Hunting w a TRADITIONAL ML this year?

No special ML season in Central Texas but Ill again hunt the whole season w my .54 flintlock and a patched roundball. It’s a little bit over size (230 grain ball) for white tail but my .36 flinter is a little light (65 gr ball). I’ve taken a small buck at 93 yards w a .50 flinter that I traded off but most shots are 65 yds or less.

Hmmm. It’s a percussion but I might take the .58 musket out once or twice. 550 gr minie ball oughta hit like a freight train. Can you say over kill?

I’ve killed a lot of deer with my .50cal T/C Hawken flitter using 370gr Maxi Balls over 90 gr of FF.
My wife uses 275 gr Maxi Hunters over 80 gr of FF in her Lyman Deer Stalker. We’re gonna miss Pennsylvania’s Flintlock season when we move to Texas in a couple of weeks.

It sure would be nice if TPW would get their thinking together and start a real primitive season here like some other states. Even if they would run it concurrent with bow season would be great. I've killed hogs and deer with my sidelocks, and it turns the hunt into a real experience. I've used 50 and 58 calibers, but my .62's (both percussion and flinter) are my favorite. My percussion .62 with 90 grains anchors them.
Any desk jockeys out there with TPW paying attention?

🤠. I’m planning on building aNW Trade Gun soon. .62 cal(20 ga) smooth bore 36” octagon to round barrel flintlock.

Only problem with a NW Trade Gun is the lack of a rear sight, which can really limit your range for accurately placed shots. I shot one deer with a Wilson's .62 trade rifle, and it did a superb job, but you have to be pretty close. I'd consider adding a rear sight if I were building one to hunt with.

The bow hunters are why there is no muzzle loader season. I was on the first muzzle loader hunt sponsored by TP&W and we were tasked to write the seasons and rules. We suggested two weeks between bow and rifle season, taking one week from each. The bow hunters shot that down real quick. TP&W does not want to rile the bow hunters.

Muzzle loader seasons in some states are what they are supposed to be....which is a primitive season. Texas is allowing scoped inlines, crossbows and stuff that should not be used in primitive hunting as far as I am concerned. I think any practical reasoning as far as primitive hunting in Texas falls on deaf ears as far as TPW is concerned.
Maybe a couple of their people should attend a rendezvous and see what it actually is all about.

It's all about political clout. Muzzle loaders are a very small number compared to bow and rifle. I do agree that the modern inlines should be used during the rifle season.

Hunting with a traditional rifle is a great time!! I built a .50cal kit gun last season and then shot the biggest buck of my life with it. It has the fiber optic sights but I found out that 75 yards was pretty much max effective range for that rifle and this shooter with open sights.

I've seen where places will run a two week (and only 2 weekend) muzzy season with the first week/weekend reserved for flintlock and percussion and only a week/weekend for inlines/scopes. Seems like a fair idea.

Last season was my first in Texas and I was surprised to see no real muzzy season.

I doubt it would ever pass where you would have muzzle loader season run with archery season.
The main reason is the majority would be using the modern in-line so you may as well just open it up to centerfires as well.
With crossbows and in-lines it would be hard to draw the line of what is primitive and what is not.....A slingshot would be primitive, and an atlatl would be considered by some as modern. $$$$ is what drives the hunting seasons anyway.

I don't really see any hope for a proper alignment of primitive/modern seasons in Texas, as TPW seems to have no interest in a practical solution to this problem ( yes...problem !)

I hunt on an archery only lease. My ranch is archery only for deer as well. I have bowhunted in rifle season for many years. When I hunt my land in Missouri it's during the general season and guess what I carry? A bow.
There's 3 months of season. You want to hunt with a ML early? Get on an MLD place. They start with rifles on opening day of archery season.
The weapon doesn't make the season or the hunter. Just enjoy taking the weapon you enjoy into the woods and hunting instead of begrudging what someone else has or is doing.
And I agree. Today's modern crossbows, and even compound bows, are far from primitive or even limited in effective range. But the companies banded together and successfully lobbied. Why haven't the muzzle loader people done that? Because there isn't enough of them or money involved to be effective?
And the comment about a sidelock being effective to only 75 yards is untrue. That's the shooter not the gun. I've owned a couple. Including a CVA kit gun. I shot silhouette matches with it out to 100 yards with only me limiting it's accuracy. Those were fun times but when the older fellas died off or got to old to shoot anymore the club matches went away.
It's the same all over. People want what's quick and easy to be successful with. Compound bows with rangefinders built in the sight. Cross bows that shoot a hundred yards.
The traditional bowhunter and cap and ball or flintlock followers are limited in numbers and thus considered fringe participants.
That said switching to a recurve and longbow is my choice. I choose it for the fact that it's harder. That I have to work harder for it. For the fact that the time, the work, the satisfaction I get isn't from a large rack or meat in the ice chest. Those things are the icing on the cake.

Well stated Passthru

Back in the saddle again. New purchase.
Close ta 50 years black powder, .45 Kentuckeys, 44 revoler, New Orleans special.
Got me first in-line, 50 cal .
Taken deer & hogs with me .45
Aa pappy say's :
keep your head held high & your powder dry.

edit ta passthru. Ya have two months of rifle season ta hunt, why people want ta mess with the archery hunters ? i'd still be chooten me 70# PSE if me shoulders were better. Looking at crossbow, 60+ leagal.

You have my sympathy

If it makes him happy and allows him to get into the woods, why does he need your sympathy?

Its all good, tis a forum if compassion.

Well Colt, quit yapping and go kill something.

i'll be out thar when it opens.
Got cams set out, several pics of bucks. Gotta check on all regulations, been several years, got permission on few places. Several small parcells of land for public.
Best wishes ta all.

we dont have d 24-7-365 hog hunts here

I’ll be out with the tc Hawkins .50 this season. Percussion cap. I’ve owned four of them. It is by far the funnest gun to shoot for me. This one will shoot 1.25 inch groups at 100. 295 gr powerbelts with 85 grains of pryodex. My other tc’s I sold to family members, we do range days at our land where we only do black powder days. It is so much fun.

This will be my 18th year to use an inline(Knight) ML for my hunting in Louisiana, Miss. and Texas. I’ve upgraded my equipment, powders and bullets along the way. Primitive weapons hunts in La. & Miss can use single shot break action rifles in 45/70; 35 Whelan etc so most hunters given that choice opt for the metallic cartridges. I just turned 81 so I’ve seen a lot of these arguments over the years. When I started deer hunting in Georgia in the late 50’s our deer populations were a fraction of what we are blessed with today. Ga had very active deer stocking program and traded trapped wild turkeys to Michigan and Wisconsin for live trapped deer. It was a great success thanks to guys like Jack Crockford the G & F Com. With limited seasons and deer populations the bow hunters, ML etc rightfully they needed their time in the woods to hunt without competing with the dog hunters and rifle hunters etc.No need to bore you with lobbying efforts etc to get a few days carved out the “ primitive guys. Fast forward to today’s world of long seasons and ,in most areas of the South and West there is more than enough time and hunting opportunities to satisfy all hunting groups. How many bow only hunting clubs exist today, not to mention the MLD programs. On our lease(10) members there is a mix of bow and gun hunters and i’m The lone MZ hunter. I enjoy the time I spend tinkering with my (4 rifles & 2 shotguns) developing new loads etc. Given that we have deer,hogs and several exotics or our place I have no interrest in the flint locks etc .it’s an added element to my outdoor experience. I do agree that IMO it’s unlikly we,see much change in the years ahead.

First deer rifle twas .45 Kentucky. Used patch & ball, limited me range ta small group. Lots of range chooten, getting ta know me limitations. Deer typicaly bigger in size in Mn, & the 440 ball plenty enough.
.32 & .36, refured to as squirrel rifles, will take deer, shot placement. Several years back loaded up me .45 for a hog hunt. Had marked ram-rod for messure on flask. Also choot .44 revolver. forgot ta change measure. Seating ball&patch, ram-rod went past mark. Still took down hog.
Even on deer here, .50cal tis over kill. Looked for in-line .45, tis thinken it like the 16gauge. People prefured the 12gauge.
both will kill.
Biggest reason, for increase of popularity in muzzleloaders. In-line's & Extended season.
still enjoy me hunts with me ol friend Kentucky 45 & Kentucky Jr.. Tis the caveman in me.