Mr. Harley stopped by the store to pick up his daily purchase of 2 packs of Chesterfield cigarettes and was overheard telling Daddy about the deer tracks that he saw down in the creek field that bordered Big Sandy creek. Ears perked and another store customer gave comment regarding a deer that crossed the road in front of him several months past.

Today, such a conversation around Twiggs County would result in whispers about the individual having a failing memory or some other serious mental disease. In 1956, it was virtually unheard of to see tracks, much less see a live deer anywhere in the county. It goes without saying, but deer hunting wasn’t a sporting activity then. Neither was there a turkey population which has only developed over the last 15 years. Quail, rabbits, squirrel, coon, and fox and a bit of duck hunting covered the hunting activity.

Myrick’’s Mill was for a time on the Atlantic waterfowl migration route. So the pond at the Mill was known widely for its good duck hunting in those days. The major migration route has apparently changed because occasional migrating flocks of duck visit, but nothing like the massive population of the 1950s when the skies would be almost black with large flocks at dusk.

Duck hunting brings up a rather sensitive subject around our household. You see, I was almost late for my own wedding because of a duck hunt. The pond was so full of ducks around Christmas of 1960 that I just had to get in one last shoot early the morning Janice and I were to get married. Ducks were down and Tommy and I were having difficulty finding some of the ducks we’d shot down. One just doesn’t waste game by leaving it laying in the woods, or pond in this case. We didn’t have a dog to retrieve the ducks so we spent considerable time looking for them. Then we had to paddle back to the bank, unload our gear, and clean the ducks. The wedding came off on schedule, but it was a close call. The very idea of mixing a duck hunt with a wedding, though, still lingers menacingly around the house.

Squirrel probably occupied more leisure time than most other hunting sports. A squirrel hunt can be alone, just boy and rifle, or it can be a more social event with friends along. A good dog adds to the excitement and action, but isn’t required, particularly in the early season when leaves are still on the trees. Both sitting quietly and walking is effective for success. Reasonably good rifle marksmanship was required, particularly if the trees are tall. A single barrel shotgun equaled the rifle in popularity. Squirrel hunting is a sport that accommodates all ages and physical conditions. By the way, after years of decline, there is a renewed interest in the sport in the county and over a lot of Georgia. Squirrel dog competition trials and dog buying and trading is one the rise, as well.

While a relatively safe leisurely hunting sport, like all hunting it carries risk, especially for the young novice. It’s important to know that not all squirrels shot from a tree fall dead to the ground. I was quite young and had just begun to hunt alone. A couple of shots brought the full grown squirrel down from the tree and I hurriedly ran to pick it up and put it in my side sack. Everyone who squirrel hunted carried a side sack to carry their shells, cartridges and game. Blaze orange hadn’t been invented and few people had those nice hunting jackets with the game pouch built into the back of the jacket. Most carried a homemade side bag made from heavy denim or canvas material. I hurriedly picked up the squirrel from the ground, as it just as quickly grabbed my finger in his teeth. I’ll never forget looking at my finger with the squirrel squirming in my hand and his teeth clenched and protruding completely through my finger. Efforts to whack him in the head only brought more pain in my hand. There was a moment of sudden panic followed by a cooler head as I took my free hand and with a knee on his head and neck succeeded in finishing him off, then pried my finger loose from his long front teeth.

A rush to judgment brought unnecessary pain! “Experience is a hard teacher. She gives the test first and the lessons afterwards” (anonymous). It’s humbling to know that even a squirrel can teach a fellow something about grabbing a hold of things without the knowledge of consequences.

©2003 - William C. Humphries, Jr.