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Hi Tech Rednecks

by Harvey Cain :: Featured: March, 2003

Gone are the simple days of the past, when you could take an old single barrel scatter gun and go out behind the house to kill a mess of rabbits.  Now adays, most of us have to go a lot farther than out back, and when we get there we are packing a lot more than a single barrel.

One morning, just before daybreak, my good friend John and I were putting on our gear for the days hunt.  As he watched me turning on my GPS, adjusting my FRS radio, testing my dog collar transmitter and securing my cell phone he said, "We have become a couple of High Tech Red Necks."  His point was well taken.  We both agreed that if we should come up with one more gadget to carry with us on our hunt, that we would have to hire someone to tag along and help with the load.  Sounds a lot like a golf caddy wearing boots.  You may say, "Who needs all that stuff?"  True enough, you don't need all these items, that is, until you have had them.  They are a lot like ice cream.  Once you have had them, you can't get by without them.

I can't list these items in order of their importance.   The situation at hand dictates which is the most important.  If you are lost or just a little turned around, then the GPS will rate right at the top of the list.  If your new dog is about to jump and run a deer then that collar transmitter is the tool you need most.  If you need to communicate with a hunting buddy, to say, "I got that rabbit" or  "I missed again" then that little FRS radio is the thing to have.  Should there be an emergency, say you are hunting alone and you fall and break your leg, you would use that cell phone to call for help.  They are all important, but I do use some more than others.  So let us consider them in the order of frequency used.

GPS:

Over the past few years I have grown attached to my GPS.  When I am out for a day in the woods alone, I don't feel so alone.  I take great comfort in always knowing where to find my truck.  When I am hunting with a group, I pride myself in being able to say, "The truck is 1200 feet in that direction".  Someone had to be very clever to invent a hand held gadget that would allow me to stumble all over the woods for hours and then take a compass reading and walk straight to my truck.

Anyone who has ever been lost in the woods should appreciate the worth of a GPS.  Getting lost helped me to get my GPS as an early Christmas gift several years ago.  Losing something like, your dogs or gun could also motivate you to carry a GPS.  I know I must be the only one who has ever tied some dogs in a thick area to go after other dogs that were still running.  If I was going to come back after the dogs I may as well leave my gun.  After 20 minutes of running around and around with my head down, I catch the dogs and then have no idea where I tied the other dogs.  I know I tied them to a pine tree.  In South Mississippi they are all pine trees.   Any other time those dogs would be barking.  That story ends well, but only after a lot of stumbling around trying to find my dogs and gun.  Now when I tie dogs I always mark them with the GPS.    I then can walk right back to where I left them.  There are a number of quality GPS devices available on the market today.  I strongly urge anyone who spends time in the woods to invest in one of these remarkable devices.  The price can range from $89 to over $400.  The basic units will serve most users well.  Always carry extra batteries.

FRS Radios:

The new FRS radios that are now available will also make your time in the woods more enjoyable.  These little inexpensive radios that have been used at sporting events, shopping malls, Wal-Mart etc. have now found their way into the deep woods.  Rabbit hunting has always been somewhat of a social event. Two, three or more hunters go out to enjoy the sound of those hounds as they chase after Mr. Rabbit.  When you are in the woods with others, you always seem to need to communicate.  We have always resorted to whooping in the woods to let each other know our location.  What is whooping?   That is the noise that we make to communicate with others in the woods. With these radios, we can now carry on a conversation with someone that may be more than a mile away.

This really adds a whole new dimension to rabbit hunting.  The nice thing about these radios is they can be turned down or off.   Most of the time you will want them on so you can hear all that chatter.  Not long ago, I took my 78 year old dad for a rabbit hunt.  He is not able to chase after the hounds so we tried to keep the dogs working back towards him.  Even when we were several hundred yards away from him, he knew what was in the works.  I was able to stay in contact with him without staying by his side.  Perched on his stool, about 100 feet from the truck, he was able to kill a big swamper.

I would say that this is one time when the Price is Right.   I saw a pair of these little radios at Wal-Mart for just $18.42.  If any ladies are reading this, I suggest that you go right out and buy a set of these for your man.  He will love to receive a pair for Birthday, Christmas, Father's day, whatever.   Most of these come with a clip, but I recommend that you tie it to you.  A shoestring from the radio to a button hole will ensure you don't lose it the first time out.  Some radios are rechargeable but most use batteries, so be sure to carry some spares.  John recently got a new radio and it uses AA batteries, just like his GPS.  He was so happy.  Now he only carries AA batteries.

E. Collar:

In addition to the GPS and radio the next most frequently used item in my high tech arsenal is the now famous E Collar.  I am sure that most serious rabbit hunters don't need to be reminded about how important these collars are when it comes to training and controlling our little hounds in the woods.  When you strap an Electronic Collar on a dog, it is like having an arm that can reach out and touch or smack him at very long distances.  I wont even attempt to cover how and when to use this effective tool.  There is lots of information available on that subject.  I can say from personal experience, that they do work.  The number one dog on my A Team is named Peaches.  Without the E Collar she would most likely be someone else's deer dog.  She ran her first deer at 10 months.  The truth is she led the race and took two older dogs with her.  She spent the remainder of the season wearing an E Collar.  It was close to the end of the season, and she did not have any other opportunities to chase deer.

The next October, just prior to opening day, we were out for a little training and Peaches got her first taste of that long arm.  A deer got up and was identified and reported over the FRS Radio.  I was very sure that Peaches was on the track.  She opened right where the deer had been and she sounded more explosive than normal.  She was screaming, while running full out.  I let her go for about 100 yards and then hit her with a little less that half power.  I consider Peaches to be a sensitive dog, so I selected two on the transmitter.  (The scale for this unit is 1 to 5).  When she stopped, I let off the transmitter.  There was another dog running ahead of her.  Moments later she started again.  This time I hit her with a four.  Her bark turned into a scream.  I held it down for a few seconds longer.  I wanted this to be a bad experience.  When I let up, I started to her and she was on her way to me.

This all sounds a bit harsh, but the lesson she learned that day earned her a lifetime membership in Paw Paw's kennels, where I provide her with the best of everything.  Later that season she opened on a scent that my old dog Liberty, did not seem to notice.  Liberty is one of those special little hounds that has never ran a deer and never will.  As Peaches picked up the volume and started to take off, I looked down and saw fresh deer tracks.  I was sure she was about to make a mistake.  I touched her with a one from the transmitter.  She immediately stopped and turned away from the track.  I called to her and she came running.  Peaches had to wear the E Collar for the next year, but I never had to use it.  We hunted right over the top of many deer and she always stood her ground or continued to trail after a rabbit. On one occasion, I did see her let out several barks while running backwards.  After a 30 foot run in reverse, she made a big circle to avoid what ever it was that was burning her nose.  Peaches has graduated from the collar.  I consider her to be smarter than a lot of people.  Some people never learn. She has learned and I love her for it.  My final advice about E Collars is, "Learn about them before you use them and don't over do it."

Cell Phone:

I carry my cell phone almost everywhere.  I don't use it that much, but I have it if I need it.  It rings very often when I am out at my dog pens.  Sometimes its my sweet granddaughter, wanting to know, "Where are you Paw Paw ?" Many times it is my wife.  She may be calling to let me know that supper is ready or that she is on her way to Wal-Mart.    I keep mentioning Wal-Mart because next to rabbit hunting it is the best thing that has happened to the South.  My wife got my cell phone at Wal-Mart.  When hunting I may or may not be in an area with a usable signal, but I keep it on anyway.  It makes my wife feel better knowing she can reach me if needed.

Before the days of the GPS, I did use my cell phone to call home for help.  I had return to a hunt location to look for two dogs that I had left.  It was right at dark and I thought that they might be waiting and ready to go home.  When I got out of the truck I could here them running off in the distance.  It did not seem to be that far, but you must know how sound travels when all is quite in the deep woods.  They seemed to be running hard and in a tight circle.  I was in hopes that I would be able to get to them, catch them and get back before it got too dark.  I took my light, compass and cell phone and headed towards the dogs.  I marked my direction with the compass and tried to travel in a straight line.

The distance to the dogs was greater that I had thought.  When I got to them it was almost dark.  It seems that when the sun starts to fall, it slides out of sight in a hurry.  The return trip to the truck was not an easy one.  I tried to follow my compass, but found that the hands had been stuck.  In total darkness, I found myself at the edge of a creek bank that I had never seen before.  I knew that I was lost and that I may end up spending the night outside in the cold with my two dogs.  When I finally called home I had just enough battery to make one call.  I told my wife to call my neighbor, who I had hunted with that day and ask him to drive 20 miles to honk his horn.  That story too ended well, but not without some pain and aggravation.

For those of you who want to join the world of the High Tech Red Neck, go on out and pick up some or all of these gadgets.  If you meet me in the woods, I will be the one that is loaded down with gadgets, bowed at the knees and looking like Rabbit Hunter Commando.