As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday and traditional family gatherings, I am reminded of past Thanksgivings. I remember that for many years, Grandpa, along with Johnny Hodges and J Cowart, would go to Sonora to hunt deer during the Thanksgiving break. They had a deer lease on Phil Jacoby's ranch near there. If I recall correctly, they would leave on the Friday before and return on Wednesday so they could be with their families on Thanksgiving Day.
I remember Grandpa used to have deer antlers mounted on the side of the shop in his barn. There was a period of time when he even had a hide tacked up to dry. It eventually ruined because no one ever took the next steps to finish the hide either as raw hide, or tanned hide. He would hang his bridles and other small tack from the deer antlers.
Ropes were a different thing. He never hung his ropes, but kept them rolled up and stored in old metal sodium chlorate cans. The cans were water tight and the perfect size and shape to store several ropes. For those who don't know, sodium chlorate was a chemical used to kill Johnson Grass. At that time and place, it was the only chemical of which I am aware that would kill Johnson Grass. Of course, it also killed the ground and nothing would grow in the place where it had been applied for several years.
Sometimes Grandpa would bring home a turkey that he had shot while hunting deer. There were also a few Gobbler beards hanging on that shop wall. The wild turkeys were never as good to eat as the store bought ones. They tended to be tougher and occasionally would contain a piece of shot left over from the means of their demise. Grandma would cook them though. Wasting good meat was never an option.
There were times Grandpa came home empty handed from those hunts, but they were rare. He always said it was more about the trip and the time with Johnny and J. I can understand that.
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