Some history on the flintlock season in PA. Two organized flintlock groups lobbied for years to get a season where they could hunt with flintlocks and dress in authentic clothing of the early days in the country. They knew it would be a hard sell so they asked for a season after all other deer seasons had closed and in the coldest most miserable time of the year to be afield. The board finally relented in the very late 70's and gave them a season on only a few gamelands in the state and no where else beginning after Christmas. The board also made it legal to take a buck or doe with the regular hunting license, or a doe with a doe tag this was back when only one deer a year was the law. Flintlock licenses had to be purchased by some time in September. Things went well for a short time until all of a sudden there was a Thompson center flintlock under almost every Christmas tree in the state and the flintlock harvest increased substantially. To counter that, the board passed a regulation that if you had a doe license you had to turn it in in order to buy a flintlock license. Next the hunt expanded to all game lands, next it expanded to state wide. In the beginning it was open sights only and only black powder, no pyrodex and patched round ball only. Eventually in the late 90's or early 2000's peep sights were allowed along with fiber optic open sights. Since the legalization of inlines the inline owners have been bellyaching that they want to hunt in the flintlock season with inlines. I hope that never happens, we have a unique season and I can't even count all the folks from other states who have told me they wish they had a flintlockock only season. I believe there have been enough concessions made and I see no reason to kick the guys who fought so hard and so long for a special season, after the herd has been picked over by archery and the regular firearms seasons and at the coldest time of the year to be outside by allowing inlines in the season. The fact is, there is in infinitesimal difference in the effectiveness between an inline and a center fire rifle. It has been over 40 years since the flintlock season started so my time line may be a little off, but not much.