AUTHOR SUNDAY – Deer season starts in November – I now hunt the Bear Creek land in memories

The Roads Home

by

Randal Champion

The Bear Creek Clubhouse was about two miles from my home in Tuscaloosa County.  Deer season started in mid November and closed January 31st.  The limit was one buck per day.  Our hunting area was eight miles south.  Drive on down Bear Creek Road and turn right into the Cal Prude Road.   Topping the hill you reach the ruins of the Prude home place.  A large walnut tree stood close by, reaching out to support the sagging house.  In 1963, John Parker and I picked up sackfulls of walnuts.  Now I have a huge tree and walnut saplings all over my property.

 Prude family home in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama 1911 – The house was built in 1822, and as of the 1930s it had never been remodeled. James Oscar Prude was born in the house in 1856. (Alabama Department of Archives and History)

Recent rains make a waterfall

Turn right when you reach Indian Creek Road.  Continue to the Indian Creek Bridge.  It was a wooden bridge that never saw the sun in spring and summer. The hard wood trees shook hands over the bridge.  It was a nice shadow tunnel for fifty yards and on each side of the bridge.  In summer, I would stop and listen. The creek bed was filled with grasses and rushes.  The water had a hard time pushing through on it way to Big Sandy Creek.  Recent rains made it sound like a waterfall.

Travel through brush and briar thickets

Go about two miles west on the Indian Creek Road and turn left at the first house on the left.  This was the Zach Hewitt home place.  This road was the Big Sandy Road.  You travel by brush and briar thickets that want to get personal with the sides of your vehicle.  Out side rear view mirrors have fallen victim to these thieves.  You travel through longleaf pines that tower above the road, a nice spot in the fall.  Huge longleaf pine cones lie on the pine straw.  The cones were used for Christmas decorations.  The longleafs end and a buried pipeline crosses the road.  Cross the pipeline and drop into low gear.  The road increases its winding and enjoys dropping at a precipitous rate.  High banks overtop the road.  Wild plum thickets grow on these banks, overhanging the road.  Don’t get too slow-the plum thickets will grab at you.

The road soon bottoms out and becomes very sandy and soft – don’t slow down.  To the east is the juncture of Indian Creek and Big Sandy Creek.  I went to this point once with my uncles and we lucked out on a bream bed.  It was sit on the bank, spit in the creek and pull out a fish.

Continue to Big Sandy Bridge

The road continues to the Big Sandy Bridge.  This wooden bridge was about thirty yards long.  A loud rumble sang out as you crossed.  Pull over after you cross.  A fishing trail runs along Big Sandy bank.  I was walking that trail on one sunny afternoon.  Something out in the front made three huge leaps and was in the creek.  I had to stop and put my heart back in my chest.  It was a big green bullfrawg (sic).

Drive up the hill and our entrance gate is on the right.  Unlock the gate and you have arrived at the Bear Creek Hunting lands.  I eagerly anticipated Saturday mornings during deer season.  Rain or shine, we hit the woods.  I saw very few bucks, but hope sprang eternal.

The road much taken no longer exists.  Someone destroyed the Big Sandy Bridge and it was never replaced.

Now our land was reached by going through the Talladega National Forest – a much longer trip.  In short, you couldn’t get there from here.  I purchased land in Fayette County.  This land plus hunting leases became the Bambi Hunt Club.

I now hunt the Bear Creek land in memories.

Chinaberries and Other Memories of Alabama by Jean Butterworth