Pa muzzle loader
 

Any one go out in Pa. muzzle loader season today. It was not the best weather out there. Rain and windy all morning. I think the wind and rain got the deer to bed down early and wait it out.

do they still have that stupid antiquated law where you can only use a flint lock ?

Actually, it is a great law, and at the end of the deer season when most people don't venture out doors and the legal buck have been picked over pretty well and some have already lost antlers. It starts the day after Christmas. It gets damned cold up here that time of year, this isn't GA. And, it is a flintlock season after all, not a muzzle loader season. What the poster is talking about is the the actual muzzleloader season, antlerless deer only where you can use inline, percussion or flintlock. You probably should not be calling other states rules stupid, I am pretty sure we could find some of yours less than desirable but are gentleman enough not to say it since it is not our sate.

yeah i agree with you i think it's a good law for flintlock only even though i don't have one just percussion and in lines i would love to have a season that would limit other hunters in the woods !

This is PA's muzzleloader season. Just an antlerless only muzzleloader season. The PA Flintlock season happens after Christmas and it is a great time. It's typically cold, nasty weather and it's a fun season to hunt.
-Jake

x2 !!! Right on ! Pa flintlock season is a great time in the woods!!!!!

Hj

I was out with the bow but didn't see much of anything. Pretty slow week for me.

muzzle loader season
 

The Muzzle Loader season I was talking about started on Sat. and runs to next Sat. You can use an inline. It messes up archery hunters for a week. After xmas they have a flintlock only season in Pa. I think the PGC. has it ass backwards if you ask me. It should be flintlock in Oct. and inline in Dec. but what do I know I am only a hunter who has hunted for 42yrs. now. I guess the guy sitting at a desk in Harrisburg knows how to assign hunting seasons.:mad:

30-06 Deerslayer,anyhow, 5 of the guys that hunt with us,seen one very small doe,near dark. No one shot at it,too small.
It was very windy and the woods were full of squirrel hunters. The wind didn't seem to bother them,they were shooting a good bit.Lots of gun shots!
I am going to go out Thursday,but it is calling for rain. If it does,i won't be out long!

Yep, what do you know! Flintlock hunters came to the PGC and ask for a flintlock only season, they ask for it to be after the other deer seasons were over. They Didn't care if they had a chance at big racked buck, they just wanted to be able to have a traditional hunt. Many flintlockers thing the season has been watered down too much since they can now use conical bullets and peep sights. There is a history to this season, however, like many other things, the people who also benefit from the work of others who broke the trail and lobbied for and won something unique, the spoilers come running like hyenas and want to change it. Now you do know!

I hear you Oldtimr, I don't own a flintlock but do have an inline. I lent my inline out to my hunting buddy. I was archery hunting this weekend in Ohio. I just think if you must have a muzzle loader season either have the flintlock in Oct. and the inline or flintlock in Dec. the other option as you mentioned would be to have a muzzle loader season after xmas with both inline and flintlock being legal. It is tough for flintlock hunters in Dec. powder getting wet, blowing snow, as so forth. I just don't see why they would want a inline season in Oct. nice weather and flintlock in Dec. wind ,snow, cold temp. just doesn't add up to me.

At any rate the flint lock only law is a stupid law just like the no Sunday hunting law that many states have.. I wouldn't want to see a long bow only season.. What I would really like to see is some game law standardization for state to state..

And yes I too could find several game laws in GA stupid, but I don't take it personal like you obviously do... I didn't write the law so why should I get bent out of shape....and you shouldn't either..

One great modern thing about flintlocks
 

You don't need a modern percussion cap to hunt with it.

Actually, it IS a dumb law, just like no Sunday hunting for anything beside crows and coyotes. Pennsylvania has lot of dumb laws, and being a lifetime resident who's bought a license & paid my taxes, I don't feel ashamed to say it.

Actually, PA has more dumb hunters than dumb laws. There is always someplace else to go hunting where it suits you better. In addition, just because you think a law is dumb, doesn't mean everone has the same belief. I know plenty of people who do not want to see generalized Sunday hunting, there is already Sunday hunting on some species, and a lot more who are very happy with a Flintlock only season, so blanket statements like the law is dumb isn't near the truth, it may be dumb to you and good to others. For every law that is changed to make someone happy, there are just as many who will not be happy with a change. The beauty of this country is, you can find a state that allows what you want if you don't find it at home.

When muzzle loadings seasons were reopened back in the '60s and '70s it was because of the lobbying efforts of the NMLRA...Those of us that still use traditional muzzleloaders do so because we want to know how to use them under different situations...Some of us also educate others on their use...

It is unfortunate that most of the public in our Country are ignorant of our history...I have given talks for over 30 years on the American Revolution to schools and Boy Scout troops...Some of my attendees have gone on to be snipers in Iraq and Afghanistan and some are currently history teachers...One even made a flintlock for his Senior project at the local high school and is currently a game warden for the State of North Carolina...

Inline rifles were developed because some hunters didn't want to take the time to learn how to properly use traditional muzzle loading rifles...They wanted a short cut to the shorter seasons put in place by Game Departments because of the efforts of the NMLRA...

At the time inlines started hitting the market, whitetail deer populations were rapidly expanding and states were under pressure to increase harvests because of car collisions..
Many states have also started allowing cross bows during what has been archery season...With increased populations, highways and people wanting to live on the outskirts of cities deer collisions in North Carolina are over 20,000 each year...So most states have adapted more lenient bag limits and seasons...



I built this rifle back in the '80s, it's a .54 caliber flintlock...I've killed over 50 deer with it..

Yep, here is a man who knows what he is talking about. It is an insult to muzzleloader hunters to put an inline in the same category as a real muzzleloader, percussion or flintlock or earlier firearms. Especially since some of them are made for smokeless powder. Todays hunters are spoiled and lazy and are looking for shortcuts to skill. There is no such thing, just pathetic substitutions.

I stand corrected. Maybe the word dumb was a poor choice of vocabulary. Should have used "backwards" and "outdated". I'm sure Oldtimr will come back with some rebuttal, all I have to say is sit back & wait, The Times, They are a Changing. :D

Backwards and outdated according to who? Those who want easy and don't want to pay their dues? Lot of those posers around. Gimmicks verses skill, end result means more than the experience. Sad comentary for those folks. They will never know what they have missed. All they care about is success at any cost, the easier the better. Lets see, Pa has an early archery season, an early muzzleloader season, a firearms deer season that includes center fire and muzzleloaders and archery equipment, a late archery season and a flintlock season. Anyone who is not satisfied with that is a greedy, pathetic individual who would not be satisfied unless a dead deer would be delievered to their door, and who believes they are entitled to whatever they want. That is the definitive problem with this country today, and I have absolutly no sympathy or empathy for their entitlement attitude.

Ah, the entitlement card, should have seen that coming. What's next, saying that anyone who's in favor of changing any of the antiquated laws we have in PA is a liberal, and an Obama voter?:confused:

from day after Xmas till close yup.

:party0007:

I really don't get the hate for the Flintlock season.... That's similar to a rifle hunter whining because he can't use his rifle in archery... It's it's own season... It's not a "muzzle loader" season.. It's Flintlock season... It's a chance to get out in the woods and hunt, a chance to hunt in a way different than we typically do. I love the season and would be very unhappy if it ever went away.With that attitude PA should just go to an open season from October- January. Use whatever you want, hunt every day etc. It's a season, instead of complaining, buy yourself a flintlock and ENJOY HUNTING. Isn't that the point?
-Jake

I don't get it? What is the problem with a Flintlock only season for Deer. If you want to hunt with a inline you have plenty of other Deer seasons to hunt in PA. The Flintlock season is a great time and is a way to hunt like the Mountain Men of long ago. I been hunting with a FL in PA from the first season. I made a FL from a CVA kit to hunt with that year. Whats the BIG DEAL and why does that bother other hunters. Its just its own season and another way to hunt Deer during a great time of year.
Hatchet Jack

The problem isn't the season, the problem is PA has a bunch of complainers and whiners who would complain if they were hung with a new rope, if they were given a 50 dollar bill, they would complain that it wasn't a hundred dollar bill. They bought an inline, now they want to use it when they want to use it, not in the season that was provided. They can also use them in any firearms deer season except for the FLINTLOCK season. In addition to being a bunch of cry babies, they do not understand the English language, the word flintlock as a specific meaning. You see, Many PA hunters want everything easy and their way. I said many, not all, but enough to be a PAITA. PA hunters have it better now than in any time in the history of hunting in PA, but it isn't enough! Makes me ashamed sometimes of being a PA hunter.

I bet most wouldn't know a Lancaster from a Burks if they were staring them in the face... :)

I enjoy hunting with a muzzleloader immensely. I use a Hawken style percussion cap from Cabelas and I like the idea of being traditional.

Michigan is not going to institute a flintlock only season, I'm sure. But if they did, my husband would just get me a flintlock. :)

I had no knowledge of hunting until I met my husband. But the fun has been, since the beginning, just doing it, whether you get a deer or not.

We love muzzleloader season because it comes in December when there's snow on the ground. We like to hunt in snow because it makes tracking so much easier. By the way, we bow hunt too. I've taken more deer with a bow than with my muzzleloader.

Blah, blah, blah...A cancer tumor gets banned from one website, and shows up at another...

None of these rants, internet sandbox tussles, or insults change my view on how backward this state is on hunting. I'm also embarrassed to say I hunt in this state. And no, I'm not leaving any time soon, and yes, I do hunt Sundays in other states. So, I'll just continue to state my position, hopefully open a few minds, and continue to write the PGC with my suggestions and sign petitions. :s2:

Knock yourself out, nothing I love more than outing a whiner, You are right, you are the cancer who left one website to come here. That website has turned into a whine cellar where you fit right in. I have yet to see a post from you that gave helpful information to anyone, or provided anything worth while, all you ever do is complain about something. I see very little whining here, in fact your post was the first real whine I have seen, I hope this site stays whine free, except of course for the political forum where it is expecter. Perhaps you want to consider taking up another passtime, knitting perhaps. Have a good day.

:sign0004:

Uncle Nicky, what do you have against a flintlock season though? How is having an ADDITIONAL season an outdated law? Most states do not have a flintlock only season. That is an extra bonus of hunting PA. I used to come from OH to hunt the flintlock season in PA specifically. So how is having extra opportunities for hunters outdated? Other than saying "It should be open to all muzzle loaders" is there any reason to be against having extra opportunities for hunters?
-Jake

why hunt sundays? just cause your off work? have you no respect for your neighbors or the game you hunt, do they need persued 7 days a week, just because your not able to hunt through the week doesn't mean they aren't hunted, they also need a day off from human encroachment, think about it, every critter with canines in the woods likes venison, they have to endure being hunted every day by every predator out there, is it too much to ask to keep your selfish butt at home on sundays? go to church, volunteer at a community function.
lots of folks with your attitude once voted sunday hunting in here, the private landowners didn't think much of it and posted they're land every day so they shut sunday hunting down until it was voted out, so just wait, better buy yourself some property while your waiting.
RR

sunday hunting is amazing. Great way to end the week! i disagree with oldtimr. he is just trying to get attention

Feel free to disagree, however be specific about what you disagree with. I didn't say a thing about Sunday hunting, I also don't need attention. I will however call out people who complain more than they hunt if I know it. The only thing an inline has in common with a traditional muzzle loading rifle is that it is loaded from the front. Powder substitute pellets and sabboted conical bullets and shotgun primers to ignight the charge makes it laughable to include them with traditional muzzlloaders, not to be missed are the ones that use smokeless powder. To allow them in a flintlock season would be ridiculous, just to satisfy some crybabies who aren't satisfied with the early muzzleloader season, and the allowance of the inlines during the entire firearms deer season. I would not call anyone who hunts with an inline a muzzleloader hunter, I also will not criticize them for using one, so long as they stick to the season in which it is legal without coveting another set of hunters special season.

Ok then stop. :party:

I'm no fan of the PGC or their management either.

BUT I'm not embarrassed to say I hutn this state.

:party::party:

:party::party::party:

:party::party::party::party:

Jake- I'll answer your post, seeing as it's an intelligent question.

I'm not opposed to any additional opportunities, and I don't have anything against flintlock season. The original topic here was muzzleloader season, and since the post was created in October, it seems logical that the OP was referring to the week-long season that just ended.

I'd love to see PA have a week-long season for antlered or antlerless deer, for any muzzle-loading rifle, same as they do in almost every other state in the union. You get one buck tag in this state, so if you kill during that season, you're done buck hunting for the year; works everywhere else. And regardless what the PGC cheerleaders here on this site may think, many I speak with and hunt with believe PA needs to come out of the dark ages with a lot of the antiquated rules that are in place. But, to their credit, things are slowly changing here, not by arguing and insults on the internet, but by writing to the PGC, organizing and petitions to those who write the rules, and by voicing one's opinion (the slower folks or those who revel in their ignorance like to call this "complaining").

Like I said, go for it, but the way the rules are set up it won't be what you think it is, and I hope you own the land you hunt on, here is the way it was set up in wv
private land only
sunday hunting only allowed if no hunting seasons are coming in the following Monday
so all totaled there was actually only 1 sunday you could hunt deer with any firearm, you could bowhunt for 2 additional days.
farmers didn't like it and shut down most of the private land to almost all hunters, so there wasn't much deer hunting till it was voted out, there are still some landowners who have all they'rel and posted deer cost them money but they deal with it rather than they'reland being overrun. good luck
RR

Maybe you are right, maybe not. I do remember when NY started allowing Sunday hunting, all the debates and hand-wringing, and now nobody gives it a second thought. I bought land in NY shortly thereafter. But, because it's a 300 mile drive to camp, I'm in favor of seeing some changes in my home state, as well. It's inevitable anyway, the big push is to recruit new blood into the sport, and the powers-that-be knows what needs to be done.