Leave the Possibles Bag Behind

For many hunters, the "possibles" bag is dead. Easy-load sabots eliminated the need for a dedicated bullet starter. Pelletized powder rendered the brass powder flask useless. Speed loaders provided the convenience of ready-to-use loads. So when muzzleloader hunters are armed with innovation, how much extra "stuff" do they really need? Two experienced outdoorsmen share their line of attack.

"Travelin' Hunter" Tony Smotherman (www.travelinhunter.com) is often away from home, but he's never far from his essential tools. "Like everything else in this wonderful world, muzzleloading has progressed at a rapid rate in the last few years," he said. "Technology has allowed hunters to stop carrying a bag full of stuff like patches, bore butter, powder horns and ball pullers. Today when I head to the timber I have a limited amount of goodies."

First on his checklist: three speed loaders with 100 to 150 grains of Triple 7 powder, depending on the gun. He prefers loose powder over pellets most of the time. "I do have a few guns that really like pellets," he said. "For those, I carry several extra Full Plastic Jackets loaded with Winchester 209 primers because they're easy to drop, especially during times of extreme excitement."

Item number two: a well-equipped ride. "At the truck I have a mobile gun repair store," he said. "If anything is ever going to happen to your gun, it's when you are outside of your comfort zone and nowhere near a gun shop." Smotherman's truck contains everything from extra iron sights that are marked for 100 yard accuracy in case he smashes his scope, to extra trigger assemblies, a pile of cleaning supplies, extra breech plugs, gun tools, and in many cases, an extra gun or two. "You can never be too prepared for the worst," he said.

Knight Rifles Marketing Manager Mike Mattly has also been involved in hundreds of muzzleloader hunts. "In the beginning I carried everything I could," Mattly said. "After losing half my tools, I got a little smarter." Now Mattly heads to the stand with his left pocket full of speed loaders, and primers in his right pocket. "You can get in a hurry and forget your possibles bag, but I've never forgotten my coat!" he joked.

While Mattly opts for simplicity during the hunt, he keeps a combo tool and an allen wrench in his truck in case of emergencies. "Once I got in a hurry and forgot the powder," he said. "The tailgate of the truck makes a great work bench. Just throw your coat down first to keep from scratching the gun."

For out-of-state hunts far away from the hardware store, Mattly takes a more extensive tool kit, which starts with the basic cleaning essentials - solvents, oil, brushes, patches, and breech plug grease. "I also carry a spare trigger, breech plug, trigger mounting screw, stock screw, and sights (if I'm not using a scope). These extra items cost about $100, but if you're on a $6,000 elk hunt in the mountains and have a problem, that will be the best $100 you've ever spent."