Ohio Valley Outdoors - September 2007 Newsletter

Volume I, Number 9, September 2007

Ohio's Fall Turkey Season Is Approaching

-Flock estimated at more than 180,000 birds-

COLUMBUS, OH - Hunters are preparing for Ohio’s upcoming fall wild turkey season which runs Saturday, October 13 through Sunday, October 28, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.

The 16-day season is followed by the fall archery-only wild turkey season, which opens Monday, October 29 and ends Sunday, November 25. Thirty-seven counties are open for fall turkey hunting.

“Good reproductive success this past summer should equate to better wild turkey abundance during the 2007 fall turkey hunting season, as compared to last year,” said Mike Reynolds, Division of Wildlife turkey management leader. Reynolds estimates Ohio’s statewide wild turkey flock now numbers more than 180,000 birds.

Fall wild turkey hunting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset during the 16-day regular fall turkey season and one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset during the archery-only season. The bag limit is one turkey of either sex per hunter per season. A fall turkey permit is required in addition to a current Ohio hunting license. All harvested turkeys must be taken to an official turkey check station by 8 p.m. the day of harvest.

Dogs may be used to assist in taking wild turkeys during the fall hunting season, but not during the spring season.

Hunters should be aware that the fall turkey season will partially overlap the Special Area Muzzleloader Season (October 22-27) deer hunt on three state-owned areas: Wildcat Hollow and Salt Fork state wildlife areas, and Shawnee State Forest. Turkey hunting will not be allowed on these areas during those dates.

More than 19,000 hunters pursued wild turkeys in the state last fall, harvesting 1,175 birds. The first fall wild turkey hunting season in Ohio was in 1996.

Information courtesy of ODNR

Concealed Carry Training

Our next class is scheduled for October 6. Call or stop by now to register, class size is limited. Cost for the Course is $149.99 and includes all necessary equipment. For more information, visit our website at www.ovoutdoors.com and click on Concealed Training.

Buying Guide: Muzzleloaders

Muzzleloading rifles have become increasingly popular lately, and more manufacturers than ever are now producing their version of a muzzleloading hunting rifle. With this increased popularity have come tremendous technological advances in the way a muzzleloader fires, and a modern muzzleloader is as accurate as a standard cartridge rifle. In addition, hunting with a muzzleloader will provide you with a week and a half of extra hunting time during deer season.

A muzzleloader or blackpowder rifle, is a rifle that is loaded with black powder or its equivalent and a projectile via the muzzle of the gun, vice loading a cartridge in the breech. While the term "muzzleloader" may conjure images of Davy Crockett or fur traders, recent technological advances have significantly changed the look and feel of muzzleloaders, while leaving the basic process of loading relatively unchanged.

Muzzleloaders can be divided into two main groups: sidelock and in-line. Both groups still require loading gunpowder and a projectile via the muzzle, but differ greatly in the way in which the powder is ignited. Sidelocks are the more traditional muzzleloader, with an external hammer on the side of the rifle that is manually cocked and then released when the trigger is pulled. In-line muzzleloaders look more like a modern cartridge rifle and have a hammer in the rear of the barrel. The primer is accessed by different means; a break open action, a bolt, or pulling back the hammer assembly. In-line actions result in a slightly shorter delay between pulling the trigger of the muzzleloader and the bullet exiting the barrel. While not long enough to be noticed by the naked eye, this delay can affect accuracy if the proper follow through is not maintained.

Apart from the previously mentioned two groups, Connecticut Valley Arms (CVA) has recently introduced the Electra, an electronically ignited muzzleloader, a gun truly in a category on its own. Powered by a 9V battery, the ARC™ Electronic Ignition system is completely sealed from the elements. The only portion of the Electra that needs cleaning is the barrel itself and a single 9V battery will fire the rifle at least 500 times.

In conjunction with the advent of in-line actions, another major improvement to the traditional muzzleloader is the use of shotgun shell primers for ignition. In the past, the powder charge in the muzzleloader was ignited by means of a #11 percussion cap. This produced sufficient spark to ignite a standard powder charge, but often would have trouble with pre-measured pellet charges. The use of type 209 shotgun shell primers along with pre-measured pellet charges has led to faster and more uniform burn rates. This improves both accuracy and effective distance. Modern muzzleloaders are also able to withstand much higher pressures than traditional sidelocks, allowing them to be loaded with more powder and further increasing their range.

Along with significant changes and advances in muzzleloading rifles themsleves, there have been many changes to the types of projectiles fired from a muzzleloader. The traditional muzzleloading bullet used to be a round or conical lead ball, seated on a patch of cloth. Modern muzzleloading bullets resemble the bullets used in modern rifle cartridges. Two commonly seen improvements in muzzleloading ammunition are sabots and the use controlled expansion rounds.

The term sabot refers to the plastic container in which the bullet is fired. This plastic holder allows you to use a smaller bullet made of material harder than lead. Whereas with a lead round, the lead itself conforms to the barrel's rifling, when using a sabot, the plastic sabot grabs onto the rifling. This means you will still have a spin on your projectile, but you can use harder material better suited to controlled expansion. Because you can use a smaller bullet, you can acheive higher velocites and better long range performance.

Because of the widespread use of sabot rounds, controlled expansion rounds are now frequently used in muzzleloaders. These rounds are often lead coated with a harder material, just as in modern rifle or pistol cartridges. This harder external material limits the rate of expansion of the projectile, allowing for deeper penetration. The softer lead interior still expands, ensuring there is a balance between expansion and penetration.

Muzzleloading has changed by leaps and bounds in the past decade. For those of you who have not looked into muzzleloading hunting recently, stop by and take a look at our selecition of rifles and accessories. You are sure to find some technological surprises.

Image courtesy of Knight Muzzleloading.

22 Caliber Fun Shoot

It is that time of year again. Ohio Valley Outdoors has started our weekly 22 handgun fun shoot on Wednesdays at 6PM. Come join us for some friendly competition with your 22 caliber pistol or revolver. Cost is $5 for range members and $7 for non-members.

Each participant will be timed while shooting down 6 targets in a gallery style setup. Prizes will be awarded for the fastest single round and the fastest overall. We will continue shooting rounds until the range closes. Total number of rounds will be based on number of participants.

No registration is required. Please stop by or call (740) 654-1956 for more information.

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