Merry Christmas!

and

Happy New Year!

Finished Sheath

A Buck Down

The 2019 Michigan Deer season opener for me was slow. I was on stand early before first light. The wind was out of the west and not good for where I was sitting. The first doe came through about 7:30 and should have picked up my scent but for some reason she didn't.As the morning went on I only seen two other deer, one four point buck and another doe. Others in the group where seeing several bucks but, no shots where taken.The evening hunt wasn't much different, only seeing a few does.

 The second day was a little different. I didn't get out until about 9:30 in the morning. The weather was a bright sunny day, temps in the mid thirty's and the deer where on the move. The others where all ready on stand. I chose to hunt close so not to bother them. I headed down to the small clearing on the backside of the ceders and the cut field of corn.
It was a good morning seeing a lot of deer moving back and forth at the far end of the clearing. All out of range of my fowler. I did some grunting and rattling hoping to bring a buck in for a closer shot. I did have a young four point come in raking tree's and looking for the fight. He ended up only five yards from me before picking up my scent and bounding away.

 I sat until one before heading out to fix something hot to eat and drink then take a little nap in the warming sunshine.
I returned back to the clearing around three but moved further down  the edge. Picking a spot just inside of the ceders I sat and waited.
As time went by there where a few doe's that made there way out into the clearing milling about.
I then had a buck step out from the ceders about 15 yards from my right. He was a shooter! He stopped at the edge for a second or two then moved out across the trail to check a scrap on the other side. Presenting a 25 yard shot.

 Taking the shot the buck went down on the spot only to try and get back up. I had shot him in the spine and need to shoot him again.
With out getting up, I slid the gun to my side and removing another paper cartridge from my belt pouch and quickly reloaded. As I brought the gun up to prim the lock I discovered it was packed with snow. I quickly removed the snow and wiped out the pan using my hunting shirt and primed the lock. Getting to my feet and moving out into the clearing I was able to shoot the buck again putting him down. I again reloaded and approached the buck.

He was a fine 10 point buck. He was a three year old and a fighter for his left side had two of his larger tines broken off. He was a large and healthy deer and will provide a lot of meat for the table this winter.

 

Copper Coffee Pot

I got my new coffee pot today. It’s small, only holding 31/2 cups great for a cup of hot chocolate and enough water left to clean up the dishes. I like that the handle is off set so not to scald your hand when pouring hot water.
It was made by Ron Robinson of “Stump Bluff Trading Company” The quality of work is top notch and his prices are fair. Check him out at.
WWW.Stumpblufftradingpost.com

Happy Halloween!

Tumpline

Tapestry Bag #1

My wife Gail has been watching me make shot bags and other leather accouterments over the years. 
She’s always liked the ones made of tapestry.
She came across this material at an antique shop and decide to try her hand at making a bag.
The bag is 10” wide by 12” deep the side seams have a leather welt stitched in place.
The bag is lined with pillow tick and a small inside leather pocket. The flap is made from 3oz. Veg. tanned leather, lined on the backside with goat the edge is trimmed with pig.
Gail drew out the Fraktur image then hand stitched it with waxed linen thread.
Here are some photos of what she came up with. 

New Game, Ship, Captain, Crew

I learned a new game this past weekend while camped at an event. With the gentleman who normally keeps the group entertained around the fire was not there for the weekend. A couple of the guys introduced the rest of us to a tavern game they learned in Colonial Williamsburg.
The game was called, Ship, Captain, Crew! We all ante up a few coin, and after a quick lesson on how the game was played the evening began. There was nine of us playing and we passed a wood plate with five bone die's around the fire each taking our turn. We played until the first person reached 150 points. With the passing of the jug and lots of story telling, and two and half hours later some one finally got the points needed to end the game.
The game was a lot of fun, and helped pass the first evening of fall around the camp fire, with friends.

      
Here is some background infomation and the rules for, Ship, Captain, and Crew (also referred to as Ship of Fools, Clickety Clack, 6-5-4 or Destroyer) is a drinking game played with five dice.. The game can be played with as few as two people, but is usually played in a group of five or more. The object of the game is to roll a six (the "ship"), a five ("captain"), and a four ("crew") with three dice, and get the highest score with the other two dice ("the ship's cargo"). In other versions, a four is the "mate" and the remaining dice are the crew.
Alternatively, the game may be played for antes placed in a pot. Any amount can be predetermined for ante to the pot for each round with winner taking all or the pot going forward in the case of a tie.

Rules:

Each player starts their turn by rolling five dice. They are attempting to roll a 6, 5 and 4 in descending order, and whenever the number they require is rolled, they "bank" it by setting it aside.
For example, if the first roll of the dice shows a 6, a 4, two 3's and a 1, the player banks the 6 but must reroll the 4 because there is no 5 yet. If their second roll is a 6, a 5, a 4 and a 1 they may bank the 5 and 4 together, and now they have a full "crew" for their ship.
Each player has only three rolls, and after their third they score their turn. If they have a crewed ship then they score the "cargo" - the total of the other two dice. If they do not have a crewed ship, they score nothing.
The winner is the player at the end of a round who has the highest score.
When beginning the next round, play begins with the player to the right (counter-clockwise) of the first player in the previous round. Alternatively, the player who won the last round starts the next round.

Traditions:

The last person to throw the dice in a round is "the hammer." The current winning score is "the point." It is common to hear a player who is not keeping up ask, "What's the point and who's the hammer?"
A two is the lowest score and is called a "minimum." Double sixes, or scoring a twelve, is often referred to as a "midnight", most likely because 12 o'clock at night on a non-military clock is known as midnight. Sixes have also been known to be called boxcars.
Players often stay with their dice after achieving a score of nine or better (assuming no other player has an established point above their nine or better), but are often subjected to elevated pressure from players with a lower, or no score at all and are advised to "man-up" and "re-roll", thus discounting proven statistics and general logic for the sake of pure machismo. However, it is important to note that in some rare cases, even low scores sometimes win.
It is possible to play this game for money, either by anteing or by playing for a set value per point.
When played as a drinking game, at the end of the round everyone except for the winner must drink. Alternatively, the winner may roll dice to determine how many drinks the losers must consume.

 

Axe Carriage

Spy Glass Case #2

Shot Bag #60

A comment made on this bag by a friend was,
           "This dog will hunt!"
This one is based of a original bag I saw at the CLA show this year. It’s just a plain simple bag but has the room for the little extras that some of us like to carry.
The bag is made of 2/3 oz. veg tanned leather, hand stitched and dyed.The bag size is 71/2” wide at the opening, 81/2” deep with a 11/4” tapered guest with the front seam welted and turned while the back seam is welted but stitched directly to the back panel.
There a small inside pocket also.The strap is 1” wide and is fitted with a iron buckle. The bag is then finished with neatsfoot oil and then bee’s wax worked in.

Shot Bag #59 Rising Sun

Tag, Rag, and Bobtail - Millennium Stage (August 11, 2019)

Percussion Cap/Ball Pouches

I was contacted by a gentleman from the props dept of a movie company. They asked if I could make two cap/ball pouches for the bounty hunter in there production. He would be carrying a Colt second model Dragoon.
They didn’t want them to look like the normal military pouches of the day. They wanted something different and they need them in two weeks. So I made up one using the size from a original that one didn’t pass. So I came up with this one. That’s what they wanted! So I made one in dark brown and one in black.
They are now heading to Savannah GA.

Shot Bag #58

                                              Bag size is 9" wide by 7 1/2" deep.

Leather Case for Spyglass