This is a project that really started a year and a half ago, just before I started Chemo. I had just purchased a Pedersoli Brown Bess musket and went looking for some black powder to feed it. None of my usual sources had any, and I the outlook was bleak. … Continue reading →
It was a little over a year ago that I trudged out with a bird. The Cancer was back. I was starting Chemo in a few weeks. That might have been my last hunt. Here it is, a year later. The Cancer is gone. I’m still a little rocky from … Continue reading →
It’s been a little over a year now since my retirement. The Chemo kept me from reloading most of that time, and I just got back to it after New Year’s. Mostly it was about stamina and to a certain extent the neuropathy in my fingers, but I kept doing … Continue reading →
I made it back to the Farm for the first time since the end of Deer Season. Now that I’m retired, I can go went the weather is best and not try to shoe-horn things into the weekends. Tuesday afternoon, I got to fire some of my recent reloading projects. … Continue reading →
This AM, SuperCore and I ventured north of Arcadia, Florida to hunt boar. It took about 90 minutes to drive from SuperCore’s place in Bradenton. Our destination was RazzorRanch in Zolfo Springs, a year-round hunting preserve that specializes in trophy boar and exotics. https://razzorranch.com/ We got there just at first … Continue reading →
This is a bit of a detective story, but there is no dead body. There is no crime. I’m the perpetrator. This should be easy, but it has been tough. The Chemo last summer left me with some holes in my memory. It’s all just little things, but I’ve had … Continue reading →
This installment of the series will conclude with what was going on at my reloading bench and the final payoff. In looking back on what I have shared so far, getting the right mindset and stopping all the wrong headedness is what allowed me to escape Planet 4 MOA. All … Continue reading →
This installment will address what I did out in the field to escape from Planet 4 MOA. This is going to be a short one. Most of the serious work was done back home at the shooting bench. However, there were several things I did to improve my lot during … Continue reading →
This installment in the series will concentrate on what I did at the bench, both the shooting bench and my gunsmithing bench, to improve my accuracy with my deer rifles. I would like to remember that it was a gradual process that started about 2001 and ended with me bagging … Continue reading →
The most important six inches on the battlefield is between your ears. James Mattis In this case, General Mattis was right. I had over 20 years of goo to remove and replace. Lies I cannot say I ever came right out and lied to anyone about how well I shot. … Continue reading →
Back in 2019, I wrote a missive on 24hourcampfire.com on hunting deer where the bar for accuracy was rather low. The Planet Where They Shoot 4 MOA Rifles I would suggest you go over there and read it– read the whole thread if you like. It will really set the … Continue reading →
Any discussion of this past Rifle Season has to include the after-effects of my Chemo and how it played into the dynamics. It played into stand selection. It played into who hunted and when. My sons were on guard the whole time waiting for their Dad to fall over in … Continue reading →
Most honorable #2 son, Moose shot a doe Friday evening at the Blackberry stand . At 1740, just 10 minutes left in legal hunting. A single doe popped out of the woods next to the rockpile. Moose dropped her with his Winchester 570. Two more deer ran off towards Westwood. … Continue reading →
Some days, just being out and making it back in is the highest achievement you can expect. After Chemo, just being out is all you can ask. We started getting rain about 10 minutes before legal hunting, and it grew to a downpour. I stayed under an umbrella and managed … Continue reading →
For years now, I have been sawing off the skull cap of bucks and mounting these to display boards, and calling it quits. Of course, I have to boil them first, but the whole process is rather fast and easy. I can have the antlers ready to mount almost immediately. … Continue reading →
I found this draft from back in 2009. Somebody had asked the question, and I’d hesitated to answer. The post lay in draft status until I found it again over the summer as I was housecleaning. I have been asked this many times, by readers and by my own sons … Continue reading →
I’ve got a couple projects in the oven this year even though Chemo made me curtail most of my load development for 6 months. There just is not enough room in the freezer to do all the experimentation I want to do. I always keep a rifle or two handy … Continue reading →
I am not going to try and paint this rosier than it is. It is Sunday morning of KY Early Muzzleloader season. I’m wimping out and sipping coffee inside the cabin. The only one of the Shamanic Dream Team who is out is SuperCore. With the recent Chemo, at least … Continue reading →
Every year we all get out for the mid-October Kentucky Early Primitive Weapons Season and use it as a dry run for the coming Rifle season. Some might think this is a waste of a weekend. It actually has a point– in fact, several. First off, this gives everyone at … Continue reading →
Most honorable #1 granddaughter, Mooselette, went afield for KY’s Yute Hunt on Saturday. She went in the company of her grandfather. This was my first time out as well since the Chemo. Mooselette was armed with the same Marlin 336 carried by her father on his first hunt 20 years … Continue reading →
I was able to get down to camp fairly early on Friday. By the time Moose and #1 granddaughter, Mooselette arrived, I had already managed to get two more deer rifles sighted in. Both the 8X57 Mauser and the 7mm-08 are ready for Rifle Season. Blacksmith and I went to … Continue reading →
From Quora: Question for YouAugust 5 What is the best time to get in your deer stand? Greg Thomas requested your answer. What is the best time to get in your deer stand? Here is my response: It is going to depend on several factors. For starters, don’t think of … Continue reading →
This weekend marked the 21st anniversary of taking possession of our farm. It also marked the first time I’ve felt halfway normal since the Chemo ended. I was actually able to get around and putter a bit. KYHillChick stayed home with the dogs, but the rest of the tribe showed … Continue reading →
It may not seem like much to anyone, but I had a personal triumph yesterday. It is something I planned well before starting Chemo. It was a close run operation, but I did it. I managed to procure 3 pounds of black powder. How I got it was the challenge. … Continue reading →
I have been making it to the farm every weekend since I got well enough to travel. This past Friday, I called my neighbor, Blacksmith to see what he was up to. He was over in the county seat, having tea with the nice ladies at the Hysterical Society. He … Continue reading →
