Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1884-11-13
5ales aud sketthes.
Fox Hunting in Earnest.
THE HABITS OF THE BEAST AND THE
TRICKS OF HIS CAPToRs.

most SHffsfs- -fnl 0UutEI lUAtS III
ion is William Kelsey of Avoca- When
the skins of foxes commanded high price
in the market. a few years ago, these AMI
mails were hunted and trapped for profit.
and hundreds were shipped TO market dur
ing the months in which the fur was yaiu-
able. Then il was that Kelsey Distinguish
ed himself by daily bringing in from three
To ten foxes. while other famed hunters
and trappers frequently returned from the
chase empty-handed. Kelsey would per-
init no one to hunt in his company or go
: with him when setting his traps. He ac-
cumulated tair fortune by MS success
in getting skins His brother hunters
were extremely jealous OF his success.
Some OF them believed that he was pos
sessed OF a secret by which ne charmed
foxes TO his traps and within range and
reach of his gun.
THERE'S more ways than one to get
the best Of fox said Kelsey recently.
..you want to be observant of their nature,
in the first place, In the second place.
YOU want to be Just as sly and cunning as
thew are. When | used to hunt foxes for
profit. don't mind saying now, | had
three favorite WAYS of killing them. When
was bow. | was hunting a fox with a
IDulu. iuIlU1 tue tilhst tut iVuuu "Chi
lame in one OF his legs. He was a blood
ed dog and full of game and kept right
on after the fox. But he ran slower, OF
course. It wasn't long before noticed a
difference in that fox's running. He actu
ally seemed to take delIghtin not attempt
ing to elude the dog by cunning, but in
keeping Just tar enough ahead to be In
SIGHT and hearing of him. as il to tantal
e it.fnn Lodi
after having his little fun with the lame
dog. at last TO summon his cunning
to his aid and get out Of the way to
place of safety. After noticing the I'M
mistakaDle behaviour OF the fox, was easy
tor me to get position where shot at
him was certain, whereas ii the dog had
been able bodied, the fox would have
been twisting and turning in all sorts of
ways miles away, and at last, probably,
would have succeeded in getting away. |
tried this lame hound another day. He
started fox. which. as soon as he saw
the dog was lame, adopted the same tao
ties as the other one had. That settled it
, in my mind, that if a fox only felt certain
of eventually getting safe hiding place,
, being chased by "A hound was Just as much
fun for him as it was for the hunter, and
+ he would enjoy it Just as long as he felt
inclined to- / have hunted foxes with a
hound disabled in one leg. ever since, and
, never found one fox yet that woudn t
take things most tantllzingly easy with
, the dog, and never failed to get every fox
| started, unless my gun went back on me.
II found also that foxes were inordin-
, ately fond of field mice. There were some
? places where field mice were quite plenty.
, but as general thing they were scarce.
, SO trapped num5er of them and went
to breeding them They were very prolific
, and | soon had wide extent of country
stocked with mice. | selected old fields
on the edge of the woods or brush lots.
The foxes were not long in finding out
where the mice were thickest They gem
orally came to feed on them just between
sunset and dark, when the mice were out
: in force, squeaking and playing about.
You could hear them squeak about the
fields plainly, and | noticed that a fox
a would enter a field and listen for the
5 noise As soon as he heard a mouse
, squeak. he would steal up as only a fox
i can. and that mouse was his. Hidden
J behind a convenient bush. it was no
I trouble for me to gather in. sometimes
three or four foxes in an evening. Watch
= ing the foxes in the fields answering the
squeal of a mouse, concluded | could
improve on my plan of hunting. made
q whistle that | could blow on and exactly
initiate the noise made by a field mouse. BY
, this could call fox toward me if the
o mice were not near me. and so | got a
. great many shots that | otherwise would
4 not have had. And. of course every time
b | had shot it meant another fox added to
d my list. The whistle not only drew foxes
T. to me that were in the field. but It brought
n them into the field. for a fox can hear a
u mouse's squeal for a long distance.
fused to have great sport hunting
foxes in another way, peculiarly my own.
=, My observations of the habit of foxes led
4 to the discovery that early in the fall and
f winter mornings they sought wood lots
: where fire had been through. and where
. many charred stumps and trunks of trees
Q were standing. | have seen as many as
: ten foxes in group in a lot of this kind.
c but thew generally were seen trotting leis-
k urly along among the blackened stumps.
u stopping now and then to look cautiously
, about never could find out why foxes
+ sought this place, but | never failed to
find at least one in any lot ! visited.
! noticed another popularity about foxes
when l studied them among these burned
trees. A fox would trot along for proba-
), bly, zen rods, when suddenly he would
i give little kick or twitch with one hind
leg. stop, and invariably turn his head and
. look back over his shoulder. observed
e that at different times in different foxes,
e and concluded that it was natural charac-
teristic of the species. | determined to
I make this little piece of knowledge result
: in adding to my list of successes in fox
? hunting. Although saw so many foxes
! in burned wood lots. it was seldom that
. could get shot at any of them. as they
! were so cautious. and to get within shoot
" ing distance was impossible. The shots
. did get were the the result of accident. 4
\ fox now and then coming toward where |
n hid. So hit upon plan that would be
II systematic and, | thought, successful IN
:. capturing foxes. | dressed in black
n clothes from head to foot and blackened
4 my face and hands. There was nothing
e to be seen about me but black. When
n took my position one morning among the
t blaekened stumps and trunks of burned
: wood lot, looked enough like them to
deceive the sharpest eve With my CUR
ready, | stood motionless Presently
: saw fox trotting along in the opposite
4. n