When the subject of hunting with a muzzleloader is mentioned, the colorful image of a grizzled, buckskin-clad frontiersman with a Kentucky rifle slung over his shoulder instantly comes to mind. While the muzzleloading rifle did play a monumental role in settling and taming the wilds of America, many people overlook the fact that muzzleloading shotguns were every bit as important as their rifle counterparts.

If you stop and think about it, the reasons for the frontstuffing shotgun's popularity during the formative years of our country were many. Round balls for rifles had to be cast from lead, a commodity that was often scarce in the wilderness. If the frontiersman ran out of lead balls for his rifle, he was pretty much out of luck.

On the other hand, his muzzleloading shotgun was a much more versatile weapon. It could shoot just about anything its owner could poke down the bore. "Anything" sometimes included small pebbles, scraps of lead or short lengths of nails.

For that reason and more, the muzzleloading shotgun has been held in highest esteem by legions of shooters during the past couple of centuries. Moreover, muzzleloading rifles and shotguns are currently enjoying a resurgence in popularity. This can be contributed, at least in part, to the expanded hunting opportunities afforded the charcoal burning crowd.

At press time, only two states in the U.S. do not have special muzzleloading seasons. Muzzleloader hunting is permitted during the regular firearms season in every state. Many newcomers to muzzleloading are discovering how much fun shooting modern-day muzzleloading shotguns really is. They are also learning how effective a properly loaded frontstuffer can be on a wide variety of birds, everything from quail to wild turkey.

Obviously, there is a disadvantage to shooting frontloading shotguns. You have only one shot, or a maximum of two with a double-barrel. A great deal of discipline must be practiced, especially while reloading when game is still in sight-as is often the case when hunting ducks or geese.

I learned a long time ago that after the shot and the location of a downed bird is determined, one has to forget about everything and concentrate on the reloading process. First the powder, then the wad then the shot then the wad; these-not birds still in sight-are the steps to loading that must dominate your mind for the minute or so it takes to reload.

You will be able to rejoin the hunt only after you have safely completed the task of reloading. Only after the ramrod has pushed the over shot wad into place can you forget the serious task of creating what will become a shotgun shell inside the barrel of your muzzleloader.

One of the big advantages of hunting with a muzzleloading shotgun is having the versatility of changing loads as the situation dictates. Put yourself in this picture:

You are tucked away in your duck blind with your lab at your side. Mallards, gadwall and teal are literally dropping into your decoy spread a mere 25 yards away.

You are shooting decoying ducks at close range-no need here for the punishing recoil of magnum loads. What you do need is a light but effective duck load.

Easy enough! Simply use your powder measurer and drop 80 grains (by volume) of Pyrodex or black powder down the shotgun's muzzle, follow with a felt-over-powder wad then follow up with 1-1/8 ounces of #6 Bismuth or steel shot and an over-shot wad to seal the round. Presto! You have tailor-made a custom load that is ideal for your immediate shooting situation.

Later in the day, this up-close-and-personal shooting gives way to pass shooting at ducks working their way back to roost sites for the night. Many of these birds are eyeing your dekes at ranges of 35 to 45 yards as they streak overhead.

Time for the heavy artillery. Set your powder measure at 100 grains and increase your shot to 1-3/8 ounces. Now you have a magnum load, one that's quite capable of cleanly folding a passing duck at these greater and more challenging distances.

The muzzleloading wingshooter has three styles of shotguns from which to choose. One's choice depends largely upon personal preference. I own one of each style and, when loaded properly, they are all effective game getters.

The more traditional muzzleloader shooter might prefer the side lock hammer shotgun. These fowling pieces can be flintlock or caplock (caplock being by far the more practical). Priming them is simple. After loading, place a #11 percussion cap over the nipple and cock the hammer. That's it; you're ready to shoot.

I have a 12-gauge TC New Englander hammer gun that is a real joy to shoot. With choke tubes in full, improved cylinder and modified, it serves me well on everything from dove to turkey.

For upland bird shooting and especially quail, it's hard to beat a good double. My 12-gauge double, made for Cabela's by the Italian gun maker Davide Pedersoli, is lethal on quail. To my way of thinking, the very nature of quail shooting requires multiple shots, especially on covey rises.

Several companies manufacture inline muzzleloading shotguns that work on much the same principle as inline rifles. A bolt is cocked and ignition occurs when the trigger is pulled, allowing the bolt to drive forward and strike the inline nipple with the percussion cap.

Each shotgun style has its strong points and its weaknesses, but each of my smokepoles has consistently put birds in the bag-providing, of course, that I did my part with the loading process and proper shooting techniques.

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