Something I want to share

[beaglewalkerhunter4]

No moon light up the south jersey swamps that night, no wind rustled the branches of the acient oaks, the only sound to be herd were leaves crackling under my feet and the raspy breath of Bandit pulling at the end of her leash. Tonight was one of those nights i had to get out hunting, after a long week cooped up in school, i was gettin antsy to get back on the trail. It was about 9 oclock i had just finished up supper and bandit was already at the back door. I slid into my cover-alls and put on that old camo huntin jacket. Grabbed a light a couple shells and my 22. and was out the door with in a moments notice.

I took a deep breath of fresh cool air and let it fill my lungs. I just had a feeling tonight was going to be a goodun. Rounding the back barn i stopped to have a look around for a pair of tracks when i found something that caught my eye, red chicken feathers scatterd amongst the ground. I didnt have to think twice about what had happend as to all the local farmers around have had the same problem, they say it's a fox but i know what it really is, i have bayed him up before and somehow he gave bandit the slip. but she was young then, she has a few under her belt now. I un-snapped bandit and she knew it was go time, she went buzzin around the area lookin for the scent line and within a minute she hit it and let the whole town know about it. This track was quite old due to the pace she was movin it, i figured he came out around sundown hit the coop, and went back to his nightly rounds. We had moved the track about a quater mile when we reached a creek bank there i could really see his tracks, they were quite large. Away he went following the stream. Another quater mile and we gaining, fast, the time between barks shortened and we were closing in on ol mr. ringtail;. By now he knows wer a comin, But this coon has been trailed up by so many hounds over the years he knows how to give em the slip. When any of the old hunters get on him they just pull their dogs off cause they know he'll take em for a ride. But i just knew we wer gunna get him tonight. Bandit was really hollerin now and was burnin this track, he couldn't be far ahead. I beelined straight out of the woods and hauled for the neighboring farm, I had a hunch. Bandit was still bawlin away through woods and i knew the coon was on the run, but all the times he's given the dogs the slip it's the same way, i figured him out. I loaded my 22 and waited right along the drainage ditch where he majically diseapars from under a dogs nose. Her voice was roarin right at me and i heard him coming sloshing through the mud and weeds, then bandits bawls stopped, all i heard then was what sounded like a buffalo coming through the swamp was bandit roaring at the coon which was now in sight. I had a slight window to shoot, i switched on my light and not a second to soon, the ol boar breached the wall of brairs, my shot rang out. It was a clean hit but he wasn't done, before i could get another shot into him bandit was upon him. they sloshed in the swamps in a vicous battle of tooth and claw. This wasn't looking good for my hound, this coon was as big as her. Bandit is a beagle walker mix so she isnt very big. I wadded in with a switch, but before i could get to them, the coon was on the bank of the ditch and was headed for the drainadge pipe, with bandit just a step behind he sqeezed into the pipe. Desperatley she tried to get in, but she just couldn't do it. So there we were in knee deep water coverd in mud and blood in the middle of the night, defeated once again.

So no this wasn't a story of me going out treeing 10 coons, or finally gettin that one clever on that no one else can but, it was just a hunt that really ment alot to me and wanted to share with you guys.

[Daniel Tremblay]

Good read! Keep after it. You'll get him one of these days.