Pennsylvania's late flintlock hunting season began Thursday, and hunters are beginning their retreats into the woods in search of deer.

Gone are the high-powered, reliably accurate rifles and thick crowds from earlier in the season. From Dec. 26 to Jan. 20, a thinner crowd of hunters take to the trees carrying old-fashion equipment. Along with flintlock firearms, the late archery season runs through the same period.

Jared Smith, 32, of Chicora said he looks forward to the season every year. He has participated annually since his father, Kevin, taught him how to fire a muzzleloader-style weapon.

“He's really good with the muzzleloader, I'm not sure how,” Smith said. “He still makes me look silly today.”

Smith planned to go out hunting Saturday to commemorate the start of the season. He and other hunters usually wait for snow to fall, but this year they're worried it'll come too late.

Flintlock hunting is all about the atmosphere. Smith explained that hunters generally use less modern firearms that are loaded with powder down the barrel and ignited with the spark of flint from the trigger.

“It's not the most accurate weapon in the world, but it's the gun that the frontiersmen used,” Smith said.

As Pennsylvania's various hunting seasons wind down in January, the Board of Game Commissioners plans to meet in late January to propose seasons and bag limits for the coming year.

The board is meeting on two days in Harrisburg. The first meeting is at 1 p.m. Jan. 24 and is only for staff reports. The second meeting, at 8:30 a.m. Jan. 25, features public comment on Pennsylvania Game Commission business.