On most Friday evenings during the Coon
Hunting Competition Hunt Season, My best hunting buddies, Mark and Gary, would
join Oxbow Hill Bell and I for one good coon chase to check Bell out for the
hunt on Saturday. This could be the last hunt to make Bell, Grand Night
Champion.
The three of us Trout fished Five Mile
Run more than most other places, but we never coon hunted on that creek. The
area was brushy, a lot of cut over timber, and very rough terrain. We were sure
Bell would find an tough old coon to trail along that stream. She needed to
have a hard to follow coon trail to sharpen her for the next hunt. The weather
and temperature was perfect for a good run and not over tire Bell.
We arrived at five Mile Run and walked
up an old railroad bed near the creek. We had not walked far Bell struck trail
and the chase was on. The coon stayed in the creek or near the creek until they
got into the cut over timber. The coon circled the worst of the cut over and
back tracked himself, swam the creek and headed up a steep hill to more cut
over timber, into a corn field, more back tracking in the corn field and back
to the creek. After about an hour the coon went up a tree. Bell did her job
well. we let her tree for a while before we went to her, and saw the coon. I
told Bell to go to the truck and we left the coon in the tree.
As we walked the old grade toward the
truck Bell was ahead of us just enjoying the night. A porcupine wandered out of
the brush near Bell. She ran over and collected some quills in her face, mouth,
and chest. She ran toward us with more quills than were left in the porcupine.
All three of us tried to help her by
holding her down and pulling quills. Mark had hurt his at work that day and his
hand was wrapped. Bell grabbed that hand and as each quill was pulled she bit
harder, Mark just let her bite to relieve her pain.
Gary headed for the truck to get it and
pick us up. He tripped on something on the way to the truck and may have broken
his ankle. It took quite some time before he got back to us. I was OK so we
loaded up and headed for town. When I called the wives and told them Gary and
Mark was at the Hospital and Bell was at the vets, but I was OK. They just
laughed and told it served us right, but they would be there in a while.
It was a bad night for a coon hunt, but
we will always tell about the chase that old coon gave us. We don't talk about
the damage to the hunters and Bell.
Yes Bell won her grand night champion
the next night. She was 11 months and three days old.
By: Cmbluetick | Coon Hunting Supplies