Popularizing Muzzleloading

Yesterday I took a client to the range. He had mentioned that he wanted to pattern his 12 gauge for turkey season and deer season. We got to talking about deer hunting in southern Ontario, where we live, and where for the most part it is a bow and shotgun only season. However, muzzleloaders are allowed in place of shotguns.

By the end of our time at the range my client was looking for a muzzleloader. He has seen the light and with it the advantages.

I do not know if we should be promoting the growth of our passion but it seems to me that with growth comes progress. With progress and growth come exposure and understanding. And with growth, progress, and understanding comes acceptance.

Acceptance leads to new opportunities for hunting.

So I hope all of you will encourage others to take up hunting with a muzzleloader.

It will now be my main gun for deer season and will accompany me during the regular rifle season in November.

Talk to your friends who are shotgun hunters for deer. For our numbers to grow and with it the popularity we need converts. If we all get one convert we double our numbers.

I do not know if we should be promoting the growth of our passion

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Absolutely! We should when ever we can especially when it comes to the Young that show any interest. The more we can bring into our sport the better!

Hats off to you adding one more! :yeah:

We should welcome all the new entrants possible. Plenty fall off the back end every year, new M-L shooters can slow the loss.

Im in the same boat. Its all shotgun, muzzy, or bow here. I still do a lot with the bow. But I'll grab a muzzy over the shotgun whenever I can. I went through a phaze where I had to use traditional style muzzys for a while. I had my harvests with them, and seemed to drift back to inline/modern style. I even use both longbow/recurve and compound in bows. Cant seem to make up my mind there, I just use whatever im in the mood for that day. We can use crossbow here, but I havent crossed that line yet. Im not against them, but theres always something else want more (usually another muzzy) when I gather enough play money for something

Got two of my grandsons into making white smoke. They like it more than shooting rifles. Plus they love watching me cast my own bullets. I'll probably get them helping me cast this fall.

I got hooked on muzzle loaders years ago when the trill of shooting deer at outrageous distances lost its fun with the center fires. Since I turned to black powder only, I would hate to guess how many people I have coaxed into the sport. Maybe not as hardcore as I am but still they hunt with their muzzle loaders and are really thrilled when they take a buck.

I stopped taking my black powder rifles to a public range years ago. I turned into a side show and answer man it seemed. People really got a kick out of watching the rifle go off. And when you would offer a chance to shoot the muzzle loader.. the grin on their faces were priceless.

It is too bad you stopped taking your ML to the range. The need to recruit new numbers to our sport never ceases, especially as those of us who currently make "white smoke" grow older. Fresh blood is always needed.