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A coon hunter's story #7618508
07/03/22 02:36 PM
07/03/22 02:36 PM
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 16,512
Oakland, MS
yotetrapper30 Offline OP
trapper
yotetrapper30  Offline OP
trapper

Joined: May 2011
Posts: 16,512
Oakland, MS
A coon hunting friend of mine posted this on facebook. I really enjoyed the story and thought y'all would too. It's a bit long, but worth the read.

[Linked Image]
[Linked Image]
[Linked Image]

Lessons from an 11 year old.
by Charles Pudil

-So no kidding there I was, walking through the projects in Phenix City, Alabama. It was 1994 and I don’t remember exactly why I was walking, but I was. I got out of the Army on a scholarship to attend college ROTC. I was poor as dirt, worked part time construction during the school year and got by with little. I lived in a little two story quadruplex apartment in a rough part of town. Out my back window I could see Riverview, the poorest projects in our area, out the front window was the poor white neighborhood.

-While walking, a boy around eleven years old was with other kids playing football and he looked at me and said “hey, ain’t you the Hound Dog Man?” I was little surprised he called me Hound Dog Man. The black folks in Riverview all called me Fishman. I caught so much crappie and catfish back then that I used to give them away in the projects. When folks saw my little black Chevy truck they would holler out “hey Fishman” to see if I had any that day. My father-in-law was in a deer club that ran hounds and I had gotten me up a small pack of treeing and running walkers and had them tied to stakes with plastic 55 gallon drums for houses in my backyard. I said to the kid “not sure if I am the hound dog man, but I do have some hounds”. He then asked if he could come see them. I said he could, so he and the other boys followed me to the house. The fellow that inquired about the hounds was named Earvin, and he just had a big interest in dogs. He particularly liked a big red headed Walker dog I had named Buford. Me and the boys threw the football around for a bit, and then I had to leave. A couple days later I was out back taking care of the hounds when Earvin and a few boys showed up again. He started coming down regularly with other kids. I had a litter of half running and treeing walker pups and they started disappearing. I just let them run free in the back yard. I figured folks might be stealing them, but didn’t care as I wanted to get rid of them. Earvin started going out, stealing them back and returning them to me. One day my wife and I came home, and I saw Earvin take off through a little strip of woods. I walked out back and discovered that he had taken a five gallon bucket and shovel and was cleaning up after the hounds. He had been sneaking over and doing that for a while.

-As time went on only Earvin would show up and help with the dogs. I met his mom and got permission to let him fish with me. Earvin was always respectful, well mannered, and he had a heck of a good work ethic. Along with fishing, I started teaching him marksmanship and firearms handling. He shot well and handled weapons well. He had a bond with my dogs, and a strong desire to hunt. We became good friends and he also got to know my wife and my in-laws.

-One can never tell what another person thinks, but when Earvin and I went out and about, we did sometimes get a look of suspicion from both white and black folks. It was just not that common to see a 25 year old white man and 11 year old black kid together. Both Earvin and I lived in a poor area, and we shared common interests. I did have a realization that he was living in a home without a father in a neighbored with much crime, drugs, violence, and negative influences. I tried to compliment his mom’s rearing and promoted to Earvin the importance of school, honesty, hard work, being drug free, and alcohol free lifestyle.

-As deer hunting season neared I found a single barrel 20 gauge for $30 at a flea market and got it for Earvin. I was at my Father-in-law’s house and informed him that Earvin was going to hunt with us. He had an odd look on his face and said “you can’t take that boy down to the hunting club”. I asked why. He said “you are from Michigan, and this is Alabama. Things are different down here. We have separate hunting clubs. The black men have clubs where they hunt rabbit beagles and we have deer clubs. At the end of the season we hunt each other’s clubs and even drink some whiskey with each other, but we don’t join each other’s clubs”. His explanation was not sufficient to me, and I told him that Earvin would hunt with me, and that we would be fine.

-Opening day arrived, and my father-in-law, Earvin, and I rolled into the Watermelon Creek Hunting club in Pittsview, Alabama with my pack of hounds in the truck. Earvin jumped out like he had grown up there and started walking around checking out all the other hounds. As much as he liked hounds, he was also a connoisseur of lifted four wheel drive trucks and there were plenty to admire. The sun was not even fully up, and I could not help but notice a few strange looks from some of the men at the camp towards Earvin. I thought on what my father-in-law had said, and it occurred to me that someone might say something out of the way to Earvin, and I didn’t want him to get his feelings hurt. I thought it best for me to pull Earvin to the side and have a quick talk with him and let him know to let me handle it if anyone said anything inappropriate to him. I called him over to me and asked what he thought. He was grinning like a possum and talked about how many big lifted trucks and all the hounds. I told him we needed to have a quick talk. Earvin looked at me with a serious expression. I said “look around down here real quick”. He did. I said “do you notice anything different about you and everyone else?” Earvin looked around and said “no”. I said look again. He looked around and with a serious tone said “Ahhhhh, it looks like everyone else here has a 12 gauge and I am the only one with a 20 gauge”. I had to bite my tongue not to laugh. I told him he was right, and to be sure and let me know if anyone gave him any grief about his 20 gauge, and let me handle it. A few of the men at the hunting club asked me about Earvin and I told them he lived down the road from me and helps care for my dogs and loves to hunt and fish. Nothing else was said.

-Within a few weeks of hunting, I could go down to the camp, Earvin would jump on the back of someone else’s truck and go be on a stand by himself. I might not see him for hours. I remember getting a call on the CB from a guy we called Skip. Skip let me know that he and some others had run to the White Spot grocery and were getting lunch and that Earvin was with them. When they got back he would not let me pay for Earvin’s lunch. Earvin had earned his respect and he was accepted by the other hunters. He handled a firearm well, handled the hounds, and was not bashful at helping get chains on trucks to get them unstuck from the red clay mud, or doing other tasks with us. I made it my goal to be as color blind as Earvin and decided it was more important as to what gauge you carried than what color your skin was.

-At the end of that deer season Earvin came down to my house and said we need to talk. I asked about what, and he said “hunting”. It was not Earvin’s nature to ever ask for anything, and he was always thankful for anything he had, but I figured he was going to try to convince me that he need to hunt with a 12 gauge. I said “what’s up?” He said “Charlie, we should get a coon dog and start coon hunting”. I knew nothing of coon hunting and have no idea where he got that notion. I asked why we should coon hunt and Earvin explained that if we had a coon dog, we could then hunt year round and not just during deer season. That one statement led us to a whole new chapter of our friendship, and would see the two of us traveling all over the southern united stated in search of coon hounds. It led to my wanting redbones and Earvin wanting black and tans. Earvin is pushing 40 now, is married, has kids, and works two jobs. We don’t get to hunt and fish near as much as we did in the early years, but we still talk weekly and are still good friends. I learned a good bit from an eleven year old from the projects and I thank God for letting us meet the way we did.


~~Proud Ultra MAGA~~
Re: A coon hunter's story [Re: yotetrapper30] #7618533
07/03/22 03:13 PM
07/03/22 03:13 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 2,067
Missouri
M
mississippiposse Offline
trapper
mississippiposse  Offline
trapper
M

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 2,067
Missouri
Good story

Re: A coon hunter's story [Re: yotetrapper30] #7618609
07/03/22 05:16 PM
07/03/22 05:16 PM
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 3,492
Southern Illinois
F
Foxpaw Offline
trapper
Foxpaw  Offline
trapper
F

Joined: May 2016
Posts: 3,492
Southern Illinois
We can change the world one friend at a time.

Re: A coon hunter's story [Re: yotetrapper30] #7618612
07/03/22 05:20 PM
07/03/22 05:20 PM
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 10,472
Iowa
T
trapdog1 Online content
trapper
trapdog1  Online Content
trapper
T

Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 10,472
Iowa
Great story!

Re: A coon hunter's story [Re: yotetrapper30] #7618657
07/03/22 06:18 PM
07/03/22 06:18 PM
Joined: Sep 2015
Posts: 2,529
NW Illinois
K
Kevin Stake Offline
trapper
Kevin Stake  Offline
trapper
K

Joined: Sep 2015
Posts: 2,529
NW Illinois
That my friends is the way it should be. Thanks for sharing.


It is more blessed to give than to receive
Re: A coon hunter's story [Re: yotetrapper30] #7618669
07/03/22 06:47 PM
07/03/22 06:47 PM
Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 284
Montana/Florida
G
Gene Dziza Offline
trapper
Gene Dziza  Offline
trapper
G

Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 284
Montana/Florida
That's a great story. I have one for you. When I was a kid, in New England, there just wasn't many black guys that hunted. But I had a high school friend that was black that liked to check traps with me and coonhunt with me. He had a pretty decent bird dog. One day, we took his moms car and his shorthair and went out to one of the public places that were stocked. We got to the area and it was full of guys. We were getting our guns out of the trunk and Perri started looking through some trash bags his mom had in the trunk. He pulled out a suit coat and vest and found some ties. She had put them in there to take them to Goodwill. He put them on, minus the pants and draped an orange vest over the whole rig. I wish I could have gotten a picture. A black guy out hunting in those days, in that area, would have made a guy look twice. I'll guarantee some of those guys, if they're alive, are still talking about the black dude, wearing a suit while bird hunting.

Re: A coon hunter's story [Re: yotetrapper30] #7618671
07/03/22 06:52 PM
07/03/22 06:52 PM
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 533
MI
S
Supergoose Offline
trapper
Supergoose  Offline
trapper
S

Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 533
MI
Outstanding.

Thanks for posting that.


A goose may honk....but he won't wave
Re: A coon hunter's story [Re: yotetrapper30] #7618719
07/03/22 08:30 PM
07/03/22 08:30 PM
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 4,324
AK
F
FairbanksLS Offline
trapper
FairbanksLS  Offline
trapper
F

Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 4,324
AK
Wonderful story. There are many good people in the world.


formerly posting as white dog
Re: A coon hunter's story [Re: yotetrapper30] #7619009
07/04/22 10:22 AM
07/04/22 10:22 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 12,988
Central Pennsylvania
Nittany Lion Offline
Don't call me Mister, Mister
Nittany Lion  Offline
Don't call me Mister, Mister

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 12,988
Central Pennsylvania
Good one Yotetrapper.


I got myself a seniors' GPS.
Not only does it tell me how to get to my destination,
it tells me why I wanted to go there.
Re: A coon hunter's story [Re: yotetrapper30] #7619052
07/04/22 11:37 AM
07/04/22 11:37 AM
Joined: Feb 2020
Posts: 8,866
Indiana
P
Providence Farm Offline
trapper
Providence Farm  Offline
trapper
P

Joined: Feb 2020
Posts: 8,866
Indiana
Great stories. I have a good friend I work with that hunts like craze. We hunted together and worked out. I sighted his new guns in since he lived in town and I have a range at home. Great guy. Infact saved me from getting caned thus morning at work. I was in the pre shift meeting when he came over and nearly sat on my lap leaned over and told me my gun was showing. He Sat so close to block everyone view. My shirt had pulled up when I got out of my equipment and not realizing I had forgotten to take off and leave it in the truck when I got to work


Now I honestly had forgotten I had my glock on and me not for the first time. Since I carry all the time I don't think about it or notice it. But this morning in a meeting at work it was exposed completely. I'm glad people are not observant in this day and age. I made a hasty trip back out to the truck.

In keeping with this thread guess I should mention my buddy happens to have a darker skin tone than I do.

Re: A coon hunter's story [Re: yotetrapper30] #7619066
07/04/22 11:55 AM
07/04/22 11:55 AM
Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 1,791
IA
T
teepee2 Offline
trapper
teepee2  Offline
trapper
T

Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 1,791
IA
A great story, especially on this 4th of July. I truly believe this is what our founding fathers envisioned. "All men are created equal." We have made some mistakes, we are only human. But we have always strived for that "more perfect union."

Re: A coon hunter's story [Re: yotetrapper30] #7619141
07/04/22 01:46 PM
07/04/22 01:46 PM
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 255
N MN
D
DHH Online content
trapper
DHH  Online Content
trapper
D

Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 255
N MN
Great read . Thanks for posting


I'd Rather Try And Fail Then Not Try And Succeed
Re: A coon hunter's story [Re: yotetrapper30] #7619177
07/04/22 02:33 PM
07/04/22 02:33 PM
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 1,514
Missouri
B
Broomchaser Offline
trapper
Broomchaser  Offline
trapper
B

Joined: May 2010
Posts: 1,514
Missouri
Thanks yote.


Get the US out of the UN and the UN out of the US.
Re: A coon hunter's story [Re: yotetrapper30] #7619179
07/04/22 02:35 PM
07/04/22 02:35 PM
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 3,912
Ohio
S
stinkypete Offline
trapper
stinkypete  Offline
trapper
S

Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 3,912
Ohio
Very Good read. Thanks for posting

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