[mauser06]

So I have my turkey Fowler...No more deer hunting...An itch to keep making smoke with flint n steel...

I see squirrel, rabbit and pheasant are still in...Till Feb 28th.

I really wanted to call crows but my days off don't coincidence with the open crow days...



Any pointers on shooting small game with the flinter???

Squirrels shouldn't be much of an issue...But rabbits and if I can find a pheasant will be...Not sure there are any pheasants left alive...But might luck into one or some rabbits..


Not real worried about the pattern...By the time I get the flint cocked back they aughta be in the 30-35yd range where my Fowler opens up a decent bit.


Probably gunna focus on cleaning out squirrels from some of my rut stands 8 hunt every year...

 

[blackpowder]

follow through on your shot. flintlocks aren't as fast as cf shotguns. good luck!

 

[mauser06]

That's what I figured would be key...

Will be fun trying!

 

[410-er]

I hunt small game with origional percussion SxS's in Oct.Range for me is 20-25yds. with no chokes.Go 1 shot size larger than if using a reg shotgun.Equal amount of shot up to 1/3 more shot than powder.Squirrels are TOUGH! Go with #4's. Even tougher in late season without the leaves for cover.Pheasants are no problem with #6's.Rabbits kill easy with #7 1/2.

Black Powder shotgun basics

Goal is to SOMEDAY have a double flinter.A guy by the name of J T Philips made some reasonably priced customs in the 80's but he quit building and prices went up.

 

[Blue Bird]

follow through on your shot. flintlocks aren't as fast as cf shotguns. good luck!

+1 on the follow through. I got a real eye opener when I finally got to fire on a rising pheasant. They say you swing and lead a bird with a flintlock the same as you would a regular shotgun, as by the time the gun fires if the lead is right you will connect on the bird. Well, its a very unnerving feeling the first time you fire on a moving pheasant. Not at all like bringing that modern O/U up and pulling the trigger. Even though I'm used to firing flintlocks at stationary targets, its just unusual on that moving target.

 

[mauser06]

I dabbled the last 2 afternoons. Been pretty windy and squirrel activity was minimal. I saw one yesterday...Being windy I knew they'd be hard to find..Opted not to dirty the gun on one squirrel. Trimmed brush at one of my rut stands..


Walked out I jumped 2 rabbits. First one crossed a quad trail pretty as could be considering I was walking g down the trail lol. I was off guard not expecting that. By the time I got the cock back and gun shouldered he was way gone lol.

2nd one I was ready for. He hoped down the trail away from me. Right as I was about to touch her off, it juked left and was gone lol.



Today I went to beat brush again. I work around old buildings and stuff and was surprised I didn't see anything.

Poking up a small wet weather ditch that's got some heavy brush small scrubby trees and a few grassy patches where it's too wet for the brush to grow....Came to one of the grassy open patches and looked down towards the creek 10yds away and spotted a nice buck rub...


All the sudden a hen pheasant exploded literally right were I was looking lol.


Wide open shooting..I shoulder and cock the fowler...She's rising...I rose and caught up..Tail feathers...Beak...Passed the beak up and kapow!!!!!


I shot right over her. Lol. Right as I was swinging through her she caught a wind gust and it was like she completely stopped at which time she started to fly away and not up.

I should have probably waited till she started to fly away... Especially at that range and my turkey barrel....



I watched her land at an old apple tree...Perfect!!! Wide open brush field all around..I can get another shot!!


Dumped the powder and went to grab my wads...

Nowhere to be found! Thought about using leaves or patch material but decided I should be safe and run home and grab wads.



Came back and jumped a rabbit and couldn't get a decent shot. Bore was already dirty so I was gunna send some lead if I had any sort of shot at anything.


A truck came and dropped a pack of beagles. He was just running the dogs and thought a flintlock shotgun was pretty cool...He told me to shot the rabbits but also said he was coming there to competition hunt..I didn't wanna put a hurtin on the rabbit population knowing that (lol) so I enjoyed a few good races and we parted ways.



Maybe back at it next week...It was a blast.

 

[K. Gus]

if your ever in a pinch again for wadding, the grey paper wasp nests work great, (of course they will be hard to find when you really need one)

they work great for any wadding and especially for overshot wadding, very uniform patterns.
their safe, traditional and in the several smoothbores I used them in gave very good patterns.

the big flocks of blackbirds are starting to show up here, thats some fun shooting for when small game is over.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

Hunted for many years with an original Belgian made side by side percussion shotgun. Then got a 24 ga flint trade gun. It has a 42 inch barrel, and I do think it could reach out a bit further than the old 30 inch sxs. I am not much good at wing shooting, but squirrels and rabbits were fun.

If there is a dusting of snow, I like to sit with a small bore rifle along a gully between two fields that is often full of rabbits. They scamper around in the brush like normal not aware that they stand out better against the snow. Easy head shots when you can shoot between the branches.

 

[Blue Bird]

I use paper from a Hemmings motor news as the wadding in my flintlock. I make speed loaders out of rolled tubes made out of the paper. I pinch one end closed and glue it with a glue stick, then dump a powder charge, then glue it shut. Then I dump the shot charge and glue that compartment closed. Then when afield I have powder, wadding and shot all in one package. It isn't the fastest way to load, but its convenient. Tear one end off, pour powder, tear some of the paper, crumple it up, shove it home and pack tight and flat with the rammer. Dump shot, then do the same with the paper as an over shot wad. Works pretty well, and the patterns aren't bad. I'm just too cheap to fiddle with card wads, and felt cushion wads. Hemmings paper is cheap and abundant. One issue of the magazine gives me enough paper to last a while.

I'm looking forward to it warming up so I can test some turkey loads on the patterning board.

 

[mauser06]

Didn't plan on Hunting today. Loaded all my stuff and realized I had "adult" stuff to do. Being the child I am, I did the "adulting" as quick as possible and realized I had time to hunt lol. Priorities. I didn't eat dinner till after 10pm..But that's OK! Lol.


I didn't get out of the truck till like 5pm. Walking down the trail next to the briar patch looking for a squirrel, rabbit or pheasant..I stopped to remove a flagging ribbon..Put it in my pocket and I spot a bunny sneaking through the briars. I cock and shoulder the rifle and it bolts. I thought I had a good shot and was pretty confident I rolled it. It was less than 15yds away. Not sure what the excuse is...Other than poor shooting lol. Fist sized hole in the ground though lol.


Moved down the ditch and spotted 2 grays running about. One climbed to the tippy top of a big ole cherry. I was about 20yds from the base of the tree too...It looked like an ant up there. Figured my bore was already dirty...

Kapow! He came down HARD. I was pretty surprised and impressed.


I continued down the ditch and a big fox squirrel took off and jumped onto a small sapling 30-35 yds away. I didn't have time to lean on anything. I put the sights on him and touched her off. The smoke huglng in my face and I really thought I missed as another squirrel was barking in the same area...

I walked over to see what happened and he was laying at the base of the tree.


I'm pretty addicted now lol.

Lot of fun...


I have the last 2 days to hunt next week....And once the clocks change and maybe even before that, I wanna try to get some crows. I work every weekend so the crow days are tough. I don't get home till 430 or so...Might be able to catch an hour or 2 before they fly to roost this week though.

If I can get the right setup I aughta have a fair chance at dropping them. I have 1 spot that they decoy right in tight to and aren't flying hard. Will be fun trying!

I'd like to get the clay launcher out too one day soon.