OUTDOORS TIP OF THE WEEK- Younger rifle shooters are often sensitive to recoil. Did you ever consider training your young deer hunter with a muzzleloader? My youngest son began his hunting career shooting an inline muzzleloader and quickly learned rifle accuracy and good shooting form without the recoil of larger center fire calibers. By age 12, he was regularly taking deer and hogs out to 150 yards. I’ve found that lighter charges of Pyrodex powder, around 70 grains, stabilize the rounds well and when shots are kept at 100 yards or less, provide plenty of punch to harvest deer size game. You’re your young shooter gains confidence and size, he or she can shoot the same rifle with a heavier charge. Thompson Center came out with a new 50 caliber muzzleloader, the Triumph Bone Collector, that is well balanced, lightweight and ideal for young and old shooters. I’m currently training my three 11  year old grandsons with the rifle charged with 70 grains of powder and 225 grain  TC Shock Wave Sabots. We will keep shots close this year, then step up the powder in a year or so and they will have a very good shooting 200 yard rifle that they are already familiar shooting.  Muzzleloading safety, like all gun safety, is mostly common sense. With competent adult supervision, modern inline muzzleloader make excellent ‘first guns’ and once shooting and safety skills are learned, often become a shooting sport that the hunter will enjoy all his life.  LC

Listen to Outdoors with Luke Clayton at www.catfishradio.com. Contact Luke with outdoors news at lukeclayton@prodigy.net