Hunting is often about more than just the hunt. Before humans had the ability to pass on knowledge through written word they used stories and dancing. As a kid I loved nothing more than to sit around the old wood stove at the hunting camp and listen to stories from the elders about hunts from the past. My dad would tell me the story of killing the 12 point buck when he was 12 years old. And then there was the story of old Billy Phillips, or "Red Man" as he was called, shooting the buck and then finishing it off with a stick to save bullets. Our freezers may empty out over the summer but the stories from the past year remain strong in our memories. And it is not just hunting stories; on a beach fishing trip to Fort Morgan Alabama, someone who will remain nameless fought a 10' piece of carpet for an hour swearing it was a "Monster Red Fish". It's just another memory now but the retelling only makes the moment live on forever.
George Byrd with a deer he killed in the 1980's.
That's me (Shelby Byrd) in the back of the truck.
Growing up, our family helped to found a hunting club. Most of the members didn't join for the hunting, they were there for the escape, the opportunity to swap stories and just get away. One member had a grill strapped down on his tailgate and grilled while hunting. Some guys spent all day playing on the C.B. radio. And man talk about entertainment, give 30 people a C.B. and just sit back and listen, it gets very interesting. Everyone had a C.B. handle, or name. Dad was Hummingbird and still to this day walking through Walmart someone will call out "What's going on Hummingbird".
Kentucky Bucks.
Jeff Slaughter, Shelby Byrd, Joe Perkins.
Now a days the hunting has changed for my family but the stories remain. Now we take a trip to Kentucky several times a year and get caught up on all the old memories on the 7-8 hour ride. I enjoy hearing my buddy Tim relive the days when he was chasing deer on the back side of the old Bond farm. My friend Jeff tells the story of the first deer he remembers seeing on his motorcycle on the back side of the Slaughter farm. He thinks to days back when he was young and deer were rare in the area. Things change with time, but the stories remain.
Tim Bond with a monster buck. The year Tim killed this deer he shot at 5 different deer with a bow before picking up his rifle.
Back to the C.B radio, have you ever hunted with a guy called Booger? How about Lucky Strike or Thunderbird, maybe Hondo or Rockin "H"? These old nicknames may be a thing of the past but they still hold a spot in many of our memories. These days I'm trying to introduce my daughter and wife to the hunting and fishing culture that I grew up enjoying. I hope that they will find the same joy I have experienced. My daughter loves for me to tell her a story from when I was a little boy each night at bed time. She's heard most of them before, several times, but she still seems captivated each time and wants to hear more. "Daddy is it too late for a story?"
Shelby, Jennie and Emily Byrd.
What are your favorite hunting memories, stories from a time gone by,
or tall tales about hunting or fishing?
Questions or Comments
alakingfish@gmail.com
Shelby Byrd
