Rye asked as Maizie hit the ground from the back of Brag’s little pick up. Rye is the elder of our rabbit hunting fraternity since Uncle NoPass hunted his last rabbit about one and a half years ago. The group consists of four main members, Brag, who is Uncle NoPass’s grandson and my rabbit hunting and dog owning partner. Cuz, who not only holds the lease on our deer hunting property but knows quite a few people who will let us on their property. Rye, who is Cuz’s best friend and neighbor. And me, rimfire, also known as Chuck.

I suppose Rye thought that was as funny as last week when I said I might have to build a ramp for Maizie to get in and out of my pathfinder.. Well, it was. Besides Maizie is getting a little chun, er, well, to be charitable FAT.

We got a late start this morning despite Brag and I had agreed to meet at my father’s house at 6:15. I’ve been staying some with 2 because of his broke hip. I talked about that on my general rant and rave site, “redneckin”.

At ten till seven, I decided that Brag had gotten confused and thought that he was supposed to me Rye and myself at the cabin on our hunting lease, a pine plantation near Seale, Alabama. Being at 2’s, I didn’t have acess to my coffee pot so I headed to the McDonalds near Phenix City’s high school football stadium. Just before Idlehour park, I saw Brag’s truck coming up on a side road. Turned out, he had forgot where 2 lived, not having been there but once before. That’s his story, personally, since I’ve never seen him lost in any type of situation before, I think my old fartism is wearing off on him. Rye was, more or less, patiently waiting for us at the gate to the lease. We rolled on through to the cabin, where we let out Dixie, Julie and Maizie to exercise the cabin rabbit. Tiny was missing which meant he was fishing on some lakes that he managed for a fishing club.

The dogs had a little steam to let off before they settled down to some serious hunting. Not to mention last nights supper. As we worked our way down a planted power line, all three dogs became very interested in a smell in a tangle of honeysuckle (that was in bloom), pine limbs and blackberry. Or to say it another way, Rabbit Heaven.

The dogs started to sound off. Julie with her high pitched squeal like a man with his privates caught in a pair of vise grips. Dixie with her more hound like yodels. And Maizie with her yard dog bark.

The ground was dry. We’ve had no rain for the last fourteen days and there wasn’t even a dew on the ground to help hold the scent. When the rabbit crossed a nearby bare dirt logging road, they lost the scent till Dixie stumbled across it on the other side. The chase then went past the cabin and the sawdust pile where they lost it again crossing back over the logging road after it had made a 90*.

I walked through the woods near the sawdust pile when I heard the calls of a really big bird headed my way. Those of you who know me, know I keep a digital camera with me. I reached down and flicked the on button and raised the camera to my eye just as a hen turkey ran past me only 10 yards a way. Showing the keen hunting instincts that have made me a legend in my own mind, I raised the camera to my eye and took two quick pictures of that hen and a few more of another one that followed her.
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I hope that the next time I remember to remove the lens cap.

We walked the dogs down the next hill, below a small shallow pond. They jumped in the bottom, scattering the flocks of mosquitoes that descended on us. There was no sign of deer or turkeys in that bottom. The mosquitoes had eaten most, before the remainder moved out. The rabbits were just to small to be worthy of their attention. Brag, Rye and I on the other hand were larger and not moving as fast as the dogs.

The race was not very exciting. The dogs kept losing the scent after a hundred yards or so and had to find it again. Maizie was the one who straightened it out the most. Dixie and Julie would overrun the turn, then come back and start back trailing. After a hour of this, we called the dogs out and headed to the trucks. We were just in time, Tiny had returned and had some chicken halves on the grill. Tiny said he knew we would be up as soon as we got down wind