SFT
05-04-2004, 08:47 PM
When I was a kid we'd take the old 49 Chevy PU, load up the dogs, and take off down the miles and miles of dirt roads down in Atascosa County. We'd let the dogs run while we just idled along in the truck. Eventually they'd hit the scent of a coon or possum or ringtail civit cat that crossed the road and the run would be on. They'd bark and bark until they caught up with the varmint and tree him. We'd then follow the sound of the dogs till we came upon where they were treed. If the tree was easy to climb one of us would shinney up the tree and knock the varmint off the limb onto the ground and the dogs would go after it. Sometimes the dogs won, other times the old boar coon would win. If the tree couldn't be climbed we'd use our 22s, trying to just scare the coon into jumping out of the tree.
There were also times the animal would crawl inside of a hollow log or tree trunk. We'd cut a small tree limb, trim the branches so it was just a long stick, cut a little notch in the end, and then shove it into the log until we made contact with the animal. Then we'd twist the limb round and round. Most times it would bunch up the fur and the animal would literally become attached to the stick and we'd pull the varmint out and then the fight would be on. We supplemented our spending money by selling coon and coyote hides. Some years they brought a pretty good price.
However, our dogs were not real discriminatory about what they treed. Sometimes it would be a big old polecat. We were always a little cautious when we first came upon them when they had something cornered inside a prickly pear clump. Many times we went home with the pungent smell of skunk on our clothes. Even if the skunk didn't make a direct hit on us the smell would permeate the clothes. Or if we had a lot of guys and everybody wouldn't fit in the cab of the truck, well, someone had to ride in the back with the skunky smelling dogs! :(
We once had an old worthless Redbone Hound that just loved to kill rattlesnakes. He would grab it and shake it so hard he would kill the snake. But, we had to be real carefull cause sometimes, as he's whipping that old rattler back and forth, it would slip out of his mouth and go flying through the air. Talk about getting your attention in a hurry!!! Try dodging a 6 foot rattler flying through the air!!! :eek: That dog had been snake bitten so many times that he was immune to the venom. He wouldn't even swell up.
The amazing thing is that many times we bailed out of that old truck leaving the doors open with ammo inside, tools in the back, etc. Not once did we ever worry that someone was going to come along and rip us off.
We were kin to everyone and they all knew us. Many times old farmer Brown would hear the dogs barking and he'd climb out of bed and join us for the hunt. Never needed permission to tresspass or hunt. We left the gates like we found them and made sure we didn't shoot in the direction of a house, barn or cows.
Even the game warden would join us if he happened to come by. Nowadays, they probably take us to jail.
Well, sorry for the long winded post. It just brought back a lot of memories that I hadn't thought about in years.
There were also times the animal would crawl inside of a hollow log or tree trunk. We'd cut a small tree limb, trim the branches so it was just a long stick, cut a little notch in the end, and then shove it into the log until we made contact with the animal. Then we'd twist the limb round and round. Most times it would bunch up the fur and the animal would literally become attached to the stick and we'd pull the varmint out and then the fight would be on. We supplemented our spending money by selling coon and coyote hides. Some years they brought a pretty good price.
However, our dogs were not real discriminatory about what they treed. Sometimes it would be a big old polecat. We were always a little cautious when we first came upon them when they had something cornered inside a prickly pear clump. Many times we went home with the pungent smell of skunk on our clothes. Even if the skunk didn't make a direct hit on us the smell would permeate the clothes. Or if we had a lot of guys and everybody wouldn't fit in the cab of the truck, well, someone had to ride in the back with the skunky smelling dogs! :(
We once had an old worthless Redbone Hound that just loved to kill rattlesnakes. He would grab it and shake it so hard he would kill the snake. But, we had to be real carefull cause sometimes, as he's whipping that old rattler back and forth, it would slip out of his mouth and go flying through the air. Talk about getting your attention in a hurry!!! Try dodging a 6 foot rattler flying through the air!!! :eek: That dog had been snake bitten so many times that he was immune to the venom. He wouldn't even swell up.
The amazing thing is that many times we bailed out of that old truck leaving the doors open with ammo inside, tools in the back, etc. Not once did we ever worry that someone was going to come along and rip us off.
We were kin to everyone and they all knew us. Many times old farmer Brown would hear the dogs barking and he'd climb out of bed and join us for the hunt. Never needed permission to tresspass or hunt. We left the gates like we found them and made sure we didn't shoot in the direction of a house, barn or cows.
Even the game warden would join us if he happened to come by. Nowadays, they probably take us to jail.
Well, sorry for the long winded post. It just brought back a lot of memories that I hadn't thought about in years.