“Homage to Kindig” Hunting Pouch Set by T.C. Albert

When friend and patron Mr. Larry Forte approached me about making a bag pictured in an article from 1955 written by the legendary Joe Kindig, I quickly agreed. The bag is also shown in Madison Grant’s book “The Kentucky Rifle Hunting Pouch” on page #49. The note for that plate dates the bag to the 1820s, give its basic dimensions, and describe its powder horn and accoutrements.

Making a pattern based on these two sources was straight forward, and as I began gathering materials to make Larry a close bench copy of the bag, I enlisted enlisted the help of horn maker Tim Crosby to make the Philadelphia style screw tip powder horn needed for the project. Without Tim’s willingness to make a beautiful custom rendition of the original horn, making a copy of the original set would not have been possible.

Like the original, this bag is overlaid with applied red leather hearts, and fully bound in a matching red leather binding. The bag is accoutered with an adjustable iron powder measure that fits into a pocket on the strap and secures with an iron chain. The original bag retains the pocket, but is missing the adjustable measure that I speculate it once carried. Instead, the original has a simple antler tine measure, which I have also included. My copy is carved with “L. Forte” for its owner, and the date “1822” to represent the era Madison dates the original to.

The patch or bag knife on the original is described as a Sheffield Wilson, bound with brass wire on the wooden scale handle. With that detail in mind, I added an antique Wilson butcher knife similar to the one shown in images of the original that I had also bound with brass wire. The sheath is designed and secured to the pouch strap as the original was.  

The final accoutrement shown with the original is a small two hole, wooden loading block, which I have also included.

I feel honored to pay homage to Mr. Kindig and all he did to advance and preserve the culture of the Kentucky longrifle with a copy of the bag he included in his 1955 “Life” magazine article,      http://kindigrifles.com/life_article.html  which can be seen on line at this link, and am thankful to Larry for asking me to recreate it for him.

Copy and photos by T. C. Albert.