The 2007-08 hunting season has started and the early archery and muzzleloader seasons are looming for deer hunters.

The statewide archery seasons for both bucks and does will begin on Sept. 29. The early muzzleloader season for antlerless deer will begin on Oct. 13. During the muzzleloader season, a hunter can harvest one antlerless deer with each appropriate license.

Primitive flintlock, percussion and inline muzzleloader rifles can be used during this season, as well as crossbows, but hunters must have a muzzleloader stamp.

For some time, I have had a Thompson/Center Arms 50 caliber flintlock and a percussion rifle. Both rifles have been afield and I have been fortunate enough to harvest a deer with them as my sporting arm of choice.

The biggest problem with muzzleloaders is that the weather can foul up your hunting season. Last year, I struggled with choosing between my flintlock and my percussion rifles for deer hunting.

Both rifles are reasonably accurate up to 100 yards, but, realistically, my best chance is by sticking to a target that is closer to 50 yards away.

I use the same load and bullets in both rifles with the primary difference being the powder ignition. A damp day put my flintlock out of business because the powder charge began to cake and the flintlock spark failed to ignite just when I had a dandy whitetail deer easily in range.

Later in the afternoon on the same day, I took out the percussion rifle, thinking that the primer cap would be a much more reliable ignition. No deer presented themselves to me and I headed toward home.

I decided that I would discharge the rifle into a stump and recharge the percussion muzzleloader when I hunted next.

I learned another valuable lesson that day when the percussion rifle also became fouled and failed to fire. I put the rifle in a dry place and later tried to fire the rifle, which then ignited without hesitation.

Needless to say, I had enough of that early deer season in the rain that so often falls in October.

This spring, I was with a buddy and we were discussing wants and needs in our personal sporting arms inventory.

My friend likes to look at a rifle or shotgun much like a set of golf clubs in that each club has its purpose and one club just doesn't get it done.

I was in agreement with him and I was discussing the trials of last year's muzzleloader season when the idea of an inline rifle came up.

Although the inline is a muzzleloader, it also has more modern styling and better ignition than the traditional rifles. Many of the inline rifles are also equipped with scopes to further enhance their versatility.

Many neighboring states have an early buck season that is set up for muzzleloader hunters and all three of my rifle options are permitted.

I decided to look at the Thompson/Center Arms Muzzleloaders and picked up the Triumph Model .50 caliber. The ammunition options were varied and I already had plenty of loading components.

The Triumph is a breech-loading rifle that requires only a hand twist of a breech plug to load and empty the charge. The rifle had clean lines, came with iron sights and is drilled and tapped for the optional scope mounts.

After looking over several more models, I opted for the Triumph and the potential to try this potent black powder rifle in the Pennsylvania early muzzleloader season and perhaps the early buck season in Virginia.

You need to be careful about the scope mounts and be sure they are the correct size for a muzzleloader and that the scope is adequate and solidly built for the thump that a .50 caliber charge provides when fired.

I'll be heading to the range this weekend and plan to have a potent firearm ready for the early hunting seasons.

Until we meet again, keep your powder dry and aim true!

Jay E. Hewitt is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle.