Hunting always provides fun stories

In the 1970s and ‘80s, I did a lot of hunting in Delaware and Maryland. As I seem to attract odd people like honey attracts bees, there are several good stories to be told from those days.

One of my favorites centers on Dr. David Rockland. Dave got his PhD from the University of Delaware at age 22 and has had great success in the business world; however, he did provide good story fodder in his early hunting days.

This one begins in Somerset County, Md., where a mutual friend invited us to join in his lease of some very productive hunting land. A dirt road ran along the border of this parcel, and the deer stands were positioned so we could park in a predesignated spot and walk straight to the stand.

Dave had invited his stepfather on this particular day and dropped him off at one of these spots. Dave then continued down to his location, parked and locked his truck. Why he bothered to lock this rusted-out Toyota that a Syrian terrorist wouldn’t steal is beyond me.

He was eating an apple as he exited the truck, and when he went into the woods he threw his truck keys into the underbrush and tried to put the apple core in his pocket. Now I would have done just the opposite, thrown my apple core into the underbrush and put my truck keys in my pocket, but then again, I am not a PhD.

Since everyone else was well inside the woods, we didn’t hear Dave rustling around in the weeds trying to find his truck keys. Apparently, it took some time before he was successful in his search, because he stayed on his stand well after our 11 a.m. lunch break. As the rest of us were eating and planning the afternoon hunt, we heard three shots, followed by three more. A short time later, Dave came out of the woods and we expected he was looking for help dragging out at least one deer. That was not the case. It seems he had missed the same deer six times.

Now had he kept his mouth shut, no one would have known about his adventure with the truck keys. But no, he had to tell us knowing full well he was talking to a man who made his living telling stories.

Dave was also in my goose blind lease on Snow Farm. Now, it is possible we may have picked on him a bit since he was the new guy in the pit.

The first trick we pulled was giving him a very alive Canada goose down in the pit and watching him go several rounds before finally subduing the beast.

Then he wounded a goose and we sent him out to get it without his gun. He chased that bird all over Snow Farm until someone took pity on Dave and shot the animal.

The next story is about Dave and his stepfather. By this time, Dave had bought part of another Maryland lease, just west of Dover. He set his stepfather Marvin up in a stand in late afternoon, then went back to the house.

At last light, Dave heard a shot and went to see if Marvin had killed a deer. Sure enough he had, so Dave left Marvin standing next to the deer while he went back for his pickup. When Dave returned, Marvin was walking around with a flashlight looking for his deer. It seems Marvin had to pee and being the shy type, went back into the woods even though it was dark as pitch and the nearest human was Dave back at the house. When he came out, he couldn’t find his kill. It took quite a while for them to relocate the deer in knee-high grass and weeds.

DMS Surf-fishing Tournament

The results of the DMS Surf Fishing Tournament are: first place, Mike Walker with 103 points worth $1,000. Second place, Sean Hull with 79 points worth $750. Third place, Bob Zak with 73 points worth $500.

The Ladies Division saw Allison Stuart take first place with 44 points worth $500. Lillian Rhoat came in second with 29 points and took home $300. In third was Donna Gutheridge with the same 29 points, with the tiebreaker being the longest fish. She won $225.

There we no scoring fish in the youth division, but each child who entered took home a rod and reel combo from Rick’s Tackle.

The Bluefish Calcutta was won by Robert Thompson and was worth $1,930. The largest fish other than a bluefish was a 16.75-inch flounder caught by Ann Marie Stuart; it was worth $750.

DMS thanks its sponsors and volunteers for making this tournament a success.