Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1886-12-02
OLD DEER HUNTERS.
An Interview with a Mighty One
of Pennsylvania.
The Triumphant Slayer of "OId Greeley y
An Experts Outfit-The Deer as
Observation-Disclosures
Bloody Trail.
The Triu

In those primitive days when Penn
sylvania was yet a thinly-inhabited
State it was common thing to see the
deer roam up and down the valleys.
The early settler shot them from his
cabin door. Now they have retired to
the distant mountain heights, and few
are the daring hunters that follow
them into their retreats. Andrew
Steiner, of Myerstown, Pa, stands at
the head of deer-huntcrs in Pennsylva-
MIA. His exploits among wild animals
are most thrilling, and as an expert in
the chase of this fleet game he hardly
has his equal.
"Yes, Sir" he said, recently, ~
have visited the Allegheny mountains
for twenty-seven years, and am pre-
pairing to 60 in November again.
Though am well up in years, the zest
of this sport has never been on
the wane. l have five or six
companions in the State who fire.
quently 60 with me. We hunt in
Blair, Center, Clearfield and Hunting
ton Counties. We camp out in the
wilderness and wilderness it is,
stretching out over a hundred miles.
We construct log-cabin right in the
center of the hunting grounds, fire.
Guently twenty and thirty miles away
from any habtation. We reach the
spot in teams. All old hunters are
good cooks, and our fare is of the
best We bring with us a goodly sup
ply of the civilized luxuries and then
depend upon orr rifles for the rest.
We build fire for the night and let it
blaze to keep off the catamount the
bear and the wolf. Our slumbers are
often disturbed by the midnight bowls
of wild beasts. The catamount is q
dangerous animal; it is even more
fierce than tile panther, and if it were
not for the fifteen dollars reward on
his scalp he would be altogether
avoided"
To the question as to what his outfit
as deer hunter might be, he replied
II take with me my old reliable
my double rifle, muzzle loader, sixty
pound shot, bowie-knife in belt and re-
volver and tomahawk, hunters whis-
tie, good warm clothes and high-leg-
cling boots. You need the weapons to
defend yourself with and some to cut
wood to hang your game.
In speaking of the successes of his
hunting expeditions he said 81 have
helped to kill over two hundred deer
in my time The highest number we
shot was in the fall of 1865, when
brought thirteen with me. The deer
is exactly like the weather, he next
remarked, speaking OF their habits.
"When bad weather is brewing they
at once seek the laurel swamps, with
their low sheltering branches. Instinct
gives them the sign of change in the
atmosphere twelve hours ahead. Then
again, when high storm is ON the APP
proach they speed to the lofty ridges,
where nothing but bushes grow. They
do this for very special purpose. The
great hemlock trees are always loaded
with snow after fresh fall and any
high wind blows it down in such guam.
titles that man and beast would be
crushed under it. Very frequently the
hunter hears in his cabin by night such
tremendous crashes for miles around as
if the rocky heights were giving away,
He knows that the mighty hemlock
branches are breaking under their load
of snow.
1.-The deer has no particular haunts, VI
he continued, "the mountain heights
from north to south are its home. II
roams. When snow falls three feet
deep the deer seeks some open place
and lies down in its soft white bed,
until by its own animal heat it ha:
melted the snow away. 1t eats what
it can find there, but never stirs from
the spot until it is inclined or becomes
disturbed. The deer never feeds by
day. 1t hides away and lies as still In
its retreat as the stone by its side
When it is half moon then it stirs early
in the evening and in the dawn o
morning. When it is full moon thu
deer is out all night, and seldom ther
is heard the report of the hunters rifle
In the half moon is the time to hunt ths
deer, when you can trace it early and
late in the day."
In describing the manner of hunting
the deer he intimated that it had thu
most acute sense of hearing. seeing ant
smelling. ut can scent man tw,
hundred yards away, and with tn,
wind l should say a quarter of mill
away. You can't get deer, to rul
with the wind when chased. 1t is ,
most remarkable instinct of the animal
it will always run against the wind
1t wants to smell what is ahead of il
you see. Then to enuap your gam
the maneuverings are about these: Tn
hunters take station at different point
of the runaway This the line o.
which the game will run whel
chased and the bearings of the dee
route is fully understood by old hun
tiers. When snow has fallen in > CON