Years ago, I bought a Lyman Hawkins in .54 caliber for elk hunting. The first two seasons were "shoot and release." Third season I finally hit one (in Wahkiakum county; somehow the gun fired despite a constant downpour).

Sometime ago, a friend in the San Juan's invited me a couple years later for a managed deer hunt, 3 deer in 3 shots. I was delighted (although honestly, the deer weren't much bigger than my friend's German Shepard....I guess that's why they needed culling).

I'm not sure how much longer I can live without getting at least one of those spiffy Pieta revolvers. Just because. Cabela's keeps having them on sale and my resistance is wearing down.

In Washington (as well as Idaho and Oregon), rifles with enclosed percussion caps are illegal (as are any using cartridge/shotshell primers). For many years, that meant a traditional-style firearm was almost required.

Now, some manufacturers make muzzleloaders in a more modern configuration that meet the ignition requirement. I see those now, along with scopes, camo gear and so on. Ugh. It just ain't right....