The last day of February, 2013, the Clay Family welcomed a new friend into their fold.
Mr. Dewey Walton of Oregon came for a visit with Dad and to experience several different Styles and Eco-systems with & in which the Ole Short Tail is challenged.
He arrived midafternoon into Little Rock, after the usual meet and greet with Mom, Dad and I, we were off to Malvern, AR.; Where Glen Rybard and his Dad, Bud were going to introduce Mr. Dewey to the Clay Hounds. Dad, Mr. Dewey, Glen and Bud headed out to have a Race while Mom and I headed home.
Mr. Dewey and Glen Rybard looking over the newest Clay Hounds!
There I swapped vehicles and loaded Sleeping Bags, Cots and Suit Cases to head for South Texas as soon as the Hunters came in. I drove the hour back to Glen’s, put my truck seat back and grabbed a nap till the Hunters returned. They came in about 2 AM with nothing but Tales of Woe!
Mr. Dewey, who knows something about the ole “Scenting Condition” bugaboo, got a good dose of what we have to deal with in the Southeastern US. The Hounds just cannot smell when the Humidity is under 20% and the Wind is out of the NE. They had seen a Cat cross the road and the Hounds could only “Aggravate” the Cat; never truly Run him, just follow him around. Sometimes several Hounds could bark but usually only one or two. The Cat was sitting close in the Thick cover, would not leave its protection, and the Hounds were unable to smell good enough to pressure the Cat to leave. This went on for several hours before the hunters blew the Hounds in and headed home. Glen hoped to give Mr. Dewey another Hunt before he went back to OR to try and redeem his Hounds reputation.
When the Hunters returned to Glen’s Dog Pen, a short goodbye was said then Dad and Dewey grabbed pillows and blankies for some sleep while I drove the 700+ miles to Mike Rooke’s home on the Texas Gulf Coast. We had to make a stop in East Texas, just north of Houston to pick David Sudduth (Big N Blue) who was going to make his second trip to the Gathering.
Mike collaring his Hounds with Dewey keeping a close eye on him.
Well the “Poor” Scenting thing had followed us South, or else we had caught back up with it. South Texas has had several years of Bad Drought, and while Mike had gotten a good rain the week before it was gone. That and the fact that he had a NW wind made Conditions as bad as they were the night before at Glens albeit 700 miles farther Southwest.
Mikes Hounds struggled to trail a Cat and when one was jumped they just could not hold Pressure enough on the Cat to keep running it…..the Hounds were in fact just “Following” the Cat around. Now this was the same pack who the week before had caught 9 in 6 days. Mr. Dewey compared this to how he sometimes struggles with Icy-Snow conditions.
Oh well a good time was had by all…..we got a little sleep were up at daylight drinking Coffee and eating breakfast Burritos then back in the Truck for another 200 mile drive further West to Dilly, TX and the Gathering.
Mr. Dewy listening to how they do it in South Texas.
As I told about in the Story of the 2013 Gathering, the Crowed was down, but just as excited to be there and catch up on the Cat Hunting news, swap stories and meet new friends as always.
As we were traveling across the South Texas region Mr. Dewey would occasionally comment on how carelessly we threw out the Terms “Trees”, Hills, Valley, and Rivers. Where he comes from a River has water, a Valley has Mountains on either side, Hills are more than 40 feet above Sea level, and Trees require Binos to find a Cat up them. The trees he was seeing, you could reach above them with your hand for the most part.
Well after some good food, lots of visiting with old and new friends we were back in the Truck for another 917 miles back home to Arkansas. Now we were going to get to show Mr. Dewey how sorry Our Hounds were. WE dropped David off in Cleveland, TX and were home before daylight on Sunday. Dad said for us to sleep a little and for me to have the Hounds loaded about 5PM. Now this was from an Old Man (83) who is fighting Prostate Cancer, had had very little sleep since Wednesday night, and he is telling us Youngsters that we can sleep later…it is time to Hunt!
Well we did and had a Cat going just before Dark. We had Rigged this Cat Hot, ole Choc quickly found him off the road and the Race was on. For 30 min it was up and down the side of the road then across in front of us then across behind us. The Hounds were putting on a Show doing it like they are supposed to, very few checks and those not lasting long…no off track barking, just eating the Cat up. Dad chimed in “Boys like Jim Moore says….it’s Fly – Climb – or Die Time”.
Well it was option two this Cat took; he was headed right to the road…Choc had come out to whack him….Dewey and I had our lights right on them….The Pack is driving to us…..Choc throws up his head and Barks in the road….looks across the road, then dives into the Briars on the side the Pack is coming from……then quiet!
The Hounds came out into the road and looked up and down then back in the way they had come. Ole Corky thought he had found the Cat slipping out, but Rose looked at Mr. Dewey and I and said “Covered Track”, in seconds, Corky realized his mistake and was back with a look of chagrin on his face.
We thought this Cat was up, and looked good in the timber beside the road to no avail. The next day driving by we saw where the Cat had gone. Right off the ditch a tree had blown over years ago leaving a stump and depression. An Armadillo or something had a burrow there. When Choc was going up the road he must have winded the Cat squatting just off the side of the road prior to its trying to cross; when Choc barked the Cat just half turned and into the hole it went. (now that is my excuse for Sorry Hounds and NO Treedog)
Well that was the only Cat that moved on what the Garmin had told us was going to be a Poor Day. So about 10PM we headed home to sleep till 4AM when I was to have the Hounds loaded again, have Coffee and breakfast for Dad and Dewey and have it figured out where a Cat would be….all this is what we call “Orders from Headquarters”.
To make a Long Story a little longer during the Morning Monday we ran two Cat. Both Races lasted about 25 to 30 minutes with us putting the first in the ground (Brazos marked this one) and the second climbing a tall tree just off the road. Mr. Dewey walked out to this one and rediscovered the Briars of his childhood. Monday night we had two short Races (under 15Minutes) and Log Piled both. A good day but other than one quick look at the 1st Monday morning Cat, we could have been running Swamp Rabbits for all Mr. Dewey could tell.
Now Glen had asked for a chance at redemption so Tuesday Mr. Dewey and I went to Malvern AR, where he met up with a cousin and went to tour his old stomping grounds and visit with more of his family. I took care of some chores and then took a much needed nap for an hour or so. A little before dark we all met up with Glen and his Dad. (My Dad had decided that there would not be room enough in the Truck for all of us, so he stayed home…..not because he was tired and worn out.....yea right)
Well we loaded up and headed south to pick up Mike Paul. Mike is a top Dog man in his own right with a line of Mt. Curs he has been breeding and hunting after Coon and Squirrels for decades.
We moved on South then put the Rig Hounds up and commenced to look for an ole Bobbycat. Just after 7:30 PM Mr. Bud and Glen simultaneously exploded with “There he goes”. A Bobcat shot across in front of the truck. Glen released the Rig Hounds – Bigboy & Rebel along with Copper and Bandit….then the doors were opened and the box cleaned out.....soon a Roar could be heard…..scenting was much better and a Cat Race was underway!
For the next hour Mr. Dewey got to hear what we love….a Pack of Hounds that have been raised together & trained together, running a Bobcat in the worst Briars and regrowth Pine you can imagine……and doing it because they love doing it more than we love listening to it!
But, alas, this could have been another Swamp Rabbit. The Hounds took the Cat across a fresh clear-cut to a creek then up it 900+ yards before putting it up. Glen had been trying to get us closer by pretending his F250 Ford with an Extra Heavy Duty bumper and Skid plate was a Caterpillar D 7 Dozier. If Mr. Dewey was not nervous, I was. We went almost half way to the Hounds when it appeared that the dim road we were following played out; that is when Glen put the Truck in Low 4 x 4 and made his own road.
About then Mr. Bud noticed on the Garmin that the Hounds were on their way out to the Truck. Glen’s Treedogs had not located this Cat, but that was OK as getting to them was going to be a real challenge. Glen started blowing the Truck horn calling the Hounds. He took out his machete and hacked out a place to turn around and headed out, loading Hounds as they caught up with us.
Mr. Dewey pointed out that in his Country you may have a long challenging walk into a Tree with lots of elevation changes, rocks and bluffs to go around and some thick stuff that you have to break through. But this stuff we have is almost impenetrable, the briars (we have three bad kinds) all have hooked shaped thorns that hang into you and draw Blood. He acknowledged that a locating Treedog in this Country could be a mixed blessing.
Well after we had all the Hounds gathered up it was still early, Mr. Dewey’s plane was leaving in the late PM the next day so we decided to try to find another. Several hours later we did; this time Mr. Dewey got to see Hounds expeditiously move a Cold Track, Jump and then Run the H—l out of a Cat in some Bad Bad Country, then sit down and Tree like Coon Dogs.
Glen watching the Race on the Garmin as the Sound is coming in Stereo from the windows on both sides of the Truck
We were able to stay right with the Hounds for the hour and half that this Cat ran. It was probably a Tom who had been away from home looking for love, and had his night ruined by the Hounds. He took off for Home when jumped, hit a big Creek and headed NE working the water all the way. Now on the flat ground along the Creek is some rich fertile ground, the Dewberry, Saw, and Blackberry Briars just love this and flourish, making a mess when interwoven with fallen limbs and trees….a mess that a Blue Runner Snake thinks twice about going into.
That is where this Cat decided to Climb, just off the Creek bank in one of several large trees growing up out of this Mess. Now besides it being bad and thick out where the Hounds were Treeing, it was cold. 24 degrees may not be cold in some places but it is darn cold in Arkansas, and the tree was on the other side of the Creek. Well Mr. Dewey stood listening to Ole Dan and Lou Tree as long as he could then said “Fellows loan me some gloves….I need to take a walk”. Glen said give me a minute to get the Paintball gun and Mike and I will be right with you.
Mr. Dewey started to head out and tried one place….Briars too bad….he tried another, same results. Glen then said something about that is what the Hounds have to do….try two or three places to get out of the road. Mr. Dewey made it and Glen, Mike, and Mr. Bud were right behind him. They got to the Creek and it was pretty deep, Mike and Glen waded across but Mr. Bud and Mr. Dewey headed upstream to find a log to cross.
Once they were all across the real work started trying to get into the Hounds Treeing; they are all tough men and made it but it was so thick that they could not find the Cat. They all had bright lights; Mr. Dewey said that had he had his small red lensed light maybe the Cat would have looked at them. As it was no Cat that they could see, Glen and Mike’s britches legs were turning to Ice (temp 22%) so they headed down the Creek, hit the road and had a much nicer walk to the Truck.
Once there a short blow or two on the Horn and all the Hounds were loaded. We headed home talking about the differences in the two nights Glen had hunted his Hounds. We talked about the differences in Mr. Dewey’s Country and ours. He critiqued Dad’s and Glen’s Hounds, the differences between them and his. All this did was whet Glen and My desire to see the Northwest. Something Mr. Dewey, JC Padgett, and a couple of others will make possible next Labor Day weekend.
I will wrap this up by saying that for the doubters Mr. Dewey is the real deal. My Dad does not suffer fools well at all and is a pretty good judge of men and Hounds……Dewey is one of the very few who have been invited to bring their Hounds and come stay with us in Florida for an extended period of time. To anyone who knows Dad....that says it all!
Good Running to All!
