Muzzle-loader marksmen enjoy a break from rain

Wet, soggy conditions persisting until the day before the Western Canadian Black Powder championships near La Broquerie cut the number of marksmen expected but did little to dampen the enthusiasm of the 75 muzzle-loader shooters who came to the event from Western Canada and the United States.

Three western provinces were represented at the awards table when the two-day shoot was over, with Alberta’s Ken Steinhauer repeating a Western Canadian Championship of a year ago in the men’s unlimited class.

Last year’s ladies’ champion Hazel Steinhauer, was edged out by Winnipeg’s Joy Ann Campbell. Local competitor Clint Tod of Ste Anne won the junior competition, while Lloyd Litwin of Saskatoon won the men’s limited class.

Manitoba Muzzle Loaders Association president Dan Cady, who manages the shooting site eight miles south of La Broquerie, finished a close third to Litwin and Steinhauer in a trail competition involving shooting, knife throwing and tomahawk throwing.

While disappointed with what he termed a very poor turnout, Cady was pleased with the competition itself, noting that only a point or two separated the top three muzzle loaders in each of the categories.

Ken and Hazel Steinhauer are among the most avid competitors, and both are skilled in the sport of shooting with ancient muzzle loading rifles, of the kind used by the earliest settlers in Western Canada.

The couple say they travel 15,000 kilometres from their Edmonton home annually to compete in black powder shoots like the championship in La Broquerie.

Another well-travelled enthusiast at the 1992 championships was Tony Knight, who came from Iowa to demonstrate the modern-day muzzle loader used by hunters. It comes complete with a telescopic sighting scope and retails for more than $1,000.

Cady says while there are those who hunt deer during a muzzle loader season in the fall, a desire to preserve heritage is the principal reason people are still using historic firearms.

The Association, with 53 members across the province, held its annual provincial shoot at the site near La Broquerie last fall, during the Labour Day weekend.

At the time, Association member Armand Paradis of Stony Mountain said he had been using black powder firearms since 1971, for the enjoyment and comradeship of the sport.

Cady said black powder shooters use all kinds of muzzle-loaded firearms, including rifles and pistols, and flintlock and percussion weapons. They also use black powder cartridge rifles and shotguns, he said.

The Association owns an 80-acre site south of La Broquerie, where they hold seven shoots annually.

The Western Canadian Championships will again be hosted by Manitoba in 1995.