Was some advice Uncle NoPass gave me as we rolled in a light rain toward Mr. Murty’s place out near the Salem-Shotwell Covered Bridge near Bleeker, Alabama. The bridge is falling into disrepair and Lee County, Alabama residents should be ashamed. While I would like to see it stay where it is, I fear some idiots will burn it down one day in it’s current isolated site. Maybe a local fund drive could be started to save it.

One of the good things about having a kid along on a fishing or hunting trip is that they are so handy for us “Elder Sportsmen“. Elder Sportsman is a term usually reserved for those like me, over fifty, although the pecking order runs deep. The stature of the position allows you to pass down to the kid any chores that are beneath your richly deserved status in life. There are dues to be paid before the kid can earn such an exalted position for himself.
For instance, you shoot a rabbit and if a kid is handy, you call him over so he can admire the rabbit while listening to your fifteen-minute discourse on the difficulty of the shot, the speed of the bunny and your lightning quick reflexes. As he turns around, you say “Just a minute, I forgot my game bag. Let me put him in yours.” You do this on the theory that he will be grateful for the chance to carry your stinking dead rabbits in return for you imparting a small portion of your vast store of wood lore.

A 16 ga. Fox.

It's a pleasure to tote and shoot

To try to explain why a middle-aged man would suddenly fall in love with the sounds of beagles chasing rabbits, I'm going to repeat a edited email I sent to Indigo about a rare rabbit hunt in the snow near Wedowee, Al in February of 2002.

Perhaps its just another childhood.

" Cold.”

The four year old planted pines were about 8 foot tall and planted thick on a series of steep ridges. The ends of the limbs were capped with a rare snow and were so thick that the only way you could get a shot was as the rabbit passed between your feet and you had to practice some pretty good shot placement then. Cuz rolled one that I don't know how he could even seen the rabbit, much less avoid putting some pellet holes in his boots.

About noon the snow was melting some and it was wetter than the inside of a rain cloud as the pine limbs brushed against you. And those boots and winter clothes started getting really heavy before the top of each new ridge. Briars were so bad that you had to take 6 steps to go one and to make matters worse, the only two! rabbits I saw were in someone else's game bag.

Then, insult on injury, after the last drive of the day, as I got one of the wayward dogs back to the trucks (having walked about 2 miles to cover only about 200 yards, if you were a bird flying) I found that Cuz and Reuben had put up their guns and were draining the beer cooler. I had to drive back and deliver them to their doorsteps while they had a good old time telling lies.

Had a great time. Can't wait to go back."

My Best, Rimfire

Gone hunting with Uncle NoPass on Thursday.
Lies certainly to follow

to put off fishing till next week since it is so windy in Apalachicola.

It wasn’t long before my aunt, who is married to Uncle NoPass, called to say that they were going to Wedowee, Alabama on Thursday and did I want to go. I quickly volunteered to meet at their house to help my 83 year old uncle load the dogs and then drive up there. Despite Uncle NoPass’s great desire while serving 3 years, nine months and twenty two days in the Pacific in WWII without a pass (Hey, he tells them, I just repeat them), to be a jeep driver (hints or not, never my cj), it’s better for me to drive. He might miss the occasional shot at a rabbit now, but he seldom misses a fence post with his truck.

Dogs for a out of town visit?
Of course, Rabbit season starts today (1 October). You didn’t think it was just to get new lies, er I mean new Tales to inflict on you, did you?