The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1884-01-18
HUNTING DEER.
NeC York Sun.

NeCYerk Sun.
"They prohibit hunting deer with hounds
see, in the hunting regions of the East, .
said Wagner Ketchum, of Astoria, who has
returned home after . twenty years. absence
In the far West. 81 suppose that is because
the persistence Of dogs in following the game
to the death tends to the more rapid depict
ing of our woods. But suppose pack Of
Apache Indians should be turned loose in
any of your hunting fields. A dozen of them
would hound more deer to destruction In
one month than all the dogs in the State
could In five years.
aWhen an Apache hunter goes out for q
hunt he dispenses with even the scant attire
he assumes in his ordinary daily walk in
life. He needs no dog, for his quick eye de-
tects the trail of deer as readily as the
hounds does. On the trail, he follows 1t as
silently as a shadow, for he knows that he
will soon come In sight Of the game, either
feeding or lying at rest among the bushes.
When he sights the deer he steals to within
safe gunshot. II the deer's head Is turned
away from the hunter, the latter, first taking
aim, shufiles his feet on the ground. If the
deer is lying down 1t springs to its feet at
the sound, and wheels around, facing the
direction from which the sound came. If it
is standing, IL turns around quickly. The
Apache hunter is always desirous Of killing
deer by shooting 1t as nearly in the center
of the forehead as he can. So, when the
deer turns toward him, he fires at that spot,
His aim is rarely at fault, but sometimes the
deer is quicker to discover the cause of its
alarm than the hunter is TO Gre, and turns
for safety in fight. An Apache's gun, also,
not infrequently misses FIRE, and the deer
fees on the wings of the wind. To permit
deer to escape after 1t is once discovered Is
something that no Apache hunter is expected
to do, and it is against their code to fire the
second time. The hunter, falling TO kill his
deer at the first attempt, must run it down,
aud II Is very rare that be fails in this chase.
As the deer starts away in its flight, leaping
from twenty to thiIty feet at time, the In
dian drops his gun, and, with hideous ye lis,
starts in pursuit. The deer at first leaves
the hunter far behind, putting forth its great
est efforts to that end. But its trail Is as
plain to the Indian as a turnpike road is to
white man, and he follows it. As is its ma
sound of threatening danger, it stops and
waits for developments. The sight of the
pursuing hunter starts it on its way again.
Every halt of this kind t. lis against the deer,
for it is not of sufficient length to give it any
beneficial rest, and at every new start it is
sitter and less active. The Indian never
halts. There are runners among the Apaches
who can run for twenty four hours without
q stop, and can make their five miles every
hour of the time. After the deer has run for
two'sr9t three hours its thirst prompts 1t TO
make for the nearest water. This the relent-
less hunter knows to be inevitable, and when
The deer reaches that stage of the chase the
Indian considers the victory won. There is
no hope for the deer after IL stops TO drink,
for it takes ints its parched stomach all It
,an. Having laden itself with this weight of
water, the deer is unable to take long leaps,
and cannot extend its run between halts
more than half the former distance. The
Indians tongue may hang swollen and white
rom his mouth, and his mouth be as dry as
lust, and his stomach burning up with heat,
put he never stops to drink. He scoops a
handful of water from the stream as he
iashes across it and carries it to his mouth,
where he holds II moment and elects 1t
without taking swallow. If he is obliged
% swim, he lets the water lun into his
mouth, but keeps 1t from his stomach.
"After running an hour or so, after the
deer has quenched its thirst, the Indian |
knows IL is time to find some evidences of |
he animals weakening. These he Is sure |
% find along the trail in the shape of blood |
'pots on some rock where the deer has tum-
'led on its knees, or patch of hair clinging
o some sharp projection, showing that the
ieer's strength has failed so that it cannot |
urn quickly out Of the way of obstacles.
Vow the Indian increases his speed. He
,nows that the deer's race is run. In time
le overtakes the deer, which is now Looping
eebly along. A yell startles 1t into no-
nentary burst Of speed. Then, as II appre.
iating the fact that it were useless to pro.
ong the race, 1t stops and turns with all the
e6ance Its exhausted nature can assume,
nd awaits the approach of the hunter.
however, the deer runs until It
rops dead or dying in Its tracks. If 1t turns
pom the Indian, the latter keeps right on at
ull speed. He knows the deer can do him
70 harm, its inclination to the contrary not
He seizes 1t boldly, throws Il
0 the ground with ease, and cuts Its throat.
Without moments delay, whether the deer
J dead or dying, the Indian cuts from behind
be foreshoulder large piece of meat. He
ucks the warm blood from 1t and devours
be morsel, keeping constantly on the move.
the carcass of the deer Is not too heavy he
hrows 1t acrsss his shoulders and stats i'm
for home. He does not rest q
,oment, for fear of becoming too stiff to
,ake the return trip. If the deer Is too
eavy for him to carry, he cuts out the
hoicest parts, hides the remainder In Sc
ure place, and brings In the former. In
bis case another member of the tribe Is Sc.
'cted to take his back track on the arrival
the hunter In camp, and bring In the veni-
IN left behind.
"If deer is young an Apache hunter will
IN 1t down within distance Of sixty miles.
ut they have been known to prolong chase
n 100 miles. The course taken is always
evious and clrcuitous, and may end within
mile or SO of the starting place."
Native Pork VS.. Foreign Wine.