"You Might Be a Redneck if..."

“Shshshhhh….I hear coyotes. Let’s go see if we can get one.” The local pack of wild coyotes has been slowly growing in the last few years. Last season I counted no less than seven sizable dogs led by one Alpha male. The neighbors to the northwest, who run a small kennel, have lost a few borders to the pack and are very concerned. Our neighbors to the west have horses and often see the pack roaming through their pasture, concerned for their horses. Both have requested a thinning of the pack. They are not a currently a direct danger to us as they are, but the growing numbers could become a safety issue. So the thinning is a serious topic. The boys can hear them too. So we decide to head off and see what we can see in the grassy pasture. I grab a rifle and request the boys to dress appropriately for a short walk through the tall grass and blackberry bushes to the fence where we can view a wide area where the dogs roam. They are excited to be part of the ”hunt” and rush to get dressed. And here is the result, a picture for the ages. Maybe it will reappear at a wedding or be used for friendly family blackmail. We’ll see.

The real issue is not the photo itself or the lack of appropriate clothing. It is that the photographer did not stop us. I think that speaks louder than the picture itself.

The discussion about current garb does not help the hunt as we debate, loudly, the fact that Jon is not wearing boots. the coyotes silently slip into the woods and vanish. We continue to update our hunting wardrobe to match the surroundings for optimum camouflage. Yesterday we actually got it right as we stalked a deer in the tall grass. the Boys were in full military camo and nearly "indivisible". No Jon, it's "INVISIBLE.

It's a process. Tony