1 00:00:05,080 --> 00:00:08,719 Speaker 1: Welcome to This Country Life. I'm your host, Brent Reeves 2 00:00:09,160 --> 00:00:12,559 Speaker 1: from coon hunting to trotlining and just general country living. 3 00:00:12,640 --> 00:00:14,400 Speaker 1: I want you to stay a while as I share 4 00:00:14,480 --> 00:00:19,040 Speaker 1: my experiences in life lessons. This Country Life is presented 5 00:00:19,079 --> 00:00:23,320 Speaker 1: by Case Knives from the store More Studio on Meat 6 00:00:23,320 --> 00:00:27,240 Speaker 1: Eaters Podcast Network, bringing you the best outdoor podcast the 7 00:00:27,440 --> 00:00:31,319 Speaker 1: airways have to offer. All right, friends, grab a chair 8 00:00:31,560 --> 00:00:35,760 Speaker 1: or drop that tailgate. I've got some stores to share. 9 00:00:38,800 --> 00:00:45,040 Speaker 1: Jesse Lily Beth in the FFA. I have long been 10 00:00:45,080 --> 00:00:48,520 Speaker 1: a fan of the FFA. I grew up on a farm, 11 00:00:48,560 --> 00:00:50,920 Speaker 1: I was raised by farmers, and I was a member 12 00:00:50,960 --> 00:00:54,160 Speaker 1: of that organization all through high school. I believe it 13 00:00:54,160 --> 00:00:58,800 Speaker 1: it's people and its mission. On this episode, coon hunting 14 00:00:58,800 --> 00:01:01,760 Speaker 1: and FFA meet for an intended purpose, and I'm going 15 00:01:01,840 --> 00:01:05,160 Speaker 1: to tell you all about it. But first I'm going 16 00:01:05,240 --> 00:01:15,000 Speaker 1: to tell you this Tom Jesse, the coonhound puppy I 17 00:01:15,080 --> 00:01:18,520 Speaker 1: purchased several months ago, has been slow to get going. 18 00:01:19,800 --> 00:01:22,320 Speaker 1: I got spoiled with old Whaling, who more or less 19 00:01:22,360 --> 00:01:25,920 Speaker 1: came out of the box, pun intended hunting the way 20 00:01:25,920 --> 00:01:29,120 Speaker 1: a hound should nose on the ground and moving with 21 00:01:29,280 --> 00:01:32,560 Speaker 1: the purpose. He had no idea what he was looking for. 22 00:01:32,600 --> 00:01:35,520 Speaker 1: He was just looking for something to bark at. He 23 00:01:35,640 --> 00:01:38,680 Speaker 1: had natural interest in the drive to get out and hunt, 24 00:01:39,080 --> 00:01:41,800 Speaker 1: and I remember not long after I met my friend 25 00:01:41,880 --> 00:01:44,600 Speaker 1: Rex Whiting, that he and I were hunting with Whaling 26 00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:49,600 Speaker 1: in his dog Shadow. I've talked about Rex's shadow here before, 27 00:01:49,840 --> 00:01:52,400 Speaker 1: but for those that may be new to this weekly struggle, 28 00:01:52,920 --> 00:01:56,000 Speaker 1: Rex stopped by my house one day and introduced himself 29 00:01:56,000 --> 00:01:58,480 Speaker 1: because he saw me cleaning out the dog box I 30 00:01:58,480 --> 00:02:01,880 Speaker 1: had in the back of my truck. We made friends 31 00:02:02,360 --> 00:02:05,120 Speaker 1: in short order, and a few days later we were 32 00:02:05,200 --> 00:02:09,400 Speaker 1: hunting together. We turned the hounds loose and Shadow left 33 00:02:09,440 --> 00:02:11,720 Speaker 1: on a mission to sniff out a coon and Whaling. 34 00:02:12,760 --> 00:02:17,240 Speaker 1: He just left, Shadow moved off in one direction, and 35 00:02:17,280 --> 00:02:21,160 Speaker 1: Whaling went in the opposite. Shadowed treed on the bank 36 00:02:21,200 --> 00:02:23,639 Speaker 1: of an old pond about two hundred yards away. When 37 00:02:23,680 --> 00:02:26,280 Speaker 1: we got to his tree, I expected to see Whaling 38 00:02:26,400 --> 00:02:31,160 Speaker 1: there with him, but he wasn't. We searched the tree 39 00:02:31,200 --> 00:02:33,600 Speaker 1: for several minutes and finally found the coon hiding in 40 00:02:33,639 --> 00:02:37,160 Speaker 1: a fork. Shadow was a bark dang near every breath 41 00:02:37,240 --> 00:02:39,920 Speaker 1: tree dog and was plenty loud for Whaling to have 42 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:43,120 Speaker 1: hurt him, and I kept looking around, thinking I was 43 00:02:43,160 --> 00:02:45,760 Speaker 1: going to see that buffoon loping up to greet us 44 00:02:45,800 --> 00:02:49,880 Speaker 1: all of the tree, and he never showed up. I 45 00:02:49,960 --> 00:02:53,160 Speaker 1: checked my garment tracker and that dude was seven hundred 46 00:02:53,240 --> 00:02:57,280 Speaker 1: and ninety eight yards away doing his own thing, exactly 47 00:02:57,320 --> 00:03:00,320 Speaker 1: what he should have been doing and depends. That's in 48 00:03:00,919 --> 00:03:05,839 Speaker 1: a hunting hound. It's priority one for me and Whiling, well, 49 00:03:05,960 --> 00:03:09,440 Speaker 1: he had it from the start, Jesse not so much. 50 00:03:10,840 --> 00:03:12,720 Speaker 1: Last night. I took her and Whiling over to a 51 00:03:12,760 --> 00:03:16,240 Speaker 1: spot close to the house, just me and them. I 52 00:03:16,320 --> 00:03:19,520 Speaker 1: turned her loose right behind him, and for two hundred 53 00:03:19,600 --> 00:03:22,760 Speaker 1: yards she kept up with him and eventually peeled off 54 00:03:22,800 --> 00:03:26,000 Speaker 1: on her own for a while. The recent rains had 55 00:03:26,040 --> 00:03:28,760 Speaker 1: put some water in a drain that sneaks off the 56 00:03:28,800 --> 00:03:32,519 Speaker 1: beginning of a hardwood ridge that's filled with short timber, 57 00:03:33,160 --> 00:03:35,400 Speaker 1: the same place I tried to hem up a low 58 00:03:35,440 --> 00:03:37,800 Speaker 1: hanging coon for Bear John to pick off with his 59 00:03:37,920 --> 00:03:41,800 Speaker 1: self bowl a couple of weeks ago. I knew it 60 00:03:41,840 --> 00:03:44,760 Speaker 1: was a gamble then because of how dry it had been, 61 00:03:44,880 --> 00:03:47,600 Speaker 1: And just like I figured, we didn't strike a tract 62 00:03:48,080 --> 00:03:50,880 Speaker 1: until Whaling hunted on down toward the creek, where he 63 00:03:50,960 --> 00:03:54,440 Speaker 1: promptly worked one up and eventually treated him about nine 64 00:03:54,560 --> 00:03:58,760 Speaker 1: miles high, effectively out of boat range. What I wanted 65 00:03:58,800 --> 00:04:05,440 Speaker 1: to happen, then it happened last night. I cut Whaling 66 00:04:05,480 --> 00:04:07,840 Speaker 1: loose eighty yards or so from that drain, a place 67 00:04:07,880 --> 00:04:11,160 Speaker 1: he'd struck a coon track. This I don't know. Many 68 00:04:11,240 --> 00:04:15,640 Speaker 1: times before I wasn't as concerned with whaling success as 69 00:04:15,680 --> 00:04:19,080 Speaker 1: I was getting Jesse in the game. He was going 70 00:04:19,160 --> 00:04:22,440 Speaker 1: to help me in her coaching. I needed an easy 71 00:04:22,520 --> 00:04:24,720 Speaker 1: win for her and in my plans. While making the 72 00:04:24,800 --> 00:04:28,039 Speaker 1: drive down the old power line in my cannam, I 73 00:04:28,080 --> 00:04:30,599 Speaker 1: thought the best chance of getting Whaling her on a 74 00:04:30,680 --> 00:04:33,880 Speaker 1: coon at the same time would be shortly after I 75 00:04:33,920 --> 00:04:37,400 Speaker 1: cut him loose. I needed him to get struck quickly 76 00:04:37,440 --> 00:04:39,960 Speaker 1: on a hot track while she was still with him, 77 00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:43,200 Speaker 1: and before she got distracted by something else or or 78 00:04:43,279 --> 00:04:46,839 Speaker 1: realized that she wasn't close to me and started coming 79 00:04:46,880 --> 00:04:50,080 Speaker 1: back to make sure I was still there. Now at 80 00:04:50,080 --> 00:04:52,800 Speaker 1: the two hundred yard mark, Whaling hadn't cracked his jaw, 81 00:04:52,839 --> 00:04:55,640 Speaker 1: and she started meandering round on her own, which is 82 00:04:55,680 --> 00:04:58,839 Speaker 1: a good thing too. I needed her to find something 83 00:04:58,839 --> 00:05:01,320 Speaker 1: out there that gets her at ten more than missing 84 00:05:01,360 --> 00:05:05,320 Speaker 1: the security of being with me. Something that would trigger 85 00:05:05,400 --> 00:05:09,960 Speaker 1: her prey driving. I didn't care what it was. Whaling 86 00:05:10,040 --> 00:05:12,760 Speaker 1: started looping back around to the right, and she was 87 00:05:12,880 --> 00:05:15,240 Speaker 1: less than one hundred yards away when he opened up 88 00:05:15,279 --> 00:05:18,480 Speaker 1: with a long ball, letting me know that my plan 89 00:05:18,640 --> 00:05:22,039 Speaker 1: so far had worked just like that hoped it would. 90 00:05:23,080 --> 00:05:25,680 Speaker 1: I was watching her on my garment, moving toward where 91 00:05:25,720 --> 00:05:28,640 Speaker 1: Whaling was pushing that track, which in a finished coon 92 00:05:28,680 --> 00:05:32,919 Speaker 1: dog is less than desirable. But she ain't a finished 93 00:05:32,920 --> 00:05:36,080 Speaker 1: coon dog. She just a coon hound by breeding, and 94 00:05:36,120 --> 00:05:39,920 Speaker 1: at this point wouldn't qualify as started. She might as 95 00:05:39,920 --> 00:05:41,880 Speaker 1: well have been a goat running around out there with 96 00:05:41,920 --> 00:05:45,240 Speaker 1: that track and collar. But Whalen was heating that track up. 97 00:05:45,279 --> 00:05:47,080 Speaker 1: It was less than one hundred and fifty yards from 98 00:05:47,120 --> 00:05:48,960 Speaker 1: me when she made it over to him, and for 99 00:05:49,000 --> 00:05:53,640 Speaker 1: the next eighty yards she was running with him. Man, 100 00:05:53,920 --> 00:05:56,440 Speaker 1: he could just pull up on that coon and tree 101 00:05:56,480 --> 00:05:58,800 Speaker 1: and while she's still there. This might be the best 102 00:05:58,800 --> 00:06:02,240 Speaker 1: plan I'd ever di buy. But you know that he 103 00:06:02,360 --> 00:06:05,359 Speaker 1: didn't already, don't you, Because I ain't the way this 104 00:06:05,480 --> 00:06:08,960 Speaker 1: dog is gonna be. As Whaling put the pressure on 105 00:06:08,960 --> 00:06:11,760 Speaker 1: that track by getting louder and faster, his path was 106 00:06:11,800 --> 00:06:14,479 Speaker 1: going to take him across the road where I was 107 00:06:14,520 --> 00:06:20,440 Speaker 1: sitting less than fifty yards away. Miss Brenda McDougal, my 108 00:06:20,560 --> 00:06:23,520 Speaker 1: junior high math teacher who threw love and swinging a 109 00:06:23,600 --> 00:06:26,279 Speaker 1: paddle with the average weight of a stick of stove wood, 110 00:06:26,720 --> 00:06:29,719 Speaker 1: would be proud to learn that I was doing some 111 00:06:29,839 --> 00:06:32,880 Speaker 1: math in my head that she taught me, and if 112 00:06:32,880 --> 00:06:36,440 Speaker 1: my calculations were accurate. About the time Jesse saw me 113 00:06:36,520 --> 00:06:38,680 Speaker 1: sitting in that buggy with my face lit up like 114 00:06:38,720 --> 00:06:40,760 Speaker 1: I was at the drive in movies watching her and 115 00:06:40,800 --> 00:06:44,280 Speaker 1: Whaling on the big screen, she was gonna get distracted 116 00:06:44,560 --> 00:06:49,240 Speaker 1: and run straight to me, And that's exactly what happened. 117 00:06:50,720 --> 00:06:52,440 Speaker 1: She came to where I was sitting on the side 118 00:06:52,440 --> 00:06:54,240 Speaker 1: of the road as if she was on a rail, 119 00:06:54,360 --> 00:06:57,440 Speaker 1: while Whaling continued to run that track another one hundred 120 00:06:57,440 --> 00:07:02,719 Speaker 1: and forty yards across the road and tread man. I 121 00:07:02,800 --> 00:07:05,960 Speaker 1: had figured everything exactly how I wanted it to happen, 122 00:07:06,000 --> 00:07:11,080 Speaker 1: and had nailed it on every level except where I 123 00:07:11,240 --> 00:07:16,560 Speaker 1: was gonna sit being a factor in anything. I was 124 00:07:16,600 --> 00:07:21,280 Speaker 1: the unknown variable in that equation. Miss Brenda hadn't prepared 125 00:07:21,360 --> 00:07:25,120 Speaker 1: me for that one. Whalen was blowing it out, and 126 00:07:25,160 --> 00:07:27,760 Speaker 1: I walked across the road and Jesse followed me across 127 00:07:27,800 --> 00:07:30,920 Speaker 1: and I stopped, and then she went to Whalen's location. 128 00:07:31,440 --> 00:07:33,400 Speaker 1: I let him tree for a minute or two while 129 00:07:33,480 --> 00:07:36,280 Speaker 1: she was there, and then made my way the short 130 00:07:36,280 --> 00:07:39,880 Speaker 1: walk to where they were now. Once while walking in, 131 00:07:40,400 --> 00:07:42,600 Speaker 1: I heard her bark. It was no doubt I heard 132 00:07:42,600 --> 00:07:44,880 Speaker 1: her bark one time. It wasn't It wasn't a long 133 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:48,960 Speaker 1: ball of a located bark, just a bark like it 134 00:07:49,000 --> 00:07:52,240 Speaker 1: was like it was entering. It just blurted out on accident, 135 00:07:53,840 --> 00:07:56,600 Speaker 1: Like most of my funniest comments, a lot of which 136 00:07:56,680 --> 00:07:58,880 Speaker 1: fly under the radar, which is the only way I 137 00:07:58,880 --> 00:08:05,280 Speaker 1: figured I have successfully dodged HR so far. But I 138 00:08:05,360 --> 00:08:07,640 Speaker 1: made two mistakes on that cast, one of which I 139 00:08:07,680 --> 00:08:10,760 Speaker 1: really had no control over. But if I turned that 140 00:08:10,880 --> 00:08:14,200 Speaker 1: display off on my garment when she crossed the road, 141 00:08:13,960 --> 00:08:18,200 Speaker 1: she may not have noticed me so easily. Who knows. 142 00:08:18,760 --> 00:08:20,880 Speaker 1: But when I walked to Whalen's tree and she was 143 00:08:20,960 --> 00:08:23,920 Speaker 1: at the base, meeling around, sniffing here and there after 144 00:08:24,080 --> 00:08:28,720 Speaker 1: I had heard her bark at least once, I didn't 145 00:08:28,800 --> 00:08:32,959 Speaker 1: leash her up immediately. That is a total rookie mistake 146 00:08:33,080 --> 00:08:36,400 Speaker 1: that I let pass me by when I started looking 147 00:08:36,679 --> 00:08:40,240 Speaker 1: for that coon It took me a minute to find him, 148 00:08:40,280 --> 00:08:43,200 Speaker 1: and after I did, I looked around to hitch her 149 00:08:43,320 --> 00:08:48,000 Speaker 1: up to a tree, and she was gone. What was 150 00:08:48,080 --> 00:08:51,440 Speaker 1: I thinking? A quick check of the old garment and 151 00:08:51,480 --> 00:08:54,560 Speaker 1: I could see her just getting back to the canam. 152 00:08:55,080 --> 00:08:57,840 Speaker 1: I had a golden opportunity to teach her that once 153 00:08:57,920 --> 00:09:00,520 Speaker 1: your tree, you stay until I decided that we leave. 154 00:09:00,600 --> 00:09:03,560 Speaker 1: And also I was going to knock that coon out 155 00:09:03,600 --> 00:09:05,960 Speaker 1: and see if I could ramp up her prey drive. 156 00:09:07,040 --> 00:09:11,400 Speaker 1: Two opportunities squandered on the same tree. I wanted to 157 00:09:11,400 --> 00:09:13,840 Speaker 1: climb that tree and jump out of it my own self. 158 00:09:16,480 --> 00:09:19,520 Speaker 1: I decided to make one more cast. So Whaling and 159 00:09:19,559 --> 00:09:21,800 Speaker 1: I met Jesse back at the canyam and moved on 160 00:09:21,920 --> 00:09:24,960 Speaker 1: down the road to a different spot. Now I cut 161 00:09:25,000 --> 00:09:27,200 Speaker 1: them both loose again, and she took off like she 162 00:09:27,360 --> 00:09:31,000 Speaker 1: was late for work. And when they passed three hundred yards, 163 00:09:31,040 --> 00:09:33,160 Speaker 1: they split off and she went left again and Whaling 164 00:09:33,240 --> 00:09:37,240 Speaker 1: went right. He was eight hundred yards deep. Had never 165 00:09:37,320 --> 00:09:40,880 Speaker 1: said a word when she started looping around back towards 166 00:09:40,880 --> 00:09:44,720 Speaker 1: the way that she'd gone in the woods. Well, I 167 00:09:44,800 --> 00:09:47,040 Speaker 1: told to Waler on his collar and he started heading 168 00:09:47,080 --> 00:09:49,480 Speaker 1: back to where I was. And since since I knew 169 00:09:49,520 --> 00:09:51,920 Speaker 1: it was unlikely that he'd strike a coon in the 170 00:09:51,960 --> 00:09:55,320 Speaker 1: air he was crossing through. I decided to at least 171 00:09:55,440 --> 00:09:59,200 Speaker 1: make a positive out of it. For Jesse. She never 172 00:09:59,280 --> 00:10:01,839 Speaker 1: crossed her trail to come back, but made a big 173 00:10:01,920 --> 00:10:05,000 Speaker 1: enough loop that I could see she was genuinely out there, 174 00:10:05,040 --> 00:10:09,440 Speaker 1: snooping around, and that's progress, and sometimes it has to 175 00:10:09,480 --> 00:10:14,520 Speaker 1: be measured incrementally. In her defense, now she hasn't had 176 00:10:14,520 --> 00:10:18,120 Speaker 1: the opportunities that Whaling had as a puppy. Fewer reps 177 00:10:18,160 --> 00:10:21,760 Speaker 1: in the woods means further behind, and that's on me, 178 00:10:22,000 --> 00:10:27,920 Speaker 1: not Her progress is progress regardless of Michael Roseman reminded 179 00:10:27,960 --> 00:10:30,120 Speaker 1: me of that the next day when I was giving 180 00:10:30,200 --> 00:10:34,080 Speaker 1: in to play by playing on the phone. I've said 181 00:10:34,080 --> 00:10:37,160 Speaker 1: it a million times. All dogs are different. I have 182 00:10:37,280 --> 00:10:39,840 Speaker 1: to learn to adjust with the reality of it all. 183 00:10:39,960 --> 00:10:44,400 Speaker 1: It's just the way it is. Like this morning when 184 00:10:44,559 --> 00:10:48,600 Speaker 1: Alexis and I were in Walmart. I'm driving the buggy 185 00:10:48,640 --> 00:10:50,480 Speaker 1: and as we reach the end of the house, she says, 186 00:10:50,520 --> 00:10:53,080 Speaker 1: I need to check on something real quick. You stay 187 00:10:53,200 --> 00:10:56,400 Speaker 1: right here. Then, if she rounds the end of the aiule, 188 00:10:56,480 --> 00:10:58,800 Speaker 1: she asked me what I think about something she's looking 189 00:10:58,840 --> 00:11:01,880 Speaker 1: at that I can't see, said she and it are 190 00:11:01,920 --> 00:11:04,520 Speaker 1: on the other side of the aisle from where I'm standing. 191 00:11:05,880 --> 00:11:08,360 Speaker 1: A lady is walking by at the very same time 192 00:11:08,400 --> 00:11:10,960 Speaker 1: and turns her head from Alexis to me as she's walking. 193 00:11:11,000 --> 00:11:13,800 Speaker 1: She's taking all this in and out of the three 194 00:11:13,880 --> 00:11:16,840 Speaker 1: of us, that lady and Alexis are the only two 195 00:11:16,960 --> 00:11:20,160 Speaker 1: people in the Milky Way galaxy that knows what she's 196 00:11:20,240 --> 00:11:24,480 Speaker 1: talking about. Well, I cocked my head sideways to let 197 00:11:24,559 --> 00:11:27,520 Speaker 1: slip the dogs of war with my sarcastic wit, which 198 00:11:27,559 --> 00:11:31,760 Speaker 1: I intend to make this stranger laugh with, while calling 199 00:11:31,800 --> 00:11:34,360 Speaker 1: out to my wife that she's just asked a question 200 00:11:34,920 --> 00:11:39,280 Speaker 1: that I can't answer. And without slowing her gait any 201 00:11:39,320 --> 00:11:42,520 Speaker 1: hesitation or change of expression, that lady looked at me 202 00:11:42,559 --> 00:11:45,440 Speaker 1: in the eyes as she walked by, placed her index 203 00:11:45,520 --> 00:11:48,240 Speaker 1: finger up to her lips and the international symbol of 204 00:11:48,280 --> 00:11:54,679 Speaker 1: be quiet, and softly said marriage as she continued on 205 00:11:54,720 --> 00:12:01,839 Speaker 1: her way. I followed her advice, and I didn't say 206 00:12:01,880 --> 00:12:07,520 Speaker 1: a word, Just like Jesse being slow about learning to 207 00:12:07,600 --> 00:12:13,840 Speaker 1: hunt coons. Sometimes that's just the way it is, Thank you, 208 00:12:13,880 --> 00:12:18,199 Speaker 1: wise woman of Walmart. And that's just how that happened. 209 00:12:24,840 --> 00:12:29,000 Speaker 1: Relationships built through the outdoors aren't uncommon. I've talked specifically 210 00:12:29,000 --> 00:12:32,840 Speaker 1: about several on this very platform. My friend Terry Garner, 211 00:12:32,880 --> 00:12:35,080 Speaker 1: that I met while fly fishing on the Little Red 212 00:12:35,200 --> 00:12:37,560 Speaker 1: is one that comes to mind when I think about it. 213 00:12:37,640 --> 00:12:41,600 Speaker 1: And Rex Whiting and Michael Roseman, my fellow compatriots up 214 00:12:41,600 --> 00:12:43,760 Speaker 1: at the Cash River Hound and Mallard Club, and a 215 00:12:43,800 --> 00:12:46,240 Speaker 1: box car load of other folks that I've met over 216 00:12:46,240 --> 00:12:48,880 Speaker 1: the years that happened to be at the same place 217 00:12:48,920 --> 00:12:53,360 Speaker 1: at the same time that never go away. It's not 218 00:12:53,400 --> 00:12:55,520 Speaker 1: the person you're sit next to on the plane that's 219 00:12:55,559 --> 00:12:58,560 Speaker 1: pleasant to talk to while hurtling through the atmosphere at 220 00:12:58,559 --> 00:13:00,840 Speaker 1: three hundred and fifty miles an hour, and when you 221 00:13:00,880 --> 00:13:04,440 Speaker 1: get to the next airport you never see them again. Now, 222 00:13:04,480 --> 00:13:07,240 Speaker 1: all these are the people that you meet, and from 223 00:13:07,280 --> 00:13:10,800 Speaker 1: the first conversations, you know these are folks you want 224 00:13:10,840 --> 00:13:15,800 Speaker 1: to see again, Folks you want to learn more about. Well, 225 00:13:15,840 --> 00:13:19,920 Speaker 1: I did that last weekend. I was contacted weeks ago 226 00:13:20,040 --> 00:13:22,640 Speaker 1: and asked about the possibility of donating to hunt to 227 00:13:22,679 --> 00:13:26,720 Speaker 1: the fundraising banquet of the Greenbrier, Arkansas Chapter of the 228 00:13:26,760 --> 00:13:31,959 Speaker 1: Future Farmers of America. The stars aligned and I actually 229 00:13:32,000 --> 00:13:35,000 Speaker 1: had some open dates and was happy to accommodate the 230 00:13:35,080 --> 00:13:39,880 Speaker 1: request of missus Lilybeth Hill. Now, I also reached out 231 00:13:39,920 --> 00:13:42,559 Speaker 1: to my friend John Pantuso with Case Knives to see 232 00:13:42,600 --> 00:13:45,760 Speaker 1: if they were interested. I already knew they would because 233 00:13:45,800 --> 00:13:50,679 Speaker 1: they absolutely love FFA and we're all in on sweetening 234 00:13:50,760 --> 00:13:55,280 Speaker 1: up the donations. But Lily Beth is a senior serving 235 00:13:55,320 --> 00:14:00,200 Speaker 1: as an officer in her chapter and has her own business. 236 00:14:00,240 --> 00:14:04,480 Speaker 1: Every kit I've ever seen being successful in FFA has 237 00:14:04,520 --> 00:14:08,720 Speaker 1: been an above average hard worker. The ones that show 238 00:14:08,800 --> 00:14:11,480 Speaker 1: animals have to take care of them twenty four to 239 00:14:11,480 --> 00:14:16,000 Speaker 1: seven critters don't take days off. Then there's a practice 240 00:14:16,000 --> 00:14:18,120 Speaker 1: for showing the animals and all the things that come 241 00:14:18,200 --> 00:14:21,200 Speaker 1: with taking care of them. Then there's other commitments and 242 00:14:21,240 --> 00:14:24,920 Speaker 1: responsibilities as officers that take time and all of that 243 00:14:25,080 --> 00:14:28,120 Speaker 1: on top of the rest of school and other activities. 244 00:14:28,400 --> 00:14:30,800 Speaker 1: But the good ones, the ones that stare at bursty 245 00:14:30,800 --> 00:14:33,520 Speaker 1: in the face and push forward because hard work is 246 00:14:33,680 --> 00:14:39,000 Speaker 1: just another day, they make their own way. Lilibeth or 247 00:14:39,240 --> 00:14:42,640 Speaker 1: LB as everyone calls her, has done all of that 248 00:14:43,400 --> 00:14:49,040 Speaker 1: and more. She's shown goats pigs, competed in leadership development events, 249 00:14:49,080 --> 00:14:53,360 Speaker 1: parliamentary procedures, and won the state contest for venting their science. 250 00:14:53,680 --> 00:14:57,840 Speaker 1: And I'm finally getting to what I want to tell 251 00:14:57,840 --> 00:15:02,520 Speaker 1: you about that LB does us. She does something else 252 00:15:02,560 --> 00:15:05,320 Speaker 1: that she excels that she has her own cookie, bacon 253 00:15:05,480 --> 00:15:10,840 Speaker 1: and decorating business, LB's Cookie Company. Now you can find 254 00:15:10,840 --> 00:15:14,120 Speaker 1: her on Instagram and Facebook under that name. I've seen 255 00:15:14,160 --> 00:15:16,680 Speaker 1: the cookies that she makes, but I and a whole 256 00:15:16,760 --> 00:15:20,480 Speaker 1: squad of coon Hunters participated in a sampling of a 257 00:15:20,560 --> 00:15:24,320 Speaker 1: strawberry cake that she made that was what I imagine 258 00:15:24,360 --> 00:15:27,520 Speaker 1: an angel would taste like if you bit one when 259 00:15:27,520 --> 00:15:31,440 Speaker 1: it flew by you. Now, her mama, Miss Jennifer, sent 260 00:15:31,520 --> 00:15:35,960 Speaker 1: a couple pieces home with me and David McDaniels. They 261 00:15:36,000 --> 00:15:39,120 Speaker 1: didn't last long. Rie was going to add the link 262 00:15:39,160 --> 00:15:41,560 Speaker 1: for her Instagram in the show description, and I encourage 263 00:15:41,600 --> 00:15:44,360 Speaker 1: you to give her a follow. She's working hard and 264 00:15:44,440 --> 00:15:47,160 Speaker 1: like a lot of kids in that organization, she's doing 265 00:15:47,240 --> 00:15:51,880 Speaker 1: good work. Which brings us to the event itself, the 266 00:15:51,960 --> 00:15:56,360 Speaker 1: coon Hunt. We all met at the Hill Home for supper. 267 00:15:56,800 --> 00:15:58,800 Speaker 1: Now I could smell the groceries when we walked in 268 00:15:58,880 --> 00:16:02,000 Speaker 1: the house. And after the production we fixed our plates 269 00:16:02,040 --> 00:16:03,960 Speaker 1: and thank the Good Lord for the fiddles we were 270 00:16:04,040 --> 00:16:06,920 Speaker 1: about to share. Set down at the supper table and 271 00:16:07,040 --> 00:16:10,760 Speaker 1: dug in. Now in the South it is, I'm sure 272 00:16:10,760 --> 00:16:12,440 Speaker 1: it is in a lot of places. You look for 273 00:16:12,480 --> 00:16:15,520 Speaker 1: a commonality when you first meet people, and then you 274 00:16:15,640 --> 00:16:20,080 Speaker 1: run the conversations of things that aren't as evident. We 275 00:16:20,160 --> 00:16:23,120 Speaker 1: already had things in common. We all like to eat fish, 276 00:16:23,840 --> 00:16:28,080 Speaker 1: support our children's education in the outdoors. This was gonna 277 00:16:28,080 --> 00:16:31,760 Speaker 1: be easy. It didn't take long for the stories to start. 278 00:16:31,800 --> 00:16:36,520 Speaker 1: And let me tell you, Troy Weatherley, Lilybeth's AGG teacher 279 00:16:36,560 --> 00:16:41,080 Speaker 1: and FFA advisor, is quite the character, a big man 280 00:16:41,680 --> 00:16:45,440 Speaker 1: with an even bigger passion for his students and his community. 281 00:16:45,960 --> 00:16:49,200 Speaker 1: It's leaders like him that are the inspiration for the 282 00:16:49,240 --> 00:16:52,480 Speaker 1: next generations of AGG professionals that will lead us from 283 00:16:52,480 --> 00:16:55,720 Speaker 1: where we are now to where we can't even think of. 284 00:16:57,360 --> 00:16:59,840 Speaker 1: It was obvious that everyone sitting around the table had 285 00:16:59,880 --> 00:17:02,880 Speaker 1: the best interest of that group of kids in their 286 00:17:02,920 --> 00:17:06,600 Speaker 1: front sights. They talked and told stories about events and 287 00:17:06,680 --> 00:17:10,000 Speaker 1: happiness that they'd all been at for different reasons that 288 00:17:10,160 --> 00:17:14,119 Speaker 1: involved school functions and the betterment of all those students. 289 00:17:15,080 --> 00:17:19,240 Speaker 1: The point of their different stories was something usually humorous, 290 00:17:19,280 --> 00:17:22,159 Speaker 1: that happened in the course of the contest or meeting. 291 00:17:22,600 --> 00:17:25,480 Speaker 1: But the common thread among all the tales was they 292 00:17:25,640 --> 00:17:29,440 Speaker 1: always took place while they were doing something in support 293 00:17:30,000 --> 00:17:33,320 Speaker 1: of those youngins. I'd love to see the day when 294 00:17:33,320 --> 00:17:36,320 Speaker 1: an AG teacher's salary was looked at with the same 295 00:17:36,359 --> 00:17:41,200 Speaker 1: importance as it coaches. Before we settled up and headed out, 296 00:17:41,280 --> 00:17:45,119 Speaker 1: Troy Weatherley handed me a box, and inside the box 297 00:17:45,119 --> 00:17:48,840 Speaker 1: were some T shirts, a handmade fixed blade knife, and 298 00:17:48,920 --> 00:17:53,000 Speaker 1: an official Future Farmers of America jacket, just like the 299 00:17:53,080 --> 00:17:57,520 Speaker 1: one I'd dreamed of owning in high school but couldn't afford. 300 00:17:59,320 --> 00:18:02,280 Speaker 1: My name brodered and cursive on the front and Warren 301 00:18:02,400 --> 00:18:06,560 Speaker 1: Arkansas stitched in bold letters on the back, a simple 302 00:18:07,000 --> 00:18:13,880 Speaker 1: gesture of thanks that struck me to my core. Forty 303 00:18:13,960 --> 00:18:17,359 Speaker 1: one years later, I put on a personalized FFA jacket 304 00:18:17,359 --> 00:18:20,320 Speaker 1: of my very own in front of a group of strangers, 305 00:18:20,320 --> 00:18:23,879 Speaker 1: and I'll tell you it was a little emotional for me. 306 00:18:25,119 --> 00:18:28,320 Speaker 1: And get overwhelmed sometimes by the wonderful people I get 307 00:18:28,359 --> 00:18:31,520 Speaker 1: to meet because of this job or better or better yet, 308 00:18:31,520 --> 00:18:34,480 Speaker 1: this life, and I'm blessed to live it in it 309 00:18:34,760 --> 00:18:40,120 Speaker 1: sometimes it leaks out through my eyes. But we were 310 00:18:40,240 --> 00:18:43,000 Speaker 1: hunting on Darren Hill's ground, and Darren is Lily Bell's 311 00:18:43,040 --> 00:18:45,600 Speaker 1: daddy and the one that came up with this idea 312 00:18:45,680 --> 00:18:49,280 Speaker 1: to begin with. Jim Bo Elliott bought the one at 313 00:18:49,280 --> 00:18:51,560 Speaker 1: the auction, and he brought his dad, Jim and his 314 00:18:51,680 --> 00:18:58,200 Speaker 1: son Bo. Wow. I know, I know Jim, Jimbo and 315 00:18:58,240 --> 00:19:00,760 Speaker 1: both three generations. That made me. He laughed a little 316 00:19:00,760 --> 00:19:06,480 Speaker 1: bit too. And I'm from Arkansas anyway. Troy's eleven year 317 00:19:06,480 --> 00:19:09,720 Speaker 1: old son, Cooper was there, so was Trey Kelly, and 318 00:19:09,800 --> 00:19:13,119 Speaker 1: all in all we had seven coon hunters, one cameraman 319 00:19:13,200 --> 00:19:18,560 Speaker 1: and one coon dog. Quite the ensemble. I only know 320 00:19:18,600 --> 00:19:20,840 Speaker 1: one thing. When I cut way the loose in the woods, 321 00:19:21,080 --> 00:19:24,040 Speaker 1: he's fixing to do his dead level best to find 322 00:19:24,080 --> 00:19:27,240 Speaker 1: a coon if it's closer a mile away. He's looking 323 00:19:27,280 --> 00:19:29,560 Speaker 1: from the moment he comes off the chain until I 324 00:19:29,640 --> 00:19:33,280 Speaker 1: call him back. He's focused, and his instincts and internal 325 00:19:33,359 --> 00:19:37,480 Speaker 1: drive takes over. When he's on the track, He's hard 326 00:19:37,520 --> 00:19:40,480 Speaker 1: to distract away from it. He opened up and treed 327 00:19:40,560 --> 00:19:42,840 Speaker 1: shortly there after, less than one hundred and fifty yards 328 00:19:42,880 --> 00:19:46,640 Speaker 1: from where we all stood talking and laughing, a process 329 00:19:46,680 --> 00:19:49,000 Speaker 1: that would repeat itself over the course of the night. 330 00:19:50,080 --> 00:19:52,680 Speaker 1: On one tree, he'd cross through a twope little gum 331 00:19:52,800 --> 00:19:57,240 Speaker 1: swamp and was barking his brains out on the other side. Now, 332 00:19:57,520 --> 00:20:00,600 Speaker 1: our deal is he finds them and I to him 333 00:20:00,640 --> 00:20:03,679 Speaker 1: every time. If there's any way possible for me to 334 00:20:03,720 --> 00:20:07,920 Speaker 1: get there safely. Waiting water above my hip boots doesn't 335 00:20:08,000 --> 00:20:11,560 Speaker 1: qualify as being unsafe, So the majority of our crew 336 00:20:11,640 --> 00:20:14,359 Speaker 1: pulled our boot tops as high as we could, and 337 00:20:14,480 --> 00:20:19,119 Speaker 1: into the breach we went. I was half way across 338 00:20:19,160 --> 00:20:22,040 Speaker 1: when I felt the water running past both pocketknives on 339 00:20:22,080 --> 00:20:26,560 Speaker 1: the inside of my boots. Gravity pulling downward determinal velocity 340 00:20:27,560 --> 00:20:30,240 Speaker 1: so much for a dry night man. It was cold. 341 00:20:31,359 --> 00:20:33,840 Speaker 1: It was also my duty to get to that dog. 342 00:20:33,920 --> 00:20:35,919 Speaker 1: And when I and the others that came with me 343 00:20:36,000 --> 00:20:40,600 Speaker 1: got there, Whaling was telling the truth once again. Five 344 00:20:40,640 --> 00:20:44,400 Speaker 1: stories up was a turkey nest bandito looking back at us. 345 00:20:45,520 --> 00:20:48,200 Speaker 1: One of the Eliot boys permanently revoked his meal card 346 00:20:48,320 --> 00:20:50,320 Speaker 1: with a twenty two, and we all headed back to 347 00:20:50,359 --> 00:20:53,639 Speaker 1: the rest of the crew one more cast before calling 348 00:20:53,680 --> 00:20:56,840 Speaker 1: it a night. Now you've heard me talk about the 349 00:20:56,880 --> 00:21:00,320 Speaker 1: infamous one more drop curse Michael Rose when it is 350 00:21:00,400 --> 00:21:03,520 Speaker 1: notorious for turning a long night into a marathon by 351 00:21:03,560 --> 00:21:07,040 Speaker 1: not knowing when to say when so much so that 352 00:21:07,200 --> 00:21:12,040 Speaker 1: I call him one More Mike. It's the last one 353 00:21:12,040 --> 00:21:14,680 Speaker 1: that always has the tendency to be miles away from 354 00:21:14,680 --> 00:21:17,720 Speaker 1: the truck through an impenetrable thicket, or across the river 355 00:21:17,760 --> 00:21:20,639 Speaker 1: in the middle of a swamper after the tracking caller 356 00:21:20,720 --> 00:21:24,399 Speaker 1: has lost signal. It's always something and usually not fun, 357 00:21:25,040 --> 00:21:27,760 Speaker 1: and yet I let him bully me into it nearly 358 00:21:27,880 --> 00:21:32,679 Speaker 1: every time. Okay, may not always be one More Mike's fault, 359 00:21:33,280 --> 00:21:36,080 Speaker 1: and it may not always turn out bad. But we've 360 00:21:36,200 --> 00:21:38,359 Speaker 1: just made a handful of trees at this point and 361 00:21:38,440 --> 00:21:40,760 Speaker 1: clovert a sack full of coons. We could stop right 362 00:21:40,800 --> 00:21:43,919 Speaker 1: here and end it on a good note. And I 363 00:21:43,960 --> 00:21:46,199 Speaker 1: heard myself say it as I did it. It was 364 00:21:46,320 --> 00:21:50,560 Speaker 1: like I was having an outbody experience. We got time 365 00:21:50,600 --> 00:21:53,359 Speaker 1: for another quick one before it gets too late, and 366 00:21:53,440 --> 00:21:57,080 Speaker 1: everyone sounded excited and wanted to continue. From how they acted, 367 00:21:57,680 --> 00:21:59,919 Speaker 1: it would have been perfect time for anyone to grab me, 368 00:22:00,080 --> 00:22:02,520 Speaker 1: give me the old Humphrey boguard slapt to the jaw 369 00:22:03,040 --> 00:22:05,439 Speaker 1: while shaking me and saying, have you taken leave of 370 00:22:05,480 --> 00:22:10,080 Speaker 1: your senses, ma'am? But no one did that, so whatever 371 00:22:10,240 --> 00:22:12,119 Speaker 1: was fixing to happen was gonna be on all of 372 00:22:12,160 --> 00:22:16,000 Speaker 1: them mostly kind of well, I was gonna blame it 373 00:22:16,040 --> 00:22:19,640 Speaker 1: on them anyway. But we moved a little further down 374 00:22:19,680 --> 00:22:22,480 Speaker 1: the road, and once again I cast Whaling the wonder 375 00:22:22,520 --> 00:22:26,600 Speaker 1: Hound into the darkness in search of procyon loader, and 376 00:22:26,720 --> 00:22:29,480 Speaker 1: watched him fade into the night, traveling quite a way, 377 00:22:30,400 --> 00:22:32,879 Speaker 1: so far in fact, that we relocated to more or 378 00:22:32,960 --> 00:22:35,320 Speaker 1: less cut him off. After several minutes of him not 379 00:22:35,440 --> 00:22:38,720 Speaker 1: saying anything, I watched him on the garment out from 380 00:22:38,720 --> 00:22:40,600 Speaker 1: the seat of my canm or is I like to 381 00:22:40,640 --> 00:22:44,120 Speaker 1: call it coon TV. He was following the edge of 382 00:22:44,320 --> 00:22:46,960 Speaker 1: a creek right to us, and forty yards out he 383 00:22:47,080 --> 00:22:49,720 Speaker 1: opened up with that big booming voice of his, and 384 00:22:49,800 --> 00:22:52,800 Speaker 1: I just sat there and watched him come in and 385 00:22:52,920 --> 00:22:56,359 Speaker 1: go back out of sight, trailing what would hopefully be 386 00:22:56,560 --> 00:22:59,400 Speaker 1: the last coon of the night, and bypassing the perfect 387 00:22:59,440 --> 00:23:03,639 Speaker 1: opportunity at the end of the night right there. But 388 00:23:03,760 --> 00:23:06,879 Speaker 1: all you dog hunters know you don't stop a hound 389 00:23:06,880 --> 00:23:09,680 Speaker 1: in the middle of a track, not a coon track anyway, 390 00:23:10,240 --> 00:23:13,840 Speaker 1: And since Whaler don't mess with anything else, I let 391 00:23:13,920 --> 00:23:18,720 Speaker 1: him go. This is the part where it usually goes wrong, 392 00:23:20,240 --> 00:23:23,800 Speaker 1: but it didn't. He treated five hundred and fifty yards away, 393 00:23:23,840 --> 00:23:26,760 Speaker 1: and we were able to drive within easy walking distance 394 00:23:26,840 --> 00:23:30,360 Speaker 1: to his tree. Then half a box of twenty two 395 00:23:30,359 --> 00:23:32,520 Speaker 1: shells later, I thought I might have to climb the 396 00:23:32,520 --> 00:23:35,720 Speaker 1: tree and knock him out myself, but the coon finally 397 00:23:35,760 --> 00:23:40,080 Speaker 1: succumbed to lead, poison and gravity. We gathered back at 398 00:23:40,080 --> 00:23:42,880 Speaker 1: the Buggies, made fun of the boys shooting, took our 399 00:23:42,880 --> 00:23:47,399 Speaker 1: pictures and headed home. It was a great time and 400 00:23:47,480 --> 00:23:51,000 Speaker 1: I truly enjoyed meeting and hunting with these folks. They 401 00:23:51,000 --> 00:23:53,760 Speaker 1: have a lot of fun and they're truly appreciative of 402 00:23:53,800 --> 00:23:57,800 Speaker 1: the blessings they have, and they pay it forward in spades. 403 00:23:59,560 --> 00:24:06,520 Speaker 1: Thank you Greenbriar, Ffa, Lily Beth, Darren, Jennifer, Troy Cooper, Tray, Jim, 404 00:24:06,640 --> 00:24:11,680 Speaker 1: jimbo Bow and Whaler. We are to do it again sometime. 405 00:24:12,560 --> 00:24:15,920 Speaker 1: Support the folks and the future farmers of America. They 406 00:24:15,960 --> 00:24:20,960 Speaker 1: truly are doing some great things. Well that's gonna knock 407 00:24:21,000 --> 00:24:23,440 Speaker 1: this episode in the head for the week. I hope 408 00:24:23,440 --> 00:24:25,560 Speaker 1: you enjoyed it, and I hope you know that Clay 409 00:24:25,840 --> 00:24:28,200 Speaker 1: Lake and I worked very hard to bring you the 410 00:24:28,240 --> 00:24:30,320 Speaker 1: stuff that you like to hear, and we couldn't do 411 00:24:30,440 --> 00:24:33,320 Speaker 1: it without you, so until next week. This is Brent 412 00:24:33,400 --> 00:24:36,199 Speaker 1: Reeves sign it off. Y'all be careful.