Uncle NoPass told me a week or so ago that my Aunt had suggested that he quit rabbit hunting. His reply to me was “I’m not ready to die yet.”

Uncle NoPass has been a dog man his whole life. He often speaks of growing up on a dirt farm near Wedowee, Alabama and his father limiting the number of dogs he could own to 3. I suppose even three would be hard to feed in the early twentieth century when there were eight surviving children in the family.

On our Saturday rabbit hunt, he spoke again on the subject. This time he said that he thought that this would be his last year. That he was going to quit and give his two remaining dogs to Brag and myself, but he’d keep them and take care of their daily needs. A lifetime of dogs dies hard. I think part of the problem is not the two heart attacks or the two strokes he has had in the past, but that his hearing has reached the point where as he puts it “ I can’t hardly hear myself fart.” Not a good thing for a man who’s main pleasure is hearing the dogs work.

The passing of his era is worrisome to me in that as I look behind me, I don’t see many replacements coming. What is killing (no pun) hunting and in some cases, fishing, is many factors from ignorant government teachers to landowners barring all hunters or charging high lease rates that many can’t afford to pay, to the fact that people are losing touch with their rural roots and demanding that they (the urban dwellers) have the right to mandate what residents in less populated areas in their states do by way of referendums. Don’t get me started on that subject. Nothing will destroy our Republic and liberty quicker than a true Democracy.

Meanwhile, on the rabbit hunt last Saturday, Uncle NoPass’s two puppies, Kate and Lady ran their best race ever.

I jumped the rabbit from it’s bed at the base of a pine tree and it ran only a few yards before stopping. An easy shot even for me, I passed on it and instead called for the dogs. They readily came to me and it was Kate who first picked up the hot scent. You can tell when the track is hot with her. She has a squeal on a hot track that sounds like someone reached inside her with a pair of pliers and tried to turn her inside out or if you’re a fellow male like they took the pliers and…….. I’m sure you can figure that part out.

The two dogs ran the rabbit for an hour. It would have been only a half hour if I hadn’t missed with my first two shots. Remember, I said love hunting, I never said I was any good at it.

I was looking intently across a hillside when I heard something behind me and turned to see the streaking rabbit making a mad dash for a thicket. My first shot threw up pine straw behind it and shifted it into a higher gear. My second shot was merely a hopeless goodbye salute.

Since there was only the three of us (Uncle NoPass, his grandson Brag and myself) I moved quickly down the straw carpeted hillside to the edge of the bottom where the rabbit was jumped. I managed to get a shot as he completed the circle. This time, the shot was so easy even I could make it. The big buck rabbit was so far ahead of Kate and Lady that he was strolling along glancing over his shoulder occasionally for the dogs. I let him lay after my shot till the dogs caught up.

We had two more quick races before calling it a day. The young dogs and Uncle NoPass can only handle a good half day of hunting. The dogs will improve.