Grunts and Gobbles Final Results

[Tomme]

If you measure this hunt in terms of the fellowship it was great . If game harvested is what you look at we might as well all become vegetarians. ops:

The only game animal I know of for sure that was taken was a real nice Turkey Gobbler taken by Ronny Strickland on Sunday morning. I believe it was a 10.25 inch beard and weighed about 18 lbs. Ronny says he called him in, but I think the turkey simply spotted him and said, "Hey, there's another turkey down there. Think I'll go join him."

I do know that other people had shots. No names here, but Chris had two chances to take home the concrete pig, but the curse won once again. Visitors to Brushy Hill ranch can go by and see it on Rusty's front porch along with the signed names on it of all the losers that have tried to win the pig but have fallen to the curse. We've left it with Rusty till next year because Chunky and Biggen were getting bad backs from lugging it back and forth.

The balloon shoot went well. You know the one where we start out at about 130 yards and keep moving up until someone finally breaks the balloon. I'm happy to report that by holding 30 feet high on my first attempt that I was only one of two people that overshot. Paul McNeil won this event with a dead on shot at I believe 58 yards.

The big event all day Friday and into Saturday morning was the weather. It adds a little spice to the trip when your pickup slides off of the dam top on one of the ranch tanks and has to be caterpillered (and towed back to the top). There was also the truck stuck in the river bed which luckily got removed before the river came up and the S-10 pickup that was buried up to the doors. I was contemplating my next Toyota being two wheel drive, but this hunt cost me a lot of money, because no way I'll go that way on my truck.

Oh yeah did I mention that the river came up. This happened Satureday morning. The rain had stopped and several hunters (no names, but as a hint they come from an East Texas town where everyone is named Strickland or is related (something about inbreeding I believe)). Anyway they crossed over the river for the morning hunt and then the river came up. Moral to this tale is to sleep in. The truck was still over on that side of the high water when the hunt ended on Sunday afternoon. Frankly I think they did this on purpose so that they could stay an extra night, but who knows, perhaps it was an honest mistake.

Bottom line, hunting was lousy this year, weather was horrible and I had a really great time.