The Rabbit Hunt at Zion
It’s a big* annual event in Cleveland County
and everybody lias a wonderful time at
these oeeasions with Ihe possible exception
of the rabbits.
S there any hope for u rabbit in
Zion?
Not on December 5. 1949,
there wasn't — not if you were
speaking of the Zion community
in Cleveland County where the
annual biggest rabbit hunt in the
state was in progress all day long.
Old and young, they were all
there. From seven to seventy. No;
from four to past seventy, count¬
ing little Lee Champion who was
on the spot with as big a rabbit¬
thrashing stick as any of them,
and counting Mr. W. W. Martin,
who is well over seventy.
This Zion rabbit hunt is an all¬
day eating affair also. Of course
folks go out and catch some rab¬
bits first in order to get the rabbit
stew started. That takes a couple
of hours, depending upon whether
the day is too wet. or too dry or
just right. Last Monday it was
a little dry and the stew wasn’t
ready until noon. Only fifty-five
rabbits were caught, which is a
smaller number than those brought
in on the average hunt.
Fun for Everybody
The men and dogs work together
in close cooperation, and the dogs
apparently get an even bigger kick
out of the day’s event than the
men do. Everybody spreads out
and then they start walking. It
isn’t long before a rabbit has been
surrounded, and that's the end of
him so far as any further interest
in the affairs of this world is con¬
cerned. Often a man has to be
mighty quick with his shillelagh in
order to keep little fuzzy-wuzzy
from getting away. The dogs are
usually more successful in getting
to their prey.
Eventually, when it is believed
that the rabbits have been pretty
well thinned out, everybody re¬
turns to the central meeting place
where the cooks arc waiting.
From high noon until dark, any
fellow who took a notion to stop
by Zion School Springs on the
Grady Wilson place off the Polk-
ville Road got himself a real fill
of the best rabbit stew, the best
slaw to go with it and the best
coffee that ever was boiled in a
By KB POST, JR.
washpot this side of the Promised
Land!
Let’s get down to the history
of this wholesale rabbit hounding
and threshing — no guns used, due
to the fact that there arc too many
hunters.
Some time during 1945 Jim Wil¬
son and Bob Jones, both of Shelby,
were on a transport bound from
Mindanao in the Philippines to
Japan as part of the Occupation
Force. One afternoon they were
leaning over the side of the craft,
looking out over the ocean. Sud¬
denly Jim turned to Bob and said:
"You know what I would like
to have right now?"
"No; what?"
"Л
nice old Cleveland County
rabbit stew."
Bob backed away and glared at
his buddy. "You say anything
about rabbit stew again and I’ll
murder you; so help me!" he ex¬
claimed.
Definite Plans Are Made
However, the subject came up
again on two or three other oc¬
casions and finally they decided
that it would be a splendid thing
to have a rabbit-hunting reunion
every year of the fellows from
Cleveland County who had been
in the service. They found an¬
other enthusiast in "Pop" Brackett
from the Casar community, but he
never took part in the first rabbit
hunt, which was held in 1946, be¬
cause he died of severe burns in
the hurricane that hit the lower
islands of Japan shortly after they
landed.
Jim and Bob found a fine re¬
sponse to their suggestion: every¬
body was intensely eager to par¬
ticipate.
They got together in Decem¬
ber, 1946. There were 25 hunt¬
ers present at that first hunt and
stew. Other folks found out about
it and begged to be allowed to
participate. The charter members
said: "Sure, come along: the more
the merrier."
Now there are around seventy-
five hunters, and the annual event
is rapidly taking the nature of
being a tradition: something that
has to be attended to every year.
It probably will continue as long
as there are any rabbits left in
Zion.
Jim Wilson and Bob Jones are
still the masters of the hunt. They
also are masters of the stew, and
don't for a moment minimize that
stew. At this year’s event, chefs
Wilson and Jones turned out
thirty gallons of this succulent
delicacy. There were twenty gal¬
lons of coffee, and a large family
washtub full of slaw: not to men¬
tion thirty-five loaves of store-
bought bread. And, if you'll take
it from a man who loves to eat,
there never was a finer or more
appetizing meal served anywhere.
From Far and Near
The popularity of the hunt has
increased steadily and now draws
folks from far and near. Why, this
year there was even a gentleman
present from London. England. He
was Mr. Harry Fine, and he sure
had a fine time. (No pun intended.)
"I've never been on a hunt be¬
fore in my life." he said. "Only the
nobility are able to hunt in Eng¬
land, because they own all the
game preserves."
Little Lee Champion, son of Mr.
and Mrs. Ralph Champion, also
had as grand a time as anyone
present. Despite his age of four
years, he proved to be a highly
successful hunter.
And then, on top of all this,
there's the finest sociability and
friendliness at these gatherings.
For many of the participants it’s
the only opportunity they have of
seeing one another from year to
year. They make the most of the
occasion and it is with genuine
regret that they depart for their
homes as darkness approaches.
Everybody has had a good time
except the rabbits.
A total of 2,645 North Carolin¬
ians lost their lives during World
War I and 4,128 were wounded.
THE STATE. DECEMBER 24, 1949
6
