Archery Talk

Is flintlock season just that or does it mean muzzle loaders in general? Sorry if that's a stupid question.
I don't know the difference, if there is one.

 

Nope....no stupid quesions. PA's flintlock season is the only truly primitive season left (I think) in the states. No inlines, no percussion cap. Up until a few years ago, it was strictly iron sights, patched round ball. So what that means, I'll load my .50 caliber T/C Renegade with 80grains of 2F powder, firmly seat a .490 patched round ball over the charge, cock the hammer halfway, open the frizzen, prime the pan with just enough 4F to fill it to the touch hole and close the frizzen. If it rains, Ill cover the pan with a piece of canvas or something waterproof and a balloon over the muzzle. Gosh I love it!!

It's basically a 50-75 yard weapon. At least in my hands. There are some that are quite good at 100 yards. I'm not one of them.

Here's some pics of the difference between the locks on a flintlock and a percussion cap muzzleloader.

Flintlock. Frizzen is shown open. Pic is actually of a T/C Renegade. Pan below open frizzen gets filled with 4F (real fine fast burning) powder.





Percussion cap. Cap is placed over nipple. Typically somewhat more reliable than a flintlock, less affected by weather and quicker firing as the pan powder doesn't need to ignite.





Our late season allows for either flintlock or archery, so depending on the mood and weather, I'll be carrying one or the other.

 

I know it's not archery..... but here's a couple of custom flintlocks made by Paul Allison, here in Lancaster County, PA. He does all the woodwork, inlay work, etc. Buys the barrels and the locks, does the rest. They are incredible works of art. The property I currently hunt on, the caretaker was a cabinetmaker and custom built flintlocks. He did everything except the barrels. I was looking at several the one time I stopped to check a deer in. Again the workmanship was amazing. I asked how many hours he had in it. His reply, 200 hours and it wasn't quite done. Both he and Paul had one thing in common. They said their muzzleloaders were made to be shot and hunted with. Not hung over a fireplace as a show piece.

 

Before I was introduce to muzzle loading, that's what I was expecting to see people using instead of the scopes and rifled barrels of modern muzzle loaders. It would be cool to hunt with an actual legit musket like that. Would be fun just to have one to shoot.

 

Nothing against in-lines. I have one. CVA Hunter, .50cal, Nikon 3x9 scope. It is NOT a primitive weapon by any means. With 90gr of Triple7, Hornady 245gr sabot hollow points, I can shoot 1-1/2" groups at 100 yards all day long. It's basically a single shot rifle with an effective range of 200-250 yards. We have an inline (doe only) season during the middle of archery and I take it out occasionally and also in our special regs area. There has been a concerted push to get in-lines into the flintlock season because, well, it's a muzzleloader. And yes, while it's true it loads from the muzzle, all similarities end there. The flintlock season was added after Christmas as a very low impact season. It's a tough time to hunt. Weather is bad, deer are wired, and fewer in number. It's a challenge. Fortunately the flinters are a small but very vocal group and have managed to keep the season as is. Primitive. What would be cool, is a three day flintlock season (buck only)after archery and before rifle. Right now, after Christmas a lot of the bucks are dropping their antlers so a 3 day season while they still have their racks would be sweet.

 

I need to shoot Flintlock. I imagine it's not easy. I believe the same effective range as a compound. Google says 100, but that would indeed be a stretch with a smooth bore and pretty much no sights.

 

Great explanation! Thank you. I just bowhunt and it's interesting to see the various ways and weapons people use.

 

Well....yesterday was a bust. Dropped my son off with the flintlock. He was going hunt along the inside edge of a pipeline that runs through the property. I had my bow and was hunting out of the stand that I shot my 8 point from. My son's plan was to hunt back to our one stand, about a 1/2 mile, then hunt back the opposite side. Around 8am he texts me to tell me they started to timber back there. Damn!! They weren't supposed to start until after all the seasons were closed. I told him I'd pick him up at 9am. Around 8:45am I head back to my truck. Back at the parking area I smell a dead animal. There at the edge is a small doe, gutted and left to lay. Sonuva....... Driving out I spot another dead deer between the road and a creek. I get out to check it out. It was a buck, shot thru the neck and the rack sawed off. That just totally pisses me off beyond belief. Drive the mile or so to pick up my son. He wants to shoot flintlock, so OK, go ahead. He discharges it and we case it. I have a trail cam about 200 yards up the pipeline and suggest pulling the card. Half way there, we see two doe walking across the pipeline into the side the trail cam is on. "Let's go back, load the flintlock and see if we can make something happen." Go back, pour the charge in, short start the 250 Powerbelt, go to ram the charge home, seizes up about 1/2 way down. AYFKM!!! Look for the small pouch that has the ball puller in it. Nope, it's at home. Which is where we head. *sigh*

 

Poachers suck. Don't understand the gutted doe. Someone shot it, gutted it and left it?

 

Yup. She was pretty small, maybe 80 lbs. No sign that it was tagged. I've shot some does that have suffered from ground shrinkage, but it never ever stopped me from tagging it and taking it home.

 

Nice deer !

 

Very warm and rainy here. Going doe hunting tomorrow afternoon then pig hunting Saturday. Never been pig hunting but supposedly there is a guy with a few hundred acres about an hour and a half from me that has a problem. Going in not expecting anything, but who knows. Skipping the bows and taking guns. Never seen a "free ranging pig" so if I see one it will be well worth it. Hell, just being able to go is well worth it.

 

Bring home some bacon!!

 

After tonight I have 7 days off,might wack a doe or 2. Still have a few good bucks posing in front of my cameras and plenty of food. Cooler temps for the next few days so who knows what might happen. Guess I’ll just have to get in tree and hope a good one comes by. Time is running out so good luck to all who are still at it.

 

Good luck! Any idea what is wrong with this deer? His coat looks rough.

 

My guess would be mange.

 

Thanks! Not mine but cool to be with a friend when he harvests a nice deer. The stories and comraderie are probably my favorite pet of hunting. Well that, and the meat.

Had this guy just out of bow range on Christmas morning. Picture is far away and zoomed in, but I think you can still tell he was a bruiser.



Two more weekends left in the season here. Headed to the National Forest for late muzzleloader on Saturday. Then I’ll come home and hunt the tree lines by the corn and bean fields hard on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.

 

Sounds like a plan , good luck !

 

Seen some shed bucks the past few evenings,dropping kinda early this year.

 

It is early.