7. A Good Summer

The snow tires on his truck made a familiar and comforting sound as they rolled over the dry pavement as the young elk hunter headed up the mountain pass.
He hadn't had time to change to his set of summer tires and knew that the coarse traction tires would work well where he was going. The gunnery sargent's call had come the day after he finshed his final exams for spring term. He had quickly accepted the old Marine's invitation to spend the summer on his ranch. He knew there would be plenty of work to do but also plenty of time for varmint hunting.

He had carefully cased up his 6mmBR rifle and the old M70 the night before and was up until midnight loading up various loads for the M70 using his uncle's notes. He was ready for anything from sage rats to coyotes and was planning out his strategies for hunting the vast alfalfa fields and the sage brush flats.
Tbe hundreds of miles melted away and he almost missed the turnoff to the gunney's gravel road due to his daydreaming. The anticipation of the summer's fun was tempered by his thoughts of his first trip up this long gravel lane last fall.
He would forever remember the unspoken strong bond among all those folks who had come to pay their last respects to his uncle.

His mood lifted when he saw the old sargent standing on the porch with two mugs of steaming coffee and a warm grin on his leathered face. He had the feeling deep down that he was coming home even though he had only been here a few times before. The warm cup felt good in his hands since it was still nippy up here high in the mountains. He stood on the porch looking out over the vast fields and pastures as the old Marine explained the layout of lower reaches of the ranch.
He knew it was going to be a good summer and a welcome break from his studies.

The next morning came early and was announced by the smell of the fresh coffee brewing on the wood stove. He slipped into his coveralls and wandered out from the side room. The Gunney was grinning at him from over the rim of his mug as he said "Its after 0600 hours and you are burning daylight Kid!". Fetching a mug from a shelf above the sink he poured himself a mug of the thick, dark coffee. Settling down in a worn chair by the kitchen table he asked the Gunney what was on the agenda for the morning. The Gunney's reply was "Tending the stock, killing sage rats, and fence mending."

Feeding the cattle and the riding stock was pleasurable work. The smells of the dry alfalfa hay filled the air in the barn and mixed with all the other smells of manure, wood, and tack. The horses wouldn't leave until they had been grained with oats. They had been spoiled by the Gunney. Now it was time to head out to the circular alfalfa fields watered by pivots. The sage rats loved those fields and could wreck havoc if not controlled.

The Gunney parked the old truck in the center of the nearest field by the pivot.
He then got out his M16 and set it to 3 round bursts while the young elk hunter attached a bipod to his 6mmBr and unrolled his shooting mat. The next hour could best be described as controlled mayhem. The Gunney took the tactical approach and concentrated on groups of sage rats and runners while the young elk hunter took out any sage rat dumb enough to stand upright. The Gunney returned his M16 to its case and gathered up all the empty magazines. Standing by the truck he watched as the young elk hunter methodically took out sage rats hiding in the sage brush at the outer edge of the circular field. There were no misses. Each Nosler 55 grain 6mm bullet impacted the sage rats in the lower belly and sent them flying. After confirming over 50 consecutive kills the Gunney asked if he could try the 6mmBr. Afer getting into position on the mat and listening to the young elk hunters instructions about the one ounce trigger pull the Gunney hesitantly took out twelve sage rats. He then laid out thirty of the 6mmBR shells on the mat and proceeded to make thirty more sage rats go airborne.

Standing up the gunney offered his hand to the young elk hunter and at that point a strong bond was established between the two. The young elk hunter knew that he had passed an important threshold of acceptance. On the way back they shared many stories of friends and military experiences. When they stopped to repair a section of fence the chatter stopped and they concentrated on the work until completion.
Back at the gate keeper's cabin the young elk hunter offered to go in and start the coffee. The Gunney headed to the barn to do some chores and the young elk hunter entered the cabin. He couldn't help but notice that he felt really at home inside the cabin. When the coffee had boiled long enough he broke up an egg shell and put it into the big blue porcelean pot to settle the grounds to the bottom.

Hearing the Gunney's footsteps on the porch he poured a full mug of coffee for him and walked towards the door with it. Upon opening the door the Gunney saw the offered coffee and accepted it. A grin formed on the Gunney's old face and the young elk hunter realized that he had made a friend for life.

The summer was filled with work and fun. The Gunney often watched quietly as the young elk hunter took the old M70 out and shot coyotes at remarkable distances. Each shot was carefully but quickly done with an unerring degree of precision. Evenings were spent out in the barn at the Gunney's reloading bench inside the shop. The young elk hunter had brought his uncle's set of 30-06 dies and used the Redding Competition neck sizer and bullet seater to carefully assemble ammunition for the M70 and then use a similiar set for the 6mmBr. As summer came to an end the two seldom needed to communicate with words except to chat about some adventure. Even the people in the nearby town had begun to call them "the old man and the Kid." The one local restaurant made an addition to their menu - "Gunney coffee".

As the Kid was loading up his truck for the trip over the mountains and back to graduate school the Gunney came out with a large manilla envelope in his hand and a contented look on his face. They exchanged the usual pleasantries and remarks about how good the summer had been. Then the Gunney said "Well I have one more task to do for your uncle. His last letter to me asked me to find out if you were going to be a good man.
That is what this summer has been about. It is clear to me that you measure up. So last week when I went into town I had the lawyer complete the paper work that will fulfill your uncle's last request. As you know my cabin is called the gate keeper's cabin. This is because that is exacly what I have been here. This ranch has always been your uncle's and I have been the gate keeper for him. The ranch is now yours."

With that the Gunney handed the manila envelope to the surprised young elk hunter and fished a ring of keys from his pocket and put them in the Kid's hand.
The Kid was speechless and was then even more surprised when the Gunney fished out another key ring from his other pocket and said "Here's my set of keys. I will move into town later today. Enjoy your ranch."

Swiftly and with a firmness that surprised even the Gunney, the Kid pushed the second set of keys back to the Gunney and said "The Hell you will! You ARE the gate keeper here and will ALWAYS be the gate keeper. This is OUR ranch. Consider that a direct order that I will not rescind! Are we clear on that Gunnery Sargent??!!!"

The old Gunnery sargent stood looking at the young elk hunter who was standing firmly in front of him with a look of absolute determination on his face. He flashed back many years and saw instead an image of the old elk hunter who he had said something very similiar once. He knew there was no wavering in the Kid's decision and replied quietly "Yes Sir." and then added "I will expect you back in time for elk season. How about a cup of coffee before you get on the road?