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Unless you're a dedicated bowhunter, muzzleloader season is the first crack you get at the local whitetail populations in Virginia. NRA Publications' Tom Rickwalder was itching for the chance to get after the herd that called his hunting club's property home, and wasted no time when the season opened last month. You can get a closer look at his hunt—and see the wild looking buck he harvested—in the gallery embedded above.
Fifty years from now the nostalgic scenes our heirs will conjure will be photos of us carrying guns supremely upgraded from the likes of Murray and his lot. Call it hunting, evolved.
Connecticut and Indiana have joined the growing number of states recognizing Federal Premium FireStick technology for use during their 2026 muzzleloader seasons. Two others —Arizona and California—recently approved the product in their hunting regulations.
Is bigger always better? Or does precision triumph over all? The ammo world will likely never agree. Nonetheless, Philip Massaro takes a look at the latest downsizing trend.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is finalizing a streamlined process for authorizing seasonal migratory game bird hunting that will allow seasons to be authorized earlier, providing sportsmen, states and tribes greater certainty for planning. The changes will also reduce unnecessary federal rulemaking.