A
Anonymous
Guest
Lets go way back in time to a time when I was a small boy. To the best of my knowledge, the year was 1965 and I was 9 yrs old. My best friend in them days was my Father, who took me hunting and fishing at every opportunity.
In between fishing and hunting trips, my dad and his gang always hung out at one of three places. The Triangle Cafe,(Home of best bar-b-que that I have EVER tasted), Clydes Drive In,(Home of the 19 cent hamburger), or my daddys garage,(Home of some of the best hand-crafted wood creations that I have ever seen).
Usually it was Vernon Rothenberger, Vernon Brown, Tommy Thomas, Lloyd Suggs, Bob Crossley and Daddy that ran in circles together. This particular story is about a deer hunt involving Daddy, Lloyd, and my little ol tag-along self.
This day brought us to a cut-over off of Hwy 35 on Baxter Trail, a little gravel road that was close to a game refuge at the time. The woods were filled with big deer. On this morning, we turned the dogs loose and it wasnt long before Bandit jumped. He ran as fast as his little beagle legs would let him, bawling the whole way.
Now I cant remember what brought us to get in the truck,(probably because Bandit would run into the next county if the deer wasnt killed or he wasnt caught.) We came to the top of a hill in the middle of a cut-over when Daddy pulled over to listen for the dogs. We all got out and got ready. I wasnt carrying a gun that day; Iwas just there for the Hostess cupcakes and Frostie rootbeer, (lol)
We heard the dogs coming a mile away when Daddy took a rest on the hood of the old GMC, while Lloyd took a rest on the bed. What a race! Bandit was a mouthy lil beagle and had come a long way from being MY pet. (I chose Bandit first from a litter we had and had spoiled him just a little). 250 yards away not one, but two monster bucks emerged from the hardwoods into the cut-over. Bandit and his buddies kept just enough pressure on them so they really didnt have alot of time to make any major decisions. The dogs were catching up quick before hitting the cut-over and now both bucks were in high gear running side by side with the morning sun gleaming off their enormous racks. It was a sight that I can still picture clearly almost 40 yrs later.
The deer got to around 125 yards away when both men fired their rifles. Daddy always shot a Remington 243 while I forget what Lloyd shot. Both deer met their death that morning near Baxter Trail, but more importantly, both men had a wedge driven between them that morning because of one thing. The G-word. Greed.
As I still recall, Lloyd told Daddy, "Gene, you can have the meat; I just want the RACKS." Lloyd Suggs thought he killed both deer. No compromise was ever made. In his mind, he did kill both deer. In my Daddys mind,(and in the real world), he killed at least one of the bucks.
Yes, my Daddy was a hunter and a fisherman, but he was not a liar or a thief. What my Daddy WAS though, was a wonderful shot. I saw it happen too many times. He was a great shot. Daddy also had something called his pride that sometimes got in his way. He wouldnt take either deer----He let Lloyd have both of them---meat and racks.
As far as I know neither man ever talked with the other one ever again. They both had let a little thing like a November deer hunt put a wedge between their friendship. As I look back now, I realize it wasnt worth it; if Lloyd Suggs is still alive, maybe he realizes it too. I sure miss Mr Suggs and all the funny stories he used to tell. Maybe I should try to look him up.
Thanks for listening.
God Bless,
Lil Brother <img src="/metal/html/smile.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt="
"> <img src="/metal/html/smile.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt="">
In between fishing and hunting trips, my dad and his gang always hung out at one of three places. The Triangle Cafe,(Home of best bar-b-que that I have EVER tasted), Clydes Drive In,(Home of the 19 cent hamburger), or my daddys garage,(Home of some of the best hand-crafted wood creations that I have ever seen).
Usually it was Vernon Rothenberger, Vernon Brown, Tommy Thomas, Lloyd Suggs, Bob Crossley and Daddy that ran in circles together. This particular story is about a deer hunt involving Daddy, Lloyd, and my little ol tag-along self.
This day brought us to a cut-over off of Hwy 35 on Baxter Trail, a little gravel road that was close to a game refuge at the time. The woods were filled with big deer. On this morning, we turned the dogs loose and it wasnt long before Bandit jumped. He ran as fast as his little beagle legs would let him, bawling the whole way.
Now I cant remember what brought us to get in the truck,(probably because Bandit would run into the next county if the deer wasnt killed or he wasnt caught.) We came to the top of a hill in the middle of a cut-over when Daddy pulled over to listen for the dogs. We all got out and got ready. I wasnt carrying a gun that day; Iwas just there for the Hostess cupcakes and Frostie rootbeer, (lol)
We heard the dogs coming a mile away when Daddy took a rest on the hood of the old GMC, while Lloyd took a rest on the bed. What a race! Bandit was a mouthy lil beagle and had come a long way from being MY pet. (I chose Bandit first from a litter we had and had spoiled him just a little). 250 yards away not one, but two monster bucks emerged from the hardwoods into the cut-over. Bandit and his buddies kept just enough pressure on them so they really didnt have alot of time to make any major decisions. The dogs were catching up quick before hitting the cut-over and now both bucks were in high gear running side by side with the morning sun gleaming off their enormous racks. It was a sight that I can still picture clearly almost 40 yrs later.
The deer got to around 125 yards away when both men fired their rifles. Daddy always shot a Remington 243 while I forget what Lloyd shot. Both deer met their death that morning near Baxter Trail, but more importantly, both men had a wedge driven between them that morning because of one thing. The G-word. Greed.
As I still recall, Lloyd told Daddy, "Gene, you can have the meat; I just want the RACKS." Lloyd Suggs thought he killed both deer. No compromise was ever made. In his mind, he did kill both deer. In my Daddys mind,(and in the real world), he killed at least one of the bucks.
Yes, my Daddy was a hunter and a fisherman, but he was not a liar or a thief. What my Daddy WAS though, was a wonderful shot. I saw it happen too many times. He was a great shot. Daddy also had something called his pride that sometimes got in his way. He wouldnt take either deer----He let Lloyd have both of them---meat and racks.
As far as I know neither man ever talked with the other one ever again. They both had let a little thing like a November deer hunt put a wedge between their friendship. As I look back now, I realize it wasnt worth it; if Lloyd Suggs is still alive, maybe he realizes it too. I sure miss Mr Suggs and all the funny stories he used to tell. Maybe I should try to look him up.
Thanks for listening.
God Bless,
Lil Brother <img src="/metal/html/smile.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt="
"> <img src="/metal/html/smile.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt="">