flintlock75
45 Cal.
- Joined
- Sep 23, 2007
- Messages
- 609
- Reaction score
- 122
After 3 separate attempts to bag a Caribou i was finally successful. We left home at 5am to begin the 200 mile drive to Paxson Lake and hopefully migrating Caribou. The first weeks of November find the Caribou begins the long walk to Canada for the winter. The weather had been mild for several weeks’ day temps about 30 deg. and nights about 4 deg. It had warmed up and snowed lightly about an inch fell the night before. This day it was cooler at 7 deg. But it was clear and beautiful day with lot a of sun, they begin herding up and moving out when the weather starts to turn cold in groups of 5-300. We arrived in the hunt area just after sunrise (9:30am). The area is heavily wooded with spruce trees and alder thickets, visibility is only about 50 feet in most places. As we climbed a hill we could see the lakes below us about 2 miles away, out on the lake was a herd of about 300 caribou crossing the ice and heading our way. We pulled over in an access road and parked. We got out and i primed the flintlock of my .54 cal Jaeger rifle, I crossed the road and went down slope towards where the Caribou were likely to show up. I was 50 yards from the road when i came on a utility trail that roughly parallels the road. Just as i stepped into the trail a small cow popped out of the brush and stopped to look at me, I cocked the hammer and got ready, Just then another caribou came into the trail and ran off the cow, it was a young bull, He never even looked my way but went after the cow, The only shot i had was a going away shot, as i was debating the shot he stopped and turned sideways, at 30 yards, I took aim at his upper neck and squeezed the Trigger, the rifle fired instantly and sent the PRB down range, I used a load of 80grs of 3F and a .530 ball. Just as the gun fired the woods in front of me exploded with Caribou, 40-50 animals headed out of the brush on to the trail, this all happening with a cloud of thick white smoke covering the trail in front of me. At first the caribou were moving away from me, I began to reload and looked up to see them turn around and come right at me, I had the rifle primed and was ready to shoot again if needed. The caribou saw me and dove off the trail back the way they came and in less than 2 minutes it was quiet, the animals gone from sight. As i walked down the trail to were the bull was standing i saw brown and white fur not moving, the ball had hit him at the base of the skull and severed the spine, Nice and neat and no adrenalin in the meat. The bull was small with small antlers but he was my first one with a flintlock rifle. I took out my camera to take pictures and turned on the camera, as i shot the picture it flashed low battery and shut off, it figures. The pictures are from after i got it home and hung it in my Garage for butchering.
The bull was about 250 pounds, about like a big whitetail. Well time for the wrapping.
The bull was about 250 pounds, about like a big whitetail. Well time for the wrapping.
