The loud roar of historic muzzleloaders echoed off the sand barriers at the shooting range in Douglas on Friday and Saturday.
Ear plugs were not just a requirement but a must as 4H kids, ranging from ages 8 to 18, competed in the nation’s oldest shooting sport at the 2026 Wyoming State Shoot.
Most admitted it was the power of the gun and lack of a “kick” that drew them to these firearms.
“It's a little bit of adrenaline rush for me,” competitor Walter Martinz of Laramie County said. “Everybody kind of gets scared of loading your own black powder and the loud noise, but that is what makes it fun.”
Nearly 600 4H kids competed in various shooting disciplines, from air pistol to shotgun. Martinz was one of 85 who competed in the muzzleloader division.
Katie Kernan, whose mom, Angie, oversees, the scoring, has been a range official for muzzleloader for the past 11 years, said she has seen kids who initially were nervous about shooting muzzleloaders turn into lifelong enthusiasts.
“They're worried if something's that loud then it's got a kick, too,” Kernan said. “But after the first shot, I see this light flash in their eyes, and they just fall in love with muzzleloader.”
Kevin Reddy of Laramie County, a shooting sports coach who has been shooting muzzleloader for more than 30 years, describes muzzleloader as a unique opportunity for youths.
“Most people aren't aware of how to operate, properly load and maintain a primitive rifle or musket,” Reddy said. “This is a great skill to have.”
Loading a muzzleloader can take up to 6 minutes. The process is to add powder, patch and steel ball and then add a cap to light the powder. Ellie Feathers said she loves this process and appreciates the sport because of the time it takes to shoot. (Jackie Dorothy, Cowboy State Daily) 
Kevin Reddy currently coaches four 4H kids from Laramie County in muzzleloader. He first tried the shooting sport 30 years during a Civil War Reenactment and has been hooked ever since. (Jackie Dorothy, Cowboy State Daily) 
Range Official Mike Moon checks the target for 4H shooter, Walter Martinz. Eighty-five 4H kids competed in Douglas at the Wyoming State Shoot this past weekend. (Jackie Dorothy, Cowboy State Daily)
The Boom
Mike Moon, who has been coaching 4H kids on the shooting range at the Wyoming State Shoot for 40 years, said not much has changed – same guns, same smoke.
“It makes a lot of noise,” Moon said. “I get to see the reaction of the kids when they shoot steel and stuff like that.”
Taylor Kimzey of Albany County has been shooting muzzleloader for three years and loves the specialized targets. They range from bottle and bison-paper targets to gongs that ring out when hit.
“It feels good, especially when you know that it was a good shot, and the power behind it feels good,” Kimzey said. “It's fun to watch the targets fall down and hear them get hit, too.”
Kimzey said muzzleloader is different than all other shooting categories.
“In rifle, you're just shooting at a basic target, and muzzleloader is so much more,” Kimzey said. “You get to load your own muzzle loader every time, which gets tiring, but it's fun.”
In muzzleloader, it takes three to six minutes just to load the gun. Ellie Feathers of Park County said that is exactly why she does it. While with a .22 rifle participants just load a bullet and click the bolt, in muzzleloader every shot is loaded.
“It's definitely a hands-on sport,” Feathers said. “You clean it, put the powder in, put the patch in, put the ball in, put the cap on, shoot it, and they break a lot, but that's OK. It's a part of it.”
Kernan, who shot muzzleloader throughout her 4H years before volunteering as a range official, said it requires more patience.
“I just like the simplicity and the focus it takes,” Kernan said.
Walter Martinz of Laramie County is passionate about history and loves how he can experience a taste of the Revolutionary War by shooting his muzzleloader at the Wyoming State Shoot competition in Douglas this past Friday and Saturday. (Jackie Dorothy, Cowboy State Daily) 
Taylor Kimzey of Albany County loves the targets and how fun it is to hit the gong in muzzleloader. The shooting sport dates back to the 1600s and 85 4H kids competed at the Wyoming State Shoot in Douglas this year in muzzleloader. (Jackie Dorothy, Cowboy State Daily) 
Angie Kenan has raised her children shooting muzzleloaders and now is one of the organizers for the muzzleloader competition at the Wyoming State Shoot in Douglas. (Jackie Dorothy, Cowboy State Daily)
Still Popular After Centuries
The muzzleloader has been around since the 1600s and was used for centuries before more modern guns replaced them.
“I feel like I’m part of history when I'm shooting,” Martinz said.
Martinz said he loves the history so much that his muzzleloader is a replica from the Revolutionary War. He is fascinated by how the gun has evolved.
“Now we have the precision muzzleloaders,” Martinz said. “It's kind of cool how it takes me five, six minutes to load these, but they're doing that in the field, and they have to be quick because their lives depend on it.”
Other muzzleloader enthusiasts are about other historical eras.
Moon belongs to a muzzleloader group and is most interested in mountain men history.
For Reddy, it is the Civil War. His interest in the gun began when he was participating 30 years ago in Civil War reenactments.
“You've got 400 years of various different firearm design and modifications,” Reddy said. “There's lots of history with this gun.”
Keeping Muzzleloader Sport Alive
Even though manufacturers are not making as many muzzleloaders, Moon said the sport is still alive and well.
“You just have to get the gun in the hands and then when they see how fun it is, they will generally stick with it,” Moon said. “When you hit your target, it is pretty overwhelming.”
Kernan said that typically once they try the sport, kids fall in love with it and then they keep shooting.
“I love to see how they keep making goals to improve,” she said. “It's very important for youth to learn shooting sports since it develops a lot of lifelong skills, and it helps them realize the importance of safety with firearms.”
“Once you try muzzleloader, you are hooked,” Moon said.
Jackie Dorothy can be reached at jackie@cowboystatedaily.com.
