Knock Him Out John

I woke up this morning chuckling over remembering one of many funny tales our own Mississippi legend left us with, the late great Jerry Clower. 

Fondly called the 'Mouth of Mississippi', he was a trip! 

Born and raised in Liberty MS he became a legend in his own time with a lifelong career at making all of us laugh with his country woven tales. 

Most don't know Jerry was somewhat of a WW2 hero serving 2 years in the Navy in the closing days of the engagement and awarded two bronze stars. 

But what made him famous was his unique way of making us laugh with his stand-up country drawl comedy. 

And the signature of them all was his 'Knock Him Out John.' 

I watched it again this morning for the umpteenth dozen times on YouTube just before preparing this article. 

The tale has a fictitious young John climbing up a tree in a night coon hunt that the coon dogs had bayed. 

The object here is supposedly a coon that is high up on a limb that needs knocking out so the dogs can finish him off. 

The tale really gets funny when a young volunteer named John shinnies up the tree to punch the coon out to the ground but is met unaware by a ferocious bobcat. 

You all know the rest of the story, "knock him out John...." 

We lost Jerry in 1991 at age 71, but his tales live on. 

And many of his funny tales involve coon hunting and the main reason for this article. 

Coon hunting is a longtime fixture here in the Magnolia State. 

My excursions out at night with coon dogs were few but I had a brother-in-law, the late Preston T. Dillon a longtime road supervisor in Walthall County, who coon hunted for years fervently. 

As for me I have gotten a little weak in my old age and will pass on these night hunts though a few of my younger hunting friends still hunt the coon. 

Once you’ve dipped your feet in the sport of coon hunting, you may be looking for more ways to showcase your dog.  

Many hunters turn to competition hunts.  

Competitions allow hunters to showcase their dogs by competing against other dogs in a regulated official heat. 

These competitive hunts are endorsed by the Professional Kennel Club and the United Kennel Club. 

The members of each group are lined up and the dogs are released at the same time.  

The participants will listen closely for their dogs.  

Because no two dogs sound alike, it’s easy for the owner to recognize his dog’s bark.  

Once the owner hears his dog pick up the scent, he must yell ‘Strike’.  

The judges will award points to the first dog that strikes. 

Points are also given if the hunters dog bays first and even more point awarded if an actual coon is found in the tree. 

No coon is killed in the competition events. 

With turkey season winding down and nothing else to pursue unless you are into wild hog hunting, alligator and frog hunting you and I are left with coon hunting and a few other not so popular wild critters until dove season opens this late summer. 

Here is the official law on night hunting put out by the MDW: 

Raccoon, fox, opossum, beaver, nutria, coyotes, and bobcats may be legally hunted at night, with or without the use of a light and with dogs, except during the spring turkey season. 

Quote end quote. 
 

Trapping is still popular here in the Deep South but of course the best pelts are produced by Mother Nature in colder weather so the regulations on trapping coons and their counterparts will not reopen until Nov.1 and run through Mar. 15. 

When it comes to table fare, despite what you might think, raccoon tastes pretty good when cleaned and cooked properly, or so I am told. 

Those who eat it regularly say it is like dark-meat chicken or turkey, though it is greasier and more tender than either. 

I've always been a picky eater so most likely I won't be finding out. 

So, there you have it my friend, the ends and outs of the famous masked bandit of the wild, the raccoon. 

Knock him out John! 

God bless you and God bless America.