The purer form

[Stephen Borud]

I started my hunting adventures following my dad in the badlands of ND. He always hunted with a fast lock 54 flinter. A full stock of curly maple. It still is a beautiful rifle. Many a mule deer doe fell from that .520 round ball, even a buffalo.

My first three kills came from a 44 half stock flinter. A 30 yard shot put my first deer on the ground. Still hunting for deer is a blast.

My next hunting rifle was a 73 45-70 Trapddoor. I got a 140.00 for confirmation one Sunday. After the party we headed over to Leonard's house and I got to pick out my rifle. I believe there were eight to choose from. Dad guided me threw the all of them and I finally picked one. Not the prettiest, but a mint bore and solid action. I can remember my mom throwing a fit when we got home! She couldn't believe I blew all that money! That rifle killed three more deer with ease. That 405 grain government bullet is a meat maker.

As I grew older and started to hunt with my friends I realized I couldn't compete with them and the modern rifles they hunted with. I had to have a 300 Win Mag. If I was going to buy a rifle it was going to be more Hi Power then what they had. That 300 Mag was a beast. Many a deer and antelope fell at 400 plus yards to that rifle. It still is my favorite bolt gun I own.

In 98 I moved to Casper Wyoming for my job. More work and less hunting. Hunting became a challenge, I had to get meat with less time on my hands. It became a job, I had lost the total enjoyment I once had.

In 2005 dad loaned me a Sharps 45-70. I worked up a load of 70 grains of Fg and a 490 grain .440 paper patch bullet. That rifle killed a couple antelope and a nice whitetail buck. I started to enjoy my outings more. I took my three year old son with me! He got to watch his old man lay a antelope on her side. Now we are talking. Enjoyment crept back into my hunting.

I ordered my first Shiloh in 2006. A 45 2 4/10ths. Another fine killer. More hunting, taking my time, teaching my boys to stalk, to hunt, to enjoy the day in the field. I no longer felt the urge to rush, we just took our time and observed what God put before us.

I own several more Shilohs now. 50s, 45s, 44, 40s, yes I might have an addiction. The last two I had built were for my wife and four boys. I want them to experience what I've always enjoyed, a simpler hunt! It's not a race. We are bombarded by what the marketers call THE BEST, THE FASTEST, THE QUETEST, THE MOST EFFICIENT! It's bullshit! We have lost our way with technology, technology has taken out woodsmenship/skill.

I hit the field now with a front pocket full of paper patch rounds, a pack and my Sharps. All my boys hunt with me each fall, learning how to spot, stalk, teaching them skills. Life long skills, skills that can be used every time they hit the field. I can't guarantee they will always hunt, or even hunt with a Sharps, but I know if they veer off the simpler path like I did that they will come back to it.

SB