Finally, I shot a deer with my CVA Silver Trophy Hunter III.

I shot it with my .50 caliber flintlock using 50 grains of 2F black powder, under a round ball I cast with my Lee mold, held by a pillow ticking patch lubricated in crisco.

I shot at the deer from a kneeling position from about 50 yards away. It ran, so I reloaded. After reloading I went to where it had been standing to look for blood. I then looked out further into the woods and saw it laying looking at me so I shot it again, which then crippled it enough for me to then finish it.

Its not the biggest deer, because its a button buck, but buck or doe they always make good eating. My family always processes the deer ourselves. We do everything: skinning, quartering, butchering, and grinding. The last few years we have gotten into making jerky, which when made with the right spices it is one of the tastiest ways to eat deer. But a good roast in the crock-pot is pretty hard to beat as well.

The hide I fleshed out and have soaking in water. I want to leather tan it. So, I will soak it in the water for 1 1/2 to 2 weeks then the hair should slip right off. While I do not fully have the entire tanning processes bug free, perhaps I will do an article sometime about what I have learned about tanning.