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900 W. Main St.,
PO Box 690 Grangeville, ID 83530
Phone: 208.983.1200 |
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| Muzzleloader story has cleanliness moral |
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| Outdoorsman's Bench |
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The following story you are about to read is true, but the names have been changed to protect the innocent. This is a work of truth, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is probably factual.
Let us introduce you to the characters involved in today's story. Carl, a novice muzzle-loader hunter and his mentor who we will call Buzz, an experienced blackpowder rifleman.
Late last year, upon securing the proper tags and equipment, these two gentlemen set out to acquire some elk steaks on the hoof with their trusty smoke poles. It seemed like a rather simple chore of sneaking up on an unsuspecting elk; however things aren't always as easy as they seem. The real story picks up early that morning with hot coffee and a long drive to the hunting grounds. While our ancestors would have straddled an ornery cayuse, they rode ATVs up the side of the mountain.
Right at the break of dawn, herds of elk could be seen on the ridgelines, and with much excitement, they could see they were in the middle of prime elk real estate. Everywhere they looked through binos elk could be seen. They just had to figure out how to put the sneak on 'em. Things were a might complicated by the changing winds.
Heading down the draw they discovered there were actually elk on both sides of the ridge; although the elk never saw them. The contrary winds took their scent to the herd and spooked them back up the hill right to where they had left their ATVs, passing only about 20 feet beside `em. Well this wasn't working very well, they had to figure out a way to get ahead of them and close the distance. Carl wasn't use to having to sneak up so close you could see the "whites of their eyes," he normally sat back a ways and placed a piece of lead in there with his .06, so this was a whole new ball game to him. So went the first day, chasing elk up and down the mountain.
Bright and early the next morning our intrepid hunters climbed the mountain for another go at it. The winds on this second day were calmed a bit and they had a better feel for the lay of the land.
Leaving the ATVs farther down the trail, they climbed up to where they had first encountered the elk the day before. Buzz took the lower side, while Carl glassed the ridge tops. Suddenly Buzz smacked Carl on the arm and jumped up and down excitedly mouthing the words "elk," "elk," all the time pointing down the hill. Quickly Buzz stepped up into firing position, pulled the hammer back on his trusty .58, and gently squeezed the trigger.
Pop.
No kaboom. Only the cap had fired. Buzz let the rifle down and gestured Carl up saying shoot, shoot, so Carl raised his rifle, aimed carefully, and squeezed the trigger.
Pop.
Again, no kaboom.
After this fiasco, the elk were having no more of this nonsense and meandered off. Both Carl and Buzz had stunned looks on their faces. Carl shrugged his shoulders, and said, "that's why they call it primitive hunting, I guess we should have brought spears and just chucked them at em."
Now what's the chances of two guns not firing?
On further examination, they found the flash hole on both rifles were plugged with carbon.
The moral of the story is, thoroughly clean and function test your muzzleloader prior to your hunt. Concentrate on cleaning the passage between the cap and the powder charge. We would also recommend firing, cleaning, and reloading your muzzle loader every night after the days hunt. See ya in the woods.
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