Well after 50 years of hunting with everything from a 16 guage single shot to a Browning A bolt 270, I brought one down with a flintlock yesterday.
I've hunted the last 15 years almost exclusively with a Thompson Center Renegade caplock but made the switch to a Renegade flintlock this past summer.
I had practiced with 80 grains of FF but after opening days wet snowfall and getting the primer wet, I did a test shot with new primer. The rifle fired but with a slight hangfire. I reloaded but put in 90 grains of FF. Figured it would be OK as most shots are 20 to 30 yards max.
The deer came out of the swamp at 20 yards and gave me a quartering away shot. As I brought the rifle up, I kept telling myself to watch the front sight and not get distracted by the flash of the primer powder. Primer and main powder seemed to go off at the same time and deer took off.
I got down from the tree stand and was wondering what I would find for sign. Almost right from where the deer was standing there was a very easy to follow blood trail. About the same as from the heart shot 8 point that I got earlier in bow season. Deer ran all out through the tag alder swamp for about 40 yards and then crashed.
Hit it just behind the right sholder and it came out in the brisket. Did not hit the heart but must have hit one lung and a lot of main blood vessels.
Now it is just getting light so time to skin and cut it up.
Used a T/C Renegade flintlock, 90 grains of FF, a prelubed patch, and a .490 round ball.
The rifle season goes through Sunday and then the muzzleloader season starts. Still a chance for a buck.
Mike
I've hunted the last 15 years almost exclusively with a Thompson Center Renegade caplock but made the switch to a Renegade flintlock this past summer.
I had practiced with 80 grains of FF but after opening days wet snowfall and getting the primer wet, I did a test shot with new primer. The rifle fired but with a slight hangfire. I reloaded but put in 90 grains of FF. Figured it would be OK as most shots are 20 to 30 yards max.
The deer came out of the swamp at 20 yards and gave me a quartering away shot. As I brought the rifle up, I kept telling myself to watch the front sight and not get distracted by the flash of the primer powder. Primer and main powder seemed to go off at the same time and deer took off.
I got down from the tree stand and was wondering what I would find for sign. Almost right from where the deer was standing there was a very easy to follow blood trail. About the same as from the heart shot 8 point that I got earlier in bow season. Deer ran all out through the tag alder swamp for about 40 yards and then crashed.
Hit it just behind the right sholder and it came out in the brisket. Did not hit the heart but must have hit one lung and a lot of main blood vessels.
Now it is just getting light so time to skin and cut it up.
Used a T/C Renegade flintlock, 90 grains of FF, a prelubed patch, and a .490 round ball.
The rifle season goes through Sunday and then the muzzleloader season starts. Still a chance for a buck.
Mike
