Some of you when reading this title will immediately think of Gary White's "Hunt" for young persons of the opposite sex on the streets of Cedar Vale. If this is what you expect, you will be disappointed.
One nice Sunday afternoon when I was a lad of about twelve or thirteen, my Dad told me to get in the pick-up and bring a couple of clubs. Since the rumor was that he had been a member of the KKK in his misguided youth, I thought the request to bring clubs was fairly ominous. But, we drove up through town and on out the old highway leading toward Sedan. After two or three miles going east, we turned north for a mile or two, and met up with scores of men and boys and cars and pick-ups. Some of them had big dogs with them. Some man, and as I remember, it was Carl Steward, stood up on the back of his pick-up and shouted instructions to all the "hunters" that were milling around the road. Soon after, some started driving east along the section line, some west, and they all eventually ended up encircling the entire section boundary with their dogs and clubs.
No, dear reader, we were not hunting girls, or African Americans, we were hunting coyotes. No guns were allowed in the hunt as the purpose was for each line of men and dogs to move slowly toward the center of the section, where hopefully some of the marauding coyotes would be trapped between the advancing hunters. I suppose if guns were there, some of the marksmen would have ended up shooting their best friends, or perhaps their worst enemy. When the "beaters" had arrived at the center of the field, the poor coyotes had no chance against the dogs and the big game hunters.
At this time, I do not remember how successful that particular hunt was, but some coyotes were eliminated, and the perhaps made life more safe for a few chickens or baby calves. Looking back, I do not know how I really feel about this sort of sport, but I guess it was necessary, and it was rather exciting for a young boy to be part of the Great Hunt.
I would be interested in anyone else's memories of a coyote hunt in Chautauqua county. Maybe locals like Don Cox would remember more details and could elaborate on them.
3 comments:
Very good description, Wayne. It is believed that the same basic procedure was used for Jack Rabbits. Seldom do I see a Jack Rabbit ... so the folks from that era may have been at least partly responsible for their eradication.
I also remember one time witnessing the type of coyote hunt you decribed. There were two gentelman in our community that used to hunt coyotes with grey hounds. They would ride a horse with the dogs tagging along beside the horse. When a coyote was spotted, the dogs would run it down. This was not only a sport it was done to keep the coyote population down. Thier was also a county bounty of $2 for a pair of coyote ears. When the farmers started locking their pasture gates it became to difficult to follow the dogs on the chase
I never was on a coyote "sweep" and probably wouldn't have approved anyway. Gary has it right about certain hunters. I remember the Hawkins brothers, Mac and Faye I think, who kept some fine big Greyhounds for this purpose. For them it was a way to add a meager amoount to their income back in the depression. I guess ranchers who were having trouble would entreat them to come and hunt on their land.
Phil's comment about Jack Rabbits made me remember Billy Hill. Everyone called him Billy even though he was a middle aged man. Well Billy butchered hogs and rendered lard and about anything to make ends meet. His best accomplishment was fishing. He did it most days and mostly in Caney river. He caught fish when no one else could, cleaned them, filleted them and sold the flesh to households around town. My Dad told me later that Billy's secret was the bait. It had to be Jack Rabbit liver--not just any liver--only Jack Rabbit would do. I do not know if he prepared it in some special way-wish I did.
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