Doe in the snow
A few days ago i posted a picture of a bunch of parts:
That I turned into a gun for the 2025 HHI Bear hunt
The time spent building the gun killed off the boring time between deer seasons. The newest season opened and I decided that perhaps I should rub the new of this pistola - for luck ya know.
Thing is mother nature has a sick sense of humor and just before this season opened she dropped 45 inches of wet white concrete like misery on us. Then she blew it around with some big winds just to make it more interesting. I don't wear misery slippers anymore - so getting around in this stuff was a bit hinky. But I managed to drag my butt to a stand, and a couple of youngsters foolishly wandered past at 40 yds a couple hours later.
The gun is a 45 colt. The load features the MP Molds Ruger Only Bullet with the large HP that comes in at basically 300gr. It is running right at 1400 fps. You can see the entry. The exit is through the offside shoulder blade and is fist sized. This young deer dropped right on its nose at the shot as you would expect with no functioning front legs - THEN this deer ran 50 yds through 3-4 foot deep snow cutting a tunnle like a little bulldozer! The amount of blood it leaked was obscene. And of course it was smack into he nastiest little piece of swampy bush in the area.
For those who don't know, I have MS. It is thankfully held in remission with meds, but it has played havoc with things like balance and strength. Wading through jewels deep snow and belly button deep drifts are apparently NOT things I am all that well constructed for anymore! Still I got there, and fortunatly the remains of an old two track were only about 50 yds beyond where this critter expired and with a little imagination I got it to the old road and eventually got my pickup close enough. This deer weighed about 120 lbs dressed, Around 475 when I got to the two track. Close to 1200 by the time I got it on the tailgate. By the time I got home to the skinning pole it had shrunk back to normal - In fact it didn't seem to weigh much at all as I watched my nephew hang it up! (Shoulda took him along in my pack - oh well!)
Anyway - that is my Saturday adventure. The picture is sadly not the typical hero shot with my smiling visage triumphantly reposed over my conquest, new gun proudly displayed. I was pretty well pooped out and I didn't want to figure out how to take my own picture with this deer on my phone. I guess I could have laid down on the snow next to it and done a selfie - but no. Besides I probably would still be there trying to figure out how to get upright again.
Might go get another today - but I am taking an assistant this time!
I have to admit, this gun was my effort to blatantly copycat the 45 Dick Thompson took to Africa a couple years ago. I had never done a two-tone for myself, so after seeing Dicks pictures I said I gotta do something like that! So far so good.