Lile Outdoors: Early primitive weapon season is here

  • Published
  • By Airman Daniel Lile
  • 14th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. --  (Editor's note: This is the fifth article in a series about hunting.)

Early primitive weapon season opened Nov. 10 in Mississippi, meaning frustrated bow hunters can finally take a shot at that doe that won't come any closer than 70 yards.

Primitive weapon hunting traditionally consists of black powder muzzleloader weapons, but other types can be used during primitive season.

Weapons legal for use during the Primitive Weapons season are all archery equipment and primitive firearms, according to the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. Primitive firearms, for the purpose of hunting deer, are defined as single-or double-barreled muzzle loading rifles of at least .38 caliber; single-shot, breech-loading, metallic cartridge rifles (.35 caliber or larger) and replicas, reproductions, or reproductions of those type rifles with an exposed hammer; or single-or double-barreled muzzle-loading shotguns, with single ball or slug.
Single-shot rifles of 35 caliber or higher are legal in Mississippi, however some hunters still choose to take on the challenges of hunting with black powder muzzleloaders.

"The Basic difference between a normal rifle and a muzzleloader is accuracy," said Staff Sgt. Charles Woford, 14th Flying Training Wing Chaplain Assistant. "Your primitive weapons, from the early to the most advanced, are still not going to have significant accuracy like you would have from a rifle round."

With a muzzleloader or any primitive weapon you do not have multiple shots like you could have in a normal rifle.

"Black powder weapons are always going to be one shot, in order to load a muzzleloader you have to weigh out a specific amount of grains of essentially black powder," Woford said. The hunter pours the grains in the top of the barrel to the bottom, jams the round in with a ram rod, puts on a primer cap, then cocks and fires the weapon almost like the way he or she would with a pistol.

Many modern rifles can reach out to extraordinary distances; hunting with muzzleloaders challenges hunters to bring deer much closer.

"Your newer muzzleloaders can reach out a little bit farther than others, but I would say you should be able to shoot around 100 yards accurately," Woford said. "It all depends on what kind of equipment you are using."

A concern hunters always have to be aware of when hunting with muzzleloaders is weather; even the slightest amount of rain can ruin a hunter's day.

"One of the biggest concerns with black powder weapon hunting is making sure the powder does not get wet," Woford said. "If your powder gets wet, you're kinda out of luck. It becomes a very difficult process to get the round out of the barrel safely when it's already down there without firing it, and you can't fire it because the powder is wet."

Another challenge of black powder hunting is finding the deer after you shoot.

"One of the other difficult things when hunting muzzleloaders is when you pull that trigger all you see is a black cloud in front of you," Woford said. "By the time the cloud is gone, the deer is usually long gone and you don't know if you hit him or not. You have to go look for blood and find evidence that you did actually hit the deer."

Learning the tricks of the trade of black powder hunting can be difficult, however finding experienced mentor can help build the skills needed.

"If you are trying to get into black powder hunting, do it with a friend," Woford said. "Do it with someone with experience that knows what they are doing. You can also look up almost anything on the internet these days; do research into what equipment to use with your muzzleloaders."

Airmen who still want to take advantage of being able to hunt early in the season with something other than a bow can still use a single-shot rifle with a caliber of 35 or higher during primitive season.

"I have a single shot 444 Marlin that I use," said Airman Cory Scribner, 14th Flying Training Wing Air Traffic Control Apprentice. "It is not as primitive as a black powder or muzzleloader, but I have used it for around three years. Most of my shots with my single shot-weapon are close range anywhere between 75 and 100 yards. I usually hunt in thick timber compared to open fields."