Halfway to the Creek, byJosh

“Whappppppaaaaapapapapapappapapa,” as we ride down the road towards the horse pasture to turn the coon dogs out. You could hear the flowmaster exhaust poppin’ and the mud tires roarin’ on the pavement. Gettin-r-dun southern style, that’s what I always says, yes sir. It was snowing outside on this cold December morning as we pulled off the road and cut the truck off. I got out of my jacked up Chevrolet 4x4 and grabbed my walker coonhound, Southern Belle. Blake Mathes let out his black and tan coonhound, Old Pete, and off we went towards the creek bottom.

Before we even got halfway to the creek, Belle let off a “bawl” to curl your toes. So we stopped and let the dogs off the leash. We stood in the pasture as we listened to the dogs sing their song. For what seemed like hours, we stood there waiting on the dogs, trees were freezing and we watched our breath float away in gusts. Then I heard it: that squeal Belle always lets out before she “trees.” I knew there would be meat on the wood.

I picked up my .22 caliber rifle and off we went towards Belle and Pete. When we got to the tree we started looking for the coon in this monstrous pen oak tree. We searched and searched. Then, a movement right in the fork of two tree limbs. It was a boar coon, a male. I raised my .22 and you could hear the .22 crack then the pop of the bullet hitting the coon. As the coon hit the ground, Belle and Pete leaped onto the coon and they fought and fought and fought. The coon ripped off Belle’s tongue and tore off Pete’s ear. Then it was all over. I could hear bones cracking as Belle bit the coon harder and harder and as the coon squalled for his life, his ribs cracked and his heart stopped beating.

We petted Pete and Belle up, and went back to the truck after another successful night of coon hunting. As soon as we got in the truck we turned on the heat, cranked up some Hank Jr. and off we went towards the house. On the way home, we talked about what we would do with the coon. We agreed that we would skin it and along with the four skins from the previous week we would make two coonskin hats. TO BE CONTINUED…………………!!!!!!!!!