SQUIRREL HUNT

AH, THERE’S ONE NOW.  I THOUGHT AS I LOOKED THROUGH THE BRUSH AT A SQUIRREL THAT HAD JUST JUMPED FROM ONE TREE TO ANOTHER.  THE TREE HE HAD GONE TO WAS A PECAN TREE.  AS HE WENT OUT TO THE END OF A BRANCH TO GET HIM A PECAN I EASED MY RIFLE UP AND TOOK A BEAD ON HIS HEAD.  JUST THEN A PICK UP HORN STARTED BLOWING.  DERN, HOW DOES HE DO IT, I THOUGHT.  EVERY TIME TERRY AND I PLAY THIS GAME HE BEATS ME.

MY FRIEND TERRY LIVES ON A RANCH UP BY THE RED RIVER.  WHEN I GO UP TO VISIT HIM, WE GO SQUIRREL HUNTING.  THERE ARE SO MANY SQUIRRELS ON A CREEK THAT RUNS THROUGH HIS PASTURE THAT IT IS NO TROUBLE GETTING YOUR LIMIT OF TEN EVERY TIME WE GO.  SO WE STARTED A LITTLE CONTEST BETWEEN OUR SELVES.

WE WOULD DRIVE DOWN TO THE CREEK ABOUT DAYLIGHT.  HE WOULD GO ONE WAY AND I WOULD GO THE OTHER.  THE FIRST ONE TO KILL HIS LIMIT OF SQUIRRELS WOULD GO BACK TO THE PICK UP AND START BLOWING THE HORN.  WHEN THE OTHER HEARD THE HORN HE HAD TO STOP SHOOTING AND COME TO THE PICK UP.  WE COULD ONLY SHOOT A SQUIRREL IN THE HEAD.  IF WE HIT IT ANYWHERE ELSE IT WAS DISQUALIFIED.  WE KEPT A RUNNING TOTAL FOR THE SEASON TO SEE WHICH ONE OF US KILLED THE MOST SQUIRRELS.

THE CREEK HAS LOTS OF PECAN TREES ON IT.  THE WOODS ARE ONLY ABOUT TEN YARDS WIDE ON EACH SIDE OF THE CREEK AND THEN THE LAND IS OPEN PASTURE SO ALL THE SQUIRRELS ARE CONCENTRATED IN A VERY SMALL AREA.  IT’S LOTS OF FUN HUNTING THEM, ONLY WHEN YOU KILL THAT MANY AT ONE TIME IT TAKES A LONG TIME TO CLEAN YOUR GAME.

WE WOULD GO BACK UP THE HILL TO A WINDMILL, WHERE THERE WAS A METAL TANK OF WATER FOR THE COWS, TO CLEAN THE SQUIRRELS.  THIS WAY WE WOULD HAVE WATER TO WASH OFF THE SQUIRRELS BEFORE WE PUT THEM IN OUR ICE CHEST.   THEN WE WOULD GO TO THE LITTLE TOWN OF RINGGOLD AND TO A SMALL CAFÉ.  WE WOULD TAKE OUR SQUIRRELS IN AND THE COOK, WHO JUST HAPPENED TO BE TERRY’S MOTHER, WOULD FRY UP A BUNCH OF THEM AND MAKE SOME GRAVY AND BISCUITS.  THIS WAS THE BEST BREAKFAST A GUY CAN GET.

AFTER BREAKFAST WE WOULD GO BACK TO THE PASTURE AND FEED THE COWS.  THEN WE WOULD DRIVE DOWN TO THE RIVER AND FISH FOR A WHILE.  WE WOULD KEEP THE LIVERS AND KIDNEYS OUT OF THE SQUIRRELS FOR BAIT.  THERE WERE ALWAYS LOTS OF CATFISH IN THE HOLES IN THE RIVER BED.  WE WOULD TAKE OUR RODS  WITH US WHEN WE WENT SQUIRREL HUNTING AND BE PREPARED TO HUNT OR FISH.  WE CAUGHT A BUNCH OF NICE CATFISH THIS MORNING AND WENT BACK TO THE WINDMILL TO CLEAN THEM.

WHEN WE GOT TO THE WINDMILL ONE OF TERRY’S HIRED HANDS WAS THERE TO CHECK THE WATER TANK.  WHEN WE GOT OUT OF THE PICK UP I REACHED INTO THE BED AND PICKED UP OUR STRINGER OF FISH.  THE HIRED HAND SAID, “HEY, Y’ALL CATCH ALL THEM FISH?”  “NO” I SAID “WE TALKED THEM INTO GIVING UP.”  HE LOOKED AT ME FOR A MINUTE AND TURNED AROUND, WALKED TO HIS PICK UP, AND LEFT.  “HA HA” TERRY SAID, “YOU SHOULDN’T DO HIM THAT WAY, HE DON’T KNOW ANY BETTER.”

WE CLEANED OUR CATFISH AND WENT BACK TO THE CAFÉ IN RINGGOLD.  IT WAS LUNCH TIME BY NOW, AND YOU HAVE ALREADY GUESSED WHAT WE HAD FOR LUNCH.  THEN IT WAS TIME FOR A SIESTA.  AFTER OUR NAP, WE WENT BACK TO THE CAFÉ FOR A HAMBURGER.  THEN BACK TO THE RIVER FOR SOME VARMINT CALLING.  BUT THAT’S A WHOLE NOTHER STORY FOR DIFFERENT TIME.