Our End Of The Line

by Ron Foster

  “Those are probably the most well known wild edible mushrooms I know of. We have pretty good luck finding them around here and it’s the peak season for collecting them. Chanterelles generally occur from late spring through late summer or early fall here in the south. They love moisture, shade and lots of organic matter. Drenching rain followed by a couple of days of stifling heat is the natural sauna necessary to spawn a good bloom of them. I will teach you how to identify them for sure later.” Walt said feeling blessed that she had left such a big bounty of them for his dinner today.

  “Can I add some to rice stuffing?” Yoshi inquired.

  “Sure! I am really looking forward to that dish you are making. Hey, I have some pecans also if you want to add some of them to the stuffing, I think they will go good and make our feast extra special.” Walt said not sure if Yoshi was familiar at all with the add some pecans to it mentality of the Deep South to make everything extra special because we had them growing down here aplenty and others didn’t. Well, we southerners weren’t gloating or bragging about our Dixie land nut treasure as much as appreciating it! We are very grateful that every generation growing up around here had put some time, labor and future planning in the tradition of pecan trees and groves for hundreds of years so that generations of grandkids could gather them up for us as happy toddlers with a job to do in backyards and farm fields.

  The tradition of watching kids gathering pecans as doting grandparents or the next generation of parents was the thought for planting new seedlings and the fact that they were a money crop worldwide which we were privileged to have an abundance of could put a few much needed extra dollars in the pockets of our descendants . One prepper fiction author was once quoted as calling this labor of love as the “Work of the Dead” in a book when reminiscing he was still eating pecans off a 100-year-old tree generations before him had planted.

  “That be good addition, Walt! I use walnuts before so pecan work good too, I think.” Yoshi said and then asked him to tell him more about the wild mushrooms that he was unfamiliar with.

  “Well, Yoshi, the mushrooms of this species range in color from yellow to deep orange. Golden chanterelles are easy to spot in the summer forest. They can be as large as 5 inches in diameter, buddy, but 2 inches is about closer to average. The cap is wavy and generally funnel shaped. Their false gills appear as wrinkles that are forked and wavy with blunt edges and run down the stem, the same color as the rest of the chanterelle. Chanterelles also have a distinct fruity apricot-like aroma. Now the trick is they are sometimes confused with a nasty thing called Jack O' Lantern mushrooms, which are poisonous but are not known to be lethal to my knowledge. The Jack O' Lantern look alike usually grows in clumps on wood, that’s a biggie (it’s not growing from soil like the good eating chanterelles, just remember that) and has true un-forked gills.” Walt advised.

  “Maybe you can show me out in woods where they grow best?” Yoshi asked intrigued that such a delicacy could be found just growing wild in big patches for the picking.

  “I don’t think that we have any close by on my property but I will show you a few places sometime. I might have some back here, I threw some ones that were going bad out in the woods in hopes they would start a patch and I haven’t checked lately to see if they took or not yet. We will look around when we go out to the deer stand later today, if I decide to after this big meal we are waiting on. I am doubting we are going to feel like doing much of anything but napping maybe. Hey, I have an old military canvas pistol belt that will fit you. It ain’t the same as a real holster but it will at least let you do something with that pistol besides always having to hold on to it in one hand or the other.” Walt said and went to get it for him.

  Yoshi couldn’t run with that big gun stuck in that web belt but for standing around or walking it worked and Yoshi was very pleased as he tried various ways of carrying it out.

  “I got an extra canteen that can fit on that belt also with a cup you can have when we do long walks.” Walt said assessing what he had around here to outfit his new little buddy with.

  “Thank you! Walt, you have nice place, you good man! Do you have idea where Yoshi can go to wait on bad men to leave so he can go home?” Yoshi said studying Walt for his hopeful reaction he could maybe stay here for a bit.

  “I have been thinking on that some my friend and I have got a proposal for you to consider. It won’t be easy but I need me some help around here and if you’re willing to work for your bed and board you can hang out here with me for a week or so while we put our heads together and figure something out.” Walt offered.

  “I can help, you have in mind maybe needing Japanese gardener?” Yoshi said with a smile and brief respectful traditional bow.

  “Ha! I never thought in all my borne days that I could ever afford one. Hee! Hee! Yea, that sounds like a good arrangement, maybe you can teach me a thing or two about growing things your way also and we both win. I say there is always something new to learn about gardens and gardening from everybody but there are also plenty of other things to do around here that you can help me with. Living alone like this all by myself like I do means something always seems to need doing all the time and that I just can’t seem to find any extra time to get around to getting to. You can move in the spare bedroom and I will find those extra shirts I promised you.” Walt said studying the man.

  “You honor me, my friend, I and all my revered ancestors thank you!” Yoshi said excitedly and shook Walt’s hand.

  “I have been thinking about those people with guns we encountered. I don’t think we need to worry ourselves much about them over here but then again caution is needed. I wouldn’t put it past them to move into your old hotel maybe if they decide it’s vacant and they don’t have a better place to live. I am wondering big time where they came from to begin with. I didn’t see any other vehicles on the way down there. Do you know what’s in back of that hotel besides that pond?” Walt said thinking who ever that was had just walked up to the highway recently from somewhere back in the woods.

  “I walk back there some, I hope to shoot deer but not know how to hunt. It mostly forest but have pasture I no go on. Farm maybe back there but not see house from edge of trees.” Yoshi said before relating there were lots of blackberries on the fringe of that pasture he picked for food.

  “Their leader said “check fire” that’s a military term, Yoshi, and from the little bit that I saw of them they had on kind of a mixed bag of bits and pieces of uniforms. That they didn’t continue shooting after that guy yelled out says a lot though, they were disciplined. They weren’t out looking for a confrontation and there is always some trigger-happy yahoo in every group who bears watching but in this case followed orders and quit firing. Maybe he just thought it would be an easy meal for him and his squad if I dropped it and ran, kind of like one predator scaring another off a kill.” Walt said musing and thinking some African tribes even dared to do such with Lions or Hyenas to get a meal in bad times by running as a group hollering and waving spears long enough to cut off a hunk of meat or haunch quickly and then get back to a safe area. It was all about the element of surprise and aggression to bluff just long enough to get what you wanted before the better more powerful predator launched a counter attack to get its meal back.

  “Well he no get our duck! You brave man, Walt, very foolish crazy man but still brave.” Yoshi said smiling and still thinking Walt should have cared more about getting away instead of holding on to and retaining possession of that fat duck that evidently people with more and bigger better guns wanted.

  “I left my danged fishing trotline, my tackle box and my bait there. No telling how long they were out in the scrub watching me but I imagine they will be eating fish for supper if they thought about finishing setting my lines out. I doubt I ever see that line or fishing gear again and it was the only fishing stuff I had.” Walt said irked about that.

  “I sorry for your loss, Walt, very sorry, but me no want to go back to maybe try to get it b
ack. Not worth it! No want to get shot crazy man, Walt!” Yoshi said cautiously.

  “Oh hell no! Don’t worry yourself about that foolish notion, Yoshi, they can have it. I am not liking the idea of going back to that place ever again and if we do ever go back I am going to sit out in the woods and watch it with binoculars for half a day before walking back up on it!” Walt said cursing his loss and the strangers but not considering doing anything so dangerous as showing his face around there any time soon.

  “See you are smart man after all, Walt. Still if they have that fishing gear of yours and what fish left in that pond maybe they not go anywhere long time. They stay there hotel until fish run out. I bring my fish rod with me and have extra hooks in tackle box we build you another but not know where else we fish at do you?” Yoshi asked.

  “Nowhere I would call safe at the moment. I know where some farm fish ponds are at but I don’t care to get around them, either. There are some creek access areas off the highway but I haven’t been brave enough to try them yet. I regret to say that form of survival food is not available to us at the moment.” Walt said.

  “Well, I like fish but I very tired of fish now. What bobcat taste like, Walt?” Yoshi asked curious in case he got lucky and trapped or shot one.

  “I have no idea but hopefully we will get a chance to find out soon!” Walt said grinning.

  “Got to taste better than fish! When duck be done cooking, Walt?” Yoshi asked after returning his grin and having a hard time hiding just how hungry or anxious he was to even eat it partly cooked at the moment.

  “Somewhere around 6 or so I will check it to see if it is done. Glad it’s summer time and doesn’t get dark until 8:30, we sort of got a late start on putting that sun oven out today.” Walt said contemplating solar slow cook time but it was hard to say right off the inside temperature of that oven being up on that hot tin roof, maybe he would check on it earlier, he told Yoshi.

  “I so ready for that. What we do now, Walt, while we waiting on duck cook.” Yoshi asked.

  “Sit here and cool off for a bit. It’s a scorcher out there today. Since we are going to be roommates for a while I will tell you the rules of prepper shack. First off, whoever cooks doesn’t have to do dishes. We got indoor plumbing but we have to haul water for it so try using the outdoors instead whenever you can and pee by the outside of the garden. That’s just habit I used to do to help keep the deer away. Oh yea, that strip on the trail next to the garden going to the woods that looks like it was tilled up once, that needs watering. Pee has nitrogen in it and it won’t be long until we will be needing to plant a fall crop of butternut squash. That 20 x 3 ft or so ought to give us at least a hundred squash or so if we can keep it watered even with the soil being so poor. Those things will store for almost a year if we can keep a piece of the top stem on them. Once that top stem comes off they start to go bad. There are a few other rules I just can’t think of offhand that I will need to tell you as we go along. Uh, don’t ever touch my guns or my everyday carry knives without asking first. Other than that, I will tell you as we go. I am pretty easy about most things and I think we will get along fine.” Walt said resting momentarily still sweating profusely from the 90 plus degree heat.

  “Ok, I be good guest. Walt show Yoshi rifle?” Yoshi said looking at the Henry carbine admiringly that Walt had laid on the table.

  Henry Repeating Arms 22 Carbine.

  “Sure but it’s loaded at the moment as you know, so keep it pointing away from me at all times. Matter of fact, you keep any gun loaded or not pointing away from me at all times including that hand cannon of yours that gets waved around from time to time without you realizing it. I am glad you got a belt to stick that thing in now. Here, check it out, I love this rifle!” Walt said handing it to him for his inspection.

  “It beautiful! Good looking strong wood!” Yoshi said gently rubbing its fine grained American Walnut stock before saying “So lightweight but rifle feel so strong!” Yoshi said before aiming it towards the window to inspect the sights.

  “Yea it only weighs four and a half pounds. I tote it around with me all day every day and I hardly notice its weight at all. Generally speaking if you see me, then you will see that gun somewhere next to me unless I needed to carry my shotgun for some reason. I will show you that one later. Let me unload that booger and I will let you work the action, you’re going to be surprised. It’s as smooth as butter! Henry Arms really knows how to machine a fine weapon.” Walt said and proceeded to remove the brass follower tube after putting the weapon on safe halfcocked, dump the shells out, cycle the action a few times removing the other rounds and handing it back to Yoshi as he went to pick up the ejected bullets.

  .

  Walt explained he had “Dude’d” up the lever for show and function with a special piece of precut leather from the same company that his sling and scabbard had come from called Brass Stacker.

  Yoshi worked the action after getting Walt’s go ahead and marveled at the smooth precision machined feel. “Lever action, I remember, Walt.” Yoshi said and then admired the fine leather no drill rifle sling and cartridge slide.

  “I will tell you something not a lot of people know. It was Mr. Henry who conceived the first practical, lever action repeating rifle. It was patented way back in 1860 and it was a game changer, let me tell you. You see that original Henry rifle gave a single man the firepower of a dozen marksmen armed with muzzle-loading muskets.” Walt said.

  “Cowboy machine gun?” Yoshi said slyly knowing the comment was going to get a rise out of Walt and good naturedly grinning at him.

  “Well yea, cowboys used them also but they got famous in the Civil war. The danged Union Army first got them first in 1862 and a Yankee Major named William Ludlow gave an account of the Battle of Allatoona Pass and was quoted as saying “What saved us that day was the fact that we had a number of Henry rifles.” wrote Major Ludlow. “This company of 16 shooters sprang to the parapet and poured out such a multiplied, rapid and deadly fire, that no man could stand in front of it and no serious effort was made thereafter to take the fort by assault.” The southerners who ran up on the Illinois Seventh infantry had a Confederate officer who is credited with the phrase, “It’s a rifle that you could load on Sunday and shoot all week long.” I tell you what, if the Rebels down here in the south could have gotten their hands on those repeaters first, the course of history might have been changed a lot. That rifle played a huge role in the frontier old west also.” Walt said speaking with pride about the history of the name that meant still quality made in America.

  7th Illinois Volunteer Infantry

  “To me it’s the perfect small game trail rifle, it’s rugged and light.” Walt said retrieving the rifle from Yoshi and started reloading it with CCI Mini Mag long rifle cartridges for house protection and possible bobcat dispatching duty later today or tomorrow before hanging it back in its place of honor on his wall next to the front window.

  “I was going to ask you if you were going to load bigger better bullets.” Yoshi asked still not trusting those shorter .22 shells.

  “Shorts would be adequate at short ranges but I definitely prefer to have a little more ummph, particularly when dealing with dangerous critters.” Walt said.

  “I thought .22 only squirrel rabbit gun, but me learning have many new uses.” Yoshi said acknowledging that if Walt in his gun wisdom thought it was enough gun for the job at hand so did he.

  “Well its all about shot placement, I just need to be more careful with my aim and concentrate on head shots but here is a quote from someone who knows better than me. “The Gun Digest Book of The .22 Rimfire. By John Lachuk" says here..."Bobcats in my opinion sort of represent the upper limits of .22 long rifle capabilities. The .22lr should only be used at relatively close range, out to say about 50 yds. and only when shots can be placed with certainty in the heart or head." Walt said showing him a page he had already marked because he had previously argued the same point with Thomas.

  �
��Are bobcats hard to hunt?” Yoshi asked.

  “Yes they are, Yoshi, Bobcats are indeed very difficult animals to hunt because they are among the most reclusive, elusive, and wariest danged animals on the North American continent. But I would hazard to say they are relatively easy to kill because they are comparatively small animals. They are only about twice the size of a regular house cat or big feral cat, with weights ranging from anywhere from 9 to 30-plus pounds. A 30-pound male is a really big bobcat; the average adult weighs in at about 20 to 25 pounds. You don’t need a lot of gun or a magnum load to kill a bobcat.” Walt said.

  “You think that bobcat come straight to your bait to eat and you get a shot at it? That don’t sound so difficult to do.” Yoshi said thinking shooting it while it was eating might be easy for a good shot like Walt.

  “Oh it’s much more difficult than that, Yoshi! Those suckers are sneaky! When approaching that bait station it will most likely make a very cautious, circular, silent approach all the while maintaining cover with its body staying close to the ground. Now look here, if they smell you, they’re gone. If they see you, they’re gone. If they decide that it just doesn’t “feel right” to them, they’re gone. They’re small and they know how to make themselves even smaller when on the stalk and they can get really close in without you even seeing them. You’ll never even know that they were near you often times and they can melt into the woods in an instant. So you need to pretty much always hunt them from ambush.” Walt said.

  “How you going to ambush bobcat? You just use deer stand and try shoot it from above?” Yoshi asked.

  “Yes, that is how I am going to do it. The best kind of ambush position for them is from above in a tree or a ladder stand that’s been in position for a while and isn’t perceived as “new” to your quarry’s eyes or nose. That stand has been there many years. Like most ground-based predators (including people), bobcats do not tend to look up; they stay close to the ground, under cover, looking for things at their level. An elevated position offers your best chance of looking down into that cover they are trying to hide in (but you are scanning your area 360 degrees, right?) and trying to see sign of the cat’s movement at a farther distance away. Being elevated will also help you to ensure that your scent doesn’t spread out at ground level and linger (it goes without saying that you are going to make sure you are hunting as scent-free as you can). Come into your stand location like a ghost. Try not to spook the squirrels (I don’t have any left down there to worry about); don’t send the birds squawking away. The cat will know a stranger is in the woods.” Walt said explaining his strategy and then telling Yoshi he had thought more on it and that he was going to be staying at home while he was out.