Airguns, Hounds & Horses

Sometimes hunting means doing your best to keep up

- Levi Sim

I’m not accustomed to feeling useless. I’ve lived in three countries, I’ve had 45 professions, and I’ve run my own business for the last ten years. I can do a lot of things. But each time I go hound hunting on horseback, I feel more like deadweight than a hunter.

And I love every minute of it.

I’ve been invited to hunt with my friends Don and Riley three times so far. Our setup is usually a big pickup with a six-horse trailer on the bumper and a camper in the bed with kennels built over the wheel-wells. On this hunt, I was anxious to pull my weight so they’d invite me again. This time it was just me, Don and the beautiful sunrise.

The trouble is, I’m not a horse person, and I’m not a dog person. I’ve ridden horses a handful of times, but my first time hunting with Don & Riley, I rode five-times farther in a day than I had the rest of my life combined. I’ve seen how saddles and bridles work, but it’s just faster to let Don get my horse ready instead of showing me how.

Don also has the dog situation under control. He puts collars on the dogs which communicate with the GPS unit he carries. The collars are identified in the GPS so he knows which dog is where and he puts the proper collar on each dog. Sheesh, those hounds all the look same to me, so I’m no help there either.

The best I can do is to make sure that I’m ready when he’s ready. And he’s so proficient that by the time I’ve laced up my boots, we’re ready to ride.

There were four horses for the three of us, with an extra to pack a bear. I’m always impressed with the horses’ and hounds’ performance.