GAHUNTER60
Senior Member
Pennsylvania just celebrated its 46th annual flintlock-only hunting season. This last year, the special season ran for almost six weeks from Christmas until the end of January. In that period around 100,000 hunters took to the woods with rock locks, and harvested around 12,000 deer (the vast majority of which were antlerless). The exact number of hunters and harvest is not known, because PA does not differentiate its stats between hunters who hunt and harvest in the early, seven-day "any muzzleloader" season, and the long flintlock season. In all, there were right at 30,000 deer harvested in the state last year by about 160,000 muzzleloader hunters.
Now, hunters in Pennsylvania are in a unique situation, in that PA is the birthplace of the most American of all rifles, the longrifle. In fact, there are builders of longrifles in the state whose business is uninterrupted from before the Revolution to present day. It was only natural that the state would want to celebrate this heritage with a flintlock-only season (even though the vast majority of the rifles used in this hunt are Hawken-style, half-stock flinters imported from Spain and Italy by Traditions, Pedersoli, Lyman, and CVA, as well as thousands of mass American-made Thompson Centers). There are, however, enough folks using custom-built and semi-custom American longrifles to keep these small builders in business.
When reading about this special season, I learned one important factoid -- game managers do not use the flintlock season as a management tool in any way, shape, or form. It is there simply for the traditional flintlock hobbyists, and as a celebration of the state's contribution to American firearms history. Over the years, despite the difficulties of harvesting a deer in the deep snows typical of Pennsylvania in January, it has become wildly popular among the hunters who participate. Most say that in addition to giving them a last-chance opportunity to harvest a deer, they appreciate the connection to history and their ancestors who stalked these same woods with basically the same weapon hundreds of years ago.
Now to my point, what would be wrong with doing something similar here in Georgia as an add-on to the regular season? Of course, I don't think it should be limited to flintlocks only (though I'd like that), there's enough owners of traditional sidelocks, and those who would become owners given an extra hunting opportunity, to warrant such a season.
I don't feel real strong about it one way or the other. I'm going to hunt with a traditional muzzleloader during regular gun season anyway. But the thought of acknowledging the place of traditional black powder guns and allowing those who love them their special time in the woods, brings a smile to my face!
Now, hunters in Pennsylvania are in a unique situation, in that PA is the birthplace of the most American of all rifles, the longrifle. In fact, there are builders of longrifles in the state whose business is uninterrupted from before the Revolution to present day. It was only natural that the state would want to celebrate this heritage with a flintlock-only season (even though the vast majority of the rifles used in this hunt are Hawken-style, half-stock flinters imported from Spain and Italy by Traditions, Pedersoli, Lyman, and CVA, as well as thousands of mass American-made Thompson Centers). There are, however, enough folks using custom-built and semi-custom American longrifles to keep these small builders in business.
When reading about this special season, I learned one important factoid -- game managers do not use the flintlock season as a management tool in any way, shape, or form. It is there simply for the traditional flintlock hobbyists, and as a celebration of the state's contribution to American firearms history. Over the years, despite the difficulties of harvesting a deer in the deep snows typical of Pennsylvania in January, it has become wildly popular among the hunters who participate. Most say that in addition to giving them a last-chance opportunity to harvest a deer, they appreciate the connection to history and their ancestors who stalked these same woods with basically the same weapon hundreds of years ago.
Now to my point, what would be wrong with doing something similar here in Georgia as an add-on to the regular season? Of course, I don't think it should be limited to flintlocks only (though I'd like that), there's enough owners of traditional sidelocks, and those who would become owners given an extra hunting opportunity, to warrant such a season.
I don't feel real strong about it one way or the other. I'm going to hunt with a traditional muzzleloader during regular gun season anyway. But the thought of acknowledging the place of traditional black powder guns and allowing those who love them their special time in the woods, brings a smile to my face!