Fragments From Floyd

In the next issue of Trunks, Twigs and Branches, the acclaimed regional publication by and about Wood Hunters, we'll have an interview with a local Floyd County man who bagged a late-season brace of trophy-quality mixed hardwoods from an undisclosed location near Saggy Bottom Road. He is pictured here with his catch proudly displayed in the bed of his specially designed hunting vehicle, on his way to the local checkin to register his take for the day.

The man refused to give his real name, preferring to be called by the nickname Fred, claiming that if others knew his identity and residence, they might be able to find his favored hunting area where these beauties were taken with a Stihl 026, 50:1 gas mix, 16 inch bar. Fred claims he does not use calls or scents, but admits that he has been known at times to lure in his prey with a scattering of sawdust and decoy branches.

"I had my limit and was on my way home by 9:00", Fred stated. Although usually he air-dries his catch and dresses his trophies for home use, he says in light of the increasing interest in the sport and the harvest, he is thinking for this day's catch to fillet it into slender pieces, and when it's dry, wrap a dozen or so pieces in shrink-wrap and sell it at the local Bed and Breakfast, where tourists think it is a bit of a novelty and will pay up to $5 per bundle. "In my house, we consume it like it grows on trees" said Fred.

"What I hate to see is where a careless and thoughtless wood hunter has been in, downed a specimen of takable size, and then taken only the choicest parts, leaving limbs and brances to rot. It's horrible. It just makes me sick" he said. Shoot to kill, and leave only sawdust behind, he advises.