The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-04-02
TEN BIG WILD OATS
BaRRed in Three Days by a Man Who
Claims the Title of Champion.

BaGRed IN Three Days by a Man Who
Claims the Title of Champion.
Sllsquehanna Pa Special to Ne,o York Sun.
Jack Dodge Of Melrose has had some ex-
ceedingly exciting experiences with wild
cats during the past few days, and as there
is bounty of 80 on every wild cat killed in
Pennsylvania, his recent ex periences have
been profitable as well as exciting. Dodge
has long enjoyed the reputation OF being
the champion wild cat hunter of this
county, but he says he Is not content with
that honor now. He challenges all the wild
cat hunters of the state to show a 3-days'
record better than his.
The first of these three days he went out
in the morning to look at some traps he had
lying in wait for a couple OF big cata-
mounts he had seen providing about his
premises, although the number previously
captured by him in those parts this winter
no less than fifteen-was enough, he sup-
posed. to clean them all out. He found none
of his traps sprung, much to his surprise
nor was there any sign OF any animals hav~
ing been fooling about them. He left the
traps as they were and was just turning
away from the last one he had examined
when he hard a noise in the scrub oaks off
to his right
He looked around and saw a big wild cat
that had sprung from some hiding place and
ldnucn ldll Ay vi q tuilbu RTOuS0 WQlCn mad
evidently been huddled up under a bush.
but in sight. With the suspicion Of its kind
the wild cat looked around as soon as it
struck the bird and, seeing Dodge, seized
the grouse in its teeth and bounded away
toward chestnut tree Before it reached
the tree Dodge gave 1t charge of buck
shot, and the cat sprawled about in the
snow, yelling with pain, and dropping the
grouse, which kicked and huttered feebly In
the snow.
While the cat was yelling and rolling and
tumbling about, aud before Dodge had
made up his mind what it was best to do
next, another wild cat. which had been
crouching unseen on a branch of the chest
nut. leaped down, captured the bird and
started away with il. Dodge had another
barrel Of his gun still charged, and he
stopped the fight of the second wildcat as
he had the first and had two catamounts
yelling and doing ground and lofty tumbling
in the snow.
Reloading his gun, he killed both animals,
and he had scarcely done SO when a sharp
''clickn behind him caused him to turn.
Another wild cat had sprung the trap.
Dodge had left but a few minutes before,
and by the way it was held by both forefeet
the trapper believed that the animal had
jumped into the trap while boulding along
in responsible the wild cries of the two cats
that were wounded. Dodge shot the trapped
cat, and, throwing the three on his back
started for home.
He had gone but short distance when he
met a man hurrying along in an old road
leading tothe main road. The man said
that some kind of an animal had been chas-
ing him. While he was yet telling Dodge
how the animal had started for him out of
the bushes, a wild cat appeared around the
bend Of the ROAD 100 feet away, and the
man declared that il was the animal that
had started after him half mile down the
road. The wild cat stopped when it saw the
two men, and Dodge shov it, killing it with
a single charge.
Dodge went on home and encountered no
more wild cats that day, but the next day
found that three of his traps had each a
wildcat nit. He killed them. aud, reset
ting his last trap, went back over the round
again and found that fourth one had bee
caught IN the hour or so since he had been
there fl
The third day he could scare up but two
in his traps, and, as he has not captured any
at all since, he is OF the opinion that all OF
the caUanounts in the vicinity had gathered
within the limit where his trap s are on these
three days. and that he has got them all.