1964

[charlie cleveland]

its 1964 in the start of winter here in north mississippi....trapping season has started and fox was to be my target...fox hides were predicted to hit 15.00 dollars this year...i guess you would say that i was a amauter trapper a novice at this time... well the first week end i had made20 sets i need not get any sleep that friday night...i guessi was to excited waiting to see what i had in my traps....i was up at dawn the next morning and off to the traps... what a surprise i got at my first trap there was nothing in it...i checked trap after trap with disapointment at each set.. as i was nearing my last few remaining sets victory at last i had something as i got nearer i could see that i had caught a rabbit my spirits lifted a little....well as you can guess my last few sets were empty...as the days turned in to weeks my trapping skills were at a all time ...a few poussems and a red bird or two...as i was scoutingfor better sets each weekend i found the best fox sighn of the season...never would i have believed this the fox had found were my dad had raised a small patch of peanuts..those foxs were really going for those peanuts...i made 6 set around this small field ...another sleepless night nite and i was up before daybreak at first light i went to check those traps...finally a fox at last he was a big mail gray fox...i was finally a full fledged fox trapper as the daysprogressed i learned by using those peanuts that my brothers and sister had picked off that i could use them as bait...well my total that year was 27 reds and grays....never again through the years did i break this record of mine set in my first year as a fox trapper....only set a trap once in a while now for a nusance beaver...but i still rememberthat year of 1964..... charlie ps this is a actual story hope some of you have simular storyies to tell bye now