VARMINT
HUNTER LA GRAND
“LOOKOUT
SAM THAT’S A COTTON MOUTH” SHOUTED RAY. SAM WAS RAY’S DOG
AND HE HAD A SNAKE CUT OFF FROM THE WATER OF RAY’S POND. AS
HE RAN BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN THE SNAKE AND THE EDGE OF THE
WATER THE SNAKE HAD COILED UP AND WAS STRIKING AT THE DOG.
AS SAM
BACKED OFF FROM THE SNAKE RAY RAISED HIS REMINGTON MODEL 870
12 GAGE SHOTGUN AND BLASTED THE SNAKE WITH A LOAD OF #2
STEEL SHOT. THE SHOT KNOCKED THE SNAKE BACK SEVERAL FEET
AND SAM RAN IN AND GRABBED THE SNAKE AND GAVE IT A VICIOUS
SHAKE.
RAY IS MY
NEPHEW THAT LIVES ON A RANCH IN EAST TEXAS NEAR THE
COMMUNITY OF EAST MOUNTAIN. SAM IS A DOG THAT SOMEONE
DUMPED OUT ON THE ROAD NEXT TO RAY’S RANCH WHEN HE WAS A
PUPPY. HE IS A BLACK LAB MIXED WITH SOMETHING ELSE.
FRANCES,
RAY’S WIFE TRIED TO GIVE HIM AWAY BUT NO ONE WANTED HIM
BECAUSE HIS HEAD AND FEET WERE TO BIG FOR HIS BODY SO THEY
WERE STUCK WITH HIM. THEY TOOK HIM TO THE VET TO BE CHECKED
OUT AND THE VET TOLD THEM HE WAS TEN MAYBE TWELVE WEEKS OLD
AND WOULD LOOK BETTER AFTER HE GOT OLDER.
AS TIME
WENT BY AND THEY FED HIM HE BEGAN TO GROW AND WAS A VERY
HAPPY DOG. HE WOULD RUN HAPPY LAPS (RUN IN CIRCLES) BUT HE
HAD A PROBLEM. HIS REAR END OUT RAN HIS FRONT END. THEY
THOUGHT HE WAS THE HAPPIEST DOG THEY HAD EVER SEEN.
WHEN SAM
WAS A FEW MONTHS OLD HE HAD A GAME HE LIKED TO PLAY. HE
WOULD SNEAK OP BEHIND YOU AND LIGHTLY NIP YOU ON THE BUTT TO
GET YOU TO CHASE HIM. THIS EARNED HIM A NICKNAME FROM
PEYTON, RAYS GRANDSON. PEYTON CALLED HIM THE “BUTT BITIN’
DOG.”
AS SAM
GREW HE BECAME VERY PROTECTIVE OF EVERYTHING ON THE RANCH.
AT NIGHT HE WOULD TAKE UP HIS GUARD SPOT ON THE PORCH AND
WATCH AND LISTEN FOR ANY VARMINTS. BE THEY HUMAN OR ANIMAL.
ONE NIGHT
HE HEARD THE CHICKENS SQUAWKING AND RAISING CAIN, HE RAN
DOWN TO THE HEN HOUSE AND THERE WAS A POSSUM TRYING TO CATCH
A CHICKEN FOR HIS SUPPER. SAM STARTED BARKING AND SET UP
SUCH A RACKET THAT THE POSSUM RAN OUT OF THE HEN HOUSE AND
UP A NEAR BY TREE.
THIS TOOK
PLACE ABOUT TWO O’CLOCK IN THE MORNING AND RAY AND FRANCES
WERE IN BED SOUND ASLEEP. FINALLY SAM’S BARKING WOKE RAY UP
AND RAY SLIPPED HIS PANTS AND HOUSE SHOES ON, WENT INTO THE
KITCHEN AND GOT HIS FLASHLIGHT AND SHOTGUN.
WHEN HE
STEPPED OUT ON THE PORCH HE COULD HEAR SAM DOWN BY THE
CHICKEN HOUSE SO HE WENT TO SEE WHAT KIND OF VARMINT SAM HAD
THIS TIME. AS HE ROUNDED THE CHICKEN HOUSE HE SAW SAM
LOOKING UP INTO A TREE AND BARKING.
RAY
SHINED THE LIGHT UP INTO THE TREE AND SAW THE POSSUM. SO
THAT’S WHAT’S BEEN BOTHERING OUR CHICKENS RAY THOUGHT. HE
SHOULDERED HIS REMINGTON AND SENT THE POSSUM TO POSSUM
HEAVEN.
AS IT
FELL TO THE GROUND SAM GRABBED IT AND GAVE IT A VIOLENT
SHAKE THEN DROPPED IT AND TROTTED BACK TO RAY AND SAT DOWN.
HE LOOKED UP AT RAY AS IF TO SAY WE DID IT AGAIN PARTNER.
RAY REACHED DOWN AND GAVE SAM A PAT ON THE HEAD AND TOLD HIM
“GOOD DOG.”
THE NEXT
MORNING AS RAY WAS TELLING FRANCES ABOUT THE POSSUM THEY
HEARD SAM BARKING DOWN BY THE POND. RAY WONDERED WHAT HE
HAD FOUND THIS TIME. RAY TOOK HIS SHOTGUN AND WENT TO SEE.
RAY
WALKED UP ON THE DAM OF THE POND AND SAW SAM ON THE OTHER
SIDE. HE HAD SOMETHING ON THE GROUND AND WAS BARKING FOR
RAY TO COME SHOOT IT. AS RAY APPROACHED HE COULD SEE THAT
IT WAS A MOLE AND SAM HAD ALL READY KILLED IT.
“COME ON
SAM IT’S DEAD, YOU ALREADY KILLED IT. LET’S GO BACK TO THE
HOUSE.”
BUT SAM
WOULD NOT GIVE IN AND COME TO THE HOUSE UNTIL RAY SHOT THE
CRITTER, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS DEAD.
NOW A
MOLE SHOT WITH A LOAD OF #2 STEEL SHOT OUT OF A 12 GAGE
SHOTGUN DOESN’T LEAVE MUCH FORENSIC EVIDENCE BUT THAT
SATISFIED SAM AND HE WAS READY TO GO BACK TO THE HOUSE.
THEN
THERE WAS THE TIME SAM HAD A RUN IN WITH AN ARMADILLO … BUT
NO THAT’S A WHOLE NOTHER STORY FOR A DIFFERENT TIME.