Long, long ago in a land far, far away---no wait that was Star Wars or some other such movie.  This is about my first squirrel hunt and not a sci-fi movie.

My first squirrel hunt was the only hunt my dad ever took me on, can't say for sure why other than he just wasn't a hunter and never shared my passion for hunting. It took place when I was maybe eight years old. Not sure of the date or my age for certain as time has erased that specific data. We went to the farm of my maternal grand parents near the small town of Ohatchee.

We drove through the pasture gate and down to the lower end of the pasture to where the hard wood trees were. This land was mixed oak, hickory and pine forest. It was the dead of winter and very cold. There was a heavy frost and ice had formed on the limbs and on the rocks in the stream we had to cross to get to where we were going to hunt. Dad had his J. C. Higgins Model 20 pump shotgun and I had his Winchester Model 74 22 short only semi-auto. On the way across the creek we had to step on rocks that were above the water or at least barely under the surface to keep the water from going over the tops of our shoes. Neither of us had boots or any other real hunting clothes for that matter. I slipped on a rock and fell into the stream getting wet from my waist down.

Not I felt this should end the hunt and told had so. He didn't agree. Said we had come to hunt squirrels and so hunt squirrels we would. We went on across and sat down on the ground under some oak and hickory trees and waited for the squirrels to show themselves. Dad covered my legs with leaves to keep me warm he said. It didn't work! I was freezing! The water on my pants turned to ice and I finally convinced him I had to get out of the weather and into a house. We finally went back to the car and to my grandparents house where I got warmed up after getting some warm liquids in me and my wet clothes off.

We didn't even see a squirrel that morning and dad never hunted again after that to my knowledge. That day was at least 44 or more years ago. We have never discussed that hunt since that day and I don't know why he insisted I stick it out and hunt after falling in the water. Maybe he wanted to break me from hunting since he didn't. Maybe he wanted me to see how to handle adversity in life. Maybe he really wanted me to get a squirrel on my first hunt. Whatever the reason was doesn't really matter. I became an avid hunter and can no more stop hunting than I can stop breathing. I have taken untold numbers of squirrels and other game since that day so long ago when my hunting career with a real gun began.

GB