UP A TREE
ONE TIME THERE WAS A BUNCH OF US
HUNTING IN ROBERTSON COUNTY BETWEEN
FRANKLIN AND BRYAN IN EAST TEXAS. WE
HAD SET UP CAMP IN THE EDGE OF SOME
WOODS AT THE FRONT PART OF OUR LEASE.
WE HAD FOUR TENTS IN A SEMI-CIRCLE
AROUND THE FIRE PIT. THERE WERE A
COUPLE OF LARGE LOGS ABOUT 10 FEET
LONG PULLED UP CLOSE TO THE FIRE PIT
TO SIT ON. THERE WERE FOUR LOG
SECTIONS 24 INCHES LONG SET UP ON
THEIR ENDS TO SIT ON ALSO.
EACH NIGHT AFTER SUPPER THE HUNTERS
WOULD SIT AROUND THE FIRE DRINKING
COFFEE AND TELL ABOUT THEIR
EXPERIENCES OF THE DAY. ON THIS
PARTICULAR EVENING I HAD MADE COFFEE
IN OUR TWO GALLON BLUE GRANITE COFFEE
POT. IT WAS GOOD STRONG BOILED
COFFEE. NOW MAYBE YOU HAVE NEVER MADE
COFFEE OVER AN OPEN CAMP FIRE. LET ME
TELL YOU HOW I DO IT. PUT THE POT OF
WATER ON THE FIRE . THEN FILL A SOCK
WITH ONE HEAPING TABLESPOON OF COFFEE
PER CUP OF WATER, ADD AN EGG AND TIE
IT. CRACK THE EGG INSIDE THE SOCK AND
MASSAGE IT INTO THE COFFEE. ADD THE
SOCK TO THE POT AND BOIL FOR ABOUT
FIVE MINUTES. REMOVE FROM HEAT AND
YOU HAVE A PERFECT CUP OF COFFEE. BY
THE WAY IT’S NOT NECESSARY, BUT IT’S
BETTER IF THE SOCK IS CLEAN.
EVERYONE HAD HIS COFFEE AND WAS
SITTING AROUND THE FIRE RELAXING.
THERE WAS NO TALK AS EACH WAS LOST IN
HIS OWN THOUGHTS. I WAS SITTING ON
THE GROUND LEANING BACK AGAINST ONE OF
THE LOGS STARING INTO THE FIRE. THE
SWEET SMELL OF PINE TREES WAS ALL
AROUND. THE MOON WAS IN ITS LAST
QUARTER AND WAS ALMOST DOWN. THE STARS
WERE SO BRIGHT THEY LOOKED LIKE YOU
COULD ALMOST TOUCH THEM. THERE WAS NO
BREEZE AND THE SMOKE FROM THE FIRE
ROSE STRAIGHT UP. WAY OFF IN THE
DISTANCE I HEARD A HOOT OWL GO
HOO-HOO-HOO-HOOAAA. THEN I HEARD THIS
BIG SIGH FROM RICK WHO WAS SITTING
NEXT TO ME.
I ASK RICK WHAT WAS WRONG? HE DIDN’T
ANSWER RIGHT AWAY. HE GOT UP AND
REFILLED HIS COFFEE CUP AND CAME BACK
AND SAT DOWN ON THE LOG. THEN HE
ASKED ME IF I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A
BOTTLE OF “TINKS DOE-IN-HEAT” SCENT.
I ASKED HIM WHAT WAS WRONG WITH IT.
“NOTHING” HE ANSWERED. “I JUST DON’T
INTEND TO USE IT ANY MORE.” THIS WAS
STRANGE BECAUSE YESTERDAY HE WAS
TELLING US ABOUT HOW GOOD IT WAS. I
ASKED RICK WHAT CHANGED HIS MIND ABOUT
'‘TINKS". “WELL I GUESS I’VE GOT
SOMETHING TO TELL YOU ABOUT TINKS.” HE
SAID.
HE HAD PUT A FEW DROPS OF ’’TINKS
DOE-IN-HEAT” SCENT ON THE PADS YOU TIE
TO YOUR BOOTS. THEN EACH TIME YOU
TAKE A STEP YOU LAY DOWN A SCENT
TRAIL. AS HE WALKED TO HIS BLIND AT
THE EDGE OF A FIELD HE WAS LAYING DOWN
A SCENT TRAIL WITH EACH STEP THAT
WOULD LEAD A BUCK TO HIS TREE. HE
CLIMBED UP IN THIS BIG OAK TREE WHERE
HE HAD A BOARD NAILED BETWEEN TWO
LIMBS TO SIT ON, ALONG ABOUT
DAY-BREAK HE LOOKED BACK ACROSS THE
FIELD WHERE HE HAD WALKED TO LAY DOWN
A SCENT TRAIL THAT WOULD LEAD TO HIS
TREE.
A HERD OF SANTA GERTRUDIS COWS WERE
FOLLOWING THE SCENT TRAIL. THEY HAD
THEIR NOSES TO THE GROUND AND WERE
TRAILING THAT SCENT JUST LIKE A PACK
OF HOUNDS. THE CLOSER TO HIS TREE
THEY GOT THE STRONGER THE SCENT GOT.
THE STRONGER THE SCENT GOT THE MORE
AGITATED THE COWS GOT. THEY FOLLOWED
THE SCENT RIGHT UP TO HIS TREE. NOW
IT IS A GOOD THING THAT THE OLD OAK
TREE WAS PRETTY GOOD SIZE BECAUSE
SEVERAL OF THOSE OLD COWS BEGAN TO
BUTT THE TRUNK OF THE TREE WHERE THEY
COULD SMELL THE SCENT ON IT FROM WHERE
HE HAD CLIMBED UP THE TREE. “THOSE
OLD RASCALS WOULD LOOK UP AT ME AND I
CAN TELL YOU RIGHT NOW THAT I DIDN’T
LIKE THE LOOK IN THEIR EYES” HE SAID.
RICK SAID HE DIDN’T KNOW IF ANY DEER
CAME WITHIN HIS RANGE OR NOT BECAUSE
HE SAT UP THERE FOR HOURS WATCHING
THOSE DARN COWS WAITING FOR A CHANCE
TO ESCAPE. WHEN THEY REALIZED THAT
THEY COULDN'T GET TO HIM THEY JUST
LAID DOWN TO WAIT HIM OUT. THAT’S THE
REASON HE DIDN'T COME IN FOR LUNCH.
HE SAID HIS HUNGER PAINS CAME AND WENT
BUT THOSE COWS HELD HIM HOSTAGE IN
THAT TREE JUST LIKE A PACK OF HOUNDS
TREEING A COON.
WELL ABOUT THE MIDDLE OF THE
AFTERNOON THE COWS FINALLY GOT UP AND
WONDERED OFF. RICK SAID HE HELD TIGHT
UNTIL THEY WERE OUT OF SIGHT BEFORE HE
GOT DOWN AND BEAT A HASTY RETREAT TO
CAMP. HE HAD LONG SINCE THROWN THE
PADS AWAY SO THE COWS WOULDN’T FOLLOW
HIM BACK TO CAMP. HE SAID IF I WANTED
THE BOTTLE OF “TINKS” I COULD HAVE IT
BECAUSE HE WASN’T EVER GOING TO USE IT
AGAIN.
ABOUT THAT TIME THAT OLD HOOT OWL WENT
HOO-HOO-HOO-HEE-HEE-HEEEEE. I DIDN’T
KNOW IF HE WAS CALLING HIS MATE OR
LAUGHING AT RICK’S STORY BUT ONE LOOK
AT RICK’S FACE CONVINCED ME I DIDN’T
WANT TO LAUGH.
BY THIS TIME THE FIRE HAD BURNED DOWN
TO A SOFT GLOW AND THE COFFEE POT WAS
EMPTY EXCEPT FOR THE SOCK. A COUPLE
OF THE GUYS HAD ALREADY GONE TO THEIR
TENT AND CRAWLED INTO THEIR BED
ROLLS. I TOLD RICK THANK YOU BUT NO
THANK YOU ON THE ‘TINKS”. I DON’T
LIKE BIG SANTA GERTRUDIS COWS. WE
SAID GOOD NIGHT AND WENT TO OUR TENTS
TO CRAWL INTO OUR BED ROLLS. I DIDN’T
KNOW IT AT THE TIME BUT I WAS GOING TO
HAVE NIGHT MARES ABOUT SANTA GERTRUDIS
COWS THAT NIGHT. BUT THAT’S A WHOLE
NOTHER STORY FOR A DIFFERENT TIME.
THE LAST THING I REMEMBER BEFORE GOING
TO SLEEP WAS HOW QUITE AND PEACEFUL IT
WAS AND THEN WAY FAR OFF IN THE
DISTANCE I HEARD A COYOTE SINGING TO
THE MOON. THEN A COYOTE ACROSS THE
RIVER ANSWERED HIM. THEN THE OWL
JOINED IN WITH HIS HOO-HOO-HOO-HOOOAAA.
THE CRICKETS WERE SINGING ALONG WITH
EVERYTHING ELSE.
GOD WAS SMILING DOWN ON US TONIGHT
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