Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1876-03-15
OId.time Hunters and their Game.
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almost unbroken forest stretched from the
Connecticut to Lake Champlain--quite I'M
broken, save where the axes Of the widely
scattered settlers Of the New Hampshire
Grants had let the sunlight down to the
virgin soil; to the times when game so
swarmed throughout this region that the
extinction which has befallen some species,
and the scarcity Of all kinds which prevails,
seemed as little to be apprehended as the
drying up Of the ocean therefore have
taken for my subject, "The Game and the
Hunters of the Olden Time"
That this valley Of the Champain must
have been the perfection Of hunting grounds,
its character is proof enough, even if We had
not had our old men to tell MS what their
eyes had beheld. The dense forests Of its
lowlands were the home of the moose, aud
in the margins Of such sluggish waters as
Dead Creek, Little Otter, and the lower
reaches of Lewis Creek, he loved TO wade
and feed upon the lily-pads and sedges. In
Vulnerable deer were in highland and low
lNiAf NllN hfIA A'Wli NNtlrNARihllk AHt.il
immense range by their natural enemies. the
wolf aud the panther. The black bear ranged
the woods and all the fur-bearing animals
common to this latitude-the otter beaver
lynx, fisher, fox, marten, mink and muskrat
were to be found here, each in his haunt
Traces of beavers work are yet seen in many
places, and so numerous were otter here that
their name was given in three languages
10 two Of our streams Wonakakatuk, /"
Riviere An Loutre and "Otter Creek, 4"
as Abenaki, Frenchmen and Englishmen in
turn christened them. All the waters teemed
with waterfowl; aud the woods with rufled
grouse, Canada grouse and pigeons, aud per-
haps, in places, with the wild turkey; for
within the memory of living men few
stragglers remained in the widest Businesses
Of southern Vermont Whether the quail
was here then, or was a later conner, do not
know Perhaps he, like the woodcock, affects
the borders Of civilization, rather than the
great wilderness in which, believe, the last
named bird is never found
Every mountain brook held all the trout
noble salmon came up from the sea to the
Missisquoi, the Lamoille, the Winoosk and
TO Lewis Creek. The last stream was SO
famous for its fishing in aboriginal times
that the Indians knew it as Sngdlneeiuk-
"The Fishing Place" It's probable that
lake trout were plenty in Lake Champlain, as
individuals are occasionally taken in it now
and there was no end of the coarser kinds OF
fish in it and its tributaries. Chanplain, in
his account of his expedition up the lake,
says there were in it " a large abundance OF
fish Of divers species"
Because this region was so desirable a
hunting ground, it was a bone of contention
between the great Indian nations, the lr
quois and the Abenakis, held first by one
then by the other, and never long at tim,
by either, though last by the Abenakis, 10y
whose names are still known some of tn,
streams which water their beloved JPduJdHa
kee, " the White Land" Mdsseepski, the
Place of Arrow Heads" they called Missis
| quot Bay; the river-1 SSdsdtdqudkc, Thu
Backward Running Stream ! Ipmo0ski-iuk
the River of the Onion Land" Sungdhnee
tux, "the Fishing Place :" IVondkdldtd
"the Otter River" they called Little Otte
and Great Otter; Peconkhik, the Crooke,
River"
The first white explorers were probabl.
the hunters, the pioneers of civilization
The rife preceded the axes Returning t.
the old settlements from their hunting AM
trapping or from their service as scouts 70
the English and Colonial armies--for whicl
the knowledge Of woodcraft gained in thei
forest life had so well fitted them-their &C
counts of the fertile lands of this valley in
duced the actual settlers to come As such
came Allen, Warren, Baker, and all thos
heroic defenders of the New IIampshir
Grants, whose names and memory are dea
to every true Nermonter.
Every settler was in some sort hunter
if not from Unborn love of sport, from nece'
sity. The scanty larder must be replenishe
by game to be had for the killing, the graf
fields and the small hocks and herds mus
be protected from the wild beasts Owe
every log cabin fireplace hung ready at han
the hintlock rifle or long smooth bore, Q
brass banded Queens arm, that had don
good service in the French and Indian war
and was perhaps to do better at Ticond'
roga, lIubbardton or Bennington; and in Tia
use of such arms as he possessed, every ma
was expert Small chance Of life had tn
bear, wolf or panther, the stately moose o
fleet-footed deer, on whom the old Gree
Mountain boy "winked and held out hi
iron = as little the prowlng Indian or BIRTHS
soldier. Their valiant deeds as soldiers al
infinitely recorded in history, but of thei
exploits as hunters the records are meagr
and We can get but little of value to us ii
we come down to the times of which me
now living have recollection.
Even so lately as when the Blue House
was the only frame house in Ferrisburgl
we do not know who were the mighty hun
ers, but little later on, the loyels, living i
this same Blue House." were famous hun
ers, and so were the Champlins, Tunis Va
Vliet, Uncle Bill " Williams, and other
The Loyels were trappers too, and the
, father used to say that the payment of hi
debts depended on Tins luck up the Ea.
Slang" have heard old men tell of hea
ing the wild music OF the Loyels' hounds o
Shellhouse mountain, and how they use
TO " hole foxes in an inaccessible den mes
the Notch. The foxes then had a trick {
running into hollow log or a hole, after
very short chase, and that when the hound
were slower in pursuit than those commonl
used now. am told that this is the case mo-
in the Adirondacks and the great woods
st. Lawrence county, and seems to be
, habit peculiar to foxes in densely woode
countries.
Uncle Bill Williams told me that i
had killed sixty foxes in one season, and job
Thorp, ST., told me that once, when huntin
, with him, " Uncle Bill rejoined him aft,
a short absence, bearing in his belt the Skin
OF three foxes which he had chopped out
hollow log in which they had taken refug
from his dogs.
, The last Otter killed in our waters WI
l.. / Il 4 1. =. \ 4