The Old Man sings for the Little Boy

The Little Boy and I opened up the 2010 hunting season yesterday down at the farm. We hit the woods about at about 7:30 am . My uncle Ken had called Friday night to make sure I was coming down and to tell me that he was going to try and go. I asked him to be careful , and he told me he was going to drive his old truck up the mountain close to the Hickory Grove, that way he did not have to walk that far. I told him I would come by and check on him when the Little boy and I finished the morning hunt. Well the best part of the first hunt of the year is the grand expectations of what the season may hold. Yesterday was no exception as the Little Boy and I discussed the morning plans on the way down in the cab of my pickup. Mother nature has her way of bringing the beast of plans back to a reality. Every tree was full of nuts the Walnuts, Acorns and Hickory's are loaded down there are lots of Dog wood berries also. It did not take long to figure out it was going to be a tough hunt. The Little Boy and I hit the woods just below the cabin where there are about 10 Hickory trees and we have good success but has I started thru there I was checking out the Hickory's I noticed there was no cuttings or very few laying around the base of the tress, which told me the squirrels had not been actively working them . I took a few more steps and got a glimpse of a gray on the ground moving parallel to me, but that was all I seen of a glimpse of his tail. The Little Boy and I hunted a few minutes trying to see him but in the heavy underbrush we could not pick him up. As we started out of that group of Hickory trees and toward the next group I caught a squirrel coming out the top of a Sassafras

I shouldered my gun as I have a million times I squeezed the trigger the old shotgun barked and I put my prey in my vest pocket. Well I thought maybe it will be good day, because I was not happy with what I had seen early. The Little Boy and I moved along quietly along the creek bank whispering to one another and we we got close to the next group of hard woods I said you go around the lower end, and I will take the upper and we will meet up where you killed your first squirrel. O.K.dad he said and we separated. I aways worry when he hunts alone and I think it makes him nervous , even though he knows those woods as well as I do he , they have been his playground since he was two years old. But I also think it builds great confidence in him.

We met up on the other side I found some sign but no meat. So we started on around the point and every little tree that I know held the same story a few nuts sampled but know serious action. When I squirrel hunt I am always looking for other sign as well for deer , turkey and the available food supply. In the early season I am looking for a mountain fruit that I like,Pawpaw's

and it never fails that when I find a few I begin to sing that old folk song you know "picking up Pawpaws's putting in my pockets" . I searched all the little pockets of Pawpaw trees and about half way around the point I found some. I pulled out my camera took a few photos for my blog and picked up and picked them from the tree and put in my pockets, with the Little Boys help and his plea Dad stop singing. He asked Dad what are you going to do with theses, I said son I found A recipe I want your mom to fix for me a Pawpaw cheesecake. We rested for a few minutes and went back to squirrel hunting and hunted are way back to the cabin . It took us about three and half hours to hunt the circle from the rear of the cabin to the front I saw three squirrels total shot one and got one. The Little Boy shot once, missed but was serenaded by the Old man.