Alexander Mackenzie Online Muzzleloader Shoot

Station Three:
This is a non shooting station.
You are cold and tired and about five miles from the main party. You must make camp for the night and cook the grouse. You have the grouse… right?
Give yourself one point for each of these items you have with you.

- a hatchet to cut some firewood.
- Fire making kit. If you have no way to build a fire, score -5 points.
- Blanket
- Candle
- Groundsheet, or tarp.
- Screwdriver to disassemble your gun’s lock.
- Grease or oil for your gun.
- Cleaning jag or worm.
- A bullet mold to cast some balls.
- A lead ladle.
- An ingot of lead to make bullets.
- A fork
- A plate or bowl
- Drinking cup
- Trade goods, like beads, silver, coins, tobacco.

If you have the fire making tools, lead, ladle and ingot, you may replenish your supply of balls with 3 extra balls, they can be drawn from the ones you discarded earlier.

Your score for station three: ___________________________

For discussion:
This station was designed to make the participant take a look at the gear that he included in his bag and haversack. Preparedness on the trail could mean the difference between life and death.
Trade goods could have included things like coins in the pocket, or tabacco. A Bic lighter would be the modern equivilant to a fire making kit.
 
Station Four
You have encountered a family group of natives camped at the river’s edge. At first they are wary, and take up spears and bows, but with sign language you reassure them you are not a threat. After greetings are exchanged you are invited to the camp. Several of the women are working near the fire, dropping heated rocks from the fire into a broth contained in a tight cedar box. You are invited to share a meal of boiled meat. The men are interested in you firelock and indicate that you should demonstrate. Soon a challenge is put forward. Bets are made. Give yourself +1 point if you have trade goods to wager.
A target is chosen - A slender twig is placed, standing straight up, in a crack in a log. You are to shoot the twig from ten paces. As you step to the line and check your priming, betting takes place amongst the men. You feel the pressure as you take aim.

Station four set up:
Use the sting to measure 10 yards. Tape a drinking straw, vertically, to the top of a target stick. Push the stick into the ground. Return to the firing line. Place your trade goods in two piles. Load your piece. Make your shot.

Scoring station four:
If you hit the straw give yourself +5 points. You have won a handful of trade goods.
If you miss the straw score –5 points. You have lost one pile of your trade goods. Discard one pile of trade goods.
Give yourself an additional +5 if the straw is cut clean in two.
If you don’t have trade goods, you must forfeit three items (3 tools- no expendables, like balls, patches or caps or flints) from your shooting bag.

If you hit and break the target stick, you must forfeit your ramrod.
Your score for station four _________________________


For discussion:
Trade goods could include coins or jewlery or W.H.Y., to avoid wagering tools from your bag.
Again, no instructions for the type of load, so you were free to use a load of shot, if you had desired.
Any shooting position was allowed.
 
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Station Five, part ‘A’
You have managed to get information from the native family about your journey ahead. They’ve told you the river will become more calm and the natives further west are not friendly. You have tried to barter for a guide to accompany you, but they would have no part of it. In fact, they plead with you not to continue. Several are weeping in despair. They watch from the river’s shore as you make your way onward.
It’s your task to secure meat for the expedition and cache it at the river where the men from the party will pick it up on their way downstream in the canoe. Most of the day has passed without seeing game. As dusk approaches you notice the activity of beavers working in a back channel. One beaver is busy on the shoreline falling a large cottonwood, another swims in the pool nearby. Quietly, you make your stalk, knowing that if either animal sees you they will both slip into the depths of the backwater.

Station five set up:
Measure 20 yards and place a 1 litre pop bottle filled with water on its side, base towards the firing line.
Measure 40 yards and place a 1 litre pop bottle filled with water upright.
Return to the firing line and load your piece with a single projectile. You will make the shot at the 40 yard beaver first, carefully timing the shot to correspond with the swimming beaver's dive underwater, so as not to spook it. Make your shot.
Reload and shoot the 20 yard beaver.
Scoring station five:
Hit the 40 yard beaver, score +10 points.
Miss the 40 yard beaver, score -5 points.
Hit the 20 yard beaver, score +10 points,
Miss the 20 yard beaver, score -10 points.
Miss both beavers, score an additional -5 points. You will be hungry again. Hit both the beavers and you score additional +5 points.
Score for station five, part ‘A’ ___________________


For discussion:
Any shooting position was allowed, for both shots.
Any load could be used for the second shot.


Station five, part ‘B’
Everyone participates in station five part ‘B’, regardless if you hit or missed the beaver in part one, whether or not you have a knife.

While skinning the beaver by firelight, you slice the palm of your trigger hand. If you have healing herbs or medications you are fine. Move on to station six. If you don’t have herbs or medications you must tape all four fingers together. The tape remains on the hand until instructed to do otherwise.

Scoring station five. Part ‘B’
If you have healing herbs, or medications in your kit, score +5 points.

Score for station five, part ‘B’:______________

For discussion:
'Healing herbs or medications' could have included tabacco or other herbs, as well as meds like antibiotics or painkillers like ibuprofen.
 
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Station Six
Your belly is filled with a meal of rich beaver tail, roasted over the fire. You wrap in your blanket and tarp, with your back against an ancient drift log . Your fire is in front. You are exhausted and sleep comes easy. The fire burns down to char and a few coals by morning and a damp chill awakes you. Movement catches your eye on the river’s edge. Two figures are sneaking towards your camp. Each carries a bow and a war club. They are stripped bare from the waist up, despite the cold morning. Their intentions are clear. This is a dawn attack! You decide to repel the attack, but spare the warriors, knowing the expedition will travel through their territory. You decide to shoot the clubs from the attackers’ hands.

Station six set up:
Mark out 20 yards. Push two target sticks into the ground on an angle so that the tops form an X. Make certain the top of the two sticks are only about two inches long. Wrap the sting or tape around the X. Position the paint stir stick so that it hangs freely by a 6” length of thread, tied or taped to the X area. The stir stick should be free to turn in any breeze. This will represent the club handle. Remove the top from your last remaining plastic bottle. Dump any remaining water. Pace the bottle upside down, over one of the sticks that form the X. This will represent the second attacker’s club. Return to the firing line. Load your piece with a single projectile. From a prone position (laying down) make your first shot at the stir stick. You must reload while laying down to maintain your cover behind the log. Make your second shot at the pop bottle, from the prone position.

Scoring station six:
Hit the stir stick- score +5points.
Break the stick in two- score another bonus +5 points.
Miss the stir stick- score -5 points.
Hit the bottle- score +5 points.
Miss the bottle- score -5 points.
Hit both targets- score a bonus +5 points.
If you miss both targets, you have failed to repel the attack and you are overrun and taken prisoner. That is the end for you – tally your score to this point.

Score for station six: _____________________

For discussion:
The instuctions say to shoot from a prone position, but left the option of rifle support up to the shooter. You could have used your haversack or a handy log to support the rifle.
Loading from a prone position would be a lot easier if one carried a few pre-rolled paper cartridges.
Any load, including buckshot could have been used for the second shot.
 
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Station Seven
After the attack you decide to fortify your camp and wait for the rest of the expedition. You stack a few logs to give yourself cover if you attacked again. You set a few traps to gather small game for food.
Days pass without event. The pain in your hand is intense and you decide to check the wound. Your cut is starting to fester. Your herb remedy has not worked and the cut has abscessed.
The beaver you killed is nearly gone and the expedition is expected any time. Despite the pain in your hand you must hunt. You pack your gear, pick up your traps and move downstream. You must keep an eye to the river, lest the paddlers slip by. You must not miss them, as your hand needs medical attention.
Not far along you see movement low in the bush. A grouse flushes into a low willow tree, then a second also flies in the bush. You see your opportunity to get fresh meat for dinner. Carefully, you circle the tree until the birds are lined up together, so one shot can get them both.

Station seven set up:
Measure 35 yards. You may fix two balloons to the target stick(s) in any fashion you like to help you get both birds with one shot.
You may remove the tape from your fingers. Place the egg from your target box in the palm of the hand and secure with tape. Complete the rest of the match with the egg in place. This represents the abscess from your wound.
Load your piece and fire one shot on the targets.

Score +5 for each balloon you break.
If you miss the balloons, score -5 points for each miss.
Bonus points: Score +5 points if you have traps or snares.
If you hit and break a target stick, you must forfeit your ramrod.
If the egg gets broken, infection sets in and you are done-Tally your score to this point.

Your score for station seven: ______________

For discussion:
Any shooting position, any load, including double ball or birdshot loads were permisable. Did anyone come up with constructive ways to postition the balloons for the 'two birds with one shot'?
 
Station Eight
You quickly dress the grouse and tie them to your belt. You must find bigger game to make meat for the men in the expedition. They are counting on you. It’s not long before you see a rounded black object on a sunny shore a few hundred yards ahead. It’s a glossy black bear. You slip into the forest to begin the stalk.

Station Eight set up:
Measure 20 yards. With the target sticks in the X shape, tape two corners of the bear target directly to the sticks and let two corners hang free. You may use one lead ball to help keep the target from flapping in the breeze. Return to the firing line.
Load your piece with a single projectile and fire on the target.
Load again with a single projectile and shoot the target a second time.

Score the target according to the printed rings. Add the two scores together. If you miss the target, score –5 points for each miss.
If you hit and break a target stick, you must forfeit your ramrod.
If the egg gets broken at any time, infection sets in and you are done - Tally your score to this point.

Your score for station eight: _____________

No sooner than the sounds of the shots fade away, you can hear the men from the expedition, far upriver. They have heard the shots and broke into song, doubling their speed.
The canoes glide up to the gravel bar, and Mackenzie himself steps out to greet you. He notices your wound and has the doctor tend to you. You give your report of calmer rivers and hostile natives. Several of the men skin the bear and bone out the meat, wrapping it in the hide.
You are safely in the hands of your friends, for the time being…Congratulations!

Add all your scores for all the stations you completed.
Final shoot score: _____________

If you took photos during the shoot, you may add up to 3 points, one point for each photo you post in the Official Alexander Mackenzie Online Shoot Thread @ CGN.
Do not post your scores in the thread! Send me a PM with your final tally.


For discussion:
Any shooting position could have been employed, including supported with a ramrod.
The target was to be scored as the higher value ring, even if the bullet only cut the line. Sorry about the poor quality target for this one - Have you ever tried to find a black bear target with scoring rings?
 
royce said:
Well i did bring a percussion cap pistol, but did not play into any scenario's.
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It could have played a part for you, had your rifle become useless. I considered having a senario where one would have to resort to a secondary gun, but thought it would not meet my description of the shoot being "able to be shot anywhere were it is legal and safe to shoot novelty style targets".
I do think I dropped the rule about using one gun throughout the shoot (I had written it in at first) to accommodate those who might have a pistol.


H Wally said:
Wow - this sounds like it was a lot of fun. I wonder how many people didn't bring anything but their basic shooting gear?
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There were a LOT of hints in the thread and the information packet to be prepared as if one was going on the expedition. Even the trade goods and substituting modern gear 'in the spirt of the competition' was discussed in the thread. Having a multi-tool would have guaranteed quite a few points.
Not too many points were lost if one chose not to bring things like a tarp and bed-roll.
Part of the whole idea of the shoot is to take a look at what you carry in your bag. If one guy from the shoot tosses an extra piece of gear into the bag, it may save the day sometime in the future, and he'll remember the shoot.
 
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Smokepole said:
There were a LOT of hints in the thread and the information packet to be prepared as if one was going on the expedition. Even the trade goods and substituting modern gear 'in the spirt of the competition' was discussed in the thread. Having a multi-tool would have guaranteed quite a few points.
Not too many points were lost if one chose not to bring things like a tarp and bed-roll.
Part of the whole idea of the shoot is to take a look at what you carry in your bag. If one guy from the shoot tosses an extra piece of gear into the bag, it may save the day sometime in the future, and he'll remember the shoot.
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Lol - fair enough. It got me thinking about what gear I have at the moment... I spent yesterday sewing a range bag and making a powder horn:p


Did anyone else out there take pics of their shoot?
 
Sniper-T said:
Hey shooters... How about recounting the event in your own words... lets hear how the indians got you, and whatnot!
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I had wind issues during the shoot and I missed the stir-stick club but I got my bottle. I used 500ml bottles because I had lots around. It was a bad decision though because I missed the other 2 bottle shots which hurt my score badly.

My favorite shot had to be the straw. Cut it in two as you can tell from the photos I posted.

All my shots on paper were hard to do because my light .45 RB taped to the sheet was no match for the wind. I hit everything but almost missed the bear with the second shot.

I also had problems with the shot after pouring water into the barrel.... It took a few caps to get it to light again and so that was negative points and then it was finally a hang fire so I missed the grouse...

I didn't break the egg in the hand though so that was a relief. Did anyone break the target sticks and surrender their rod?

I learned a lot. Mostly that I had no idea what to expect. Do-over!
 
after following this thread from the start,I'm pretty sure there will be more members on a future expedition.
Sounds like it was a BLAST :D
Kudos Smokepole-well thought out and very nicely done!
 
At the first station I taped a ball in front of the paper, to prevent it blowing in the wind, :eek: I hit the balland blew it to pieces.
TinaDocuments0001.jpg


My shooting went down hill from there , missed the straw, only hit one balloon (using # 8 shot)
Without a doubt, the most fun I've ever had shooting :D

Cheers nessy.
 
nessy357 said:
At the first station I taped a ball in front of the paper, to prevent it blowing in the wind, :eek: I hit the ball and blew it to pieces.

My shooting went down hill from there , missed the straw, only hit one balloon (using # 8 shot)
Without a doubt, the most fun I've ever had shooting :D

Cheers nessy.
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That's a cool picture of the target with the ball explosion marks.

I wondered if anyone would think to use birdshot on the balloons.
 
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