So, reporting back in. Talking with my neighbor, I am going to do muzzleloading this year. I still want to do bow hunting, but I think it is realistically going to take me a couple of years to get in to that. Price seems roughly similar to muzzleloading at an entry level vs recurve hunting, but a lot easier and faster to get proficient "enough" with muzzleloading.
I can find a couple of half days to hit the range to dial in the sights, practice reloading and firing off a couple of dozen rounds (I have some limited experience with a .22 from YEARS ago, so the fundamentals of shooting aren't entirely foreign to me). I figure it is a much more fun challenge then just grabbing a shotgun or .308. I don't know that this summer I am going to be able to find 1-2hrs 2-3x a week all summer to practice archery.
If hunting goes well enough this fall, I'll probably be able to talk myself (and more importantly, dear wife) in to buying a recurve in the spring and starting to practice with an eye towards mixing in some box hunting fall of 2016, or 2017.
Finished the online portion of the safety test that my state requires and I am reserved for the field day next week so that I can get my hunting license this fall. I want to get those out of the way before buying anything. Just on the tiny chance I somehow turn out to be the most inept human being in the universe. And...well, fitting in some extra overtime hours at work to help pay for it all isn't a bad thing either. I think when I priced it, just the basic rifle and gear surrounding it is about $400. Which doesn't include hunting clothing, safety vest, etc. I'll need to buy this fall, which I am sure will be at least another $150 or so. I am glad I buckled down and took the online course today.
I wasn't exactly dragging my heels. But I was taking a "well, I need a free day on the weekend to do it, because it'll probably take me 4-5hrs". I managed to squeeze it in, in about 2hrs during work (break, lunch and maybe a bit of "not busy time" in there too). Very good, because the earliest time I could reasonably fit it in is next week...after that, it would be mid July and the next time after that is early August looking at the class schedule and my own schedule.
Yikes! Mid July wouldn't be the worst, but I wouldn't want to wait until early August to finish everything up. I want the rifle and equipment in hand by mid July so that I have plenty of freedom to find at least one weekend day before August to hit a range with my neighbor and at least 1, if not 2 more times after that where I can either go again to the range with him, or on my own to the range. Muzzleloading season here in Maryland starts something like the end of the 2nd week in October (3rd week?).
I am a very methodical planner, so I want all of my i's crossed and t's dotted well in advance. Wait, not that is t's crossed and...eh, whatever.
PS The one thing that is making me pale a little bit is looking at the price of ammo for muzzleloading. I realize I am not going to go to a range and unload a couple of hundred rounds. But, DANG man. Looks like about $1.10-1.30 per round once you take in to account the bullet, powder, primer and cleaning supplies. I mean, spending $20-30 every couple of months to "stay fresh" and maybe have a little isn't really all that much expense, well plus range costs. But still. Was looking at Hornady JHP .45 pistol bullets and sabots to load, but I am just wary of non-aerotipped rounds and ballistic performance, but it would cut the costs about $.30 a round...dunno (and also, how realistic around the Maryland area, that I'd be taking a shot at over 50-80yds anyway, where the difference between a (I think) 230 grain JHP and a 250 grain aerotip JHP is really going to show? And even if it did show, is it going to really matter on white tail?)
