The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1889-04-08
AN OLD WEST VIRGINIA TRAPPER
Harrison McKinneV's Personal Encounter
With q Mad Buck.

With q Mad Buck.
.MorganlowH Post,
About eleven miles east Of Morgan
town in the mountains on DeCker's
creek, near Masontown, Preston county,
West Virginia, lives in n neat frame
o~ld-iashioned house with his wife and
two children, one OF the Oldest settlers
in Preston county-HarrisOn Mckinney.
This old gentleman Is rs years Of age, a
perfect type of health and happiness,
having lived for 40 years on the farm he
now resides. His farm consists Of 500
acres, about so acres Of which he has
cleared, and is in u good state of cult.
walton.
Mr.. Mckinney and his family are
among the most highly respected people
in that neighborhood, and are noted for
their hospitality. AS q Post scribe sat
by the old.fashioned log.fre in u neatly
furnished room one morning lust week,
the old settler related some Of his ex-
perienccs hunting deer (for which he Is
noted) in the mountains 40 years ago.
He told US Of a fight which he had II
years Ngo this fall, with u hundred and
sixty pound buck deer on the mountain
side near DeCker's creek. He and uncle
MIN. Shafer, started one morning on o
deer hunt, There being q good SNOWY
taking their three dogs with them.
They left the house about day break and
had not gone two miles until uncle Har-
sons old deer hound "noted" on q deer
track, This was conclusive proof that
the deer had been ''raised," and the
other hound being loosed, holding the
cur dog, or the lighting dog" back,
they started on the chase. Oyer the
mountains the deer went, the dogs, I'm.
Gle Harrison and Uncle Nun in hot pur-
suit. Being acquainted with the cross.
ings where tho deer passed, they would
generally be there in time to SEQ the
dogs pass, and in those days they used
no guns, consequently they relied upon
the dogs to catch the deer. Tho chase
was kept up until noon, when the dogs
overlook the buck us he was crossing
Decker's Greek. Uncle Harrison and
his partner were on the spot, and so
we're tho hounds. They found the
old buck backed up against a large
rock in the creek, paving and snorting
ut a fearful rate. Skaters and uncle
Harrison's presence put renewed vim
into the dogs, and they plunged into the
water and one OF the dogs seized the
deer by the nose, the other by the thigh.
After il hard struggle the deer struck the
dog that had him by the nose a fearful
blow ON the back with one Of his fore
feet, aud loOsing his hold the dog man
aged 10 get to shore, the other dog hold
ing on, and about this time uncle Harri-
son struck the deer in the head with Il
large stone, stunning the animal consid-
erably. All this time Uncle MIN. was
on the opposite side Of the creek holding
his fighting dog" when all Of a sudden
the deer gave u frantic lunge and started
for the shore towards uncle Harrison,
aid Shafer let the lighting dog" loose,
which took hold Of the deer us reached
the opposite side OF the creek. AS the
animal came out Of the water
uncle Harrison grasped 1t firmly by the
horns and proceeded TO throw him to
the ground, while uncle MIN. turned
toward home as fast as his feet would
take him. Uncle Harrison and the
"hghting dog fought the buck for SOME
time aud finally uncle Harrison threw
him aud sat down on his the buCk's)
fore shoulders. The brave hunter then
looked for his partner, and happened TO
espy him making tracks toward home.
He followed for bin to come back and
after some pursuasion uncle MIN. came
back, but not until the deer had kicked
the clothes nearly OF OF uncle Harrison
Then uncle MIN. pulled out his old bar.
low knife and handed II TO uncle Harri.
son 10 cut the dCer's hanl-strlngs, which
he did, and then between uncle Harri.
son and the "Hghtlng dog" they killed
the deer outright, which proved TO be u
large buck, as before noted, and weigh.
ing 100 pounds. .
After taking of the deer's hide and
preparing TO take home the CarCas, they
began TO look for their dogs, which had
been kicked and gored by the buck, and
found that Uncle llarrisoe's favorite
hound, which had assisted him In catch.
ing moro than eighty deerin his lifetime,
had crawled to the shore and died from
the effects OF the kicks he received from
the deer.
The adventure took place II years ago,
and since tho death Of the old deer
hound Uncle Harrison has abandoned
deer hunting and devoted his entire Of.
tention 10 his mountain farm, where hO
now lives with his family and enjoys
good health.