Hunting with Annie

Yeah, you guessed right, I am a hunter. In North Florida I hunt deer and wild hog. I would hunt squirrel but the wife says it looks like a rat and she won’t eat it even if it does taste like chicken. Says she’d just soon deal with feathers. I usually hunt alone but every so often I take my dog, Annie. Annie’s a cute little girl, just happens to be a poodle. Now for all of you who think “A poodle? That’s a foo-foo dog!” I am here to dispel the notion that they can’t hunt. Ya see, poodles were used for hunting years ago. Their thick hair and agility made them great hunters. They’d hunt bear! OK, the big ones hunted bear. People bred the poodles down to the little things they are now and tried to spoil the tough spirit out of them. They are tough little dogs and like most dogs, can be trained. In the case of Annie, she’s a natural hunter.

Years ago, I had red-nose pit bull dogs for hunting. Caught a few wild hogs with them. They were my pets, too. Great dogs but needed watching. When I was away fishing (I’m a commercial fisherman, too), the dogs got out and killed the neighbors chickens. Not very neighborly. My wife told me to find someone to take in the dogs since they needed someone to hunt with….something I couldn’t do if I was away fishing. Made sense. A couple of months later, the wife saw a sign “POODLES for Sale” and had to have one. She wanted a little dog to drive around with and picked out a little blond girl. Named her Annie.

Annie must have been an old girlfriend in another life because she took to me right away. Just loved on me so I thought I would teach her to hunt. She stalks squirrels, watching them in the trees for hours, barely taking a breath. She’s fast enough to catch them in mid air, too. We have a few squirrels around with short tails to prove it.

Every so often I take her with me when I hunt. She’s quiet as can be and growls softly when she sees something. Couldn’t ask for a better hunting partner. She doesn’t talk or move much and with her blond hair she blends into the grass. Good dog. Good at tracking and keeping up. Couldn’t ask for more. Today we saw the prettiest site, a doe and twin fawns. The fawns had spots, looked like they were just a couple of days old. A beautiful site. Annie and I just watched them. I don’t hunt poach does, and I never hunt spots. I’m not that hungry.

Going to my tree stand in the morning. Major feed is about 10:30 AM and I want to be settled in long before feed starts. Maybe I’ll get to see the momma and her babies. Hunting isn’t just about killing and filling the freezer. It’s about  nature, going into the animals’  homes, and being a part of the entire process. To get the chance to live off the land is a gift I appreciate.

Well that’s about it for now. Wish me a safe hunt. Bye, y’all.