I got a nice doe this morning with my percussion .45 Bedford Co rifle. I wanted to tell someone about it.
The deer came at me up the path that two bucks had come earlier this season. I had killed one and missed the other with my .62 flintlock smoothbore. I took careful aim at her shoulder and touched it off! Down over hill she went. I watched until she disappeared. She didn't look hurt.
I tried to reload, but I could barely get the patched ball into the bore. I don't know if the patch material I got was too thick or what. I finally got the ball down about halfway and couldn't get it any further - then the ramrod broke! At least, it didn't go through my hand!
Not having anything else to do, I packed up and went to check if I had hit her. I walked over and saw the sapling that I had evidently been aiming at. I though, no wonder she didn't look hurt! Then I saw a tuft of hair... No blood, but individual hairs on her trail showed up as I tracked her. I was carrying my unworkable rifle following a possibly wounded deer.
I trailed her to the bottom of the hill, looked up in the direction she had last been seen and there she was - dead. Thank Goodness!
The bullet went through the sapling and into her shoulder. No exit, but her chest was full of blood so the ball did some damage. Someone was looking after me, but not the doe...
The deer came at me up the path that two bucks had come earlier this season. I had killed one and missed the other with my .62 flintlock smoothbore. I took careful aim at her shoulder and touched it off! Down over hill she went. I watched until she disappeared. She didn't look hurt.
I tried to reload, but I could barely get the patched ball into the bore. I don't know if the patch material I got was too thick or what. I finally got the ball down about halfway and couldn't get it any further - then the ramrod broke! At least, it didn't go through my hand!
Not having anything else to do, I packed up and went to check if I had hit her. I walked over and saw the sapling that I had evidently been aiming at. I though, no wonder she didn't look hurt! Then I saw a tuft of hair... No blood, but individual hairs on her trail showed up as I tracked her. I was carrying my unworkable rifle following a possibly wounded deer.
I trailed her to the bottom of the hill, looked up in the direction she had last been seen and there she was - dead. Thank Goodness!
The bullet went through the sapling and into her shoulder. No exit, but her chest was full of blood so the ball did some damage. Someone was looking after me, but not the doe...
