It probably got scared and ran back into the tree.
5 seconds sound clip from the Christmas Vacation (1989) movie soundboard.
You can hear this line at 01:21:14 in the Blu-ray version of the movie.
Quote context
[...]
- Clark, what do you need a hammer for?
- I'm gonna catch it in the coat and smack it with the hammer.
- It probably got scared and ran back into the tree.
- You just march right over there and slug that creep in the face.
- I can't just attack someone.
- All right, then. If you're not man enough to put an end to this shit, then I am.
[...]