A week at PA flintlock camp.... a review in pictures

[Matt PA]

Another year, another successful flintlock camp in the mountains of 2G! Can't believe it's here and gone already.
We had a great camp with a couple firsts including 3 of the young guys getting their first smokepole deer.

The group after a successful drive

Posing with a couple victims from the morning's pushes
(Me in the "Elf" outfit as some of the guys called it :yakyak: )

The camp rookie...new guy with his first flintlock deer.

Part of the group milling around prior to the next push....

Success for "Mr. Flintlock" George Sutton of the Outdoor Channel's "Impossible Shots"..... she definitely ran into the wrong guy! That was one unlucky animal. :wink:

Another young guy gets his first flintlock deer.... he's now 1 for 10??? LOL

....and of course he had to be "helped" with the dressing process. Stopwatch and heckling required! :blah:

Taking a break after the long drag out after another successful push.... gotta go "back in" after them but the drags can be brutal! (Thank goodness for the occasional yearling doe! :grin: )

Me stylin' in the "funny clothes".... boy did I take some heat for looking like a "Giant Elf", "Santa's Bodyguard" etc. etc.

Some of the rifles up for the night....... :hatsoff:

 

[rabjr]

Looks like a fun camp, grats! :thumbsup:

 

[bowkill]

can i go...... :bow:

 

[luieb45]

Looks like a lot of fun :thumbsup: . How's a deer drive work with muzzleloaders? We were thinking about doing it this year when the wind picked up and the deer weren't moving.

 

[hoochiepapa]

Man, that's livin'!
Congrats to everybody!
Nice rifles! :hatsoff:

 

[BigDogg]

Awesome pics! Looks like a fun bunch to hunt with. Congratulations!

 

[GreyWhiskers]

Good hunting! Grats! :thumbsup:
GW

 

[scobrien]

Hey Matt

Thanks for the pics! I really enjoyed them. As for the ribbing you took, I think your the best looking one :grin:. Out my way, you could get ribbed for all the orange camo :wink:.

Steve

 

[Wolfbane]

Thanks for posting those pictures .... it makes me want to emigrate! Though the fellow with the Russian hat needs a Mosin Nagant to complete the effect ("I am a stone ...")

 

[Matt PA]

Looks like a lot of fun :thumbsup: . How's a deer drive work with muzzleloaders? We were thinking about doing it this year when the wind picked up and the deer weren't moving.

Works just like any other type gun...except you only get one shot. :wink:
We are pushing "Big Woods" deer at camp with large blocks of timber broken by pipelines and forest service roads. Just get the wind in the favor of the standers and push the cover to them. Some of the pushes can get quite long because the terrain features funnel them out the other end.
One push I think we had 17 deer out to the standers.....getting them to pause for a shot is the tough part! :grin:

We are most effective when we have about 12 guys but we had as many as 17 this trip on certain days. With most drives only needing 5 or 6 guys to effectively push that leaves alot of guns on the escape routes.

It's tough hunting and a lot of work...and the weather can be a challenge in this late season. First day was 11 degrees and 20-30mph winds! :shocked2:
But we have a ball, cramp up now and then, and still manage to knock a few down.

 

[mikee51848]

Great pictures, looks like you had a great time. Don't worry, the other guys look like they're wearing the strange clothes!

 

[shootemup]

:applause: Outstanding, congratulations.

 

[bigbore442001]

Wonderful pictures and memories. I don't begrudge any of those hunters wearing camoflage hunter orange clothing. Better safe than sorry. I don't believe that anyone has ever been shot during the flintlock season but there is always a first.

I have always been intrigued by this type of hunt since I was a teenager hunting Potter and Tioga counties many years ago.

 

[ny griz]

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :applause: Just"GREAT".Griz

 

[luieb45]

We used to do deer drives but we only had draws of timber about 400-500 yards long surrounded by fields. I'm not sure if I'd have used a muzzleloader in our drives because the deer usually came in pretty fast.

 

[DennisPollywog]

Matt,
Congrats to all,and, thanks for the pics :thumbsup: :hatsoff:
Having hunted in PA for 46 seasons (26 with ML's :grin: ), I truly appreciate your efforts and success :hatsoff:.
Also, I hope your journal helps to dispel the " no deer " comments often heard in PA :dead: :dead: !
And, I really like the Hi-viz tam worn by one of Rodger's Rangers :thumbsup:
:v Denny

 

[chance]

That was Awsome!

 

[hawk]

good stuff!! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

 

[wattlebuster]

Congrats to all of you an them are some very pretty flinters on that rack :thumbsup:

 

[John Tice]

In a word. Awesome :v