Turkey Hunting - Old School

Like a lot of you reading this, I grew up in a home filled with books and magazines covering the topics of hunting, fishing, and camping. My brother and I spent many hours in our formative years studying these instruction manuals to improve our woodcraft skills.

One book that I remember, in particular, contained a photo of a man holding a large gobbler in one hand and a double-barreled black powder hand cannon in the other. He had a dark, smoky smudge around both of his eyes and a grin on his face that could only be removed by a visit from the IRS or his in-laws.

I didn’t know anything at the time about hunting with black powder guns, but I knew I’d sign up for any activity that could make a feller smile like that. Well, it took me 30 years, but I finally got around to hunting with a traditional muzzleloader. I’ve been smiling ever since.

As you start preparing yourself for Missouri’s turkey hunting opener, I’d like for you to consider leaving that modern shotgun at home and, instead, use a weapon your great-grandfather might have toted around; an honest-to-goodness black powder scattergun. The more limited range of this gun will force you to become a better hunter, and there’s nothing that will make you feel more connected to the rich hunting heritage of our state than using the same style firearm that Lewis and Clark packed for their expedition out west. I have been chasing gobblers with a flintlock smoothbore for almost ten years now and can honestly say that those years have been the most fun that I’ve ever had in the turkey woods.

Now I know what you’re thinking, “Darren, turkey hunting is hard enough as it is. Why on earth would I want to make it more difficult?” Well, reader, it’s not that you would be making it more difficult. It’s just that you would be making it different. There are several misconceptions about using traditional black powder firearms that keep a lot of folks from ever trying them out. I’m going to try to dispel a couple of those here to give you a more realistic picture of what you would be experiencing.

The #1 reason I hear for not wanting to shoot black powder guns is that they are just too hard to get clean. Like you, I’ve listened to the stories of people disassembling their rifles and soaking the parts in a bathtub to clean them.

That’s just foolishness if you ask me and indeed not necessary. I bet I don’t spend more than 15 minutes cleaning my fowler after patterning it at the range for a couple of hours. Using something as commonplace as an ammonia-based window cleaner, a few patches, a bore brush, and a cleaning jag, I can have the barrel ready for service in no time at all.

And if you’re skeptical about what I’m telling you, then ask yourself this; do you think Simon Kenton and Daniel Boone took time each evening to take apart their rifles and meticulously clean the pieces? If they did, I’ve certainly never read about it, and these fellers were part of a generation where a working firearm meant the difference between life and death.

And that brings me to the other reason that people shy away from hunting with traditional muzzleloaders, which is their perceived unreliability. Folks seem to think that these firearms are some finicky tool, like a gas-powered weed whacker, that must be treated with delicate care for them to work correctly.

That has not been my experience but, again, let me put this in a historical perspective for you. The flintlock, as we know it, was invented in the early 1600s and remained the standard for firearms ignition for over 200 years until the percussion lock replaced it. During that time, a lot of bellies were filled, wars were fought, and at least one nation was born because this type of weapon could be counted on to work day in and day out.

Now I will be the first to admit that I have times in the field with my flintlock where it didn’t go off when I needed it to. Belly crawling with one through the mud towards a longbeard will sometimes cause that. On the other hand, I vividly recall a Stevens 22/410 over-andunder our dad bought us boys for squirrel hunting that would snap on you about every 3rd shot. How I kept from wrapping that gun around a hickory tree and leaving it in the woods is a testament to my easy-going demeanor even as a child.

Okay, so now that I’ve busted a couple of the myths against hunting with traditional muzzleloaders, now I will tell you the main reason for using one this turkey season – FUN! First off, you will have to gather up a whole new set of tools and accouterments to properly care for your new smokepole, and there’s not a hunter alive who doesn’t like to get more goodies. You’ll start learning some new skills which will also help you reconnect with our country’s past.

And then there is all the powder you’ll get to burn working up the proper turkey load for your gun. Remember, you can’t just drop a shell in the breech of that thing and call it good. You will need to spend some time at the range to find the right combination of powder, shot, wads, etc. that packs the most punch at your effective range.

And what should that range be? Well, I generally never shoot at a bird past 25 yards, but that’s regardless of what kind of firearm I’m carrying. I hunt in the woods 90% of the time, and having an open shot at a turkey past that distance in Missouri in the springtime is a rarity.

However, during the first week of the 2019 season, I killed a tom at 40 yards with Sweet Rachael, my 20 gauge flintlock smoothbore. I had no idea it was that far until I stepped it off. All I knew was that he was the second bird I had called in that morning, and he wasn’t walking away as the first one did. I pulled the trigger, and he dropped like a stone! Plus, I had the added excitement of having to wait until the smoke cloud dissipated to see what had happened. I’d put Sweet Rachael’s 25-yard pattern up against one from most any modern-day shotgun!

Well, I’ve gone and worked myself into a lather just talking about turkey hunting, and I hope that some of my excitement has rubbed off on you as well. I also hope that I might have piqued your interest in hunting with a traditional muzzleloader. You’ll get the bragging rights of being the only kid on your block for doing such a thing, and the satisfaction of bringing home vittles just like your great-granddaddy did. That ear-to-ear grin you’ll sport is just icing on the cake!

Darren Haverstick

Darren poses with one of his turkeys that he took with his flintlock shotgun. (Photo: Courtesy of Darren Haverstick)

LEGISLATIVE ACTION CENTER

V I S I T W W W . C O N F E D M O . O R G / L A C C L I C K " S I G N - U P "

"BeTheVoice ForMissouri Outdoors"

Act fast on issues that matter to you.

DINING WILD on American Beauty Berry.

Our native plants provide birds with seeds, berries, insects and nesting sites.

Missouri Wildflowers Nursery PRZOGÁUV#VRFNHWQHW www.mowildflowers.net

You need our excellent catalog - by mail or online.

100% AMERICAN MADE & OWNED PURCHASE FROM YOUR FAVORITE RELOADING SUPPLIER OR ORDER FACTORY DIRECT.

STARLINEBRASS.COM | 1 ( 800 ) 280-6660

Building Tomorrow

Jim Blair leads Moneta’s SM support of the

Conservation Federation of Missouri in their efforts to protect Missouri’s wildlife and natural resources, and preserve our state’s rich outdoor heritage through advocacy, education and partnerships.

James T. Blair , Coleman Sheehan and John Steffens 314.244.3263 | monetagroup.com