Dave Ehrig Mentoring a Flintlock Hunter The next generation needs guidance from patient and skilled hands. F ORTY YEARS LATER, our flintlock muzzleloading deer season is still going strong. Three generations of hunters are now in Penn's Woods, carrying on a tradition that is unique to Pennsylvania: Hunting deer with a flintlock rifle. While many of the early skeptics said that this special season wouldn't last five years, some of them have joined the ranks over the years. Why? Because it's fun. No other season has so many challenges. The deer herd is thinned to its lowest population of the year in late 60 December. The weather is at its coldest, wettest and most miserable. The flintlock rifle has so many moving parts that it needs constant attention to keep flints sharp, frizzens dry and a flawless mechanical action to draw sparks, not to mention keeping powder dry in the pan. And yet, one will never see a more cheerful group of hunters than a flintlock gang. They just eat up the challenge, share each other's company and just laugh at the craziness of it all. There is so much to learn and master to be effective with this primitive WWW.PENNGAMENEWS.COMhttp://WWW.PENNGAMENEWS.COM