Pennsylvania Game News - January 2019 - 12

FLINTLOCK
HUNTING

In addition to a general license, each
participant in the flintlock deer season must
have a muzzleloader license, which can be
purchased at any time prior to heading afield.
Hunters with an unused buck tag may use
it in the flintlock season to harvest either an
antlered or antlerless deer.
This is the only season in which an antlered
deer tag may be used to tag an antlerless deer.
In the late archery season and the extended fire-

past, within feet, then let me stand there,
too - until my rifle was unloaded!
Another time in my younger days, I
missed a longish shot from a tree stand
at a large-racked buck. After the shot,
the buck continued to feed, apparently
unconcerned. So, with nerves of steel
- evidenced by shaking hands and near
hyperventilation - I fumbled to quickly,
but quietly, reload.
I got the main powder charge down the
barrel, but the bullet got stuck halfway
down. Needless to say, I didn't get another
shot at the buck.

RANGE & FLINCHING
This incident brings up another point:
flintlock shooters need to practice often,
know their limits, and not try to stretch
their range.
Many newcomers tend to view their
flintlocks in a similar light to the centerfire deer rifles, which sets the stage for
unreasonable expectations.
While it's hard to get used to passing
up shots that would be made easily with
a deer rifle, shots with open-sighted flintlocks firing lead balls are better suited for
shorter range.
Large powder charges to "magnumize" muzzleloaders and make them shoot
farther do little to enhance accuracy and
add to flinching-induced shooting woes.
Holding steady on target through the
12

arms season held in Special Regulations Areas
- both of which run concurrently with at least a
portion of the flintlock season - antlerless deer
may only be harvested by hunters possessing
valid antlerless deer licenses or Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) permits.
Flintlock hunters with valid antlerless deer
licenses and DMAP permits also may use
them during the flintlock season to harvest
antlerless deer.

sparks, flames and smoke, then, the gun
going off, takes a lot of concentration. The
mind, in trying to anticipate and avoid
unpleasantries, might create a flinch. If
recoil is heavy, it only adds to the phenomenon. The only cure for flintlock flinches
I've found is frequent practice. Full-power
loads are not necessary for practice, and
using only about half of your hunting
charge reduces recoil greatly. With
less kick to worry about, it's a lot
easier to concentrate on the sights
and follow-through, and ignore the
flash and smoke.
Naturally, before the season rolls
around, you still will want to take a
few shots with your hunting load just
to make sure your rifle hits its mark.
But you might find that, at reasonable ranges, you don't need as much
powder as you originally thought.

AFTER THE SHOT
After taking a shot at a deer, never
assume that you missed.
Muzzleloaders have much less
velocity and energy than modern
rifles. Muzzleloader bullets, particularly lead balls, also do not expand
as dramatically as modern bullets.
The result can be smaller exit wounds
and weaker blood trails. A few years
ago, I made a solid chest shot on an
antlerless deer using my 50-caliber
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2019

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