The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1886-12-16
The Cruise of the Belfast Deer Hunters.

The Cruise of the Belfast Deer Hunters.
NO.3.
The inhabitants of Mt. Desert island are decided
ly opposed to the visits of sportsmen from abroad.
The people about North East Harbor found much
fault with Capt. Manchester for letting us occupy
his camp on Hadlock Pond. They claim that the
deer ought to be for the natives and not for "fur-
riners," as they termed party. The feeling
against lis was so great that many absurd and eX-
aggerated stories in circulation. Before Sat
urday night it was known that we had killed two
deer that morning. 1t was currently reported that
the ''furriners'' at Hadlock Pond were logging
deer in violation of the game laws of Maine. On
Monday two men came to camp and were courte-
ousy invited inside by Page whose cook day it
was. One inquired what luck we were having,
how many there were in the party, and concluded
by asking Page how the dogs worked and where
they were Page replied that the dogs worked
well and that they were on the mountain. He sup
posed the man was in a humorous vein and ans
wered him in the same jocosc manner. The man
then announced himself as a game warden. He
said we had been reported to him as using dogs,
and that he had up to investigate the matter.
the party and soon convinced the warden that we
were honest sportsmen and not lawless poachers.
The people here, as in many other sections, are
not entirely in harmony with the game laws. They
do not use dogs, but will kill deer after January
first, and many saddle of venison is slyly backed
home in the night time.
The Monday and Tuesday hunts were fruitess.
The snow of Saturday had entirely disappeared
~ L,,I +l,n 20;
men. Deer are too keen of scent to be surprised
by the hunter roaming the forest, and if you come
across one it is by accident The element of chance
enters too largely into the hunt make it interest
ing for the amateur. There may be a mode of still
hunting which is successful, but the Belfast club is
not acquainted with it. Deer feed early in the
morning and after sunrise seek the sunny side
of the mountains and lie down where they remain
until nightfall In the time of full moon they feed
at night. deer has the most AGATE sense of hear
ing, seeing and smelling. They can scent man
long distance. An old hunter says "l on can't get
a deer to run with the wind when chased. 1t is a
most remarkable instinct of the animal-t will al
ways run against the wind Itwants to smell what
is ahead of it, Tuesday we were visited by a
character, Seth Babbidge of Somesvile, said to be
the
BEST HUNTER ON THE ISLAND;
a man who has killed more deer than any person
who lives Mount Desert. A hunter who thor
oughly understands the habits of the deer; who
knows their whereabouts, and who is almost dead
sure of killing deer every time he Nnters the
woods. His personal appearance as he presented
himself at the door of the cabin was most striking
and reminded one of the typical hunter in the dime
novel literature of the day. Seth is about 81 years
of age, of medium height, and dead shot with a
rife. lie has lost one foot the leg having been am
putated below the knee In its place is a wooden
peg, the lower portion of which terminates in
small point. In his left hand he carried a cane to
assist the wooden member, which was an inch or
two shorter than the other leg. Scotch cap was
pulled down over his head, eathern belt girded
in flannel blouse, while in his right hand he held
an Evans rifle. One would think that handicapped
he was in his lower limbs and with cane he
would be Il poor subject to scale the mountain
heights of Mt Desert. But if you were obliged to
follow him in a tramp after deer you would soon
disabuse your mind of that idea Seth would send
that wooden peg in advance and with sweep of
the cane, used like the staff of an Alpine hunter
would bound from rock to rock with 1eetness
that started the perspiration from the Commodore
mountain one morning.
The Commodore arranged with Seth to remain
all night at the camp and give us the benefit Of his
experience in hunt on Wednesday. Seth said he
did not care to sell his services but if he remained
he would go with for the fun of the chase
Seth was iaduced to remain The next day he was
to take the company to the
SOUTH WEST VALLEY
which he thought afforded the best place to find
deer. The South West valley leads from Somes
Sound to Eagle lake, through which there is an
excellent logging road. We made an early start
In fact the party were on the top of the mountain,
1200 feet above the sea, before the rose. Early
as it was there We're evidences that the deer had
started still earlier. The Valley was four or five
miles from camp and reached early in the
the forenoon. Seth was to hunt by the process
known as driving and marshaliea his men accord
ingly Al but two were stationed in the logging
road at well known shooting places Page and the
writer to do the driving. We entered the
woods half mile below the shooters and proceed
ed towards them, making as much noise al possible
The object was to scare up deer if he was i'll that
vicinity. In running away from the drivers the
deer would he sure to cross the logging road in
gun shot of the hunters stationed there The drive
proved fruitless. Dr.. johnson and Mr.. Wilson
then entered the woods on the upper side to drive
that section. The Commodore and Seth were close
together when suddenly noise was heard.
THERE COMES A DEER"
said Seth as both men stepped into the road. The
next instant the head of buck protruded from
the forest, when the sharp crack of Seth's rifle
startled the hunters. This followed by three
more shots fired in rapid succession and the buck
laid dead not thirty feet away. The buck
three years Old and weighed about $50 pounds. All
hands assembled about the carcass as Seth dis
emboweled him.
eve will give Seth S. for his days work. said
the Commodore to his companions. "That will be
liberal" said all hands When Page who was
delegated to make the negotiations with Seth made
the tender, the latter smiled and shook his head.
"No," said he 81 killed the deer and she is mine.
The carcass is worth IS to me- Seth claimed
that the animal came from the lower side of the
road, that he was stray deer and his presence
was not the result of our driving. The company
took a different view. We thought we had hired
Seth, that his services We're ours, that
hunting in company, that we had beaten the bush
and Seth had baggcd the game Finally Seth said
we could have the deer for 81. Feeling that we
had not been treated fairly we refused to negotiate
further and started for camp. We parted
company with Seth and never saw him again. The
buck was left in the woods and we presume was
taken away by Seth. BY this time rain began to
fall and the party sought the camp by the way of
the town road. We reached camp early in the
afternoon a wet weary, hungry and Disguised
the afternoon and the boys remained in camp dis
cussing the events of the day. The unanimous
verdict was 1--WE have been swindled."
Sheep Raising and Deer Hunting in Wyoming
Mr.. Richard T. Rankin went from Winterport to
the flrW We Il al Pas