Maine Outdoor Journal

Maine's muzzleloader deer season kicks off tomorrow, and in the top one-third of the state, this hunt runs through Dec. 5 and in the bottom two-thirds through Dec. 12.

Statistically, these two weeks in central and southern Maine offer colder temperatures and maybe snow cover – ideal for hunters after venison for the freezer.

Here's why those two considerations excite whitetail hunters:

• Frigid weather gets deer moving, making them vulnerable to shooters on stands and to still hunters.

• Snow offers three huge pluses, because it enables even the most novice hunter to track deer, to spot whitetails better against the white backdrop and to see the story of recent deer movement, the latter an advantage for planning a hunting strategy.

These days, black-powder hunters outnumber bow hunters, and that number grows each fall. Two appeals lead to this statistic:

1. Folks with no interest in the history of black-powder firearms love the sport. That's because December weather proves more conducive for successful whitetail hunting than the earlier part of November, and hunter crowds are much smaller now than in the regular firearms season – great for folks who love solitude.

People with little appreciation for the past often buy in-line muzzleloaders and might even attach a scope, which gives them an extremely efficient hunting tool, particularly when shooting sabots. This invention enables them to reach out to 200 yards to shoot deer.

(Some hunters object to sabots because of this long-range capability, but in truth, this hunting tool goes back to the Napoleonic era when soldiers used a leather shoe tongue to create a sabot at about the same time grooved barreling began to garner interest).

If a doubting Thomas disbelieves this claim about in-line rifles gaining in popularity, please check out hunting catalogs that sell muzzleloader rifles. In-line models far outnumber sidelocks in the displays — often 20 to 1.

2. Hunters in a much smaller group have an interest in using replicas of plains rifles, long rifles, military muskets and similar options. These people might even wear period clothing (covered with hunter orange when deer hunting so as not to break the law) and know a great deal about the biography of famous hunters and explorers from the 18th and 19th centuries – names such as Daniel Boone, David Crockett, Jim Bridger, Kit Carson, Jeremiah Johnson, John Colter, Hugh Glass and company.

The well-known movie "Jeremiah Johnson" starring Robert Redford made Hawken plains-rifle replicas popular overnight. I own an inherited .50-caliber Hawken replica from my late father, a percussion-cap model, so yes, that movie made an impression on him and me.

Eventually, I'd like to buy a Tennessee Valley Muzzleloading flintlock in a Tennessee, Early Virginia or Iron Pennsylvania long rifle with a 42-inch, 50-caliber barrel with brown metal and oil stock. This will cost about $1,000, so I must wait until my two daughters have graduated college.

In short, I fall into that replica group, and might even go all the way by buying period clothing. The long-rifle design captures my imagination for sure, because I grew up watching Crockett and Boone on television and reading Zane Grey novels about Lew Wetzel and all the James Fenimore Cooper novels about Natty Bumppo.

If a newcomer to black-powder firearms chooses a competent person to teach them how to shoot safely and efficiently, the pupil can learn in an afternoon. In short, with the right instructor, a hunter can head to a store right now, buy a muzzleloader and be safely hunting Monday morning.

Black-powder shooting has inherent dangers, though, that can cost a poorly trained shooter a finger, hand, eyesight or life. Folks need someone to show them how to avoid the dangers.

In a state such as Maine with so many muzzleloaders these days, it impresses me that the media seldom report on someone blowing off a body part or losing an eye or both because of a black-powder firearm.

New muzzleloaders must also learn the protocol to avoid getting wet powder from condensation, which guarantees a misfire when a deer offers a broadside shot. An old hand at muzzle loading can teach dry-powder basics.

These firearms are so much fun to shoot, they're reason enough to become a black-powder fan. The longer season just provides the proverbial frosting on a cake that's delicious enough already.

Ken Allen of Belgrade Lakes is a writer, editor and photographer. Contact him at: KAllyn800@aol.com