... I was up early, and went hunting this morning... frost was thick as the Sun was coming over the mountain, and the ground crunched slightly as you walked... it was truly great to be in the woods again.... I walked a few hundred yards into the hardwoods, and found a nice wild cherry tree near some nests... sitting down with my back resting against the tree, the smell of the decaying oak leaves was wonderful... earth scent.. a sweet smell... the very world in the making, people.... and by the time the sun was fully up, I had bagged two nice gray squirrels with my .22 magnum... Underbrush.. combined with Autumn and marksmanship.. well, it is a dangerous combination... especially if you happen to be on the menu...
... anyway, a friend of mine had brought his fawn call... so, after an hour or so with no activity, we decided to switch gears... see if we could call in a predator or two... we walked further into the woods... all the while, seeing signs of the local deer population... and after half an hour of creeping slowly through the leaves, we found our place... a natural ditch about ten feet wide bordering the forest on the right, and a natural marsh on the left.. beyond which lay a tangled thicket of impenetrable scrub... here, we set up... here is where predators prowl....
... a few calls later, and we were proved correct... we heard it before we saw it... that is often the case with coyotes... you call, and they come as quick as they can.. tearing through the undergrowth... evil bastards of things that they are... but this was different... we heard it... just a slight movement... slowly... methodically... slyly... it was a fox... a gray fox.. we saw it peer out of the thicket for a moment... the delicate muzzle.. rusty tips on its' ears... it was only there for a second... disappearing quickly to try to catch the scent of the fawn by circling.. it seemed to know that crossing the glade would expose it to danger... it was right... crazy like a fox, indeed...
... we saw it twice more, but couldn't get off a shot... it came in close... after circling though, it approached from the woodland side and never cleared the brush... we heard it stalking us for 15 minutes in the fallen leaves... then, it caught our smell and was gone....
... we gave up, and headed towards home.. two squirrels, and a memory of a wily fox... all in all, a great day.. heh... sometimes the thrill really is in the chase.... hunting predators is always a rush....
Why would you shoot a fox? You got chickens?
Did you eat the squirrels, or was that just part of all sane people's War On Tree Rats?
Bullshitted by Velociman on December 5, 2004 06:14 PM.. the Great State of Tennessee has declared Fox season open... that's why I'd shoot a fox... besides, they have a tendency to eat the Straight White Wife's cats.. that, quite simply, will not do...
.. as for the squirrels, I gave them to the neighbor... he eats the mangy bastards...
.. and, in regards to the time-honored "War on Squirrels"... rest assured, man, I am holding down the Eastern Front... after all, it is to the benefit of us all... just doing my part... I hear that Bitterman is manning our Western outpost quite well...
Bullshitted by Eric on December 5, 2004 06:22 PMJust dropped by on a recommendation from a friend. Saw your note on coyotes. As a sheep ranchers daughter, I have seen this non-native species tear a flock apart, ripping open throats, and eating the haunch of live sheep and leave them standing. I have a special request. Nail one for the damage they do. Then, nail one because you can. Mother nature is so cute and cuddly.
Bullshitted by red on December 5, 2004 07:08 PMRed's makin' me hot. I don't know why Vman is askin why you'd shoot one, hell, 'cause you can, plain and simple. Duh. I damned near shot the Mutant the other night, but then I realized it was one of my dogs so I didn't pull the trigger, just the paint brush.
Dot 'em all Eric and let God sort 'em out later.
Sounds like you had a good time. :)
Bullshitted by Sheilah on December 5, 2004 11:50 PMEric, you know I'm partial to..ahem..hunting vegetables, rather than fawn or squirell, but you do make it sound like an awfully good time!
Bullshitted by Sadie on December 6, 2004 04:24 AM