Friday, August 13, 2004

The jumping mule of Kickapoo Valley OK, gang. I'm up north in Eagle River, Wisconsin attending the annual meeting of the Wisconsin Outdoor Communicators Association (WOCA) at Trees for Tomorrow Education Center. You know you're at a nature center when you drive onto the grounds and see five deer grazing nonchalantly on the volleyball court. A doe and twin fawns to one side, and a yearling buck and small doe (brother and sister?) to the other. Looked like they were carbing up for a big game. On the way up here, I was hoping I'd see a bear, but had no such luck. Did see a broadwinged hawk perched on a wire near Three Lakes, however, and two flocks of turkeys in hay fields south of Wittenberg. Pretty good-sized birds already, they were. Over dinner, provided and cooked by president Rick Wulterkens (venison steaks, brats and corn on the cob. Good corn, better steaks), we swapped lies and half-truths, as writers often do. Heard a couple good ones, too. Lee Fahrney told me about a guy in Seneca (Kickapoo Valley area) who hunts coons on a jumping mule he got sown south somewhere. Seems he rides the mule, following his hounds as they chase a coon over hill and dale. When dale comes to fence, the mule jumps it! This I have to see. It's hard enough to ride a mule when you can see where you're going. Add to that the cover of darkness and the occasional fence, which presumably the mule sees, even if you don't (and I have my doubts about that, too), and you've got a great recipe for disaster waiting to unfold. What commands do you give a jumping mule? Gee? Haw? Up and over? Whoah! is what I'd be saying, for sure. Lee insists this is a true story, though he admits he hasn't seen the mule (and its jumping ability) yet himself. I'll dig into this one and let you know if there's any truth to it. Meanwhile, I'm missing more lies in the lounge, so... Later... 10:03:32 PM    comment []

© Copyright 2004 Dan Small. Last update: 9/3/04; 9:35:04 PM.