Two significant events occur during the winter holidays each year and I take an interest in both of them.

The Audubon Christmas Bird Count is going on now through Friday across the country. It has been an activity for the bird watchers for the past 118 years! You can still participate in taking a winter bird census and checking out your local bird population and reporting it to the Audubon Society on line with the Winter bird count.

We usually watch for unusual species that visit our feeders and locale. Many of the winter flock birds and woodpeckers are common visitors to our area. Our unusual guests this year are a Great Blue Heron, a Bald Eagle, a Kingfisher and as of yet an unidentified small hawk.

We keep a sharp eye out for the birds and find many that need a field guide to identify properly.

The Great Blue Heron was walking along a small feeder stream emptying into the North Branch of the Slippery Rock Creek. The bird just appeared out of a brushy area and half startled me as he flew low over my head when I disturbed his hunt for minnows.

Birds that depend on waterways need to start moving more south before the waterways ice over in our area. The weather forecast is predicting frigid temperatures that does not bode well for our water loving birds.

What this cold weather does bode well for is the late season muzzleloader hunt.

This traditional flintlock hunt for deer is a popular hunt during the early part of January after the holidays. Cold weather is a plus for the flintlocks and their ability for hunters to keep the pan powder dry and thus allowing better spark ignition.

Many hunters use the traditional long rifles and some even build their own rifles. There are many quality rifles available from local gun shops and retailers that deal with sporting goods. Supplies for the muzzle loading enthusiasts are a specialty item and calls for an experienced hunter to help advise anyone that is going into the flintlock hunt for the first time.

Knowledge about the types of gunpowder, flints for the spark, balls & other projectiles best fired from your rifle and the extras are all very important. Having a ball starter, ram rod and patches are a whole different process to make your hunt a success.

Many a hunter has lost his ball starter which really helps to get your round ball seated properly in your muzzle and started down the barrel of your flintlock rifle. Trying to do it without that aid is a risky business for a successful loading process. Hunters trying to do it with a ramrod risk breaking the rod and splintering it into your hand.

It is important to follow these steps when you load your rifle safely. Start with a thoroughly cleaned rifle. Do not make the mistake of a double loaded rifle or improperly seated charge of powder. Follow the recommended powder charge for your rifle. There are powder charge loaders available for safe and consistent shots. Place the charge in a cool and clean barrel followed with a patch and proper sized lead ball or sabot and sleeve designed for your rifle. Each rifle shoots a specific load better and more accurately according to the barrel twist and grooves. Match the right sized ball for your rifle as well, you have different calibers available in flintlocks just like the modern rifles. Once again know your rifle and get experienced help from those hunters in the know.

Flintlock hunting can be quite rewarding and gives many hunters a second chance at a buck or doe.

You need to be sure of your shot and be closer than with a modern firearm.

You get one shot and maybe a second if your lucky!

The rifle is effective if your shot is true but be wary of a misfire or a hang fire. A hang fire is when the powder charge in the flash pan ignites but the powder charge in the barrel fails to ignite immediately. It may be delayed for a second or two and calls for extreme caution and safety.

Once this occurs clean out the weep hole channel that runs from the flash pan into the main charge. Use a weep whole pick to make sure it is an open channel for the spark and then refill the pan.

Once you get the knack of knowing how to properly use your equipment you can get out there and do some deer hunting. The season allows you to use your buck tag for either a buck or doe and if you have a leftover doe tag it is legal as well for the WMU that it is assigned.

Late season Archery Season is also running concurrently so be careful out in the woods because you are sharing the outdoors with many other hunters.

Until we meet again keep an eye out for birds and the other late season hunters!

Jay Hewitt is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle