Sweet ! Local boy dun good !

Great read
congrats on the harvests and gorgeous rifle

I am late to this party, but just wanted to add my CONGRATS!!! to your success. I just got back into flinters a few years ago after a 10 year absence without one. I now shoot a .560 Ken Netting smoothbore and have a 20 gauge Rob Miller early trade gun on it's way. Thinking about a rifle, but uncertain of best caliber for my area. Love to see posts like these. Joel

Congratulations, Dean! Epic story! Always enjoy your forays! Hope to run into you in the woods again sometime.

Lufkin
One boy just turned 2 and the other is 4 moths. Irish twins

Hunt
I know the feeling. I had been putting all my energy into walking around with my longbow and had good success for years, but the kiddos need a little more attention (which I'm happy to give). The muzzleloaders keep me feeling sporty and they're just plain fun. I have 45, 50s, and a 54. Would love a fowler. Weirdly enough people say the 45 is to light, but I rebuilt a CVA cap from my grandfather and the thing anchors everything. This Kibler though is something else. The 54 feels more reliable than a 50 for elk. Its a light gun and accurate. I really can't see myself using anything else for a while. Rumor has it he is gonna come out with a Hawken Cap, which if you know anything about him, will be a sweet replica piece well manufactured too. If your chasing some flatland mules the 50 will do IMO.

David
I was thinking about you the other day. Saw some marten tracks up the pass and beavers sign below where I plucked the meat buck. Seemed like a perfect place for you and the boy

Excellent story and pictures! Thank you for sharing. I assume you are hunting alone, and take those pictures by your self, which makes it more challenging to get a good photo. I guess I need more practice, and advice?

I generally hunt alone or at least go my own way from the tent. I used to take my camera, but phones are so good these days I just take it. I have a tight spot in my backpack. I take my protective case off, jam it in the tight spot in my pack and prop up my pack to get the angle. Then I put it on a 10 second timer and try it out. Usually you have to zoom in to get a good shot of you and the animal. Sometimes the scenery is so beautiful that its’s hard not to take a good photo.

If you want to challenge your skills ....and can get with in 50 yards of your target...the Smoothbore Flintah

Is the ultimate black powder experience. Plus you can shoot turkeys and birds with the same gun.

Hitting a 9 inch pie plate at 50 yaahds offhand with no rear sight is what I can do.

With more triggah time ...that group would shrink.

Lol. Im happy right here Ness. After years of shooting multiple deer, elk, bear, antelope, mt goat, and others mostly under 20 paces with the longbow, ill take the easy road with the rifled .54. Though a fowler is next on the build list. What caliber do you think is a happy medium of shooting roundballs and shot?

lol, I'm an idiot, I always try to set my pack in the picture behind the animal, and then look for a stump, or rocks to prop up the phone camera... I guess I'm too dumb to change my ways and think outside the box and use the pack as a tripod for the phone!! Thanks for the tip!

I have a 20 Bore.....42 inch Getz barrel....run a .595 RB...L&R Lock

Guy on here named ..Tastes like Chicken ...built it for me.

Carved out of a block of maple....not a kit.

Mice to Moose with a smoothy

Who's longbow you shooting ? And +1 for hunting with one.

I had a 4 inch group at 50 yards going with the Smoothbore flintah...but as always the case...

You have to give one shot to the Flintlock Gods...

You can do it !!

That's an 8 inch bull

I shoot Toelke bows. I know the guys well and fish a lot with his son. Ive been shooting my own arrows for years now. Doug fir i cut down and mill up into and arrow. Ive made a few bows, but they are slightly dumpy and as cool as they are, not up to the task. These are my favorite projectiles….

Weighed the ball from the elk. Went from 232 to 228gr. The other ball is a 45 from a bear. The tops of the killer balls are the leading sides. Pretty sure i hit a rib good with the 54

Reflex Deflex I assume ?

Took a look at his stuff....and watched a video.... very nice

I have D’s and R/D

Just 2 bows here

A Blue Ridge ...RD longbow...49@28

And a 74” Welshman English Yew Selfbow...57 @28....with Sitka Spruce arrows...

Just enjoy shooting them