Hunting; Arnold's First Pigeon Hunting Trip

     The Sampsons have been might hunters. During deer season, Gene, Johnnie, and Vake, with assorted spouses, kids, or family friends, would trek to eastern Oregon to a place in the John Day area called "Murderer's Ridge"  set up camp: first sleeping on air mattresses,  then progressing to bales of hay, army surplus cots, a travel trailer, then a 5th-wheeler. Gene was the cook in command--don't try to grab a hunk of carrot off his chopping block because he won't stop chopping and you might get a finger cut off. The neatest butcher in camp was Dr. Dick Uhlman, the family physician and surgeon. (For the younger generation:  You have to gut out and skin game as soon as possible, and hang it up in a game bag to cool off quickly so it doesn't spoil. Those who eat liver love that part, because liver comes out first and is served at once.) Family friend Jack Johanneson was a hypochondriac who claimed to have an awful sinus headache when Milly sneaked a handful of pungent sagebrush under his pillow. The next morning, he claimed to have had his best night's sleep ever. Vake wouldn't shoot does--that killed both the deer and her offspring, and the does were often too dumb to run away, so shooting one wasn't sporting.  Johnnie got a bear and made a nice bearskin rug.Vake saw a wolf, but just stood admiring it when he heard gunshots starting all over the mountain, and feared the wolf did not survive.Milly hid behind a tree while a herd of elk stampeded by, so close that she could smell them.  They say that when Johnnie got too old and crippled to hike the hills hunting any more, he road hunted, and shot his deer so that it would fall down the mountain and land in the bed of his pick-up truck.
     Every hunter starts somewhere, and starts maybe a bit raggedly. Jon tells about Arnold's first pigeon hunting trip as follows: "Gene & whoever else was going, invited Arnold (who just had his learners permit) to go pigeon hunting.  With Arnold driving, they suddenly remembered needing more beer (approaching Lindblads tavern, or someplace equal), and telling Arnold to 'pull over' quickly.  He did that and 'broad slid' into the gravel parking lot.  After 'they' got over the shock, and got their beer, they went on to the hunt.  At some point during what may have been a slow afternoon, Uncle Gene, with gun in hand walked out on a log to relieve himself.  About that time, a pigeon flew over and Arnold pulled down on it.  Being only wounded, it cart wheeled into Uncle Gene's chest (while he had both hands occupied).  This caused him to fall off of the log into a patch of brush below. (I thought Dad [Johnnie] would bust a gut upon hearing this.)  It may also have been Arnold's last pigeon hunt!"