The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1886-12-16
HUNTING the oaAY SQUIRREL
An Enthusiastic Reporter Tells o. Dsys %
SPOri in tie C0nHectlost Weeds.

An Euihudasllo Reporter Tells % Dsys Of
Spon in tie C0nnsctlogt Weeds.
From TIE New York Mall AID EXPIRES.
Gray squirrel hunting ia Connect.
cut b nov at lie best. Tire fittIe red
Squirrel and his half-c0usiu, the chip
niunk, have completed their fail
work. aying Ia their winter stores Of
nuts, and have left the ield wholly 20
the grays. The leaves are gone from
the Trees, % that the hunter eau read
ny discover q ~ iirrei u it moves
sD0ut a. all among the bare brnnchts
Though The Professions" bird hunt
e., with his trained settlers aud elnbO-
rate armament, inelines b regard the
squifiei aspiebeiEn game scarce worth
the outlay Of his ammunition aud Op-
Grafton Of his skilled tactics, yet the
gray b q tidbit, properly prepared,
and It's capture Is . sport Of no mean |
order. Deep Ia the rocky Businesses
Of tie mountain forests, lying be-
Ween the NHugniuek and HOusatOnie /
Valley, are vast traces seldom or
never disturbed by the bird hunters.
Chestnut, oak anu hickory trees fur
nish abundant food for the sleek,
keenSeyed little animals which make
their homes here. Marrow, winding,
but Weltkept high ways traverse these
forests az intervals, connecting the
lerIlle valleys 30 that the hunter may
drive into the very heart Of this nat
ufai game preserve. Tie your horse
10 roadside sapling-if he IL used 10
standing INSTRUMENTATION et him
well, then plunge into the forest On
either side Of the highway and q fall
days fine shooting ls Et your disposal
Within q radius OF eighty rods from
where you nlight.
Yer, you need q dog ; not the high
ly-trained Irish setter Of the bird
hunter, such q dog would be worse
than useless by frightning the game
away without disclosing It's presence.
whistle % any mAngy, fr0Wsy cur, %
which hundreds are the common in
Inheritance OF every Connecticut
village, and the sight Of your gun
and Lrappiugs will throw him into 3
frenzy Of dOggish delight. Treat him
70 platter Of broken food from the |
hotel table ere you start out Ia the
morning, aud the cur be your sworn
ally 50 long as you remain In town. |
An ordinary breech-lOading Parker |
gun, seven pounds weight, sixty we'll |
charged paper shells In your belt and /
large-slzed maeraine game bag CON- /
plete your Indispensable OUTFIT. In |
loading your shells, use one and one /
half drachm Of DupOnt's fine sport
ting powder, and from one and one
quarter % threequarters ounces OF
No. 5 shot. Don't forget 70 take
some matches. Reach The forest In Il
the cold gray Of the morning. A hot /
breakfast-and the Yankee landlord
Wall give you a good One-a siX-mile
drive IN the crisp mountain air. The
blood tingles Ia your veins aud you
are on the Qui vive Of anticipation.
The Gun 10 Just tinging the east and
sending long carmine shafls toward
the zenith. The air is nlOtiOnless, the
stiffness is wonderful. The slightest
sound, The swapping Of q tWig or the
rustic Of q wing sounds with startling
cleArness and may be heard q long
distance. You haven't seen the dog
since YOU entered the forest. He
plunges OF into the dark shadow Of
the trees, and you begin TO think he
has sneaked 20 his warm ulAnger IN
the hotel stable, when suddenly q
sharp yelp comes echOing down
through the timber. You come up
10 the mOngrel, who is smiling about
the roots OF towering oak, running
hither aud thither, wtIgglIng all OveI,
his tall Negotiating the air vehement
~. and n crisp VOW y" ever aud
anon escaping his lips. You look
AlOlt. For half u hundred feet the
massive trunk towers upward, iIs sym
iietry uubrOken by knot or branch.
Then giant limbs, each q gOOd-sized
tree la itself, stretch out II easy an
giles 10 ali directions, afiOrding hiding
places Tor = score Of squirrels. With
gun &C full cOck you slowly move
around the back Of your head resting
between your shoulder blades and
your eyes trained 90 their utmost seru-
Tiny. Although the smallest twig is
plainly silhOuetted against the bright
ening sky, you detect no signs Of life
visible Ia all the expanse Of branch
and limb, and, n not an experienced
squirrel hunter, you begin 10 regard
your canine guide as either = wretch
ed fraud or british idiot. But hold,
what 10 that2 A peculiar sxeresence
catches your eye. tt Il on top Of one
Of the nearly horizontal limbs fully |
is feet above the ground. IL Il per-
fectly mOtionless, the color Of the
tree, and u is probably q knot. Shall
you risk q shOt2 You hesitate q
thus bringing your gun to
your shoulder. The dog, Watching
your motions, stops his demOnstra-
lions and stands rigidly expoCtant.
Bang! The old forest echoes aud re-
echOs and finally the report dies away
with 8 sulleD roar along the mountain
sides across the valley The smoke
drifts slowly awEy, and you easily
scan the object Of your densnstra-
lion. The consisting on the limb
Is gone. Whsre2 Nothing has
fallen! What Is the dog regarding % I
closely, whining impatiently? Ali
hanging head downward from a email (
lWig many feet below his former hid ,
Ing place, is Mr.. squirrel, one Of his
hind paws oluichiug the tWig In q ,
death grasp. You raise the gun 70
give him the other barrel, when down
he e0mes, dead &C your feet. The dog
Is upon Il, and gives u q vicious
shake, Is n 90 Undue you with the
Idea that he is prime factor la the
squirrels untimely demise. The sx.
DlUsiOn Of your gun hes reused the
forests and alarmed lis deniEens.
mi = aAN8lA AAAN ~ = AAAA AAa 8AAAAG
above your head, venting their dis
pleasure at your actions IN . series Of
ear-splitting shrieks, while from all
directions comes the hollow drum
ming Of the partridge and spitefll
chatter Of the chip munk. Now your
aport has begun IN right good earnest.
Barely have you pOeketed your game
aud replaced the exploded shell 10
your gun, when your dog calls you 20
another tree. You soon learn % tell .
squirrel from = knot, IL you are an
amateur, and by 10 80 O'Clock. the
chances are that you've q dOzen good.
lat squirrels IN your bag. Your Hppe-
lite strongly impels you 10 your hO-
tel. Nothing is more provocative o!
hunger than 3 morning tramp after
sQuiFrels through Connecticut forest
at this season. Your squirrels win be
eaten with wonderful relish. The hO-
tel cook understands how 10 prepare /
them, 90 as 30 remove the rank galiey
taste without imparing the delicate {
favor which snakes the grey squirrel I
the most edible Of all small game.