Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1821-05-28
GREAT HusrIse Asp SHARP SHOOTING.
jefferson N. Y. My 4.


10 fonnd hat will bear comparison, unoei
similar circumstances. with the foiio"'ns'
Tn. hunting was done from single camp.
and on ground contiguous 10 An OLD se'''eo
,,uo,rv. The hunters suffered great 'ncon'
,s,;snee from erowding upon each Other
and had they not possessed skill OF the high
-, order. and been animated by the most
so,bu,ias,ic zeal, their success must nave
been very limited. =,
Abou, the middle Of November last,
s.,.c, eompauy. consisting Of Mr. ElDan
Sexton, Jun. Capt. n. Hodskn, and MI d.
Parker. Of Chenango county. and lieut. n.
Simons, Of Chetaugbque county eneanPeo
- ~. woods. about twelve miles east from
Lowille, for the purpose of hunting ; they
we're Joined early in December by MT. E.
G Potter, and occasionally visited by Dr.
s Guthrie, who however hunted but h'tle'
both of jefferson county. The company
Iss, the wood, the last OF December, having
killed one hundred and ninety Deer one
Panther. one Eagle, besides large number
of o,hs, animals. The FIVE first named hum
,.,. killed in eighteen days, la4 deer one
,an,b.r. | eagle, ! fisher, Is martin, ana
.bot one volt through the body.
The number Of deer respectively K'iieo
bveach OF these Eve hunters, were nearly
sonal. Mr. Sexton, however, had The great
e., number, whilst Mr.. Potter killed
Greater number than any one else, after he
coined The party The number OF deer kill
sd on each hunting DAY was from six TO
thirteen.
For the precision Of shooting in this excur-
sion, probably a parallel, cannot De found
Their shots were invariably fatal. DIR. Pot
,ey. made thirty two shot. in the whole, IN
Gliding four shots made at deer upon the
run. and killed 2S.
The following example Of the ardor with
which this little band devoted themselves 10
the chase, may not be undressing.
Panther made his appearance near
c,mu about the last of November The
party had no dogs, but they determined up
on a chase. la shor, time he was started.
bu, alter a rapid pursuit through swamps
and wipdialis. for twelve hours, it was found
impossible to bring hun to battle, and ne
escaped.
The track of Panther had been seen IN
The wilderness, east OF B.;ayer river lake, in
The September preceding, and it was decl-
ded that this panther must be hunted up,
aud bro'l into camp. On an extreme cold
morning in December, Messrs. Sexton and
Simon. with two dogs, started tor this OBJ
iec'; they travelled IN north eastern direc-
ton about IA miles, when they fortunately
found a track, but the panther had been
gore a or 5 days. They bad made no pre-
paration 10 lay out, and had taken no nou-
ri,hment with them; the snow was OF consi-
dsrable depth, AMI the travelling laborIous;
they had already made great exertions, and
had travelled as far as person could well
20 III these woods in day. ami were, most
probab bly,, FIVE days behind the object Of pur-
suit; to lay out, from the extreme cold OF
the day. would have been dangerous, ID it
N as impossible TO say where the track might
lead them. But they came so Kali a panther,
and they determined to execute tne'r pur-
pose; they started upon the track, and alter
a number of hours Of almost incredible ex-
srt,on, they found by IFS appearance that
they had nearly overaken him the dogs
were suffered to 20, aud in lew seconds
they had the satisfaction Of knowing that
they were up with him; after chase of a
bout 100 rods be assembled tree and took
his station upon limb 80 feet from the
ground; our hunters advanced within rods
of the tree, when Mr.. Simons fired and shot |
him through the heart, which brought him, |
alter some most violent struggling, dead 10
the ground. In the pursuit, two places were |
found where be had made furious efforts t. |
catch deer, but had Jailed in both instances;
be bad, however. killed one just before be
was started. II was now sun doSn, and our
hunters had to return to camp, days jour
osy, and drag panther OF nearly 100 lbs
weight, most of the way through trackless
wilderness; a task, which in the course Of
he nigh, they accomplished. one OF them
having been severely frost bitten, and both
nearly exhausted.
The latter part Of the time the camp ex
z, Interesting spectacle; the