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Post by Loggy on Dec 27, 2021 7:52:27 GMT -5
Well...today's the Late Flintlock Season Opener!! Anyone out there tryin to keep their powder dry?? Up in Sullivan County: Rain, snow, freezing rain, and sleet before 4pm, then rain or freezing rain likely between 4pm and 5pm, then freezing rain and sleet likely after 5pm. High near 32. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 80%.I plan to put a few days in up North(Sullivan 3B) end of next week. Locally....Mom's regularly been seeing some deer along the field edges of her woodland so may also take a peek around as also got a a 5B tag. Although, just not the same hunting at Moms hearing dogs barking, local traffic sounds & other ugly civilization sound pollution. Way more deer there but ain't no comparison to hunting those Big Mountains!! Look forward to hearing your plans & smoker reports!!
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Post by davet on Dec 27, 2021 16:27:12 GMT -5
I did the pre-season shoot in yesterday knowing I likely wasn’t going out with the rain. 54 Cal shot very well. If I get a shot & miss, it won’t be the guns fault.
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Post by ridgecommander on Dec 28, 2021 8:19:25 GMT -5
It poured here all day yesterday. My first hunt will be Friday. Not sure yet where I am going or if I am going to flintlock or archery hunt. Friday looks warm again but dry. I can hunt Saturday as well but Saturday looks like 50 and rain all day here. This weather pattern sucks for late season.
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Post by Loggy on Dec 28, 2021 8:44:25 GMT -5
Hopefully things will dry out.
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Post by fleroo on Dec 28, 2021 9:28:10 GMT -5
Lad boy wanted to head out at about 1:00, as the rain pretty much stopped here. I had to work (from home). So we pulled his flinter off the wall, and I figured I'd whip a load into it for him (because I hate work), and attach the sling to give him a head start on the hunt. Load in and sling on, I told him to block off the pan/touchhole with a patch, to prevent moisture from gathering, and just prime the pan if/when he notices a slammer, hammer, toad or frog coming his way ( I LOVE TV archery dude speak). Welp, I open the frizzen, and what do I see ? A pan half full of 2F charge powder. DUMBASS (not referring to lad boy for once) forgot to put the touchhole liner back in after the year end cleaning last season. Sooooooo, off comes the barrel....... Wasn't too awful whizzed off about, cuz well... did I mention I hate work ?
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Post by dougl on Dec 28, 2021 14:41:40 GMT -5
I'm trying to motivate myself to go but just can't seem to muster up any motivation.Weather permitting,I'll probably feel obligated to go on friday as saturday looks to be another washout.
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Post by bushmaster on Dec 28, 2021 14:56:04 GMT -5
Went out for 4hrs this morning behind my house. Lots of fresh sign but no deer moving. Plenty of squirrels to drive me nuts though!
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Post by ridgecommander on Dec 28, 2021 15:02:03 GMT -5
Looking like flintlock Friday and bow Saturday, if the washout forecast for Saturday holds up.
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Post by davet on Dec 29, 2021 8:52:59 GMT -5
My Michigan gang (3 boys, 1 girl) are here until Saturday. No hunting until next week. Hey….maybe I’ll get lucky & have snow!!
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Post by fleroo on Dec 29, 2021 9:31:25 GMT -5
Looking like flintlock Friday and F Saturday. So I'll go on a silly, few line tirade/rant/whine session. The BOC gives archers SEVEN (7) flocking weeks to target their choice of hammer, slammer, frog and toad. Of course, within that nice, warmer weather hunting package, where hammers, slammers, frogs and toads are drunk with lust in prime rut, they also get a coveted Sunday. The lowly flint boys, get a couple weeks, with 3 Saturdays, to try and hunt down what's left of a legal buck here in SW PA. Flintlock, that has pert near ZERO (0) impact on antlered harvest. Well, that first Saturday chance, is preliminarily looking like a sh!t show of a day. That leaves weekend warrior flinters, the guys that can't get off work during the week (remember all the cries that rifle opener HAD to move to Saturday cuz guys all had to work ?) 2 more whopping Saturdays to ply their flint and steel trade. What would it hurt to give flinters a damn Sunday ? Ya I know, 365,000 archery hunters can benefit more from a Sunday. Much more than 10,000 flinters. BOC are flocking morons.
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Post by ridgecommander on Dec 29, 2021 11:50:11 GMT -5
That leaves weekend warrior flinters, the guys that can't get off work during the week (remember all the cries that rifle opener HAD to move to Saturday cuz guys all had to work ?) 2 more whopping Saturdays to ply their flint and steel trade. What would it hurt to give flinters a damn Sunday ? I have been asking the BOC to keep flintlock open till the end of January statewide. The same closing date as the extended firearms. I have also been asking the General Assembly to legalize Sunday hunting all year. So if you will join me, I plan to again send my thoughts over to the BOC prior to their January meeting where the framework is laid for next fall/winter.
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Post by fleroo on Dec 29, 2021 13:28:21 GMT -5
End of January. That's right proper and swell of ya, Gene. Since your thoughts on an earlier "muzzleloader" (inlines included) season, includes a "limited draw" for participation, I'm hoping your ask for extending Flintlock, includes being afforded the chance to harvest one of the very few hammers, slammers, frogs and toads that are left in that extended period, and not just an antlerless, that I stopped hunting anyhow ?
The PGC should sell an INLINE tag, and a FLINTLOCK tag separately. So they know how many, or should I say just how few, Flintlock hunters are truly out there. I/you shouldn't have to march on, or petition Hbg for something like that. If the BOC was hired to do a job, they should have the acumen to recognize gross inequity's in the season lengths and firearm choices, and react accordingly. DOLTS !
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Post by ridgecommander on Dec 29, 2021 14:03:01 GMT -5
End of January. That's right proper and swell of ya, Gene. Since your thoughts on an earlier "muzzleloader" (inlines included) season, includes a "limited draw" for participation, I'm hoping your ask for extending Flintlock, includes being afforded the chance to harvest one of the very few hammers, slammers, frogs and toads that are left in that extended period, and not just an antlerless, that I stopped hunting anyhow ? Toads, hammers, frogs, and studs are legal game in the flintlock season. You asked for more opportunity in the flintlock season to which I responded and said I agree and have been working to try to make it happen. I then asked if you would help the cause. Do you want more opportunity in the flintlock season or not and will you send your correspondence in support?
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Post by fleroo on Dec 29, 2021 14:38:48 GMT -5
Rightttttt ! But would they still be legal game if the season were extended another couple weeks ? Or would the lowly flinter only be able to target the antlerless in that extended period ? Surely the BOC, in all their wisdom, wouldn't want a flntlock hunter to have the ability to kill what's left of a legal buck, for a month ?
... and what about the archers that are also allowed to join flinters in supposed "flintlock season" ? Would they also benefit from such an extension ? I mean, there's 360,000 of them (impactful). And probably a meager 10,000 true flint hunters (not impactful)
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Post by ridgecommander on Dec 29, 2021 15:29:29 GMT -5
Rightttttt ! But would they still be legal game if the season were extended another couple weeks ? Or would the lowly flinter only be able to target the antlerless in that extended period ? Surely the BOC, in all their wisdom, wouldn't want a flntlock hunter to have the ability to kill what's left of a legal buck, for a month ? As I said, frogs, toads, studs and hammers are legal in flintlock season so if the season were to be extended a week or two, they would continue to be legal as would the hogs and swamp donkeys. I asked you before, will you join me in asking for an statewide extension to end on the same day as the extended firearms does? That would be a different topic as late archery is a separate season.
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Post by Loggy on Dec 29, 2021 17:25:33 GMT -5
Late afternoon took my ole smoker for a walk through Mom's woodland. Very quiet footing with the wet leaves. Saw 3 squirrel, one rabbit and a neighbors dog roaming around the front edge of her property. Plenty of deer sign but likely dog spooked any that may have been in area. Temps in the low 50's...a sauna as compared to what Sully County will be in a week!! Was great getting dem boots back on the ground!!
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Post by moosey on Dec 29, 2021 18:15:34 GMT -5
I'm chomping at the bit to get out but I've been stuck at work. I finally get to go out Friday
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Post by ridgecommander on Dec 30, 2021 7:46:33 GMT -5
Another beautiful day for the smokepole here in western Pa. Rain and drizzle. 42 degrees!
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Post by ridgecommander on Dec 30, 2021 9:22:38 GMT -5
Fleroo. Are you helping the cause and sending in your correspondence with me about extending late flintlock?
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Post by fleroo on Dec 30, 2021 9:30:07 GMT -5
Well FLOCK yes I will. What the helllcat do I have to lose ?
Now, I'm not wound up enough to march on the state capitol with a sign, "Freedom And Opportunity For Flinters !". But I'll certainly spend the couple minutes it takes to formulate a barely articulate e-mail to my SW BOC Rep. Heck, maybe I'll even seek out the other 8 flint hunters in the southwest region to do the same.
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Post by ridgecommander on Dec 30, 2021 9:38:06 GMT -5
Well FLOCK yes I will. What the helllcat do I have to lose ? Now, I'm not wound up enough to march on the state capitol with a sign, "Freedom And Opportunity For Flinters !". But I'll certainly spend the couple minutes it takes to formulate a barely articulate e-mail to my SW BOC Rep. Heck, maybe I'll even seek out the other 8 flint hunters in the southwest region to do the same. Fredricks is your man and mine on the BOC but he is horrible and never responds to emails or phone calls. You would have better luck emailing Santa Clause. He doesn;t even read emails from other commissioner so I was told by another commissioner. Send you email to pgccomments@pa.gov and put "for the commissioners (flintlock)" in the subject line. It will be forwarded to all of them. Next week would be a good time to do it. Just saying.
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Post by fleroo on Dec 30, 2021 9:42:58 GMT -5
I emailed in the past. Got responses from two on different occasions. One was Martone, who I actually had a bit of a dialog with. The other was, I believe a Bob something or other. Older fella that was close to expiration.... his term, not sure about him personally.
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Post by ridgecommander on Dec 30, 2021 9:53:29 GMT -5
I emailed in the past. Got responses from two on different occasions. One was Martone, who I actually had a bit of a dialog with. The other was, I believe a Bob something or other. Older fella that was close to expiration.... his term, not sure about him personally. Martone was one of the good guys. He was always very responsive and genuinely cared about hunters in this state. He got shafted by the PGC though.
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Post by cspot on Dec 30, 2021 11:33:30 GMT -5
I emailed in the past. Got responses from two on different occasions. One was Martone, who I actually had a bit of a dialog with. The other was, I believe a Bob something or other. Older fella that was close to expiration.... his term, not sure about him personally. Martone was one of the good guys. He was always very responsive and genuinely cared about hunters in this state. He got shafted by the PGC though. Martone was a good guy. He was always responsive. Even though I didn't always agree with him, I agree that he was always trying to do what was right for hunters in the state.
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Post by Loggy on Dec 31, 2021 7:25:18 GMT -5
When emailing the PGC re my concerns etc....in addition to email response I always invite a call from a Commissioner. Only ever got one personal call....was from Charlie Fox to discuss Grandfathering-in the Pheasant Stamp for Senior Lifetime License Holders. I was impressed first in the fact he called me vs a generalized email bs/email reply... plus he really seemed to listen and substantively discuss.
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