Well, Boys we had a really good time Thursday night at the ole Sweetwater Fox pen in TN.
Let me start off by thanking Mike Summey and his boys for having the pen ready for us on Thursday night. The Club house is great but the running is better.
Thursday afternoon ole Peanut and I started out on a long trip but was glad to get to be going. Our first stop was Gallant, AL to load up with Big Kyle Blakeley. We left from True Grit Kennels in Gallant about 6:15 and head over to ole Gallant Rd. to pick up uncle Earl Dunn and his hounds. Then we left from there and went on to Sale Creek, TN to drop off some puppies that we owed Wallace Shipley and his ole Raider female. Then we all went up the country to Sweetwater, TN to the Tenn Valley Running Pen that Mike Summey and company have got back up and going.
We met AL Hannsel from Lawrenceburg, IN and Guy Necaise from south MS. We cast hounds about 10:45 pm eastern time. We noticed as we went in the pen that the roads and woods were wet which we were thankful for, I told Dawson Summey the week before that I sure hoped it rained before we come up there, and it did! Praise The Lord made running a lot better. Well, we cast and the race was on with in minutes. I guess we had two, three maybe four races going at times. We had coffee and some goodies to eat on while we listen to hounds run and fellowshipped with each other during this fine hunt.
The hounds really got to sounding good after midnight and began to really gather up and really run something and run it right.
As the hours went by folks began to lay down to take a nap in the fine club house that the Summey boys built with central heating and air, which felt good on July 28, 2016.
Friday morning proved to be a dreary start with fog and low clouds first thing which made for perfect running conditions for hounds. Big Kyle and I cooked some homeaide sausage, fresh yard eggs and biscuits and every one seem to enjoy breakfast. While cooking and eating the hounds still sounded good. Finally, we manage to break them up, and had all the hounds up by about 8:30 and everybody got their hounds up which is always a good thing.
It was great pleasure to get to hunt with Big AL, Mr. Shipley, Guy, uncle Earl, my brother and little boy what a good hunt we had. The fellowship was good the food good and the sounds of the hounds punishing some TN coyotes even better.
Thanks to the boys in Sweetwater for letting us come and I am glad I was able to be a part of this fantastic hunt.
John T on the way home Friday, said, "Dad, you know that may be the best bunch of hunters I have ever been around, they were all nice to me and I am glad you let me come." You talk about knocking you down and ripping your heart out, man a live that will do it. I just hope when he is my age he will still be able to listen to hounds run a piece of game with good Godly men from time to time if he wants to. Something about being out with good men and good hounds never gets old.
God Bless until next time,
True Grit,
Jonathan Blakeley