PACO KELLY - A cast bullet hunting story

[w30wcf]

PACO KELLY
From his book "American Heritage Leverguns"

A REAL CAST HUNTING STORY IN THE FOREST WILDERNESS….USA

I left the house while still dark, the sky was clear and the stars were bright. It was still cold but not has it had been, instantly numbing. The bright white snow allowed me to see well, so checking the trees with a red lens flashlight, on the way to the ridge, 8 miles away, (yes I walk…you live longer to hunt more), I spotted three trees that had Fools grouse in them. Red light cannot be seen by most animals, and will not give humans night blindness if it is kept dull in color… wonderful for night predator hunting also.

I put the flashlight in the clip holder on the bottom of the Winchester 71’s barrel. It was calibrated for 5 to 35 yards, so that it would shine on the targets when aimed. I slipped a .348 cartridge loaded with 2.2 grains of Bullseye under a dead soft ball, into the chamber of the 24” barrel. With practically no sound in the open stillness, a bird fell without scattering the rest…you must shoot the lowest bird first, then work up. You can get a surprising number using this method before they scatter.

I would like to say that I developed this silent like ball load idea, but except for my addition of the red light, it’s basically the same as early frontier American hunters did with low amounts of black powder under balls in squirrel rifles, 200 plus years ago. I got seven birds out of three trees. At least the family would have bird meat for supper even if I didn’t score on a red meat animal.

The weight of the birds in the back of my coat felt reassuring, like a good omen. I had thirteen more of these functionally silent loads in a tobacco pouch, so they would not get mixed in with the other loads. If I missed seeing a meat animal, I would hunt more birds later in the day. But I just felt lucky, with the odds from the weather in my favor.

By the time the sun came up behind me, I had been sitting for 45 minutes. I was tempted to take the thermos out of the small pack l wore. It was filled with hot, well milked tea. Milk raises the blood sugar and energy level slower than sugar products …but energy stays higher much longer than with candy or soda. And, energy, along with comfort, warmth, strength and endurance, are tied to the blood sugar level.

I resisted the temptation, but decided to move slowly and put one of the pocket warmers into a back pocket before I got frostbite on my posterior. The movement on my part was slow and smooth. Fast and jerky movements are seen much faster than slow motion type movements.

Just as I was sitting down again enjoying the new found warmth, two does were slipping up on the stream. Nature is amazing, they skirted around the meadow, and I didn’t catch sight of them until they were cracking the ice on the stream to drink, less than sixty yards down and away from me.

We needed meat, not horns, though I was sure there would be a buck somewhere behind checking his two bed mates. As I raised the rifle, and lined up on the biggest of the two, the though struck me. I took the fully loaded cartridge out of the chamber and slipped in one of the quiet loads…though it was a little long on range. But from practicing and testing these loads out to 70 yards …I knew the striking point on a postage stamp area all the way. Also, they would penetrate several inches of hardwood at 70 yards, and had more striking power than a .22 Magnum rimfire, the .35 caliber round ball quickly transferring all its energy to the target.

I popped up the peep sights and lined up on the spot between the old gal’s eye and ear, as she lowered her neck to drink. With no recoil or sound, I watched her body stiffen at the hammer drop and just sink to the ground with her head under water. The doe beside her ran a little away, unsure of what went on. She stopped and looked back, confused. I was motionless. She was not scared or would have started running, but she was hyper alert. I was allowed two deer on my license, horns or not.

She went back and sniffed the downed doe. Just then two more does stepped into the clearing and to the broken ice to drink without even looking at the downed doe. There was more movement in the brush and a 5 point buck that I figured weighed at least 250 lbs., stepped into the stream.

I now had a full load and two behind that, all with 250 grain cast roundnoses at 2,000 f.p.s. I lined up on the buck’s shoulder as he walked to the dead doe and sniffed her, looking up suddenly tense like a tightly coiled spring. I squeezed the trigger. Deer exploded out of the clearing as I jacked another round and snapped a shot at the buck’s rear end, and it was over. Quiet returned and I could feel a little breeze in my face. I had levered another round but lowered the hammer to halfcock, put replacements in the tube and found one of my two spent cases in the snow. Shouldering the rifle, I took the stainless steel Ruger 357 with its heavy loads of 180 gr cast bullets over a good dose of 296, from its holster under my belt.

The round ball had gone into the doe’s head and not exited. She was dead before she knew she was hit. It went in at a downward angle at which I was shooting, at an inch below the eye / ear line. Since it didn’t exit, I would find it later. It had crossed over to the other side and was in the lower brain pan, but above the cerebral cortex.

The buck was stone dead. I had been absolutely sure of my hold and let off so I was not worried about where the buck would drop. He had gotten 30 yards from the stream. The bullet had gone in above the shoulder and went downward through the lungs and exited the offside, with a two inch hole. I had missed the snap shot. It was reflex anyway. He had bled quickly and profusely, with a seven inch wide blood splash every few feet.

I field cleaned the two of them and then hoisted them 10 feet off the ground using a block and tackle. I walked the long trip home and felt very good. I cleaned up and ate lunch. Then my oldest daughter and I went back on the ATV pulling the small snow trailer. We skinned and quartered them. The buck gave about 180 lbs. of meat and the doe about 90 more, all tender and sweet.

So ended an adventure I will treasure for a long time.

[Catshooter]

Isn't that a great story? I love his writing.

You're making me dig out his "Leverguns" book to reread, again, you know.


Cat

[Catshooter]

I did dig out Paco's book to re-read, again. I had forgotten, but just inside the front cover it says it #186 of 200 copies. So, no, not many printed! It really should be run again, his info is timeless.


Cat

[wvfarrier]

It's refreshing to see someone else so addicted to lever hunting. 2.2 grains of unique....man that's a mouse fanny burp load

[yooper2]

I'd pick up a copy and a spare or two for gifts if it were run again. Can't get enough of Mr. Kelly's stories and expertise.


Eric