The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1879-09-25
Deer. Huntlng In the AdirOndacks.
A CORRESPONDENT of the Sprinrfie


(Mass.) Republican thus describes u
g AT seven the hunters are off. Three
or four dogs are started on as many
trails by the hunters, who often take
long tramps through the thick woods
for that purpose. Generally, however,
it takes only few minutes to find
track, and the dog starts, baying as he
goes at irregular intervals on the trail
made, perhaps, the night before. He
wanders about uncertainty for time,
as the deer has fed, and then goes off
straight and quickly out of hearing be-
hind some wooded hill The hunter
knows then that the deer has left off
feeding, that the dog has not reused
him as yet, but that he is probably ly-
ing at rest after his nights travel. So
the hunter uses his ears instead of his
eyes; he listens for the lost sounds.
The air is full of murm,rs; now he
thinks he hears the dog, but it is only some
great fly buzzing rods away. An hour
is gone; the ear is tired of its straining,
and he scans the bay. 1t may be the
deer has come to water; it often does
before the dog is heard. He looks
along the border of the lake, where the
leaning cedars make dark zone; many
an Impractical eye has missed the
game in that deep shadow. He sees
some floating object far down the lake.
at which he strains his eyes: it is Il
loon that laughs at him and dives and
floats away. The lily pads rise from
the water with the breeze and cheat
him into another long debate between
the sense and reason. Another hour is
gone and eye as well as ear is tired.
Blueberries or raspberries are thick
about him, and he picks them and gives
an occasional glance about the lake. A
crash comes across the lake from the
hill to startle the strained senses; it is
some great tree falling in the woods
that jars the earth, shocks the air,
and makes the waters lap the
pebbles on the beach. In the
hush that follows the faintest baying Of
the hound is heard, far off but quite
distinct. Echo makes plaything Of
the sound, throwing it from hill to hill,
giving it to you first from one point,
then from another, cheating you all the
time. You spend two whole hours in
listening to that sound, and then it dies
down again, and your guide concludes
the deer has gone to water in some dis
tant lake. And then you push off your
boat for start homeward, when all at
once on the hillside, close to the place
where the dog first took the trail, he
breaks out again, loud and urgent,
barking, yelping, bowling in one con-
tinuous stream of noise. He has the
deer ahead of him this time, sure
enough.
"Now everything is excitement;
there is no fatigue in eyes or ears.
Round the hill they go, deer and dog,
up the lake shore toward the head.
will he go in there?' we ask. No
replied the guide, we never watch that
place. Back they come. right toward
our watching place. will he come
imp we ask. Not yet is the reply.
The chase turns and goes rapidly up a
brook bed toward High Pond; another
turn and back they come, this time
through a swamp. We can feel the
perplexity of the dog as the marshy soil
defeats his scent and breaks his baying
into infrequent and impatient bowls.
The swamp is passed, and as the chase
leads off in straight line parallel with
the shore our guide fairly shouts, That
deer is ours. there he goes straight for
Great Forked and right into b. $ hands,
We wait minutes that seem hours.
why doesn't he shoot? the deer is in
the bay long before this;' and b. s. rifle
cracks two miles away; and the hunt is
up. Five hours of steady watching
give US deer. It is the story of rep
resentative hunt, which might have
been varied in score of ways and
ended in defeat at last"