Finally!!!  I took a nice whitetail doe this morning with my crossbow, on my own property.  She passed in front of me on a deer run that is only 6 yards away from my natural materials ground blind.  The wind was in my face and I was able to make a great shot.  The crossbow bolt, with a hand-forged, medieval replica broadhead, blew right through her, passing through both lungs.  Recovery was about 30 yards away.

I have been conducting medieval-style solo hunts for deer on my own property all season.  However, the only deer that came within bow range during the archery season were does with fawns.  Well, now it's the opening weekend of the 2-week rifle deer season, the only time of year when it's legal for me to use my replica 14th C. crossbow in Michigan.

I sat out in a natural ground blind all morning hoping for a chance at taking a whitetail deer, but I didn't see a thing.  Then, while taking a lunch break, I saw this big fox squirrel come in, and I was able to take her at 8 yards with a bolt that has a hand-forged, medieval-replica broadhead on it.

Snow flurries had just begun to fall when I took her, and continually increased to become our first significant snowfall of the season.

My crossbow has a 145# prod, and it is pin-point accurate out to 10 yards or so with my heavy bolts.  The broadhead alone weighs in at a little over 400 grains.  I'm looking forward to testing it's effectiveness on deer in the near future ; )

Edward Lindey became the first Ranger to earn the title of 'Warrener' when he took a cottontail rabbit with his crossbow.  He was also the first Ranger to take game with a crossbow, and the first to take two different kinds of game animals, having taken a wild boar with a spear previously.

The Rangers who participated are eternally grateful to Richard Swinney for organizing and hosting this excellent 'St. Eustachius' Day Medieval Boar Spear Hunt'.  All eight hunters took a boar, some with spears and some with daggers (see the big game trophy gallery below), and Joe F. Stevenson even had the privilege of taking two boars that day.

One couldn't ask for a greater company of huntsmen to go hunting with.  All of us, along with our guide and his three dogs, survived the day uninjured.  However, Jesse Weber had a close call as he was charged by the biggest boar taken that day, but he managed to get out of the way (barely) just in time.

Paul Wilburn

Feral swine have roamed Florida since they were released there by Hernando de Soto's entourage in the 16th century.  Their ranks have been augmented through the centuries by more recent escapees.  These non-native beasts are highly destructive of native plants and animals, so conservationists actively encourage hunting them year-round.

With the assistance of a guide's dogs, I was able to close with a bayed sow.  Spearing the spinning hog amidst the chaos of the dogs required determination, judgment and timing to avoid accidentally injuring the dogs.  Having studied both period and modern sources on spear hunting wild boar, I was able to finish the hog with a spear thrust behind the shoulder that reached its vitals and rendered it unconscious in seconds -- as quickly as a well placed gunshot would.

Richard Swinney