Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1878-01-23
HUNTING IN THE SNOW.
A Man who has Killed One Thousand
Deer. The Death Of Greeley.
-.u., ~, I;ttshnru Peat

HUNTING IN THE SNOW. !
a Wan who has Killed One Thousand {
Deer The Death Of Greeley.
From the Pittsburg Post 4.
One of the principal deer slayers in
Pennsylvania is Andrew Stiner, of
Myerstown, Lebanon county. For
nearly forty years Stiner has camped out
in the Allegheny mountains during the
season for killing the deer, and many
are the stories he car relate of his ex-
citing chase or patient watch in the still
ness of the woods, miles away from
human habitation. In the early times
Stiner's uncle settled in the neighbor-
hood of Bennington furnace, now on the
line of the Pennsylvania railroad, between
Altoona and the big tunnel, and it was
while visiting the old uncle that Andrew
got u fondness for deer hunting which
in his after years was his only amuse-
ment.
For the last twenty years StiDer's
stalking ground has been in the head
waters off the Big and Black Moshanon,
in Centre and Clearfeld counties. His
companions have been, for many sea-
sons, three men of that neighborhood,
who are familiar with all the spurs and
creeks of the mountain region. Jacob
Test, John Funk and William Ream
have camped out with Stiner every sea
son since 1856. Ream lives at Osceola,
Clearfield county, and Test and Funk
near Tyone. These men mark the cross
ings of the deer through the summer,
his retreats and feeding grounds. They
put up a cabin near these places, and
prepare the hunks and cooking arrange
ments. Then Stiner is sent for. He
comes with the ammunition, blankets,
gum boots, and such other articles as
are essential to a lumberman's life, for
his three friends are loggers by occupa-
ton, and their annual hunt is not the
sole occupation of their lives. They
take out a supply of provisions, and,
with well-filled straw hunks in a dry
shanty, plenty of robes and blankets
and a good stove, they fix themselves
nicely. For several years their cabin
has been sixteen miles from Phillipsburg
toward the Snow-shoe mountain. Last
year Stiner brought back with him from
that locality to Eyestown an express car
load of venison.
Ream has himself killed over one
thousand deer, and it is said that Jacob
Test and Funk are not far behind him.
Last year an immense seven-pronged
buck bafiied every attempt to bring him
down. 1t became a regular saying that
they were going out to kill Greeley. for
such they called this unusually large deer.
Stlner and Ream got after him. There
was a light sift'of upon the ground,
Just enough to trace the blood-drops of a
wounded buck or doe, and they started
early to the crossings.
These men, from long experience be-
!, came very familiar with the habits and
haunts of the deer, and know the par.
ticular kinds of weather in which they
seek til h.ll-tops, or when they go down
into the gorges of the mountain. Fully
!. three days before a heavy snowstorm the
, deer all quit the mountainous and seek
; the laurel swamps for food and shelter
until the storm is over. After it ha:
, passed, if the weather gets colder, they
, leave the swamps and take to the ridge.
: Of the mountain. Their sense of smell
; and of hearing is very acute. They must
; be approached against the wind; the
8 hunter must face the blast in his travels
; after dee, or he never will as much a.
! get sight cf one. The deer cannot get
any distance, and on rainy days, wher
the leaves are wet, you may often ap
proach within a few yards or them with
D out being observed. Indeed, this Stinel
: party have, on damp days, when thu
. leaves are SO wet that the sound of every
r footstep would be deadened, approached
within twenty feet of the largest buck!
a before they took the alarm, which il
those cases was of short duration. Fol
d the aim of the trusty rifle was as true a
:, its fire was deadly.
K The day that Stiner and Ream sho
g the big seven pronged buck Greeley, the,
had started for him early. Late in tn,
afternoon, as Stiner was standing watcl
d at one of the deer crossings, he saw
r Greeley coming full tilt toward him
h Stiner and Ream were close together OF
Black Bear run, and distant atout tel
l. miles from their cabin. Stiner gave hin
a a shot but the deer increased his spec
d and leaped the creek, which at tina
place was 20 feet wide, at one bound
Ream hearing the sound of Stiner's riff
came up, only to be told that he ha
,f missed Greeley, but upon examinatio
of the ground it was discovered tina
h Greeley had been wounded, and it W.
as determined that Ream, who could ru
all day like a hound, should follow u
the trail. He had not gone twenty stel
when he came across the big buck, whic
10 had been pierced through the heart.
70 was eight years old and weighed q
pounds when dressed.
Iv These old deer hunters have a gree
= aversion to the big fox hound in chasir
es deer. Nearly all the old hunters use Il
at half hound dog. These dogs cannot RI
a deer more than two hours, and serve
signals when the deer have been foun
lie The deer are said to be on the increase
In the mountains of Pennsylvania this yea