The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1885-12-25
B0UNTIES FOR WILDCATS,
HUNTING THE WILD BEASTS IN
PENNSYLVANIA FORESTS.
Great Increase of CntamOuntS AMI
FoNeS Tie Ways of Wildcats
Fighting One Another.

Great increase OF CntnmOunts anu
FoNeS Tie Ways of Wildcats
Fighting One Another.
Under the new game law of Pennsyl-
vania large bounty is authorized to be
paid for the killing of wildcats and
foxes. Theso animals, says recent Po-
como letter to the New York Sun, have
increased greatly within the past few
years in the backwoods of the State, but
wolves have entirely disappeared. The
annual loss sustained by farmers by the
onslaught of catamounts and foxes on
,heepfolds and poultry yards has been so
great that the placing of a premium on
;he death of these animals, by the re Gu
ictment of substantially the same law
which protected tho farmers in the early
lays of the backwoods settlements, but
which was repealed as unnecessary years
ago, became necessity, and hunters and
;rappers are now paying especial atten-
lion to the killing of foxes and cata-
mounts.
The general impression that the cata-
mount, or wildcat, is aggressive III its
nature, except upon the small game and
! domestic animals which it seeks for
food, is an entirely erroneous one. The
catamount is so shy and quick in its
movements that one is rarely seen by
hunters. Coon hunters frequently en-
counter wildcat that has been freed by
the dogs, but they may roam the woods
Tor weeks without seeing one en- any
other occasion except by accident, or by
Turing the animal into ambush by bait
ing for him. But while habitually keep
ing itself out of the way Of human be-
ings, and only approaching their haunts
when pressed by hunger, catamount
wounded and brought to bay is some
thing that the brayest hunter fears, for
then it will fight with fierceness sur
passed only by its fcrocious and blood
thirsty cousin, the panther There are
cases on record even in this region where
hunters have attacked wounded cata-
mount and given their lives as forfeit
for their rashness. Few dogs care to
try conclusions with catamount, and no
! dog will enter the second time into
contest with one Catamonnts
rarely attack larger wild game than a
rabbit, but they will quickly thin out a
sheepfold. They have been known to
spring upon deer when made savage
and bold by hunger, and they
will lurk on the outskirts of lum-
Der and hunting camps watching
an opportunity to carry off such game or
meat as is frequently left exposed in the
absence of the campers. Catamounts will
follow in the trail of hunters, and if a
deer is killed and hung up during the
day they pounce upon the carcass as soon
as the hunters are out of sight After
making meal they will drag the rem
nants of the carcass to some secluded
spot and bury it for some future feast. A
carcass of any kind placed in the woods
will call to the spot every catamount in
the neighborhood. This well known
characteristic of the animal is taken adj
vantage Of by trappers, who set their
about the carcass, and rarely fail in
gathering il one or more catamounts.
One wildcat trapper has captured
thirteen very large ones in this way
during the past week, in the neigh
borhood Of the High Knob, in Pike
county.
The meeting of two or more cata.
mounts at the same dead body of an
animal in the woods is always the signal
for frequent and fierce contests between
them during the meal. While eating
they keep up n constant snar!ing and
growing, and if one of them tears but q
morsel which another one covets the
latter proceeds at once to secure it fol
himself if he can. The cries of two
battling wildcats are blood-curdling and
may be heard for mile or more.
Breaking in upon the stiffness of mid
night in the wilderness, these sounds are
anything but conducive to the repose Of
a party that may be camping within
hearing distance of the fight, especial )
if the sounds of the combat are heard
for the first time.
The other day Ed Quick, the pioneer
hunter of the Knob region, was wit
ness to fight of this kind between two
big catamounts. He was hiding behinC
tree "laying for wildcats to come tC
the dead body of a sheep he had placed
in the woods to draw them together
The animals both appeared on the scene
at one time. The hunter was not fifty
feet away. The snarling and growing
began at once over the carcass, and sud
denly one of the catamounts sprang upoI
the other. The battle waged fiercel,
from the start, and both animals seemed
determined to make it one to the death
The hunter watched the fight for tel
minutes, and then ended it with a rill,
ball. At a moment when both animal
were clnched closely together Quicl
fired. The bullet entered the back o
one catamount's head, crashed through
its brain, and, coming out at its nostril
buried itself in the other ones brain
killing both animals at a shot
In the old days of paying bounties fol
wildcat scalps, the trapper produced hi
scalps before justice of the peace, mad
affidavit that he had captured tn
animals, mad received certificate t.
that effect. lie retained the scalps, ant
it is told of many an old trappe
that one lot of scalps served to secur
him bounties from the county ever
year for many years, or until long us
wore them out. In the days of wolves
no hunter who had the interest of him
self and his fellows at heart would xii
nanny wolf, which WAS a she vol
with young. Their litters were Away
large, and they kept the stock of scalp
replenished. n traprer who could ira
She wolf and her litter vas consijere,
lucky man, for he raised the youn