Although it seems distant, muzzleloader deer season will start Oct. 15, and savvy hunters are preparing for success by practicing now.

If you have been hunting a long time with muzzleloaders, you are ahead of the curve. You are comfortable with a rifle you have used for years, and you have settled on a bullet and a powder charge that works. Visiting a range will reacquaint you with a rifle you haven't touched in a year. It will only take a few shots to confirm that your scope still holds zero and that your powder is still potent.

If you are wise, you store your powder in a cool, dry place. If you store it in a hot garage or shop, temperature fluctuations and humidity might have degraded it. If five shots print a consistent group, you're fine.

If you are new to muzzleloading, there is a lot to learn. First, you will need to buy a rifle. There are all kinds of muzzleloaders to suit any hunter's preferences. You can build a traditional flintlock muzzleloader from a kit and hunt with blackpowder and patched round balls, or you can use a modern design that ignites more modern, more powerful propellants with shotgun primers. Or, you can go use a plunger style model that ignites blackpowder or Pyrodex with percussion caps.

Most modern muzzleloaders are .50-caliber, and they all shoot spitzer bullets very well. A spitzer, or pointed bullet, is the most accurate and most aerodynamic. Many have polymer tips that initiate bullet expansion when it hits a target. With the right powder charge, they are accurate and lethal to distances that were once reserved for centerfire rifles.

Because I hunt in tight quarters that require close shots, I like hollow point bullets. My favorite hollow points are made by Nosler, PowerBelt and Barnes.

Your rifle will be your most expensive component. If you want to wade cautiously into this arena, the CVA Wolf is budget friendly. It's a break-auction model that enables you to access the breech without removing the trigger assembly. You can get a new combo package with a scope for about $360. It's not fancy, but it will be the only muzzleloader you will ever need. If you upgrade the scope, it will shoot with the best of them.

The Traditions Buckstalker XT Red-Pak is similar and a little cheaper.

Stepping up in price, the CVA Accura is one of the most popular muzzleloaders. It is readily available and is suitable for hunting anywhere in Arkansas.

For more open environments, the Knight Long-Range Hunter is a good choice. If you want to get really fancy, you can buy a Remington Model 700 Ultimate. If you can find one, the Ultimate stretches the definition of muzzleloader to the limit.

I have used four rifles for decades. One is a Thompson/Center Strike, a break-action model designed to use Blackhorn 209 powder. I have a Thompson/Center Omega Z5 that I customized to use Blackhorn 209 and Large Rifle Primers. The one I use most is a Knight KRB7, a drop-action model designed to be used with Triple 7 powder and 209 shotgun primers. A Knight Mk.-85 is the relic of the bunch, essentially a rifled pipe with a spring loaded plunger that detonates percussion caps. It's fun to shoot, wicked accurate and easy to clean.

If you use blackpowder or Pyrodex, it is very important to clean your bore after shooting. These caustic propellants will destroy a bore if residue is not promptly removed. Modern propellants like Blackhorn 209, Triple 7 and White Hots burn cleaner than blackpowder and Pyrodex, but residue from these powders must be removed, as well.

While practicing, you will need to clean your bore after no more than three shots. Powder residue and melted plastic residue from sabots will accumulate and prevent the bullet from seating properly against the powder. This will cause hangfires and misfires. Remove the breech plug and pull a .50-cal Bore Snake through the barrel. Clean the breech plug with a light solvent and toothbrush, and then apply a dab of breech plug grease to the plug before reinstalling it.

After you clean your final shot, swab the bore with a light coat of Bore Butter. This will prevent moisture from settling on the bore surface and causing rust.

You will also need to assemble a shooting kit. It should contain a few bullets, a tin of percussion caps or a small container of 209 primers, a full powder flask, and a bullet seating attachment for your ramrod. If you use percussion caps, you will also need a capping and decapping tool. I carry these items in a fanny pack.

Finally, you need to prepare your hunting spot. Even though modern muzzleloaders can shoot accurately well beyond 100 yards, most shots occur within about 75 yards. Place a stand or blind about that distance from well-established deer travel paths, near common entries into food plots, or near a feeder if you use one.

Your shooting lane should be wide and clear. If branches have grown across your lanes over the summer, trim them.

Often overlooked are saplings in your shooting lanes. They might seem innocuous, but remember that a deer is not tall and might not stand above saplings. If a sapling or several can obstruct a clear bullet path to the vitals, it can spoil a shot and ruin a hunt. Worse, it might cause you to wound a deer that you can't find.

With practice and site preparation, you should be in sharp condition when the season opens. All of that adds up to venison on the table and, hopefully, antlers on the wall.

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