RIP Ranger Rick

I'm not sure how this news will be received by any and all who read my blog, but this afternoon I had my first hunting "encounter". I am unsure as to whether or not it even qualifies as hunting, but the end result is the same: a dead critter.

Now before everyone goes and gets all animal activistic on me, the animal was sick and I was putting it out of its misery, per the game warden's instructions. However, the fact remains the same that I did, in fact, shoot a racoon this afternoon. Mark it down. Here's how it all came about....

This morning when I woke up, I decided it would be a good day for some target practice, since it was almost seventy degrees today. So I drove to the property where we've been working all week and took my gun down in the woods to shoot. I was perched on a stump and aiming at a coke bottle when I heard some leaves rustle behind me. I knew it couldn't be anything really big or scary, but I was a little startled. I turned my head to see this coon sitting on a log, not two feet off the ground. I shot a couple more rounds off and he didn't move at all. I thought that was odd so I started climbing the embankment towards him to see if he was hurt or something like that. It's extremely odd for a wild coon to be out in the daytime for one, and not run away after hearing gun shots for another. Once I got to the top of the hill and was about ten feet away from the thing and it still didn't move, I knew it had to be hurt or sick. Now, by this time my boss and his son had arrived on the scene and they agreed with me that something had to be wrong with it. I mean, my boss at one point was petting the nasty beast! So we called the game warden and told him what the situation was and he explained that the coon was sick and needed to be killed and buried. So.....that's what I need. I shot it and it is now in the bottom of a hole in Pickens County. RIPRanger Rick!

The picture was taken before I shot it, obviously, but I was able to get about two feet from it to take the picture. I thought it would be best not to post the "after" picture. It wasn't a pretty sight, but then again dead things usually aren't aesthetically pleasing to the eye. I know this may change the opinion that some of you have of me, but I wanted to share my experience with all who will listen. And before you go getting worried that I've turned into some redneck, I've just got to say one thing......"GIT R DONE"!!!!