The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1880-12-16
That Hunting Party.

FRIEND hARRIS. Iernap9 your
readers would be pleased 10 know
something of the Portage County par
ty which recently were deer hunting
in the mountains of Pennsylvania. l
will there efore furnish you a brief
statement of the facts.
On the 4,h of November, at $50 A.
M, we started for Cory via. n. Y,
Pa. & .. II. r., where we arrived at
Z. NJ. There took the z. s. f. II. II.
for Sheffield. Arrived at Sheffield at
4 L. M, where most of our party put
up for the night at the Lee House,
kept by mino host Louis Lay, where
we had the best of fare for the night.
Vair Brothers, with one or two more
OF our party, went to Lower Sheffield
and staid over night with E. Carey,
Esq, who was to be our guide, and
who expected to hunt with us.
Morning of tho 9th, Alex. Vair re.
turned to Sheffield and told us that
the drive 10 the hunting ground would
probably be bad. He brought with
him Alex. Marshall, with a very heavy
span OF horses to take us up the
mountain to the hunting ground, said
TO be twenty one miles distant. We
loaded and bound on our baggage,
weighing 1864 pounds, aud at 8 A. NJ
started. o. Allyn. S. S. Hurlbut, and
myself, were to ride. l walked to
Beeu's Z. O., two and one half miles,
then got on 10 the wagon and rode a
mile, and such a ride! Sometimes one
wheel up Two feet on rock, then it
suddenly dropped into chuck hole.
1t required active work and strong
hands to keep top of the load, so /
concluded TO foot it up the mountain.
Our team had to 60 by the way of
Brookstown, and our party could save
four miles by taking up the mountain
across o the Watson place $50 knowu)
where we arrived at 2,30 p. NJ. Here
we had to wait until 4 T.. Nj, for our
team. We saw many deer tracks here
in The road. One of our party-Wn,
lard Mshan-took his rifle and struck
out into the woods short distance,
and returned, saying he had seen q
flock OF deer going down the hillside.
He guessed there were five of them,
but it looked as though there were
five hundred. We all had a hearty
laug b, and Alex. Vair went out and
saw their tracks, and said there were
five of them. Four p. M. our team
came, and we had some eight miles
yet to make to reach our hunting
ground. We held consultations, and
decided to encamp here for the night.
Went into an old hunters camp which
was about ten feet square, got our
supper, and spent the evening cutting
hemlock boughs and preparing hunks
on which TO sleep. In this little room
eleven of US slept or staid that night.
Five A. NJ, Nov. 6, breskfasted and
started on our journey. l p. NJ, we
had made five miles and stopped near
the Cunningham place $50 knowp).
and the teamster said he could not
pull our load the balance of the way
to Mill Brook. So we here held coun.
sci, and decided to stop at an old hun.
ters' camp, one-half mile west of US.
which had been burned out year or
so before. This place we reached with
our team about 2 p. NJ, and unloaded
our baggage, paid our teams,er $40,
and he left. 1t commenced to rain,
and the winds rose, and the storm
became frightfui. We had no shelter
except some old deserted Indian wig
wame, unused for the last two years
Well, we went to work, cut logs, and
put up . large logheap, and here, amid
a bowling storm swapping and crash
ing the mighty hemloeks at our right
and at our left, to the ground, we
spent the night
Sunday morning. the 7lh, the wind
had shifted to the north, aud it COM
menced freezing. We went at once
to repairing our camp go as to have
our house in order tor the fol owing
night.
On Monday we finished our camp,
and Tuesday we divided our party
and struck out in various directions,
prospecting and running lines, and
marking trees to camp. These lines
were north, east and west. The trees
marked three nOtches toward camp,
one notch from camp. This work took
several drys.
Fred. French, who was down the
Blue Jay about three miles, killed a
fine large buck, weighing about 17j
pounds. This was the first deer and
the first pair of horns got by our par.
ty. On the following day, Orson
Collins and Hiram Hulson were out
hunting In company. John Collins
shot at large doe about forty rods
distant, running at full speed, and
killed her. This was the second ven
ison for the party.
After this the ground became dry
and frozen, and the twigs cracked aud
leaves ratified so that we had poor
lnck for several days. Finally there
came a little snow, and one day OF
good hunting; we hung up three
deer on that day. Then it turned cold,
mercury 10 deg. below zero, and poor
hunting; too noisy but James Vair,
o. Collius and my self, hunting in
company, to share equally, killed a
young buck, l following the track,
James Vair fsnking on my right and