The Hunting and Fishing Trip

by

Billy Whitehead

Joe Weaver Whitehead was one who loved hunting small game and fishing. I do not think he would have spent one nickel to go hunting a moose if he had plenty to spend on doing so. His fun was to go into the forest, turn the dogs loose then head out in the general direction of the dogs.

Dad said that as a young man, he would meet with a man and his dogs. The two or three would hunt all over the hills and hollows from Friday evening to Sunday morning.

In most cases a Coon hunt was planned three or four days ahead of the day. Likely he would touch bases Thursday or Friday as to where they would meet. If it was a Saturday night hunt he would feed then early Saturday before noon and no other feeding because they would not run well when full. He would oil his shotgun sometime Friday evening or Saturday morning. When the time was right he would go to his dog-pin and load the dogs. The dogs knew what was up and were ready to go. At the meeting place when all were there the planed direction was decided. The dogs were held on leash for some distance. After going about ½ mile into the woods the dogs were released. Likely the men would hold for a few minutes to see where the dogs were headed. They would then follow. When the dog barking at a tree was recognized they headed to the treed dogs. Most of the time the coon was out on a limb. Sometimes a shotgun shot at the limb would make him jump out and the dogs were off to the races. Sometimes the coon was in the crotch of the tree and could not me made to jump out. When this happened dad would decide to go make him jump. He would pull off his rubber boots then climb the tree. He would break off a limb to prod the coon into the jump.

Once the coon went up the outside of a hollow tree which was broken off about 15 feet high. The Coon then went down the inside of the tree. Dad decided to go get him. He used a carbide headlight. He carried a small container of carbide as well as a whiskey bottle of water. He made it to the top of the hollow tree. He looked into the tree and saw the coon at the bottom. He dropped some carbide into the hollow then pored the water into the tree. With the carbide flame light he looked into the hollowed tree, then WHOOSE! ! ! The tree lit up like a roman candle! ! He came home with singed eyebrows!

Most of the time dad had two sets of dogs. Rabbit dogs and deer dogs. Some would hunt both deer and small game but there was always one or two that was really god at one or the other.

When deer hunting season was in he would set out for deer meat. He would join with a group. One group of dogs were turned loose to run the deer. The hunters were spread out along a woods road, hopefully in front of the deer and dogs. If the deer got through all were to attempt to catch the dogs. Otherwise the hunters would head out to get ahead of the deer along a gravel road.
Sometimes the dogs would head over posted land. If asked, “the dogs don’t know it is posted land.”
Once dad was hunting on the west side of Noxubee County near Prairie Point. After the deer was clearly gone the dogs were all caught except for two. One was caught the next day but another, a blue tick, was still missing. A week later someone called from Dancy Alabama, a distance of about 25 miles. He went to get the dog the next day.

If not hunting dad would find a reason to go fishing. Most of the time he used a cane pole to fish for Chinquapin or Bream. He would use whatever was at hand. Earth worms or red wigglers were good. Crickets were good too as were Catawba worms. Catawba worms were found on Catawba trees in the summer. He would use a gallon wide mouth jar with cornmeal. He layered the meal and worms, until the jar was full. He would then freeze the whole jar until needed.
I have known him to drive to Lake Washington below Greenville Mississippi for a weekend of fishing. On these trips he would take a boat with deep sidewalls. There would be ten to twenty, 100 feet of lines with hooks as well as 100 or 200 shorter set-hooks to tie on branches. Bait was to be minnows, which was seined a few days or so ahead of time. Ice was added to keep them alive. Cold water keeps oxygen better as the minnows do not swim as hard.

Dad always kept set-hooks in the Noxubee River. At times he would run ten or so throw lines. The throw-line was a line of hooks on a line of 50 to 100 feet long. He would tie one end to a root just under the water. He then carried the other end of the line downstream until tight. With a weight tied on the end he would throw the baited hooks and line as far into the water as possible. The next morning he would check for any catch.

Most of the time fishermen along the river respected the other mans lines but from time to time he believed someone was taking his fish. However, if one knew who the set-hooks belonged to, it was permissible to remove a fish then bait it again. It was common to meet the other fisherman and tell that he had removed the fish, offering to give it to him. I never remember the other taking the fish.