WEBVTT 1 00:00:10.240 --> 00:00:11.960 All right, I want to talk to you for a minute, 2 00:00:12.039 --> 00:00:14.400 and I need you to hang around and listen because 3 00:00:14.439 --> 00:00:18.440 this is important, very important. I'm not bragging, but I 4 00:00:18.480 --> 00:00:24.160 did get invited to do a Massy Oak properties podcast. 5 00:00:25.320 --> 00:00:27.839 The name of the podcast is A Fist Full of 6 00:00:27.960 --> 00:00:32.159 Dirt and it is hosted by a guy that I've 7 00:00:32.200 --> 00:00:36.159 watched on television and in videos, and just in the 8 00:00:36.280 --> 00:00:38.880 last year or so have seen some of his videos 9 00:00:38.920 --> 00:00:43.000 from old. His name is Ronnie cuz Strickland. And I 10 00:00:43.039 --> 00:00:45.960 got to drive down to West Point, Mississippi, where the 11 00:00:46.000 --> 00:00:50.640 headquarters of massioak is sit in their studio, and they 12 00:00:50.719 --> 00:00:53.640 asked me all kinds of questions about my podcast and 13 00:00:53.679 --> 00:00:56.759 all that stuff. You all know how I am. I 14 00:00:56.799 --> 00:01:00.359 don't really like talking about myself. I had so many 15 00:01:00.479 --> 00:01:03.640 questions for them, but I had to bite my tongue 16 00:01:03.640 --> 00:01:06.480 because it's their show. They wanted me to talk about 17 00:01:06.519 --> 00:01:09.239 the podcast, and so I did that. I'm going to 18 00:01:09.319 --> 00:01:12.799 put a link in the description for the Fistful of 19 00:01:12.959 --> 00:01:17.760 Dirt Halloween episode, which they uploaded yesterday it would have 20 00:01:17.920 --> 00:01:23.719 been October twenty ninth. It's called a Redneck Telling Monster Stories. 21 00:01:24.000 --> 00:01:26.400 It's a pretty good podcast. Not because I'm in it 22 00:01:26.519 --> 00:01:29.719 because these people really know how to put on a 23 00:01:29.760 --> 00:01:33.400 good podcast. There'll be a link that they're not on YouTube, 24 00:01:33.400 --> 00:01:37.480 they're out on the podcast networks, so they're on Apple, Spotify, 25 00:01:37.959 --> 00:01:42.120 all the podcast apps that you use out there. Just 26 00:01:42.280 --> 00:01:45.959 do a search for a fist full of dirt. You 27 00:01:46.040 --> 00:01:49.000 might want to put mossy oak behind that. It'll be 28 00:01:49.159 --> 00:01:51.879 right up there at the top. The episode I'm in 29 00:01:52.040 --> 00:01:56.280 is called a Redneck Telling Monster Stories. It's their first 30 00:01:56.319 --> 00:02:01.560 Halloween episode. They're uploading another Halloween episode to tomorrow or Friday. 31 00:02:01.599 --> 00:02:04.840 I'm not sure. I think it's Thursday the thirtieth or 32 00:02:04.879 --> 00:02:09.080 the Thursday the thirty first, actually on Halloween, and it 33 00:02:09.120 --> 00:02:11.520 should be a good one. But you all looked them up. 34 00:02:11.960 --> 00:02:16.240 Listen to their podcast. It's really good. One thing that 35 00:02:16.439 --> 00:02:20.560 happened when I walked into their studio first was I 36 00:02:20.599 --> 00:02:23.439 got to meet two really nice people. I got to 37 00:02:23.479 --> 00:02:27.800 meet Cuz Strickland. He's a legend, an absolute legend in 38 00:02:27.960 --> 00:02:33.319 hunting circles. Everybody knows who Cuz Strickland is. If you've 39 00:02:33.400 --> 00:02:37.439 ever watched a hunting show. If you don't remember his name, 40 00:02:37.479 --> 00:02:40.319 when you see his face, you'll remember it. And then 41 00:02:40.360 --> 00:02:43.840 I met his daughter, Lauren, and they're the producers of 42 00:02:43.879 --> 00:02:46.439 a fist full of Dirt podcasts. But he handed me 43 00:02:46.479 --> 00:02:49.560 a book, which I didn't say this when I sat 44 00:02:49.599 --> 00:02:51.439 down with him, but I had actually read it a 45 00:02:51.479 --> 00:02:53.520 few years ago. A buddy of mine had it sitting 46 00:02:53.560 --> 00:02:56.080 on his desk. I said, let me borrow that book, 47 00:02:56.240 --> 00:02:58.919 and I read the book. It's called Ain't Nothing but 48 00:02:59.000 --> 00:03:03.520 the Truth about Spring Turkey Hunting. According to cuz Now, 49 00:03:03.560 --> 00:03:07.960 this book is not a strategy type tactics kind of book. 50 00:03:08.639 --> 00:03:13.840 It's his commentary on turkey hunting and in modern culture, 51 00:03:14.520 --> 00:03:19.759 and it is full of unbelievably great stories. I don't 52 00:03:19.800 --> 00:03:22.759 know where to buy this book. I'm gonna check with 53 00:03:22.800 --> 00:03:26.000 them before I upload this podcast and see if it's 54 00:03:26.000 --> 00:03:31.599 on Amazon or wherever. But I called Lauren yesterday and 55 00:03:31.639 --> 00:03:33.639 I asked her if her dad wouldn't mind if I 56 00:03:33.680 --> 00:03:36.039 read a chapter out of this book, and she said, 57 00:03:36.080 --> 00:03:39.319 I think that'd be great. So that's what you're about 58 00:03:39.360 --> 00:03:41.759 to hear. So I wanted to announce that I'm on 59 00:03:41.800 --> 00:03:44.319 that podcast and I want you to stick around and 60 00:03:44.439 --> 00:03:47.560 listen to this story. It's one chapter out of Ain't 61 00:03:47.599 --> 00:03:51.560 Nothing but the Truth about Spring Turkey Hunting. According to 62 00:03:51.759 --> 00:03:56.159 Cudz Strickland, the title of the chapter is Hexes and 63 00:03:56.280 --> 00:03:59.400 Haints or Haints and Hexes. I thought it was fitting 64 00:03:59.479 --> 00:04:02.919 for this channel. Its close to Halloween, it's about superstitions, 65 00:04:03.120 --> 00:04:05.520 and I think you will enjoy it, So hang on 66 00:04:05.759 --> 00:04:13.680 and listen to that. I really appreciate it. Thanks, Hanks 67 00:04:13.719 --> 00:04:18.240 and Hexes. Most people will not admit in public, or 68 00:04:18.279 --> 00:04:22.319 even out loud, that they are superstitious. Some consider it 69 00:04:22.360 --> 00:04:25.040 a sign of a weak mind or lack of education. 70 00:04:26.000 --> 00:04:29.040 Well that's fine, but I say why I take chances. 71 00:04:30.360 --> 00:04:33.879 Baseball players as a group may be the most superstitious 72 00:04:33.879 --> 00:04:36.720 of all, but I think hunters would be a close second. 73 00:04:37.759 --> 00:04:40.720 I have always been deathly scared of snakes, but not 74 00:04:40.839 --> 00:04:44.000 too much else. I'm good to round most other things 75 00:04:44.040 --> 00:04:48.160 that can make folks uneasy, stuff like spiders and haunted 76 00:04:48.199 --> 00:04:51.720 houses and the dark and electricity. But you could still 77 00:04:51.759 --> 00:04:56.519 describe me as jumpy. Even though I'm not afraid of spiders, 78 00:04:56.600 --> 00:04:58.800 I don't pick them up and play with them, and 79 00:04:58.839 --> 00:05:01.920 I might jump if one land in my lap. It's 80 00:05:02.000 --> 00:05:05.759 the same with superstitions. I don't go asking for trouble. 81 00:05:06.000 --> 00:05:08.839 I don't pick up spiders. I don't throw my hat 82 00:05:08.920 --> 00:05:11.120 on the bed or look at a new moon over 83 00:05:11.160 --> 00:05:14.519 my left shoulder. For me, it's all about the odds. 84 00:05:15.319 --> 00:05:17.680 If I feel my odds are better if I don't 85 00:05:17.680 --> 00:05:20.399 step on a crack in the sidewalk, then I will 86 00:05:20.439 --> 00:05:24.600 step over the cracks. Now call me uneducated or weak 87 00:05:24.639 --> 00:05:28.480 mind at all you want. Most people find my superstitions 88 00:05:28.519 --> 00:05:32.199 funny or at best interesting, But for me, it's just 89 00:05:32.279 --> 00:05:35.680 part of my routine. I'm not trying to be different 90 00:05:35.879 --> 00:05:39.399 or make a statement of any kind. I'm just being careful. 91 00:05:40.800 --> 00:05:44.000 Back in the mid nineteen eighties, I was hunting outdoor 92 00:05:44.079 --> 00:05:48.600 writers out of my house in Natchez, Mississippi. My wife 93 00:05:48.639 --> 00:05:51.240 Pam and I, along with both of our girls, would 94 00:05:51.240 --> 00:05:54.279 bring in dozens of writers each year and hunt them 95 00:05:54.319 --> 00:05:58.040 around Natchez for primos and mascio in hopes of getting 96 00:05:58.079 --> 00:06:02.680 mentions or photos in hunting magazines. One of my favorite 97 00:06:02.720 --> 00:06:06.759 writers to visit our home was Nick Sisley. Nick and 98 00:06:06.800 --> 00:06:09.160 I hit it off really fast, even though he was 99 00:06:09.199 --> 00:06:13.560 a highly intelligent professional writer and a Pennsylvania Yankee who 100 00:06:13.639 --> 00:06:17.079 had traveled the world and seen and done way more 101 00:06:17.120 --> 00:06:20.160 than I had. By being a simple, laid back redneck 102 00:06:20.279 --> 00:06:25.160 from South Mississippi. Nick liked real people who hunted in 103 00:06:25.199 --> 00:06:28.959 real places, under real conditions and did it really hard, 104 00:06:29.480 --> 00:06:33.160 so we actually had lots in common. He didn't want 105 00:06:33.240 --> 00:06:36.120 some plush wine and cheese hunt where he didn't have 106 00:06:36.160 --> 00:06:39.079 to walk too far or wait too long, so hunting 107 00:06:39.160 --> 00:06:42.040 with me out of our house was right up his alley. 108 00:06:43.279 --> 00:06:45.600 On the first morning of next turkey hunt, we were 109 00:06:45.680 --> 00:06:49.279 running about ten minutes late leaving my house. I was 110 00:06:49.319 --> 00:06:51.399 heavy on the gas most of the way to our 111 00:06:51.480 --> 00:06:53.879 hunting ground and had made up for most of the 112 00:06:53.959 --> 00:06:57.040 ten minutes and felt good about being in our spot 113 00:06:57.079 --> 00:07:00.879 to listen for gobbles on time. And then it happened 114 00:07:01.279 --> 00:07:03.959 A damn black cat ran across the road right in 115 00:07:04.040 --> 00:07:07.160 front of us. There are a few actions you can 116 00:07:07.199 --> 00:07:10.600 take in this situation. For instance, you can pull over 117 00:07:10.680 --> 00:07:13.519 and wait for another vehicle to cross the path first. 118 00:07:13.879 --> 00:07:16.000 You can spit on your finger and put an X 119 00:07:16.079 --> 00:07:19.399 on the windshield dead center. You can turn your hat 120 00:07:19.439 --> 00:07:22.160 around and raise your feet off the floorboard and the 121 00:07:22.199 --> 00:07:25.439 speed across. But the fastest thing to do is to 122 00:07:25.480 --> 00:07:28.279 turn around and take another route. And since that was 123 00:07:28.319 --> 00:07:30.759 five in the morning, I knew the chances of another 124 00:07:30.879 --> 00:07:34.600 vehicle busting that path were slim. I could have turned 125 00:07:34.639 --> 00:07:37.160 my hat around and picked up my feet and ex 126 00:07:37.279 --> 00:07:40.040 the windshield, but I knew Nick would not do it, 127 00:07:40.199 --> 00:07:42.439 and it would not help if he refused, so I 128 00:07:42.560 --> 00:07:46.480 stopped and turned around. He was in shock that I 129 00:07:46.519 --> 00:07:49.680 would do that. I knew another gravel road that would 130 00:07:49.759 --> 00:07:52.399 not cost us much time, and it was my best option. 131 00:07:53.240 --> 00:07:55.879 It would have taken way too much time to explain 132 00:07:55.920 --> 00:07:59.360 to Nick all the options and possibilities we had to 133 00:07:59.439 --> 00:08:02.160 cancel out that cat's mojo, so I just do it 134 00:08:02.160 --> 00:08:05.600 in reverse and took off. I could tell he was 135 00:08:05.680 --> 00:08:07.800 pissed off a bit, because he didn't say a word 136 00:08:07.879 --> 00:08:10.240 to me until after his gun went off at five 137 00:08:10.319 --> 00:08:14.160 minutes after six, when he dispatched a big old gobbler. 138 00:08:15.319 --> 00:08:18.199 After the quick hunt, we talked and smiled about the 139 00:08:18.199 --> 00:08:21.040 black Cat episode, which I'm sure he thought was theater 140 00:08:21.199 --> 00:08:24.639 for him, but later realized it was indeed for his benefit. 141 00:08:25.800 --> 00:08:30.319 No theater was involved, just scientific preemptive tactics to keep 142 00:08:30.439 --> 00:08:34.200 luck on our side. Now, I'm sure there's not much 143 00:08:34.240 --> 00:08:37.600 sites involved in superstitions, but there is a lot of 144 00:08:37.679 --> 00:08:40.360 history that backs up at least the fact that people 145 00:08:40.399 --> 00:08:44.600 have been aware of them. For example, Friday the thirteenth 146 00:08:44.639 --> 00:08:48.440 has some very substantial meaning that dates back thousands of years. 147 00:08:49.240 --> 00:08:53.600 The Scandinavians believed the number thirteen was unlucky because of 148 00:08:53.639 --> 00:08:56.879 the twelve demic gods that were joined by the thirteenth, 149 00:08:56.960 --> 00:09:00.480 who was evil. It was also said that Crass was 150 00:09:00.519 --> 00:09:03.879 crucified on a Friday, and the number of people present 151 00:09:03.960 --> 00:09:08.799 at the Last Supper was thirteen, the thirteenth being Judas 152 00:09:08.919 --> 00:09:13.000 the Trader. If you don't believe things like that, then 153 00:09:13.000 --> 00:09:15.720 a lucky penny or a four leaf clover may not 154 00:09:15.879 --> 00:09:19.639 mean much to you. But I'll admit I do, especially 155 00:09:19.799 --> 00:09:24.559 when biblical examples are thrown into the mix. Now, I'm 156 00:09:24.600 --> 00:09:28.399 pretty sure superstitions are like being afraid of snakes. If 157 00:09:28.480 --> 00:09:30.720 you look for them like I do, then you'll find them. 158 00:09:31.519 --> 00:09:33.759 Maybe it's all in the mind, but I think the 159 00:09:33.840 --> 00:09:37.440 mind is indeed a powerful thing and can affect outcomes 160 00:09:37.440 --> 00:09:41.480 in many ways. I remember a few years back, while 161 00:09:41.519 --> 00:09:46.360 at Portland Landing near Camden, Alabama, we were scouting locations 162 00:09:46.399 --> 00:09:50.799 in September to hang tree stands for an upcoming mossy oakhunt. 163 00:09:51.720 --> 00:09:53.960 It was so hot you could hardly breathe, and we 164 00:09:53.960 --> 00:09:57.519 were covering lots of ground. I've heard the old saying 165 00:09:57.600 --> 00:10:00.679 that seeing an owl in the daylight was bad luck, 166 00:10:01.080 --> 00:10:04.159 but it never paid much attention to that one. The 167 00:10:04.279 --> 00:10:06.480 chances of seeing an owl in the middle of the 168 00:10:06.559 --> 00:10:11.440 day down south anyway are very slim. But on this day, 169 00:10:11.600 --> 00:10:15.480 while scouting acorn trees for sign, I actually saw two 170 00:10:15.639 --> 00:10:19.600 owls in trees and both were looking at me. I 171 00:10:19.639 --> 00:10:22.600 remember thinking that it was strange, but the old bad 172 00:10:22.679 --> 00:10:26.240 luck thing did not enter my mind. On one of 173 00:10:26.240 --> 00:10:29.000 the last spots we checked, I was walking across a 174 00:10:29.120 --> 00:10:32.360 freshly plowed food plot to look at a shady oak 175 00:10:32.440 --> 00:10:35.600 tree on the other side. One of the two guys 176 00:10:35.639 --> 00:10:38.639 with me jumped back and grunted, so my first reaction 177 00:10:38.840 --> 00:10:42.279 was to jump also, which I did. I looked back 178 00:10:42.320 --> 00:10:44.799 and saw a two foot long rattlesnake cooled up in 179 00:10:44.840 --> 00:10:48.240 a strike mode right where I had just stepped. The 180 00:10:48.279 --> 00:10:51.639 snake was covered in dirt, which explained why me, of 181 00:10:51.679 --> 00:10:55.759 all people, did not see him. The other fellow said, 182 00:10:56.000 --> 00:10:59.519 he struck your boot. By this time, I was getting 183 00:10:59.559 --> 00:11:02.919 flushed and feeling sick. Now I moved away and looked down, 184 00:11:03.000 --> 00:11:05.440 and sure enough, there was some type of liquid on 185 00:11:05.480 --> 00:11:08.000 the lower portion of the soul of my left boot. 186 00:11:08.799 --> 00:11:11.679 The snake was small, so I guess the glancing strike 187 00:11:11.919 --> 00:11:14.679 just hit the harder rubber on my boot, but it 188 00:11:14.759 --> 00:11:17.240 was enough to send me indoors with an ice pack 189 00:11:17.320 --> 00:11:19.679 on my neck for a while to try to calm down. 190 00:11:20.799 --> 00:11:24.159 Did seeing two owls in the broad daylight have anything 191 00:11:24.200 --> 00:11:27.519 to do with that? Damn right? It did. If I 192 00:11:27.559 --> 00:11:30.399 had been thinking and realized the owls were a sign, 193 00:11:30.720 --> 00:11:33.000 I would have gone from being an active member of 194 00:11:33.039 --> 00:11:36.919 the scouting party to taking more of a supervisory role 195 00:11:37.120 --> 00:11:40.919 and hung around the truck again. All this could be 196 00:11:41.039 --> 00:11:45.000 nothing more than chance or a combination of actions that 197 00:11:45.120 --> 00:11:47.840 result in where you end up at a certain time, 198 00:11:48.240 --> 00:11:51.039 but my list of examples of luck playing a part 199 00:11:51.200 --> 00:11:55.600 in an outcome are numerous. I was filming turkeys in 200 00:11:55.679 --> 00:11:58.720 South Dakota one spring and met this guy who some 201 00:11:58.759 --> 00:12:02.440 folks might call a jinx. I was not calling that 202 00:12:02.600 --> 00:12:05.120 because I don't want to say that word out loud, 203 00:12:05.440 --> 00:12:08.559 but this guy certainly had some of the qualifications worthy 204 00:12:08.639 --> 00:12:13.000 of that handle. If I remember right, his name was Frank. 205 00:12:13.559 --> 00:12:16.000 I was not hunting with Frank, but I did visit 206 00:12:16.080 --> 00:12:19.000 with him at night and some during the midday while 207 00:12:19.039 --> 00:12:22.639 eating lunch. And my first introduction to Frank came on 208 00:12:22.679 --> 00:12:24.759 the first morning of the hunt, when I ran into 209 00:12:24.840 --> 00:12:28.440 him outside the old house where we were staying. He 210 00:12:28.519 --> 00:12:30.799 was trying to fish his keys out of the cab 211 00:12:30.840 --> 00:12:33.799 of his truck, and he locked them inside and had 212 00:12:33.840 --> 00:12:36.399 the old bent clothes hangar in the window and was 213 00:12:36.440 --> 00:12:40.039 cussing like crazy. The next time I saw him was 214 00:12:40.120 --> 00:12:42.519 later that night, when he was asking if anyone had 215 00:12:42.519 --> 00:12:46.399 seen a shotgun. I assumed he found it later, but 216 00:12:46.440 --> 00:12:48.879 the thought came to me then that I better keep 217 00:12:48.879 --> 00:12:52.120 an eye on this guy. Before I go deeper into 218 00:12:52.159 --> 00:12:55.799 this encounter, let me state that all of this is true. 219 00:12:57.039 --> 00:12:59.720 That night, the people who owned the house cook supper, 220 00:13:00.000 --> 00:13:03.039 which turned out to be baked fish with some vegetables. 221 00:13:03.639 --> 00:13:05.840 Frank said he did not eat fish, and he rode 222 00:13:05.879 --> 00:13:08.120 into town and got a sandwich and chips from a 223 00:13:08.159 --> 00:13:12.559 convenience store. The next morning, I was up early gathering 224 00:13:12.639 --> 00:13:16.679 camera gear, and I heard a strange noise outside. Old 225 00:13:16.679 --> 00:13:19.360 Frank was bent over by his truck and was sure 226 00:13:19.360 --> 00:13:21.720 as hell not trying to get his keys this time. 227 00:13:22.559 --> 00:13:25.600 He was sick as hell. He told me from a 228 00:13:25.639 --> 00:13:29.320 distance that he thought the deli style roasted beef had 229 00:13:29.320 --> 00:13:33.039 given him food poisoning. I felt bad for old Frank, 230 00:13:33.120 --> 00:13:35.440 but I kept my distance just in case what he 231 00:13:35.559 --> 00:13:40.639 had was contagious. That evening, Frank was looking kind of puny, 232 00:13:40.799 --> 00:13:43.840 but was sitting up outside sharing some hunting tails with 233 00:13:43.879 --> 00:13:47.279 some of the other fellows around a small campfire. I 234 00:13:47.399 --> 00:13:49.799 listened for a while, and I heard some sad tales 235 00:13:49.840 --> 00:13:53.840 of close encounters and misses and getting lost and so on, 236 00:13:54.279 --> 00:13:58.399 and discovered he had never killed a long beard. Against 237 00:13:58.399 --> 00:14:00.600 my better judgment, I offered to go with him to 238 00:14:00.600 --> 00:14:02.919 see if I could up his odds of at least 239 00:14:03.000 --> 00:14:07.720 an encounter or two with my tube call. I explained 240 00:14:07.720 --> 00:14:10.360 the whole camera deal and what I needed him to do, 241 00:14:10.440 --> 00:14:13.759 and he perked up big time. The next morning, I 242 00:14:13.799 --> 00:14:16.080 went to Frank's room just to make sure he was 243 00:14:16.159 --> 00:14:19.559 good to go, and what I saw made my knees buckle. 244 00:14:20.639 --> 00:14:22.440 His hat was on the bed, and there were two 245 00:14:22.519 --> 00:14:26.000 knives with the blades crossed on the night stand. He 246 00:14:26.080 --> 00:14:28.840 was putting his left boot on first, and there was 247 00:14:28.879 --> 00:14:32.039 a cracked mirror in plain view in his shaving kit, 248 00:14:32.639 --> 00:14:36.519 and he was singing before breakfast. Just one of those 249 00:14:36.559 --> 00:14:38.799 things is enough to screw your hunt for the day. 250 00:14:38.879 --> 00:14:42.679 But he was a virtual buffet of bad mojo. I 251 00:14:42.720 --> 00:14:45.600 expected his head to spend around in puke pea soup 252 00:14:45.639 --> 00:14:49.679 at any minute. I started grabbing hats and knives and 253 00:14:49.720 --> 00:14:52.279 such and gave him a quick rundown on just what 254 00:14:52.440 --> 00:14:55.159 I could see and how it could affect his hunt, 255 00:14:55.720 --> 00:14:59.120 not to mention his day to day life. Well. Frank 256 00:14:59.240 --> 00:15:01.480 was shocked but listened while I made a few more 257 00:15:01.519 --> 00:15:05.000 adjustments in the room. Once I made him get his 258 00:15:05.080 --> 00:15:10.399 boots on correctly and checked him for other land. Once 259 00:15:10.440 --> 00:15:12.840 I made him get his boots on correctly and I 260 00:15:12.919 --> 00:15:15.519 checked him for other land minds, we headed to the 261 00:15:15.559 --> 00:15:19.120 woods and I told Frank to relax and just think 262 00:15:19.200 --> 00:15:22.120 positive thoughts and we would have a good day of hunting. 263 00:15:22.759 --> 00:15:27.759 Lord knows he was do one. Around ten am, after 264 00:15:27.840 --> 00:15:30.919 some far off gobbles and a couple of sightings, we 265 00:15:31.000 --> 00:15:35.120 had a gobbler responding and closing in fast. I had 266 00:15:35.159 --> 00:15:37.840 Frank set up in front of me, gun ready and 267 00:15:38.039 --> 00:15:41.679 still as a rock. The gobbler closed the distance, and 268 00:15:41.960 --> 00:15:44.600 just as he appeared a little to our left, my 269 00:15:44.720 --> 00:15:48.399 camera shut off. I knew it was a dead battery, 270 00:15:48.440 --> 00:15:50.559 but I had just put a fresh one in before 271 00:15:50.600 --> 00:15:53.879 we left camp. I thought about trying to reach into 272 00:15:53.960 --> 00:15:56.879 my vest to grab a backup, but I had tried 273 00:15:56.919 --> 00:15:59.519 this move the spring before on a hunt with my 274 00:15:59.559 --> 00:16:03.960 youngest daughter and had screwed up the whole deal. I 275 00:16:04.039 --> 00:16:06.720 told Frank to shoot, and he smacked the merry im 276 00:16:06.840 --> 00:16:10.879 upside the head, and the celebration was on. I felt 277 00:16:10.919 --> 00:16:13.639 worse about missing his reaction with the camera than I 278 00:16:13.679 --> 00:16:18.279 did missing the kill shot. He was fired up. On 279 00:16:18.360 --> 00:16:21.039 the ride back to camp, Frank quizmy on all the 280 00:16:21.080 --> 00:16:24.440 superstitions I knew, and he took notes as though he 281 00:16:24.600 --> 00:16:28.080 was going to be tested the next day. Now, looking back, 282 00:16:28.279 --> 00:16:31.360 I think the mysterious dead battery was a result of 283 00:16:31.399 --> 00:16:35.039 me touching too many bad things in Frank's room. I 284 00:16:35.120 --> 00:16:37.440 moved the mirror, took the hat off the bed, and 285 00:16:37.519 --> 00:16:41.720 uncrossed the knife blades. I am convinced some of his 286 00:16:41.840 --> 00:16:45.000 bad mojo got on me. And just so you'll know, 287 00:16:45.360 --> 00:16:48.480 whether you believe it or not, here are some things 288 00:16:48.519 --> 00:16:52.440 to avoid in the future. The order is of my choosing, 289 00:16:52.559 --> 00:16:57.200 beginning with the worst hat on the bed, black cat 290 00:16:57.279 --> 00:17:03.600 crossing your path, crossed, now walking under a lighter anything 291 00:17:03.799 --> 00:17:09.599 yellow spilled salt, singing an owl in the daylight, and 292 00:17:09.640 --> 00:17:14.240 hearing a rooster crow at night, singing before breakfast, putting 293 00:17:14.240 --> 00:17:17.880 your left boot on before the right, sitting on a table, 294 00:17:18.200 --> 00:17:23.039 passing someone on a staircase, and last cleaning out a 295 00:17:23.079 --> 00:17:31.799 fireplace and leaving no embers. Okay, thanks for listening to that. 296 00:17:31.960 --> 00:17:38.640 Now we're going to get on with our regularly scheduled regularly. 297 00:17:38.799 --> 00:17:41.680 Did I say that right? You know I live in Mississippi. 298 00:17:41.759 --> 00:17:44.759 We it's hard to say words that are longer than 299 00:17:44.960 --> 00:17:48.839 two syllables. I don't know why that is. I got. 300 00:17:49.119 --> 00:17:51.519 I got an email the other day from a lady. 301 00:17:51.799 --> 00:17:55.000 I'm gonna read that email to y'all. I want y'all 302 00:17:55.200 --> 00:18:00.119 to see how nasty people can be when you put 303 00:18:00.160 --> 00:18:04.519 yourself out there, like on the internet or in public view, 304 00:18:04.960 --> 00:18:08.359 how filthy and nasty people can be. Let me find 305 00:18:08.400 --> 00:18:11.880 this email all right here. It is here, It is here, 306 00:18:11.880 --> 00:18:14.680 it is Okay. I got this email back on October 307 00:18:14.720 --> 00:18:18.359 twenty seventh, just a few days ago. I want you 308 00:18:18.440 --> 00:18:23.400 all to listen to this. Your idiocy and ignorance about 309 00:18:23.440 --> 00:18:28.359 being a brother in Christ are bad enough, as are 310 00:18:28.480 --> 00:18:34.839 your like of beer, motorcycles and pit bulldogs, all three 311 00:18:35.119 --> 00:18:38.960 or garbage, and you're continuing to I won't say the 312 00:18:39.000 --> 00:18:41.960 word if up. How words should be said in your 313 00:18:42.000 --> 00:18:46.359 abuse of grammar are just as bad. Stop saying laying 314 00:18:46.440 --> 00:18:50.839 when you should be saying lying, and further for farther 315 00:18:51.240 --> 00:18:54.519 and there is there are theres at any time. I 316 00:18:54.559 --> 00:18:57.480 don't even know what that means. I am really beginning 317 00:18:57.519 --> 00:19:00.839 to wonder about your intelligence level. Any of people in 318 00:19:00.880 --> 00:19:04.720 Mississippi are smart, so don't be so don't so don't 319 00:19:04.799 --> 00:19:08.200 use being a Mississippian as an excuse to talk like 320 00:19:08.240 --> 00:19:13.559 a dumbass. And bipedal is pronounced by pedal, not by pedal. 321 00:19:14.359 --> 00:19:19.480 Ge damn it, get a brain, man, I'm sorry, excuse me. 322 00:19:20.279 --> 00:19:23.279 I got this email, and I get these. I don't 323 00:19:23.279 --> 00:19:26.319 get these often, but I bet I've gotten two or 324 00:19:26.359 --> 00:19:29.839 three dozen of these through the years. Normally I just 325 00:19:29.920 --> 00:19:33.200 delete them because there's something wrong with this person. I 326 00:19:33.640 --> 00:19:37.640 don't what makes these people so angry, So I responded with, 327 00:19:39.920 --> 00:19:42.880 I'm sorry that you think so poorly of me. I'm 328 00:19:42.960 --> 00:19:46.240 just having fun. You certainly don't have to watch the videos. 329 00:19:47.440 --> 00:19:51.000 I actually corrected some of her spelling in a first response, 330 00:19:51.039 --> 00:19:55.200 because she spelled a couple of words incorrectly, which you know, 331 00:19:55.319 --> 00:19:58.880 I thought would be a fine comeback. She responded with, 332 00:19:58.960 --> 00:20:04.319 something is nasty anyway. I don't know. I don't normally 333 00:20:04.359 --> 00:20:07.200 do this. I don't normally read these kind of emails, 334 00:20:07.240 --> 00:20:10.680 but I do get them, not very often, but I'll 335 00:20:10.759 --> 00:20:14.160 get a dozen a year. Let's let's say it that way. 336 00:20:14.279 --> 00:20:17.000 I'll get a dozen of those a year. But I 337 00:20:17.039 --> 00:20:19.960 am just having fun. I know I don't have good 338 00:20:19.960 --> 00:20:23.839 command of the English language, and I have trouble pronouncing 339 00:20:24.000 --> 00:20:28.680 some things because I'm just not used to pronouncing some things. 340 00:20:28.720 --> 00:20:31.960 And bipedal is by pedal. I don't give a crap 341 00:20:32.039 --> 00:20:35.880 what this lady says. Anybody you run into that says 342 00:20:35.920 --> 00:20:39.079 that word will generally, ninety nine percent of the time 343 00:20:39.160 --> 00:20:42.440 say by pedal. But if you like to say bipedal, 344 00:20:42.720 --> 00:20:45.920 you say by pedal, everybody will know what you mean. 345 00:20:46.279 --> 00:20:48.799 You know, she said, get a brain, man, I don't, 346 00:20:49.039 --> 00:20:52.640 you don't. I don't know why these people are so angry. 347 00:20:52.960 --> 00:20:55.359 I'm just having fun. I love these stories, and I 348 00:20:55.400 --> 00:20:58.039 want you all to enjoy them. All right, I'm gonna 349 00:20:58.119 --> 00:21:00.759 quit talking about that. I want to thank you for 350 00:21:00.839 --> 00:21:04.880 listening to cuz Strickland's that chapter out of his book. 351 00:21:04.960 --> 00:21:07.759 I want you to look up a fist full of Dirt, 352 00:21:07.839 --> 00:21:09.920 and I want you to listen to their podcast. It 353 00:21:10.039 --> 00:21:14.920 is a relaxing, good podcast. Couzin and Lauren are such 354 00:21:15.039 --> 00:21:18.000 good storytellers, and I think you'd love it and all 355 00:21:18.079 --> 00:21:21.039 the stories in this book that he wrote. I'm sure 356 00:21:21.160 --> 00:21:24.839 if you go back through their podcast for years, you'll 357 00:21:24.839 --> 00:21:27.559 hear these stories all over again, or you can buy 358 00:21:27.559 --> 00:21:30.440 the book. All right, enough of that, appreciate y'all clicking 359 00:21:30.480 --> 00:21:33.200 on the video. I've got five or six stories in 360 00:21:33.240 --> 00:21:35.799 this one. That's gonna be a long podcast, and I 361 00:21:35.799 --> 00:21:38.519 hope you all enjoy it. All Right, here we go. 362 00:21:46.720 --> 00:21:50.519 This could be a bigfoot creature. I'm not sure, but 363 00:21:50.599 --> 00:21:55.079 this is a great story. The writer says, Hello, Cam, 364 00:21:55.559 --> 00:21:58.240 this story may interest you because I know how much 365 00:21:58.279 --> 00:22:01.640 you love dogs. I've never seen a dog behave in 366 00:22:01.680 --> 00:22:06.039 this manner before or since this incident. It happened in 367 00:22:06.079 --> 00:22:09.160 the autumn of nineteen seventy one in East Texas and 368 00:22:09.200 --> 00:22:13.000 the river bottom land of the Trinity River. My family 369 00:22:13.079 --> 00:22:16.640 owns a ranch that raises cattle, but we used dogs 370 00:22:16.680 --> 00:22:19.960 to help us round up and pen the herds. We 371 00:22:20.039 --> 00:22:22.960 had at least three to six dogs specifically used for 372 00:22:23.039 --> 00:22:26.240 that purpose, and one or two dogs for security on 373 00:22:26.279 --> 00:22:29.799 the homestead, and throughout the years we've had the occasional 374 00:22:29.880 --> 00:22:33.000 hunting dog too, And as you can guess, our family 375 00:22:33.039 --> 00:22:37.640 well understands the behaviors and mannerisms of man's best friend. 376 00:22:38.839 --> 00:22:41.640 My father was good friends with a man named mister Jim, 377 00:22:41.759 --> 00:22:44.680 who has since passed away, and he was a gruff 378 00:22:44.799 --> 00:22:48.720 wiry man who loved to raccoon hunt. He was getting 379 00:22:48.799 --> 00:22:51.440 older and he needed someone to accompany him on the 380 00:22:51.519 --> 00:22:55.519 hunts for safety reasons. This wasn't a blood sport, but 381 00:22:55.599 --> 00:22:59.119 a side income and a love of hunting. He sold 382 00:22:59.119 --> 00:23:02.440 the pelps to one and the meat to local families. 383 00:23:03.680 --> 00:23:06.440 On many occasions, my dad took me and my sister 384 00:23:06.599 --> 00:23:09.160 with them on the outings. It was our job to 385 00:23:09.240 --> 00:23:11.720 kill the raccoons with a shot to the head so 386 00:23:11.799 --> 00:23:15.359 as not to destroy the pelt. Once the dogs treed 387 00:23:15.400 --> 00:23:18.880 the raccoons, their eyes shine from the flashlight would give 388 00:23:18.920 --> 00:23:22.519 away their location in a tree. The kill was done 389 00:23:22.559 --> 00:23:25.119 with a twenty two rifle with open sights and my 390 00:23:25.200 --> 00:23:28.960 dad holding a flashlight behind us, illuminating the gun barrel 391 00:23:29.039 --> 00:23:31.640 in the eyes of the raccoon. At the same time, 392 00:23:32.480 --> 00:23:35.039 us girls were competitive and we would try to get 393 00:23:35.039 --> 00:23:38.400 the kill shot in one attempt. We were pretty good 394 00:23:38.440 --> 00:23:41.160 at it, being only eleven and nine years old at 395 00:23:41.160 --> 00:23:46.519 that time. That night, mister Jim had brought his best dog, Bonnie, 396 00:23:46.559 --> 00:23:48.960 instead of the usual two or three that he would 397 00:23:49.000 --> 00:23:52.920 bring when we hunted. Bonnie had the traditional white, brown 398 00:23:53.039 --> 00:23:56.240 and black markings of a treeing walker hound, which is 399 00:23:56.279 --> 00:24:00.000 also known as a coon hound. We met mister Jim 400 00:24:00.039 --> 00:24:02.279 I'm at the entrance of the private property, and we 401 00:24:02.400 --> 00:24:05.200