Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-05-03
in love is injurious, as great grief is always
HAPPY HUNTING GROUNDS"
The Great Tracts of Game Country In
Southern Missouri.
From the New Yoik sum-

From the New York sum-
Northern sportsmen certainly can't
know anything of southern Missouri as a
game country, or more Of them would visit
that garden spot OF the Southwest said
George P. Stanley, OF automatic motor
fame. u spent four weeks in that region
last fall, and give You my word that |
never saw, heard or read of such GUAM
tity and variety of wild game as makes its
home in that country, and the contiguous
one of northern Arkansas. The southern
Missouri country is more especially fav-
ored by small game-wild turkeys, grouse,
quail and rabbits, although there are a
great many deer there-so many, in fact,
that one day | saw native hauling into
one of the towns a wagon load of deer,
just as the countrymen here in the North
haul in loads of wood. The deer were
stacked on the wagon till the load was all
the team of mules that pulled the wagon
wanted to draw. | was told that such a
sight was common in that country. and
that the venison was purchased for almost
nothing by local dealers and shipped to
St. Louis and other markets. Just out of
curiosity | asked the owner of this load of
Venison what he would take for the i'm
mense fye-pronged buck that was one of a
dozen Others just like it in the load. Its
antlers were simply magnificent. And
what do you think the man said | could
have the deer for He almost took my
breath away when he told me. Two dol
lars and a quarter There were 200
pounds of venison in that carcass if there
was pound, and the head and horns
alone would have been worth $50 here in
New York.
"Ill bet | saw fifty focks of wild tur-
keys within a circuit of ten miles. You
see wild turkeys as you pass through that
country on the cars, and not being birds
that can make long flights they frequently
drop down by the score on the track in
front of trains. and the railroad men told
me that hundreds were killed BY the cars
IN that way every year. The little lakes
that dot the prairies are literally covered
during the fall months with wild ducks
and geese and these naturally timid and
cautious fowl have grown so familiar with
the cars that it is seldom that any of them
takes wing as trains pass by them, al
though within few rods of where they
are feeding. Quail and rabbits are so
numerous and SO tame that they seem like
domestic birds and animals. Such is the
case within few miles OF Springfield.
Beef-and-bea is more of a luxury down
there than quail on toast.
"The wilds of Northern Arkansas are so
well adapted to the necessities of large
game that the bear, the badger and Wild
cat are abundant, and even that savage
American beast, the panther, still hunts
his prey in that wilderness. They hunt
bear there on horseback, and don't use
guns. With trained dogs they trail bruin
to his lair or compel him to seek safety in
some big gum or sycamore tree. If he is
tracked to his lair he is routed out by the
dogs, and the hunters kill him with keen.
long-bladed knives, which they handle
with wonderful skill. When bruin is freed
the tree is felled, and when tree and bear
come crashing down the dogs are ready,
and the tight is between the bear and the
dogs. If dog is in danger the hunter
stands ready to knife the bear and save the
dog, for those trained bear dogs are yalu-
able animals. If a panther is heard of
anywhere in the region he is also hunted
on horseback and with dogs but no hunters
have yet appeared who venture to dispatch
this fierce animal with knives. The rifle
finishes up the sport of panther-hunt.
am no hunter myself, but if I were
wouldn't waste any time among Northern
hunting grounds. / would make break
for southern Missouri and enjoy myself