The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-04-25

through places where IL seems marvel
Gus that animals should 90 at all, and
could not tell for q minute which
twig snap further down, raced along to where
the valley turned round shoulder of the bluff
and then again peered over into the dry water
course. For second then experienced keen
disappointment. for long distance off I saw q
yearling Whitehall break out of the brush and
canter off out of sight round bend Of the
valley. concluded that had run down the
wrong way from that in which the game had
been going. but staying still a second, / again
heard twig break beneath me, and in another
minute a white tail stole out and stood in lit
tie opening in the brush; it was evidently, from
its size, this years fawn, just out of the
spotted coat and gathered at once that there
must be third deer somewhere near,
mon thing for a doe, yearIing fawn,
and q this years fawn to be together. AS we
were in need of fresh meat, leveed on the
fswn, which stood facing me, Offering beautiful
mark. AT the report, it plunged wildly forward
few feet and turned somerset over small
bank. Immediately afterward the doe, which
had not previously seen, broke out within twenty
yards of me- / fired three shots at her with the
repeater, and with the last one hit her very far
back, injuring her hips and causing her to turn
round and run back into the brush It seems
curious thing doubtless to those who have not
tried, that man should, at twenty yards, need
three shots TO disable, and even then not to kill q
deer, but, unless one is real expert with the
rifle. he soon finds that he makes an un-
usually large percentage Of misses on
running shots, even when close up. and
it is peculiarly difficult to remembe to hold far
enough ahead. The doe was evidently badly
hurt; and by running on rapidly down the creek
and taking up my station at point where the
water-course was narrow, headed her off, then
the cowboy rode down through the bottom, and,
when frightened by his approach she tried to
break by me- killed her. Each of us took one
of the deer behind his saddle and abandoning
for that day our search for the strayed horses,
we rode back to the ranch-house.
Although these deer killed while
horseback, yet as a rule we hunt Whitehall on
foot, and this is especially the case if go out
merely for an afternoon or mornings work near
the ranch AS sample of such work. may be
mentioned a hunt made week or so after
the above mentioned incident
About 3 o'clock in the afternoon I shouldered
my rife and walked away from the ranch in
tending to strike back over the hills to part of
the divide some eight miles distant, and from
thence to hunt slowly back against the wind
through stretch Of broken country, where,
toward the evening, one would be not unlikely
to find deer. When | reached the divide and
started homewards the shadows had already be-
gun to lengthen out, the heat of the day was
we'll over, and the fall air was already cool
enough to make walking pleasant The country
consisted of little else than series of chains of
steep rounded hills, separated from each other by
narrow valleys that split up and wound around in
every direction. For the purpose of command
ing as extensive view possible, ] kept
near the SUBMITS Of the hills, avoiding, however,
walking on the very crest, as that would throw
my body outso sharply in relief against the sky as
to almost of necessity attract the attention of
any animal within the ken of whose vision l
might be. The walking was very rough, the
grassy hill-tops and hl-sides being exceedingly
steep and slippery, nor did / at first see any
thing. But at last, when the sun near
setting that the bottoms of the valleys had al
ready almost begun to be in shadow. crept out on
the face of great cliff shoulder that jutted over
the broad bed of long ravine and my eve was
at once caught by FIVE or six objects below me in
the valley, and probably nearly" half mile of.
A second glance convinced me they were
deer, and drew back to make rapid calcula-
ton as to the best means OF getting near them.
for had to be quick about it If wished to get
shot before the light failed. Running back at
speed nearly half mile, / crossed the ridge on
which was, aud slid down into little washout
that opened into small ravine, whose mouth
had seen, joined the larger valley not very far
from where the deer were. This ravine was en-
tirely bare of underbrush, and had to Chamber
along one of its sides in spite of the steepness
of the ground, as did not dare to run the risk
of an outlying deer catching glimpse of me if
came openly down the bottom. Nor was my
caution thrown away. found that the animals
main valley, had como directly opposite
the mouth of the cleft in which
| was Wriggliag along, however,
fat on my face, and taking advantage Of every
bowlder or patch OF sage-brush. l managed to
get down near the very mouth The wind was
perfectly favorable and after few minutes
patient and motionleas watching saw four or
five deer slowly moving along past the other
side of thicket but couple of hundred yards
away, and leaving between me and them a kind
of natural embankment just on the other side
of which they halted. was now able to
walk rapidly and quietly up without
danger OF detection; throwing off my cap,
peered over the edge of the bank to see them
feeding in perfect unsuspicion forty or fifty
yards away. They were all does or yearling
bucks; one of the latter, fine fat young fellow,
stood broadsde to me. There was still plenty of
light to shoot, and was able to put the bullet
within hairs breadth of the right place behind
the shoulder. Taking off the saddle, hams and
ore-uuarters, and cutting thongs out of his hide
to tie them with. slung them over my back and
started off at a rapid rate for home, which did
not reach until long after the moon was we'll up
above the horizon, for even it one knows the
country fairly well. he soon finds that he makes
but slow progress at night time over broken, diff
fcult ground