Powder-packing sport is a blast from the past

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Ask Ken Steinhauer how he got involved in black powder shooting and he will tell you, "It's because I'm a drunk."

Now sober, Steinhauer said that drinking was very time consuming. When he quit drinking, he needed something to take up his time. So his wife, Hazel, bought him a black powder gun.

Instead of going to AA, he spent hours target shooting. He got to be quite good at his new found hobby,

One day he was asked to a black powder competition, where he won eight out of ten prizes. He was a natural. In 1995, he won the western Canadian Black Powder Championships..

Wife Hazel also competes, and is the women's provincial champ.

"I started shooting because of Ken, and I was good at it. We always win prizes," said Hazel "But I can't beat Ken."

The Native couple said they learn a lot about their Aboriginal culture from attending competitions and meetings, despite the lack of any other Native people involved in the sport. There is a lot of history and tradition involved in black powder shooting.

"We're the only treaty Indians we've met in our travels," Steinhauer explained. "The people (at the competitions) know more abut the Native culture than most Natives. They live it 365 days of the year."

The Steinhauers go to about 20 big shoots each year.

Everything used in black powder shooting is hand made in the traditional way. The rifles are replicas of the old trade guns which were traded for furs. They are hand made and as authentic as possible.

The black powder used for an explosive charge is raw gunpowder; part sulfur part salt peter and part carbon. When fired, it leaves a cloud of black smoke.

ch in turn ignites the main charge, sending the lead balls flying.

Competitions are filled with booming fire power and black billowing smoke. At the competitions, people act out 100 year old scenes of trappers and fur traders meeting to do business. They even dress in replicas of traditional clothing.

"The competition really isn't the big thing" said Hazel "Most of it is fun."

At some competitions, there is a primitive life style competition where participants have to do everything as they did 100 years ago, for example, you lose points if you are wearing a watch, or if your cell phone starts ringing.

The competitions themselves aren't all about rifles and marksmanship. People often camp out at the competitions and form a traders' market around the tents and tipis. They trade everything from beads and clothing to rifles and bannock.

Competitors have a lot of choices for targets at the competitions. In a trail shoot, they walk up a trail and shoot at metal gongs hung in the trees. They may also shoot at the edge of a knife to split the bullet, or attempt to cut a string with a bullet.

Upcoming plans for Steinhauer include going to the world championship black powder shoot where he is quite confident that he will be shooting for the top spot.