Creekbank Stories Curt Iles, Storyteller
We’ll be sharing new stories over the next six days. I’ve been storing up some good ones.
Stay tuned at www.creekbank.net
Shooting 6-Shot
I grew up in a squirrel-hunting culture.
Crooked Bayou Swamp, as well as Dry Creek Swamp, were prime hunting spots before the Hurricanes and hunting leases.
At school, we always compared notes after the first Saturday in October.
There was always a lot of lying and exaggeration about the weekend squirrel count.
There was always a running commentary on two things:
The shotgun gauge. Nearly every adult had a 12-gauge.
I had my Grandpa Lloyd Iles’s 16-gauge. It was often difficult to find shells.
My first shotgun was a hard-kicking youth 20-gauge. I’m still a little scared of it.
Some youngsters used a smaller gauge .410.
I never had a .410. We thought they were made for wimps and excuse the pun, “Squirrely people.”
Please forgive me if I offend.
I actually started hunting by myself at about age 12. I could walk out our back door and be in deep squirrel habitat in fifty yards.
I was allowed to use another inherited gun. A single-shot bolt-action .22 rifle that only shot short shells. It was the legendary rifle my Grandpa Lloyd Iles allegedly used when he shot a cigarette out of his best friend Bruce Heard’s mouth.
Kids, don’t try this at home.
I’m not sure I ever killed a squirrel with the .22, but I had many wonderful tromps through the woods.
But a shotgun was the preferred squirrel gun.
My family always debated shot size for squirrel hunting.
After gauge preference, we debated the right shot size.
There was 4-shot. larger but fewer pellets. Few of us used 4-shot on squirrels.
My dad had this magical Long Tom 12-gauge from which many a fox squirrel met its fate.
He used the preferred shot of all squirrel hunters, 6-shot.
But he carried a couple of 4-shot shells just in case he needed to knock a fox squirrel out of a tall pine up in the stratosphere.
A few hunters used 7 and a half shot, because it was only effective at close range.
I was a 6-shot man.
I still am, even though I haven’t fired a shot in anger for a long time.
This week, I’ll be shooting 6-shot.
6 blog posts over the next six days. I’ve got several tales I’ve been piling up for you.
Grab your shotgun and meet me under the famous squirrel den beech on the east bank of Crooked Bayou.
Stay tuned.
It’ll be fun.
My Mom and Dad’s beech tree is gone due to the ravages of age and two bad girls named Rita and Laura.
Our once beautiful swamp is now obscured by fallen logs and head-high briar patches.
You can read any of our 1600-plus blog posts at www.creekbank.net
The Mission of Creekbank Stories is to share moving stories that encourage and inspire.
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There’s always more at the Creek. www.creekbank.net
The Mission of Creekbank Stories is to share moving stories that encourage and inspire.
