Wild west gunslingers used to add a notch onto their gun every time they made a kill. That’s the legend. I’m not sure that I would want to keep track of how many people that I may have killed.
Native people added beads or marks to Coup Sticks. Combat Warfighters also kept track of kills using notches or marks on their weapons. Notches represented success during life threatening moments.
I once met an Old Turkey Hunter in the Green Ridge State Forest of Maryland. The old Appalachian hunter carried a single shot 12-gauge shotgun. He called using a homemade wing bone call from one of the gobblers that he had harvested.
His camo was a ragtag bunch of different worn and holey garments. The tops and bottoms were just plaids of brown, black, and green. He had rubbed mud on his face to cut the glare. His great calling had called me in. I apologized for ruining his hunt, but my calls sounded pretty good too. He thought that I was
We sat and talked for a long while about the mountains and turkeys. I noticed a rough texture on the stock of his gun. “Oh, there is notch cut for every gobbler that I have shot with this shotgun.” Needless to say, there was a stock length of notches. These notches did not represent bragging rights. They symbolized memories.
His Winchester Model 37 full choke was one of a million guns manufactured between 1936 and 1963. The gun was strong, reliable, and had a 30-inch barrel. Any gobbler within 40 yards was a Notch.
He then pulled out an old wooden handled sheath knife. It was notched on almost every side. “These notches are for every buck that this knife gutted.” This gentleman was a true Mountain Man.
After meeting the Old Turkey Hunter, I began notching my knives. My folding Buck knife has a notch for every elk, deer, antelope, or critter that I gutted with it. The notched edges make for a good grip and remind me of a lifetime of hunting success.
I have met fishermen that write down limits and dates inside their waders. Some guys place a bead on a strip of rawhide for every kill. Bird hunters save a tail feather from every bird they bag. Some fly fishermen place an old fly in their hat for every 10 fish caught. My son paints a hoof print, or a track, of every critter that he has tagged using his wheeler for the hunt.
These notches are just like the old cave drawings and petroglyphs of ancient peoples. They kept a record of their Hunting and Gathering history. Just like the fighter pilots that marked their kills on the side of their planes. 5 kills made them an Ace. Being a great hunter used to mean something. Hunters were critical for bringing food back to the community.
This ice fishing season, I plan on starting a new tradition. I am going to use a sharpie pen to make a dot on each ice rod that catches a fish. The spots will look like fish spots. Each trip, I can use a different colored pen. In a log, I can keep track of the dates and catches. I plan on needing a big rod!
When you retire, you can focus on silly things like Dotting Your Rods.
Jig, Jig, Thump, Thump!
Montana Grant
