Ratdog68
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My cousin Joe related this hunting adventure to me. He and I share a set of kin that are "half uncles/aunts", in that after our grandmother died, our grandfather remarried and had six more (for a total of 11) kids.
Joe is out deer/elk (I forget which) hunting with Micah P. (half-uncle). Micah looks at Joe and asks him: "Ever BARKED a squirrel??" Having never heard of this, he says "Nope". He points out a tree up ahead that has a squirrel hanging on the trunk and says, "Watch this." Raising his .30-06 (or which ever caliber it was), he takes careful aim and pulls the trigger. Bullet impacting the tree (near the squirrels head), the squirrel goes limp and falls to the forest floor in a heap. He explains to Joe that the shock of the impact of the bullet to the tree within close proximity to the squirrel... kills the squirrel. And, you now have squirrel for the pot at the end of a day of not seeing large game.
Walking over, Micah P. picks up his prize and stuffs it into the pocket of his overalls and they continue their stroll in the woods.
A short time later, Joe is startled half to death with an outburst of yelling and flailing, and gun crashing to the ground. He looks over and finds Micah P. frantically hopping around and screaming. Apparently, someone forgot to explain to the squirrel what the rules of the game were. When the squirrel came to from being knocked out by the concussion, Mr. Squirrel went "10-8" inside the pocket... trying to get out. The question then became, did Micah P. want the squirrel OUT of his pocket as much as Mr. Squirrel wanted OUT of his pocket? Joe couldn't resolve that question... to this very day.
A few years later, I had the chance to meet up with my half-uncle, Micah P. I asked him about "Barking Squirrels". He claimed to have NO knowledge of such a thing, and denied ever having done it.
My conclusion? I have no reason to disbelieve my cousin Joe's tale.
Joe is out deer/elk (I forget which) hunting with Micah P. (half-uncle). Micah looks at Joe and asks him: "Ever BARKED a squirrel??" Having never heard of this, he says "Nope". He points out a tree up ahead that has a squirrel hanging on the trunk and says, "Watch this." Raising his .30-06 (or which ever caliber it was), he takes careful aim and pulls the trigger. Bullet impacting the tree (near the squirrels head), the squirrel goes limp and falls to the forest floor in a heap. He explains to Joe that the shock of the impact of the bullet to the tree within close proximity to the squirrel... kills the squirrel. And, you now have squirrel for the pot at the end of a day of not seeing large game.
Walking over, Micah P. picks up his prize and stuffs it into the pocket of his overalls and they continue their stroll in the woods.
A short time later, Joe is startled half to death with an outburst of yelling and flailing, and gun crashing to the ground. He looks over and finds Micah P. frantically hopping around and screaming. Apparently, someone forgot to explain to the squirrel what the rules of the game were. When the squirrel came to from being knocked out by the concussion, Mr. Squirrel went "10-8" inside the pocket... trying to get out. The question then became, did Micah P. want the squirrel OUT of his pocket as much as Mr. Squirrel wanted OUT of his pocket? Joe couldn't resolve that question... to this very day.
A few years later, I had the chance to meet up with my half-uncle, Micah P. I asked him about "Barking Squirrels". He claimed to have NO knowledge of such a thing, and denied ever having done it.
My conclusion? I have no reason to disbelieve my cousin Joe's tale.
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