by Barry Drue

The grounds at the Ottawa Sportsmen's Club took on the feel and look of 1840 last week for the 41st annual Upper Peninsula Muzzle Loader Association's (UPMLA) Rendezvous. Participants set up camps with authentic equipment, tents garb and grub from Thursday through Sunday, July 20-23, 2017.

After a host of primitive competitions an awards ceremony took place Saturday night. For some it's a once-a-summer relaxing long week-end away with old friends. Some take the spirit further, regularly attending historic rendezvous and acquiring more and more traditional gear.

Rendezvous is taken very seriously by many. Participant Tom Pytel from Stevens Point, WI, displayed his beautifully crafted longbow made from Kentucky bamboo and ash. He also told the story of being flagged at a larger historic rendezvous because a former bow he used involved wood shaft arrows with a plastic nock for the bow string to rest in. That's a no-no! The bow's not supposed to have a rest for the arrow either. You rest the arrow right on your hand that's gripping the bow.

Pytel added that the same official casually asked him what time it was--just to see if he was wearing a wrist watch!

The UPMLA loves the smaller event at the sportsmen's club. It has also been held at Baraga State Park. Many are familiar with the OSC clubhouse and grounds near Pelkie, for the club hosts monthly muzzle loader shoots on the first Saturday of most months throughout the year. The next will be in October.

Although the local rendezvous is considered small, more participants are always welcome.

"We're hoping for more campers," UPMLA President John Pera said Thursday. "More will be wandering in, especially for the shooting."

Like everyone else who adopts historical re-enactment as a hobby and pastime, Pera loves to keep the old ways and traditions alive.

"It's about the historical aspects, passing down the traditions of our forefathers, especially to youngsters," Pera said.

One who has taken that to heart is John Elmer of Iron Mountain. He was camping with his daughter Emily, now 22. As they cooked lunch over a traditional fire and grate John said Emily has been going along for the experience for almost 20 years.

There's plenty of fun to go with the history lesson. The primitive longbow competition opened the competitive events Thursday afternoon, complete with stationary and swinging targets. Women are encouraged to take part in the archery events, and in muzzle loader shooting. There are special "Women on Target" events staged in the UP just to teach and encourage women and girls to shoot the traditional weapons. Family events are also held.

OSC member and muzzle loader Jon Henkel noted that "everyone can do the knife and hawk throwing, too." That's always part of a rendezvous as old-time knives and tomahawks are tossed from a distance to get the blades to stick in the end grain of a big log butt.

Pera and UPMLA Vice-President Lyle Hebert demonstrated the workings of a flintlock trade gun. That's one of the competitive shoots on the schedule.

"Saturday we have rifle and pistol shooting with paper targets. We like to think of it as the UP championship,' Pera said. "We shoot from different distances. A trade gun is 62 caliber or larger, smoothbore with no rifling. It's a very versatile gun. You can use a round ball or shot so you could hunt deer or birds with them."

Hebert noted that the historic flint spark ignition on the traditional muzzle loaders "goes boom--most of the time. It's pretty dependable. They fought wars with them."

A long distance rifle competition has shooters aiming at various distances, some well over 100 yards.

And then there's the "pan and hammer" competitions. The ladies give their best heave to a frying pan, going for distance. The men test their accuracy throwing a heavy hammer.

In the rolling pin competition, the ladies toss the pin, trying to hit a mannequin.

Although the formal portion of the UPMLA Rendezvous ends with the Saturday night awards presentation, many participants make it a full weekend, until breaking camp and heading back to modern civilization on Sunday.