Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1881-04-23
STORIES OF PANTHER HUNTING.
Adventures of Old Hunters Up in
Ulster A Bears Fight with n
Panther.

Adventures of Old Hunters Up in
Ulster A Bears Fight with a
Panther.
"No, there are no more panthers in
the Sullivan or Ulster forests of New
York, said an octogenerian hunter and
trapper of that region. "Once in q
while report comes to the settlements
that panther has been seen lurking
around in the woods, but on investiga-
ton the cause of the alarm never turns
out to be anything more than big wild
cat, or maybe, once in a while, Canada
lynx.
Panther hunting was a fayorite
pastime fifty years ago in this county.
l shot panther on the headwaters OF
the Neversink when was twelve years
old. We used to have dogs trained on
purpose to hunt this game. 1t was hard
to get dog with pluck enough for the
sport. A man who had good panther
dog was the envy, sometimes, of the
whole region. They were scarce, and a
good one would be in demand from all
parts of the country. Sam Darbee, who
lived in Rockland, had dog sixty years
ago that was the best one for panthers
ever in the county. He wouldn't hunt
any thing else. He got killed in funny
way. Darbee had fox trap set in his
barnyard. 1t was covered with chaff
One night he heard panther yelling in
piece of woods, on the edge of which
his dog house was built. He got up,
took his gun and dog, and went out to
kill the animal, which he knew was
prowling around after calf or sheep.
He had hardly stepped out of his door
when he saw the panther bounding to-
ward his barnyard. He fired and hit it
just as it leaped over the log enclosure.
MAZE, the dog, followed the panther into
the yard and pounced upon it. The
dog was well posted in the tactics of
these animals, but he had scarcely COM
menced the fight when he stuck both
fore feet in the fox trap. The trap
closed on him, and before Darbee had
arrived on the scene the panther had
torn MAZE to pieces. A second shot
killed the panther. But Darbee never
got over the way his dog fell victim to
its foe, and never set another fox trap in
his life.
"There were some famous panther
hunters in Sullivan county in those
days. Besides Darbee there were the
Overtons, Peter Stewart, Cyrus Dodge,
Nelson Crocker and many others. Peter
Stewart is still alive, | believe, and must
be getting along toward ninety years of
age He lives in Rockland, where he
was born. The narrative of his adven-
lures would make a book. / suppose
that Cyrus Dodge killed more pantheIs
on one single hunt than any other
hunter that ever lived. He killed seven
in less than one hour. He was hunting
one day i'll the spring of 1918, and when
in the neighborhood of Long Pond dis
covered panther's den. 1t had two
kittens in it, the old FATHERS being away
on foraging expedition. Hetook both
the young ones and started home with
them, placing them inside of his hunting
shirt. He hadn't gone far before he
heard the mother yelling behind him.
He knew he was in for q fight, and
placed himself in position to do his
best. Pretty soon the panther came
tearing along through the woods. When
she caught sight of Dodge she bounded
to within thirty feet of him and crouched
for spring. He shot her, but did not
kill her. Her cries were terrible, and
Dodge knew that in short time any
other panthers there might be in the
vicinity would soon hasten to the scene.
She was disabled, and another shot put
an end to her. Then Dodge made for
the pond, which was half a mile or so
away. Cries from all sides told him
that he was not yet through with his
work. By the time he reached the pond
he could hear panthers leaping through
the branches of the trees. A panther
will not enter water. Dodge waded out
as far as he could and prepared for bust
ness. Within gunshot of him he dis
covered five large panthers in the trees.
He killed one at the first fire. The loud
mewing of the kittens under his shirt
could evidently be heard by the old
panthers, for none of them left the spot
at the sound of the gun. They bounded
frantically in the branches, and two of
them rushed to the waters edge and
shrieked and dashed their tails III fury.
Dodge shot both of these, and killed the
other two, and two more that REINFORCED
them, without leaving his tracks in the
pond. The skin of the largest of these
panthers is still preserved by the fam
lily. Dodge took the kittens home, but
as they grew they became so savage that
they had to be killed"