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TAILS FROM THE COTTONTAIL WOODS
TO: ALL BIG WOODS HARE HUNTERS OF THE ALLEGHENY
FROM: THE HIGH HARE MAN OF THE ALLEGHENY
GREETINGS TO ALL,
The first Eastern Cottontail season for 2008 is history. Overall, it was a good season. Not anyway near one of the best I've ever had, but... The hunting with Joe, Jr, Jim Taylor, his friends and son, Vic, and my hounds made the season worth it many times over.
During the past season the weather consisted of nearly every possible variation possible from too hot to snow, wind and cold. For some reason, the snow cover the last few days gave the hounds some trouble. Maybe because the snow was getting old. By this, I mean the snow had been on the ground for several days, tracked up by both man and beast. A fresh snow may have made the scenting conditions considerably better. But, of course, a guy can't have everything. The fact is we do not generally have snow on the ground this time of year.
Jim Hanson will have his four rabbits for his church wild game dinner and Jim Taylor took the two he wanted for his game dinner. I had several good rabbit dinners and I still have a couple to get into the freezer or the pot. Now we are looking forward to the Pennsylvania Varying Hare Season.
Yesterday, Saturday November 29, proved to be a good day afield. Joe and I enjoyed a great breakfast at the Corner Restaurant in Sligo before venturing into the rabbit fields. At the Corner Restaurant, you get eggs, your choice of meat, (ham, bacon, or sausage), potatoes, toast and coffee for only $3.75. There is not too many places on this earth that offer a deal like it.
The scenting conditions were not perfect as the hounds were cold trailing long before they got the first rabbit up and running. Sometimes they work very hard and make a lot of noise before they actually find the rabbit. Find it they did and bring it around they did! But, alas, I missed it twice, sitting. Don't know how, but missed it. I sometimes think the ammo company forgets to put shot in the shells. I had a bad primer last year and my faith in the ammo is not good. The hounds ran it for a while but then came up empty.
Moving on, the hounds worked another rabbit up and the chase was on. The hard working hounds, Patch, Gracie, Speckles and Blacky, were having trouble but they were keeping it moving. The rabbit was way out in front of the hounds when I saw it. Unfortunately, the rabbit saw me move and was gone. Lucky for me, the hounds soon found another rabbit and the chase was on again. As the cottontail came my way, I never dreamed he would run into the open woods as there was cover all the way around me. But old Briar Rabbit made a fatal mistake as I took him with a running shot from the infamous Thompson Contender .410. Funny, I can't hit them sitting but can hit them running. Again, a fresh snow cover no doubt would have made the scenting conditions more favorable.
Going back to Thanksgiving Day, Joe and I had enjoyed a pretty good hunt with several rabbits up and one killed. We were hunting near Callensburg, PA.. Near a place I like to call the "Dear Defense Area". No, Deer Defense, I mean. The deer hunters have built these high tower tree stands, so, it looks like they are defending the area, from deer I presume. I had been almost run over by a nice eight point buck which not one of the hounds wanted to chase, amazingly. As we were leashing up the hounds to leave the woods we heard a truck enter close by. It was only seconds after which we heard a man screaming in pain. Joe rushed to the screams as I finished taking care of my hounds then hurried over to find a young man sitting on the ground. It did not take me long to figure out the guy had fallen from the tree stand that he was intending to use on the opening day of buck season. As he tried to stand my concern was that he had broken something and would then go into shock. He claimed he was okay but accepted Joe's offer to drive him to his grandmother's home. I loaded my hounds and picked Joe up at the residence. We hope he was okay. The poor guy was lucky that Joe and I were near by. He could have laid there for sometime. We now know his name to be James (Jamie) Aughton from the Callensburg-West Freedom area. I may stop and check with his grandmother sometime to check on his condition.
There is a lesson to be learned here somewhere.
Over all, of the available days, I hunted twenty-five days and seventeen rabbits were killed in front of my hounds. Not a record season by any standard but an enjoyable one none the less. I am not going to get my perfect attendance certificate this year. Joe and I reminisced many times about the many really great cottontail hunting seasons we have had over the years.
The cottontail will shine again!
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