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Let me tell you about a North Dakota boy and girl on their first coon hunt. They are next door neighbors, on adjacent farms. The boy, Kash, is home schooled, eleven years old and dreams of hunting and trapping. He does a lot of reading. His favorite book became "Where the Red Fern Grows". But he also read the 400 page book: "Bobcat Dog", Which led to the reading of volume one and two of "Walk with Wick, The Tree dog Encyclopedia." And he remembers what he reads. I know that because he quotes from the books when I am with him.
This kid is as close to a mountain man as an eleven year old boy can be. For his eleventh birthday he got his first coon hound. She was just weaning age, and growing into possibly the most beautiful redbone I have ever seen. Her name is Anne. Kash is following John Wicks books to the letter and he is waiting until Anne is full grown before he starts hunting her. She is not there yet. But Kash is getting a little impatient about starting his coon hunting days. I heard his dad shot a coyote one day. And Last time I was over at his place, Kash showed me the coyote hide all skinned and stretched. Kash skinned the coyote himself, and put him on a stretcher he made himself.

Meet Kash's neighbor Annie. She just now turned 6 years old. She is as cute as a button, and when she smiles, the whole world goes a couple shades brighter. Well, actually, she pretty much always smiles. So look at it this way. If you are outside, and for some unknown reason things get a little darker, just figure Annie quit smiling for a little while. Maybe she fell asleep or something,

The two families combined last Saturday for a hike in the hilly country of their grazing land. Three dogs were along. One, a lab mix, and rescued by Annie's uncle. He did not have much opportunity in his previous life, and really knows nothing about the land and it's critters yet. One was Annie's Great Dane, that is about 7 feet tall when he puts his feet on the shoulders of a 6' 5" man. The other was also Annie's dog, and a beagle mix. Another rescue dog and a little timid.

To be continued...

As they walked on their hike, they suddenly noticed the lab mix taking off and going some where with purpose. What they had not noticed was that the other two dogs had already left and were no where to be seen. When they stopped walking, they could hear the other two dogs barking about a half mile away. The black dog had heard them, and was on his way.

There were a few things going on simultaneously, as often is the case in farm and ranch life. Annie's father was in the middle of some farm work and also in the middle of making sure the apple pies did not burn in the oven and also in the middle of taking the kids on a hike.

Kash asked if he could go see what was going on with the dogs. When he was given permission to go, Annie asked to go along. So off they went. Along the way, they found a dried cow rib, and Annie fondly collected that fine rib. In her other hand was her walking stick which she had imported from an outing to Minnesota.

When they arrived on the scene of the barking dogs, they could see the two dogs were barking up into some small trees. The kids could not see anything in the trees for the dogs to be barking at. Except that there was a big hawks nest in one of the small trees, maybe 8 or 9 feet up. Kash spots a coon peeking over the edge of the nest! Finally! The day he had been waiting for and getting ready for and dreaming of. Kash could finally begin his coon hunting career. Annie had not been dreaming of this day, but now she dreams of that day, because her coon hunting career suddenly kicked into overdrive.

In the mean time, Annies father realizes he has GOT TO go rescue those pies or things just will not go well for him in the very near future. So off he goes. He calls the wife and fills her in on the situation.

Kash wastes no time in getting this career of coon hunting going. He has no weapon, but climbs the tree to get that coon. He had never heard what a coon can sound like when it is mad or threatened. He quickly learned what three coons sound like when they are mad and threatened!

Kash: "Annie, give me the cows rib".
Annie: "No"
Kash: "Why not??!!??"
Annie: "It's mine and you might wreck it!"

Well, some how, Kash convinces Annie that she will get her cow rib back. She gives it to him, and Kash puts his first coon hunting weapon into full force. He pokes a coon out. The Great Dane keeps that one entertained while Kash pokes out a second coon. This one goes in the swamp where the lab mix also finds his purpose in life. He keeps the coon perfectly held bayed in one spot in the swamp. Kash is just getting warmed up, and out comes the third coon. Lucky there were three dogs!

I will have to do a little more research to find out exactly how things happened over the following minutes. All I know for sure is that when Annies mom approached from a distance all she could see was her barely six year old daughter swinging that good Minnesota grown walking stick repeatedly down upon some dark creature on the ground. While Kash was thrashing around in the swamp with water up to his hips, and completely wet and muddy. And by the time Mom got on the scene, the mighty coon hunters had harvested all three coon.

By the time I got together with the two families for an evening of chili, apple pie, guitar picking, grinning, and story telling, Kash had already skinned one coon, had a shower, and looked fully alive. Annie was smiling as proud as ever, still pumped full of adrenalin and asking when the next coon hunt was going to be. I will never forget the oversize shirt she was wearing for pajamas. It said "God's work. Our hands."

I got a pretty good feeling this is not the last you will hear of Kash and Annie.

Great story! Thanks for sharing

That is truly a great story! David, thanks for sharing that with us. Personally I would like to see that in Buddy's new magazine, Big Game Houndsmen.

i agree with bearsnva! great story david and thank you for sharing!

Very good story! I have an 11 year old, an eight year old, and a 5 year old. All are aspiring coon hunters with some already hillarious stories. I can never get enough of them!

got to love kids...and they grow up tooooooo fast.....thanks David!

Great story, All I could think of was my Grand kids.