I drew a limited entry muzzleloader bull elk tag for the Manti unit in Utah this year. I was a little worried about being able to shoot my flintlock well enough to be able to have a chance at a bull on this unit after talking to some people who've hunted it before.
I posted earlier this year about being frustrated with my 58cal flintlock I built and not being able to shoot it very well. Various people gave me some pointers and I worked on it over the summer. I wasn't able to completely conquer the flinch, but I was confident I could hunt with it out to 100 if I had a good rest. I picked up a Santa Fe Hawken as a backup, which I could shoot easily out to 125 or maybe 150. However, after I got out to the area I'd planned to hunt and got to chasing bulls the first day, I realized that my shot distance would very likely be 100 or less, so I carried my flintlock, because, well I built it and I had to.
After a few days of carrying it around chasing big big bulls, I realized that I'd enjoy the experience getting to carry it even if I didn't fill my tag.
But, on day 9, everything went as planned! 50 yards off hand. A frontal shot went a little high and got neck and spine instead, which dropped him and provided a tracking free job. The photo in the field is not very good. I was solo the whole time and it's hard to get a good picture solo without a tripod.
Thanks to all who've helped me in becoming a more proficient flintlock shooter.
