tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056280990103163072024-03-14T05:27:50.315+00:00Safari Leather BlogHand made gun leather Tradition, Innovation, Craftsmanship and Designsafari leatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04251284148997875339noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805628099010316307.post-47737909343142499652020-03-30T21:10:00.000+01:002020-03-30T21:24:30.099+01:00BUFFALO HUNT, PART 4<h3>
HUNTING BUFFALO IN THE EASTERN CAPE.</h3>
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After all the customary pictures were take the two trackers left Devan and I, to organise the transportation of the buffalo back to the skinning shed and refrigerated storage. They were to walk back to the truck, then drive to the farm where extra manpower and a tractor could be obtained. Devan and I now just sat and talked, I related my story from twenty one years ago, I had shot my first bull kudu and in a similar set of circumstances I was left on a hill side with my trophy, while the PH and the tracker organised the extraction of the animal. I sat alone next to my kudu, and my emotions were running high, it was my first trip to Africa and possibly my last, this one being partly funded by the compensation from the handing in of my hand guns after the government ban. I did not know if I had just fulfilled the high point of my hunting carrier, I though about my family and friends and the influence that they had all imparted on me over the years, and a lump formed in my throat. A second later tears ran down my face, the moment, the setting, the significance and the over whelming feeling of respect for the animal were for a few moments too much.</div>
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It was while I was telling this story to Devan, that the lump suddenly returned to my throat, I did have someone to talk to this time, and while I was trying to explain to Devan, that had my father been alive, he would have been the first person I would have wanted to have told about this hunt, again those tears ran down my face. He was a cantankerous old fool at times, but cant we all be, but he was also Dad, the man who taught me how to shoot and fish. I make no apologies' for getting a little emotional after shooting my first kudu and my first buffalo, I am not a cold blooded killer, I love to hunt and will continue to do so, for as long as I can, and if my emotions catch up with me again on another hillside, then so be it. </div>
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Transporting the buffalo.</h3>
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The tractor and three extra men turned up after about an hour and a half, and the buffalo was rolled onto the fork's of a front end loader, then held in place with ratchet straps. Devan and I made our way back to the truck with Pololo and enjoyed a cool drink, before setting off back to the skinning shed at the farm. The tractor made good time and on arrival the buffalo was prepared to be hung up for skinning. With three skinners working together it didn't take long to remove hide, the first bullet fired was recovered from under the skin of the opposite shoulder, it was a 300 grain Rhino bullet, that I weighed on my return home to find it still had a retained weight of 264 grains.</div>
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Rhino 300 grain bullet, after passing through a buffalo.</h3>
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Devan and I were invited for lunch with our hosts, we had a lovely meal and a cool drink, before making the two and a half hour journey back to just outside of Fort Beaufort. It had been a day that I would never forget, a lifetimes ambition had been realised. That evening we had a few drinks, but due to the early start and the strenuous day I found myself falling asleep, so soon after finishing my evening meal, I called it a day and retired to my bed, as tomorrow was another day.</div>
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safari leatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04251284148997875339noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805628099010316307.post-47659161677040872382020-03-28T18:39:00.000+00:002020-03-28T19:11:22.903+00:00BUFFALO HUNT, PART 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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HUNTING BUFFALO IN THE EASTERN CAPE.</h3>
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As we continued our descent a new plan was formulated, we would climb the hill side above the thicket, this would hopefully give us a chance to see the buffalo with out us having to enter the very thick bush, but like all best laid plans they came to nothing, as the buffalo had other ideas. When we were still half a mile from the thicket the buffalo could be seen exiting the thicket, putting more distance and more altitude between them and us. As the buffalo were on the move we drove to the corner of the thicket which was where the buffalo had entered, the thicket was roughly square and we were at the bottom left hand corner, the buffalo had been seen exiting the top right hand corner. Rather than try and push through the thick tangle of thorn bushes we opted to walk around the thicket in a clockwise direction. The hill was steep and it wasn't long before I was puffing and blowing, but at least we did not have to contend with the mud. </div>
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The buffalo after leaving the thicket.</h4>
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The ground was strewn with rocks, from the size of your fist to the size of a hundred weight sack of potatoes, needles to say this was not a silent aproach, but the buffalo were still a long way off. We carried on climbing, weaving our way round the many thorn bushes and large rocks, our tacker moved ahead of us a little way while I stopped to catch my breath and rest my weary legs. A minute later he signalled we should move to him quickly. Devan, Pololo and I moved as stealth fully as possible up to the tracker, Devan looked through his binoculars and told me the buffalo were coming our way. The sticks were deployed and I got ready, Devan whispered to me that the buffalo were going to emerge from the right, as at this point I had not seen them. We were positioned behind a large acacia tree on the edge of a shallow gully. The gully was about fifty yards wide with the opposite side being slightly higher than ours.</div>
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A minute later the first buffalo came into view, it was a cow flanked by a bull, behind them was another cow and behind her were a mixture of bulls, cows and calves. Devan whispered shoot number three, we had already discussed this, young calves didn't count, so there was no question as to which animal I was to shoot. I aimed at number three but she did not offer me an immediate shot, so I waited a few seconds, then the bull that had been flanking the lead cow stopped and number three walked behind him, number one however was now clear, and Devan said shoot number one, she was almost on the edge of the gully when she stopped, I held steady and shot for the centre of the left shoulder, she hunched up and brought her left front leg up sharply. She now ran about ten yards and the rest of the heard gathered round her, I chambered another round and waited for a clear shot, the buffalo were stood with their noses in the air, when suddenly they must have smelt blood, because they turned on their heels and ran. The cow was the last to move, and as a clear shot presented its self I fired again, and two seconds later she was down. I chambered another round and stayed on the sticks, but it was not required, after five minutes we approached. The first shot had been perfectly placed and the follow up shot had also finished up in the chest, a raking shot as the animal quartered away from me. From the first shot until she went down was no more than twenty seconds, twenty seconds I will never forget.<br />
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<br />safari leatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04251284148997875339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805628099010316307.post-42168643236866944072020-03-28T14:22:00.001+00:002020-03-28T16:24:09.745+00:00BUFFALO HUNT, PART 2<h3>
HUNTING BUFFALO IN THE EASTERN CAPE.</h3>
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The two trackers now made their way back to the truck, and after a quick chat with Devan, he gave me the nod, this was it, we were on. I took my rifle from it's case and loaded three rounds into the magazine and the fourth into the breach of the rifle, before carefully closing the bolt. Devan was to carry a .458 Win mag as a back up and Pololo carried the shooting sticks. We now started walking up the hill to where the trackers had spotted the buffalo, the hill was steep and I was soon winded, this was made worse by the sticky clay that clung to our boots, making every step even more of an effort. Having reached the vantage point we now glasses the thickly vegetated hill side, the buffalo were still there, most of them were lying down in the deep shade of the acacia thorn trees, a mixed heard of bulls, cows and calves. Initially I could see twelve individuals, but as I widened my search area it became apparent that there we many more, both to the right and left of the group in the picture. Devan spoke to the trackers and then explained to me that the buffalo could not be in a worse area, for both hunting and extraction. The thick bush meant we would be right on top of the buffalo before we could get a shot, ten yards or less, and with so many buffalo hidden from view, this was just too dangerous.</div>
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Another discussion ensued between Devan and the trackers and a plan was formulated, it was decided to try and move the buffalo to a better area, this was of course up to the buffalo, but just about anywhere else would be better than this. The local tracker now set off to work his way around to the up wind side of the buffalo, thus giving them his sent, we hoped this would be enough to get them moving. Twenty minutes later the buffalo suddenly looked agitated, they were now all on their feet with their noses in the air searching for the unseen threat. Then as if a single collective decision had been made they started moving, the main group moved off to the left, down hill, as they moved more and more buffalo became visible as they were flushed from cover. They all dropped into a donga that ran down from the hill and onto a more open area, the dense vegetation made it impossible to see the buffalo but the sound of the hooves on the hard ground betrayed their location. After several minutes the buffalo could be seen exiting the donga and walking across the more open ground, they were headed towards a thick area of bush at the base of another hill, we watched the heard as one by one they disappeared into the thicket, now more than a mile away.</div>
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The buffalo to the right of the main group had not chosen to follow them, instead they had moved off to the right, up hill, and into some very dense bush. This had brought them a little closer to us, so we now moved further along the track, in an attempt to see them, but the vegetation was just too thick, only the occasional movement could be seen as areas of light turned black and then back to light as the buffalo milled around under the trees. It was apparent from the amount of tracks and the way the edge of the road was trampled down, we were standing in the middle of a regularly used buffalo high way, we decided to back off and move to the high side of the road, just in case any buffalo came our way. As the tracker worked his way back to us the buffalo caught his wind again and started to move off, this time they followed the same route as the rest of the heard, entering the donga a little higher up the hill, they following it all the way down, then made a beeline for the same patch of thorn bush. The only buffalo that did not move as far as we could see was an old cow with a calf, she was quite adjatated and could be seen moving through the thorn bushes below us, as if searching for us.</div>
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Looking back to where we first saw the buffalo, just to right of centre, the track also visible just above the centre of the picture.</h4>
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We made our way back to the truck, unloaded our rifles and started our descent, if I though the climb up was a little hairy, reversing back down was considerably more so, both Devan and I gave a sigh of relief when we reached a wider section of road that allowed us to turn the truck around.</div>
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safari leatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04251284148997875339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805628099010316307.post-2988985133127965192020-03-27T20:49:00.001+00:002020-03-28T18:56:46.406+00:00BUFFALO HUNT, PART 1<h3>
HUNTING BUFFALO IN THE EASTERN CAPE.</h3>
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I have just returned from a hunt in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, back to the real world of corona virus, self isolation, panic buying and working from home. What a huge difference from a week ago, when I was hunting for my first buffalo, the outside world then was not even a consideration, my focus was entirely on the job in hand.</div>
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That morning my alarm had been set for 03.30 but I had woke up before the alarm and lay in bed mulling over the possible scenarios that might play out in the next few hours, would we see buffalo, would we stalk buffalo, would I shoot straight, would we have to follow up a wounded buffalo? Enough dreaming I thought as I got out of bed and dressed for the hunt, I picked up my rifle, checked it was clear and grabbed my belt and ammunition slide. I was using a .375HH firing 300 grain Rhino bullets, I had six rounds in my belt slide and a further four in my pocket to be loaded into the rifle when the hunt began. The last items were my binoculars and compact digital camera, I donned my hat and I was ready to go. I did not want to be encumbered with too much gear, only carrying the essentials, spare ammunition, food and drinks would stay in the truck.</div>
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My PH was Devan De Lange of Winterberg Safaris, I had booked a cull hunt and with him through Global-outdoors, my intended species were to be warthog, impala, a kudu cow or wildebeest, definitely not buffalo. It was on the afternoon of our first hunting day when the subject of buffalo came up, just generally chatting, I was asking him what experiences he had had, and listening to the stories he related about having to shoot clients wounded buffalo. He then asked me if I had ever shot a buffalo, I admitted I had not, as the cost had always been prohibitive. Devan then went on to say that a buffalo cow or a young bull could be as low as £2000.00 pounds, now this put a different slant on things. I asked him what the extra day rate would be, he replied that there were no extras, as I had accommodation already booked. He did say if your interested I will need to know as soon as possible to get things organised.</div>
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That afternoon Devan made a couple of phone calls, just to see what was available, in his opinion an old cow buffalo was the best option, and by the time we were back at the lodge, my mind was made up, if Devan could arrange it in the remaining four days, I was going to hunt for a buffalo!</div>
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We carried on with the cull hunt the next morning, taking an impala ewe at 246 meters with a 30 06 off the sticks, followed by a warthog and another impala ewe. That evening Devan got confirmation that a friend of his had old buffalo cows available to hunt, the ground was a two and a half hour drive from where we were hunting, made worse by the ruts and potholes in the road, caused by the intense rain over the last couple of weeks. The hunt was to take place on Friday 20th March, the intervening days passed and we were on our way.<br />
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Meeting Devan on the veranda, I had a quick cup of tea and a few cornflakes before we left. We were taking our tracker Pololo with us as well as Sophie and Shooter, two of Devan's dogs, these would be used to follow up a wounded buffalo should the need arise. With a stop for fuel and snacks we eventually got to the hunting area at 07.00, we were met by a local tracker who knew the ground and who would accompany us during the hunt. A few minutes later the lodge manager came and greeted us, and after a short chat we set off.</div>
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The ground consisted of tall hills and steep sided valleys, in some areas the ground was covered in thick acacia thorn trees, where visibility would be down to just a few feet, where as other areas were more open and offered fifty to sixty yards of visibility. We drove slowly stopping periodically to glass for buffalo, but none were seen. The road started to climb one of the steep hills, and Devan now drove us even slower up the track that at times hardly seemed wide enough to accommodate the truck. Drop off's of over five hundred feet seemed to be perilously close from my view point, and it was not with out a sigh of relief when our local tracker tapped on the roof and instructed us to stop on a wider piece of level ground. Here at least we could open the doors of the truck and get out safely.</div>
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Leaving Devan and I at the truck the two trackers now proceeded on foot to find a vantage point from which they could search for buffalo. We now started to search for the elusive buffalo in among the thick bush that covered the flanks of the hill using our binoculars. Twenty minutes later Devan spotted a buffalo cow and calf, this was encouraging, as Devan was convinced the heard would be close. Ten minutes later the radio sprang to life, the trackers had found the heard.</div>
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Buffalo heard at 600 meters.</h4>
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<br />safari leatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04251284148997875339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805628099010316307.post-53322506045586759632019-02-26T10:42:00.001+00:002021-01-15T20:42:00.852+00:00SAFARI LEATHER IN ACTION GALLERY<br />If you have pictures of Safari Leather goods in action, and you don't mind showing them off, please email me with them and I will add them to this section, I am sure we would all love to see them, thanks.<br />
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<u></u><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />safari leatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04251284148997875339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805628099010316307.post-17272889618760844652019-02-24T17:55:00.001+00:002019-03-27T20:30:48.912+00:00SAFARI LEATHER CREATIONSHow many is too many?<br />
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When considering how much ammunition you want to carry on you belt during a hunt, ask yourself, realistically how many rounds are you going to fire before the opportunity arises for you to top up again. You must bare in mind that chances are you will have a fully loaded rifle, containing three or four rounds as well. If you are on a cull hunt for plains game in Africa you may have the opportunity to shoot several animals in a single day, conversely if you are trophy hunting you might not pull the trigger at all during a days hunting. There is of course the rare occasion when things go badly and it takes several shots to kill the animal.</div>
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When taking all this into consideration six rounds on your belt with a fully loaded rife is for 99.9% of the time going to be enough. But does that give you peace of mind, well if not my advise would be go for an eight round ammunition slide, ten can start to feel heavy after a long day of walking under a hot sun, while eight will be shorter, lighter and more comfortable to wear. If you are still not convinced just drop a couple of spare <i>emergency rounds</i> in your pocket.</div>
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Here are a couple of eight round slides I made recently, both in 375HH.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kdTAZTFaVrk/XHLZoukIZvI/AAAAAAAAATw/VQnSRukOaxY9C87z7ZRC9yz8dFuUkaHxgCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_2479.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="972" data-original-width="1296" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kdTAZTFaVrk/XHLZoukIZvI/AAAAAAAAATw/VQnSRukOaxY9C87z7ZRC9yz8dFuUkaHxgCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_2479.jpg" title="ammunition holder, 375 HH" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L5pVcVoV0xI/XHLZ2bmhzHI/AAAAAAAAAT0/TOqIwODQAw8CVkHRt_imnucXOuM0844WQCLcBGAs/s1600/ASHLEY%2B%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="774" data-original-width="1032" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L5pVcVoV0xI/XHLZ2bmhzHI/AAAAAAAAAT0/TOqIwODQAw8CVkHRt_imnucXOuM0844WQCLcBGAs/s320/ASHLEY%2B%25282%2529.jpg" title="ammunition belt slide" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />safari leatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04251284148997875339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805628099010316307.post-78500730319795391682019-02-24T17:19:00.000+00:002019-03-27T20:31:47.368+00:00SAFARI LEATHER CREATIONSKNIFE POUCHES<br />
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It seems even knife pouches are like busses! I was asked to make a couple of pouches to take a Buck folding knife, the only difference being one was to be dyed tan and the other dark Havana.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5GM3LRZFQ0s/XHLM1kV8LiI/AAAAAAAAATM/xxiSAENnrBMhosbHMuGpHY4CkLud7_wigCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_2569.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="972" data-original-width="1296" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5GM3LRZFQ0s/XHLM1kV8LiI/AAAAAAAAATM/xxiSAENnrBMhosbHMuGpHY4CkLud7_wigCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_2569.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black;">Just a couple of days after I had posted them to the customer I had another enquiry, as luck should have it, the tooling I made for the first two was suitable for the new order, the only difference being the pouch had to be longer to house the new customer folding knife.</span></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aaOTB2EmPfs/XHLOa1lzA1I/AAAAAAAAATY/ljYmJhO-AzQWWYrSMdjCtMYxIlnupg7EwCLcBGAs/s1600/20180630_084442.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="774" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aaOTB2EmPfs/XHLOa1lzA1I/AAAAAAAAATY/ljYmJhO-AzQWWYrSMdjCtMYxIlnupg7EwCLcBGAs/s320/20180630_084442.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Wet forming the knife pouch in tooling I made for the job.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1nLWz52XeXk/XHLRWpSlsLI/AAAAAAAAATk/UPMQYl6TIZw1fdyA2a-bUWC-rqNKBmTVgCLcBGAs/s1600/20190129_190848.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="folding knife pouch" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1218" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1nLWz52XeXk/XHLRWpSlsLI/AAAAAAAAATk/UPMQYl6TIZw1fdyA2a-bUWC-rqNKBmTVgCLcBGAs/s320/20190129_190848.jpg" title="knife pouch" width="243" /></a></div>
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The finished pouch.</div>
safari leatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04251284148997875339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805628099010316307.post-82987443316557504212019-02-24T16:46:00.002+00:002019-03-27T20:33:31.321+00:00SAFARI LEATHER CREATIONSEXOTIC LEATHER POUCHES<br />
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I was asked if I could make a ten round belt slide in 308 Win and a matching folding knife pouch, and could I make them from some elephant leather that my customer had from a previous safari. Ordinarily this would not have been a problem, but the elephant leather that my customer had was very thin and very soft, almost like chammy leather.</div>
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I took on the project, but made no promises as to weather I could use the elephant leather. I knew I would have to glue the elephant leather to some cows leather to give it some rigidity, so this is where I started. Over a period of time I found the best way to utilise the elephant leather and after formulating a design and making tooling for both the knife pouch and the slide, this is what I came up with.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t8FEow8f704/XHLJEE2FmBI/AAAAAAAAAS4/UZAo0eUECY8Jpq0vtbln3AloIwyBFBn8QCLcBGAs/s1600/ele1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="308 Win ammo belt slide" border="0" data-original-height="972" data-original-width="1296" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t8FEow8f704/XHLJEE2FmBI/AAAAAAAAAS4/UZAo0eUECY8Jpq0vtbln3AloIwyBFBn8QCLcBGAs/s320/ele1.jpg" title="308 Win ammunition holder" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Qd6umem0C84/XHLJPCrzRqI/AAAAAAAAAS8/ramlI81NgS4vUXtfRVg4QLE8vzXn8Q-swCLcBGAs/s1600/ele2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="972" data-original-width="1296" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Qd6umem0C84/XHLJPCrzRqI/AAAAAAAAAS8/ramlI81NgS4vUXtfRVg4QLE8vzXn8Q-swCLcBGAs/s320/ele2.jpg" title="hand made leather pouch" width="320" /></a></div>
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I think you will agree that the finished products look pretty good, I have also made a belt to go with the pouches, but this had to be made from cows leather as the elephant leather had a tendency to delaminate on the edges, even if glued and stitched.</div>
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safari leatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04251284148997875339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805628099010316307.post-6136900237389198062018-08-28T21:53:00.000+01:002019-03-27T20:35:27.361+00:00SAFARI LEATHER CREATIONSSAFARI LEATHER CULLING BELT, PART 3<br />
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After cutting and dying all the component parts, the last job was to assemble the belt, the Safari Leather logo went on first in the centre. Then I carefully marked out the position of the straps and stitched them in place, then I measure the position of the pouches, again I stitched these into place. All the stitching is done by hand at Safari Leather, using a traditional English saddle stitch, its time consuming but it produces a far stronger product, that will last a lifetime with proper care.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YKyu0rBJyq8/W4W1LYNo8RI/AAAAAAAAASc/BUfyp223yPorbIiXqbJrHjVH7Xxdd5WfACLcBGAs/s1600/culling%2Bbelt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="972" data-original-width="1296" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YKyu0rBJyq8/W4W1LYNo8RI/AAAAAAAAASc/BUfyp223yPorbIiXqbJrHjVH7Xxdd5WfACLcBGAs/s320/culling%2Bbelt.jpg" title="bespoke leather work" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Rxm_5oDP400/W4W1XCAFqeI/AAAAAAAAASg/Ja5epC8jyQIS5JbJJiB9DONXn3Bflm5tgCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_2432.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="magazine pouch" border="0" data-original-height="880" data-original-width="1173" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Rxm_5oDP400/W4W1XCAFqeI/AAAAAAAAASg/Ja5epC8jyQIS5JbJJiB9DONXn3Bflm5tgCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_2432.jpg" title="culling belt" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gfXQ1gA0Ej4/W4W1pzjzw0I/AAAAAAAAASk/zo0Zblwyy40WpXb4J8rIUai7iVDYf6GEwCLcBGAs/s1600/20180827_172744.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gfXQ1gA0Ej4/W4W1pzjzw0I/AAAAAAAAASk/zo0Zblwyy40WpXb4J8rIUai7iVDYf6GEwCLcBGAs/s320/20180827_172744.jpg" title="custom made" width="320" /></a></div>
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A quality solid brass buckle and two loops to finish it off.</div>
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To turn your ideas into reality, contact Martin at Safari Leather.</div>
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<br />safari leatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04251284148997875339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805628099010316307.post-62034646819866808942018-08-28T21:38:00.001+01:002018-08-28T22:00:40.942+01:00SAFARI LEATHER CREATIONSSAFARI LEATHER CULLING BELT, PART 2<br />
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After moulding the pouches I dyed them to match the colour of the belt, this involved mixing a light brown dye with a walnut dye to get a good colour match. Then attaching the Sam Brown studs via a small stitched on disk of leather.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hAGp2AA_k5Q/W4WxEU5zlqI/AAAAAAAAASI/X-TbeOBsJ7Y2Fmxjb9eSdZymyxOokPURACLcBGAs/s1600/20180825_202629.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hAGp2AA_k5Q/W4WxEU5zlqI/AAAAAAAAASI/X-TbeOBsJ7Y2Fmxjb9eSdZymyxOokPURACLcBGAs/s320/20180825_202629.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I then cut the straps to hold the magazines in and the back panels of the pouches, all of which had to be dyed to match.</div>
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I made a template to cut the belt to the traditional culling belt profile, 3 inches wide in the centre section and 1.5 inches wide at the ends. </div>
<br />safari leatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04251284148997875339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805628099010316307.post-51434909865816532852018-08-28T21:25:00.000+01:002018-08-28T22:00:08.319+01:00SAFARI LEATHER CREATIONSSAFARI LEATHER CULLING BELT<br />
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I was asked if it would be possible to make a culling belt, but instead of the conventional bullet loops or pockets, my customer wanted two magazine pouches. These were to be worn at the front to give easy access with either hand, and close enough together so not to rattle against the rifle whilst being carried via a sling on the shoulder. </div>
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I asked for and was furnished with a few details, waist measurement over what ever clothing was to be worn, which side the buckle was to be, as this would dictate which side a knife or small pouch could be worn and the colour was to be mid brown. My customer sent me the magazine for the rifle so I could make tooling of the correct size to mould the pouches on.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qeNqsufJz2g/W4WtSeRhlBI/AAAAAAAAASA/_PJAEWj5_h4IUk9nZUl2H1OlKAA5k2UOgCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180812_163159.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qeNqsufJz2g/W4WtSeRhlBI/AAAAAAAAASA/_PJAEWj5_h4IUk9nZUl2H1OlKAA5k2UOgCEwYBhgL/s320/20180812_163159.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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This is the wooden tooling I made to form the leather over, a top and bottom tool.<br />
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After wetting the leather and leaving it in the tooling to dry for a day, I ended up with the size and shape I was after.<br />
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-n9DoClMZQ9E/W4WtWrcDlRI/AAAAAAAAAR8/sKP7ZMkZZN4DwSblZXsFhKldSairPvStgCLcBGAs/s1600/20180812_164559.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; clear: right; color: #0066cc; float: right; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></a><br />
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<br />safari leatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04251284148997875339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805628099010316307.post-58852868667885709922018-08-15T21:51:00.000+01:002018-08-15T21:51:57.280+01:00SAFARI LEATHER IN ACTIONSafari Leather in action with Global Outdoors.<br />
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I was asked if I could make a ten round 416 Rigby ammunition slide with a matching pouch and belt, and could it be done in less than three weeks, as it was needed on a forth coming hunt for water buffalo in Australia. It meant a few late nights cutting, moulding and stitching leather, but it all went well and was delivered with a couple of days in hand.</div>
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It was ordered and subsequently taken to Australia by Shaun of Global Outdoors.</div>
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The pictures speak for them selves, the hunt was very successful and Safari Leather was pleased to be a part, in a small way. If you are considering a hunt in the future check out Global-Outdoors.</div>
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safari leatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04251284148997875339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805628099010316307.post-59401660481724015742018-08-15T21:20:00.000+01:002018-08-15T21:20:48.767+01:00SAFARI LEATHER CREATIONSSafari Leather cartridge bag and belt.<br />
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The owner of this cartridge bag wanted to be able to carry fifty cartridges, twenty five either side of the divider, so two different shot sizes could be kept separate. he also requested that the pouch should look a little retro. </div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JKI-cJ69_Qs/W3SKCDTvudI/AAAAAAAAARQ/HVVDBmWSC-cLiUovlCW50r1h9F_WvF46ACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_2196.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="972" data-original-width="1296" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JKI-cJ69_Qs/W3SKCDTvudI/AAAAAAAAARQ/HVVDBmWSC-cLiUovlCW50r1h9F_WvF46ACLcBGAs/s320/IMG_2196.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The main body of the pouch was made from a waxy pull up leather and the detachable inner from a natural veg tan, brass fittings finished it off, supplied with a made to measure two inch wide belt.</div>
<br />safari leatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04251284148997875339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805628099010316307.post-86402595874020745382018-08-15T20:52:00.000+01:002018-08-15T20:52:04.939+01:00SAFARI LEATHER CREATIONSAMMUNTION SLIDES, POUCHES AND BELTS.<br />
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This was a ten round 416 Rigby slide, designed to fit on a two inch wide belt.<br />
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The above ammunition slide was supplied with a matching pouch, for those essential small items you need while hunting.</div>
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Along with the ammunition slide and pouch Safari Leather supplied a two inch wide made to measure belt.</div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_xLmNQ77haY/W3SDU92v2FI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/GYqzjC3nlfIOd0mXrRETCtYkUFy4WU3egCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_2171.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="972" data-original-width="1296" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_xLmNQ77haY/W3SDU92v2FI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/GYqzjC3nlfIOd0mXrRETCtYkUFy4WU3egCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_2171.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />safari leatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04251284148997875339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805628099010316307.post-30255423386986633882018-03-15T23:06:00.000+00:002018-03-18T21:57:35.538+00:00500 / 416 Nitro Express ammunition slide<h2>
10 Round 500 / 416 Nitro Express</h2>
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I was commissioned to make a 500/416 Nitro Express ammunition slide and belt a couple of months ago, not having a round in that calibre I asked a few friends if they had an empty case or if they knew any body who used one, but they all came up blank. It was while I was talking to Mike Norris of Brock Norris that he suggested I try Alan Rhone as the calibre is a Krieghoff calibre and as Alan Rhone is the main importer in the UK they might have one. I rang up and spoke to a very helpful member of staff who thought that they might be able to help me, ten minutes later he rang me back confirming that they did have some once fired cases, and I was able to purchase a couple very reasonably. By using the cases I was able to make a ten round slide which the customer and I were very happy with.</div>
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Safari Leather 500/416 Nitro Express colour chocolate.</div>
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<br />safari leatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04251284148997875339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805628099010316307.post-43877179155310873462018-03-15T22:18:00.003+00:002018-03-15T22:23:35.975+00:00458 Win Mag ammunition slide. Part five<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
The home straight.</h3>
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After completing the looped front panel and the rear panel with its belt loops, it is now time to bring the two halves together. The first thing to do is to glue the front to the back, care must be taken in order to get the two pieces lined up, and avoiding getting glue where you don't want any. </div>
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Then using a pricking iron I punch through the holes in the front panel to create the holes in the back panel. We are now ready to stitch the two halves together, using my stitching pony to hold the leather firmly I prepare two needles and a length of thread. This thread must be around four times longer than the length of stitching required. Passing the first needle through the leather I centre the thread, now I start, I pass the needle in my left hand through the next hole in the leather, I cross the thread and then pass the needle in my right hand through the same hole, first stitch! I now need to carry on all the way round, ensuring a similar amount of tension is applied to each stitch to make them all look uniform. </div>
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After I have finished stitching I sand the edges smooth, if done correctly the two pieces of leather that form the front and back will have the appearance of a single piece. This affect is improved upon by slicking the edge which lays all the fibres in the same direction and with the application of some edge coat and dubbin a beautifully smooth edge can be achieved. All that is left to do is to apply a good quality leather polish that will keep the leather supple and water resistant. I recommend that at least once a year a similar product be applied to keep the leather in good condition.</div>
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<u></u><br />safari leatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04251284148997875339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805628099010316307.post-26591822894738531822018-03-13T17:55:00.000+00:002018-03-15T22:25:39.407+00:00458 Win Mag ammunition slide. Part four<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
Loops or pockets?</h3>
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I had already decided that this ammunition slide would have pockets not loops before I had even started. As a rule of thumb the large big game calibres from 375 Holland and Holland up I prefer to stitch pockets, that is to say a longer loop with a stitched closed bottom end. The reason for this is that the pocket can be a looser fit as it does not have to hold the round as securely as a loop. The loop relies on tention to hold the round and stop it from coming out, while in the longer pocket the round is stopped from falling through by the stitched closed end. The advantage of this is that rounds can be more easily and quickly removed should a fast reload be required.</div>
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In the case of smaller calibres that would not be used for dangerous game, a fast reload would seldom be required as most rifles of this type have a magazine that holds more than enough to get the job done. That said if your preference is for pockets that would not be a problem.</div>
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Another thing I do with the larger calibres is to space each round out with two rows of stitching, this makes it easier to extract a round as its easier to get hold of an individual cartridge. I sew all of my products up by hand, using English saddle stitch. It produces a far stronger and more reliable product, it does take considerably longer that a sewing machine would take, but I do not mass produce, my products are bespoke and made to last.</div>
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After stitching all the loops, I stitch close the ends to form the pocket. The next step is to round off the corners and mark out the stitching line that will hold the front to the back, then very carefully punch the holes.</div>
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safari leatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04251284148997875339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805628099010316307.post-60077968307042876292018-03-12T22:59:00.000+00:002018-03-15T22:25:58.271+00:00458 Win Mag ammunition slide. Part three<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
Cutting and pricking.</h3>
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After cutting the back and belt loops I mark out the stitching holes and using a pricking iron start punching the holes in the leather.</div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eU5y5lM8Ymg/Wqb_p-Fy8RI/AAAAAAAAANA/Y8tJUin58BIFiJxVO9G0uQk87oSB9fphgCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_2021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; clear: left; color: #0066cc; float: left; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-right: 16px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1167" data-original-width="1556" height="150" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eU5y5lM8Ymg/Wqb_p-Fy8RI/AAAAAAAAANA/Y8tJUin58BIFiJxVO9G0uQk87oSB9fphgCLcBGAs/s200/IMG_2021.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-F3MMHkEPjBw/Wqb_vwjORFI/AAAAAAAAANE/TxmFKEgpP7sWFIop2bjL-aYaD-mQS4aOACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_1795.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0066cc; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-left: 16px; margin-right: 16px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1167" data-original-width="1556" height="150" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-F3MMHkEPjBw/Wqb_vwjORFI/AAAAAAAAANE/TxmFKEgpP7sWFIop2bjL-aYaD-mQS4aOACLcBGAs/s200/IMG_1795.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The holes in the front panel must line up exactly with the holes is the back panel, other wise you will not be able to stitch the two parts together, accuracy is a must, if you don't mark the lines correctly the loops or in this case the pockets will turn out different sizes, which would result in some being too tight and others being loose. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I decided to stain the natural veg tan leather wallnut, it goes well with the darker waxy pull up. I like to stain after the holes have been punched as the stain can get into the holes and you don't end up with undyed holes showing.</div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XqVKnOQpORo/WqcDFdc4YHI/AAAAAAAAANU/peNFudioHtYV7-ez7I34HyHmb6OsJYc0wCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_2025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; clear: left; color: #0066cc; float: left; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-right: 16px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><img alt="BIG GAME" border="0" data-original-height="1167" data-original-width="1556" height="150" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XqVKnOQpORo/WqcDFdc4YHI/AAAAAAAAANU/peNFudioHtYV7-ez7I34HyHmb6OsJYc0wCLcBGAs/s200/IMG_2025.jpg" title="AMMUNITION SLIDE" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ya4rju2qz-4/WqcDV3JQDaI/AAAAAAAAANY/L9LzVlcUkigK_AynIw1Z5ECAOy_P73_fwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_2027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ya4rju2qz-4/WqcDV3JQDaI/AAAAAAAAANY/L9LzVlcUkigK_AynIw1Z5ECAOy_P73_fwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_2027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0066cc; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><img alt="458 WIN MAG" border="0" data-original-height="1167" data-original-width="1556" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ya4rju2qz-4/WqcDV3JQDaI/AAAAAAAAANY/L9LzVlcUkigK_AynIw1Z5ECAOy_P73_fwCLcBGAs/s200/IMG_2027.jpg" title="SAFARI lEATHER LOGO" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
I also emboss the Safari Leather logo onto the leather while it is still damp from being dyed, as the leather is a little softer and i get a better result. Once the back panel is dry I stitch the belt loops on, two rows of stitching at the top and a single row at the bottom.<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ya4rju2qz-4/WqcDV3JQDaI/AAAAAAAAANY/L9LzVlcUkigK_AynIw1Z5ECAOy_P73_fwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_2027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; clear: left; color: #0066cc; float: left; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></a>
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<br />safari leatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04251284148997875339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805628099010316307.post-17285969355260830442018-03-12T22:23:00.001+00:002018-03-15T22:26:21.472+00:00458 Win Mag ammunition slide. Part two<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
The lay out.</h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Having now got the dimensions to stitch the pockets to, I make a stencil to aid marking out. It's a little time consuming, but in the long run it saves a lot of time and reduces the risk of making a measuring error.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sv2jY2XYnho/Wqb6baz3MMI/AAAAAAAAAMg/FO-IEyWbRn0ow0iHxvCQMsRsczEjZ1ldACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_1785.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; clear: left; color: #0066cc; float: left; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-right: 16px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1167" data-original-width="1556" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sv2jY2XYnho/Wqb6baz3MMI/AAAAAAAAAMg/FO-IEyWbRn0ow0iHxvCQMsRsczEjZ1ldACLcBGAs/s200/IMG_1785.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="200" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AJDl1zGxlrs/Wqb6ohtLGWI/AAAAAAAAAMk/7qnlcjQOqc44KlyKgSUQ_lNMFyUEVq3eACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_1789.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1167" data-original-width="1556" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AJDl1zGxlrs/Wqb6ohtLGWI/AAAAAAAAAMk/7qnlcjQOqc44KlyKgSUQ_lNMFyUEVq3eACLcBGAs/s200/IMG_1789.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sv2jY2XYnho/Wqb6baz3MMI/AAAAAAAAAMg/FO-IEyWbRn0ow0iHxvCQMsRsczEjZ1ldACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_1785.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I cut a strip of leather to the correct width and length and mark out the stitching and cutting lines, care must be taken when cutting as it is all to easy to cut a stitching line by accident. </div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qkdoCKlYa7M/Wqb7nJD3iCI/AAAAAAAAAM0/zvcTnMGyRG0Lqq94ZlLTUbXpzt4aE8CBQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_1792.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1167" data-original-width="1556" height="150" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qkdoCKlYa7M/Wqb7nJD3iCI/AAAAAAAAAM0/zvcTnMGyRG0Lqq94ZlLTUbXpzt4aE8CBQCLcBGAs/s200/IMG_1792.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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At this point I cut the back and the belt loops out of some 3mm veg tan leather. This is more ridged than the waxy pull up used for the pockets and gives the finished product a feel of quality and sturdiness that you would not get if you made the whole thing out of the pull up leather. The veg tan leather I use is not dyed, so I can pick what colour I want, but I tend to stick to three colours, light brown, wall nut and chocolate. I find these all go well with the colour of the waxy pull up used on the front.<br />
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safari leatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04251284148997875339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805628099010316307.post-83643972827584189192018-03-12T22:00:00.000+00:002018-03-15T22:26:48.667+00:00458 Win Mag ammunition slide. Part one.<h3>
Preparation.</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Having just purchased a side of leather I decided I needed to make an ammunition slide to see how well this new leather would perform. I have for the last couple of years been using a waxy pull up of 2.4 mm thick and not being able to get hold of the same again I had opted for a leather that seemed to be very similar but not exactly the same. I had also just taken delivery of a couple of inert 458 Win Mag rounds, these I had purchased to enable me to stitch either loops or pockets of the correct size for this calibre. So it was an easy decision, I would make an ammunition side in 458 Win Mag calibre.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Xp87H0HF-7k/WqbxNjJ1sWI/AAAAAAAAAL8/VgN26uPhjxE2GShWtDvYnNDNipOWgKleACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_1769.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; clear: right; color: #0066cc; float: right; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></a>The first thing to do when approaching a new project is to make a prototype, this will confirm the dimensions required to produce the correct fit, too tight and the rounds wont go in, and too loose and they are going to fall out. Experience has taught me a little so I marked out and cut a single pocket and a back to stitch it to.</div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ApC_Y06wjTY/Wqbw2mHuQkI/AAAAAAAAAL4/VWPDxDDIF6E8BYYdcch281SuUXuk6Fg5gCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_1768.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1167" data-original-width="1556" height="150" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ApC_Y06wjTY/Wqbw2mHuQkI/AAAAAAAAAL4/VWPDxDDIF6E8BYYdcch281SuUXuk6Fg5gCEwYBhgL/s200/IMG_1768.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Xp87H0HF-7k/WqbxNjJ1sWI/AAAAAAAAAL8/VgN26uPhjxE2GShWtDvYnNDNipOWgKleACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_1769.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0066cc; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-left: 16px; margin-right: 16px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1167" data-original-width="1556" height="150" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Xp87H0HF-7k/WqbxNjJ1sWI/AAAAAAAAAL8/VgN26uPhjxE2GShWtDvYnNDNipOWgKleACLcBGAs/s200/IMG_1769.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jEeSBn-V0mw/WqbxmMvQnJI/AAAAAAAAAMM/5gThmy28HioSjvanefpSfMmz1oh-WfokACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_1774.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; clear: right; color: #0066cc; float: right; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-left: 16px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></a><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jEeSBn-V0mw/WqbxmMvQnJI/AAAAAAAAAMM/5gThmy28HioSjvanefpSfMmz1oh-WfokACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_1774.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; clear: right; color: #0066cc; float: right; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-left: 16px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></a></div>
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Xp87H0HF-7k/WqbxNjJ1sWI/AAAAAAAAAL8/VgN26uPhjxE2GShWtDvYnNDNipOWgKleACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_1769.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jEeSBn-V0mw/WqbxmMvQnJI/AAAAAAAAAMM/5gThmy28HioSjvanefpSfMmz1oh-WfokACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_1774.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jEeSBn-V0mw/WqbxmMvQnJI/AAAAAAAAAMM/5gThmy28HioSjvanefpSfMmz1oh-WfokACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_1774.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0066cc; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Xp87H0HF-7k/WqbxNjJ1sWI/AAAAAAAAAL8/VgN26uPhjxE2GShWtDvYnNDNipOWgKleACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_1769.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0066cc; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></a><br />
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<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><u><br /></u></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
But with all that experience it still came out too small! Back to marking and cutting another one, this time perfect, and with only the addition of 1mm of extra leather to form the pocket. The new leather seemed to be ok, but a little more ridged than the old.</div>
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</div>
safari leatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04251284148997875339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805628099010316307.post-22278081148065034742017-04-09T19:49:00.000+01:002017-04-09T19:49:06.461+01:00JAKES AND HENS, PART THREE<h2 style="text-align: center;">
JAKES AND HENS</h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
PART THREE</h2>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">When we reached camp after I had shot my first turkey, Clay disappeared for a minute
and came back with a pair of women’s stockings, there not going to fit me I
thought!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact they were for the
turkey, even stranger I hear you say, but by sliding him head first into one of
the stockings you protect his feathers from damage, that way the taxidermist
end up with a better quality bird and you end up with a better quality
mount.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As soon as the turkey was on ice
we packed our gear and headed for our second hunting area, about a four-hour
drive away, not far from Uvalde, here Clay hoped we might get an older bird, as
all we were seeing here were Jakes and hens.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The accommodation at the second ranch was in a
beautiful log cabin set among tall Cyprus trees on the banks of a river.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On arrival we dropped our bags and went out
hunting, the first signs looked good as we spotted turkeys almost straight
away, they were moving from the fields to the security of the trees to
roost.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Clay drove me to an area where
he thought I might have a chance of a Tom, and gave me instructions on how to
get back to the ranch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I called for a
while at this spot but saw nothing, then slowly I walked back to the ranch
stopping and calling as I went, I did see a couple of turkeys but only as they
crossed my path on the way to roost.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That evening I met Chris the ranch owner, who had prepared a Tex Mex meal
for us while we had been away, after the events of the day it was very welcome.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R-kYUb0h_s4/WOp8xFYKNdI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/dwiRN7EBs5c6y9gPOUocEGGtC-jxZXVQwCLcB/s1600/IMG_0436.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R-kYUb0h_s4/WOp8xFYKNdI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/dwiRN7EBs5c6y9gPOUocEGGtC-jxZXVQwCLcB/s320/IMG_0436.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The next morning we were up early and I was in
position before dawn, I was sat with my back to a hedge looking over a grass
field towards a patch of woodland.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>About an hour after first light I saw a group of turkeys, they had come
out of the wood and were headed my way, I raised my right knee slowly and
rested the shotgun on it to avoid too much movement when they were closer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I kept calling and when they got close I
could see the group consisted of three jakes and two hens, I stopped calling
not wanting to give my exact position away and remained motionless, they came
to with in a few feet of me before drifting off to my right and through the
hedge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wanted a Tom and nothing else
would do, later that day I had a similar encounter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That evening we watched some footage shot by a trail camera over
looking a game feeder on Chris’s ranch; there were hogs, deer and turkeys, but
no Toms just Jakes and hens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Clay
decided we should move to another area, so after hunting the next morning with
out success we again hit the road.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TA7hA3UPFKg/WOp-FNTqPyI/AAAAAAAAAKU/5w9rZubcEs0uTwv8yqbqRgMd5XwwxyUYgCLcB/s1600/bridge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TA7hA3UPFKg/WOp-FNTqPyI/AAAAAAAAAKU/5w9rZubcEs0uTwv8yqbqRgMd5XwwxyUYgCLcB/s320/bridge.JPG" title="PECOS RIVER, " width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Another four plus hour drive took us over the Pecos
River to a ranch the other side of the town of Sanderson.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here the accommodation was an old shack used
by the ranch hands and hunters for many years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We immediately set out hunting, and after glassing from several
locations spotted a flock of turkeys, they were close to an old barn and a
leaking water tank that were situated amongst the thick brush of the area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I quietly and carefully got as close as I
could before I started to call, an hour later and with no sight or sound of the
turkeys I decided to try and get a bit closer, this was a mistake, as I stood
up several turkeys that I hadn’t seen spooked and flew, blowing my
chances.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next morning we were up
even earlier, we drove for about one and a half hours before turning off onto
dirt roads, this was Texas canyon country, and it took us another hour to get
to a flat area on the banks of the Rio Grande.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There amongst the mesquite trees and the prickly pear cactus I did my
best to call in a turkey, but again all I could tempt were Jakes and hens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the afternoon we set up two decoy hens, I
sat under a thorn bush twenty yards from them and called quietly, the heat was
almost intolerable and after a couple of hours the pain in my legs and backside
was agonising.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One turkey eventually
showed up, but you guessed it, a Jake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The following day was my last hunting day in Texas, again it started
early but my first hunt before breakfast turned up another blank, by 11AM I was
out again, this time the plan was to walk and call, making my way to the barn
and leaking water tank.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I approached
the barn this time from the opposite side I came across lots of turkey sign,
they had obviously been roosting in these trees, as there were droppings and
feathers all over the ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I sat
here and called but to no avail, it was almost 3PM when Clay arrived in the
pickup to move me to my last location. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">We drove to an area where Clay had spotted what
looked like a good Tom the previous day, as I got out of the truck I realised
this was my last chance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I quickly got
into position loaded the shotgun and arranged my calls to minimise
movement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had just started calling when
I heard heavy foot falls, then a small heard of cattle gathered right in front
of me, this was all I needed, as there was no way of shooing with them only ten
yards away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I decided not to call for a
few minutes, and hoped they might drift away, which after a time most of them
did, leaving just two stubborn individuals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was now I spotted a turkey, he was moving slowly, and I could see
with out binoculars that his beard reached the ground when he bent forward to
peck at some small food item.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I started
to call very quietly while he crossed diagonally in front of me, a hundred
yards out, then he stopped and started to dust bath, after what seemed like
hours he got up and crossed back diagonally from left to right getting a little
closer all the time. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was now his
disappeared into some thick bushes, unable to see him I dare not move, in case
he was looking my way, the pain started to build in my legs and sitting
motionless was self inflicted torture, as time went by I was beginning to think
he had gone, but he reappeared from the bushes and again crossed diagonally
from right to left, he was now about fifty yards away and moving a little
quicker.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was coming straight down a
line of bushes to my left, I picked out a small bush twenty yards away and said
to my self, when he gets here I’m going to shoot, I raised the gun very slowly
and waited.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As he got to the bush I
blew gently on my mouth call, he stopped and raised his head, I squeezed the
trigger and <b><i>click</i></b>, I couldn’t believe it, the gun had failed to
pick up a cartridge from the magazine.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The turkey heard the click and quickly disappeared
into the bushes, I was distraught, all the time, money and effort to get this
far, not to mention the pain I was in should have amounted to something, or so
I thought, it seemed like the hunting gods was against me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I eased back the fore end of the gun as
quietly as I could and watched this time as I chambered a cartridge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I moved my aching legs a little and tried to
get comfortable, sliding involuntarily a couple of feet down the bank I was
sitting on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was to late to go
anywhere else, and Clay wasn’t coming back until dark, so I sat tight and
continued to call, cursing my bad luck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Half an hour had passed since I had last seen the turkey, the shadows
were lengthening and my mind turned to my journey home which would start all to
soon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was then as I looked to my
left and spotted a turkey through the over hanging branches of the bushes I was
sitting under, I could only see it’s silhouette, as it stood erect and facing
me, it didn’t look very big and for a moment I thought it might be a hen, but
as it lowered its head and turned slightly I saw the long beard of a Tom, I slowly
raised the gun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were far to many
branches in the way to shoot, I would have to wait, I called quietly with a
mouth call and slowly he started to come my way, then after what had seemed
like an age he cleared the bushes and I shot, I tried to jump to my feet but my
legs were so stiff I couldn’t, but I had no need to rush, I had shot for the
neck and several pellets had hit his head and neck area killing the Tom
instantly.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I laid the turkey out in the last rays of the
setting sun and admired my trophy; it had been very hard won, and it was all
the more special for that reason.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
was an old bird; his claws were worn almost completely off from scratching in
the hard ground, his spurs were 1 5/8 inches long and his beard was just over
10 inches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Clay showed up at the
allotted time and shook my hand and congratulated me, it had been one of the
toughest hunts I had ever been on, but one I’d never forget.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I packed my case that night and at 4.30 AM
we set off on a 500-mile drive back to San Antonio airport and home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What a hunt it had been, turkeys really are
a challenge of all your hunting skills, you can hunt them using a rifle or a
pistol or even a bow and arrow, my weapon of choice was a 12 gauge, as you then
have to get your bird up close and personal before you can shoot, making for a
very exciting hunt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are four
other sub species of turkey available to hunt in the USA, the Eastern, the
Merriams, the Osceola and the Goulds so I’ll defiantly be going back for
another crack at this more than challenging game bird.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
safari leatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04251284148997875339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805628099010316307.post-68858698836506382802017-04-09T15:53:00.000+01:002018-03-13T18:09:56.332+00:00JAKES AND HENS, PART TWO<h2 style="text-align: center;">
JAKES AND HENS</h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
PART TWO</h2>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">My first morning turkey hunting in Texas started off
before dawn with me being taken to a small-elevated covered blind, by Clay Pope
my outfitter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He gave me some
instructions and quietly drove back to camp, it didn’t take long for my eyes to
get use to the darkness and only a few minutes after Clay had left I spotted
two white tail deer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I let every thing
quieten down after my arrival for ten minutes before I started my first string
of calls, I kept them very low key and very subtle, that way I could increase
the volume and the excitement with in the calls as the morning progressed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the darkness receded and was replaced by
the dawn of a new day I hadn’t seen or heard a single turkey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I changed from a pot and peg type of call to
a box call, which is considerable louder, and worked up the excitement level in
the calls to replicate the clucking and cutting of an excited hen, but still no
response.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">It wasn’t until a couple of hours had gone by that I
spotted a small group of turkeys, they were probably 250 yards away and had
just emerged from some thick cover, I had my box call in my hand so I started
calling, I got no reaction at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
changed to a mouth call and still nothing, finally I changed to the pot and peg
type of call, and instantly got their attention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their heads shot up as they worked out the direction the call was
coming from, I was just purring and clucking on the call, but so quietly you
would not have thought that they could of possibly heard it, but they did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moments later they were coming my way, and
they weren’t hanging round, as they approached I looked at them through my
binoculars and I could see that they were all Jakes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a male turkey ages he grows what is called a beard from the centre
of his chest, the beard is a tuft of long hair like feathers that get longer
with age.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A Jake is a male bird of
about one year old, he will have a beard of just a few inches long, while a Tom
a bird of two or more years old may have a beard of ten or more inches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I decided I wouldn’t shoot one of these
Jakes, even if the opportunity arose, instead I would wait for a Tom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The five Jakes in a matter of a couple of minutes
had covered all the ground that separated us, and were now that close that I could
no longer see them out of the windows of the blind, they were almost directly
beneath me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had stopped calling when
they were about twenty yards away, and now I sat silently for fear of scaring
them away with the slightest of movement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After a minute or two and not having found the elusive hen they started
to drift away, when they reappeared from under my blind I allowed them to move
off some twenty yards before I started to quietly call again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first note the call made stopped them
dead in their tracks, two of them started to strut, fanning their tails,
lowering their wing tips and puffing them selves up, trying to impress the
unseen hen, one of them gobbled, which started them all off and I was treated
to an ear splitting display of gobbling by all of them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They worked their way back under the blind
searching for the source of the hen calls, and again I let them drift away
again before calling them back, this carried on for a quarter of an hour before
they lost interest and slowly drifted back into the thick cover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I learned more about turkey calling in those
few short minutes than in the six months I had spent watching DVD’s and reading
books, there is no substitute for experience.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Later that morning I started walking back to where
Clay had told me to meet him, I moved slowly and called every now and then,
listening for a male turkey to gobble back at me, but the woods were
silent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Clay arrived in his pickup and
we set off for camp, as we rounded a corner there on the side of the track were
another five jakes, they turned and disappeared into the tree line, Clay
stopped the truck and I jumped out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
set up on the opposite side of the track with my back to a small bush to break
up my outline, I loaded the pump action 12 gauge, and with it lying over my
legs I started calling using the pot and peg.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The turkeys had disappeared into the trees around fifty yards down the
track to my right, I thought if they reappear in the same area I would have the
opportunity to raise the gun and call them in to range, but like most best laid
plans it wasn’t to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On hearing my
call they must have doubled back inside the tree line and when they emerged
they were only about five to six yards away directly opposite me on the other
side of the track, I froze, they were to close for me to even blink let a lone
raise the gun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They looked me over but
I sat absolutely motionless waiting for them to make the next move, they
crossed the track diagonally to my right, this made shooting for a right handed
shooter impossible with out moving my whole body round, so I sat tight hoping
for another opportunity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As they got
into the long grass on my side of the road I lost sight of them, thinking I
might have a chance to move I swivelled round to give my self a chance of a shot,
but I was seen as they were almost on top of me, literally the other side of
the bush I was sitting under.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
ducked down and ran for the tree line behind me, passing with in a few feet of
where I sat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was pleased with my
calling success; I just needed a better chance in the shooting department.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14pt;">After a little while I heard Clays pickup
heading my way again, I unloaded the gun and jumped in, and started to relate
my story, we hadn’t gone more than half a mile when Clay stopped the truck and
grabbed his binoculars, there on an old stock fence sat a turkey, and on the
ground beneath him were at least three more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We watched as they milled around for a minute before disappearing
through the fence and into a particularly thick bit of cover, Clay said there’s
water down there, they will be going for a drink.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I left the truck loaded up again and made my way to the stock
fence, finding a place I could shoot from I sat down, and started to call,
instantly two turkeys gobbled back at me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The water was in a natural hollow surrounded by thick vegetation and
shrubs, and that is where the turkeys were, I continued to call and the
gobbling got louder, then I could see the heads of three turkeys coming up out
of the hollow towards me, I raised the gun and continued to call.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the birds crested the top of the hollow
they stopped to look around, I levelled the gun and made a single call, there
heads went up and I picked my target and shot, two birds turned and ran one remained,
his wings flapped involuntary, I had my first turkey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was now 1.30 pm I had been out since before dawn with out food
or a drink, but none of this mattered now I was ecstatic, I picked up my bird
and marvelled at its beauty, I had shot a Jake as there wasn’t a Tom in the
group, but that really didn’t matter now. Clay arrived shortly after and took
the pictures of me with my trophy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
loaded up the pickup and headed back to camp, no stops this time.</span></div>
safari leatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04251284148997875339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805628099010316307.post-42463202958694288092017-04-09T09:32:00.000+01:002017-04-09T09:37:13.148+01:00JAKES AND HENS, PART ONE<br />
<h2 class="MsoTitle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
JAKES AND HENS</h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
PART ONE</h2>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">It was October 20<sup>th</sup> and I had just paid
the deposit for a hunt in South Texas with Pope Brothers Outfitters, I was
going to be hunting for hogs, javalina, vermin and Rio Grande turkeys.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was due to fly out in April, giving me six
months to get ready and prepare my equipment and myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not having any wild turkeys in the UK, and
not knowing anyone who had hunted them in the US, I started off by reading all
the articles I could find on the internet, when I had exhausted these I
purchased some DVD’s, these are a great teaching aid, you get to see and hear
from professional hunters how you should go about your chosen hunt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The choice of DVD titles on turkey hunting
is huge, I bought a couple that were not as good or as informative as I was hoping,
but I also bought some very good titles, the best in my opinion being The Truth
series, these are made and released by Primos, the same company that make an
array of hunting calls and accessories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I also purchased some books and was given another by a friend and fellow
hunter for Christmas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All this
information was essential for a complete novice like me, if I wanted to be
successful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Turkey hunting is not a spot and stalk type of hunt,
instead you try and call the male bird to you by replicating turkey talk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of the sounds a hunter will make are
those of the hen turkey, you play on the male turkeys increased hormone levels
and eagerness to pass his genes on to the next generation, by trying to impersonate
a hen turkey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sounds are produced
in a variety of ways, there are diaphragm calls that fit against the roof of
you mouth, there are box calls and pot and peg calls that both work on
friction, and a whole host of semi-mechanical calls that also rely on friction
to produce a realistic turkey sound.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I purchased several mouth calls from Cabelas in the
USA, as they are not readily available here in the UK, and using my
instructional DVD’s listened to and tried to replicate the various sounds
commonly made by hen turkeys when feeding, and in response to a gobbling male
turkey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The mouth calls tend to be the
most difficult to master, as they provoke a gag reflex in most people when they
are placed in the roof of the mouth, but once that is overcome you soon learn
to make the basic turkey sounds, then only hours of practice will hone your
skills, and the variety and quality of the calls you can make.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the other end of the difficulty spectrum
is the box call, a good quality one will produce great sounds with very little
practice, they work by the rubbing together of two pieces of wood, basically a
box and a lid which is attached to the box with a single screw, loosely fitted
to make a hinge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You draw the lid over
the top edges of the box to produce the sound.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The third type of call widely used is the pot and peg type or slate
call, basically the pot is a sounder box and the peg is a striker or stylus,
that is moved over the friction face of the pot, and again depending on how
hard you press and how you move the peg, you produce a whole range of life like
turkey sounds. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14pt;">One of the things I found very useful as an aid
to learning was an instructional CD, which I played in the car while travelling
back and to from work, I would pop a mouth call in and make all the noise I
wanted with out upsetting anyone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once
you have learned to fool a turkeys ears, the next thing is to fool his eyes,
for this you need camouflage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A turkey
has fantastic eyesight; if you are not completely covered in camo clothing he
will see you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For hunting in south
Texas where daytime temperatures can exceed 40 degrees Celsius, I would have to
wear a long sleeve tee shirt, long trousers, a veil, gloves and a hat, on top
of that I wore a turkey waistcoat, which is a specially designed piece of kit,
with pockets for all you calls and shot shells and a built in seat
cushion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another essential piece of kit
for safely wandering around Texas are snake guards, basically they are gaiters
that cannot be penetrated by a snakes teeth, and in terrain where you cannot
always see where you are stepping they are vital, the other thing they do is
protect your lower legs from cactus spines, which on it’s own is a good enough
reason to wear them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Needless to say
sitting waiting for a turkey in all those cloths is warm work, even if you are
lucky enough to be sat in a bit of shade.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
safari leatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04251284148997875339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805628099010316307.post-81254291511164237762017-04-08T18:07:00.000+01:002017-04-08T18:07:01.799+01:00TEXAS HIGH TIME, PART THREE<h2 style="text-align: center;">
TEXAS, HIGH TIME</h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
PART THREE</h2>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The next morning we were looking for hogs, the North
American feral hog comes in many guises, some are almost true wild boar while
others are almost pure domestic pig breeds, with most of them some where in
between, our method would be the same as for the javalina, but Clay didn’t
think we had much of a chance until evening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We came to a very over grown section of road, and there were hog tracks
everywhere, Clay flicked the switch and the spin feeder sprung to life,
dispensing corn all over the soft sandy dirt road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the time we headed back for a late breakfast we hadn’t seen a
single hog, we ate heartily and settled down for a long siesta, until the
shadows were longer and the sun was sliding down the western sky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At around 4PM we made our move, slowly
cruising the desert roads looking for any sign of activity at our bait sights,
the normal characters had been busy, deer and javalina had cleaned most of the
corn up, so we replaced it with more of the same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">As day light turned into twilight we parked the
truck and quietly walked to a position where we could see down an over grown
track, it was the one we had seen the most hog activity in that morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As it got almost to dark to see with the
naked eye we spotted movement, looking through our binoculars we could see a
group of hogs feeding on the corn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Clay
pointed out the biggest animal and I drew a deadly bead on it, I squeeze the
trigger and down it went.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Photographs
taken the hog was loaded up on the pick up, on the way back Clay switched on
his spot light, and we soon saw some eye shine in the distance, Clay said it’s
a racoon go ahead and shoot, I jumped out of the truck and fired at a spot just
below the eye shine, I had my first racoon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Over the next few days and nights we were to see many more racoons.</span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></span>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The next morning was almost a rerun of the previous
one, we were up early driving the now familiar roads, spin feeding all the
likely looking spots and a areas that had seen a lot of over night
activity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did see a pair of coyotes,
but by the time Clay had stopped the truck they had made it into cover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The afternoon to was devoid of any hog
sightings, as evening drew in we again got our selves into position to watch an
area where there had been some recent activity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Right on schedule just as the last rays of light were fading the
hogs appeared, we quickly looked them over with our binoculars and picked out
the largest boar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I swapped my
binoculars for my rifle and now watched through my scope for a chance to
shoot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was using a Blaser R93 rifle
in .243 Win with a 3 – 10 Swarovski scope, the ammunition was a home load
firing an 85 grain Sierra hollow point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I considered the .243 Win a little marginal for hogs especially if you
shoot for the shoulder, but I had all ready decided that I would only take neck
shots, and for that the .243 is very capable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I had brought the .243 with me because I felt it was the best compromise
for a hunt comprising of hogs, javalina and predators, e.g. coyotes, foxes,
racoons, bobcats etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A couple of
minutes later and shooting from a sitting position I fired at the largest boar,
he dropped where he had been standing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We loaded him into the truck and returned to camp, where I had Clay take
a couple of pictures of me with my hog, before he got to work skinning and
jointing it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XQH9lMVcgQs/WOkYMXcNvxI/AAAAAAAAAI8/_tsgDvYsroA2xFcVwpXHnZ0CZl0DrwDJwCLcB/s1600/HOG2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XQH9lMVcgQs/WOkYMXcNvxI/AAAAAAAAAI8/_tsgDvYsroA2xFcVwpXHnZ0CZl0DrwDJwCLcB/s320/HOG2.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
</span><o:p></o:p></span>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Later the same night we set off for a few hours of
predator calling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was given the job
of driving while Clay worked the lamp and called from a raised platform he had
attached to the back of the pickup.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
would direct me by flicking the beam of light in the direction he want me to
drive, a flash over the wind screen and I would stop, another and I cut the
engine and join him on the platform.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
used mouth calls and electronic calls to coax coyotes and foxes into rifle
range; I particularly wanted a bobcat, but try as we might we never got one,
still there is always next time!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The remainder of the trip I hunted turkeys by
day and lamped for predators by night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We hunted on two other ranches and covered some 500-road miles; I ended
up hunting on the banks of the Rio Grande close to the town of Sanderson in
order to get the final trophy of a great hunting adventure. The accommodation
like the temperatures had their highs and lows, but that said it just added to
the whole experience, the sport and the level of effort on the other hand were
a constant high, Clay pulled out all the stops attempting to put me on quality
game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can highly recommend Pope
Brothers Outfitters for their level of service and for the vast amount of land
that they are able to hunt over; in the end it was this that gave me a chance
to fill my tags.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the second part of
this story I recall my turkey hunting in South Texas, in Jakes and Hens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
safari leatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04251284148997875339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805628099010316307.post-27209732563293292122017-04-08T17:48:00.002+01:002017-04-08T17:57:43.681+01:00TEXAS HIGH TIME, PART TWO<h2 style="text-align: center;">
TEXAS, HIGH TIME</h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
PART TWO</h2>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Clay was already up when I got up; he had taken
another turkey hunter out and had come back to camp to collect me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That first morning we drove the desert
roads, looking for signs of hogs and javalina.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In the areas where we could see some activity Clay would spin feed, that
is to say he had a hopper of corn fixed to the front bumper of his pickup, when
he spotted the tracks of pigs or javalina he would flick a switch on the
dashboard and the hopper would dispense some corn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We continued to do this covering a distance of around 15 miles,
then we doubled back to see if our corn had coaxed any pigs or javalina out of
the almost impenetrable bush.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
animals that were taking full advantage of this free breakfast were the white
tailed deer; they were mopping up the corn almost as fast as Clay was
dispensing it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">We had covered most of the 15 miles back to camp
when on rounding a corner we spotted a dark shape on one of the dirt roads,
Clay stopped the pickup and grabbed his binoculars, I steadied mine and
realised I was looking at my first javalina.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was a boar and a big one, Clay signalled me to get out of the truck,
and we began our stalk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now javalina
are not the most difficult animal to stalk, as their eye sight is poor and
their hearing does not seem to be very acute, we simply walked slowly in plain
view up to a distance of about 110 yards, where I took an off hand neck shot,
hitting the boar behind the ear and dropping him in his tracks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Clay went back for the truck and I walked on
to check the javalina, my shot had killed him almost instantly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While looking at the boar I noticed a strong
pungent smell, and on examination I found a large sent gland in the middle of
the boars back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Clay got back with
the truck and cameras, he took the obligatory trophy shots; we loaded up the
boar and headed back to camp for breakfast.</span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dWr5Kv0HYmw/WOkRaZXb9UI/AAAAAAAAAIU/wRvgqV9GRIUTCPX_RrcZygWqlnH2b4UmACLcB/s1600/javalina%2B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dWr5Kv0HYmw/WOkRaZXb9UI/AAAAAAAAAIU/wRvgqV9GRIUTCPX_RrcZygWqlnH2b4UmACLcB/s320/javalina%2B1.jpg" title="STALKING A JAVALINA, 243 WIN" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">While I started on a plate of bacon, eggs and
biscuits, Clay went to pick up my fellow hunter; he had driven down from his
home in Pennsylvania, and had hunted pigs and javalina earlier in the week with
Clay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was the last morning of his
hunt, he had been out trying to call a tom turkey with in shotgun range, and he
had been successful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On his return to
camp we exchanged stories and relived the events of the morning, I still had my
turkey hunting to look forward to, and seeing his bird really whetted my
appetite.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had been practising my
turkey calling for the last six months, determined that I would be good enough
to call my own bird into range.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had
bought instructional DVD’s, CD’s and books on how to call, and had purchased
several types of calls from Cabelas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
had, at least in my own mind, mastered the mouth call the pot and peg and the
box call.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of these require
different techniques to replicate various turkey sounds, like clucking, cutting
and purring.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">When the heat of the day was in decline around 3 PM,
Clay and I set off again in pursuit of javalina.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We followed the same basic formula as in the morning, driving the
dirt roads that covered the ranch, feeding here and there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We came across a large indigo snake crossing
one of the roads, and Clay jumped out of the truck and posed for a picture with
the snake before letting it go its own way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Later in the afternoon we came upon a group of javalina feeding in a
dirt road, we stalked as close as we could and watched and waited for a chance
at a big boar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were females and
young in the group and a couple of smaller boars, they constantly argued
amongst them selves, and bared their large teeth in threat displays.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After may be five minutes of watching a
bigger boar gave me a chance of a shot, again I aimed for the neck, and the
boar dropped in his tracks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two is the
limit for javalina in Texas, so that was the end of my javalina hunting, two
great trophies and some great memories to relive with my friends back at home
in the UK.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uRyCoRLOK4Y/WOkTXUaUaXI/AAAAAAAAAIo/sXmoGY6-7G4RN6Rn9jh1DSpZZeq4i9f0gCLcB/s1600/JAVALINA2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uRyCoRLOK4Y/WOkTXUaUaXI/AAAAAAAAAIo/sXmoGY6-7G4RN6Rn9jh1DSpZZeq4i9f0gCLcB/s320/JAVALINA2.JPG" title="JAVALINA, 243 WIN" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14pt;">We still had some daylight left, so Clay
suggested I sit up a high seat for the last couple of hours, to see if I could
get a shot at a hog or a coyote.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
drove to one of the many high seats that had been erected on the ground, the
one he chose looked over a shallow draw, I sat quietly for the first hour or
so, and watched numerous white tail deer going about their business, the last
hour I started predator calling intermittently, I saw one coyote off to my
left, but it was only a fleeting glimpse, I never had the chance of another
shot that evening.</span></div>
safari leatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04251284148997875339noreply@blogger.com0