WEBVTT - Ep. 315: This Country Life - North Carolina, A Place in Alabama

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to this country Life.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm your host, Brent Reeves from coon hunting to trot

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<v Speaker 2>lining and just general country living.

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<v Speaker 1>I want you to stay a.

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<v Speaker 2>While as I share my experiences in life lessons. This

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<v Speaker 2>Country Life is presented by Case Knives on Meat Eaters

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<v Speaker 2>Podcast Network, bringing you the best outdoor podcast the airwaves

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<v Speaker 2>have to offer. All right, friends, grab a chair or

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<v Speaker 2>drop that tailgate.

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<v Speaker 1>I've got some stories to share.

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<v Speaker 2>North Carolina a place in Alabama. I know North Carolina

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<v Speaker 2>ain't in Alabama, but a new friend of mine was

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<v Speaker 2>paying his respects to both places, which will become more apparent.

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<v Speaker 1>Before I'm done today.

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<v Speaker 2>There's no opening story because this story is the whole show,

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<v Speaker 2>and I think you'll enjoy it. I did so without

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<v Speaker 2>further ado.

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<v Speaker 1>Here we go.

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<v Speaker 2>It was a funny little song about a lady dropping

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<v Speaker 2>an apple watch in a public access toilet near a

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<v Speaker 2>boat ramp in Michigan that first made me aware of

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<v Speaker 2>Reed Bargaineer. Reed is a security software guy by trade who,

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<v Speaker 2>as a child, was forced to learn the piano by

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<v Speaker 2>his mother. I hated piano lessons, he told me. He

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<v Speaker 2>added to the contrary that hear and how beautiful the

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<v Speaker 2>music was that his mother, Miss Karen, filled their home

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<v Speaker 2>with and what that instrument was capable of producing by

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<v Speaker 2>someone who knew how to play. It was the only

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<v Speaker 2>thing that kept him from resisting the lessons more than

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<v Speaker 2>he did so, like a lot of the seemingly born

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<v Speaker 2>but innocuous things our parents insist we do as children,

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<v Speaker 2>bolstered by that painfully prophetic you'll be glad you did it. Someday,

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<v Speaker 2>she was right and it paid dividends in the long run.

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<v Speaker 2>Stephen Nelle had talked about the woman falling into the

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<v Speaker 2>public access outhouse on the Meat Eater podcast in Red,

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<v Speaker 2>being a faithful listener, had written a little ditty about

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<v Speaker 2>the woman falling in the duty and her subsequent rescue.

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<v Speaker 2>Now I started following at Reed's piano news on Instagram

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<v Speaker 2>from that very moment, and aside from his humorous, taking

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<v Speaker 2>unique way of expressing his observations, I also saw this

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<v Speaker 2>guy is really good. Artistically gifted. People can be perceived

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<v Speaker 2>as being a little different by those of us who

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<v Speaker 2>are so blessed.

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<v Speaker 1>Now I found that belief validated.

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<v Speaker 2>After spending a few days with Red last week chasing

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<v Speaker 2>turkeys in his home state of Alabama. He's different alright,

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<v Speaker 2>but in a good way. Playing the piano and write

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<v Speaker 2>in original two are just two of the things he's

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<v Speaker 2>good at. But I'm getting ahead of myself more on

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<v Speaker 2>the other ones in a minute. In February of last year,

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<v Speaker 2>we connected through social media and I learned he listened

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<v Speaker 2>to This Country Life. I've been following his content since

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<v Speaker 2>he made his appearance on Meat Eater a few months prior,

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<v Speaker 2>after Steve heard his song about the unfortunate lady who

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<v Speaker 2>went headfirst into the chamber pot. Now, I always think

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<v Speaker 2>it's somewhat surreal to discover the many talented folks that

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<v Speaker 2>find amusement in this weekly struggle of mine. In the

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<v Speaker 2>wide variety of those who do general conversations back and

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<v Speaker 2>forth through the winter about each other's content, turned into

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<v Speaker 2>a genuine invitation to be his guest and come turkey

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<v Speaker 2>hunting with him in the spring on his family's land

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<v Speaker 2>near Fort Deposit, Alabama. Now I've said before that I

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<v Speaker 2>always hesitate when asked what my favorite type of hunting is,

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<v Speaker 2>But after a couple of mental hurdles of decision, I

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<v Speaker 2>settled on spring turkey hunting always, And it's not even close,

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<v Speaker 2>just because the scenario I just laid out. I get

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<v Speaker 2>to share it with others who feel just like I do.

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<v Speaker 2>It doesn't take a long, detailed conversation with someone to

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<v Speaker 2>get a good feel of how genuine they are about things.

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<v Speaker 2>And I could tell that Reed was a turkey hunter

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<v Speaker 2>who in his early forties had come to the realization

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<v Speaker 2>of sharing the experience was better than keeping it to yourself.

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<v Speaker 2>Like I always say, sharing a burden will lighten the load,

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<v Speaker 2>and sharing a joy will amplify it. It was with

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<v Speaker 2>that in mind that I accepted his invitation and scheduled

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<v Speaker 2>to meet hum at his friend's family's old home place,

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<v Speaker 2>ten minutes from Reed's family's ancestral land and the place

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<v Speaker 2>we'd be chasing turkeys.

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<v Speaker 1>I arrived in the.

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<v Speaker 2>Middle of the afternoon to an old farmhouse that was

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<v Speaker 2>painted white, its tin roofs shaded by hardwoods, surrounded by

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<v Speaker 2>a manicured yard.

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<v Speaker 1>The front porch was adorned with.

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<v Speaker 2>Rocking chairs and a swing where I imagine generations.

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<v Speaker 1>Of folks that sat in the cool.

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<v Speaker 2>Of the evenings when the work was finished, passing the

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<v Speaker 2>time and enjoying each other's company until time to go

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<v Speaker 2>to bed. Long before all the distractions that keep a

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<v Speaker 2>person's attention elsewhere. Today, even in a room full of

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<v Speaker 2>family and friends, Reed was out back stoking a fire

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<v Speaker 2>in a large pit with stove wood that was producing

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<v Speaker 2>the coals that would cook our supper.

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<v Speaker 1>Later that evening, I.

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<v Speaker 2>Shook his hand and we started talking. As I remember,

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<v Speaker 2>it wasn't initially about turkey hunt. There was plenty of

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<v Speaker 2>time to talk about that later. I wanted to know

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<v Speaker 2>about Reed and get to know who he was. Away

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<v Speaker 2>from that piano, we shared a lot in common. We

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<v Speaker 2>have better wives and kids than we deserve, are blessed

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<v Speaker 2>with giving friends and careers that allow us opportunities to

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<v Speaker 2>share adventures such as the one we were about to undertake.

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<v Speaker 2>The old house we stayed at belonged to a friend

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<v Speaker 2>of Reed that was built in nineteen o two. There

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<v Speaker 2>had been an addition in the last few years to

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<v Speaker 2>allow for a more comfortable stay when family and hunters gathered,

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<v Speaker 2>but the addition, while very modern, held on to the

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<v Speaker 2>simplistic nature of an old farmhouse. I felt at home

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<v Speaker 2>before I ever walked through the door. Old deer, waterfowl,

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<v Speaker 2>coon and bobcat mounts decorated the walls of the sitting room.

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<v Speaker 2>In the kitchen, the vibe felt as good as when

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<v Speaker 2>your grandma hugged you, and the wood floor creaked just

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<v Speaker 2>enough when you walked in the original part of the

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<v Speaker 2>home to remind you that several grandmas had occupied this space.

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<v Speaker 2>Just inside the front door, on the walls, the four

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<v Speaker 2>year hung old pictures and mementos of the legacy of

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<v Speaker 2>the family that owned this house and the land it

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<v Speaker 2>sat on, one such item being the original land grant document,

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<v Speaker 2>dated February first, eighteen twenty two and designed by then

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<v Speaker 2>President James Monroe. A historically important reverence that I would

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<v Speaker 2>see on the land we were to hunt the following morning,

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<v Speaker 2>land adjacent to the small community of Fort Deposit that

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<v Speaker 2>has had bargaineers roaming on it since eighteen nineteen, land

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<v Speaker 2>that three years prior, Old Hickory himself, the future president,

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<v Speaker 2>but then General Andrew Jackson ordered constructed and sequestered provisions

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<v Speaker 2>for supplying troops during the Creek Indian War. A depository

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<v Speaker 2>Fort a very descriptive term from which the town would

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<v Speaker 2>eventually draw its name. The land itself was a bit

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<v Speaker 2>of a novelty to me. I wasn't expecting a diverse topography.

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<v Speaker 2>The terrain fluctuated from bottomland to rolling hills, and some

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<v Speaker 2>of them as steep as any hills I'd climbed in

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<v Speaker 2>the Washittall Mountains or the Ozarks, but not as tall,

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<v Speaker 2>but definitely just as steep. The first morning, I followed

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<v Speaker 2>Rid away from the truck and we climbed and stood

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<v Speaker 2>atop Gills Hill, a steep grated knob that tired four

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<v Speaker 2>hundred and seventy feet above sea level, which coincidentally lay

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<v Speaker 2>less than one hundred and ten miles due south.

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<v Speaker 1>From where we were waiting to hear a turkey gobble.

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<v Speaker 2>Redbirds started singing, and after I caught my breath, I

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<v Speaker 2>out and a gobbler nearly cut me off. We were

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<v Speaker 2>way too close to him. His gobble initially sounded like

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<v Speaker 2>a jake to me. It was like only the back

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<v Speaker 2>half of a normal gobble, but I think it was

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<v Speaker 2>because I scared him more than anything else. Eventually he

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<v Speaker 2>let out a couple more gobbles, but he went silent

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<v Speaker 2>after he flew down. Luckily, we had two others that

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<v Speaker 2>were in a goblin contest a little over a quarter

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<v Speaker 2>of a mile away. It was a steep grade down

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<v Speaker 2>to where they were, and we would need to pick

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<v Speaker 2>a path and head that way, gambling that we'd chosen

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<v Speaker 2>wisely to try and get ahead of them, And once

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<v Speaker 2>they picked their main course to travel, by eight thirty

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<v Speaker 2>that morning, we figured we had them scoped out and

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<v Speaker 2>made a move trying to get to a spot to.

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<v Speaker 1>Cut them off. And they never gobbled again, no worries.

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<v Speaker 2>We gave them plenty of time to respond, and when

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<v Speaker 2>they didn't, we lit a shuck for the north end

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<v Speaker 2>of the property, a place Red said was the location

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<v Speaker 2>turkeys sometimes wound up during the middle of the morning.

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<v Speaker 2>Making our way down the long ridge, we stopped to

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<v Speaker 2>listen and for Red to share memories of certain places

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<v Speaker 2>or events that had taken place there during his lifetime

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<v Speaker 2>of making tracks on this part of the planet. Eventually

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<v Speaker 2>we found our way to the edge of a big

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<v Speaker 2>open field at the bottom of several ridges. I'm not

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<v Speaker 2>sure I could have taken a pencil and a piece

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<v Speaker 2>of paper and drawn a more turkey looking place. I

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<v Speaker 2>called loudly and bound A turkey gobbled back about three hundred.

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<v Speaker 1>And fifty yards away.

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<v Speaker 2>Now we moved as close as we couldn't set up,

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<v Speaker 2>he answered, and twice got a little closer, and eventually

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<v Speaker 2>we realized there were two gobblers answered us, but neither

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<v Speaker 2>ever got within sight. We stayed for nearly another hour

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<v Speaker 2>after the last goble and decided to head into Ford

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<v Speaker 2>Deposit for a bite to eat. Driving past a house,

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<v Speaker 2>Reed saw an elderly couple standing on the carport. That's

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<v Speaker 2>one of my grandfather's good friends. You have to meet him.

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<v Speaker 2>Read back to side by side down the street and

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<v Speaker 2>we pulled into the yard. There I met mister lee

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<v Speaker 2>Ernest Steiner and his wife, Miss Minnie. The connection between

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<v Speaker 2>all three of them was immediate and heartfelt. Reid would

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<v Speaker 2>tell me later that he stops some visits with them

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<v Speaker 2>at their house when he sees them out and about

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<v Speaker 2>when he's down at the family land from his home

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<v Speaker 2>in Birmingham.

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<v Speaker 1>Reed's father does the same.

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<v Speaker 2>Mister Steiner was nearly ninety according to Reid, and while

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<v Speaker 2>we visited, I learned from him that he'd lost the

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<v Speaker 2>sight in one of his eyes and some of the

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<v Speaker 2>use of his right arm due to a stroke. But

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<v Speaker 2>he never stopped smiling while we talked or when he

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<v Speaker 2>looked at Reed. He may have had some trouble communicating

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<v Speaker 2>words as a result of his condition, but his tired

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<v Speaker 2>old liae spoke volumes when he talked read about reading

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<v Speaker 2>his Bible and saying, without any trouble at all, that

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<v Speaker 2>Reed had finally grown up big enough to eat.

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<v Speaker 1>A whole chicken by itself, a.

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<v Speaker 2>Comment Miss Minnie and I both found pretty funny. Our

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<v Speaker 2>visit done or sandwich is eating. We drove back to

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<v Speaker 2>the property that afternoon with the game plan that we

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<v Speaker 2>wouldn't pressure anything. We'd make a drive down through the

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<v Speaker 2>access road that bordered the eastern edge, and if we

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<v Speaker 2>could strike a gobbler from the road, we'd dive in

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<v Speaker 2>after him. Long story short, It didn't happen, but it

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<v Speaker 2>was only the first day. I should point out that

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<v Speaker 2>we did see a gobble across the road in front

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<v Speaker 2>of us on the way in that afternoon, but the

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<v Speaker 2>terrain wasn't optimal for us to get in front of

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<v Speaker 2>him without him seeing this. No pressure, it's only the

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<v Speaker 2>first day. Remember me saying that artistic folks are usually

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<v Speaker 2>good at more than one thing.

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<v Speaker 1>Well, Reed is also quite a shift.

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<v Speaker 2>In fact, he told me he'd liked to go to

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<v Speaker 2>Jesse Griffiths's new school a traditional cookery. Now, I think

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<v Speaker 2>you might teach Jesse a thing or two. Who knows,

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<v Speaker 2>I know he turned the fire up on that pork

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<v Speaker 2>shot we had for supper that night and the duck

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<v Speaker 2>we had the following night. That boy can cook, Jesse.

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<v Speaker 2>You got to save that boy spot.

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<v Speaker 1>Now.

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<v Speaker 2>That night, after supper, we made our plans for the

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<v Speaker 2>next day. We would start out between the two sets

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<v Speaker 2>of turkeys we heard that morning, the two that were

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<v Speaker 2>in a goblin contest to daylight, and the two that

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<v Speaker 2>we got on later in the day. We laid out

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<v Speaker 2>almost four miles of tracks on Alabama that day, and

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<v Speaker 2>in the morning we'd cut that in half by starting

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<v Speaker 2>in the sweet spot right between them both. Now I

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<v Speaker 2>finished up our plan that night with of course, neither

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<v Speaker 2>group will gobble in the morning, and the whole day

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<v Speaker 2>will start off like this one, with us not knowing.

0:13:12.320 --> 0:13:13.920
<v Speaker 1>Which way to go or what to do.

0:13:14.400 --> 0:13:17.560
<v Speaker 2>We laughed and laughed until the next morning, when that

0:13:17.760 --> 0:13:22.480
<v Speaker 2>was exactly what happened. Over four miles later, we were

0:13:22.480 --> 0:13:24.760
<v Speaker 2>back at the truck, having only heard the faintest of

0:13:24.840 --> 0:13:27.880
<v Speaker 2>gobbles that was in another zip code from ours, and

0:13:27.960 --> 0:13:30.640
<v Speaker 2>on our way out for a bite to eat, both

0:13:30.679 --> 0:13:34.720
<v Speaker 2>of us whooped as pups let's stop where we saw

0:13:34.760 --> 0:13:38.560
<v Speaker 2>that turkey in the road yesterday, just stopped there reading

0:13:38.960 --> 0:13:40.960
<v Speaker 2>I'm gonna call and see what happens.

0:13:41.360 --> 0:13:42.199
<v Speaker 1>He pulled over, and.

0:13:42.120 --> 0:13:44.000
<v Speaker 2>I jumped out of the truck and sent a series

0:13:44.040 --> 0:13:45.600
<v Speaker 2>of yeps down through the woods.

0:13:46.520 --> 0:13:50.240
<v Speaker 1>God Turkey answered I.

0:13:50.360 --> 0:13:53.040
<v Speaker 2>Reid looked over at me and smiling and said, we're

0:13:53.120 --> 0:13:56.960
<v Speaker 2>back in. I looked at my watch. It was ten twenty.

0:13:57.640 --> 0:14:00.400
<v Speaker 2>He was less than three hundred yards away. I would

0:14:00.400 --> 0:14:04.000
<v Speaker 2>have bet my paycheck that Turkey was as good as dead.

0:14:05.080 --> 0:14:07.400
<v Speaker 2>I'm glad I didn't, because, as far as I know,

0:14:07.679 --> 0:14:10.560
<v Speaker 2>and I talked to Reed today, that joker is still

0:14:10.600 --> 0:14:14.280
<v Speaker 2>amongst the living. I had him within one hundred yards

0:14:14.280 --> 0:14:16.840
<v Speaker 2>two different times, but I never have laid my peepers

0:14:16.840 --> 0:14:17.160
<v Speaker 2>on him.

0:14:17.840 --> 0:14:19.880
<v Speaker 1>He could have been invisible for all I know.

0:14:20.800 --> 0:14:23.440
<v Speaker 2>We walked out of the woods, scratching our heads, wondering

0:14:23.600 --> 0:14:27.360
<v Speaker 2>how we've messed that up. We replayed step by step

0:14:27.520 --> 0:14:29.720
<v Speaker 2>every move we made an outside of chunk of a

0:14:29.760 --> 0:14:33.080
<v Speaker 2>grenade at him. I wouldn't have done anything any different.

0:14:33.800 --> 0:14:43.200
<v Speaker 2>It just wasn't meant to be. That Evening, Read's oldest son, Barnes,

0:14:43.280 --> 0:14:48.560
<v Speaker 2>rode in with Reed's father, doctor Paul Bargaineer. We planned

0:14:48.560 --> 0:14:50.880
<v Speaker 2>to divide up the next morning into two teams going

0:14:50.920 --> 0:14:54.640
<v Speaker 2>in different directions, doubling our chances of slinging some lead.

0:14:55.600 --> 0:14:57.880
<v Speaker 2>Doctor Bargineer and I would hunt the south end, and

0:14:57.960 --> 0:15:02.040
<v Speaker 2>Reading Barnes would take care of the norse. Unfortunately, Barnes

0:15:02.080 --> 0:15:04.520
<v Speaker 2>took sick during the night and didn't make our morning

0:15:04.600 --> 0:15:08.680
<v Speaker 2>formation at five am the next day, so while he

0:15:08.720 --> 0:15:12.480
<v Speaker 2>stayed in bed, we struck out for one last strikeout,

0:15:13.320 --> 0:15:17.080
<v Speaker 2>and that's just what we did. We struck out. We

0:15:17.200 --> 0:15:19.760
<v Speaker 2>heard three turkeys that morning, but they were so far

0:15:19.880 --> 0:15:22.320
<v Speaker 2>off and only gobbled a few times, making it really

0:15:22.560 --> 0:15:25.680
<v Speaker 2>difficult to come up with a workable plan of attack.

0:15:26.680 --> 0:15:29.520
<v Speaker 2>Before we left the woods, we tallied up another four

0:15:29.640 --> 0:15:33.400
<v Speaker 2>miles of hiking through the mountains of Lounges County, Alabama.

0:15:34.440 --> 0:15:36.960
<v Speaker 2>Now what we did do was stop along the way

0:15:37.000 --> 0:15:40.520
<v Speaker 2>at different places to listen to turkey stories, mostly told

0:15:40.800 --> 0:15:44.000
<v Speaker 2>Reed's father, a dentist by trade for the past forty

0:15:44.160 --> 0:15:48.640
<v Speaker 2>one years. This spot right here is called North Carolina

0:15:49.120 --> 0:15:51.840
<v Speaker 2>because it reminds me of a place I saw there once.

0:15:51.880 --> 0:15:56.200
<v Speaker 2>It's my most favorite place on the planet. I've caught

0:15:56.240 --> 0:15:58.080
<v Speaker 2>a lot of turkeys up right here, I could have

0:15:58.160 --> 0:16:01.480
<v Speaker 2>killed a lot more than I have. Sometimes I just

0:16:01.560 --> 0:16:05.040
<v Speaker 2>let him go. I'd rather see you get one than me.

0:16:05.200 --> 0:16:08.120
<v Speaker 2>I just enjoy working this land for the betterment of

0:16:08.200 --> 0:16:11.680
<v Speaker 2>turkeys and for my children and grandchildren.

0:16:10.920 --> 0:16:15.040
<v Speaker 1>Which in turn is good for everything. That's what he said.

0:16:17.600 --> 0:16:20.240
<v Speaker 2>He looked at that place he called North Carolina not

0:16:20.440 --> 0:16:23.200
<v Speaker 2>like it was a member of his family. Now he

0:16:23.280 --> 0:16:26.000
<v Speaker 2>looked at it like he was a member of its family.

0:16:26.600 --> 0:16:30.040
<v Speaker 2>And I truly think he believes it. I certainly do.

0:16:30.160 --> 0:16:33.320
<v Speaker 2>After watching him talk about it and share his experiences

0:16:33.320 --> 0:16:38.080
<v Speaker 2>with me, Red asked me the next day when he'd

0:16:38.080 --> 0:16:40.920
<v Speaker 2>stop wondering why we didn't call that turkey in that

0:16:41.000 --> 0:16:43.920
<v Speaker 2>we let get away from us. I was driving down

0:16:43.920 --> 0:16:46.400
<v Speaker 2>the road headed home when he asked at that exact

0:16:46.440 --> 0:16:50.160
<v Speaker 2>same time, I was wondering the same thing. Now, had

0:16:50.200 --> 0:16:52.120
<v Speaker 2>we got him, it would have been a great story

0:16:52.160 --> 0:16:54.680
<v Speaker 2>of how we'd caught him off guard and tricked him

0:16:54.720 --> 0:16:56.560
<v Speaker 2>during the middle of the day when they're supposed to

0:16:56.600 --> 0:16:59.640
<v Speaker 2>be a lot easier to trick. And after a while

0:16:59.680 --> 0:17:02.240
<v Speaker 2>it would just turned into a turkey that we killed

0:17:02.240 --> 0:17:06.560
<v Speaker 2>in Alabama. But now we had a shared experience of

0:17:06.640 --> 0:17:09.560
<v Speaker 2>highs and lows in the two hours, we each moved

0:17:09.600 --> 0:17:15.120
<v Speaker 2>around that turkey, calling chessboard, attack and counterattack, stick and move,

0:17:15.200 --> 0:17:17.880
<v Speaker 2>bob and weave, with eventually both of us walking out

0:17:17.920 --> 0:17:20.560
<v Speaker 2>with a story to telling. By us, I mean read

0:17:21.280 --> 0:17:24.840
<v Speaker 2>me and the turkey. I asked Reid, why didn't he

0:17:24.880 --> 0:17:27.840
<v Speaker 2>just load up on that fire lane and walked straight

0:17:27.920 --> 0:17:31.040
<v Speaker 2>to us? But you know what, that gobbler was probably

0:17:31.040 --> 0:17:33.400
<v Speaker 2>wondering the same thing about the hen he was answering.

0:17:34.920 --> 0:17:38.040
<v Speaker 2>So I didn't bring a turkey home, but I didn't

0:17:38.080 --> 0:17:41.399
<v Speaker 2>come home without something. I made some new friends, I

0:17:41.440 --> 0:17:44.639
<v Speaker 2>saw the sight of some early American history. I was

0:17:44.680 --> 0:17:47.439
<v Speaker 2>welcome to a place revered by those who shared it

0:17:47.480 --> 0:17:50.280
<v Speaker 2>with me, a place that sits at the epicenter of

0:17:50.280 --> 0:17:54.600
<v Speaker 2>a tumultuous times at the beginning of Alabama statehood two

0:17:54.720 --> 0:17:57.800
<v Speaker 2>hundred and six years ago, when it was the jumping

0:17:57.880 --> 0:18:02.560
<v Speaker 2>off point for conflict with Native Americans, and a place

0:18:02.600 --> 0:18:04.880
<v Speaker 2>around the time of my birth in the mid sixties

0:18:04.880 --> 0:18:07.720
<v Speaker 2>that would have had read and I questioned for stopping

0:18:07.760 --> 0:18:12.040
<v Speaker 2>to visit with people that the bargaineers considered family, who

0:18:12.119 --> 0:18:15.280
<v Speaker 2>didn't look like we did on the outside, but are

0:18:15.440 --> 0:18:20.280
<v Speaker 2>indistinguishable on the inside. And that's where it counts the most.

0:18:26.440 --> 0:18:28.439
<v Speaker 2>Thank you so much for listening to us here on

0:18:28.480 --> 0:18:31.159
<v Speaker 2>the Bear Grease Channel. Claive Bow and I appreciate it

0:18:31.280 --> 0:18:34.800
<v Speaker 2>very much. And good luck chasing those turkeys until next week.

0:18:34.840 --> 0:18:38.360
<v Speaker 2>This is Brent Reeves signing off. Y'all be careful