Charles is going hunting, and naturally Laura wanted to come along. She begged and pleaded to come. Charles said no. Laura insisted. Charles said no. Laura pleaded some more. Charles said it was up to her mother. Caroline said no. Charles insisted. Caroline said it's not proper. Charles begged. Laura begged. Caroline caved. A huntin' we will go! Even Edwards was against taking a little girl hunting as he dropped the Ingalls off. Charles convinced him. Edwards agreed. So Charles and Laura headed off down the trail, the little girl carrying a heavy pack. Turns out Mr. Edwards put a heavy stone in there for kicks. They do a little campfire bonding that night and the next day, they meet a friendly trapper named Ben Shelby and his ornery pa, Sam. Ben wanted to bring him along on his hunt, but Sam stubbornly refused. So while they bicker, Charles, Laura and their horse trudge through the woods, the elder Ingalls pointing out things to remember should they get lost, like the school-marm tree, which Laura remarks looks nothing like Miss Beadle. Kids. Then, Charles finds their first prey: a deer, but couldn't find it in his heart to kill it. However, when returning to the campsite, he made the mistake of laying his caulked rifle against a tree, and when Laura unrolled a sleeping bag, it knocked over the gun, causing it to misfire and blast Charles in the abdomen. It scared off the horse, so after Laura found it, she helped Charles onto its back. They had to get the Shelbys' cabin and fast. Unfortunately, the trip uphill was too steep, the horse lost its balance, threw Charles off and fell to its death. Charles survived the fall, miraculously, but now it was up to Laura on her own to find the Shelbys.
Laura briefly got lost, but remembered the school-marm tree and was on the right path once again. She made it to the Shelbys' cabin, where she found Sam. Turns out he's blind, but after much convincing, Laura finally managed to get him to go with her. They managed to get Charles there safe, and now all they had to do was wait for Ben to get back so he could go for the doctor. Looks like he may be away longer than expected, since he ran into Glover, an old buddy while out on the trail. By morning, Ben still wasn't back, so it was up to Laura to find Mr. Edwards, who would be coming to meet them at the same place he dropped them off. It would be a long, treacherous journey, Laura couldn't do it alone, so after much more convincing, Sam agreed to go along with her. So they head out into the woods, and only after a few hours, they get lost and the old man starts feeling sorry for himself again. Back at the cabin, Charles' wound began to bleed heavily and he tipped over his water bucket. Well, I'd say Charles is a goner. He managed to stagger out to the creek before he collapsed in it. Had he only waited a few minutes, he would have met Glover at the house, who took off to find Ben when he found an empty cabin and blood soaked sheets. Back on the trail, Laura and Sam were sure they found Morgan Creek, but alas, they were lost again. All seemed hopeless, but Sam's newfound determination refused to let him give up now, so they pressed on. Finally, they got back on the right path and sure enough, Laura saw a sight for sore eyes: Isaiah Edwards! So they fetch Dr. Canby and head back to the cabin, but Charles is gone. They spread out and searched, thankfully Edwards found him in the creek. Now they all waited and worried while the doctor operated on him back at the cabin. Laura still blamed herself for the incident, and Sam prayed for her, as well as her pa. Well, after everything he's endured, Charles Ingalls made a full recovery, and they could all head for home. As for Sam, he couldn't wait to get out there and do some trapping with his boy.
Very gripping, intense and exciting episode. Going in we're all sure Charles is going to live, but we watch and worry anyway. Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert were excellent, and Burl Ives was fantastic as Sam, who has a very nice character arc in this episode. Tough to watch in a few places, such as a dying Charles staggering out to the creek, an inflamed wound on his abdomen, it was all very well done. Well shot, well directed and well written. I definitely recommend "The Hunters", see it as well as the rest of Season 3. While not as strong as Season 2, this one's still got it where it counts. Mt favorite episodes of Season 3 are The Collection, To Live With Fear, The Music Box, Blizzard, Fred, The Bully Boys and Gold Country. My least favorites are Bunny, The Race, Quarantine and Journey in the Spring. So check it out, and if you're collecting Little House DVDs, why not add Season 3 to it?
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