Deer hunters took to the woods Saturday, Sept. 14 to kick off the 2019-2020 deer season as the archery season has begun. The weather is still very hot and that may signal a slow start to this year’s deer season. The heat and bugs will mean hunters will need to take special precautions. Availability of early-season natural foods like muscadines, crabapples and acorns vary across the state.

The 2019-2020 archery season runs from Sept. 14 until Jan. 12. However, between Sept. 14 and Oct. 11 only archery equipment can be used to harvest deer. The initial archery dates will be followed by the special one-week 2019 primitive weapons season. 

The dates for the special primitive weapons season are from Oct. 12 through Oct.18. In addition to the special set aside dates for archery and primitive weapons, both primitive weapons and archery equipment can be used for the entire deer season. The firearms season in Georgia this year runs from Oct. 19 until Jan. 12. 

During the current special archery season, crossbows, longbows, recurve bows and compound bows are allowed for hunting any game or feral hog. However, arrows for hunting deer, bear or feral hog must be broadhead type. Draw weight, let-off, arrow length and sights are not restricted. Archery equipment, air bows, air rifles and any muzzleloading firearm are legal during the special primitive weapons season and scopes are legal. 

Hunters look upon the use of the muzzleloader to harvest wildlife as a challenge that dates back to the days when settlers first set foot in America. Those early American settlers gave special attention to their muzzleloaders because they were so important to their daily struggle to survive. Compared to today’s modern muzzleloaders, the early versions were prone to breakdown and early settlers were constantly working for better rifles.

From the desire for better quality rifles, the American gunsmith was born. American gunsmiths took the best features of European rifles and created rifles that were accurate, dependable and adapted for the thick forest of the new America.

Most American firearms were being made in factories by 1850 and the early American gunsmiths began to disappear. Many names are used when referring to muzzleloaders. Black powder rifles and smokepoles are two of those names associated with muzzleloaders. 

In early America, black powder was gunpowder and it was the only propellant suitable for use in guns. Gun powder is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal and potassium nitrate and creates smoke when fired in a rifle hence the name smokepole. 

Black powder is forever associated with the old traditional muzzleloading rifles and is preferred by traditional hunters but black powder is becoming harder to find. It is being replaced with smokeless powder that is less dangerous, less corrosive to the gun and produces little or no smoke.

Therein lays the primary difference between traditionalist and modern muzzleloaders. Today’s modern muzzleloader looks and operates nothing like the traditional smokepole rifle of the early settlers.

If you’re looking for a challenge reminiscent of early American settlers then the traditional smokepole is the choice. That rifle presents the greatest challenge to the hunter because the rifle has iron sights and gives the hunter a single shot. The hunter must learn to shoot well with open sights, keep the powder dry and get close to their quarry.

The modern muzzleloader is essentially a single shot rifle. They are often referred to as in-line rifles since the components are all loaded in-line with one another. It might look like and even operate somewhat like the traditional muzzleloader but it is a drastically different gun. 

The modern muzzleloader uses saboted bullets and Pyrodex (modern substitute for gunpowder) pellets. That means the hunter does not have to measure a charge of powder and does not have to worry about rain since the primer for ignition is secured in the breech. Modern muzzleloaders use modern scopes which improve their accuracy so that having a single shot available isn’t a great concern.

Whether you fall into the category of traditional muzzleloader hunter and shoot a replica from the past or you fall into the non-traditional muzzleloader hunter and shoot the modern muzzleloader, you need to prepare if you plan to hunt during Georgia’s upcoming primitive weapons season. 

Good hunting and see you next week.

 

— Outdoors columnist Bobby Peoples can be reached at brpeoples995@gmail.com.