Letter from the hunting shack

Hey! It’s deer season! Obviously I had to write this before the Echo went to print, so you’ll have to wait until next week to get the opening weekend report. The bags were packed and the food loaded on Friday afternoon, as a good weekend of hunting was anticipated. I sure am thankful that Halloween falls before opening weekend, because it gives me a head start on my chocolate fix. I’m pretty much a confirmed chocolate junkie and special thanks to my boys for graciously contributing to the old man’s habit. There’s nothing better than munching on a Reese’s peanut butter cup while waiting for Joey Buck. Last week I mentioned my nephew’s kid got his first deer and it kind of got me reminiscing about some of the characters I used to hunt with down in Georgia. One guy in particular went by the nickname “Nibbler” because he always had a toothpick in his mouth and he nibbled on it constantly. There’s no telling how much wood fiber Nibbler has ingested over the years, or how much Milk of Magnesia his wife went through just keeping him regular. The other dandy I remember was a man that goes through life with the nickname “Bo Gator.” If you called him by his given name Earl, he would simply ignore you until you called him Bo Gator. Bo Gator isn’t a big man, he is only about five foot three, but he is solid as a rock. Then there is the hair. I’m not talking about a full head of hair, but a full body of hair. Every time Bo would take his shirt off, we would all be looking around for any rogue female gorillas. Bo is a great guy, husband, father and friend. He served his country in Vietnam and was decorated twice for valor. Man, that guy can hunt. We would all be sitting in our stands with fancy guns and clothing and Bo would go into the woods in his jeans and an old ratty Army fatigue jacket. Armed only with a safety pin and a match book, Bo would strike out to the deepest, darkest swamp and invariably come back to camp with Deerzilla. Bo never bragged about his talents, choosing only to mumble something about rice paddies and firefights. In fact, Bo Gator isn’t much of a talker at all. His best attribute is his kind heart and generous nature, but that didn’t stop him from giving the crew a hell of a scare one night. Bo had pounded the bush hard one Saturday and he was pretty tuckered out, not only from the day’s hunting, but he had to haul all the wood for the sauna because the rest of the guys had somehow forgotten how to tell time. Anyway, it’s just after dark and I’m heading out to sauna. I’m not paying much attention to where I’m walking and WHAM! I run into Bo Gator coming out of the sauna and knock him on his behind. All of a sudden there’s this loud yell and Bo is on the ground. I gather myself and to my horror, there’s a 150 pound pine marten (did I mention he was hairy) named Bo Gator on his hands and knees screeching, “I’m having a flashback from Vietnam.” He’s scratching at the dirt and repeating that same phrase over and over. By this time the whole crew had shown up and was watching a hairy naked man pawing at the ground, swearing like a sailor at a truck stop. We were terrified and helpless. We just didn’t know what to do. I wanted to call a doctor or something, but it was Nibbler who suggested we at least throw a sheet over Bo in case there were any female gorillas about. Did I mention Bo was hairy? Amidst all this chaos, one person, Bo’s best friend Wendell leaned over and put his arm around Bo to try and settle him down. Out of nowhere those two start laughing like crazy. What Bo was actually saying was “I lost a contact lens, damn!” I guess you had to be there. Here’s a recipe for Blackened Breast of Grouse, but if your luck is like mine, you’ll be using chicken. 6 Partridge breasts (or chicken) 1 1/2 cups of melted butter Cajun seasoning A marinade injector Spicy mayo: two tablespoons chipotle flavored tabasco mixed with one cup mayonnaise. Inject melted butter into the meat and don’t be bashful, it should be oozing all over. Sprinkle liberally with the Cajun seasoning on both sides. Grill until done, then make a nice sandwich with some lettuce, tomato and the spicy mayo on a nice fresh bun and enjoy.Take care, be safe and good hunting