The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-03-06
TRAIL OF THE CARIBOU.
Sleeping in the Woods During Zero
Weather.
AN. OLD MAINE HUNTER TELLS HIS
EXPERIENCE.

One Night He Kept His Head Warm by
putting IT in Tin Basin.--A Hunt that
Yielded Six Caribou-Sleeping in the Snow
in the Shadow of Katahdin-In the Log
cling Camps Are the Refuge of the Hun
ter.
Few of our people know what hard :
ships and exposures a hunter has to en-
counter. Some thirty years agel went
to lumberman's camp for deer hunt
This camp was located on the head wat
ers of Sebois, that empties into the
Piscataquis river. When got to the To-
cality there was about one foot OF snow
and crust, that made it an almost i'm
possibility to stillhunt deer. thought L
would cruise about and see what there
was for game signs, and be ready for the
next fall of snow. It was about noon
when I arrived at the camp. After dim
ner went to lake about mile and
half from camp. A logging road
went within a hundred rods of the lake.
and the lumbermen were cutting their
logs and hauling them to another lake.
Two roads went from this lake
where they landed their logs, one to the
camp and the other into the woods where
they cut. They had also cross road
leading from the camp to the main log
cling road. I took the cross road at the
camp and went to the main logging road,
followed it beyond where the men were
working, and then struck through the
woods to Cedar Lake. When I got TO the
lake could see big ridge about mile
away. I thought would make circle
found it and back to the Lake. I start
ed and went ever one end of the ridge. I
saw plenty Of signs of deer along the side
of the ridge and at the north, and saw
some caribou tracks. December days
are short and found the sun was getting
low. So hurried up as fast as could.
The snowshosing was good but the circle
was larger than / expected and when I
reached the lake it was dark. Most of
the stars were also hidden by hazy
clouds. I was now one and half miles
from camp. with hundred rods to 60
through the thick woods to get to the
logging road. There was one star that
seemed larger than the rest, although
that was a dim looking thing. But |
knew that if it did net entirely disappear
| could use it for guide to reach the road
So took my course and started. 1t was
dark and the brush grew thick, but
finally reached the road. But it kept
growing darker and thicker, and I could
not find tho cross road that led to the
camp. But started down the road to
the landing on the other lake, and took
the other road back to camp, going three
miles to get less than quarter of mile.
But this was all the sure way there was
for me to go.
1t began to snow soon after reached
camp and the next day it rained and
| hailed. At night it cleared off cold,
leaving sharp crust, which made the
hunting worse than before. But had
been thinking about the caribou tracks
! had seen and was anxious to see one, as
| had not put my eyes on one since | was
| small boy. They had left the state of
Maine when was yonng and had just
returned. So got three days rations of
beef and bread, a hunting Ratchet, gun
and snoeshoes, and started for a caribou
hunt. About ten O'Clock / came to the
| tracks There was some snow IN them,
| but could TO low them. This is some
thing hunter will not do after he learns
the nature of the caribou. But it hap
pened that these tracks led me to a bog
where eighteen caribou had left few
hours before. They had gone by the
way of a dead water brook, and where
| they separated on the ice | made out IL
| different tracks. / followed them some
| three hours, when l came to another bog
| Here I found that they had made stop,
and their tracks were all over the bog,
| which seemed to be long and narrow.
| One thing was greatly in my favor. The
wind was blowing gale, and from where
| I supposed the animals were. | faced
| the wind and started. There were scrub
spruce on this bog and the caribou were
| feeding on the moss that grew On the
trees. I had not gone far when | dis
| covered something that looked like the
| hind legs of an animal. The sun shone
| on the object but the body was behind a
clump of spruce. 1t soon moved out of
sight, and then was sure that
1T was a Caribou.
| There was cluster of short spruce be
tween me and the caribou and by stoop
ing little l kept out of sight. stopped
and walked to the cluster of spruce
when Strengthened up slowly saw two
caribou coming towards me. Part of thu
time they were out of sight. had &
Colts revolving rife, with five shots
The caribou were bull with fine antlers
and a COW. The COW was ahead. The
cow had got opposite me and was no
over one hundred feet from me. wait
| ed for the bull to come out in sight as
| thought [ would shoot him first and the1
take the cow on the run. AS soon as the
bull gave me good shot let him have
it. and swung my gun for the, COW. IL
my surprise she did not move, but looked
| toward me. A ball soon passed through