She’s the deer hunter in the family. His granddaughter loves to hunt and her favorite sport is finding the elusive buck, tracking it through the forest and putting food on her family’s table. There is a special respect for the animal which is taken for food and not just sport. Hunting is a pleasure and a skill she picked up with surprising ease when she was just a tiny one. She has a knack for knowing where they will run, spotting the left behind spore and picking out the indent of the split hoof in the earth. With pride he relates stories of her skill with the shot, quick and clean. She’s good.
Her grandpa wanted to give her something which she would treasure the rest of her life and brought me a Ruger M-77 Rifle. The magazine well cover was the only place which could be easily engraved and he asked if I could do wildlife. “Let me see what I can do”. 🙂
I found the buck image I wanted to use, tall and proud, surveying his surroundings. Hills in the background and forest clearing underfoot. Looks like the Ozarks to me and this is where they live.
My original thought was to gold inlay the engraving but I soon found out that was not possible. The magazine well cover is aluminum and the metal is a bit problematic. It’s softer than steel and will not hold the gold inlay in place. I engraved the buck and background scene adding classic American scroll design and frame.
The cover was already a gorgeous black and the engraving stood out clear but I still wanted the gold (I’m stubborn when I get an idea in my head) so I brushed in a gold wash.
He picked it up today and you could see the pride in his eyes. She’s going to love it!
