Drizzt
Member
The Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)
October 16, 2003 Thursday metro Met Edition
SECTION: SPORTS; OUTDOORS; Pg. 5E
LENGTH: 1079 words
HEADLINE: Blackpowder season not necessarily a throwback;
New in-line guns stretch definition but please hunters
BYLINE: GARTH GARY
BODY:
Byline: GARY GARTH
Source: Special to The Courier-Journal
On his forays through the Cumberland Gap and into what was then the unexplored frontier, Kentucky's most famous woodsman, Daniel Boone, carried what became known as the Kentucky l ong r ifle.
The legendary gun, which Boone labeled "Tick-Licker," was a 44-caliber flintlock more than five feet long and weighing nearly 11 pounds.
By modern standards it was a massive firearm, bulky and unwieldy. But it was the finest gun of its day, surprisingly accurate, and was crafted with the durability that survival on the frontier demanded. In the hands of its famous owner, Boone's flintlock helped keep him, his family and his fellow travelers fed and protected.
I mention this because the first segment of Kentucky's muzzleloader deer season will be Saturday and Sunday (the second half will be Dec.13-19), and for a few diehard blackpowder traditionalists - myself included - this hunt serves as a throwback to Boone's time.
However, thanks to the evolution of firearm technology, the muzzleloader season has become almost an extension of the modern gun hunt. Compared with today's sleek, in-line muzzleloaders (so named for their "in-line" ignition system), the traditional sidelock blackpowder guns of frontier times are as antiquated as Boone and his contemporaries.
Most in-line muzzleloading rifles are highly accurate at 100 yards or even beyond and will fire in the foulest of weather. They look and handle much like modern centerfire rifles. Though they can't yet match a centerfire's ballistics, a few models can deliver a killing shot up to 200 yards. Add a scope and you have a firearm suitable for hunting any strip of deer cover in Kentucky.
For these developments you largely can thank - or blame - Tony Knight.
In the early 1980s Knight was working in his Missouri gunsmith shop when a few of his customers who had been drawn for a blackpowder elk hunt in Colorado returned from the high country unhappy. The weather had turned sour, and some of their sidelock muzzleloaders - always fractious in damp conditions - had fouled. Why couldn't someone come up with something more dependable, they wanted to know.
Knight went to work. His solution was a simple, cylinder-type ignition system that eventually played a large role in revolutionizing the muzzleloading segment of the multimillion-dollar hunting industry.
On a traditional sidelock rifle, the percussion cap nipple (or in the case of a flintlock, the powder pan) is on the side of the rifle. A side-mounted hammer strikes the cap (or powder pan), sending a shower of sparks through a fire hole in the side of the barrel, where it ignites the powder.
Knight placed his nipple-and-hammer assembly in line with the barrel. A striker replaced the sidelock hammer and worked similar to a firing pin on a centerfire rifle. And the whole mechanism could be removed easily, which made the guns much easier to clean than traditional sidelock guns.
Knight added a safety to his new in-line firing mechanism and, in 1985, introduced the MK-85 muzzleloading rifle. It was an immediate hit with hunters and helped spawn a resurgence in blackpowder hunting across the country.
Many states now offer special blackpowder deer seasons, but a few have imposed fairly strict definitions of a muzzleloader. Pennsylvania, for example, allows only flintlocks to be used during its blackpowder deer hunts. However, in-lines are welcome in most states, and hunters have embraced them.
The same year that Knight introduced the MK-85, Kentucky offered its first special muzzleloader deer hunt, tacking two days onto the end of the modern gun season and designating them blackpowder only.
The following year the seven-day December blackpowder hunt was established, and in 1990 the Fish and Game Commission established the October blackpowder hunt weekend.
Since Kentucky hunters aren't required to obtain a special "muzzleloader" tag or license, state officials have no way of knowing precisely how many are taking advantage of the blackpowder season. However, during the 2002-03 deer season, 15,709 of the 115,082 deer checked were taken with muzzleloaders. Officials figure the state's hunter success rate hovers around 35percent, which would put the number of muzzleloader hunters at around 40,000.
Regardless of the exact numbers, the deer managers in Frankfort are certain that interest in the blackpowder season has climbed during the past 15 years.
"Muzzleloading rifles were always allowed during the normal (November) rifle season," said Norm Minch, a spokesman for the Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. "I know they ( October and December muzzleloader hunts) expand the season for some people who enjoy using blackpowder.
"Muzzleloader hunting has obviously gained in popularity since the industry has produced easier- to- use muzzleloaders, and people have more increased deer opportunities across the state than they did in the mid-' 80s."
During Kentucky's early muzzleloading deer season, Zone 4 hunters are limited to antlered deer only. Bucks and does are legal in zones 1, 2 and 3 . Regular bag and zone restrictions apply. For more information check the current Kentucky Hunting and Trapping Guide.
2 duck-calling events scheduled for Nov. 2
The Kentucky State and Kentuckiana Regional Duck Calling Contests will be held Nov. 2 at BSA Camp Crooked Creek near Clermont.
The state contest is open only to Kentucky residents. The Kentuckiana regional contest is open to all callers. There also will be a youth competition for callers age 15 and younger.
The entry fee is $40 for the Kentuckiana regional, $30 for the Kentucky state competition and $10 for the youth contest. Registration will be held the day of the events.
The state and regional winners will qualify for the Stuttgart World Championship duck-calling contest Nov.29 in Stuttgart, Ark.
For more information call Cindy Lausman at (502) 484-0508.
Where the deer are
Muzzleloaders account for slightly more than 7percent of the total number of deer checked by hunters in Kentucky each season. Last year 18 counties surrendered 200 or more deer to blackpowder hunters. The top 10:
Owen (579), Shelby (368), Lawrence (339), Carter (285), Henry (284), Anderson (281), Crittenden (263), Franklin (244), Nelson (236) and Pendleton (230).
October 16, 2003 Thursday metro Met Edition
SECTION: SPORTS; OUTDOORS; Pg. 5E
LENGTH: 1079 words
HEADLINE: Blackpowder season not necessarily a throwback;
New in-line guns stretch definition but please hunters
BYLINE: GARTH GARY
BODY:
Byline: GARY GARTH
Source: Special to The Courier-Journal
On his forays through the Cumberland Gap and into what was then the unexplored frontier, Kentucky's most famous woodsman, Daniel Boone, carried what became known as the Kentucky l ong r ifle.
The legendary gun, which Boone labeled "Tick-Licker," was a 44-caliber flintlock more than five feet long and weighing nearly 11 pounds.
By modern standards it was a massive firearm, bulky and unwieldy. But it was the finest gun of its day, surprisingly accurate, and was crafted with the durability that survival on the frontier demanded. In the hands of its famous owner, Boone's flintlock helped keep him, his family and his fellow travelers fed and protected.
I mention this because the first segment of Kentucky's muzzleloader deer season will be Saturday and Sunday (the second half will be Dec.13-19), and for a few diehard blackpowder traditionalists - myself included - this hunt serves as a throwback to Boone's time.
However, thanks to the evolution of firearm technology, the muzzleloader season has become almost an extension of the modern gun hunt. Compared with today's sleek, in-line muzzleloaders (so named for their "in-line" ignition system), the traditional sidelock blackpowder guns of frontier times are as antiquated as Boone and his contemporaries.
Most in-line muzzleloading rifles are highly accurate at 100 yards or even beyond and will fire in the foulest of weather. They look and handle much like modern centerfire rifles. Though they can't yet match a centerfire's ballistics, a few models can deliver a killing shot up to 200 yards. Add a scope and you have a firearm suitable for hunting any strip of deer cover in Kentucky.
For these developments you largely can thank - or blame - Tony Knight.
In the early 1980s Knight was working in his Missouri gunsmith shop when a few of his customers who had been drawn for a blackpowder elk hunt in Colorado returned from the high country unhappy. The weather had turned sour, and some of their sidelock muzzleloaders - always fractious in damp conditions - had fouled. Why couldn't someone come up with something more dependable, they wanted to know.
Knight went to work. His solution was a simple, cylinder-type ignition system that eventually played a large role in revolutionizing the muzzleloading segment of the multimillion-dollar hunting industry.
On a traditional sidelock rifle, the percussion cap nipple (or in the case of a flintlock, the powder pan) is on the side of the rifle. A side-mounted hammer strikes the cap (or powder pan), sending a shower of sparks through a fire hole in the side of the barrel, where it ignites the powder.
Knight placed his nipple-and-hammer assembly in line with the barrel. A striker replaced the sidelock hammer and worked similar to a firing pin on a centerfire rifle. And the whole mechanism could be removed easily, which made the guns much easier to clean than traditional sidelock guns.
Knight added a safety to his new in-line firing mechanism and, in 1985, introduced the MK-85 muzzleloading rifle. It was an immediate hit with hunters and helped spawn a resurgence in blackpowder hunting across the country.
Many states now offer special blackpowder deer seasons, but a few have imposed fairly strict definitions of a muzzleloader. Pennsylvania, for example, allows only flintlocks to be used during its blackpowder deer hunts. However, in-lines are welcome in most states, and hunters have embraced them.
The same year that Knight introduced the MK-85, Kentucky offered its first special muzzleloader deer hunt, tacking two days onto the end of the modern gun season and designating them blackpowder only.
The following year the seven-day December blackpowder hunt was established, and in 1990 the Fish and Game Commission established the October blackpowder hunt weekend.
Since Kentucky hunters aren't required to obtain a special "muzzleloader" tag or license, state officials have no way of knowing precisely how many are taking advantage of the blackpowder season. However, during the 2002-03 deer season, 15,709 of the 115,082 deer checked were taken with muzzleloaders. Officials figure the state's hunter success rate hovers around 35percent, which would put the number of muzzleloader hunters at around 40,000.
Regardless of the exact numbers, the deer managers in Frankfort are certain that interest in the blackpowder season has climbed during the past 15 years.
"Muzzleloading rifles were always allowed during the normal (November) rifle season," said Norm Minch, a spokesman for the Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. "I know they ( October and December muzzleloader hunts) expand the season for some people who enjoy using blackpowder.
"Muzzleloader hunting has obviously gained in popularity since the industry has produced easier- to- use muzzleloaders, and people have more increased deer opportunities across the state than they did in the mid-' 80s."
During Kentucky's early muzzleloading deer season, Zone 4 hunters are limited to antlered deer only. Bucks and does are legal in zones 1, 2 and 3 . Regular bag and zone restrictions apply. For more information check the current Kentucky Hunting and Trapping Guide.
2 duck-calling events scheduled for Nov. 2
The Kentucky State and Kentuckiana Regional Duck Calling Contests will be held Nov. 2 at BSA Camp Crooked Creek near Clermont.
The state contest is open only to Kentucky residents. The Kentuckiana regional contest is open to all callers. There also will be a youth competition for callers age 15 and younger.
The entry fee is $40 for the Kentuckiana regional, $30 for the Kentucky state competition and $10 for the youth contest. Registration will be held the day of the events.
The state and regional winners will qualify for the Stuttgart World Championship duck-calling contest Nov.29 in Stuttgart, Ark.
For more information call Cindy Lausman at (502) 484-0508.
Where the deer are
Muzzleloaders account for slightly more than 7percent of the total number of deer checked by hunters in Kentucky each season. Last year 18 counties surrendered 200 or more deer to blackpowder hunters. The top 10:
Owen (579), Shelby (368), Lawrence (339), Carter (285), Henry (284), Anderson (281), Crittenden (263), Franklin (244), Nelson (236) and Pendleton (230).
