WEBVTT

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<v Speaker 1>When I was seventeen, I came home from school one

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<v Speaker 1>day to find my mother anxiously waiting for me. I've

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<v Speaker 1>always been a laid back guy, so when she told

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<v Speaker 1>me that she and my dad had decided to take

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<v Speaker 1>a break for a while, I took it pretty well.

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<v Speaker 1>In fact, it was me who ended up comforting her

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<v Speaker 1>for the next couple of days. It seemed a bit weird.

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<v Speaker 1>My dad wasn't around much even when we were together.

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<v Speaker 1>He was an interstate truck driver. We were lucky if

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<v Speaker 1>we saw him for a couple of hours one or

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<v Speaker 1>two nights a week before he was off again, so

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<v Speaker 1>his absence wasn't really unusual. That's why seeing his truck

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<v Speaker 1>on a Monday when he was never home with such

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<v Speaker 1>a surprise. I walked out the front as he was

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<v Speaker 1>swinging the door open, and out jumped a huge black puppy.

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<v Speaker 1>It was a massive Dane cross that I named Thor.

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<v Speaker 1>My dad knew i'd wanted a dog for ages. I'd

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<v Speaker 1>been shooting since I could hold a gun, but I

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<v Speaker 1>never hunted with dogs. With Thor, I was going to

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<v Speaker 1>get my chance to contribute to the pig chasing stories

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<v Speaker 1>at school. Over the next four years, Thor grew to

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<v Speaker 1>be very protective of me. At a wapping one hundred

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<v Speaker 1>and ninety six pounds, that was a lot of protection.

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<v Speaker 1>He did have a few anger issues. No one could

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<v Speaker 1>pet him, and he wouldn't eat unless I gave him

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<v Speaker 1>the food. He scared my mother a lot too. She'd

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<v Speaker 1>always say, we need to get rid of that dog.

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<v Speaker 1>He's going to bite someone. I always shrugged it off.

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<v Speaker 1>One weekend, a mate I went to school with rang

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<v Speaker 1>me and said that we were going pigging. He said

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<v Speaker 1>to get my stuff together and he'd be at my

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<v Speaker 1>place in an hour. I went and got Thor's pigging collar,

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<v Speaker 1>a drink bottle, and my long range rifle. About nine am,

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<v Speaker 1>my mate turned up in his white dual cave ute.

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<v Speaker 1>His dog was already in the back and thora was

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<v Speaker 1>nearly snapping the chain I had him on to get

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<v Speaker 1>to the ute. He knew what we were doing and

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<v Speaker 1>he was getting excited. After I loaded my stuff and

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<v Speaker 1>we got on our way, I asked my mate where

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<v Speaker 1>we were going the Poliga. He said, Now, for anyone

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<v Speaker 1>who doesn't know or has not heard of the Paligue

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<v Speaker 1>of forests, it's just outside of Narrowbrie, New South Wales.

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<v Speaker 1>There have been so many Bigfoot stories about that place,

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<v Speaker 1>even a movie made about it. There's a highway that

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<v Speaker 1>runs through the middle of it. Big semi trailer trucks

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<v Speaker 1>can blow tires and the drivers won't even pull up

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<v Speaker 1>to fix them. Everybody knows about the stories and the

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<v Speaker 1>sightings down there. I didn't know it, but we were

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<v Speaker 1>about to add to the tally. It was about a

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<v Speaker 1>two hour drive from my home down to the Palagua Forest.

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<v Speaker 1>You can tell when the forest starts because the red

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<v Speaker 1>soil on the side of the road turns to an

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<v Speaker 1>almost sand or fine gravel. We continued until we saw

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<v Speaker 1>an opening in a rarely used car track, and we

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<v Speaker 1>turned in there and continued on for about fifteen minutes.

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<v Speaker 1>My mate slowly pulled the ute up to a five

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<v Speaker 1>wire fence at a tee intersection and said, this is it.

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<v Speaker 1>Let's go. I asked him who owned the property. He

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<v Speaker 1>just shrugged and giggled as he unchained his dog. He

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<v Speaker 1>reached over to unchained Thor, but Thor's lips came up

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<v Speaker 1>and his teeth came out. Go on, he's only playing,

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<v Speaker 1>I said, Stop being a flossy and unclip it. I laughed,

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<v Speaker 1>but he uttered an expletive and walked away. Defeated. I

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<v Speaker 1>unclipped Thor's chain, slung my rifle over my shoulder, and

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<v Speaker 1>off we went through the fence. We found a goat

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<v Speaker 1>track and followed it for about ten minutes. It was

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<v Speaker 1>pretty easy to walk through. The dogs were leading the

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<v Speaker 1>way with their noses in the air, trying to scent

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<v Speaker 1>some pigs. My mate's dog had a better nose than Thor's.

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<v Speaker 1>It spun to the left, sniffed a few times, and

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<v Speaker 1>then took off. My mate and I were doing our

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<v Speaker 1>best to follow. Thor hadn't picked up any sent yet,

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<v Speaker 1>so he stayed by my side, watching the other dog

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<v Speaker 1>and waiting for the barking and pig squealing to begin.

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<v Speaker 1>I crouched down next to him and put my arm

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<v Speaker 1>around him, giving him encouragement. Where's the pigs? Boy? You listening?

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<v Speaker 1>Where are they? He was getting psyched up. Both of

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<v Speaker 1>his ears were standing straight up, and he was ready

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<v Speaker 1>to go. My mate and his dog were gone for

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<v Speaker 1>about two or three minutes. At this point, I couldn't

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<v Speaker 1>see or hear either of them, just the grasshoppers and

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<v Speaker 1>a few birds chirping. I was still crouched down next

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<v Speaker 1>to my dog and watching in the direction my mate

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<v Speaker 1>and his dog went. When I got an overwhelming feeling

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<v Speaker 1>that we were being watched. I looked up and down

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<v Speaker 1>the track, but a I didn't see anything. I spun

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<v Speaker 1>on the balls of my feet to look behind me

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<v Speaker 1>into the scrub, but I didn't see anything there. The

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<v Speaker 1>bush was so thick to see more than thirty meters anyway.

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<v Speaker 1>I spun Thor around to look in that direction. He

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<v Speaker 1>was hesitant, still trying to watch the way my mate

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<v Speaker 1>and his dog went, and I said, what's up here?

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<v Speaker 2>What is it?

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<v Speaker 1>Something finally got his attention. He stared out into the

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<v Speaker 1>scrub as the hairs on his back stood up and

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<v Speaker 1>he started to growl jackpot. I thought, we're on again.

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<v Speaker 1>I stood up and pushed Thor in that direction. Get him, boy,

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<v Speaker 1>I shouted, as he put his ears back, head down

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<v Speaker 1>and took off into the scrub. A million miles an

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<v Speaker 1>hour in five seconds, I couldn't see him. I was

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<v Speaker 1>chasing after him as fast as I could, listening for

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<v Speaker 1>a pig to squeal. I could still hear him barking,

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<v Speaker 1>but it was getting farther and farther away. He was

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<v Speaker 1>fifty meters ahead of me. I'd say, I was thinking, God,

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<v Speaker 1>I hope they aren't much further. I hate running. Thor's

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<v Speaker 1>barking stopped, and I stopped. I was waiting for a

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<v Speaker 1>noise to tell me which way to run through the

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<v Speaker 1>bush to get him. I waited, and I waited. Usually

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<v Speaker 1>this happens pretty quick, and I kept waiting, and then

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<v Speaker 1>I heard yelping. I had never in my life heard

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<v Speaker 1>Thor yelp, not even when he was a puppy. He

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<v Speaker 1>was yelping with every breath, and I could hear the

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<v Speaker 1>yelps getting closer. Whatever was making him yelp, he was

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<v Speaker 1>having no part of it and was heading back to me.

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<v Speaker 1>I could see him coming through the bush faster than

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<v Speaker 1>he went in, and he was still yelping. His tail

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<v Speaker 1>was between his legs and cowering. He got back to

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<v Speaker 1>my feet and pissed himself in fear. He was trying

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<v Speaker 1>to hide behind me, looking back in the direction he'd

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<v Speaker 1>just gone. This scared the absolute life out of me.

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<v Speaker 1>I pulled my rifle off my and pressed it into

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<v Speaker 1>my shoulder and waited for whatever was chasing my dog

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<v Speaker 1>to show itself. I couldn't hear a thing except for

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<v Speaker 1>Thor's whimpering. As I stood there staring into the scrub,

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<v Speaker 1>a smell hit me. I thought Thor had lost control

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<v Speaker 1>of his bowels and then rolled and burnt hair. I

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<v Speaker 1>could hear my mate's dog barking behind us as they

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<v Speaker 1>returned to the road that I was standing on. I

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<v Speaker 1>could hear them a fair bit behind us, but I

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<v Speaker 1>wasn't game to take my eyes off the scrub in

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<v Speaker 1>front of me. His dog picked up our scent and

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<v Speaker 1>they found us. My mate called out, did you get

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<v Speaker 1>one or what? I shushed him. Something ain't right, I said.

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<v Speaker 1>He didn't even acknowledge what I said, and started walking

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<v Speaker 1>back to the road. I yelled out, I'm going back

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<v Speaker 1>to the ute and I'm leaving. He yelled over to

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<v Speaker 1>me and said for me to stop being a baby. No, mate,

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<v Speaker 1>something's wrong. I'm leaving. I told him he knew I

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<v Speaker 1>wasn't joking, and he agreed. I walked backwards the entire

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<v Speaker 1>trip back to the ute. My mate climbed through the

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<v Speaker 1>fence and I passed him my gun so I could

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<v Speaker 1>climb through. I insisted on driving. I just wanted to

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<v Speaker 1>get out of there. We got packed up and started

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<v Speaker 1>down the trail that he'd driven us in on. After

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<v Speaker 1>about two minutes of driving in silence, both dogs on

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<v Speaker 1>the back started barking and looking out the left side

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<v Speaker 1>of the ute into the scrub. My mate said, hey,

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<v Speaker 1>pull up, we'll let the dogs off. I quickly turned

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<v Speaker 1>down his request, and he said pull over. Then he

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<v Speaker 1>pulled the handbrake, stalling the ute. He pulled his gun

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<v Speaker 1>up to his shoulder and looked through the scope into

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<v Speaker 1>the scrub. The dogs were going ballistic. Now. I looked

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<v Speaker 1>over and saw something about forty meters out. My mate

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<v Speaker 1>was trying to find this thing in his scope, waving

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<v Speaker 1>it back and forth. He pushed the bolt forward down

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<v Speaker 1>and he chambered a bullet, still looking for whatever it was,

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<v Speaker 1>and the scope he must have had the magnification turned

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<v Speaker 1>up a fair bit because he was struggling to find it,

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<v Speaker 1>and then he gasped. I stared at him for a minute,

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<v Speaker 1>waiting for an answer, before nearly yelling what is it.

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<v Speaker 1>He uncocked the gun and it said, mate, I think

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<v Speaker 1>it's a bloke. He took his eye away from the

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<v Speaker 1>scope and looked over the gun back to the scope.

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<v Speaker 1>And back over the gun. He cocked it again, aimed

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<v Speaker 1>down below the tree, and then boom. The warning shot

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<v Speaker 1>rang out as this thing spun around and ran off

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<v Speaker 1>on two legs, just like you or I. The sound

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<v Speaker 1>of this thing's feet hitting the ground and breaking off

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<v Speaker 1>the branches as it ran still scares me. My mate

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<v Speaker 1>turned to me and he said, yeah, fair call, let's go.

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<v Speaker 1>I have never been back to this place. I never

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<v Speaker 1>planned to go back by any means. Thanks for reading

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<v Speaker 1>my story. Sorry for the spelling mistakes. I know I

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<v Speaker 1>sound dyslexic. Brother, you aren't near as dyslexic as I am.

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<v Speaker 1>But this was a great story because he's got this dog,

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<v Speaker 1>this two hundred pound dog or ninety six kilogram dog

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<v Speaker 1>that is just fearless, and it's a vicious dog. And

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<v Speaker 1>this dog is scared to death of whatever that was.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm almost sure that that thing got after his dog.

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<v Speaker 1>I don't know. I could elaborate on this story forever,

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<v Speaker 1>but it's real exciting. It's another story from Australia, from

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<v Speaker 1>our good friends in Australia. I've read a little bit

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<v Speaker 1>about the Peliga Forest. I understand they've got some issues

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<v Speaker 1>with fracking and gas extraction in that area. It's a beautiful,

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<v Speaker 1>pristine wilderness and I think the I think industry is

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<v Speaker 1>coming in and really giving the farmer's trouble. And so anyway,

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<v Speaker 1>if you're interested in that, look up the Poliga Forest

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<v Speaker 1>in Australia and learn about it. It's an interesting story

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<v Speaker 1>about that. Okay, I'll quit Ramblin. Appreciate the email, buddy,

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<v Speaker 1>thank you.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm a reserve police officer and a private security officer

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<v Speaker 2>who contracts for state and the federal government, so I'd

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<v Speaker 2>like to keep my name and exactly where I'm from

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<v Speaker 2>is quiet as not. Everyone in my line of work

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<v Speaker 2>is so open minded. The thing about northern Illinois that

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<v Speaker 2>not a lot of people think about is there's a

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<v Speaker 2>lot of bigfoot activity. I never really believed it, as

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<v Speaker 2>I'm an avid hunter and outdoorsman who spent more of

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<v Speaker 2>my childhood outside rather than inside. Part of my security

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<v Speaker 2>job includes doing patient transports between various hospitals and mental

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<v Speaker 2>health facilities in the Midwest, and on one of these

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<v Speaker 2>I saw something that made me a believer in all

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<v Speaker 2>the stories I heard as a kid. We were on

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<v Speaker 2>the road for a few hours. When we finally got

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<v Speaker 2>to the Illinois Missouri border the Mississippi. That river marked

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<v Speaker 2>that we were close to the town we were going to,

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<v Speaker 2>about one hundred or so miles south of the Iowa border.

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<v Speaker 2>We dropped off the patient without an issue, and I

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<v Speaker 2>was glad as the amount of nicotine and caffeine in

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<v Speaker 2>my system wasn't quite enough to fuel me through a

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<v Speaker 2>physical confrontation. We stopped by a local diner and headed

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<v Speaker 2>out on our way. When we got back to the

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<v Speaker 2>bridge heading back into Illinois, I saw what I initially

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<v Speaker 2>took as a farmer out in his field, which I

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<v Speaker 2>thought was strange as it was one am, but I

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<v Speaker 2>shrugged it off as a sick animal. Then he went

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<v Speaker 2>into a pen and threw what looked like a sheep

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<v Speaker 2>over his shoulder. We kept driving and I noticed out

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<v Speaker 2>of the corner of my eye the same figure running

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<v Speaker 2>towards the river, which I thought was strange and made

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<v Speaker 2>me focus more on him. It was then that I

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<v Speaker 2>realized that this was too tall to be a man,

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<v Speaker 2>because the corn wasn't even up to his chest and

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<v Speaker 2>the sheep was absolutely puny over his shoulder. I initially

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<v Speaker 2>thought that it was a lamb, but now it became

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<v Speaker 2>clear it was a full grown adult that had to

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<v Speaker 2>be at least two hundred pounds, if not more. When

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<v Speaker 2>it got to the river, it walked in and started swimming,

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<v Speaker 2>going straight across the current, not even seeming to touch it.

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<v Speaker 2>Despite having one arm handicap by its cargo. He got

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<v Speaker 2>onto the Illinois side and crawled onto the bank with

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<v Speaker 2>ease despite what might have been a six foot incline,

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<v Speaker 2>and disappeared into the treeline. The surprise of seeing him

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<v Speaker 2>scale that incline made me swallow some of the dip

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<v Speaker 2>I had in my lip, and I was coughing when

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<v Speaker 2>my partner woke up and asked what happened. I explained

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<v Speaker 2>the situation to him, and he said I need to

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<v Speaker 2>cut down on the overtime and that the lack of

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<v Speaker 2>sleep was getting to my head. When we got back

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<v Speaker 2>to the office, I talked to my sergeant, who has

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<v Speaker 2>twenty years law enforcement experience on top of four years

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<v Speaker 2>active duty in the Marine Corps. He put a hand

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<v Speaker 2>on my shoulder and he said that there are things

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<v Speaker 2>out there that shouldn't be talked about and left it

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<v Speaker 2>at that. The whole experience has left me looking over

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<v Speaker 2>my shoulder every time I'm out hunting and has given

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<v Speaker 2>me a newfound respect for the woods. Many years ago,

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<v Speaker 2>I was invited to go hunting in southeast Oklahoma. I

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00:14:37.320 --> 00:14:39.799
<v Speaker 2>worked with a guy that invited me, but did not

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<v Speaker 2>really know the others. The coworker remains my best friend

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<v Speaker 2>to this day. We all met at the same spot

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00:14:48.000 --> 00:14:51.679
<v Speaker 2>for about three seasons. Then for different reasons, it was

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<v Speaker 2>just me. I didn't mind. I loved it, and it

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00:14:55.279 --> 00:14:59.000
<v Speaker 2>was a good spot. This place is for public hunting

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<v Speaker 2>in the Watchataw Mountains. It's also famous for bigfoot sightings.

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<v Speaker 2>For all my years in the woods, I've gained a

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<v Speaker 2>lot of skills in experience. I was sure that if

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<v Speaker 2>anyone could find bigfoot, it would be me. Up until

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00:15:15.159 --> 00:15:19.639
<v Speaker 2>this point, I never had any definite proof. I have, however,

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00:15:20.159 --> 00:15:23.279
<v Speaker 2>seen and heard things that I could not explain, so

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00:15:23.399 --> 00:15:27.039
<v Speaker 2>I keep an open mind. The first couple of solo

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<v Speaker 2>trips were uneventful. I never worried about anything. I was

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<v Speaker 2>always armed with a pistol, a rifle, and a shotgun.

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<v Speaker 2>The rifle was with me in the woods, the shotgun

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00:15:38.320 --> 00:15:41.759
<v Speaker 2>rested on a chair while in camp, and the pistol

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<v Speaker 2>never left my side. My trips were well planned, so

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<v Speaker 2>I always had more than enough provisions to last the

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<v Speaker 2>whole time. Sometimes I'd stay as long as a month.

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<v Speaker 2>That's how much I loved it, now that I think

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<v Speaker 2>about it. Weird things started happening. The first time one

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<v Speaker 2>went alone. A chair or a tool or other small

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00:16:04.639 --> 00:16:07.320
<v Speaker 2>things would be in a different spot when I returned

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<v Speaker 2>to camp, nothing missing. It was just move I just

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<v Speaker 2>put it down as absent mindedness on my part. And

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<v Speaker 2>then one day it started. First it was a small

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<v Speaker 2>rock that landed about ten feet away. I was sitting

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<v Speaker 2>in a chair, sharpening my knife and sipping on a beer.

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<v Speaker 2>I looked in the direction from which it came, and

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<v Speaker 2>I saw nothing. I didn't hear anything either, I mean nothing,

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<v Speaker 2>no birds or anything. It was unnerving, to say the least.

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<v Speaker 2>After a few minutes, I picked up the same rock

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<v Speaker 2>and I threw it back where it came from. It

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<v Speaker 2>took several minutes, but to my surprise, the same exact

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00:16:47.480 --> 00:16:50.759
<v Speaker 2>rock came back almost in the same spot that it

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00:16:50.879 --> 00:16:54.600
<v Speaker 2>landed the first time. I didn't sleep that night, but

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<v Speaker 2>I was on high alert. The next morning, I was

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<v Speaker 2>cold and went to the wood pop so I could

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<v Speaker 2>stoke the fire and get a pot of coffee going,

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00:17:03.600 --> 00:17:06.400
<v Speaker 2>I grabbed a log, but on the chopping block I

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00:17:06.480 --> 00:17:10.519
<v Speaker 2>saw it. It was a small figure, crudely fashioned out

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<v Speaker 2>of pine needles. I picked it up and studied it.

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<v Speaker 2>Two arms, two legs, and a head. That's when all

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<v Speaker 2>of my anxiety faded away. I held it up and

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00:17:22.759 --> 00:17:26.519
<v Speaker 2>looking around, I said thank you. I was sure that

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00:17:26.559 --> 00:17:30.519
<v Speaker 2>whatever had left it meant me no harm. Things like

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00:17:30.599 --> 00:17:33.920
<v Speaker 2>this happened for the next three or four years. We

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00:17:34.039 --> 00:17:38.920
<v Speaker 2>even started exchanging gifts. It left an arrowhead one time,

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<v Speaker 2>another time just a shiny rock from the river, which

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00:17:43.200 --> 00:17:46.599
<v Speaker 2>was about a mile away. In exchange, I would leave

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00:17:46.640 --> 00:17:51.039
<v Speaker 2>an apple or some cookies. The small rock throwing also continued,

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<v Speaker 2>like a game that we both enjoyed. I never saw it,

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00:17:55.200 --> 00:17:57.920
<v Speaker 2>but I could since when it was there. We had

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00:17:57.960 --> 00:18:02.680
<v Speaker 2>become friends. Always camped in the same spot, and this

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00:18:02.880 --> 00:18:06.839
<v Speaker 2>year was the same. I was always pumped for deer season,

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00:18:07.160 --> 00:18:11.839
<v Speaker 2>especially to visit my friend again. It always waited until

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00:18:11.880 --> 00:18:14.599
<v Speaker 2>I was finished setting up camp and could sit down

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00:18:14.640 --> 00:18:17.839
<v Speaker 2>for a little rest, then the rock tossing game would

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00:18:17.920 --> 00:18:22.039
<v Speaker 2>start again. It had become our thing. About a half

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00:18:22.079 --> 00:18:25.440
<v Speaker 2>hour before dark, we both heard it. It was an

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<v Speaker 2>old pickup with a bad exhaustedly screaming down the main

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00:18:28.880 --> 00:18:33.200
<v Speaker 2>gravel road. Not really unusual, everyone knew about the meth

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00:18:33.279 --> 00:18:37.039
<v Speaker 2>problems in that part of the state. What was unusual

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<v Speaker 2>It came straight into my camp. It slid to a

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00:18:40.319 --> 00:18:44.000
<v Speaker 2>stop right in front of me. When the dust cleared,

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00:18:44.160 --> 00:18:48.079
<v Speaker 2>I could see them, four mails between about sixteen and forty,

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00:18:48.240 --> 00:18:52.359
<v Speaker 2>all sitting in an eighty model's Chevy single cab pickup truck.

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00:18:52.960 --> 00:18:56.519
<v Speaker 2>I wasn't too worried. The shotgun was close by. When

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00:18:56.519 --> 00:18:59.200
<v Speaker 2>they all got out at the same time, I knew

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00:18:59.200 --> 00:19:03.119
<v Speaker 2>it was tweaker, and man were they on it. They

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00:19:03.160 --> 00:19:06.240
<v Speaker 2>all acted like they had spiders on their clothes in

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00:19:06.319 --> 00:19:09.839
<v Speaker 2>their hair. The driver I thought his eyeballs were going

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00:19:09.880 --> 00:19:15.079
<v Speaker 2>to explode. And their agitated state and almost incoherent speech,

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<v Speaker 2>they said I was on their private property. I knew

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00:19:19.200 --> 00:19:21.960
<v Speaker 2>they saw the shotgun that was within my reachs So

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00:19:22.039 --> 00:19:24.519
<v Speaker 2>without getting up or raising my voice, I said, no,

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00:19:25.119 --> 00:19:28.079
<v Speaker 2>this is public land. I've been hunting here for years.

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<v Speaker 2>That's when they got really wound up. They all started

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00:19:31.720 --> 00:19:34.519
<v Speaker 2>yelling at the same time and started in my direction.

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<v Speaker 2>But before I got my hand on the shotgun, I

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00:19:37.799 --> 00:19:40.799
<v Speaker 2>saw something big fly through the air from my right.

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<v Speaker 2>It was a basketball sized boulder. It crashed into the

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00:19:46.680 --> 00:19:50.319
<v Speaker 2>driver's side bed of the truck. It was loud, and

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00:19:50.359 --> 00:19:53.000
<v Speaker 2>it scared them more than me, only because I saw

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00:19:53.039 --> 00:19:55.839
<v Speaker 2>it coming. One of them fell on the ground in

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00:19:55.880 --> 00:19:58.880
<v Speaker 2>a stupor. The other three turned to look at the

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00:19:58.960 --> 00:20:01.920
<v Speaker 2>giant dent in the side of the truck. That gave

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00:20:02.000 --> 00:20:04.720
<v Speaker 2>me a couple of extra seconds to grab the shotgun

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00:20:04.880 --> 00:20:08.440
<v Speaker 2>and stand up. When they turned back towards me, they

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00:20:08.480 --> 00:20:11.599
<v Speaker 2>were looking at the business end of a Remington eight seventy.

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<v Speaker 2>We all stood staring each other for what seemed like

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00:20:15.079 --> 00:20:18.680
<v Speaker 2>an hour, It was in fact only a second or two.

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00:20:19.559 --> 00:20:23.319
<v Speaker 2>Then came the loudest, scariest noise I had ever heard

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<v Speaker 2>in my life, kind of a roar plus a scream,

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00:20:27.160 --> 00:20:30.720
<v Speaker 2>and it hurt my ears. As they were staring at me,

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00:20:30.839 --> 00:20:34.440
<v Speaker 2>I calmly said, you boys, get on. They picked the

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00:20:34.480 --> 00:20:36.960
<v Speaker 2>one up from the ground, scrambled back in the pickup,

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00:20:37.039 --> 00:20:40.720
<v Speaker 2>and slung rocks getting out of there. When we couldn't

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00:20:40.720 --> 00:20:43.319
<v Speaker 2>hear the truck anymore, I sat back down in my

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00:20:43.519 --> 00:20:47.799
<v Speaker 2>chair and had a shot of whiskey. By this time

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00:20:47.839 --> 00:20:50.680
<v Speaker 2>it was dark. I sat there in the dark, trying

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00:20:50.720 --> 00:20:53.079
<v Speaker 2>to figure out what I was going to do next.

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00:20:53.599 --> 00:20:57.440
<v Speaker 2>Should I stay or should I go? That's when I

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00:20:57.480 --> 00:21:01.880
<v Speaker 2>heard a familiar sound. My friend tossed a small rock

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00:21:02.000 --> 00:21:05.880
<v Speaker 2>that landed near my feet. I laughed out loud and

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00:21:05.920 --> 00:21:09.200
<v Speaker 2>threw the same rock back. I slept off and on

356
00:21:09.440 --> 00:21:12.720
<v Speaker 2>that night, with mister Remington in my lap, but unafraid.

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00:21:13.839 --> 00:21:16.680
<v Speaker 2>The next morning, I had decided to go ahead and leave.

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<v Speaker 2>It wasn't safe for my friend and I, so I

359
00:21:20.119 --> 00:21:22.720
<v Speaker 2>got up. I made coffee and breakfast, and had one

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00:21:22.880 --> 00:21:26.000
<v Speaker 2>last game of rock toss. I was packed up and

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00:21:26.079 --> 00:21:29.440
<v Speaker 2>ready to leave about ten am. I knew he was

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00:21:29.480 --> 00:21:33.400
<v Speaker 2>still there, although I never saw him. But right before

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00:21:33.440 --> 00:21:36.440
<v Speaker 2>I left, I took everything I planned as gifts for

364
00:21:36.599 --> 00:21:40.319
<v Speaker 2>him and left it on the chopping block. In return,

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00:21:40.720 --> 00:21:43.279
<v Speaker 2>I found the rock that we played our game with.

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<v Speaker 2>I said goodbye in a soft voice, and I left.

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<v Speaker 2>That was about fifteen years ago. I never went back

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00:21:51.839 --> 00:21:55.559
<v Speaker 2>to that spot. Since then, I've camped and hunted in

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<v Speaker 2>a lot of different places, from Oklahoma to North Carolina.

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<v Speaker 2>Whenever I'm sure i'm alone, I'll pick up a small

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<v Speaker 2>rock and throw it towards the thick part of the woods,

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00:22:05.839 --> 00:22:09.680
<v Speaker 2>but it never comes back. This is a true story,

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<v Speaker 2>believe it, or leave it alone.