Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Around the Campfire => Topic started by: Carson (CMB) on March 29, 2012, 04:03:11 pm
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It was just east of Idaho Falls, past Iona. I was doing golden eagle surveys on a proposed wind farm site. The site was on ag land bordering the Snake River. I had done surveys at this site in the winter. Traveled by snowmobile from survey point to survey point. This was august now, the first summer survey for eagles, and traveling from point to point was by truck, or on foot when a survey point was in the middle of a wheat field. Our crew of three biologists was one man short this day, and so we were looking at a long day, dawn to dusk. We do surveys separately, staying in contact via radio. In route to my third or fourth survey point for the day, there happened to be a convenient swath of dirt, wide enough to drive on, that separated an unplanted field of last years wheat stubble, and a green field of this years wheat, about knee high. I decided to drive this dirt swath to the point up on the top of the rise to save time. So I was driving towards the point, just several hundred yards off the gravel road, when a large badger ran right in front of the truck, out of the wheat stubble and into the green field. Without a thought, I had slammed the truck into park and was out of the door after him.
I had always wanted to go after a badger, hand to hand. Mano y taxus. I had tackled armadillos, tailed cat-eating opossum, climbed after treed raccoons until they bailed from the top, removed entangled vampire bats from nets, wrangled large rattlesnakes, and even punched out a nutria that was tangling with my dog as a youth, but such game presented little in the way of real danger. A badger posed real threat. A worthy opponent and adversary of mankind and ground dwelling rodents alike. I just had to beat him to his hole.
I was on him in no time as I pursued him through the field chasing the moving grass that readily gave his position away. I planned to cut him off before he got to his hole. But before I had a chance to angle off for the cut-off, he whipped around, hunkered down and lunged at me the instant I was within reach. I popped back just out of reach, and we growled intensely at each other. This was the beginning of a long, ugly battle.
To be continued...
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I'm looking forward to hearing the end of this one!
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Yea me too.
George
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whadayamean continued I wanna hear the rest of the story now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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I love it! I'm glad I'm not the only person who likes to wrangle critters with only their hands. If I ever loose a finger, you better believe I will have one cool story behind it. Petting a live beaver in a creek was exhilarating. And carrying a live possum into the office at work has brought me a whole new level of respect from my coworkers. At least I think it is respect. It might be fear :-\ Either way I'm OK with it.
I can't wait to hear, The rest of the story.
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Was there a Cliff?
Cause I'm a Hanging on for the rest of the story...
I've lost a finger or two... its over rated!
:)
-gus
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I'm looking forward to hearing the end of this one!
Maybe he will tell us the rest when he gets back from the hospital.
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sounds like a scene from ernest goes to camp :D "never do this :P to a family of badgers" i'll be watchin this thread.
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Yep! Since my check comes from Tetra Tech I can see where they weren't amused, but, I did the same with a few hogs here.
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I wanna see the video ! ' Frank
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I wanna see the video ! ' Frank
good point, i really hope there's a video to accompany this story
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Nothing personnal but I hope the badger wins!!!!
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wait a second, badger, was it you he decided to fight, and if so, what was the outcome, and i personally hope the fish wins, ( it wasn't in the story, but it is secretly pulling the strings behind everything)
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is this really going on?sounds funny to me :embarassed:
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Their is a video of a guy on line catching a badger by hand, I think he ended up throwing a blanket over it and putting it a dog crate.
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The uncle for whom I am named, once caught a badger using just his bootlace for a snare. But what do you do with an enraged badger on the end of a short bootlace once you have caught him? Ya whirl him around your head a few times and let go of the string, make a snap decision based on the trajectory of the badger and run the opposite direction.
Knowing my Uncle John, the accolades of all the boys in Flaxton, ND more than made up for the seat warming he got for losing yet another bootlace during the Great Depression.
I can't wait for the next installment of Captain Macho Boy* versus the Battling Badger of Snake River Idaho!
*now you know what CMB stands for!
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Part two
Naturally, we started circling the ring, tramping down the wheat and sizing-up one another. He held a steady snarl showing impressive canines and blasting heavy breaths from his black nose. The intensity of his dark eyes was magnified by the striking contrast of white and black in his mask. What little he had for ears were tucked tightly back. I do not know how you tell a male from female badger by looking one in the face, but this was a male, a mature adult male. We continued circling the ring we had established in the trampled wheat. He would lunge at me with a hiss-filled growl, launching from his position tucked nearly flat against the ground. I would avoid the attack, and then counter with a lunge back at him, letting out a growl of my own that came quite easily in the moment of it all. He showed no signs of backing down, of turning and running. Fleeing is not a badgers strength. After this initial exchange of charges and bluffs, I decided I would take this badger. His skeleton would be sent to my old professor, to be deposited in the Angelo State Natural History Collection. His pelt would make a fine back quiver, and I would eat badger meat for the first time. I reached for my Leatherman on my right hip, but the case was empty. I had either left it in the truck or it had popped out of the case in the initial chase. I went to my left pocket for a small Kershaw pocket knife. I flipped it open and switched it over to my right hand. The blade on this particular knife, at 2 and ¾”, was no longer than this badgers claws, so I decided it was a fair fight. How to get this small blade to the vitals was not clear. The top side of his rib cage was protected by strong shoulder blades and the associated mass of digging muscles. I had to go for the underside. I made a quick move bringing my shoe under his chin to flip him over. I got the badger flipped on to his back but he was upright in an instant and nearly had my hand in his mouth. It was confirmed he was male. I made the same move again, but he saw it coming a mile away this time and snapped my shoe with a quick bite. I tried again thinking I could drive the knife home if I could just roll him with my foot and keep him pinned under foot. I had him pinned on his back under my foot for a split-second before he rolled out from under foot with surprising strength. It was clear that I was not going to get at his tender underside, so I decided to go for the throat. We were both beginning to tire a bit when I started taking swipes at his throat. After a good half-dozen attempts, I had nicked him on the chin twice and almost lost my hand once. I resorted to kicking dirt in his eyes. I warned you this was an ugly fight. Not surprisingly, badgers are used to getting dirt in their eyes and he washed it way with a couple blinks and no advantage was gained. A tractor! I looked up to see a big tractor with a huge spray rig outfit cruising across the stubble field right towards us. We paused, catching our breath while the tractor pulled up to the edge of the wheat field, about 40 yards away and stopped next to the red Ford rental truck I had left. A guy popped out and walked over quickly with a mean stride, stopping about 15 yards shy of us, his eyes focused on the badger with its chin bloodied up. He then looked at me, with a bloody knife in my hand, and asked, “what the hell do you think you are doing?” It was difficult to shift from the intensity of the battle to an attempt to talk my way out of this. Standing in the middle of his trampled wheat, I told him frankly that I was a mammalogist and that I had always wanted to “get after a badger”. “Well, what the hell are you doing on my property!?” Still half-cocked and facing the badger, I told him that I worked for Tetra Tech and that I was out doing golden eagle surveys. Before I could even finish the sentence he had thrown his hands up in the air and went on about Tetra Tech and how many times he had problems with them driving across his fields like it was a highway. I guess he had seen the bright red truck from a distance and had finally caught someone in the act, where only tire tracks had been found before. He said it was a no-till zone and that you can’t drive on it. I tried to explain that I was not aware, and that I would never drive on the field and thought the unplanted dirt border was for driving on. He threw his hand’s up in despair, and brought the discussion back to the badger, explaining that you can kill as many of those as you want, but it wont get rid of them. I tried to explain that I didn’t have anything against badgers and wasn’t trying to eradicate them. He said, "do whatever you want with the badger" and walked back to the tractor. Taking that as his blessing to continue where we left off, I shifted full-attention back to the badger and waited until the tractor disappeared over the next rise. We were now both rested up and ready for round two.
To be continued...
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Darned if this story don't feel like it would be better told around a Camp Fire out in the Boonies somewhere.
:)
Good Story so far with or without the Camp Fire!
-gus
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I wish you could have video taped this somehow. I'm anxiously awaiting round 2.
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GREAT story Captain Macho Boy!! I'm in suspense. dpgratz
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Darned if this story don't feel like it would be better told around a Camp Fire out in the Boonies somewhere.
:)
Good Story so far with or without the Camp Fire!
-gus
What he said... I also would love to have a badger hide and make a hat like the Sioux wore in Dances with Wolves..
Cipriano
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sorta wondering if CMB lost a couple of fingers and that's the reason it's taking so long to tell this story.......
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I have a distant cousin that come up to MI from FL everyyear for X-Mas...he worked for an exotic vet and administered a lot of the drugs and vaccinations for all the animals they treated. One year he shows up with his hand all wrapped up and you could see he had lost a couple digits on that hand. So I had to ask (and with him you better have 30 minutes to listen to the answer of any simple question...to say he likes to jaw jack is an understatement) I braced myself for the coming deluge and to my surprise this was his simple reply (said in the most backwoods, southern drawl you ever heard)
"a Hy-erna et my finga's"
Careful what you offer your fingers/hand too as you may not be getting them all back >:D
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CMB is, what Charlie Russell references, swinging a perty wide loop with this here yarn. Lemme toss another chunk on the fire and take another pull offa that brown bottle! This is settlin' into a mighty long trail.
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ah, so why were you doing all this on private property? ah, humane dispatch? Maybe the badger had a bad taste in his mouth. I wonder what the badger had in mind for a CMB hide?
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ah, so why were you doing all this on private property? ah, humane dispatch? Maybe the badger had a bad taste in his mouth. I wonder what the badger had in mind for a CMB hide?
Not sure what the badger had in mind, but it was gonna look like a cross between leather and lace when he was done with it!!!
Hate to do it Cap'n Macho Boy, but I gotta badger you for the next installment, please!
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Yep if this king of drama would keep on here I would have the boob tube taken out at my house. Ron
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Halftime was over. We started circling and growling again, it was clear that we were both near full strength again. The badger held a renewed look of hatred in his eyes. It was not the look of a defensive animal. He looked at me as though he understood my intentions and had accepted the kill or be killed terms of the game we were now playing. And I am sure that he believed, just as well as I did, that he would prevail.
I went for his throat again. This time though I led in with my left hand held high and open coming over the badger, and as he would take a snap up at my left hand, I would then take a stab at his neck with my right. I tried this several times without taking a stab, just to get the timing down. I found that if I came in high and fast enough I could even bop him on top of the head. This infuriated him. He was now determined to have my hand. Now with the timing down, and the planned-out-motion of my right hand practiced in my mind, I came in yet again with my left hand from above, and as the badger went up for it I sent the full length of the blade into his neck. Blood spilled out onto the ground as the badger shot back and let out gargled growls. He was now fatally wounded.
I had mixed feelings as I stepped back and dropped to a knee. I felt relieved that it was over, felt proud that I had taken a badger with a pocket knife, and at the same time, felt remorse for taking the life of this creature. I watched and listened to his gurgled breaths slow, his eyes drifting shut. I watched the pool of blood grow slowly, drying quickly into the dirt in the dry, hot breeze. I quietly gave the badger my respects, wiped my brow, and stood to my feet. At these movements, the badger opened his eyes and mustered up a bit of a growl, his head still resting on the dirt. I decided to walk back to the truck, look for my Leatherman, and let the badger pass in peace.
There was no sign of the Leatherman tool, and I had to get back to work. I completed some weather data for the survey while I was at the truck, then walked back over to where the badger lay. He appeared lifeless until I was within a few feet, then he repeated the show of dazed eyes and meager growls. I decided to let him be until I had completed the 1 hour eagle survey, and so I walked on up to the survey point several hundred yards up the hill at the base of the meteorological tower.
The survey started uneventfully, with several northern harriers cruising the fields and a pair of Swainson’s hawks circling high overhead, as I listened to the sound of the farmers tractor rise and fall with the hills and dips off in the distance. Then, I got a call from the project manager who had been contacted by Ridgeline Energy about a disgruntled landowner. She asked about where I had driven the truck and what exactly was said between the landowner and myself regarding the truck, and I answered in detail, while scanning the sky for eagles. The interrogation was closing and I thought I had made it through without having to mention the badger. Maybe the landowner neglected to mention the badger to Ridgeline, he certainly didn’t seem to have any contention about the badger fight, it was the truck that he was pissed about. Then just as we were about to end the call, she asked, and what was this about a badger? I confessed with the least amount of detail possible. She sounded surprised and even a bit amused. She explained that it was going to have to be included in the incident report. What could I say, but yes, I understand. We wrapped up the call, and I finished the survey. No eagles.
I started back down the hill toward the truck and badger pondering my future as I came to realize I was going to lose my job. Just as I was nearing where the badger lay, something out in the open wheat stubblefield caught my eye. It was another badger! About 80 yards off it lay on top of a fresh mound of dirt, watching me. I continued over to where I left the wounded badger, only to find a pile dried blood and no sign of the badger. I looked back over to the badger sitting on top of the dirt pile, still watching me. Could that be the same badger? I started toward it, lifting my binoculars once I had halved the distance to it. Sure enough, the dirt on his chin and neck was tinged red. He looked at me as if pleased by the disbelief showing on my face. I dropped my binoculars and continued towards the badger. He kept that even expression on his face even as I closed in, no defensive snarl, no worry, just satisfaction. Then just I got close he whipped around and shot down into the hole on there other side of the massive dirt mound. I peered in to see only dirt flying out from under his short tail deep within the ground. I couldn’t believe it! This badger was on his death bed an hour ago, and now he was half way to China! I had no desire to try and go after him at this point. The tractor was going to appear over the hill any minute, and this badger was not going to die.
I walked back to the truck and the fight-seen. Still in disbelief, I walked over to the sizable pool of dried blood and knelt down to feel it, and then I recalled all that had just passed that morning. The knife blade must have passed through the base of his tongue, cutting a massive bed of vessels, but no major arteries. I shook my head and walked back to the truck. I had lost the fight with the badger, but I had gained what I was really after, which wasn’t his hide, bones, or meat, it was the opportunity to really get to know an animal such as the badger. To discover first hand what is really behind the reputation of this tenacious little beast, to uncover his weakness, and in the end, to walk away marveling at the toughness of the badger.
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WOW what a story well told did you get to keep you"re job? Maybe you could move up and try a wolverine or a black bear next time. Ron
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wow what a story, good thing you didn't come out seriously hurt ;) i do land surveying and run into all kinds of wildlife but i have no desire to tangle w/ them unless i have to . so whats next? (i say wolverine :) )
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Thanks for the great story! I'm really sorry that you lost your job over it though.
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I've heard of guys dumb enough to bring a knife to a gunfight. But sir, you and only you would bring a knife to a badger fight.
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I've heard of guys dumb enough to bring a knife to a gunfight. But sir, you and only you would bring a knife to a badger fight.
almost as bad as bringing a gun to a warbow fight ;D
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Thanks to all those that tuned in for the story.
To all who expressed interest in the video, please send a check for 14.99 to…just kidding, I wish there was a video too.
Shawn, Earnest Goes to Camp!, what a classic. I must have watched it a hundred times as a kid , but I don’t remember the badger family part.
Jimjimmysticks, this is really going on. And btw, your name congers up a similar funny feeling in me. :embarassed: Embarrass face back at ya.
Badger, well I hope you are happy! The badger won. I have seen that video of the guys catching a badger with a blanket and dog crate, also in idaho. Watching that will give you an idea of what it was like, except I had a knife instead of a blanket, and of course the badger in that video is much smaller, and has the look of an old grey mare to me.
John, your uncle sounds like a real character, not surprising given his relations. I too tried snaring badgers when I was a kid. My dad would take us “camping” (mule deer scouting) in the Trout Creek mts, of SE Oregon. I was always after those badgers.
And thanks for the nickname. My wife thought that was really funny.
Wolverine!?! No way! You guys are nuts! Black bear is next. Spring season just opened and I am heading out this weekend. One of Chet Stevenson's hunting partners actually took a black bear with a hunting knife. Great story.
Cracker, I did not get to keep my job. At first things seemed cool. The operations manager in our Portland office was understanding enough. But while all seemed cool, the thing was snow-balling up the corporate memo ladder on both the Ridgeline Energy and the Tetra Tech sides. By day three, Ridgeline was calling from France demanding my head. Tetra Tech offered it up, of course. My boss was doing all he could to keep me, but the call was coming from way up.
Adam, thanks, losing my job was not ideal, but it could not have come at a better time. I had just got my wife on with the company earlier that week, just as a temp doing data entry. She is still there and is getting brought on as a permanent, as a wetland survey coordinator. She had been a stay at home mom for 3 years, while I worked. We essentially, traded roles. I have been a full-time stay at home dad up until a month ago we decided to get the kids in day care three days a week, and see if I can generate some income with my archery interests.
It took me so long to write the thing because writing these stories doesn’t pay for daycare! Or maybe it could? Any publishers out there? I got lots more of these tales.
Thanks again y’all for joining in. Be sure to tune in next time!
Your host, Carson Mclean Brown
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Loved the Story Mr. Brown.
I too wish you hadn't lost you job over it.
There's no accounting for Corporate Thought once you climb up in the rarefied air near the top.
Good to see that your sense of humor is fully intact.
-gus
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Sorry to hear that you did not keep you're job. Most of the corporate types panic at the first hint of controversy. Best wishes Ronnie
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CMB you lost his job over the badger incident? On what grounds? How?? Seriously???
Cipriano
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This one time, at badger camp...
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here is the scene cracks me up every time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=pWE6oPv3KLs
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JWH,qouted CM Russle as statein,
swinging a perty wide loop with this here yarn.
Well,this brings to mind,a little story bout a Wild young Buckaroo,who like all them type,thinks they gotta rope anythin that moves.
This kid thinks he has to rope a Badger that is slinkin across a sage flat.He sticks it on him and doesnt get his slack pulled quick enough to catch the head n the Badger runs through the loop n gets caught pantyhose like.The kid dont think the critter is big enough to warrant any Dallies,and dang near gets jerked off his horse.He pitches a few coils and goes to the horn,but Mr Badger has allready,got himself under an old downed tree on the edge of the flat.Badger swells up n kids horse cant get him pulled out,till Mr Badger lets loose n he then shoots out from under that tree,like hes on a rubber band.He lights right at ole Ponies Hocks and gets plumb defensive about all these doins.Mr Pony has all this he wants,and goes to buckin.Kid decides he better divorce his dallies and coils before he gets lynched and gets pony to line out straight,but still buckin.It takes kid about a mile n a half to get Ponys head up and bent around.It gives the Kid a little time to review the situation and to conclude,that Badger ropein,on a green colt,aint exactly a wise thing to undertake.
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Traxx? Is that a direct Charlie Russell story? WoW! I thought I had read them all by now.
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Naw,
But it oughta be.Actually,it was a story,bout a young,dumb kid,that just happened to have the same name n date of birth as i do.LOL
Ropein a black bear,was less dramatic,than ropein that Badger.LOL
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Well here it is, 3 AM with sleep at bay. Traxx, you sound like my kind of fella. Lots of people have forgotten that life has stressful moments, and if you live an adventurous life, then you are well prepared for those stressful moments. It is too bad that leading an adventurous lifestlye is under attack. Heck, in today's society, if it is not safe, then it is against the law. Too bad really, because we loose a lot good men to today's predicaments.
I did a lot for that particular project. I received a spot bonus of several hundred dollars for enduring -34 degree Fahrenheit temps while conducting the first winter survey for golden eagles on the project. Not to mention the acoustic bat data coming from that project. That was the first really good acoustic data we had collected. We avoided a potentially huge data gap when I navigated, over the phone, a naive biologist through the use of a voltmeter to troubleshoot a system error.
In retrospect, it was a good experience. Hard to explain, but it has worked out for the better.
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Great story and I feel your pain. I just finished an Incident Report for Tetra Tech for sinking the Airboat a few weeks ago.
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great story!! i think i'll stick with the 30-30
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Great story and I feel your pain. I just finished an Incident Report for Tetra Tech for sinking the Airboat a few weeks ago.
What? You alright?
Tracy
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Great story and I feel your pain. I just finished an Incident Report for Tetra Tech for sinking the Airboat a few weeks ago.
What? You alright?
Tracy
ill second that question
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Great story and I feel your pain. I just finished an Incident Report for Tetra Tech for sinking the Airboat a few weeks ago.
Lucky you did not have to fight off an alligator, you probably would have lost your job over it! ;) Seriously though, I hope no one was hurt.
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Yea, I'm fine and the boat was to after we pulled it out, cleaned it up and let the electronics dry for a few days. I made it to shore with the prop slapping water just as it went under.
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Glad you're alright Eddy! I heard those things will get airborne with little to no help.
Tracy
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Thanks, Tracy. Ours will go airborne around 45mph. It has a Corvette motor in it with three, wide, carbon fibre, variable pitch props.
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It wasn't the big 'un with the four engines?
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I just ran across this post. What a funny story! Now every time I see a post from CMB, I'll picture in my mind some guy on a hillside fighting a badger with a pocket knife. How hilarious!! ;D
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I'll have to tell you the one that attack me while shootin prairie dogs outside of Rapid city, when were sittin around the camp fire.
Great story, glad he didn't take that Kershaw away from U. Sure hate to loss a good knife >:D