Holiday Hunting

Christmas at Laurelledge was always a treat. One of the special memories I have is when we would get the .22 rifle and a box of cartridges out of the gun cabinet and head out into the woods to track down the elusive mistletoe. Most of the likely oaks and other hardwoods around Laurelledge were too large to try to climb up and get any of the holiday plant. When we would find a likely clump, we would approach cautiously, knowing that if we were not successful here, we may not find as prime a crop elsewhere.

Our .22 was a single shot, bolt action, so it was lucky for us that the prey was not startled by our approach, basically ignoring us from their lofty perch. We would scout about for the best location to draw aim, and then settle in. Slowly, we would select a bullet, smoothly work the action, and carefully draw a bead. Then, the calm of the woods would be shattered by the sharp crack as we pulled the trigger. Most times, that first shot would be successful and we would march triumphantly home with a perfect selection of mistletoe. Other times, we may have to take 2 or 3 shots before the prize was ours. I also remember once when we ended up shooting a limb off to get our prey, because it was such a wondrous specimen.

I am not the only one who has enjoyed hunting mistletoe. Here is a link to a National Geographic article on hunting mistletoe.