What's in my Bag, part.2

 In the above two photos you can see what I carry when in the field. I was turkey hunting when I took these photos. Starting with, my bed roll. It's made up with a wool blanket covered with a small piece of oil cloth and carried with a leather tump-line. When sitting and watching for game I use the bed roll as a seat. With in climate weather I can use the blanket as a matchcoat and sit on the oil cloth. I also carry a light ax and a small canteen.

Here are the items that I carry in my shot bag. First my shot bag is 6" wide by 7" deep with a small inside pocket. Attached to the bag strap is a vent pick & brush. The powder measure is attached to the horn.
In the bag I carry a wood tompin, a cloth bag with some tow for wadding and cleaning. Also cleaning wires, foraged bore scraper and tow worm. In the small leather pouch are some extra flints, a very small striker and old musket flint and a few wooden toothpicks to plug the touch hole with. Also seen is a small wooden tube with shot cards a pouch with bird shot and a turkey call. In the small inside pocket is a turn screw and a leather ball pouch with seven 75cal. balls. To finish it off is my priming horn. The cow's knee is carried on the back of the shot bag. (see below photo)   

On my waist belt I have a leather bag that has a compass, small leather pouch for ID and and money. My belt knife and belt pouch.
In my belt pouch I have a hand full of tow for wadding and in this case because I was turkey hunting I had paper cartridges made up with the correct amount of shot I was using for hunting. A leather wallet for hunting tags. In the small front pocket there is a small flint wallet with two flints and a forged turn screw. I will set up my belt pouch with what I'm shooting for the day.
Lose ball or paper cartridges blank or live rounds or bird shot which I will remove from my shot bag and place it my belt pouch. It makes it easy for me in the field when loading.

As you can see in this past photo everything is pretty much the same. A few added things and the only thing removed is the copper tin. I found it makes it harder to ad something to the pouch because it doesn't compress. Also I went with a priming horn.

Turkey Hunting

I spent the last day and half turkey hunting. I had birds roosted both morning only to have them fly down and head off with there hens in the other direction. As I left the woods yesterday and turned out the gate and drove up the lane, there stood three tom's in the neighbors bean field. All three ran across the lane in front of me into the corn field. I gave out a yelp with my mouth and stopped all three in there tracks. They stood there looking at me and I think they gave me the bird, before they ran on across the field to the woods I had just left.
I continued up the lane and there under the shade of the big old section oak stood a big tom with four hens. They too ran across in front of me and off to the woods I just left. I sat there thinking Mother Nature sure has as a weird sense of humor! As I started to drive away, I thought, I will be back and maybe I will be hiding in the grass at the base of the old oak tree in the shade with a surprise of my own.

3 Axes & Sheath's

 Was given three axes at the Fort Frederick market fair to take home and make up shoulder carriages for them.

Virginia Shot Bag #51

 This is my version of the Virginia bag that dates back to the early 1700. It's a one piece bag with a full inside divider. The flap is trimmed with pig and tooled with simple design of the period. The strap is 1" wide and adjusted with a button as the original did. The bag is made from 4/5 oz. veg. tanned leather dyed with vinagron and treated with neatsfoot oil and bee's wax. The bag is hand sewn with waxed linen thread. Bag size is 7" by 7" 

Pair of Axes

                                A pair of small belt axes fitted to two shoulder carry sheaths.

Manning Fort Frederick

Fort Frederick 18th Century Market Fair 2018