Date: 27 January 2014. Hunting Nowadays.

Well I'm crushed! Yes, all my preconceptions have been blasted to smithereens and life may never be the same.  "Why?" you may ask.  Okay, let me tell you about it. Aboard Seaweed the VHF radio is my source of entertainment.  When stuck someplace (like now, while waiting for the engine swap to be completed) I scan all the channels on the VHF. [Normally just Channel 16  is keyed in when I'm actively underway.]

So of late I've been listening to the hunters as they seek out hogs (boar) and deer. From television shows like Daniel Boone and movies like those John Wayne starred in, hunting means tracking critters through the forest using stealth and cunning. Or you hide up in a tree and wait for a buck to walk down a trail you've located.

And folks who use dogs?  Well in Simple Jess (a favorite book) the hero uses dogs to hunt deer too. So I knew that hunters were brave souls who trekked through the woods on foot with a pack of dogs at their heels. Sure...

But I was confused as I kept hearing the hunters on the VHF talking about the dogs and seeing deer crossing roads and such. I was confused -- how could the hunters talk so loudly without spooking the venison? Then I finally figured it out:

Hunters turn loose a few dogs to chase the deer and when the deer crosses a road, then the boys get out of their heated trucks and cars, and follow the deer on foot. It was a big disappointment to me. I figured the hunters were tracking like the Indians did centuries ago. Progress! Bah humbug.
 

[The names do have a distinctive southern flavor to them. Because words interest me, this has been great fun.  I'm wondering though what the common names of northern hunting dogs might be. If you know, please take a moment to let me know in the Comments section below. Thank you.]

It's excellent when the older generation is able to share stories and activities of yesteryear with the younger ones coming up. Hunting in this region for certain does that well and often, at least where I've been.

Like in years past, my new engine will be very small. Therefore I'm going to enjoy going back to a boat that is adequately powered. Nowadays, it seems most boats are so over-powered as to be ridiculous. 

Seaweed is going to be very economical to run, and that will make a positive difference in my budget.  Decades ago most cruising boats had small engines that would push them through the water at hull speed. Really now, that's all that's required especially for a displacement hull such as mine.

I can't wait for my new engine!!!

Have you ever been hunting with dogs and what were their names?
In your area do hunters actually track on foot or is  that something no longer done?

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