Rock Island Argus., 1895-06-01
HEWASHARDTOBEAT
A SLY OLD WoODcHUcK AND HIS
PERSISTENT ENEMY.

ence q
Very Smart Through Close Touch with !
Civilization.
''Speakin Of woodchucls, said an
old Long Island farmer the other day.
reminds me of somo curious incidents
with 'em. 'Twarn't more'n so years
ago when they was thick as flies on this
island. an we ate them instead of rab-
bits an made mufflers and mirtens ont
Of their skins. They was mighty warm,
too, those old woodchuck mittcns an
mUfflers. When a man wanted n big fell
low, he only had to walk down into
the nearest field an take his pick out
of two or three. They was SO plentiful
that it was no trouble to kill 'em. But
they have been killed off now so that
there amt many more roun. Onct in
awhile q big fellow brings up litter
into tho lower clover lot an we have to
root 'em out.
"Ever hunt woodchucks? WAL, it
amt much if they be young ones. II
you wait long enough, you'll catch them
runnin across the lot in broad daylight.
If you are good shot, you can bring
one down. They're tough an q big fell
low will carry away big load of shot.
But if you get hold of big fellow, an
old veteran, SO to speak, you'll find it
no easy job to dislodge him. He's too
KNOWN cuss to live. He'll only eat
your clover at night, an. Lord, how
much he can get away with in ono
night! In the daytime he keeps close
into his hole an laughs at you. Dig
him ont? Waal, yes, you can try it,
but he'll dig a good deal faster on tho
other end than you will an take it
easy Mt that. Mind you. I'm talkin of
old ones-those know all tho tricks of
the business. The woodchucks that you
find OH Long Island are wiser Gan those
most anywhere else cause they have TO
be cunnin an shrewd not to get killed.
They re SO close to civilization that they
learn new tricks all tho time.
IA few years ago cunnin old fell
low took up his home in that clover
field Just off the lower medders, an we
had the hardest time to kill him that
you can imagine. guess afore we got
through with him he cost us bout $1OO
that is, fur clover destroyed an labor
| at 81. so per day lost in trying to cap
ture him. 'Twarn't any use layin in
| wait fur him with a shotgun. He was
too wise to poke his noso ont of tho
hole. But every night he'd come out
| an eat clover fast enough. He brought
up seven httcrs of young chucks in that
| field, but we killed 'cm all except the
| old ono. He'd bring q new mate with
| him to his homo every season, but she'd
be shot in tryin to save her young ones.
! But we ccuid never get q shot at tho
| pnime mover IF the whole trouble. We
| waited fur him on moonlight nights All
| did get Shot at him onct. But guess
we only crippled him, an he never ven
tured out again except on dark nights.
We had no chance then. We tried to
dig him ont, but after three days of
steady work VIC got tired. Then wo
| started to burn an smoke him out, but
it amt no easy matter to make smoke
! go down hill an get into all of the holes
that O woodchuck can make. Finally
we decided to drown the old critter out
We got together all the old pork an
oil barrels that We could find an filled
them full of water. Then when every
thing was ready 81 an Jake, my two
sons, stood ready with pitchfork an
shotgun while poured tho water into
the hole.
| "Waal, sir, that hole held moro wa
ter than any millpond. II took the hull
ten barrelfuls to bring it up to the sur
face, an then, jest as I put in the last
pailful, that pesky old chuck showed
his nose. 81 jabbed at him with the
pitchforl, all Jake shot the handle to
pieces as he banged away at tho critter.
But it warn't no USE Tho water soaked
away rapidly, an the woodchuck went
down again, GRIMM ut our failure.
'But we warn't so easily discouraged.
Next day wo added five more barrels
an all the tubs an pals round the
honse. Then we began to flood that hole
again. This time we had plenty Of wa.
ter, but there was no woodchuck to ap.
pear. The water camo up to tho surface
an flowed out of the hole, but no wood.
chuck. We thought he had left his
home for good after his first duckin.
But no. He came out again that night,
an ate more clover than usual jest as il
to spite us. Waal, we found out in time
that the critter was SO wise that he had
dug his hole way up toward hill sc
that he could sit up there an watch
US pourin water in at the other end.
This put stop to any attempt to drown
him out.
''It was 81 that rigged up tho traI
that finally caught the old fellow. He
took a big stone weight bout 90 pound:
an suspended it right over the hole.
Then he fixed little stick down below
jist as he would set rabbit trap. The
old muskrat couldn't get out of the hole
noway without hitting that stick, NJ
well, the thing happened two nightl
later. The first night the critter didn'
venture out, but the second mornin tn,
stone was down, an tho old follow wa
crushed beneath it. We amt had non,
in the fields since then. New Yorl
:, Post.
Great Courtesy.
, Nine. Calve had an experience will
IL - 81 4. a..