Hunting with Ronnie Van Zant, Allen Collins, and Gary Rossington

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Hollyjx4 was asking if Allen ever went fishing. Here is a hunting story. On one of our hunting trips, Gary and Allen went with us to a place out in Middleburg. We were hunting for squirrels and weren't having much luck so we all got back in the car to rest and get something to eat. We went back into the woods a couple of hours later. Ronnie, Gary, and Allen stayed together; I went another way. I was about fifty feet away from them when Ronnie fired a shot over my head into the trees and scared me to death. I said, "I'll get you for that." After about an hour or so I heard them hollering through the woods saying, "Let's go home Gene. We're ready to go. We'll be at the car." They didn't know I wasn't far away. I gave them about five minutes and then I started out. I saw them walking down the road side by side, so I crept up to them like an indian. When I got within about fifty feet of them, I hid in the bushes so they couldn't see me. They were laughing, having a good time, and not expecting anything. I had twelve bullets in my automatic rifle and I started shooting the bushes and trees all around them. Ronnie and Gary hit the ground and Allen started running. It didn't take long before my gun was empty and I came out laughing my guts out because they were screaming and hollering, "Hey, there's people out here, stop shooting." I said, "Get up from there and let's go home. Ya'lI just made my day." Allen was still running and Ronnie and Gary were so mad I thought they were going to shot me. They were scared and shaking like limbs in a hurricane. Every time I think about that I can't help laughing. Those kind of days will be with me until Iam dead and gone. Remembering days like that makes my life more livable today.

Thanks, Gene
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