Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Birth of a deer camp

Ok.Kinda long but interesting story of two good friends.
In 1975 I was living in Atlanta.We had some really good friends named Martha and Bill.Bill was a deer hunter.I was not.He wanted me to join his hunting lease.I was kinda lukewarm.I gave him all kinds of excuses why I couldn't join.I didn't have the money right then.He offered to loan it to me.I didn't have a deer rifle.He offered to loan me one.I finally gave in and joined.I paid my own dues but did borrow Bill's rifle.It was a Mossberg Model 800B in .243 with a 6X Weaver scope.
In those days climbing stands were unheard of.We used ladder stands and other built stands.One of these was called "the round stand".It was the round end of a large cable reel mounted about 15 feet up between two trees.On November 15,1975 I was up in the round stand one afternoon and a six pointer ran down the hill and stopped about 25 yards from the stand.I grabbed the rifle from the nail it was hanging on and when it came to my shoulder all I could see in the 6X scope was hair.I kinda rough-aimed it along the barrel and then looked back thru the scope and saw the spot right behind the deer's front leg which I had been told was where to aim.I shot and the deer bounded off down in the creek bottom.I thought I heard him fall.I waited a few minutes and got down and started to trail a good blood trail.When I got about 60 yards down in the creek there he lay.He had hit a tree and knocked off one antler which I never found.As I stood there looking at him I heard a sound up on the hillside and looked up and saw a wild dog at just about the same time he saw me.He put on the brakes from a dead run and did a 180 to get away.I nailed him with the .243.My first deer.I gutted him and got him back to the car and then back to camp where I got blood rubbed on me.
I gave Bill his rifle back right before Christmas because my wife bought me a Marlin 30/30.
We spent three great years hunting that lease.Bill was a great friend and we were often mistaken for brothers cause we resembled each other in general build and appearance.
In 1978 Bill and Martha moved to Denver,CO. and a year after that they moved to Las Vegas.We stayed in touch and I visited them in 1982 and again in 1993.
In 2002 Bill had a rountine heart by pass surgery.He contracted a staph infection in the hospital and subsequently underwent six or seven major operations.In the process he developed diabetes and lost his left leg at the knee.His health was broken and he sold his successfull swimming pool business and returned to his native Kentucky as a semi invalid.We stayed in touch all of this time by both email and phone.
In 2006 I went to National Gun Day in Louisville,KY and then spent four days at Bill's house.We had a great visit.We cleaned all of his guns which he had been unable to do.We relived old times.
About six months later his wife called me one evening and told me Bill's heart had given out that morning and he was passed away.My friend was dead.
About a month later she called me wanting to know how she might go about sending me a gun.It seems that Bill had left me that .243 in his will.I made arrangements to have the rifle received at my local gun shop.
It had never been fired since I killed a deer with it but had been kept clean and oiled.
I took it to the range and fired it three times and it was right on but three inches to the left.I adjusted it and got it dead on two inches high at 100 yards.
It is a nice rifle and I know what you are thinking.You are thinking how can I get rid of a rifle with that much personal history that my very good friend left to me?And you know I think I will remove it from sale.Thanks Tzone and Rooster7.

Stan