Muzzle loaders v. breech loaders

[Leatherstocking]

I might cause a ruckus here, but I have read a couple of letters about guys coming to Colorado to hunt muzzle loading season with '63 Sharps percussion breech loaders. They are not legal during M.L. season. I know this as I have taught hunters safety in this state for 9 years. My warning comes as I know that the wildlife officers here are very dedicated to catching violators and don't mess around when it comes to fines and such. I personally wish you could, but honestly it's getting bad enough with in-line high tech rifles when the whole purpose originally was to have a "primitive season". If I can shoot 8-10 rounds a minute with a breech loader and 2-3 with a muzzle loader, sotra puts me at a greater advantage over the guys shooting a front stuffer. Actually, might as well be shooting a center fire rifle. They (percussion breechloaders) are however legal during regular rifle seasons.
Just trying to watch your backside!
Be Blessed! Leatherstocking

[gmartin]

Thanks Leatherstocking,
Many, not I, yet, have loaded their '63's from the muzzle, and this was an option with original rifles and loading. What then?
I share your concern regarding the sanctity of the real purpose of a muzzleloading, as in primitive, hunting season.
In Idaho, during our "priimitive" ML season, the gun must use a side hammer and ignite a cap, not primer, or flint. I applaud that.
Oddly, during our "close range weapons" season, an IL gun, or say a rifled shotgun for slugs is legal, but the slower '63 is not. Ain't fair here I say.
Gregg

[Leatherstocking]

Greg........where are you living in Idaho? We are planning a move there, we hope this spring...near Harrison Idah!
Leatherstocking

[Lee Stone]

Hey Doug,

If y'all are moving to Idaho to escape those cold Colorado winters, I'm not entirely sure y'all are going in the right direction.

[powderburner]

Lee what you talkin about / Idaho is a banana belt warm balmy breezes gentle snows and glorious rains . just ask anybody who lives up Monida way ..........Dean

[DR308]

Leatherstocking: There is a Harrison Idaho near Coeur D' Alene. Is that the place you are talking about? Nice place. Right on the waters of the lake. Sometimes the winters here are real bad, but most of the times they are not. Like this year, no snow on the ground, temps that have been in the mid 40's to low 50's. Roads are clear, Sunshine alot of the time. The only draw back to winters like these is the fact that we may burn up this summer. No snow, no runoff. No runoff, VERY dry! ----Jerry

[gmartin]

Leatherstocking,
I attended Jr. College in Coeur D'Alene and it is they say. Unfortunately it is becoming a suburb of Spokane, Wa.
I live in Boise, my first crocus blossums appeared this day, the earliest ever. I live the sage brush desert and irrigated farmland becoming a suburb of Boise.
Still, 68%, I believe, public land, and I like our hunting seasons, generally.
Harrison is close to 400 miles north in lodgepole pine, ponderosa forest, go higher and you are in cedar and douglas fir. White tail deer everywhere.
Gregg

[Kelley O. Roos]

gmartin,

I don't know when you lived in Couer D'Alene. My Dad worked for Montgomery Wards, sold appliances, in the Couer D'Alene store. That store is now an antiques mall. My brother was born in Sandpoint, the sheriff in Sandpoint is a relitive, only he doesn't know it, also some of the Sandpoint Anderson clan are relitives as are the Kelleys. So I'm well connected, Roos, Anderson and kelley, in the Panhandle area of Idaho. Most now are spread out and into Montana, Washington, Oragon and Southern California.

I had an uncle who had a place up on Trestle Creek, he had a trail riding horse outfit at the junction and I used to work for him when I was a kid, head wrangler that was my job. Anyway ole Floyd Kelley needed money once so he burn his place down for the insurance money, he bought 300 hundred acres above Kok-A-LaLa-Lake (spelling) and sold all of it off in 5 acre lots. I bought 20 acres, this was back in 1970, and sold the 20 acres 5 years later, never should have sold them, anyway I was living in Az. at the time and needed the money to buy some property in Az.

I don't think I'd move back to Idaho, to many from Ca. live there now. I will move some day, just don't know were.

I have more storys from when I was a kid living in Sandpoint, late 40's and the 50's..So I haven't been a city kid all my life. The school I went to in the middle of Sandpoint is now a park and the railroad station is some kind of mall. The old theater in the middle of town burned down. At least the 2/19 bar is still there, my aunt Donna worked there for awhile, she was the bouncer, joking maybe, or I think it is.

Kelley O.

[Leatherstocking]

DR308,
Yep, that's the Harrison I'm speaking of. I like it cause it's smaller than the place I live now in southern Colorado, more water....though we got snow now, we've been in a terrible drought. Fires all around us two summers ago....but mainly I'm wanting to leave here due to all the people moving hear from the left coast....I know they're every where, but a town of several hundred still sounds better than a city of 7,000. I will miss the hunting here, especially the elk hunting, but expect to find some in Idaho as well. The real reason for moving there is ministry related, so if we go it's because the BOSS says "GO!"

G.Martin,
I know some folks who live in the Boise area and own a Historical clothing manufacturing business......they have been working on a lot of really authentic, Lewis and Clark uniforms and stuff.

Lee,
I've lived in Steamboat Springs Co...lots of -30, -40, -50 below temps and in Jackson Wyoming...so I'm sorta familiar with cold....and where we are now is pretty reasonable in the winter...there's just too many people...Colorado expected to reach 7mil in the next 15 years...don't know where their going to live, cause there's no water here. Still, I was born and raised here and will have a hard time leaving it! But as I said, "I am not my own, I was bought with a price" and will go where ever God leads me........but Idaho looks good from where I am right now!

Finally, Idaho looks a lot more conservative...Colorado (Denver) has become more of a little California with politics and such. I like the hunting laws there. The Kootenai High school sounds very conservative and seems to be a better enviroment for our kids, overall. NO, there's no dilusions about going to another place, problems are same where ever you go...as are people, it just, we have to put the best spin possible on a new place as we step out into the unknown!
Be Blessed and thanks for your comments!

Leatherstocking

[gmartin]

Hi Kelly,
Great personal information, thank you for sharing.
That is Cocolalla Lake near Sandoint, yes, too bad you ridded yourself of the property. Water everywhere Leatherstocking, the forests will burn but the whole of N. Id. is transversed by waterways. Winters are, on the whole, relatively mild for the latitude.
And I enjoy N. Calif. Kelly, I could even live there. I jumped out of Redding for part of a booster fire crew from Fairbainks in 1985. The Shasta Trinity Alps were stunning and wild. I found black bear just out of town, and the whole of the area is world class fly fishing.
My grandfather was the sheriff at the White Mountain Apache Res. in the 30's and 40's, part of where my father grew up. Mom from Kingman Arizona. Later everybody lived in Fallon, Nevada, a place close to my heart. I was born in Ely, Nev.
Was in school in Coeur D'Alene 1975-76, wasted my money on hunting and fishing rather than on school, threw away an athletic schoolarship to join the Army and get in on the old GI Bill, good decision.
Got into Sharps shooting through my Plt. Sgt. in Alaska @ 1978, and treasure the one and only I own, a '63 carbine I'm always fooling with concerning bullets and cartridges. (paper)
Great visiting with all of you. Idaho, by the way Leatherstocking, doesn't lack in Elk. You'll be happy.
Gregg

[Leatherstocking]

Gmartin,

Greg, Thanks for information and encouragement. I do love elk hunting! I am really excited about Idaho...and hope our move is as soon as the snow begins to melt here!
Be Blessed! Leatherstocking (Doug)