I was a funeral for a childhood friend today. We grew up together along with his younger brothers. I hadn't seen him in over 34 years, so came to pay my last respects. As I pulled up to the funeral home I noticed this strange hearse. Luckily I had my old camera in the car. Unluckily I suck at taking pictures with it.
The 3 wheeled motorcycle that pulles it was really sharp as was the carriage it towed. The brass lanterns and hardware and the clear glass made it look like the old horse drawn hearses.
On my drive home I spotted this and had to investigate it further.
The tree was in the ditch of an old gravel road, not another tree for 1/2 mile in any direction.
This poor young raccon must have been chased up this tree probably by coyotes, lost it's footing, and got wedged into spot in the tree where it couldn't get purchase to get out. This probably happened a couple of nights ago during the snowstorm. Or maybe just last night, the crows and hawks had not gotten to it yet.
Even though I was a hunter, or maybe because of it, I HATE to see an animal suffer. And to think of how long this poor guy suffered just makes me sick. Mother Nature can be as cruel as she is beautiful.
I have always believed in the one shot, one kill, principal and if for some reason the animal didn't expire immediatly, I was fast with the mercy shot. And I would rather let an amimal get away than to take a chance of only wounding it. And that is one of the reasons I no longer hunt. The muscle spasms in my arms and hands make accurate shooting a thing of the past. Oh, I'm still good with a snap shot and on a good day I am ALMOST as accurate as I used to be. But to me almost isn't good enough. And my last deer hunt left me with a bad enough experience to sour me from doing it again. But that's another story.
5 comments:
Ooohhh. Sad stories on both accounts. Wise of you to recognize when hunting might not be the best past time anymore.
Just wanted to say,
Happy Thanksgiving, Grey Wolf.
Hope it's filled with good food, wonderful friends and family, and many happy memories to be made :)
~Lisa
New Mexico
That was quite a find, up in that tree. I have NEVER seen anything like that. Very original. And pretty strange.
Michael
I'm sorry about your childhood friend. I bet he would've gotten quite a kick, though, about his "last ride". That the most "fun" hearse I've ever seen.
That poor racoon. I don't like thinking about his confusion and pain at the end. :-(
I have had coons sleep through the day in trees like that around my chicken coop, so they can be ready for the next night's depredations.
Most of them never woke up before they hit the ground. Had 6 of them in a tree in my front yard one night in sweet corn season, 1 of them got away.
Lisa: Oh I still get the urge to go hunting now and then and I do miss the time spent in the woods but I still have my memories and in my dreams I always get a nice big buck ;)
Staying Alive: Hello again. I have seen a few squirrels in that same predicament.
I went by that tree today and saw no evidence of the raccoon. I guess a hawk must have finally spotted it.
Danni: I am sure that he would have too. And I agree with you.
Anonymous: I hope they didn't go to waste. Corn fed coon are mighty fine eating.
I've had them in trees around my yard too, but have never had them bother my chickens. I usually just scare them off with my .22 and have had few return. Now my dog Bear usually scares them away for me.
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