Anyone doing any shooting?

[Outdoorman]

Is anyone out there doing any off-season shooting? Maybe doing a little turkey hunting with muzzleloaders?

I decided after last fall that I needed to clean up my ability to hold steady on a target. Since the weather warmed up, I've been shooting my .32 Blue Ridge rifle every chance I get. I'm still accurate enough to kill my prey, but I noticed I was getting a little too shaky last fall deer hunting, so this year I'm going to shoot more than I have the last few years.

I will work with my .54 TC Hawken also later this summer, but for now I'm shooting the .32 because of the powder and size of ball used.

I don't have a black powder muzzleloader for turkeys, or ducks, etc.

So what do some of you do in the off-season to get ready for your hunting season?

Outdoorman

[Badger]

Outdoorman,

Our PA Spring Gobbler season opens May 1, 2010. I plan on using my single barrel 12 gauge barrel on my .54 caplock Renegade.

Since the snow left us last month, I have been casting ball and maxis for the .45, .50 and .54 muzzleloaders. I shoot on my backyard bench here on the farm all year round.

Badger

[Bill Gunn]

Shot about 250 rounds of misc. 44 mag rounds through my Marlin 1894 Cowboy rifle just to get rid of a bunch of old reloads I had laying around.
The 1894 isn't much of a "Kicker" but after 250 rounds with a hard plastic buttpad and no jacket on, it left a mark !!

[Outdoorman]

I made some .54 maxi balls and some .45 round balls Sunday evening. We had around 5 inches of rain from Thursday to Saturday night, so things are a little too soggy to go to where I shoot. So I fired up the lead pot and went to work.

Turkey season is open in MO right now. I have not shot one yet. My hunting is about over for now. This weekend I am in Omaha visiting my daughter and Mother's Day weekend---well, maybe Saturday. Gotta do a church service on Sunday. Season's over on Mother's Day.

Hey, Mr. Gunn, I'll bet 250 rounds with a good rubber buttpad would start to affect a person's shoulder! Sounds like fun though.

Outdoorman

[Twanger]

Not with a gun, but I've been getting out with the bow.
Heading out tonight to open the 3D range for some fellow bow hunters. I'll probably join them.

[Outdoorman]

Bow hunting the last few years has been like the shooting of my guns---not very much. I didn't even get out bow hunting for anything last year. I always enjoyed bow hunting. I never truly APPRECIATED nature until I started bow hunting.

A lesson I learned through bow hunting: you don't take your shots for granted.

Outdoorman