RE: Inline or Traditional
I usually avoid these discussions, but I have a little free time. The intent of the original BP seasons was to allow hunters who hunted the "hard way" (traditional-primitive) to go a field when there weren't so many center fire shooters out and about. It wasn't written in stone, but the patched RB shooters and conical shooters were limited to much shorter ranges than the center fire shooters. Accuracy restrictions and sighting restrictions made it so. The point comparing the scoped inline to a Ruger #1 is well taken and one I agree with. The BP seasons have become equipment races also. 200-yard shots, while not common, are possible. Worry about the weather? No, not with an inline: Your shotgun primer is safe inside its plastic shell and bolt shroud. Sighting restrictions? Not when you can bolt a scope on your muzzleloader. Three sighting planes are replaced with one, plus resolution and light gathering are increased significantly over the old human eye. And therein lies the conflict. The scoped inlines are very definitely muzzleloaders, no doubt about it. But are they traditional-primitive? I don't think so, and I applaud the game departments like PA that restrict the equipment that can be used in the muzzleloader season. Perhaps we should add ANOTHER season and at least redefine the argument. We could have the regular season, the BPC season, the Muzzle Loader (BP & Smokeless) season and the traditional-primitive season. Then we can argue over who should get to take the field first etc etc etc.