“My first black powder deer season”

                    

I decided I had enough bow hunting for deer and decided to take up black powder hunting.  I bought a 50 caliber rifle kit and after getting it completed I needed to sight it in by filing down the brass front sight.  I took it down to the cabin where we had a target at thirty and fifty yards set up.  I shot a few rounds to see if I had a good group and then started adjusting.  The horizontal adjustment was easy and now for the vertical.  I would shoot, wait for the smoke to clear, and then see where I hit the paper.  I filed a little to lower the front sight a few times and the last time a sparrow flew on top of the stand.  Yeah, I did, I took careful aim and carefully pulled the trigger.   The whole target stand and all disappeared behind a cloud of smoke from the burned black powder.  When it cleared I could not see any sign of a hole in the paper.  I walked over to the target and there were sparrow feathers all over the place.  Remembering that the old timers named their rifles I right then and there named mine “Sparrow” and when I got home I took a feather burning tool and burned “Sparrow” on the stock.

I was not through bass fishing for the fall so I loaded my ladder stand onto my john boat and next morning I went fishing wearing my camo.

I had seen many deer cross the road inside the gate at the lake so when I got clear of the gate I packed the stand into the woods between the road and the lake.  I bass fished until mid afternoon and had a limit of six big bass so I called fishing a day and went to the truck.  I loaded the boat on my trailer and left it on the lot.

I picked up Old “Sparrow” and up the road I went.  Let me tell you if you ever put a stand out in the dark do not expect to find it easy when you go back.  I got in the stand, drank a cup of coffee and waited.  It was no more than thirty minutes and here comes a yearling buck by.  Hunting with black powder I am not going to be fussy.  I am going to take a shot at this youth.  “Bang” I waited for the smoke to clear.  By now I am used to waiting for smoke to clear.  I stooped down to see better and sure enough there lay my deer. 

I field dressed him and loaded him on the tail gate of my truck and headed out to report him.  He was killed in Carlisle but the Sheriff`s office is not open on weekend so I head to Clinton City Hall and Ambulance to check it in.  I was met at the door by a young lady who asked if she could help me.  I said yes mam I have six big bass and one little buck to check in.  Well I think it was Mike McChristain who was there and he got down laughing but when he saw the bass he quit laughing.  He told me later that Joe Wayne came by to see if any black powder deer had been turned in.  McChristian or whoever it was said Joe told everyone who came by about my little deer and six big bass.

Joe and I were close friends for a long time and he took more pride in what his friends and family did than what he did and he would not stand for one friend of his to criticize another.   Those were happy and fun times.