The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-10-23
IN THE WOODS.
The Sportsmen Are Having Great
Luck This Year.
FIVE HUNDRED DEER SHIPPED
THROUGH BANGOR.

Men from All Walks of Life Shouldering
Their Ri1es-The Green Young Man
from Boston Who Thought He Would
Shoot Five or Six Moose.
These are the days when the sportsinen
are coming out Of the Maine woods and
they all bring with them stories of the
abundance of the game, especially the
deer and the coveted moose. This season
will be remembered as one when the
hunters had good luck. The new laws
seem to work we'll and it is said by those
who ought to know that poaching during
the past spring and summer was not
nearly SO extensive as it has been in other
years. Certainly the big game is
abundant That is shown by the amount
which the sportsmen are bringing back
with them. An official of one of the ex-
press companies said last week that fully
| i've hundred deer had been shipped
| through Bangor this season. The law
allows each hunter to take but two deer,
| SO it will be seen that at least two hun
| dred and fifty persons must have had a
hand in the shooting of the five hundred
deer and as a matter of fact, the number
| was much larger for not every sportsman
gets all that the law allows. AS to the
| fellows who spend week or ten days in
the woods and came out empty handed,
| there ara no statistics. Most OF the deer
shipped by express are the captures OF
gunners from out of the sJate-but IL is
not proposed here to figure out that old
problem: If each hunter spends an
average of 500 for each deer he shoots.
how much money do the whole number
| of hunters leave in the state.
Speaking of the fellows who get nothing
recalls the case of the young man from
the Bay State who evidently intended to
shoot everything be came across. He was
at one of the Moosehead hotels a few
stuffed head of a moose.
"What is that animal?" inquireds the
young man from the Athens of America
tThat?" replied bystander. "why
that S mo ose. :"
sob. indeed. Well, must get half a
dozen of those big fellows" said the
stranger, and then he wondered why the
group of men sitting near him all glanced
in his direction. He has probably learned
by this time that it is not very easy to
violate the law which allows sportsman
to shoot but one moose in season. In
fact 1T is very likely that he has not been
able to get the one which the law allows;
but with a good guide, even the novice
this year should have little difficulty in
picking off his deer.
While Massachusetts sends many of the
sportsmen to the Maine woods the Maine
people are there too in great numbers. In
their ranks are men in all the walks of
life. Only yesterday party of we'll
known Kennebecers arrived home after q
week of great sport. They represented
the bench and bar. the expedition includ-
ing Judge Hall, Clerk Of Courts Choate
and several prominent lawyers.
1t is small wonder that the railroad
men get the fever. They see the trains
crowded with sportsmen. The man who
wears rough clothes and sweater and
carries the bag containing his precious
gun as carefully as if it was charged with
nitro glycerine, is an easily recognized
Individual. And SO many of the boys
who run the trains take their vacations
in these autumn days and go into the
woods to try their luck at the big game.
sob, he's taken two weeks off to go
and shoot a DEER" was the response of a
brakeman the other day to an inquiry as
to the whereabouts of one of his mates.
The longing for sylvan solitudes and
the excitements of the chase has inroaded
the state capitol. Librarian Carver, who
recently departed from the states temple
of learning in the capitol extension, came
home some time later with a fine deer
which had fallen before his gun, and Col.
harrington. secretary to the railroad
commission, has spent a number of
pleasant days at his camp in Oxford
county, but Col. Harrington contented
himself with small game. There were
deer there however, for one man who
has camp on the shores of Lovell's pond
looked up ona day short time ago to see
what animal was making the noise be-
hind him, and by quick work succeeded
in shooting fine deer.
If you want an illustration of the
popularity of tho Maine woods with the
gunners, ride towards the hunting
grounds on aIlv Maine Central train and
see the number of men laden with guns
and canoe paddles. Go further and see
the groups Of lusty young fellows around
the sportsmen's camp along the lineJ of
the Bangor and Aroostook, or up on the
new Rumford Falls and Rangeley road