Drizzt
Member
A fire for the muzzleloader
Associated Press
SHERIDAN, Mont. - Paul Degel killed his first deer with a muzzleloader at age 14 and was hooked. Twenty-five years, nearly a dozen elk and more than two dozen deer taken with a flintlock later, Degel said his passion for the weapon has only grown. And Degel dismisses hunters who question why he would put himself at a disadvantage when others are in the field using high-powered rifles.
"If you're in shape and you're willing to work to get close to an elk, they're not a disadvantage," Degel said recently at his home near Sheridan.
A massive whitetail rack and pictures of bull elk Degel has killed with his flintlock through the years back up his confidence.
He hunts not only with a rifle from the 19th century, but also with the spirit of that era - hiking far into the mountains and sneaking to within earshot of elk once he's spotted them.
Must get close
Degel, a stocky 39-year-old who makes his living in construction and metal work, said he loves to exert himself while toting his 10-pound rifle in search of game. His gun is a replica he made of a .54-caliber Leman Trade Rifle, a common flintlock from the early 1800s.
Degel's brother Joe Degel said they go hunting together every year and have had a lot of success over the years. Joe Degel doesn't hunt with a muzzleloader, but he uses an old rolling-block .45/90-caliber rifle that also requires a hunter to get pretty close to game.
The two have put some pretty impressive stalks on elk, sometimes to within 30 yards, Joe Degel said. Other times they'll sit between feeding and bedding areas and let the elk come to them.
Joe Degel has heard the doubts that other hunters give his brother about the muzzleloader.
"They look at the old guns and ask a few questions, say you can never get anything with that," Joe Degel said. "You're not going to argue with them."
Change to muzzleloaders
Paul Degel started hunting with a conventional rifle at the age of 12. But within a couple of years, he had a muzzleloader and spent countless hours in the fields around the family home in Norris shooting gophers.
He became fascinated with muzzleloaders at the same time that he was reading about the frontier history of the West.
"It gets in your blood when you start shooting them," Degel said.
At 18, he killed his first elk with a muzzleloader when he shot a raghorn bull, only adding to his love of the more primitive weapons.
He went on to become a hunting guide in the backcountry of Idaho. Degel said clients often came with numerous high-tech gadgets and expected them to virtually guarantee they'd kill an elk, but all that technology never compensated for a lack of hunting ability.
"They're making up for their lack of hunting skills and trying to do it with their shopping skills," he said. "To me, that's not a good trade."
Comfortable to carry
Degel built his current rifle more than a decade ago. The replica is comfortable to carry because it's slender, Degel said. Scratches in the wood bear witness to some stalks in rugged terrain and thick timber.
"Usually when I'm hunting elk, I'm in the deepest, nastiest stuff that I can find," he said. "I'm crawling around and through stuff, and the gun gets some dings and scratches."
Shooting a flintlock accurately, even more than a conventional rifle, requires a lot of practice and experimentation. There is a slight delay before the gun fires as the spark flies from the flint, ignites the powder and sets off the charge.
Degel's spent years perfecting the load that makes the rifle shoot straight and found that a 226 grain ball flies straightest with 90 grains of powder.
"You don't just buy one off the shelf and go out and start killing elk with it," he said. "You've got to be interested in it enough to take the time to learn how to use them."
A 3-inch, five-shot group on a target that Degel shot standing up illustrates how well he's learned to use his rifle, which shoots round balls that are put into a patch. He said his maximum range with the gun is about 150 yards on elk and 100 yards for deer and antelope.
Also made accessories
Degel carries it loaded with powder in the frying pan, which is covered to protect the ignition powder from rain and snow. He's had the gun fail to go off a few times, but most of the time it's performed beautifully.
He can reload the rifle in less than 30 seconds when he needs a follow-up shot.
His craftsmanship doesn't end with the gun. Degel has also made by hand the accessories for his muzzleloader, including a powder horn made from a cow's horn and a powder measurer carved out of deer antler.
Paul's wife, Lori Degel, said she's grown accustomed to his love of the muzzleloader over the years, in part because he brings home game every year.
Degel is not opposed to rifle hunting, in fact Lori and daughter Jordan hunt with modern rifles. And he's careful not to get too smug about hunting with a muzzleloader, because like any hunter he's missed some animals and had some elk get away.
"It is hunting," he said. "You can't get too cocky about it."
http://www.billingsgazette.com/inde...05/10/30/build/state/40-fire-muzzleloader.inc
Associated Press
SHERIDAN, Mont. - Paul Degel killed his first deer with a muzzleloader at age 14 and was hooked. Twenty-five years, nearly a dozen elk and more than two dozen deer taken with a flintlock later, Degel said his passion for the weapon has only grown. And Degel dismisses hunters who question why he would put himself at a disadvantage when others are in the field using high-powered rifles.
"If you're in shape and you're willing to work to get close to an elk, they're not a disadvantage," Degel said recently at his home near Sheridan.
A massive whitetail rack and pictures of bull elk Degel has killed with his flintlock through the years back up his confidence.
He hunts not only with a rifle from the 19th century, but also with the spirit of that era - hiking far into the mountains and sneaking to within earshot of elk once he's spotted them.
Must get close
Degel, a stocky 39-year-old who makes his living in construction and metal work, said he loves to exert himself while toting his 10-pound rifle in search of game. His gun is a replica he made of a .54-caliber Leman Trade Rifle, a common flintlock from the early 1800s.
Degel's brother Joe Degel said they go hunting together every year and have had a lot of success over the years. Joe Degel doesn't hunt with a muzzleloader, but he uses an old rolling-block .45/90-caliber rifle that also requires a hunter to get pretty close to game.
The two have put some pretty impressive stalks on elk, sometimes to within 30 yards, Joe Degel said. Other times they'll sit between feeding and bedding areas and let the elk come to them.
Joe Degel has heard the doubts that other hunters give his brother about the muzzleloader.
"They look at the old guns and ask a few questions, say you can never get anything with that," Joe Degel said. "You're not going to argue with them."
Change to muzzleloaders
Paul Degel started hunting with a conventional rifle at the age of 12. But within a couple of years, he had a muzzleloader and spent countless hours in the fields around the family home in Norris shooting gophers.
He became fascinated with muzzleloaders at the same time that he was reading about the frontier history of the West.
"It gets in your blood when you start shooting them," Degel said.
At 18, he killed his first elk with a muzzleloader when he shot a raghorn bull, only adding to his love of the more primitive weapons.
He went on to become a hunting guide in the backcountry of Idaho. Degel said clients often came with numerous high-tech gadgets and expected them to virtually guarantee they'd kill an elk, but all that technology never compensated for a lack of hunting ability.
"They're making up for their lack of hunting skills and trying to do it with their shopping skills," he said. "To me, that's not a good trade."
Comfortable to carry
Degel built his current rifle more than a decade ago. The replica is comfortable to carry because it's slender, Degel said. Scratches in the wood bear witness to some stalks in rugged terrain and thick timber.
"Usually when I'm hunting elk, I'm in the deepest, nastiest stuff that I can find," he said. "I'm crawling around and through stuff, and the gun gets some dings and scratches."
Shooting a flintlock accurately, even more than a conventional rifle, requires a lot of practice and experimentation. There is a slight delay before the gun fires as the spark flies from the flint, ignites the powder and sets off the charge.
Degel's spent years perfecting the load that makes the rifle shoot straight and found that a 226 grain ball flies straightest with 90 grains of powder.
"You don't just buy one off the shelf and go out and start killing elk with it," he said. "You've got to be interested in it enough to take the time to learn how to use them."
A 3-inch, five-shot group on a target that Degel shot standing up illustrates how well he's learned to use his rifle, which shoots round balls that are put into a patch. He said his maximum range with the gun is about 150 yards on elk and 100 yards for deer and antelope.
Also made accessories
Degel carries it loaded with powder in the frying pan, which is covered to protect the ignition powder from rain and snow. He's had the gun fail to go off a few times, but most of the time it's performed beautifully.
He can reload the rifle in less than 30 seconds when he needs a follow-up shot.
His craftsmanship doesn't end with the gun. Degel has also made by hand the accessories for his muzzleloader, including a powder horn made from a cow's horn and a powder measurer carved out of deer antler.
Paul's wife, Lori Degel, said she's grown accustomed to his love of the muzzleloader over the years, in part because he brings home game every year.
Degel is not opposed to rifle hunting, in fact Lori and daughter Jordan hunt with modern rifles. And he's careful not to get too smug about hunting with a muzzleloader, because like any hunter he's missed some animals and had some elk get away.
"It is hunting," he said. "You can't get too cocky about it."
http://www.billingsgazette.com/inde...05/10/30/build/state/40-fire-muzzleloader.inc
