Hevener checks a remote camera to see how many photos were taken the night before. Night-time photos taken at various locations on the farm show a sizeable population of deer, turkey and bear. The property is bounded by the the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, the Monongahela National Forest and a farm owned by author Stephen Coonts. Photo by Drew Tanner

One of the farm's nine stands looks out over a small clearing recently planted with brassica, an autumn favorite of deer due to its high sugar content. Photo by Drew Tanner

A "deer with the headlights" looks at a feeder and shows a nice rack. Photo courtesy Bill Hevener.

Cameras have caught a variety of wildlife, like these turkeys. Photo courtesy Bill Hevener.

Smile, you're on candid camera - these feeding does hear the click of the shutter on a remote camera. Photo courtesy Bill Hevener.

A lone buck watches the logging crossroads. Photo courtesy Bill Hevener.

Rick Slavik, of Elkins, bagged a good sized buck with an nice set of antlers in 2005. Photo courtesy Bill Hevener.

It's a game of sit-and-wait. Photo courtesy Ernie Shaw

Pocahontas County memories

A-hunting we will go

Jaynelle Graham-Awad
Staff Writer
      If you were a bird, perched high in a tree this time of the year, you could observe the most amazing thing.
      You would see large creatures, whose coats blend with the colors of the forest, moving carefully, almost silently through the brush, downed trees, limbs and leaves. You might even watch them as they quietly munch on a snack, retrieved from a safe hiding place. These creatures are early risers that make their way through the woods before the sun breaks forth on a new day. It could be a deer, a squirrel, or a turkey, but no, it is rather Šthe hunter!
      Soon the highway will be filled with pickups, SUVs and trailers packed with supplies, tighter than a family vacation. As hunters continue their long tradition of seeking their bounty in the forests of Pocahontas County, they continue, as well, to bond and reconnect with old friends during this rite.
      In years past, before the abundance of lodging facilities and pop-up tents, there were ramshackle camps for most, but for a few there were private homes, whose doors were opened to receive friends. Friends with names like Ralph and Gypsy, Cecil and Josie, Buck and Babe.
      During the non-hunting hours at the home of Jay B. and Frances Graham in Buckeye, good, old time music could be heard at night. The children would go to bed with the chorus of "Soldier's Joy" ringing through the house. Almost 50 years later, hearing this tune brings to memory those evenings and those hunters, who gathered as friends. Evenings at the "Big House," home to Walter and Addie Graham, would find the dining table surrounded by hunters and full of food, including wild game.
      In Minnehaha at the "White House," home of A.T. and Edna White, the hunters would arrive on Sunday, after the family attended church in the afternoon, and feast on meat loaf, scalloped potatoes, and home canned vegetables. The children were displaced, sleeping on pallets at the foot of their parent's beds, eventually moving up to a sleeping bag, but this was not an inconvenience, it was an adventure.
      Edna White and her daughter-in-law, Rene, would have homemade pimiento cheese and ham salad at the ready to pack lunches at 4 a.m. for all the men, then cook all day in preparation for their return. Every night was like Sunday dinner. These folks were not family, but were treated as such and in return, even the children benefited, with change left on the dressers and years later with graduation gifts.
      Lifelong friendships continue to be cultivated during hunting season, and there continues to be an excitement that surrounds this event that few, today, can understand.
      Basically, you either have it or you don't!
      Several years ago, at W. M. Cramer Lumber Company in Marlinton, a proposal was made to work Thanksgiving Week. A cry went up from the employees, with some exclaiming that they "would rather work Christmas Day than miss the first day of deer season".
      At the other end of the spectrum, we have Ehab Awad, PA-C at Pocahontas Memorial Hospital and Clinic. He was initiated into the hunting realm by one of Pocahontas County's best teachers, Jake Hilleary, of Hillsboro. Ehab's first trek into this brotherhood was on a cold and rainy Thanksgiving Day. When he and Jake returned for Thanksgiving dinner, Ehab offered his thoughts on the day.

Ernie's hunting Shack on Elk Mountain. Plenty of hunters, both residents and those from out of the county have similar cabins and camps all over Pocahontas County; all have their own tales to tell Photo courtesy Ernie Shaw

      "I'm an educated man, yet, there I sat in the cold, in the rain, in the woods, on a log, waiting for a small animal to come by..."
      Today, one of the most notorious ­make that famous­ hunting parties, consists of Ernie Shaw, retired Marlinton dentist; Bob Keller, retired County Agent; Dr. Luis Soriano, M.D.; Roger Trusler, retired Administrative employee of the Pocahontas County Board of Education; Dave Snively, WV Extension Service; Bill Beckley, former Pocahontas County 4-H Agent; Ted Stewart, retired PCHS teacher; Dan Curry, former Superintendent of Pocahontas County Schools and his brother, Davy Curry, of the NRAO in Green Bank.
      This group has hunted together since the 1970s, meeting at their camp on the "Mighty Elk" Mountain, gathering in a four man trailer, where only two could stand, into what is now a regular "Shangri-la." complete with kitchen, sauna, bunkhouse and rumpus room. These hunters, at one time, could be found in the woods way before daylight, however, with the passing of time, they now try to "get out there" by 8 a.m.

Everyone took a hand peeling potatoes after a day in the field. From left: the late Arch Wooddell, Ropger Trusler, Ted Stewart and Ernie Shaw. Photo courtesy Ernie Shaw

      They schedule a special meeting, each October, during turkey season to share a meal that would rival any restaurant within 100 miles of Pocahontas County. This year's menu included crabs, oysters Rockefeller, bratwurst, corn on the cob and Irish mashed potatoes. Although, everyone chips in on this feast, their regular chef is Bob Keller. Not that he's that good, but rather he meets the prerequisite, "he'll do it!"
      This group also has a band, made up of Dan Curry on the banjo, Davy Curry on accordion, Dave Snively on drums and Dr. Soriano on drums and the keyboard. The singing is led by Dan Curry. The rest of the group sings loud, though not necessarily well!
      Everything they do is an adventure. Why? "It's like climbing Mount Everest, because it's there!"
      We should all be so fortunate as to have such strong, long-lasting friendships.
      It's hunting season again‹be careful out there!

Ernie Hawkins performs on Friday, November 3, at 7:30 p.m

Blues and Plaid color the Opera House this month
Barbara Elliot
Contributing Writer
      The Pocahontas County Opera House in Marlinton wraps up the fall season with acclaimed blues guitarist Ernie Hawkins and a nostalgic musical comedy about a heavenly singing group called "The Plaids."