Driving up on the 26th to start hunting the 27th, who else is heading out for the flintlock exclusive season? Any snow yet in the nothern tier?i

I'm not sure of my exact travel plans yet but I should be in the DuBois area on Friday and Saturday. Currently at my daughter's near Reading until Tues. No idea about the northern tier, Somerset was pretty bare this AM and raining. Pittsburgh TV was saying 2-4 inches on the ridges so might it be white when I get home.


Dale

Good luck Dale, I always get a kick out of this season.

I might go push for some others. If schedules line up.

-Jake

Doing archery next Saturday. Calling for snow in the extended forecasts.

I'll be out there. Got a buck tag and 2 doe tags left to fill. Forecast calls for 2-4 inches of snow today, and single digit temps for the couple days after Christmas. That's a perfect recepie for success for the areas I hunt. The deer will be up and moving, looking for food. And the snow will make for good stalking. It can't get here soon enough!

Good luck guys. Wish I was down there with you. Staying home in Minnesota this time around. I hunt about 15 miles from Dale K in Clearfield County, Boone Mountain.

I will albeit with a crossbow.

heading to camp friday with my boys. one with a muzzleloader, one with a bow and me with a 22 for squirrels. expecting 1-3" of snow in my area on friday so it outta be nice. l love the late season even though i rarely connect.

Taking the bow out thursday. Coupla days of snow squalls, single digit nights. Gonna break a bit thursday. Might get lucky.

Ain’t going to PA, but going to deer lease

Had the good fortune to be able to hunt a couple of family dairy farms in Bradford County for 30+ years. These were the days of flintlocks and round balls. Pennsylvanias late muzzleloader season was always a treat. Generally guys from surrounding farms would get together, after chores, of course. We usually pushed lots of deer and occasionally everything came together and someone killed one. Everybody involved, including the deer, was usually surprised.
Pennsy has got to be the last outpost for flintlocks.

I believe so on the flintlock only season, definetly unique. We try to do gentle pushes with more standers than bumpers. Usually only shot if they are walking or stop for a look-see back for the driver. Worked well last year. I fired 20-25 shots on Monday checking zero and getting use to the great plains rifle again. Buddy said its snowing now, hopefully it sticks around a few days. Good luck to all who get out!

In northwest PA (near Tionesta) calling for 3-6” by the end of Christmas Day and cold all week so should be good that way!
Good luck to all those out there and Merry Christmas to all!!

PrnnDog

Wishing I was back home in Wyoming county or the camp in Potter BUT that is not happening this year.

Good luck to those that are getting out!

Easily my favorite season. I have effectively lost interest in the 1st day of buck with all the crowds and craziness that comes at the surrounding camps leading up to it. I will definitely be out the last full week through the last day. Hopefully there will be a good bit of snow on the ground then, but I do know for certain I will have the woods, literally to myself.

Where will you be?

Well it's going to be bitter cold this week. I already have a buck in the freezer and I don't know to what degree I feel like braving this weather for a Doe? We'll see.

Northern Columbia County, have a 4E doe tag left. We got in late last night, just a covering here, looks like a bit more on the tops of the ridges.

I live in Clearfield Co near Phillisburg. There is some snow 3" or so and really cold and windy. If you go out get your self really dressed properly.

Anyone ha bring any luck? I've been successfully avoiding frostbite and hypothermia, and the couple big bucks im after have been successfully az avoiding me! Been seeing plenty of deer, just not the right one yet.

I'll be in southern Potter Co. around Cross Fork the 3rd-6th. Hoping for snow. Forecast shows possible snow next Thursday, should be good hunting weather.

my plans changed so maybe next weekend. might try behind the house but frankly it ain't the same.

I'm hoping to. So far it's been too cold. Since my heart attack I can't take the cold. Maybe it's the blood thinners. I'm seriously thinking about moving back south.

This sounds like my flintlock hunts, can't wait for next week!

Poked around some on Friday afternoon and got out until about noon on Saturday. Didn't see any deer but did see some squirrels and heard some turkeys. I'm not sure if I'll get out any more or not, work is getting in the way. And the trip home sucked, the roads were kind of dicey between DuBois and Somerset, especially around Carroltown.

Dale

Sunset rd. I take it?

From Westover/St. Boniface all the way to Johnstown was bad. And also most of the side roads around Somerset. But yeah, Sunset was the worst. Not from drifting but it was just slick as goose crap and there's so many hills and curves, I just dropped the truck into 4WD for that stretch.

Dale

Got back from Pa last night, was an interesting week. We drove up christmas day, so ended up sleeping in on the 26th after the long drive. I was feeling a little under the weather so we hit the local gamelands to try for some rabbits after sleeping late. No rabbits found but did have 5 grouse flushes, so good sign for next year. Wednesday me and 3 buddies headed out for deer, mostly doing small pushes. Cold 5 deg and windy. First push I was a driver but due to the layout, I end up stopping near the standers while the other driver finishes. I got in place and didnt take long to see deer moving and rock the flint back. First one was a sub legal buck, he walked out through a field 20 yards away. Few minutes later a large, very wide 10pt comes out and stops in front of me. I start laughing out loud... as I have no buck tag left after rifle season. Doe only for me. So he turns his head and I stomp some nearby brush to try and turn him to the other standers. It works but I hear no shot ??? Well he ran about 30 in front of my buddy but all he got was a flash in the pan. He took it better than I would have.

We kept it up for the rest of the day, all together we had 5 failure to fires. Buddy whose gun didnt go off on the big buck later got one while driving. I kicked up a doe 20 yds in front of a stander, I swung on her and she stopped in between two trees about 60 yards away. I pulled the triggerand only got a flash. She stood there as I tried to refill my pan. Just as I closed my frizzen, she was gone. Was a crazy day, never had so much trouble getting our rifles to fire. We had a good time though.

Thur I felt sicker than hell, so stayed home. Wife was yelling at me for being out all day wed in the cold when I was already little sick on tues. Fri we visited family in town.

Sat we were back at it, though it snowed all morning. Given the misfortunes we had wed getting our guns to fire on a clear cold wed, we had our doubts about a wet snowy sat. We saw some deer, one bud missed one, I didnt get any shots I was willing to take. No failure to fires among our group though.

All in all it was a good trip, saw lots of deer. The wide buck on the first drive made the whole week, doubt we will forget that for years to come. I passed on some running shots, etc. With a freezer full of meat from rifle season I didnt feel the need to take any hope shots. I'll be back next year for sure. Very unique season that I really enjoy. Barring any rain, rifle will go bang next year!

Sounds like a great time!

Well, I stretched it out right to the end. Fired my first shot of the flintlock season at 340 and filled my 2E tag with a big doe. At 520, I ended my season and filled my buck tag with an even bigger doe. Nothing like waiting til the last minute!

Still have 2 more weeks at my house

"I pulled the trigger and only got a flash. She stood there as I tried to refill my pan. Just as I closed my frizzen, she was gone."

Many years ago at our club, guy was recovering from a triple bypass and decided to go out after Christmas with his flintlock, as he'd missed rifle deer season due to the surgery.

Plenty of deer around, so he walked about 30 yards from the truck, climbed into one of the stands at the trap range and spent the morning sitting there and waiting for deer to come across the trap range field. About the time he was ready to give up, some doe came out maybe 70 yards away and grazed a bit. Pulled back the hammer and let it drop, had a good rest sitting on the stand. Whoof! Deer never took any notice.

Reprimed, tried it again. Whoof! I think he did that three or four times. Finally picked the flash hole, reprimed again and as he pulled the hammer back, they all trotted back into the woods where they'd come from. Rifle went off that time, when he took a whack at one as it got to the woods, no luck..

After he told me about that episode, I said he should've still been at home in bed recuperating, because he was in no condition to be dragging a deer. Said he'd planned on calling me to come drag it, had he been lucky. Told him he was lucky the rifle didn't go off for the cake shot, because I wasn't available to help that day. ;o)

I didn't get out this year. No doe tag for the home area and too damn cold up at camp.

I'm a heart failure survivor, and so far haven't had to do a bad drag. I hunt on a snowmobile trail, and can get my deer cart back in there. 'Shot a nice buck two years ago. Took my time so as to not get winded. It's about a 20 minute walk into where I hunt. I spent two hours wheeling that buck out of there. I'd go four or five steps and rest, and repeat. This year, I shot a nice doe and it obliged me by dying where I could drive the truck right up to it. Sooner or later, my time's gonna come. I hope I'm in the woods with a deer down when it does.

I used to charge up through the steep woods behind camp on opening morning, to get up on top and on stand by day break. I'd usually be a tad winded by the time I got up there and often over heated, if I was dressed to sit most of the morning.

Gave that up years ago. Now I take my time, avoid the steep parts, stop now and then to let my heart settle down and get my wind back.

This year I dragged my buck about 50 yards back to where I'd shot it from, walked back down to camp. Figured to head up later in the camp jalopy to fetch the buck back in. Some of the local relatives had stopped over about the time I was going after it, so I recruited one to help me load the buck into the clunker 4x4 and haul it back..Sure beat a 400 yard drag on bare ground?

He'd offered to go get the deer and drag it in for me. Coming down through the woods in the jalopy, I said ain't this better? He said yep.

Planning (and luck) beats rashness every time. Older ya get, more ya plan ahead. ;O)