The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1885-10-15
HUNTING THE DEER.
An Experienced Sportsman Gives u Few
Pointers of General Interest.

j. j. Williams, in the Nashville Anler-
tcGn, has been considerable, and in one
respect eminently successful. While
have never killed nor shot at a deer,
and never cared to, yet in the sport of
the chase l have perhaps had my full
share. was always with the driver.
and frequently was that important per-
sonage myself. had no taste for be-
ing stander, to be placed away in
advance, out OF hearing and almost out
of hope, and when there was only one
chance of maybe dozen to see or hear
anything of the hunt. While thus sit
uated the anxiety and suspense is in
tolerable. But with the driver and the
dogs all is animation, aud the anxiety,
though great, is exhilarating in the ex-
treIne.
First the cold-trailers of the pack are
seen shifting at the bushes. and then
they occasionally open where the scent
Is little fresher, and as they advance
1t grows warmer and the voice of the
indefatigable hound is heard more fire.
quently and with more confidence, and
soon the whole pack, with scent less
acute than their leaders, begin to open
on the trail with animation, the lung
power of the driver is stimulated, and
the hills begin to resOund and echo
back the commingled voices of dogs
and men. Every moment the scent
gets stronger and the interest more
intense in the mOmentary expectation
that the antlered denizen of the hills
will spring to his feet. This generally
happens when the dogs are close at
hand, and sometimes the driver is near
enough to get shot. When an old
buck with full head of antlers springs
from his bed before the hounds and
raises his head in proud defiance as he
sweeps his fiery glance on his pursuers,
with tail lifted on high for the chase
like q waving plume, he is the most
majestic figure that hunters eye ever
rested on. With graceful spring the
noble fellow bounds away and the chase
begins. and the exhilarating effect be-
comes uncomfortable to men, dogs, and
horses, and none seems to enjoy it
more than the buck himself, who, con-
scious of his own swiftness and powers
of endurance, has little fear of harm,
and need have none but for the fact
that the willy hunter, knowing his
characteristics, ambushes him at tho
stands, through some of which it is
reasonably believed that he will pass,
and he is thus sometimes slain. But
the writer always felt sense of relief
when he escaped unharmed from these
''bushwhackers" of the chase
Ii the reader never had this expe-
rience then he ought not to imagine
anything about it, as he cannot do the
subject justice.
When an old ''stag" has run for an
hour or two and got warmed up and
desires to free himself from his pur-
suers he turns his course TO the water,
if there be anything within reach of his
domains, aud have thought when an
old buck, not too heavy, starts for the
water that he could Outfoot any living
animal, with the exception, probably,
of the trained racehorse or the grey
hound, for short distances, and in his
native wilds, among the timber and
bushes, he would far outstrip these.
But for speed and endurance the deer
has no equal, in my opinion, unless it
be in some of its kindred species.
The habits of these animals even in
the chase vary according to circum-
stances; a female deer, or doe, that
has a fawn not large enough to make
his escape, will hide it as a domestic
COW will hide her calf, aud she will
run clear away from the place to lead
the dogs and hunters away from her
young. A stink or yearling deer will
run up and down and over the hills in
4 contrary, and, to the hunter, a very
disgusting, manner, and the hunter al
ways knows when he is after a stink.
Old deer, however, will follow the
ridges or long stretches, and if it be
buck with a full head of antlers he will
seek as far as possible the open woods,
and if they have been burned over it
is still the better for him, as there are
fewer bushes to impede him or entan-
gle his horns; and as his scent is more
rank, probably he wishes to avoid leav-
ing it on the bushes, which makes it so
much easier for the dogs to follow by
scent, and this known habit makes him
an easier victim than the fawn or stink,
which has no regular habits.
But their lcaping power is probably
more remarkable than their heetness
of foot have seen full-grown deer
in run leap, with apparent case,
ke-and-ridered fence that must have
been more than seven feet in perpen-
dicular height, and their leap is not in
q seasaw movement like a horse, but
the whole body goes over on level,
and he lights on all four of his feet,
while a horse rears on his hind feet and
raises these up as his fore feet go down
on the other side. As is well known,
these animals shed their horns $50
called) every year, generally In the
month of January or February, and
new set begins to germinate about
March, and by July or August they are
Hr,1l llxyh oh-
ditiOnal prong or spike. These are at
first covered with rough, velvety skin,
and the horns or horn is soft. But it
soon begins 10 dry and harden and the
velvet ne rubs off against bushes or
gravelly banks, and by September it is
as hard as bone, when Richard is him.
self again" Soon after the running
season begins and their necks swell and
they become lean. At these seasons
they are sometimes belligerent, partic-
ularly if wounded or brought to bay.
and then, with his hair rolled forward
by the moving of his skin and g leam-
ing eye sparkling with defiance, he is
formidable antagonist with his horns
and feet, which he manipulates in a
very energetic and persevering man
ner.
| 1ncS6 animals, at al carry udy. "eTe
| successfully hunted without dogs. But
tho most destructive way is to track
them in the snow which, after it has
fallen for a few days, freezes over with
a crust of ice. Iu running over this
their hoofs break through, and the
sharp edges of the ice soon so far dis
able them that they become an easy
prey to the hunters bullet When
caught very young they are easily pet
ted, and 1 have heard it said that when
they are lost from their mother they
will follow a man if they happen to see
him. But would advise the reader
not to put too much confidence in all
he hears about hunting, as hunters, like
fishermen, are not oversensitiye on
questions of veracity.
The deer is not as long winded ami
NAL as the fox, and perhaps from -four
to six hours continuous running is as
long as a deer could hold his speed,
while am sure haYe known Reynard
to run twelve hours before he went tc
his den; but the deer is immensely his
superior in feetness.