Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1872-10-26
Field Sports in Season.

October, with its glowing skies
and bracing air-Octobcr, tho glo-
ry Of the America year, is upon us.
"Thrice happy time;
Best portion of the various years, in which
Nature rojoicc,h, smiling on her works,
Lovely, to full perfection wrought"
Now begins the srortsman's car
nival. In the South, the land of
the Cavaliers, the fox hunter, rs he
fingers in the moonlight, dreamily
inhaling the aroma of pipe or ci-
gar preparatory to bed, hears from
tho hill side tho bark of the cub
fox, challenging his young dogs to
merry run through the wood
lands; forthwith he prepares to
open the campaign with hound and
horn additional care is given TO
the grooming and diet of the good
horse which is to bear him in the
"first fight of tho hunts to come |;
the hounds, which, during the long,
hot simmer, had bccn suffered to
lounge neglected like useless loaf
crs about tho premises, are now
looked after, regularly fed and
brought into condition (; for in a few
weeks moro they will have TO meas
urc their pluck and speed and bot
tom against the red fox, an animal
moro cmincntly endowed with
these qualities than any other, "var-
mint" of our woods.
At this season, too, with all his
instincts of sclfprcservation so
keenly alive, swept away by the
crotic passion which consumes
him, the stag leaves his lair, hid
den far away in tho deep, impene-
trable rccesscs of mountain or mo-
rass, and comes boldly forth to in
hale tho bracing, frosty air. With
swollen neck and flashing eye, he
roams the forest with the proud
tread of u conqucror he rubs the
velvet from his branching antlers,
and prepares to dispute with his
rivals in deadly combat the favors
of tho timid, soft-eycd docs sole
arbitcrs of the forest tourney. Now
"still hunting" is in season the
hunter, pcrlerring n stormy or a
rainy day, sallics forth ut early
darwin with mocassined clad feet,
aud with his trusty rifle on his
shoulder, taking care to move
against the wind. Silently as the
cloud shadows he threads his way
through the forest; with watchfu'
eye he scans the depths of thickct
and break no sound, however
faint, cscupes his eager car; he ad
vances cautiously and slowly, with
footsteps falling as silently as snow
flakes upon the ground; presently
q faint noise, the breaking Of a
dead twig or the rustic of n lcal
strikes straining ear; instantly he
becomes as motionloss as the trees
which surround him, and all his
senses bCcomo prctcrnalura!lJ
acute; right in front of him, some
forty yards away, q magnificent
stag steps forth from behind a shel
toring hcmlock (; he is walking at Il
rapid space, but whistle from the
huntcr stops him; with naughty
air he throws up his antlered bead
and shifts tho wind for the taint OF
concealed enemy n sharp report
liso the crack of a whip, rcsounds
through the woods with one con
vulsive spring the lordly stag
bounds into the air, snd then fall:
dead to earth.
In the Northern States, where
there arc no equcstrains. where th'
young men prefer to. ride behint
horses and not on them, and where
hard frosts and deep snow forbit
the royal pleasures of tho chase
the lovers of the dog and gun arr
already in the field in pursuit o
the snipc and plover, which, tempt
cd by the bright October weather
tarry with US a while, in their tligh
from their arctic. breeding grounl'
in the remote North to their win
ter homo in the rice folds of th,
Carolinas, the everglades of Flori
da. and the savannahs Of Attaka
mas and Texas. But this is merely
: a prelude to the grand campaign
which opens on the 20th of Octo
ber against that gamest Of all gam'
birds, Bob White; and what fell
sport, except fox-hunting, can com
pare with quail shooting over high
strung, well-brcd and well-traine'
pointers or settlers? Exubcran
Ben Tucker, who was crack sho
when in his prime, was right whci
ho exclaimed ono day as he wa
dropping his birds right and lef
without ever a miss, ''rhis is in
decd grand sport Old Master mus
have Intended it expressly for gen
tlcmen, for the canaile can ncvc
get snch dogs and such guns as W
have"
From our numerous correspond
ents in all parts of the Union W
learn that fcathered game will b
exceptionally abundant this season
The mild, open winter and a DIR
June have been favorable TO I'll
, increase of patridgcs and ruffe
grouse, while woodstock, snipe, an
plover have already arrived in cor
siderable numbers on their tempo
rary feeding grounds around Ne
York.-Turf, Field and Fdrm.