BIG GAME HUNTER
LARGE-CALIBER BULLET MAKER HUNTING HIS 74TH SEASON
Story & Photo by Rylan Boggs
Blue Mountain Eagle
J
ackson DeRosier’s bullets have killed everything
from grizzlies to a zebra.
The walls of his home and workshop are covered
with horns, hides and hunting trophies from his
nearly seven decades of hunting.
He’s not sure how many sets of antlers he has,
but one would be hard pressed to find space to hang any more
up.
In his shop, the home of Blue Mountain Bullets, he
painstakingly crafts large-caliber bullets for big game hunters.
DeRosier, a proponent of lead bullets. He said they stay
together better than other metals and make for a more humane
kill.
He started making his own bullets in 1989 after being
dissatisfied with the ammunition available on the market.
“Back in the ’40s there was at least five or six big bulls lost
because of bullet failure,” he said.
DeRosier, now 89, first went hunting at 14 years old and shot
his first elk at 18. He said he will be gunning for a bull elk this
season and is looking forward to visiting the family’s historic
hunting site for the 74th year in a row.
“To us, it’s like our church,” Jackson’s grandson, Zach
DeRosier, said.
He explained it’s often more about spending time with family
in the outdoors than the hunt itself.
Jackson wasn’t willing to divulge his hunting spots, but he’s
hunted all over the county in his time here.
The last elk Jackson shot was when he was hunting with his
daughter at 82 years old.
He was out late in the season in the Rimrock area. While he
was ranging in his rifle, Jackson heard four shots behind him.
He turned to see a massive set of antlers connected to an even
larger bull elk coming right at him and his daughter. All four
shots from another hunter had missed the creature and spooked
it toward Jackson.
Wearing three jackets and a pack with a rifle ranged in at 500
yards he found himself staring at elk 50 feet away and closing
fast.
Jackson said the creature was “beautiful.”
“Bright yellow tail, black neck, eyes wide open, and I
couldn’t see the damn thing in the scope,” he said.
“Dad, you gotta shoot!” his daughter yelled.
“Shoot? Hell, I cant see anything to shoot,” he replied.
The elk changed course and leaped over a fence. There were
75 yards between it and freedom.
Jackson raised his rifle, took a shot and punched a hole right
through the elk.
“Took two ribs nearly completely out,” he said.
8 • GRANT COUNTY HUNTING JOURNAL 2017
Big Game Hunter Jackson DeRosier, 89, stands in his workshop where he handmakes bullets.
DeRosier started making his own bullets in 1989 after being
dissatisfied with the ammunition available on the market.
“Back in the ’40s there was at least five or six big bulls
lost because of bullet failure.”
MyEagleNews.com