Smokepole success!

Its been a long season. Having two fresh kiddos left my bow season light and it was all up to smokepole for the gettin. I got a doe fairly early and that felt good to get this fresh built gun its first kill. Then I passed up a few bucks and was wisped away to work building a hunting “cabin”. The rest of my November I spent with my wife in FL. She wanted to spend the rest of maternity leave somewhere sunny. I didn’t bark to loud as I got to fish, but one deer in the freezer had me spooked.



I had one day left in general season and a ruttin buck made a mistake. I passed him once chasing a doe. The second time I happened on him again at 30 yards and that was to close to not drop the flint!



Two deer was great and all, but i wanted more. I headed to the ol Bob Marshall where a cow was legal and i knew i could get that “good” meat. I set out early which was a mistake. I soon happened on 30 sets of eyes in the dark. Kicking myself i quietly dove into a deep creek draw. Loaded a ball down the pipe and waited. When day break came I searched for them making elevation only to see 80 head still low and in the creek. After repositioning three times I was in em good. I weaseled my way into a quake of aspens and had some at 60. I set the gun on the perfect limb rest of an aspen, but my lane wasn’t working out. I watched one after the other filter through and the shot was junk. I reassessed and crawled a little further in. Another window popped up and i saw two cow walk through it and i knew the shot would be cleared. I quickly got my gun on my knee and said the next cow walking past that lane is getting it. Sometimes it doesn’t work out, but this time was story book. A nice fat cow steps into the lane, stops, broadside, and no one in front or back of her. Boom! The wind was blowing so hard i even got to see what happened immediately after. I saw a mark behind her shoulder. All the elk run. Thunder of gun created thunder of hooves. None look hit. Im waiting and watching. Then one straggler in the back appears. Shes got blood running down from her shoulder and I knew immediately it was over. She stopped and toppled. What glory!
She went down at 8:30. I had the meat all packaged up by 11:30. It was tough out. 25 degrees and 30mph plus winds. The fire did nothing. 14 total miles. 7 meat miles. I got 268 lbs of elk out. Heart, hide, and all. What and epic day!



Its always seems a little vain to post like this, but I enjoy see everyone else’s forays. Hopefully yall enjoy mine.

That's a great season, and with a flintlock to boot. Great work.

Nonsense it isn’t vain. We enjoy seeing success! And I think flintlocks are awesome! Be proud. I got a doe with one two years ago and could hardly believe it

Nice post D.T.
Good job.

I enjoyed your story and pics. Good job on filling the freezer the old fashioned way!

That's not vain - it's cool! Well done.

Methinks good photos, good write-up, probably good meat. Thanks D.T.

Jack

Love the photos and the country , great kills for sure

Awesome season with the flinter DT, and great write up.

Great story and I love the pictures.

Thats a great hunting season. Thanks for sharing.

D.T.
Excellent hunting story and pics. Tell us about your flintlock - please. Custom made, "kit" build by yourself, etc ?What caliber ?

That is how it is done DT. Good for you and congratulations on some good hunts with a good story. Pitchers make it all come together.

Nice bit of work!

good hunting and shooting , thanks for sharing.

Vain? not at all

I would think you were selfish if you didn't share the story and pics

Congrats on 3 nice additions to the freezer

Nice.

Good work DT!!

Excellent write up and pictures. Congrats and thanks for sharing!

Beautiful smokepole, great pics and story.

Always makes a man feel good to have a well stocked freezer.

Congrats

Good write-up and pics, glad you shared it.

This is a Kibler Woodsrunner in a .54. I did a write up earlier this year of the carving I did on it. Definitely an easy kit with some laborious metal finishing. I would definitely recommend a good manufacturer for a flintlock or you’ll never shoot one again. This has climbed the list of my muzzleloader arsenal to number one for function and aesthetics. This one is a sweet machine and I haven’t had a misfire yet with due diligence of keeping the vent clear, sharp flint, etc. I'm shooting 95gr 3F goex and prime with the same. .535 Hornady roundball. I can hit the 6” gong at 100 4 out of 5 times. Its a shooter. All of the photos look like poor shots but somehow they are all exits. Heres the hit of the elk off the knee at 75

Flintahs make better stories period .

Thanks for sharing

Great story and hunts! Congrats on the new additions as well. I’m sure you do, but save your stories so someday you can tell your kids about them. Be pretty cool to say when you was only a month or two old your ole Pops went out with his muzzleloader and filled the freezer with deer and elk!

I'm familiar with the Kibler Woodsrunner. I'll bet Jim Kibler would appreciate hearing your story with pics. Darn nice rifle !

definitely enjoy the pictures and write up

hunting can be very different in different places , nice to hear about it .

man, what a good year, thanks for sharing,

Nice.

Congrats. I know you probably were having withdrawal symptoms with no bowhunting.

Due the round balls always exit?

CO's in Colorado in the late 80's told us while we were archery elk hunting that they wanted to ban round balls. Too many entry holes, no exits. Elk ran in a 200yd semi-circle, dropped dead and not found. I believe one must use a conical now in Colorado.

Thanks for the story and pics.

Beautiful Kibler build. I have heard lots and lots of good things about his guns.

Roundballs don’t always exit. But with that said i killed 4 things last year with a .45. I found the ball all the way on the other side of a bear and buck antelope. They were dead within 50. Lung shots. I had pass throughs on another lope and deer. The two deer this year were pass throughs with the .54. I shot the doe in its bed. It didnt get up. The buck loped 20 yds maybe? The elk i did not get a pass through. It went maybe 75 yards. Its weird because you can see a mark on its right side in the mountain pick, but i shot it on its left side. In recovering balls they always retain their weight. Interested to weigh this ball.

I built this .54 for elk. I had an elk last year in the irons of my .45 and didn’t do it. I think in CO a lot were getting shot with .50s. As one can assume, the bigger the better. Glad I had some more thousandths to throw down range

Thanks

Nothing beats hunting with a flintlock for me.

Now that is making meat!
Thanks for posting,and good job on the flintlock.

Well done ! Great write-up and pics, too.

Congratulations on your success and your beautiful smokepole.

Congrats on the 2 new additions to the family as well! I assume they were twins?

Excellent, great post and pictures. Thanks

JIm bridger would be proud....Great job!!

I have a couple percussions, no fainter. But that is cool, especially the cow.

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