Post by Woody Williams on Feb 27, 2006 9:06:06 GMT -5
Huntin' dogs are his stock in trade
By GARRET MATHEWS Courier & Press staff writer 464-7527 or gmathews@evansville.net
February 27, 2006
GARRETT MATHEWS / Courier & Press
Clayton McDowell "trades out" most of his dogs every two weeks.
WEST SALEM, Ill. - You know the weather is bad. It's Saturday afternoon and Clayton McDowell's trade shed is closed.
"The wind 'bout knocked me sideways," the 83-year-old Edwards County man says from his living room chair.
McDowell has been buying and trading hunting dogs for more than a half-century. Several dozen canines yelp from their pens in the back yard.
"Most of them aren't keepers," he explains. "They get traded out about every two weeks."
As a younger man, McDowell raced standardbred horses in New York and Chicago, maintaining a crew of 11 to look after the stock.
Later, he got in the oil business, drilling more than 100 wells.
"Had some good ones. Ninety barrels an hour. A lot of people trusted me to find the holes. They invested thousands of dollars on my word alone."
McDowell eventually sold his interests in the oilfields.
Now it's just dogs.
"I trade all the time," he says, tapping his hearing aid. "Sometimes straight up. Sometimes four or five for a car. I even swapped one for a donkey."
Folks come from as far away as Michigan for a session in the trade shed.
"No haggling," McDowell says. "They go with what I tell them."
J. R. Merrick, Clayton's 22-year-old grandson, helps train the dogs.
It's usually two at a time as per the master's orders. Coon dogs to the woods. Bird dogs to the field.
"The trading and selling is mostly older people," Merrick says. "That's why I think it'll die out one of these days. Kids are too busy with their computers to care about a bunch of dogs."
Merrick, a former rodeo cowboy, has a construction job that often takes him away from Edwards County.
"Grandpa's a tough old buzzard. You'll see him out here carrying big buckets of water and feed. He says it keeps him young."
The wind, peppered with sleet, hits like a hammer. Most of the dogs are content to stay in their cubbyholes.
Merrick shows off the trade shed on the edge of the property. The 60-year-old building is filled with dog collars, leashes and cigar leavings.
"That's where all the lies are told," he says, smiling.
His boots sink in the muck.
"The day a bird dog can't be traded is the day Grandpa will die."
Steve Ahlfield, 56, of West Salem has swapped dogs with Clayton McDowell "for a lot of years.
"I got a black cur from him just the other day. Usually we trade even up. You don't need to look the dog over much when you deal with Clayton. He's real good about telling you what he knows."
Ahlfield, an oil driller, owns nine coon dogs.
"I'll drive by his place and if the light in the trade shed is on, I'll come in. Clayton's no dummy. He can tell you all you want to know about dogs. Especially cures.
"I don't think I've ever seen somebody thrive on something like that man and his dogs."
Clayton McDowell is asked if he's ever been cheated on a deal.
"Yeah. Bought this race horse for $35,000. Didn't turn out good at all."
His face brightens.
"But never with dogs. I'm gonna get a new bunch in the next few days. It's like a cycle. Time to start the next one."
www.courierpress.com/ecp/news/article/0,1626,ECP_734_4499243,00.html
By GARRET MATHEWS Courier & Press staff writer 464-7527 or gmathews@evansville.net
February 27, 2006
GARRETT MATHEWS / Courier & Press
Clayton McDowell "trades out" most of his dogs every two weeks.
WEST SALEM, Ill. - You know the weather is bad. It's Saturday afternoon and Clayton McDowell's trade shed is closed.
"The wind 'bout knocked me sideways," the 83-year-old Edwards County man says from his living room chair.
McDowell has been buying and trading hunting dogs for more than a half-century. Several dozen canines yelp from their pens in the back yard.
"Most of them aren't keepers," he explains. "They get traded out about every two weeks."
As a younger man, McDowell raced standardbred horses in New York and Chicago, maintaining a crew of 11 to look after the stock.
Later, he got in the oil business, drilling more than 100 wells.
"Had some good ones. Ninety barrels an hour. A lot of people trusted me to find the holes. They invested thousands of dollars on my word alone."
McDowell eventually sold his interests in the oilfields.
Now it's just dogs.
"I trade all the time," he says, tapping his hearing aid. "Sometimes straight up. Sometimes four or five for a car. I even swapped one for a donkey."
Folks come from as far away as Michigan for a session in the trade shed.
"No haggling," McDowell says. "They go with what I tell them."
J. R. Merrick, Clayton's 22-year-old grandson, helps train the dogs.
It's usually two at a time as per the master's orders. Coon dogs to the woods. Bird dogs to the field.
"The trading and selling is mostly older people," Merrick says. "That's why I think it'll die out one of these days. Kids are too busy with their computers to care about a bunch of dogs."
Merrick, a former rodeo cowboy, has a construction job that often takes him away from Edwards County.
"Grandpa's a tough old buzzard. You'll see him out here carrying big buckets of water and feed. He says it keeps him young."
The wind, peppered with sleet, hits like a hammer. Most of the dogs are content to stay in their cubbyholes.
Merrick shows off the trade shed on the edge of the property. The 60-year-old building is filled with dog collars, leashes and cigar leavings.
"That's where all the lies are told," he says, smiling.
His boots sink in the muck.
"The day a bird dog can't be traded is the day Grandpa will die."
Steve Ahlfield, 56, of West Salem has swapped dogs with Clayton McDowell "for a lot of years.
"I got a black cur from him just the other day. Usually we trade even up. You don't need to look the dog over much when you deal with Clayton. He's real good about telling you what he knows."
Ahlfield, an oil driller, owns nine coon dogs.
"I'll drive by his place and if the light in the trade shed is on, I'll come in. Clayton's no dummy. He can tell you all you want to know about dogs. Especially cures.
"I don't think I've ever seen somebody thrive on something like that man and his dogs."
Clayton McDowell is asked if he's ever been cheated on a deal.
"Yeah. Bought this race horse for $35,000. Didn't turn out good at all."
His face brightens.
"But never with dogs. I'm gonna get a new bunch in the next few days. It's like a cycle. Time to start the next one."
www.courierpress.com/ecp/news/article/0,1626,ECP_734_4499243,00.html
