Contents
- 1
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- 4 After my armed service assistance ended in 1972, I made a temporary stop by dwelling, then moved back to Southern California as I experienced savored my time out there quite a lot. I stayed out there for a few much more yrs, moving back to Wisconsin only immediately after a weak work current market with handful of prospective buyers left me very little decision. It was a complicated final decision at the time.
- 5
- 6 Although earlier out by the desert in Riverside, California, I now lived on the reverse finish of Bigger Los Angeles, settling in the San Fernando Valley. (North Hollywood to be specific) I lived near pals and relations who resided in that place, and I also experienced good friends in the Very long Beach front and Anaheim space, so I put in time in all a few spots throughout my time in California.
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- 8 In the valley I expended a good deal of time with my very good friend Monthly bill and his younger family. Monthly bill and I the two liked looking, and on numerous weekends we went up into the mountains near Tujunga Canyon wanting for deer or Black-tailed jackrabbits. The black tails were substantially even larger than the cottontails I had hunted in Wisconsin, but were about the similar dimensions as the jackrabbits I chased right after through my time in North Dakota and these were some difficult bunnies!
- 9 I had a single shot 22 caliber rifle, and even working with the extensive rifle round, it was tough to provide a jackrabbit down with a single shot. Monthly bill and the other fellas that went together had 22 magnums and even bigger caliber weapons for the bunnies. Every time one of the other hunters did not go, I would plan to borrow his gun for the weekend.
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- 11 A single of the guys we hunted with was an aged mate of Expenditures named “Smith”. I under no circumstances read him referred to in any way other than “Smith”. Not Smitty, or Bob, or John or whatever…just “Smith”. I’m not even positive if any person realized Smith’s 1st title. And Smith was rather an eccentric character. He lived proper up in the canyon wherever we hunted, sharing an previous trapper’s cabin with a mongrel pet dog and a lady named “Kiiya”. (Pronounced Kia, like the automaker)
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- 13 Kiiya, a Native American, was not a specifically welcoming individual, as a make a difference of fact she was most generally sullen and reticent. All through the shorter time we invested at their shack, she seemed to spend most of her time tending her chickens,…and that was great with us.
- 14 Simply because of Smith’s locale in the canyon, we’d generally start and conclude our times at his spot. We’d select him up early in the early morning and be at our looking floor inside of a 50 percent hour or significantly less. Kiiya would see us off with a imply glare, which we returned, (when she was not searching) and we often gave Smith the company about her disposition. He under no circumstances apologized or created excuses for her and took our jibing in excellent humor.
- 15
- 16 He’d typically say, half-jokingly:
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- 18 “If you locate me carved up at the base of the ravine, do not believe the suicide note”.
- 19
- 20 And we wouldn’t have been amazed experienced he met that destiny.
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- 22
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- 24 The Hunt
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- 27 Now Jackrabbit hunting may well audio straightforward, but in these dry, steep hills, entire of toxic yucca vegetation, cactus, rattle snakes and scorpions it was essentially pretty challenging. We’d pack in quite a few gallons of drinking water and would in no way have a fall still left at the finish of the day. At the time there was no restrict on jackrabbits out there, and I generally felt superior if I got more than two if I acquired 3 or four…that was a great day for me. Invoice would generally get four or 5 and some of the other individuals would as well…except Smith. Smith hunted with an aged 12-gauge shotgun and was the worst shot I ever observed. We ragged on him mercilessly about his taking pictures prowess, but as with our ragging about Kiiya, he just laughed it off. Or he’d say:
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- 29 “If I was a very good shot, I’d have to try to eat these damn matters each individual day. I’ll take rooster any day of the week”.
- 30
- 31 And he was correct for the reason that no make any difference how extensive you brined all those damn jacks, they ended up however tougher than an aged tramp’s shoe. Bill’s mom-in-legislation was Italian, and she simmered them for several hours in tomato sauce, just after which they had been tolerable…even halfway respectable.
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- 33 Following a very long day of looking, we’d typically drop Smith off and be on our way, ahead of the ill-tempered Kiiya could make her visual appearance. Just one working day, even so, Smith insisted that we continue to be for a cookout and beverages, and we reluctantly agreed. We normally still left most of the jack rabbits with Smith, given that we didn’t treatment for them far too significantly ourselves, and it was apparent from their living ailments that they could in all probability use them if nothing at all else, just to feed the doggy.
- 34
- 35 That evening at Smith’s we appreciated some good barbecued rooster, and essentially had a fairly enjoyable evening. Kiiya puttered about with her chickens and stayed away for the most aspect, which was wonderful by us. As we sat ingesting beer, watching the sunlight placing at the rear of the past mountain vary, we rehashed the day’s hunt, and talked about when we hoped to make it back again.
- 36
- 37 Kiiya had completed her putterings and now sat, listening to the dialogue, glum faced as at any time. A person of the other fellas discovered a shorter significant chain, wrapped all-around a log with an previous frayed collar on just one stop.
- 38
- 39 “What’s the chain for?”
- 40 Smith explained that their mongrel dog from time to time experienced bowel complications and they would chain him to the log until eventually the disagreeable episode passed.
- 41
- 42 Jokingly, Invoice commented:
- 43
- 44 “Well, if we at any time see Smith chained to that log, we’ll know why.”
- 45
- 46 That got all people to laughing, other than for Kiiya, who with out missing a beat replied in her regular surly tone:
- 47
- 48 “It’ll healthy equally.”
- 49
- 50 Immediately after I remaining California for fantastic, I stayed in touch with Bill and a number of of the other men, but have no concept what turned of Smith, the dog or his unwell-tempered lady. Nor did I request.
- 51
- 52
- 53
- 54
After my armed service assistance ended in 1972, I made a temporary stop by dwelling, then moved back to Southern California as I experienced savored my time out there quite a lot. I stayed out there for a few much more yrs, moving back to Wisconsin only immediately after a weak work current market with handful of prospective buyers left me very little decision. It was a complicated final decision at the time.
Although earlier out by the desert in Riverside, California, I now lived on the reverse finish of Bigger Los Angeles, settling in the San Fernando Valley. (North Hollywood to be specific) I lived near pals and relations who resided in that place, and I also experienced good friends in the Very long Beach front and Anaheim space, so I put in time in all a few spots throughout my time in California.
In the valley I expended a good deal of time with my very good friend Monthly bill and his younger family. Monthly bill and I the two liked looking, and on numerous weekends we went up into the mountains near Tujunga Canyon wanting for deer or Black-tailed jackrabbits. The black tails were substantially even larger than the cottontails I had hunted in Wisconsin, but were about the similar dimensions as the jackrabbits I chased right after through my time in North Dakota and these were some difficult bunnies!
I had a single shot 22 caliber rifle, and even working with the extensive rifle round, it was tough to provide a jackrabbit down with a single shot. Monthly bill and the other fellas that went together had 22 magnums and even bigger caliber weapons for the bunnies. Every time one of the other hunters did not go, I would plan to borrow his gun for the weekend.
A single of the guys we hunted with was an aged mate of Expenditures named “Smith”. I under no circumstances read him referred to in any way other than “Smith”. Not Smitty, or Bob, or John or whatever…just “Smith”. I’m not even positive if any person realized Smith’s 1st title. And Smith was rather an eccentric character. He lived proper up in the canyon wherever we hunted, sharing an previous trapper’s cabin with a mongrel pet dog and a lady named “Kiiya”. (Pronounced Kia, like the automaker)
Kiiya, a Native American, was not a specifically welcoming individual, as a make a difference of fact she was most generally sullen and reticent. All through the shorter time we invested at their shack, she seemed to spend most of her time tending her chickens,…and that was great with us.
Simply because of Smith’s locale in the canyon, we’d generally start and conclude our times at his spot. We’d select him up early in the early morning and be at our looking floor inside of a 50 percent hour or significantly less. Kiiya would see us off with a imply glare, which we returned, (when she was not searching) and we often gave Smith the company about her disposition. He under no circumstances apologized or created excuses for her and took our jibing in excellent humor.
He’d typically say, half-jokingly:
“If you locate me carved up at the base of the ravine, do not believe the suicide note”.
And we wouldn’t have been amazed experienced he met that destiny.
The Hunt
Now Jackrabbit hunting may well audio straightforward, but in these dry, steep hills, entire of toxic yucca vegetation, cactus, rattle snakes and scorpions it was essentially pretty challenging. We’d pack in quite a few gallons of drinking water and would in no way have a fall still left at the finish of the day. At the time there was no restrict on jackrabbits out there, and I generally felt superior if I got more than two if I acquired 3 or four…that was a great day for me. Invoice would generally get four or 5 and some of the other individuals would as well…except Smith. Smith hunted with an aged 12-gauge shotgun and was the worst shot I ever observed. We ragged on him mercilessly about his taking pictures prowess, but as with our ragging about Kiiya, he just laughed it off. Or he’d say:
“If I was a very good shot, I’d have to try to eat these damn matters each individual day. I’ll take rooster any day of the week”.
And he was correct for the reason that no make any difference how extensive you brined all those damn jacks, they ended up however tougher than an aged tramp’s shoe. Bill’s mom-in-legislation was Italian, and she simmered them for several hours in tomato sauce, just after which they had been tolerable…even halfway respectable.
Following a very long day of looking, we’d typically drop Smith off and be on our way, ahead of the ill-tempered Kiiya could make her visual appearance. Just one working day, even so, Smith insisted that we continue to be for a cookout and beverages, and we reluctantly agreed. We normally still left most of the jack rabbits with Smith, given that we didn’t treatment for them far too significantly ourselves, and it was apparent from their living ailments that they could in all probability use them if nothing at all else, just to feed the doggy.
That evening at Smith’s we appreciated some good barbecued rooster, and essentially had a fairly enjoyable evening. Kiiya puttered about with her chickens and stayed away for the most aspect, which was wonderful by us. As we sat ingesting beer, watching the sunlight placing at the rear of the past mountain vary, we rehashed the day’s hunt, and talked about when we hoped to make it back again.
Kiiya had completed her putterings and now sat, listening to the dialogue, glum faced as at any time. A person of the other fellas discovered a shorter significant chain, wrapped all-around a log with an previous frayed collar on just one stop.
“What’s the chain for?”
Smith explained that their mongrel dog from time to time experienced bowel complications and they would chain him to the log until eventually the disagreeable episode passed.
Jokingly, Invoice commented:
“Well, if we at any time see Smith chained to that log, we’ll know why.”
That got all people to laughing, other than for Kiiya, who with out missing a beat replied in her regular surly tone:
“It’ll healthy equally.”
Immediately after I remaining California for fantastic, I stayed in touch with Bill and a number of of the other men, but have no concept what turned of Smith, the dog or his unwell-tempered lady. Nor did I request.
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