Love this thread! I like Skychief's first post, as I too am a blackpowderturkeyaholic. And no, it didn't make you sounds crazy at all Skychief - because I can totally relate and would have written the same. And I, on my own diagnosis, am not crazy. :wink:
I also like BillinOregon's tongue-in-cheek post. I used to be of the super choked modern turkey gun clan. I was young and it seemed the proof of ability and tukey hunting prowess was tagging out before anyone else. but as I matured it seemed too easy and something was missing from tagging out so early. I realized I was missing out on a lot of time in the turkey woods and filling my tags became less important to me than the whole experience. So I branched out to a couple different percussion guns and that was a lot more fun. Then, I bought a flintlock smoothie. When I shot my first turkey with it I knew I had the right gun for me. It just seems so much more personal, or could I even mention spiritual without being labeled as a looney. :haha:
Here's the evolution of a BP gobbler hunter in pictures... starts in 2004 with an 11ga. original fowler. Max range 15 yards because I had it loaded light. Took a tom and a jake with it, here's the tom - first BP turkey ever for me!
I then found a T/C New Englander 12ga. and took two toms with it in 2005. This was #1
After those two seasons I knew BP was for me and I was dying to try a flintlock. I was elated to find out they could be shipped internationally and so I haunted the TOTW used gun section until what I wanted came up. I grabbeed a nice used Caywood Type C .62 smoothie and hit the woods on opening day 2006. I had my first flintlock tom down at about 10am and my eyes were opened. I have put 8 flintlock gobblers under my belt since (I won't bore anyone with flintlock gobbler pics as I just posted a bunch on another thread in this same forum). I have "cheated" on a few trips involving air travel and shot some birds since then with a modern gun but it just doesn't feel the same. I'll be taking my flinter to OK again this year and hope to start working toward a Grand Slam with my flintlock. I brought it last year and had an unfortunate miss on account of a fuse fire (I had moved several times on that gobbler and must have tilted the gun and piled all the priming charge up against the flash hole).
I agree with the max. 25 yard range limitation. I have considered getting a jug choked flinter but, for me (and this is just my own personal preference) I like the range limitation and doing it the way it might have been done 200+ years ago. When I first embarked on the BP turkey guest, I thought I had bitten off a major challenge and it might be many days, if not seasons before I scored. It came as a surprise that a BP gun is really no handicap at all when used correctly. I already had the woodsman ship and turkey hunting skills I needed. I have learned that (usually) the only difference between shooting birds at 30 yards with the shotgun and 15 yards with the flinter is sitting still and remaining calm. I have also found that using a flinter has made me a better turkey hunter as I have learned a lot about turkeys watching them do their thing at shotgun range and having to coax them in closer.
As for the shiny brass and gleaming metal, I always make sure to setup in the shade as (I think) I have been busted twice by being caught with a 42" barrel shining in the direct sunlight.
Pattern at about 35yds..
