Pa.Flinty only season?

[BoomStick]

I didn't let that big fat doe get in the way of a perfect shot on this tree!

I have a couple of those in my trophy room as well, but not as nice as that one! Congrats!

 

[bldtrailer]

for the berks guys ,we now live in Berks , moved from and hunted in Lycoming (flintlock season there was only flintlock) do you wear hunter orange in the mixed season(rifle doe)

 

[BoomStick]

for the berks guys ,we now live in Berks , moved from and hunted in Lycoming (flintlock season there was only flintlock) do you wear hunter orange in the mixed season(rifle doe)

I wear an orange hat anywhere in 5C or 5D during late season.

 

[SOLANCO]

I wear an orange hat anywhere in 5C or 5D during late season.

You can not wear enough orange during that week after Thanksgiving. I won't even go into the woods then.

 

[soup1279]

Good Luck. The Allegheny Natl Forest is one big forest!

Yes it is. It's where I do a majority of my deer hunting. Beautiful area. Hard hunting but worth it.

 

[pamtnman]

Today’s report: At 1pm what looked like a fox emerged ahead of the driver onto the old logging road. Then I thought it must be a coyote. When it turned uphill and started walking towards me, I recognized a deer that could fit in my shirt pocket. At 35 yards I shot and completely flinched and fumbled the gun and flubbed the shot. Three hours later I was sitting on a power line right of way not too far away and the same tiny deer walked by broadside at 45 yards. I bleated, aimed, and flubbed the shot. Hoping my future flintlock performances this season are better. I’m not giving up yet

 

[Jedidiah]

Today’s report: At 1pm what looked like a fox emerged ahead of the driver onto the old logging road. Then I thought it must be a coyote. When it turned uphill and started walking towards me, I recognized a deer that could fit in my shirt pocket. At 35 yards I shot and completely flinched and fumbled the gun and flubbed the shot. Three hours later I was sitting on a power line right of way not too far away and the same tiny deer walked by broadside at 45 yards. I bleated, aimed, and flubbed the shot. Hoping my future flintlock performances this season are better. I’m not giving up yet

Maybe it's a "sign" .Don't shoot the tiny deer, wait for a bigger one?

 

[pamtnman]

Maybe it's a "sign" .Don't shoot the tiny deer, wait for a bigger one?

Yah. I hear you. It really is a tiny deer. The challenges on this particular agricultural property are that we need to remove every doe we put gun sights on. There are way too many deer and way too much crop damage. And if a guy beats himself bloody putting on a deer drive for me through thick brambles and blackberry, and I pass up a shot because the only deer that presented itself was “too small,” I will have no one to hunt with. If I were just stand hunting for strictly recreational or meat purposes, then yeah, waiting for a bigger deer makes sense.

 

[Loja man]

I didn't let that big fat doe get in the way of a perfect shot on this tree!View attachment 185547View attachment 185547

My 12 year old did that last year with a basket six pointer. Thier was 4” diameter tree right on the right edge of the kill zone. My son put the ball dead center on the tree!

 

[pacanis]

Maybe it's a "sign" .Don't shoot the tiny deer, wait for a bigger one?

That's what I was going to say.
He needs a bigger target

 

[pamtnman]

That's what I was going to say.
He needs a bigger target

Only with this daggone flintlock. The Pedersoli flintlock I hunted with for many many years had an excellent trigger and enough room in front of it to actually get my finger around it, on it, have a sense of where it was. This rifle’s set trigger is set so light, and the trigger guard has so little room in front, that it’s just a recipe for failure. Only when I’m range shooting can I get it to work right. Field conditions have been tough.

 

[pacanis]

I only have one gun with a set trigger and I haven't even shot it yet.
My flinter (I was out with today) has a pretty good trigger on it by itself. Unfortunately, I didn't have the opportunity to pull it.

I'm going to take a stroll this afternoon and hope I see more than squirrels.

 

[pamtnman]

I only have one gun with a set trigger and I haven't even shot it yet.
My flinter (I was out with today) has a pretty good trigger on it by itself. Unfortunately, I didn't have the opportunity to pull it.

I'm going to take a stroll this afternoon and hope I see more than squirrels.

Good luck today!

 

[rf50cal]

Today’s report: At 1pm what looked like a fox emerged ahead of the driver onto the old logging road. Then I thought it must be a coyote. When it turned uphill and started walking towards me, I recognized a deer that could fit in my shirt pocket. At 35 yards I shot and completely flinched and fumbled the gun and flubbed the shot. Three hours later I was sitting on a power line right of way not too far away and the same tiny deer walked by broadside at 45 yards. I bleated, aimed, and flubbed the shot. Hoping my future flintlock performances this season are better. I’m not giving up yet

You get more use out of your hunting license if you miss a couple before you shoot one.

 

[pamtnman]

You get more use out of your hunting license if you miss a couple before you shoot one.

You get more use out of your hunting license if you miss a couple before you shoot one.

You make a good point. I’m fortunate to have time to hunt that most people do not have. So I can probably get back out before season ends and make up for the misses with a hit or three. If those two misses had been the end of my season, I’d have left the gun wrapped around a tree.

 

[45man]

I am from Ohio and went every season to PA and loved it. Lots of snow to track in. Now I live too far.

 

[pacanis]

Good luck today!

Thanks!
Almost...

I decided to hunt under the tree stand I use for archery and sometimes firearm. I made up a nice little seat.

View to the left, where there's a trail they come out onto the main path from.

View to the right. Much cleaner shooting.

I called it quits because I have some work to do here shortly and hunted my way out.
I walked along the path that heads to the right, got halfway to where I wanted to go and ran into a doe! I almost didn't see her, but she was pretty much in the open save for a couple saplings. She was facing me dead on. And I was facing her.

She was standing on the left. Right where the brush juts out and the ATV tracks swerve around it. It's about 30-35yds away. There's a large path that runs into the one I was on. It doesn't get used as much as you'd think it would, but she must have used it.

I slid my right foot back and faced away at an angle so I wasn't facing her. I had already made up my mind she was too small. She might have been last year's fawn, but she seemed taller. Skinny though. Not sickly, just thin.

She stiffened up and presented her chest to me. I cocked my gun and raised it to my shoulder, then turned at the waist to face her. She looked at me, I looked down the sights at her chest, then she turned and trotted off.

I'm not sure a larger and smarter deer would have hung around that long, but it was nice to see I could do it. It would have had to be a quick shot though. As soon as the sight picture was established.

All in all a nice sit capped off with seeing the quarry I was hunting.
Tomorrow's another day.

 

[pamtnman]

Thanks!
Almost...

I decided to hunt under the tree stand I use for archery and sometimes firearm. I made up a nice little seat.
View attachment 185863

View to the left, where there's a trail they come out onto the main path from.
View attachment 185864

View to the right. Much cleaner shooting.
View attachment 185865

I called it quits because I have some work to do here shortly and hunted my way out.
I walked along the path that heads to the right, got halfway to where I wanted to go and ran into a doe! I almost didn't see her, but she was pretty much in the open save for a couple saplings. She was facing me dead on. And I was facing her.

She was standing on the left. Right where the brush juts out and the ATV tracks swerve around it. It's about 30-35yds away. There's a large path that runs into the one I was on. It doesn't get used as much as you'd think it would, but she must have used it.
View attachment 185867

I slid my right foot back and faced away at an angle so I wasn't facing her. I had already made up my mind she was too small. She might have been last year's fawn, but she seemed taller. Skinny though. Not sickly, just thin.

She stiffened up and presented her chest to me. I cocked my gun and raised it to my shoulder, then turned at the waist to face her. She looked at me, I looked down the sights at her chest, then she turned and trotted off.

I'm not sure a larger and smarter deer would have hung around that long, but it was nice to see I could do it. It would have had to be a quick shot though. As soon as the sight picture was established.

All in all a nice sit capped off with seeing the quarry I was hunting.
Tomorrow's another day.

That’s a good report! When you’re staring at a deer in shooting range, you’re doing something right. You will probably succeed if you keep at it. Three of us went out this afternoon. I sat where I’d seen a pile of deer last night, and the wind was right. The only deer I saw was a mature doe’s butt for ten minutes at about 55 yards. She ate facing into the woods right where the field and the woods meet. She was probably ready to jump for cover, and never presented a shot. The other guys saw deer up close a couple minutes past shooting light. Going to give it another try tomorrow. My son’s 45 was beautifully made by Bill Slusser, and it really is perfect. It has the small Colerain kids/ladies barrel, and the gun is a pleasure to hold. But it has a limited range, as opposed to the 54, which is a lot more gun.

 

[pamtnman]

I am from Ohio and went every season to PA and loved it. Lots of snow to track in. Now I live too far.

Snow? What is this snow you speak of? But I agree that PA has a wonderful late season. I’ve always enjoyed it.

 

[bushytail]

I went out after work for a couple hours. Didn’t see deer or squirrels. But as the sun set, the sky became colorful. It was still nice to be out in the woods.