John's Journal...
Entry
66, Day 4
Information
about Dollarhide
EDITOR'S NOTE: Larry Collins acts as camp manager
of Dollarhide, a traditional hunting camp in central Alabama near the
Mississippi line since 1888.
Question: What celebrities have hunted down here?
Answer: Popular members have included Jo Surrell, a member of the
Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown, Hart Weslick, the first All-American
from the University of Alabama and president of Dollarhide for over 40
years and Paul Bernum from Birmingham, coach of Tuscaloosa High and the
University of Alabama. Rig Stevenson played baseball with the Chicago
Cubs, Hank Chris coached at the University of Alabama, and Jeff Coleman
earned the title of best alumni from the University of Alabama. Some of
our guests have also included Johnny Vault from Ole Miss, Zib Newman,
and Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. Governor Patterson and Congressman Paul
Harris have hunted at Dollarhide, and we've invited Governor Seigelman.
Question: What does Dollarhide mean to you personally?
Answer: Dollarhide is my life. I grew up here. I don't know what I
would do if I had to leave here. Dollarhide has been my life since I was
6 years old. At the age of 13, I became a son of a member. I always come
home to Dollarhide.
Question:
What do you think about the way that deer hunting has changed in Alabama
-- away from the old dog-hunting method and now stalk hunting?
Answer: I think that hunters can combine these methods. A lot of people
blame the problem on landowners who don't want dogs on their places. But,
I believe that rifle hunters and dog hunters have a feud going on because
they're worried about the dogs interfering with the rifles. I can understand
this feud, but here at Dollarhide, we do both. We hunt deer with rifles
and dogs. I don't understand the real gripe. Understanding and accepting
both methods of hunting is essential, or we're going to break our hunting
tradition totally within the state of Alabama and the nation. Hunters
have to live with each other. Dog hunters have to co-exist with stalk
hunters and vice-versa. Sometimes dogs get in the way of a rifle, but
very seldom does that happen. At Dollarhide, we let our people know when
we plan to dog hunt. Actually, when they know we plan to dog hunt, they'll
line up with their rifles and help us take game that's gotten through
our lines of standards. If you like to hunt by the rules of the game,
you can co-exist with everyone.
Question: How long do you think that dog hunting
can last at Dollarhide and in the state of Alabama?
Answer: Hopefully it will last from now on. But I don't think that
dog hunting will last long. Hopefully, dog lobbyists and people like us
can keep the dog tradition alive. A lot of people have something against
our tradition.
Question:
So, you fight for the tradition of hunting more than the actual kill?
Answer: That's exactly right. The fellowship, the camp and the dogs
have become a tradition at Dollarhide. We don't take many deer with dogs
anyway. Deer have a better chance to get away from a dog than they do
from a rifle.
Question: Do you think taking a deer with a dog
rather than a rifle is more of a sporting challenge?
Answer: It's more of a challenge and involves just plain luck. If
a deer comes by you, you take a shot. If not, you go in and talk about
the day of hunting deer.
Question: What about your duck hunting?
Answer: Alabama has water everywhere, but we still plan for ducks
every year, even though they are limited. Now Alabama has the Tennessee-Tombigbee
Waterway, Pickensville Waterway, Demopolis Lake, and dams backing water
through the timber, which all attract the ducks we hope to get.
Question:
What about turkey?
Answer: We didn't have too many turkeys prior to 1958 when they restocked
turkey twice. In 1961, our population grew. Dollarhide hunters average
around 12 to 15 turkeys, but we lack turkey hunters.
Tomorrow: Dollarhide's President
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