The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1886-04-29
Pioneer Life No. 8.
BY DAVIS MACKLEY.

| have spoken about the multitude
of squirrels when the country was
first settled. The pioneers had all the
squirrels they wanted, and they were
much used as food. The heads were
the most valuable part. The brain
was large, and the skull thin. The
ears were cut off close to the head,
the eyes were taken out, and when
cooked the skull was broken and the
brain taken out. 1t was excellent eat
ing.
The skins Of squirrels. when tanned
made very fine leather, and for shoes
was superior to the finest calf skin.
Rabbits were plenty, but they were
not generally used for food. They
are now regarded as most excellent
food; but there was prejudice
against them because they always had
feas on them. The skin was very
tender, and was easily torn off in
pieces, by taking the fur between the
thumb and finger and giving it a jerk,
piece of the skin could be plucked
off.
Pheasants were plenty. [ have
often been amused at the dudes de-
scribing the drumming of pheasants.
They declare with much wisdom and
solemnity that the pheasant gets
upon log and strikes its wings upon
the log. | have killed many a.pheas-
ant while it was engaged in drum
ming When pheasant wants to
drum. it selects an old log, in a
thicket of small bushes, and strikes
its wings upon its sides rapidly three
or four times, then it commences
slowly, and gets more rapid, ending
in roar; The whole operation does
not last more than half a minute. 1t
sounds like distant thunder. There
is generally some five minutes inter
val between these drummings. On a
still day | have heard them distinctly
when a mile distant. It does not
sound as loud, when near, as when
more distant.
| have often taken my rifle and
started towards the sound. When
near, l could tell very nearly WHERE
the bird could be found. | would
then aim to pass by it. If went di
rectly towards it | could not get very
near until it would fly. When
could see it | would pass around it
and it would raise its head and remain
very quiet. No matter how mucl
noise would make in going through
the brush, SO long as l kept goins
around it. / could get as near as
wanted to get, and have my gul
ready as [ walked When | got nea
enough | stopped and fred .immedi
ately. A. quarter of a minute sto
caused the pheasant to fly.
Pheasants were good food. Th
breast was large and tender.
Quails were known as Partridge:
(Partridges.) They were very mum
erous, and in the severe winter wealth
| er came about the stable and graz
stacks in large focks. Tkey wer
caught in traps. These traps wer
sometimes the large riddle, whic
was used to sift the grain The
were raised at one side, and set o
triggers. Generally the trap wa
made of small split sticks, built like
pen, but drawn in until closed at th
top. A piece was put under the bot
tom, and one across the top, and
= rstring tied to the ends &c &c He ends G
the upper and lower cross pieces unit
the trap was thus held together
Sometimes a dozen birds would b
s caught at one haul.
Raccoons, O'Possums, ground hogs
and other wild animals were eaten
Bears, at very early day, were mucl
prized as food, but the only two bear
killed in Jackson County since m.
recollection was one killed by m,
cousin, John Mackley, near wher
Jefferson Furnace is now located, al
account of which he wrote for tn
STANDARD a few years ago, and on
wounded by William Whit. ant
killed by Robert Massie, and abou
which they had a lawsuit. Both o
these bears were killed between fft,
and sixty years ago.
Bears got very fat during the sum
mer and fall, and they hibernated dur
ing the winter; that is, they climbed
tree that had hollow in it toward
the top. They went into this hollow
and remained in half asleep condition
until Spring. They were sustained
during this long sleep from the fa
they had accumulated during the pre-
vious summer and Fall, and in tht
Spring, when they came out, they
were very lean and emaciated, and
were not fit for food.
Bears were not vicious or danger.
Gus unless they were wounded. They
destroyed many hogs. My father was
born in September, 1913, and my
mother December 13, 1775, and they
lived in Virginia until they were over
forty, and they could tell all about
wild animals in the Virginia mount
aims Bears, panthers, wolves, deer.
"a oLoundod bnro bnard mn