What is your hunting rifle?

[Treestalker]

.54 flintlock I made in the late '80s...38 inch Ed Rayle barrel, 1 1/16 tapered to 15/16ths...

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Sweet! 'The arrogance of excellence!' (from an old Weller whiskey advertisement)

 

[ugly old guy]

If I ever get to go big game hunting again (mobility issues) I'll use my TC (factory) .54 caliber Big Bore Hawken.

 

[Sen36cal]

That’s right the choice of witch gun 54or 50 flint Love booth shoot awesome

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I could do that during indiana's firearms season, but would rather use my 30-06, 30-30. If I strike out then, I may take the flintlock out walking. Whats kept me from doing so is lack of December-worthy traditional clothing. Maybe I get a wool capote or something?

I'm wondering what keeps you so loyal to the modern stuff during "regular" season? You've used a patched round ball with success. I've harvested deer with my flinter in both period garb and Carhart, insulated, tan canvas.... as far as I go, (even though the state has now said I can use certain rifle cartridges in my county), there are two flintlock seasons, not a "gun" season and a "muzzleloader season".

I don't hunt from a stand (Loyalist Dave can't fall out of the stand that he doesn't climb into ), but I don't always "still hunt" either, as it depends on the property. Large enough chunk of woods, I will still hunt..., but otherwise there are a lot of "hobby farms" where I am and you can't move about much on them. Further there are and a lot of places to hunt, where you wouldn't want to shoot in certain directions. I know the physics makes it highly unlikely but I won't shoot toward the property where they board horses, for example.

LD

 

[mushka]

How does one hunt HARD from a ladder or tree stand? Just curious.

 

[azmntman]

Well depends on the hunt. This year I had an any antlered deer tag in muzzleloader season. Mule or whitetail legal. I took my Traditions .50 hawkin in case a big mulie showed. As high winds predicted for all but 2 days I took a whitetail spike (see Cous deer, a whopper buck may weigh 100 lbs) Saturday and stayed home Sunday/Monday in 60-80 MPH winds. Back out later today or Weds to hunt with son n his wife. This lil guy is about as long as the gun. If I had known he was this small I would have passed but it happened quick and I never got a whitetail. .50 way over gunned. .36 would have done just fine. Now winds to die Weds-Thursday so maybe more picks to come of son/daughter in law. They camped in a pop up in this wind!

 

[azmntman]

How does one hunt HARD from a ladder or tree stand? Just curious.

One stays awake. LOL

 

[Art Caputo]

How does one hunt HARD from a ladder or tree stand? Just curious.

While I’m predominantly a still hunter, I have also spent quite a bit of time stand hunting over the years. “Hunting hard” takes on a different process. Once a good buck has been determined to reside in a particular area, it may take many days and hours of intense and persistent observation to connect with him. I think the word “hard” may be as much attributed to a mental exertion as it can be for physical exertion. For me, commitment and persistence to get a particular buck, equates to hunting hard, and can prove to be equally rewarding whether standing or moving...when successful. IMO.

 

[Cpt Flint]

.54 caliber, 38" D wt Rice barrel, Chambers Delux Siler, Pecatonica Armstrong CM#5 stock. That's the recipe.

 

[GriscomRun]

I carry a Pennsylvania Mountain Rifle by Cabin Creek Muzzleloading. 38" swamped .54 Colerain barrel, with a Siler lock, and a single trigger. I use a thin, silver front sight post, and it was quite accurate, but right now as the thread "what for wad or filler" is discussing, I've suddenly developed patch cutting problems. Hopefully I can work them out today so the early ML deer season won't pass me by.

LD

I’m waiting for mine. Believe they are working on it now. Might be done by - unsure. I think they have a waiting list. Not unusual for such a notable craftsman. Meanwhile, cutting ticking strips, roll, and tie.

 

[Spikebuck]

How does one hunt HARD from a ladder or tree stand? Just curious.

Not to hijack a fine thread, but I have to answer the question....

In December 2013, I spent a full week in stands (not the cushy enclosed ones with a heater, just a regular stand attached to a tree) in double digit below zero air temps with -25 to -40 F wind chills during our late Muzzleloader season. It was so cold my eyes were actually sticky because the fluid was, I suspect, freezing. When I got out of the stand each day my eyes were burning and I felt like I had been beaten over my whole body with a baseball bat. Moving around on the hunt would have been a JOY compared to sitting in those conditions, but with crunchy snow, one wasn't getting within range of a mature buck with a traditional front-stuff without doing an ambush.

With only a couple of days to go, I finally had my opportunity with minutes of daylight left on what turned out to be a 7 1/2 year old buck (aged by a lab with tooth ring analysis). It was a buck we had named "ol' Moe" because he had all the body characteristics of an old bruiser buck. He would also disappear during daylight hours as soon as the bow season started....we only knew he was still around from night time pics. He was definitely smart and super cautious, as most truly mature bucks are. The air temp was -12F with high winds from the north blowing on me right down the valley at the time. I was never so glad to drag a deer out as that time! I don't know if that's "hunting hard" or just a "hard hunt."

Old Moe on the hoof:

Where he fell:

 

[caddo]

Been thinking of the ideal hunting rifle set up right now for Eastern Whitetail. I was thinking it would be along the lines of .50-54 caliber, 38 inch swamped barrel. What do you guys shoot? Im going to be using my .50 for hunting but with the straight 42 inch barrel it is a bear in the carry department.

 

[Ben Meyer]

By "hunting hard," i mean sitting dark to dark, regardless of weather, day after day after day. No lunch breaks, no nap or "this burst of freezing rain sucks" breaks, etc. Putting in the time EARNING that shot. We've been doing this for a while. Obviously, this takes into consideration wind direction, scouting, deer activity, etc. Not just sitting in unproductive stands willy nilly.

Putting in all that effort, playing the mental game that is hunting, seeing a booner at 150yds that I dont feel confident shooting a roundball at ethically is why I still rifle hunt that week or so. I bow hunt too, took my buck last year with a compound bow. Come muzzleloader season, I use those. That said, my inline hasn't left its case in years since I dove headfirst into traditional blackpowder.

 

[A Wyatt]

Years past have carried a 38 inch 40 cal. I built a few years ago.This year I am using a 38 inch 50 cal. I was striving for a lighter rifle as I walk a lot in the field. Both of these rifles use B weight Rice barrels. Every once in a while I have a 62 cal smooth rifle that I carry but not as often as I had thought I would.

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[Collector54]

I have used a Kodiak in 50 and 58, a TC hawken I built in 1976 in 50, and one Paul Swanson built for me ,a flint armstrong style in 50, but my go to gun for Muzzle loader season in Ill is the 45 cal Whitworth from Gibbs, made in England (proofed there anyway). Shot more with the Whitworth than the others followed by the Kodiak in 50 cal. I was always partial to the double rifle until I bought the Whitworth. We have longer ranges here and the rd ball puts me at a disadvantage in some of the areas we hunt. Since we move a lot I trade off between the rd ball Kodiak and the Whitworth.

 

[Huntschool]

My old stand by is a .54 Sharon Hawken half stock with Hawken Shop hardware and a Sharon barrel. I have taken a good number of deer with this gun using .535 Hornady RB's with spit patch and 70 gr. 3ff. However, I have a new gun in the offing which will be an early Virginia, iron mounted .620 smooth rifle made a Chambers Colonial VA flintlock and an old, old Getz swamped Golden age profile barrel. I hope the gun will be done in time. I also have a .620 early flint fowler that can stand in when needed.

 

[Nameless Hunter]

Years past have carried a 38 inch 40 cal. I built a few years ago.This year I am using a 38 inch 50 cal. I was striving for a lighter rifle as I walk a lot in the field. Both of these rifles use B weight Rice barrels. Every once in a while I have a 62 cal smooth rifle that I carry but not as often as I had thought I would. View attachment 48080View attachment 48083View attachment 48084 [View attachment 48088View attachment 48089 View attachment 48090

NICE BUCKS!

 

[Josephg]

For deer I'd use my Bill Crane .50. For bigger game would use my new Hawken 58.

 

[fillwa]

I've been using a TC 50cal Harken i built from a lot in the '70s, it has done a fine job knocking down NE White Tail.

 

[smo]

I’ll be back in the woods with my Top Curtis made .54. It has a 42” Colerain radius bottom rifling barrel and a Pete Allen lock.

It will kill......