New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-08-11
A DEER HUNTER'S CHAT
STILL HUNTING-wHY THE ANTLERs OF THE

STILL HUNTING-wHY THE ANTLERs OF THE
BUCKS DIsAPPEAR-A DESPERATE DUEL.
Scranton, Penn. Aug. 10 tSpeciaD.-"I regard still
hunting the only fair and decent way to hunt DEER
said an old Lehigh woodsman the other day. The
hunter pits his Intelligence and skill against the sharp
sight, quick hearing keen scent and remarkable IN
stnct of the noble deer and II he shoots with single
barrelled rifle, as have always DONE the game has
some chance for its life The experienced hunter
knows a great deal about the deer's habits and, Of
course the moro he knows about their ways where
they like to feed what them the more game
he'll get There Is strange thing about the young
of these very wild and tmid animals have picked up
many little fawn when 1t was all of trembie from
fright and by patng it, treating It kindly and carry
ing 1t short distance in the woods, have made 1t so
conented that it would follow far as would
let it, When a hunter comes pat upon a doe with a
very young faWn by her SIDE his sudden appearance
frightens the mother deer and sends her bounding
away fast she can and the tender little fawn
being unable to run fast as its mother, is easily
captured. AS fawn sees that the hunter
is going harm IT, it will lick his hand and quickly
get over being afraid Of him. Then he can take 1t
home with him if lie cares TO.
Bucks and does run together for only short time
in the fall. The does flock together and house in
sheltered places, while the bucks by themselves.
| have often old and young buck keeping
one another company in the woods. 1t made me
think of man and boy going around together, so
closely do they keep each other through thick and
thin. One hot August day an old doe, her two
fawns and yesrng doe standing knee deep in pond
cooling their slim legs. 1 watched them from the
edge of the woods by and by the old doe got scent
of me- threw up her head, gave the alarm and started
for the forest on a wild run, her fawns and the
yearling doe following her. 1t fine sight
Il have heard men declare that no one ever finds
the antlcrs of bucks in the woods have found them
H. and I
a pair in the open woods. They within two
feet of each other and it looked though the buck
had stopped there given his head shake and dropped
them. The bucks generally loosen their antlers by
rubbing them against trees when they ready to
shed them The reason why the horns seldom
found is because the bucks go into gloomy places
when they shed their anters. Tie action of the
weather decays them I'm season or l once shot
at a buck just as he raised his head, and my bullet
hit his left antler 1t popped up from the pth and
away the buck dashed. | got the horn, but not the
buck.
Il saw a great fight between two bucks ridge
the Lehign River on clear day IN October. |
the angry bcat Of a buck. Then heard another TO
my left, and | knew that two bucks had scented one
another and were coming together for battle They
met in sort OF glade and pitched at one another
Finally their antlers became locked together so firmly
that they couldn't separate themselves Then they
yanked and twisted and struggled. first one being on
his knees and then the other, and they both blcated
for they would have died If had left them. | kept
the antlers Just they were, and the next year
Philadelphia who had come up here TO fish for
week admired them so much that sold them to him.