Thomas County cat., 1886-12-02

hunters take station at Qlnerent PSiUss
of the runaway This the line on
which the game will run when
chased and the bearings of the deer
route is fully understood by old hun
ters. When snow has fallen in COM
pany of five or more, one takes the
trail and the rest station themselves q
quarter of mile apart. The one in
the wake of the trail will give hound
bark at short intervals to indicate the
direction of his approach. The deer
has peculiar way of escape in the
chase. 1t will run short distance
and then stop, raise its lithesome neck,
prick its ears and listen and then run
again. The first one in the line that
has good chance will fire. There is
no time to select any one choice spot
in the fanks of the deer to aim at
they Just fire. The deer fever is pure
excitement Just as the angler, when
he. finds an unusually large fish at his
hook, viii get excited and lose control
of himself, so it is mere. There is no
use OF any one trying to GO deer-hunt-
ing that can't keep cool. that can't
stand still, like sapling. and measure
the most exciting strides of his game
with calm calculation. The hunter
must have a strong mind and strong
nerve-;hat's the secret of expertness.
You let the game come as near as you
can but the first chance is the best,
often. I have seen deer fifteen feet
from me. 1t came out of the thickets
so suddenly that it unnerved me for
the moment, and in an instant it van
ished from before me like lightning
fash"
''Yes, have wounded a number of
deer" he replied, to question in that
line. You seldom find wounded
game on dry earth. but in the snow
you always discover them. have fol-
lowed blood trail for miles many a
time and it is really pltiful to find an
exhausted fawn hid away in the under
brush and laurel leaves, blinking with
pitiful look at you. OF course you dis
patch it at once. But to wound buck
is dangerous sport. L remember a
most thrilling adventure we had in the
fall of 1869. My comrade was await
ing the leisure approach Of an old buck
just a square or more from me. Scarce
ly had he stepped opposite TO him in
the path below, when his rifle cracked,
and the royal fellow with thud fell to
the earth. He lay there dead appar-
entity, and then the proud hunter drew
out his knife and laid his hand to the
neck to give him the last cut, the buck
the man. as if suddenly galvanized in
to new life. He reared upon his hind
legs and approached in fierce atti-
tude, all the while cutting towards us
with his fore legs. We put two ad-
ditional bullets into him before we
levelcd him. That was the time the
tomahawk came into play. 1t is al
ways the way, after killing our game
to cut out the entrails and suspend it
on tree. We frequently let it hang
there until we return from the eXpe-
dition, but oftener take it to the cabin.
''rhe heaviest deer that have shot
was Old Greeley This famous buck
was SO named because he was first dis
covered in the year when Horace
Greeley ran for the Presidency. He
roamed the Allegheny heights, the
king of all the herds. 1t was COM
mon answer by hunters when starting
out for the mountains to those curious
to know their course and object:
Going for Old Greeley The widest
stories were rife among hunters of his
size, his tleetness and of his three high
and exceedingly graceful springs when
alarmed. | was urged to come out
and kill Greeley. l was ambitious
enough to try it, and did it. One OF
our number came into the encamp-
ment late one evening very much ex-
cited, stating that he knew where to
find the much-sought-for buck. l
started out earl ly next morning to the
point designated. examined my rifle
time and time again on the way. Twas
TO Ioiter at this spot of the runway the
whole day watching and waiting
if need be. | stood in my place as
quiet as night. But Just exactly
ten minutes before nine o'clock l
heard in the near distance the barking
of little dogs. l turned, and very
soon heard 4 short quick cracking
among the twigs. Down the ridge ]
saw Mr.. Greeley coming with the
speed of a race horse. He was max
ing his course directly toward me. /
primed and stood ready. He came
dashing along with head down in line
with his body. He was before me. /
fired, hit him in the front shoulders,
and, after running seventy yards, he
fell dead to the ground. That was
proud day for me and the camp. We
had 4 grand set-out that night. and my
comrades expressed their willingness
to have lost fifty dollars rather than
that any of their neighbor hunters
should have shot old Greeley. When
we came down to Phillipsburg. and the
news was spread there that the famous
old buck had been shot great excite
ment prevailed. We fetched him
down in drag-sled, and hundreds
came to see him. Old Greeley
weighed two hundred and twenty-five
pounds, the largest and heaviest deer
shot in all that region. We shot nine
in that hunt.
The breast hunt is exciting SPORT"
he next explained. '.Ten hunters
make a good breast line. You march
through the valley one hundred yards
apart and who ever gets the first good
shot at the disturbed game will fire.
You frequently will find deer to troops