Jeff Hoover
Blackhawk
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2009
- Messages
- 919
I had my good friend, Mike Barranti down from my homestate of PA. for the opening day firearms season of Md. Mike arrived on Fri. afternoon. We spent the day preparing dinner, going to the farm We would be hunting to attach my climber treestand to the spot I would be hunting .
Dinner consisted of BBQ spare ribs and beef brisket, sixshot taters, cornbread, and salad. Desert consisted of Idaho huckleberry and blueberry cobbler baked in none other than a cast iron dutch oven.
Dutch oven cobbler
After dinner, we stayed up late talking guns and our hunting strategy for the morning opener. Mike would be carrying his beloved Mary gun, a blued S&W model 29-2, with the prettiest ivory grips you ever saw. I would be carrying a converted Ruger Bisley in .475 Linebaugh done by the man himself. This was acquired from fellow brother Zeus, Glenn Swaggart. My load consisted of the RCBS 400 gr. SWC, which drop at 415 grs., with my alloy of WW/leadshot, over 24.0 grs. of H110 for 1200 fps.
Opening day was a cold, blustery day with a high of 37 degrees, partnered with a 20 mph wind which sucked the heat from you. We hunted hard all day. Staying out in weather like that for 12 hrs. straight takes alot out of a man. By the end of the day, Mike and I could barely walk, our mouths were froze shut, and we were cold, tired, and hungry!
We had a pretty good day! The deer were moving! Seen some nice bucks, and plenty of does and fawns. When restricting yourself to a sixgun, you know you are limited to the range of your shots. This is part of the fun of handgun hunting, for when you do get something, it is an accomplishment. Any deer is a trophy with a sixgun! As sixshot says, you never master the handgun, anything taken is something to be truely proud.
As Mike was my guest, I tried my darndest to get him on a deer. He saw plenty, and if he were rifle hunting, he would have had a nice buck. However, being from the sixgunner mold, Mike chose to stick with his sixgun, and had to watch him run off. As a sixgunner, this happens more time than not.
By around lunch time, hunters start getting hungry, and tired of sitting on stand. Besides the morning, this is one of the best times to stay in the woods, as the departing hunters get the deer moving again. As luck would have it, about 10 does and fawns were grouped up and were about 60 yards away. Now was my time. I unholstered my converted Linebaugh, lined up the Bowen rear sight to the .10" front sight, getting perfect sight alignment. I then placed the sights on the largest doe, and obtained my sight picture, tight behind her shoulder, and started my trigger squeeze. The gun roared, and surprised me! Never felt the recoil. The doe slammed to the ground on impact. WOW! Very impressive. She never knew what hit her. I saw her struggle to try to regain her footing, and promptly put a finisher in her neck. The gun was now properly blooded, along with my Bill Snow blade.
Investigation revealed my first shot struck her in the ham and exited her back. She was quartering away from me, most likely at an angle sharper than I realized. As I was in a tree, I was also shooting thru some branches. I don't know if the cast bullet deflected off one of the branches, or what? I was surprised it struck that far back, but the exit wound was very impressive, and was bleeding like something out of a horror movie. Sometimes the unexplained happens in the field, and this is one of them. That big cast bullet still hit hard, knocking her down, and I am impressed. The second shot struck where intended, so I'm assuming it was the branches that caused a deflection. Either way, I got my deer.
Mike and I were like 2 old men that night. Stiff and sore from being ouside all day. A dinner of pizza and hot wings hit the spot, along with a few malted beverages. Sleep came very easy that night.
Sun. morning came and a breakfast of leftover dutch oven taters and huckleberry/blueberry cobbler was consumed as I said farewell to my friend as we planned a late season doe hunt in Jan. Till then..........
Mike Barranti calls to order the Callshot Fan Club in full formal garb!
Dinner consisted of BBQ spare ribs and beef brisket, sixshot taters, cornbread, and salad. Desert consisted of Idaho huckleberry and blueberry cobbler baked in none other than a cast iron dutch oven.
Dutch oven cobbler
After dinner, we stayed up late talking guns and our hunting strategy for the morning opener. Mike would be carrying his beloved Mary gun, a blued S&W model 29-2, with the prettiest ivory grips you ever saw. I would be carrying a converted Ruger Bisley in .475 Linebaugh done by the man himself. This was acquired from fellow brother Zeus, Glenn Swaggart. My load consisted of the RCBS 400 gr. SWC, which drop at 415 grs., with my alloy of WW/leadshot, over 24.0 grs. of H110 for 1200 fps.
Opening day was a cold, blustery day with a high of 37 degrees, partnered with a 20 mph wind which sucked the heat from you. We hunted hard all day. Staying out in weather like that for 12 hrs. straight takes alot out of a man. By the end of the day, Mike and I could barely walk, our mouths were froze shut, and we were cold, tired, and hungry!
We had a pretty good day! The deer were moving! Seen some nice bucks, and plenty of does and fawns. When restricting yourself to a sixgun, you know you are limited to the range of your shots. This is part of the fun of handgun hunting, for when you do get something, it is an accomplishment. Any deer is a trophy with a sixgun! As sixshot says, you never master the handgun, anything taken is something to be truely proud.
As Mike was my guest, I tried my darndest to get him on a deer. He saw plenty, and if he were rifle hunting, he would have had a nice buck. However, being from the sixgunner mold, Mike chose to stick with his sixgun, and had to watch him run off. As a sixgunner, this happens more time than not.
By around lunch time, hunters start getting hungry, and tired of sitting on stand. Besides the morning, this is one of the best times to stay in the woods, as the departing hunters get the deer moving again. As luck would have it, about 10 does and fawns were grouped up and were about 60 yards away. Now was my time. I unholstered my converted Linebaugh, lined up the Bowen rear sight to the .10" front sight, getting perfect sight alignment. I then placed the sights on the largest doe, and obtained my sight picture, tight behind her shoulder, and started my trigger squeeze. The gun roared, and surprised me! Never felt the recoil. The doe slammed to the ground on impact. WOW! Very impressive. She never knew what hit her. I saw her struggle to try to regain her footing, and promptly put a finisher in her neck. The gun was now properly blooded, along with my Bill Snow blade.
Investigation revealed my first shot struck her in the ham and exited her back. She was quartering away from me, most likely at an angle sharper than I realized. As I was in a tree, I was also shooting thru some branches. I don't know if the cast bullet deflected off one of the branches, or what? I was surprised it struck that far back, but the exit wound was very impressive, and was bleeding like something out of a horror movie. Sometimes the unexplained happens in the field, and this is one of them. That big cast bullet still hit hard, knocking her down, and I am impressed. The second shot struck where intended, so I'm assuming it was the branches that caused a deflection. Either way, I got my deer.
Mike and I were like 2 old men that night. Stiff and sore from being ouside all day. A dinner of pizza and hot wings hit the spot, along with a few malted beverages. Sleep came very easy that night.
Sun. morning came and a breakfast of leftover dutch oven taters and huckleberry/blueberry cobbler was consumed as I said farewell to my friend as we planned a late season doe hunt in Jan. Till then..........
Mike Barranti calls to order the Callshot Fan Club in full formal garb!
