, and BP and Minie balls could be kept in the lines without any raised eyebrows.

I used to have the 1858 hanging over my desk on a couple of pegs during inspections, with no problems from even the most "progressive" of officers. A few even asked where they could get one.
Consequently, I did an awful lot of hunting off duty with that rifle.

Never really looked back.

 

[flyfisher76544]

I guess for me it was because of my father. He never shot a muzzleloader and didn't believe in using a rifle. He was in the Marine Corp and used to always tell me and my brothers "Any fool can pick up a rifle and shoot a deer at 300 yards, that isn't hunting boy." Later after I joined the Army and got into archery, I had the opportunity to shot a Hawkin style rifle that my squad leader brought out to the range. Needless to say I was hooked but didnt wind up buying one until a few years later. Later on I decided to get myself a flintlock, I had always been a history buff and loved the look of the long rifles. No one around me had or shot flintlocks, so thankfully this forum was here to help me along the path. Since I started hunting with my flinter, I seem to "slow down" and enjoy the time afield even more. I was paying more attention to what was going on in the woods, learning as much as I could about the old ways.
I feel as if there is a bond with my flintlock. I had to learn what load would give me the best accuracy and how to take care of it when you saw all 4 seasons in a day. Every animal I harvest with my flintlock is a trophy, whether it is a doe, buck or a hog. That to me is what hunting is truely about.

 

[catman]

Because it's simple. Powder, patch & ball, & one shot.

 

[Gobbletn]

Hey buddy, as you age, you will see that the kill will take on less meaning and the preparation and the hunt will take on more. It's hard to describe how going back to basics of muzzleloading reduces your "kills" but increases your enjoyment of the hunt. I'm happier with 4 dove in a 4 hour hunt with my muzzleloader than I am with 15 dove in a two hour hunt with my modern gun! Likewise a doe at 50 yards with my flintlock after a few days hunting is much more rewarding than a buck at 200 yards with my modern gun on opening day...