Muzzleloader seasons starts next weekend here in Indiana and I am getting myself and my flinlock ready. I haven't had a chance to hunt muzzleloader season in a few years and am excited to get back out there with it.
During past seasons I have hunted only from the ground with my flinter. This year I am going to hunt from my treestands, but my dad always tells me he never feels safe trying to haul a flinter up into a treestand because it is loaded even though there is no powder in the pan. My question to all of you is how do you get your muzzleloaders up into your treestands? I know the logistics of hauling a gun up into a stand, but is it safe to haul a gun up that has the powder and ball in it? Loading it in the stand would not be very smart because you wouldn't have a loaded gun with you on your way to your stand. What do you guys think?
Get a leather frizzen cover. Clean the pan and cover the frizzen. Even if the lock should fall, it hits leather and not steel. No steel, no spark. I use a frizzen cover when I walk in the woods with my flinter. There is a leather thong attached to it, so when I decided I might need to shoot I take and slip it off and drop it.
If you have no frizzen leather cover, take a finger on a glove and cover the frizzen with the finger (give your rifle the finger) and again, no steel, no spark. But of course still be careful and safe in your handling.
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What Cay said...I hunt with my flinter quite a bit, I clean the pan with a small brush, put the frizzen cover on, tie the leather strap to the trigger guard and make sure the hammer is down...
I would like to point out, a flintlock can go off without any powder in the pan...I've had it happen, so you do need to be careful...
I also use a leather shotgun slip on sling for my flinter and tie the pull up rope so the gun comes up level with the ground...I don't like looking at the business end of a .54...
Dave - I believe you have more than one leather thong...
But seriously, these guys are right. If you do not have any leather, you can simply fold up a piece of paper towel and place it between the hammer and frizzen or even flip open the frizzen and put the paper towel between the flint and pan (on a lowered hammer). And, if you do not have a sling, I suggest you put a piece of tape over the muzzle after you load just so you don't pick up and debris when you tie it off and pull it up.
Have fun, you should be OK.
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If you get to your stand before daylight you can load it up in the treestand (since you can't legally shoot anyway). Get one of those headlamps and you can see fine. If you need to get down (lunch, bathroom, etc) fire it off rather than unload it and get down safely. The main thing is safety. Good luck hunting with the flinter. What caliber are you shooting?
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Thanks for the replies guys. More than likely I will pull the gun up butt first. That seemed to be the most logical way of doing it. By the way I do have a frizen cover. Had one since the first time I took it hunting when I was a kid. My gun is a .58 cal Yager rifle. It is much shorter than the traditional Kentucky long rifle. It has a browned barrel and tiger maple stock with a wood patch box on the butt. I have had this rifle since I was 12.
My parents bought it for me as an investment in the future. My family does historical reenacting and belong to a traditional muzzleloading gun club. When they bought it they wanted to get me a gun that I could shoot for many many years. In my later years of high school and throughout my college years I have put my rifle aside. Now that I am graduating from college in a few weeks Iam getting to spend more time on my hobbies again. My parents bought it for me under the condition that I would assume the responsibility of feeding all of the animals every night until the gun was paid off. I think their investment paid off because the gun is still here 10 years later. Hopefully I will have a picture of me with a deer and the gun in a few weeks.
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"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, a total wreck, screaming Yahoo, with a big smile on your face."
Heck with the deer pic... Let's see a pic of your jeager...
Hear! Hear! Pictures. We want pictures.
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Getting a flinter into a stand?
Hopefully I will have a picture of me with a deer and the gun in a few weeks. 
