Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1890-09-18
OLD Times.

Ed. Register-This morning, when
[ woke up out Of most delightful
sleep, I found the north wind blowing
in on me so refreshing, and | thought
could scent the deer on the morning
breeze, and as | bounced out OF bed and
leaned out Of the window to catch the
scent of the passing breeze, there came
over me such an irresistible desire TO
take my gun, and go out in the noun
tains where the old bucks are summing
their horns. 0, you don't know, you
who have never been hunters and lived
in the wilds of the mountains cannot
realize our feelings who have spent the
years of our early lives among the soli-
tudes of the mountains and wild ami
mails, like old Sailor. No they can
never forget. But every changing
season brings up all the old scenes.
How restless / feel! How anxious to
be off. I feel I must go, and as / could
and the first-.man | met was an old
hunter of old hunting times. He grasp
ed my hand and said, "How do you
feel?' 80, feel homesick, I fell as
though l wanted to be out in the noun
tains where the old bucks are lying in
the spotted shade drying their horns"
He said, 80 do I. That's just exactly
how [ feel, but | can't hunt any more
SO [ came TO town."
Did I hear some of the readers of the
REGISTER ask, "What do you mean
by spotted shade and bucks drying
their horns?" When buck deer IL
one year old two little bunches like a
mushroom will start out of his head.
At first they are soft and pulpy, COW
cred with a skin covered with fine hair
or fur. AS the horn grows it becomes
hard at the head, but soft and spungy
at the point, until it has attained its
full growth, which the first year is two
sharp pointed horns about six or eight
inches long. He is called splli & buck.
Tie second year the horns will be lrng-
er, with one prong or branch. He is
called a torked horn. The third year
will he two branches. He Is called a
three point buck, and so on each year
one more branch is added to his horns,
and is called ii five-point, or six point
or eleven-polnt, just as the number of
points. and that is just the age of the
deer. AS the horns grow new buds
come out ironing branches just like
the branches of a tree. When the
horns are at their full size they are yet
with that skin, which is about the first
of September. Now, if you want to kill
an old buck you will go to the south
side of some rough, rocky sidemount tain,
where the trees grow very scrubby. and
make a deep dense shade. The old
bucks will go and lie dow n III the shade
of the tree with his body in the shade,
and his head in the hot sun. This is
so the sun will dry and harden his
horns. There lie will lie all day; at
night will go to the creek to drink and
rub the velvet off of his horns. have
seen hundreds OF clumps of witch-hazle
bushes where the bucks had rubbed
their horns until the bark Of the hazle,
as we'll as the skin of the horns, is all
rubbed off. During the the time the
horns are growing they are very ten
der. You will see the BUCK, if running,
Law his horns hack on his neck. with
nose up, 80 as not to hit the brush or
trees while running, and they are very
shy, and move about but very little
during all this time.
As soon as the horns have matured
you will see very different animal.
Now he feels his power, he is afraid of
no animal, and with those strong.
sharp horns is able to defend himself
against any beast Of prey, and as he
goes bounding in those long, sweeping,
graceful lopes he is grand sight.
have often thought when looking at
some fine painting. when you see noun
tains and rocks, woods and hills, with
lakes and streams, on whose banks