steve bankston
UKC Forum Member
Registered: Sep 2013
Location: tylertown,mississippi
Posts: 2551 |
Death of the Legend: Rocket Raccoon
[url=https://ralphrobertspersonaltrainer.com/how-long-should-you-rest-between-circuits]. Death Of A Legend: The last race of Rocket the Raccoon from Black Branch Swamp was tonight. I have ran this Swamp Warrior since Bo was a 2 year old and he’s 8 now. So, 6 good years of some of the longest, hardest races you will ever hear an old coon give a hound, I’ve heard them all. I’ve seen him jump out of at least a half dozen trees that my hounds put him up. As I shined the tree or blew the squaller he would bail out and like a ghost, vanish into the night. Most folks would think their hound was running trash if they got after Rocket, and I have myself a time or two but the more I learned his habits and the way he ran, I always looked forward to Bo or one of the others striking him and putting him on the run. Takes a real good hound in these thick swamps to tree him and I’ve had young dogs lose the trail after he would take to the Beaver Pond or cross the cow pastures and county road a time or two. All these years I didn’t shoot Rocket. He became my Legend and I always look forward to the battle in the swamps between him and my hounds. Sometimes he would run for an hour or little more then head across the swamp to the big hollow beech tree den that he called home behind the old abandoned White House on Ginn Road in some of the meanest nastiest swamp Black Branch has to offer. Tonight he met his match when River Outlaw Josey Wales struck his trail. Deep in the swamp down the creek that runs through Cypress Bottom, Josey Wales let out his roaring bawl as he took to the trail of Rocket. It was a good track and he soon had him running. Rocket ran his usual route, straight toward the big Beaver Pond between my neighbors pastures and the Bogue Chitto River. Josey slowed up for just a few minutes as he hit the pond but soon came out the other side shifting gears and rolling across the pasture headed East. I took out in the Rhino to get around to the old house and head Rocket off. Didn’t want him to get across the little county road and make it to his home in the hollow beech tree. I got around there and shut off the engine and Josey was less than a hundred yards from the road but making a swing and did a u turn and headed back West, toward the river. Rocket ran an old fence line between two fields, giving himself options. Running the field he was going fast but so was Josey. Traveling the old fence row he had some huge oaks here and there that if Josey got to close, he could climb before he got caught. Josey must have been about to catch him because he took to the Beaver Pond again. Josey is a quick learner and he picked up his trail on the other side faster this time and the race continued North West, up the river. I sat in the Rhino listening to that big lanky Treeing Walker pour it on Rockets ass as they got further and further from me. They were right at three quarters of a mile and getting close to my house when Rocket made his swing back East then southeast as he headed back down Cypress Bottom. Past the Artesian Flow Well from an old home site many many years ago, right on down the creek and back into the Beaver Pond. Josey had closed the gap and was running to catch. Had shortened his bawls and wasn’t giving many. When he hit the pond he never quit giving mouth so I knew he was closing in on Rocket. They came out of the pond and turned more to the West and I knew Rocket was trying to make it to the River. If he could do that he would jump in and let the swift current take him way down stream where he could climb out and safely make his getaway. They were over a Thousand yards from me. Up to this moment, Josey had been running Rocket for about 55 minutes or a little more. He had covered just over 5 miles according to the Garmin at an average speed of 4.96mph. Looking at the Garmin screen as they approached the River and Josey was screaming he was so close on Rockets tail, then Silence. Still staring at the screen and I was wondering if Rocket had made the River and jumped in. About that time the greatest sound a coon Hunter longs to hear, the huge dying locate letting his master know the Coon has climbed and to come see. Josey threw 4 of the biggest, loudest, longest most wonderful locates I’ve ever heard on any hound in my life. I just love this hounds mouth and tonight, after a race like that for over an hour and me knowing it was Rocket, was the most amazing set up to coming treed I’ve ever heard. Super Special knowing it was Rocket, the heavy fog in the air low across the fields an coming from this fine young hound that is my first Walker Coonhound. Very special moment to me that I will never forget. I took off across the fields toward the river and my hound. Hobbling along with my knee brace on, thinking about the knee surgery I was supposed to be having Wednesday. It took me quite a while to get there with my leg the way it is but Josey never missed a beat. Steady as a clock he rocked them off at the base of the tree that held the Legend, Rocket the Raccoon. I stopped and took this video when I was half way to him, little less than 700 yards. Sounded awesome echoing up out of that river bottom across the foggy field. I finally made it to him and I could hear the rushing river less than a hundred feet away. Rocket Almost made it but Josey was to fast and Rocket had to climb. He wasn’t real high and was looking at me and nervous. I knew with it being Rocket there was a good chance he might jump. I got my laser turned on and when I put it on him, he took out higher in the tree. I popped a few rounds at him and he ran out on a limb. Shot a few more as he came running back toward the trunk of the tree then out on another limb. Finally connected and down he came. Huge Boar Coon with a grey/white old face of a warrior. It was a bitter sweet moment for me. As I said, Bo had treed him several times and I’ve chosen to let him live to run another day. Sometimes he would jump, other times just be nervous and moving around like tonight. I would snap Bo up and go home. Tonight was different. I’ve had a tough year, my health and physical abilities really went downhill this year and now my legs, hips, knees, etc. are wearing out and slowing me way down. Hopefully with a couple surgeries I still got a lot of miles and many a night of coon hunting left in me, but we never know for sure. Rockets got some age on him and getting past his prime. Josey Wales isn’t near about to his prime yet but is a super nice young hound and tonight he was just a Beast when he struck Rockets trail and didn’t get shook off, no matter how hard Rocket tried. It’s coons and tracks like tonight that young dogs deserve if they tree him and coons like Rocket will help shape and make a Legend out of a hound. Tonight, December 4th, 2021, Rocket the Raccoon of Black Branch Swamp, ran his last race and lost. Tonight, one Legend died but another one was Born. River Outlaw Josey Wales.
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Where hounds are more than just dogs, they are a part of the FAMILY.
Last edited by steve bankston on 01-21-2022 at 05:31 PM
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