The Rendezvous is Fading Away

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.308 Norma

.308 Norma

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I just want to do a little lamenting. We just received notice that our Portneuf Mountain Man Rendezvous, which is coming up this weekend, is obviously dying. They sent us a letter saying there will be no food vendor(s) there, no raffle, no entry fee to shoot, and no prizes. Yet there will be a $25.00 camping fee regardless of whether you camp in a tent or “tin tepee. “

The Portneuf Rendezvous used to be the largest in the state, and because it’s been held just a couple of miles down the road from us for years, it’s the one that got my wife and I interested in rendezvous and black powder shooting.

To add insult to injury, 2 years ago my wife and I went to the Bridger Rendezvous over at Fort Bridger, Wyoming and thought it was one of the most awesome events we’d ever attended – 20,000+ people over 3 days, hundreds of shooters, bagpipe bands, Native American Dancers, several Dutch Oven and other eateries, and probably 50 vendors. Yet, when I spoke later with a friend who followed the rendezvous circuit for years, he said even the mighty Bridger Rendezvous “isn’t half what it used to be.” So I guess they’re all dying.

I know – times change. And societies change for a number of reasons, not the least of which is older folks dying off. But dang it! I’m one of those older folks, and I still like black powder smoke, tomahawk throws, candy cannons, buckskins, Dutch oven cooking, and sharing a little sippin’ whisky with other like-minded folks by the campfire as the sun drops behind Old Tom.

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The NMLRA at its zenith in 1987, could claim about 27,000 members. Now our organization numbers less than 16,000. I've been a member since 1962. In February and March, reported deaths of members was about 18 for each month.

This, of course, does not include the thousands of people into muzzleloading that did not join the NMLRA. It just gives a measure of one organization which keeps track of its members.

Maybe Gary can speak for the current enrollment of the N-SSA and its outlook.

Muzzleloading is fueled primarily by the "baby boomer" generation that grew up on TV shows & movies in the '50's, '60's, and '70's.

We are now in our '60's & '70's (I'm 71). Some of us are cashing in our "chips" and researching retirement homes, which only costs $3K per month.

Just my $.02
 
It seems that the "club" hasn't been too welcoming of newcomers, and is now paying the price. A few years ago I decided to check out a few rendezvous, and it seemed that I ran into a brick wall trying to crack the code.

Before you say "well maybe that was just you" I had no difficulty assimilating into SASS or becoming involved with other shooting disciplines and fraternities. The old smokepole guys just weren't very welcoming of outsiders.
 
A big fracas broke the NMLRA in two a few decades ago involving inclusion of the in-lines. The NMLRA basically said if it loads from the muzzle we'll represent it. The older guys closed ranks hollering that only traditional muzzleloaders be included and keep the in-lines out.

They've been a prickly bunch ever since. Even showing them an in-line is sacrilege.
 
Here in Cheyenne BP is almost completely dead. every one wants the newest semi auto out there.
Had a store for several years, closed down about 3 yr ago. not enough sales to pay rent.
Got stuck with a lot of inventory.
I do a gun show here about 3 or 4 times a year. do survival shows trying to sell it off.
Even the preppers want only the new stuff. No more flint and steel. figure bic lighter is infallible. (till it's empty and you're freezing)
The rendezvous within a 100 miles are shutting down too.
and the ones that won't welcome newcomers with open arms are cutting their own throat.
I too disagree with inlines in rendezvous, supposed to be period correct and they didn't exist back then.
but if it comes to surviving or not as a club, I'd say let them in.
 
I'm going to the Fort de Charters rondy tomorrow in Prairie du Rocker, IL. Hoping to find me a shooting bag and maybe a new powder horn.

BTW, I am not old, in fact quite young. Sadly it does seem that the muzzleloading community is made up mostly of old men who are slowly dying off. It is easy to understand the rondys are getting smaller.
 
Sistema1927 said:
The old smokepole guys just weren't very welcoming of outsiders.
Click to expand...
I'm sorry to say I've seen that myself. Not all "old smokepole guys" are like that, but enough are to be off-putting to people that might otherwise have been interested in rendezvous.:(
 
Crawdad1 said:
A big fracas broke the NMLRA in two a few decades ago involving inclusion of the in-lines.
Click to expand...
Was there a fracas about BPCRs where you are after "Quigley Down Under" came out? There was around here, but that was just about the time the wife and I were starting to become interested in rendezvous, and we weren't really involved in the arguments. We've had a special "BPCR Class" around here for a while now.
 
I don't remember anyone starting a ruckus with the BPCR guys around here. I think it was about twenty years ago that I think his name was Ray Knight of Knight inline rifles(?) started complaining to various game commissions that traditional muzzleloaders weren't powerful enough to take large game out west. That really started a fight and a guy took a Lyman GPR out and blasted a large bull elk and a buffalo with it and sent the game commission the tape, saying, "Is that good enough or do you want to see some more?" .
 
As usual the purveyors of profit destroy it for the rest. All he wanted to do is sell 1\2 the gun at 3 times the normal profit margin. The traditional rifles are more costly to produce and sell and the profit margin on a cheaper inline is a lot more. And yes I am anti inline as far as hunting or anything else. If I want modern creations I will go shoot my modern smokeless powder guns, some of them I shoot with black powder.
 
Membership in the NMLRA has been declining for a while. Unless we can get more people interested into the sport, it will continue to decline. Another factor is the state of the economy. Disposable capital is down and people don't have the money they once had.

BTW, attendance at the NMLRA Gunbuilding Seminar is down too.
 
4v50 Gary said:
Membership in the NMLRA has been declining for a while. Unless we can get more people interested into the sport, it will continue to decline. Another factor is the state of the economy. Disposable capital is down and people don't have the money they once had.

That does it for me. Too many cap guns on my wish list to spend money on costumes and travel. I shoot my Colts, Spencer's, ROA's and Remington's, on a weekly basis, in rotation of course, and the cost of keeping them in powder, cap and ball, not to mention a new piece once a year or so just about covers the disposable income theme, (which of course has to include social stuff with the wife) Time is not an issue, time I got, lots of disposable time.
Click to expand...
 
This is a thought provoking subject.

Perhaps the Rendezvous is dying out because it has served its purpose. Modern Rendezvous began before historic blackpowder guns were common, and before the internet became a major marketing tool. Those who were interested in black powder guns could go to a Rendezvous and shop for a variety of guns, and learn on the spot how to use them. Accessories were available as well. It was one-stop shopping. In 2017 we can shop online for a wider variety of muzzleloading guns than anyone would have guessed back then. The mountain men were isolated most of the year, the gatherings provided some social interaction and trading opportunities. The availability of black powder guns elsewhere eliminates the need for trading at a Rendezvous, and for most of us, we need solitude more than human contact these days.

Between my Sophomore and Junior years in college, I spent the summer with the US Forest Service, backpacking into the Colorado Rockies each week, sleeping in a sleeping bag and cooking my own dinner. I kinda got my fill of camping. I proved I could do it, but it's not an enjoyable pastime for me. These days I need a CPAP to sleep (no one wants to be around me if I do not have my CPAP!) If I were to go camping, I would go for the solitude, not to be with a crowd of other guys in a structured activity (structured in the sense that dress and games are to be historically correct.) I enjoy cowboy action shooting and dressing cowboy is a fun part of it, so costuming is not a problem. I don't participate in Civil War re-enactments or gunfight re-enactments because I do not like having guns pointed in my general direction.

So, if I don't enjoy camping, or crowds, or need to buy blackpowder guns and accessories, why would I want to go to a Rendezvous?

Beats me.

For those that enjoy camping, social interaction, and re-enacting that period of history, I think it's great. It's just not for me.
 
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I think there are several factors, some of which haven't been mentioned.

First, all precision shooting disciplines are having a hard time. BP, bullseye, Olympic disciplines...run-and-gun is steamrolling everything else. We could probably do well to bring back the old Senaca Run type events, BTW.

Second, there's the dispute between the modern-design guns, the shooters of historical guns who are NOT interested in primitive camping, etc., and the hard-core buckskinners/reenactors. And some of the last group are very prone to indulging in snobbery. You really see it in Civil War reenactors.

Third, it's hard to find a decent muzzle-loader, especially mid-grade. There are low-end plinkers, high-end custom pieces...but nothing in between. And a lot of the younger shooters lack both the skills and the tools to do the gun building that much of the older community takes for granted.

Finally, we do a terrible job marketing. We old hands need to pass on the tricks of the trade, both in person and by video.
 
I just got back from Fort De Chartres. Hasn't changed too much. Smoked sausage, pecan pie and a lemonade made for a good lunch under a shade tree. It was hot as usual.
 
I think that there is a progression of firearms and hunting experience involved before you really appreciate doing things the 'olde way'

It's difficult to explain my thoughts on this.
Hunt
Hunt more get bloodthirsty
Kill your limit
Kill a trophy
Grow so fond of the hunt that you dislike the kill.
Handicap yourself.
Pass on everything but the biggest of trophies
Learn to hunt with the minimum of gear
Let the biggest trophy walk for the benefit of the herd
Only shoot cull animals for your freezer
Hunt with a recurve or muzzleloader

Am I right?
 
slumlord44 said:
Personaly love the guns but have no intrest in playing dress up and living the lifestyle. Another issue that no one brought up is that kids today are more interested in their smart phones and Ipads than anything else.
Click to expand...

^^^^^ +1
I like all of the guns but I have no interest in playing dress up. If I want to live like the folks in the 19th century, I can camp outside at home with no camaraderie. The camaraderie then only happened at rendezvous once a year at best and the rest of the time it involved living in isolation fending for one's self just to survive.
 
I'm involved in a number of organizations very different than this and they are ALL suffering from declining interest. It seemed that in the 50s/60s people were joining lots of organizations for socializing, camaraderie, getting knowledge, etc. But that has been dying off over time.

One thing that seems to be common is that the generations coming up generally aren't "joiners".

As someone else pointed out, one can get social interactions online/on the phone, and if someone IS interested in BP, they can get a ton of information online, parts, purchase rifles, etc. It's how I got into muzzleloading.

Personally, I'm thinking that eventually things might swing back to people joining organizations of like-minded people again. But it might take a while. People want instant gratification and often aren't willing to put a lot of time into something to "learn" it anymore, which is a shame.
 
Jimster said:
I just got back from Fort De Chartres. Hasn't changed too much. Smoked sausage, pecan pie and a lemonade made for a good lunch under a shade tree. It was hot as usual.
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Jimster I didn't get a chance to go but will go tomorrow.

Was anyone selling shooting bags and powder horns?
 
Absolutely anything you could possibly want was there. I encourage everyone to try their hand at making their own accoutrements so buy some leather while you're there and give it a try. Shooting bags are easy and rewarding to make.
Have fun tomorrow!
 
Jimster said:
Absolutely anything you could possibly want was there. I encourage everyone to try their hand at making their own accoutrements so buy some leather while you're there and give it a try. Shooting bags are easy and rewarding to make.
Have fun tomorrow!
Click to expand...

Thanks! I'll post pictures if I get anything and of the event. I'm excited!! :)
 
Armored farmer said:
I think that there is a progression of firearms and hunting experience involved before you really appreciate doing things the 'olde way'

It's difficult to explain my thoughts on this.
Hunt
Hunt more get bloodthirsty
Kill your limit
Kill a trophy
Grow so fond of the hunt that you dislike the kill.
Handicap yourself.
Pass on everything but the biggest of trophies
Learn to hunt with the minimum of gear
Let the biggest trophy walk for the benefit of the herd
Only shoot cull animals for your freezer
Hunt with a recurve or muzzleloader

Am I right?
Click to expand...
Only if you're into hunting. A lot of shooters aren't, these days.
 
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