#692022 - 04/23/08 12:02 PM
Windows to the soul Part VI
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M. Howard
trapper
Registered: 12/24/06
Posts: 2237
Loc: Louisiana
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Windows to the Soul
Part VI
The alarm went off with a blast of beeps as I hit the snooze and lay there in the bed thinking about what lie ahead of me that day. “This is the end of the line” I thought to myself. I went ahead and rolled out of bed and started the daily routine for the last time on this line. My joints ached, my fingers were raw, but I knew relief would come soon. This had been a productive line thankfully, almost too productive considering the amount of freezer space remaining. I had not had any more encounters with the rogue bucks since the two I had taken 6 days earlier. Don was excited about the hunt coming up the next day, and had made new plans every time we had talked that week. So as I had promised, I would be removing all my traps today. Rounding up all my gear, I headed for the property in a set pulling mood.
Having removed a good number of sets the day before, I still had 120 sets to remove. Everything went without a hitch, until I stepped on a beaver stub. I felt the point break the sole of my boot before I applied all my weight. As I pulled the stub free, I could feel the cold rush of water entering my right boot. Lucky for me it was on the last trip to the truck with less than a dozen conibears left to pull. On the fifth and final trip to the truck, I left the ATV loaded with gear and animals, strapped down the load, and headed to the house around 3pm. In this line of work production predicts profits, but if you are doing it for the profit, you may need to change careers.
I was half way through the beaver skinning when the phone rang, with out looking at the ID, I knew it would be Don calling to confirm the times and meeting places.
“Hey Don” I answered.
“Are you ready for in the morning?” Came the reply
“Yep, as ready I will ever be, what about you?” I asked.
“Yes, I was calling to tell you I will be able to get away at sunrise in the morning. What if we meet at the main gate, say 7:00?” I could hear the excitement in Don’s voice.
“Sounds good to me, I am ready to get this hunt going, it is almost like opening day.” I remarked.
“I will bring my check book tomorrow and pay you for the beaver and nutria rats you have taken, and the deer. How many beaver and rats did you wind up with?” Don asked.
“A pile, so bring a big check.” I remarked.
“Good night alive you put a hurting on them. Dead gum that sounds good. I know I am not paying for the coons and otter, but I’m glad they are gone. There is no telling how many bruters I lost in the stock pond to them. Not to mention all the feed those coons ate from the feed shed.” Don remarked with joy.
After we ended the call, I finished my skinning with a smile on my face knowing all the pain had been worth it, as I added up the bounty owed me. With a light day in the fur shed, I boarded the three coons and one otter I had taken that day. I hung the beaver to dry over night, unloaded the ATV and stacked my gear. I finally sat down to a warm meal with the family after full two weeks hard core trapping. With the excitement of the hunt the next day, while finding gear and checking weapons, I did not manage to get in the bed any earlier than usual. As I drifted off to sleep, I day dreamed of the huge 11 points that would soon be in my sights.
As the alarm went off, I bounced out bed with new found energy. I knew I did not have to drag any beaver up the levees today, all I had to do was find five rogue deer and dispatch them with Don. While sitting in the quite, peaceful stillness of the morning sipping my coffee, a chill ran down my spin. I thought back to the story Terry had told me. I had not heard a word out of him and wonder if would join us today. With the time drawing near, I slipped on my knee boots and retrieved my Model 12 from the gun safe. As I walked out the back door past my wife’s bed room, a soft voice came from the room.
“Be careful please.”
I paused for a moment, “I am always careful, it is the being part I have trouble with, you know.” I joked with my reply.
“Well, you just come home this evening in one piece.” Came the abrupt reply from my wife.
When the main gate came in to view, I could see Don waiting for me to come through. As I pulled through the gate, he waved with a huge smile on his face, and closed the gate behind me. I did not stop, as I drove to open the next gate before the parking area. After opening all the gates and locking them back I made it to the parking area. When I pulled in, I could see the three huge bucks had made their nightly walk and were waiting to be found. Don did not pull the parking area, but rather along side it on the main road. He stood on the drive side running board and yell. “Come on follow me to the lab.”
I could feel the excitement building for I knew he was going to allow me to see the inside of the lab and gain the knowledge of where these rogue deer came from. As we pull up the build, I could see cameras rotating with the movement of our vehicles. I stepped out of my Toyota and could see Don was on the cell phone. I could smell a faint odor, it seemed to be the same odor that came from the two bucks I had taken the week before. I knew this is where the bucks had come from.
Don stepped from his truck and tossed his cell phone on the seat.
“Enough of that, I am off today, they can handle anything that comes up with out me.” Don stated
“I like the cameras and warning signs, they add a personal touch to the place.” I remarked with a hint of sarcasm.
“Yes, they serve there purpose though. Look, you are fixing to see things only a hand full of persons has seen. I have to ask you to keep anything you see here confidential. This is a top secret research and development facility. I feel you have seen and been told enough to know what is go on in here, I feel I can trust you, so I will remove all your doubts. I am very serious about this though, you can not talk about this to any one.” Don explained
“Talk about what?” I replied
“Good, we have an understanding.” Don said with a smile.
We walked to one of the side doors and Don entered a security code on the key pad. With a snapping sound of the lock releasing, Don reached for the handle and opened the door.
“You are entering a world of science fiction, this is where science meets reality.” Don remarked laughingly. “A few years ago, a colleague of mine took a 193 inch buck in Kansas. At the time we did not think much of it. One day while discussing the deer we came up with and idea. He had head mounted and, well, it held the DNA of that deer. We thought why not clone him and start this ranch.”
The door entered into and office area with large glass windows. I could see large glass vessel through the window with liquid bubbling to the top. Don led me through the office and out another door that led to the lab area. I could see small deer floating near the bottom in transparent sacks with tubes running to them. I did not say a word, I just looked and soaked it all in.
“This is it, this is where the deer are breed, I will not go into details, but as you can see, we are using artificial means to bring these deer to life. We have some work to do yet as you well know, but this is it. What do you think?”
“Well, I think I know now why Michael the archangel fought the devil over Moses body in Jude verse 9.” I replied
“Well now, you have me on that one, I will need to look it up.” Don remarked
“You speak of bringing them to life, Don, I think you need to read Genesis again and remember who breathed life into everything in the beginning. These animals have no life, but are just walking dead, because they came from the dead.” I remarked knowing I had said enough.
Don looked disgusted, “Yes, I know, I am playing God. So less go play some more and take these non living things off the ranch.” Don said as he walked past me heading for the door.
Don had me load my gear in his truck and we left mine at the lab. We talked all the way to the first location a top the hill over looking Blue Water Lake. This deer should be easy to find, if I could see him, I knew now I could smell him.
As I took my Model 12 out of the case, Don remarked, “A shot gun? Why a shot gun?
“I don’t want to have to aim, I just want to point.” I answered.
Don slid his weapon out of the case and held it up for me to see. It was stainless Mini 14. I watched as he locked a 30 round clip in place on the weapon and pushed 3 more into a fanny pack.
“I believe in superior fire power.” Don smiled as he spoke.
I just smiled back.
With the morning still fresh and cool, we both geared up for what I hoped would be a short journey into the brush for the first hunt. We made our way up the embankment following the tracks back wards, knowing the buck always came from the north side of the road at dark. I knew he could not be far from the road as he made it there in a matter minutes after dark. The trail was worn to the bare ground from months of the deer walking it every night. I place every step in the bare ground of the trail to lesson any noise as Don followed close behind. Less than 200 yards off the main road, a noise caught my ear. It was the unmistakable sound of heavy breathing. A raspy, unsettling noise, the sound of congestion in the lugs rang out loud and clear, we were very close. As I crept up the trail, I heard a clicking sound from behind me, I turned to see Don motioning me to stop. He pointed to his eyes then to a thick clump of brush about 25 yards away. I scanned the brush and could seeing nothing when all at once, I saw the tell, tell movement of a ear twitching back and forth. Then clear as day the huge rack came into view. I looked back at Don and nodded and mouthed to him not making a sound,
“I see him.”
Don eased closer to me and whispered “Do I have a clear shoot?”
“No, You will need to move up the trail to that small oak” I replied as I point to a small scrub oak about 30 feet up the trail.
Don moved around me and made his way to the oak. I watched as he raised his rifle and took aim. I heard him take the safety off with a loud “CLICK”. He looked back at me to make sure I was ready. I nodded at him giving the go ahead then tuned to watch the buck. Before I could get the buck back in my view, I heard the crisp rap of the mini 14. I could see movement in the brush, then a burst of “RAP, RAP, RAP!” I could hear the spent brass hitting the leafs around Don, the clear sound of the action working on the rifle as it cycled each new round in the chamber and the bolt slammed shut. Just as soon as it had started, it ended. There was short period of silence as the echo died away from the report of the rifle.
“Oh ya!” Don broke the silence with a loud booming voice.
“Did ya get him?” I asked with uncertainty.
“Ya, he is down. I think I hit him with every shoot!” Don remarked with confidence.
I eased up the trail to Don’s vantage point and peered into the opening where the huge buck laid. Don still had his rifle barrel pointing down range toward the buck, I moved it to the side with my left hand as I began moving toward the animal stooped over with my shotgun at the ready. When I had drawn to with in 10 feet of the beast, I could smell that pungent odor of rotten flesh. I could see the animal was not breathing and black blood was rolling down his chest to the white belly hair as he lay on his side with the large rack holding his head off the ground and his nose resting on a huge oak leaf. I could see blood running on to the leaf from his now limp nostrils.
“He’s done.” I told Don in a loud voice.
“Good! Less go get the next one!” Quickly came the reply.
Stunned that he did not want to check out his kill, I turned to see him looking around nervously as though he expected to see another buck showing up in the area. With out a word being said, I packed it up and moved back toward Don.
As I entered the former buck well worn trail, I told Don, “Less go!” With no conversation we arrived back at the truck mid morning knowing that it would all be over soon for the rest of them.
As I slid my gun across the back seat of Don’s truck he asked,
“The little rifle did a number on him didn’t it?”
I just smiled and said, “he was not going any where that is for sure.”
I climbed in the truck and pulled door to as we moved on to get the last 4 bucks. The ones we knew to be killers.
_________________________
If I have to explain it, you would not understand.
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#696365 - 04/27/08 10:12 AM
Re: Windows to the soul Part VI
[Re: M. Howard]
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hartzog69
trapper
Registered: 01/21/08
Posts: 2276
Loc: Ashe county, NC
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dang that was long, and once again good!
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