Anyone been out?

[skeet]

You know..been thinking about the original post disdainfully talking about using inlines and smokeless in muzzleloader season.. Well to point out...inlines have been around an awful long time..Ya ever heard of a Ferguson?? I just spoke to a friend back east in Md..His son just got his first deer with an Encore. Using Pyrodex..another modern powder but a roundball for recoil reduction...He's ten years old...and thrilled. Then he got a chance to go deer hunting in a rifle county in Md..and got another deer with the 243 bbl I gave him for his Encore. Are you saying he shouldn't be able to use an inline?? Admittedly deer are not hard to get in Md..espceially when you know all the local farmers. But if not for an inline and sabots many people would not be able to enjoy the outdoors hunting deer..possibly with family and friends. Rather than the elitist attitude about the traditional gear..applaud the fact that there is a muzzleloader season that people can enjoy. Try not turning your noses up at the mention of newer gear. I don't see any mention of disdain towards compound bows which many people think is the ruination of archery hunting..not to mention the absolute howls about people using crossbows. Personally I am glad people get the opportunity to hunt. Y'all should be too. Not dissing you all personally..but your attitude is divisive..just like the thing with gun owners saying..well I don't shoot .. Let's say... handguns... so I won't fight for other people's right to use them.. A muzzleloader is just that..a muzzleloader no matter what you shoot through it. And though I like the traditonal guns..the newer inlines are much improved...And don't forget..we started with traditional and HAD to learn them..it's all we had. People really just want to be able to hunt..not worry about their type of equipment.

[Mr. 16 gauge]

Skeet;
The original intent of Michigan's muzzleloading season was that it was to be a "primative" season, with sidelocks, black powder, and round ball. The season was set up in 1975, with the idea that it would give a few folks who enjoyed hunting with primative arms a chance to hunt, exclusively, with "old timey" firearms without the pressure/competition put forth by the traditional firearms deer season. Since it's original conception (one that a LOT of traditional longhunters lobbied for), it has become a sort of "extra" season "to harvest surplus deer" (which, thanks to misguided deer management by our DNR, we really do not have anymore)......so instead of being to go afield in peace, I have to deal with every moron alive out there who bought an in line "so he's can kill 'im some mo de-ah!".....no working up a load, or learning about misfires, how to measure bp, ect.....just drop in a couple of pellets, slam that sabot on top, and shoot at the first damn thing you see, irregardless of the range (cause, you know....these in lines can shoot jest as far as my .30-06, and hit harder, cause its shootin' a beeger boolet!)

Elitist? Maybe, but seeing has how in line shooters are allowed to shoot during the rifle season, and the muzzleloading season was intended to be primative, I"m a bit disappointed by the fact that the inline crowd and the DNR have allowed the small window of time we were allowed to hunt to be bastardized into some 'harvest', instead of a hunt. Yes, inlines have been around for a quite a while, and I am damn tired of hearing about this every time the subject comes up! If they want to use an inline, then great....get a copy of the ferguson, load it with LOOSE BLACK POWDER and ROUND BALL and go hunting. Sabots, pyrodex, jacketed pistol bullets, and stainless steel were NOT part of the ancient inlines!!!!

So, in a nutshell: 1.) It was meant to be a PRIMATIVE season, not the free for all it has become! 2.) In line shooters DO have a season; it's called the firearms deer season....so why can't I have mine? 3.) If it's so great that everyone gets out and hunts, irregardless of how, equipment, ect., then why can't I use my muzzleoading firearms during bow season? (bet the bow hunters wouldn't mind....do you think?)