Any Luck Yet During PA's Late Flintlock Season?

[fastflight1]

Anyone see any mature buck after the rifle season out there? I would think they have to be few and far between.

I know I'm probably dreaming butI for one would love to get a shot at a mature buck in the late primitive season. Don't get me wrong. I think ANY deer harvestedin the PA lateFlintlock season is one to be proud of but after 30 years of hunting why notdream a little....

Anyone have any particular strategy this season? I usually hunt escape cover in the regulargun season (hemlock swamps & bogs, marshes, etc.) That's with1 million deer hunter's out there though and plenty of pressure that cankeepthe deer looking for cover.I know even in archery I have seen mature deer totally change their habits as soon as they smell the first human scent in the woods and seek out the thickest cover. Lets face it though, there just are not that many Flintlock hunters out there even in PA.

Maybe if the weather stay's cold a better strategy might befinding some good food sources the deer are keying in on? I know at least inWestern PA there seems to be a lot of standing corn this year. Maybe without all the pressure of rifle season the deer will go back to a more normal movement & feeding pattern.

Any idea's?

[Matt / PA]

I'll be in a camp in Clinton Co. with about 8 others from the day after Xmas until New Years, and we hook up with about that many other guys each day while we're up there. We do it every year and have a great time taking turns pushing, standing all around the Sproul State forest.
Everyone usually gets action and the last couple years we've moved some very good bucks. One was a dandy "Big wide 10-12pt" as described by the member of our camp that had him whistle past. LOL

One thing is for sure we all take the guns and their tuningvery seriously and we have a crew of guys that can flat out shoot. Generally if they stand still 75 yards and under it's draggin time.

I'll take lots of pictures.
Gonna be great to get away from phones, TV etc for a week. The no running water thing........that's another story.

[mauser06]

me and 2 buddies used to goto their families camp in Jefferson co...this will be the first in 3 or 4 years we dont make it...1 moved and 1 is bowhunting in OK. i filled my buck tag but got a few doe tags..id like to fill 1 maybe 2.

we put on small drives at camp then come home a day or 2 before newyears and hunt the rest of the season at home...being on break from college gives us the whole season...

every year we usually get atleast 1 good buck past a shooter...they are still out there...

one year, must been 2 years ago, me and a buddy were sitting and another was pushing...he put up a nice 2.5yo buck. i was on 1 side of a ditch...the other buddy was sitting on the other side...both of us watching a hillside infront of us. the buck came off the hillside infront of us and was running right at me. i was sitting on the trail he was taking..no doubt about it. probably 80yds from both of us...i had my hammer back but was leaving the gun down till i was ready to shoot to minimize movement...my buddy decided to crack off a round [:@] [:'(] he missed by a mile...he knew he had no prayer and appologizes every time the story is told...funny i get the last laugh...my buddy put the same buck past the buddy that missed a couple more times that day...his gun wouldnt go off after that first shot lol. no doubt that thing was gunna run me over...it would been hard for him NOT to find his place to my wall...no guarentee, but i feel i would been able to put him down had my buddy not shot at him...

another buddy had a GOOD 10pt within spitting distance and his gun wouldnt go off...

before my time the same crew has had an encounter or 2 a year with good bucks in the late season...i havent, but im sure this year since i tagged mine, that i will have a biggun lickin the cow manure off my boots....i dont know who we will have hunting this season...if i dont have anyone i'll try my hand at still hunting....

good luck all!! keep your powder dry and shoot straight!

[bronko22000]

I know where there is one big drop tine bruiser hanging around. But I'm going to get my buddy a crack at him. I already got a nice buck this year. I may be doing a lot of pushing. But its more still hunting than pushing. Sometimes you get a shot, other times you push deer into the stander.
This icy, crusty snow is going to make sneaking around almost impossible.

[fastflight1]

Matt, Mauser and Bronco;

Thanks for your input! I believe I see a pattern starting to develop here...Unfortunetely it doesn't bode well for someone hunting solo like in Archery season.

I just came in from shoveling ourside. "BITTER" is one word that comes to mind.The wind chillhas to be in the single digits the way it's blowing out there.Nothing likeice incrusted snow, it's the pits for deer hunting. Hopefully it's going to warm up near 40 like their saying around Christmas and soften things up a bit.

I hope your able to post some pics Matt after the season. That was some buck you got during Archery season last year. My hat goes off to you. What did he score out at? I would really love the opportunity to get a shot at a mature buck during the late primitive season here in PA. It's just something I have yet to experience in my life. It's been a couple years now since I harvested a nice buck. I guess after you put anice whitetail on the wall it does makes you raise the bar some.

I hope more Flintlock hunter's from PA will chime in on this thread. It would be great if we could keep thisthread going through Flintlock season and see how everyone does.


Everyone Keep your powder dry, your spark hot and use a good rest when youshoot! That's if you need one..... I know I do!

[j2000]

yea ill be out there, we do alot of driving.and if i dont get one doing that ,i have a good corn field with standing corn their hitting late evenings,i have a nice tree stand their....i allready got a nice 8 point in gun season ,so i need to see a doe which i allready know my chances are good.

[gleason.chapman]

ORIGINAL: fastflight1

Any idea's?

I am a stand hunt in Va and NY, but for FL we change tatics and have 4 or 5 guys walk thru small wood lots and hedge rows and kick deer out. Usually 3watchers, and 2 drivers. I shoot a TC hawken flinter, with a 1:28 twist in a Green Mountain carbine barell, 21". Very light, very mobile. I shoot a 300g Gold Dot in that rifle with a Crushed Rib sabot, 80g ofGoex. I am not a fan of 177g Patch Round Ball on drives, since the deer are moving(usually fast) andyou don't alway get a "bow shot at the vitals". A 54 withthe 250ground ball, now your talking.

As for snow and crusty situations, that is a problem expecially for the watchers since the deer can sometimes hear them going to the end of a woods patch. There is a good side tothe crusty situation, since I know then that it is too cold to have ignition problems with rain or "big moisture laden snow flakes", which when wind blown is the worst thing to FL hunt in.

I like to shoot brisket shot on does coming right at me or 20 yards set ups on the trail for broadside shot. I sight in at50 yards 2" high, so it will shoot to 100 dead on, butI have never shot that far.

I have bought a couple of useful books "The complete rehabilitation of the flintlock rifle", which I found on eBay. There is not a lot of useful information on FLhunting any more. I think it takes a lot of skill to shoot FL consistently and getdeer.

"That is all I know about that". Forrest Gump.

Chap

[fastflight1]

Thanks for the tip on the FL book!

I also wanted to thank those individuals on here that have helped out over the last couple years get me to the point where I feel confident in the accuracy of my weapon (TC .50 caliber Firestorm). It's not easy with the 1/48" twist barrel finding the right combination of Black Powder andBullet type and weight.

[gleason.chapman]

ORIGINAL: fastflight1

Thanks for the tip on the FL book!

I also wanted to thank those individuals on here that have helped out over the last couple years get me to the point where I feel confident in the accuracy of my weapon (TC .50 caliber Firestorm). It's not easy with the 1/48" twist barrel finding the right combination of Black Powder andBullet type and weight.

What are you using in it? I switched out a 1:48 barrel cause it was a comprimise twist, my brother with his 1:66 or 1:70 can hit a pop can top at 50 yards with PRB, I couln't do that with either sabots or PRB, however now that PA allows sabots I switch barrels and can shoot sabots accurately.
Chap

[fastflight1]

I'm using 65 grains of Goex 3F Black Powder down the barrel and the Buffalo Bullet Company's 270 grain "Ball-ett" which I think is called a "Conical", not a round ball nora Sabot.

I was recently told this company went out of business and I might want to consider switching over the Hornady's "Great Plains Hunter"bullet for next season.

I'm happy with the accuracy I'm getting but it's not nearly what you Mentioned.