The Norwich Guidon

The Norwich Guidon, student newspaper of Norwich University, is published twice monthly and has won numerous awards for excellence in its class.

Reporters, editors, and managers for The Norwich Guidon are students at the university who work under the guidance of a Communications faculty advisor. Student editors learn electronic pagination using state of the art computer equipment.

If you have any questions or comments about the paper, please contact Professor Ken Bush at kbush@norwich.edu.

In The News

February 13, 2003

Muzzleloader hunting requires unique skills, experience

By Todd Mansfield
Norwich Guidon Staff Writer

Fred Drown sits in a tree waiting for what could end up being part of his food supply for the winter to come into sight.

"The meat is very important to me," said Drown, 52, from Northfield, Vt. "because my whole family likes it."

Drown, like a lot of Vermonters, goes hunting with his black powder rifle in order to provide food for himself and also goes hunting for the simple joy of being outside.

Hunting is a controversial sport, because it involves the life of deer, and other animals, being taken away.

For Candy Mansfield, 44, of Northfield, Vt., hunting is "time to spend with my father."

"He [my father] wanted to share his love for hunting with his children, and anyone who wanted to go out, he was willing to take them with him," Mansfield said.

Muzzleloader hunting, for some, allows a chance to relax from everyday life.

"I am also out there because I like the getting out, the freedom, the serenity, the quiet, the peacefulness of being out there in the woods," Drown said.

"It's my thing, my way of getting away from people and a lot of the hub-bub."

Black powder hunting, or muzzleloader hunting, has increased in popularity over the past few years due to the technology of the gun itself.

Muzzleloaders most commonly used today are called inline muzzleloaders, according to Mansfield, which accounts for the increased popularity.

"Muzzleloaders today, you can put scopes on them; they're inline, so that your cap is protected from the elements." Mansfield said.

Mansfield said that using the new style of muzzleloaders takes away from the challenge of what the sport is all about.

"They are getting more and more accurate than what muzzleloaders were intended to be," Mansfield said.

Drown agreed that the challenge of muzzleloader hunting is diminishing.

"Actually, I can't really say it's a challenge, anymore, with black powder, because black powder rifles have become so accurate," Drown said.

Even though the accuracy of modern muzzleloaders has taken some of the challenge away from the sport, Mansfield said that there are plenty of challenges to still consider.

"You only get one shot. It's a challenge, because they are not as accurate as regular rifles, so it takes more discipline in order to get your shot off and hit what you want to hit," Mansfield said.

"I think some people like seeing the smoke coming out the end of the barrel."

One of the most important aspects to accurately shooting a muzzleloader is your comfort with the gun: the way you hold it, the angle at which you hold your head while shooting, the range capabilities, etc. If you're not very familiar with your gun, you'll have a much more difficult time shooting accurately.

Shooting 50 to 100 rounds prior to the season will help you shoot more consistently.

Cleaning your gun between each shot can further improve the consistency of a your muzzleloader.

It only takes a couple shots to really fill those barrels with some nasty residue, so clean often.

Many western states still open the muzzleloader hunt in late October or early November. Hunting late can be very productive. If you're lucky enough to catch the bucks just as they are beginning the rut, you can increase your chances immensely. Occasionally when those big bucks smell a doe in heat, they'll make a mistake. You may be lucky enough to catch one following some does into the open or chasing one around until mid-morning. Hunting late also gives you the opportunity to catch those bucks during the migration.

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