High In the Crawford mountains we wuz an there be only two of us what had guns.  We wuz tryin ta make meat fer these two what dun called themselves hunters.  Boy did we try hard.  There wuz quite a bunch of us what wuz lookin fer the biggest muley bucks that wuz on that their mountain.  An we wuz spotin them too.  The problem wuz gittin close nuff fer a good shot.  We dun rode the hoss’ down a good trail when I spots this one big ol buck.   We all gits off our horses and is speaking soft like about how we wuz gonna git close enough.  Frank (later to be called Gattlin) said, heck I kin hit that critter frum here.  An he layed his rifle across the saddle of the horse and sqoze off a shot.

I spect that the ball only made it about half way ta that big old buck, cuz it just stood there wonderin why some body would wake him up with all that noise.  An it went right back ta doin what it wuz afor the shot.  I reminded Frank he best be gittin reloaded, when Fat Duck decides he too wuz a good nuff shot ta make that big old buck his.  BOOM!  An agin, the buck just stood there all still like with a puzzled look on its face.

Fat Duck started ta reload fast like an Frank wuz pert near dun reloadin his self.  I said, hey let’s git back on the horses and ride up above that big ol buck an maybe we kin git closer.  The big ol buck had dun started ta walk up the hill.  Reckon it dun had about all the disturbin it wanted fer one day.

We loaded up an started fer the top of the hill in the direction we last dun saw that big ol buck.  As we rode around the bend, there standin in the trail wuz that big ol buck.  He wuz about as close as a big ol buck will let you git too.  Bout maybe 10 yards or so.  My measurin guessin aint much good so it cud of bin closer.  Anyway that big ol buck wuz just as shook an surprised as us ta see us in the same trail an so close, he dun twirled around an started ta runnin outa there.  Fat Duck, he is a quick one, an he dun got offn the horse and capped up his long gun fer a shot.  As he wuz a aimin so duz Frank git offn his hoss an is cappin up.  The buck wuz a runnin real fast like an just about over the top of the hill when old Fat Ducks gun barked out.  Corse all we cud see wuz the bucks horns by the time the ball dun got that far.  An the buck wuz gone.  Frank never did git a shot.  Sos, Fat Duck now has ta load while gallopin up the trail.  We needed ta git up the trail fast like so we kin see which way this big ol buck wuz headin.

Wouldn’t cha nowed it, just as we top the hill, there stands that same big ol buck right off the side of the trail.  Fat Duck ain’t all loaded up just yet an Frank he piles offn his hoss and rounds under it’s nose fer a shot.  The buck is off an runnin agin but it’s still perty close like, maybe 20 yards this time when Franks gun bellows out smoke an fire!  The ball goes just under the buck and bites into the snow.  Fat Duck he dun loaded up an is offn his horse trying like the dickins ta git a  cap on his cap lock, but the buck dun goes over another hill afor he kin git a shot.

We all quick like decide where this big ol buck is headed an we sayz if we kin git you gunners over ta the other side, there is a good chance that big ol buck will run right inta ya an ya kin git im fer sure this time.  So all fast like we is loaded up an Frank now hasta load while gallopin around the hillside.  We hurry as fast as kin be with the horses we dun got, an Frank gits all loaded up time we reach the spot we wuz thinkin about.

Comin down the trail still goin perty fast like, there stands that big ol buck, all tuckered out frum his runnin.  Both Fat Duck an Frank dun unload themselves frum theys hosses an perceed ta git ready fer shootin.  Fat Duck is quicker than Frank with cappin up an bears down on this here big ol buck.  Ta me it looks like Fat Duck is gonna have his meat pole filled up sure this time.  Fat Ducks gun belches out a huge cloud of smoke and fire burns the hair offn that big ol buck, but the ball goes just over its back an plows a mean ditch in the snow.  Fat Duck is beside hisself fer missin.

Meantime ol Frank he dun found hisself a good sittin spot ta aim an he too is pointin his rifle steady at that big ol buck what is just standin there about 5 yards out.  Frank cuts loose with a belcher of a boom an just like Fat Ducks the fire burns the hair offn that bucks shoulder and the ball dun goes right zacktly where Fat Ducks ball dun hit.  It’s a mighty calm now as the two hunters dun missed four times each at that big ol buck an the buck dun walks away never ta be seed by us agin.

It wuz perty citin fer all us what wuz watchin as the commotion wuz goin on, an the horses wuz glad we wuzzn’t gonna run em fast no more fer awhile.

Golly cum ta think about it an all that wuz a perty gud time what we wuz havin.  But the goal here is ta git Fat Duck an Frank sumpin ta be eatin this here cumin winter an we aint dun it yet.

Later on we cum cross another big buck.  Not near as big as the first one, but big no less.  Fat Duck kint see it an it’s just standin there about 3 yards out.  Maybe Fat Duck just wuz lookin through the horns, cuz it wuz just standin there facin him.  Finally he dun sees it an fires a quick shot.  I reckon he dun fired from the hip, cuz the ball hit the snow right twinxt it’s front feet an off it goed.  Frank an Tracker went ta cut off the big buck by goin ta theys left, an Fat Duck an the rest of us stayed on its trail.  Sudden like, we seed it cumin up the hill from Frank an Trackers way an Fat Duck lays down another screen of smoke an fire.  I gotta say in Fat Ducks behaf that the buck wuz a bit fer out this time an runnin, cuz I didn’t see no fire burn no fur off his side this time, but the ball went over the bucks back an probably still is flyin.  We never did see that big ol buck agin.

Still, all in all, we dun seed sum pritty big bucks an them two hunters wuz tryin like ever thing ta fill theys meat poles plenty.

My memory aint what is wuz a while ago an this here hunt went on fer many days.  I’m tryin ta give ya the low down of it all with this true story afore ya git tired an fall ta sleep.  So stay ta readin it cuz ya aint gonna wanna miss nutin.

On another mountain we dun seed another big ol buck an it wuz layin down all quiet like.  Fat Duck thinks he kin ride down there an put a ball right twinxt it’s eyes an I agreed.  Frank figgered that with Fat Duck cumin to it, it wud see er hear him an git up an cum up the hill to a saddle in the hill an that is where he wud be waitin.

So Frank is workin his way ta the saddle an me an Fat Duck we ride on down the ridge an git above the buck.  Fat Duck is sure ta bag this buck, cuz it’s only about 5 yards offn the trail an layin down sleepin.  Fat Duck is a sneaky guy an eases over the edge of the rock ledge an there lays that big ol buck.  Fat Duck has his cap on the nipple and the hammer is back.  The buck spots him an stands up givin him a fer sure broad side shot.  The buck is lookin at him an them horns is summpin else, I’ll tell ya fer sure.  One big ol buck what has horns that one side pert near touches its backside tail as it’s standin there lookin.  Again the rifle bellows out a big ol BOOM an smoke fills the air, but this time the ball goes right smack dab twinxt those big ol horns and plows another furrow in the snow behind.  The buck trots off down the trail ta git away.

As Fat Duck is cumin back ta the horses, he dun got his gun held by the front sight end of the barrel an I say ta him it looked like you dun made a field goal on that there buck an Fat Duck said,  “Iffn I had a crick neer by I’d throw this here gun right in it”!

I had to think on that awhile cuz why wud you throwd your onliest gun in a crick when you is out tryin ta make meat?  I aint figgered that out yet.  It took me sum time afor I gave up tryin ta figger that out an went back ta talkin ta Fat Duck.  Mean time Frank dun cummed down ta where we wuz an we went ta planning what next ta do.

Fat Duck didn’t find no crick so he dun loaded up agin an off we goed.

Twernt long an we seed that same last buck agin only this time it was a way long ways away, bout 50 yards.  Fat Duck has a determined look prity good now an he dun aimed the bestest he cud an he put that buck flat out an on his meat pole fer sure this time!  Check out this picture of Fat Duck an that big ol buck!

Well, only one hunter left ta bag a big ol buck now an that be Frank!

It wuz a nuther day an me an Hunter an Frank wuz ridin up the trail when sudden as all the other big ol bucks there wuz one.  Right there in a minute it wuz an standin still as kin be just lookin at us.  Frank gits off his hoss an sneaks closer fer the shot.  He gits about 6 yards frum the buck and starts ta aimin.  BOOM!  An smoke fills the calm morning air ta a point we cudnt see the buck.  When the smoke final moves away, the buck wuz sum 10 yards away.  I figgered the ball dun pushed it that far, but there wernt no hole in it an it wuz still on its feet.  Frank had to scuffle back ta the hoss ta git more shootin supplies an he did an got his gun all loaded up with a big ol load this time.  He is determined he dun gonna put a hole in that big ol buck fer sure.

He sneaks up closer an when he gits about 6 yards frum that big ol buck agin he lets that ball fly an he misses the shot.  Frank aint nun too happy bout now an he dun comes back ta the hoss ta git more powder an ball.  Meantime that big ol buck walks off an me an Hunter watch as it goes.  There is only one way we kin git that buck now.  An I say ta Frank, we need ta git the horses on over ta that ridge over there an ambush that big ol buck when it dun cums up an crosses that there saddle right there.

I reckon Frank aint listenin too gud right now cuz he is cussin sumpin an sayin stuff like his gun aint workin, an he needs a drink, an the sights is off an he needs nuther drink an stuff like that.

Well, onest he is loaded, let me say that agin, onest his gun is all loaded up we git back on the horses an ride ta the far ridge.  The one the big ol buck is headed toward an we git there as quiet as we kin an we git in a spot where we kin most likely see the big ol buck cum over the saddle an we sits down.

After while, I sees the big ol bucks horns cumin up the hill, right like we figgered inta the saddle.  Frank gits all ready an I remind him he is shootin down hill an ta aim a bit low.  The buck dun cums perfect as perfect kin be an Frank puts that ball perfect into it’s heart!  An now Frank has his meat pole filled an we kin all go home an have ourselves a good winter of eatin ven.  Take a gander at Franks big ol buck whut he dun took on this here hunt.

At rondeevoo the next year the talkin stick dun cummed out an a rendition of this here story wuz dun told ta all what wuz there an then Frank wuz called ta the fire an the man  with the talkin stick dun said these here words, “Frank, we dun heared the story about how you dun kilt yer big ol buck last year an we dun decided without anyone havin nothing other ta say, that from now on an where ever mountain men shat meet you shall be knowed as ‘Gattlin’”!  An that is how that all came about.

Bears Butt

June 13, 2011