Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1895-11-07
"A herd OF two hundred Of the small
Highland ponies we'll trained in the


Highland ponies well trained in the
delicate work of mountain climbing
are kept on the estate, although the
ponies are not as popular today as
they once were. Still the lazy man
out for days hunt always starts out
on the back of one of these sure-footed
little beasts, and it the hunter be at
all subject to dizziness or inexperi-
enced when in dangerous spots, 1t is
much better to trust to the intelh-
gence of the poney. tits claimed that
the hOofs OF these little horses are SO,
delicately constructed that they know
at once ii the ground is safe or unsafe.
In addition To the herd of ponies
there is q small army of gillies sta
toned at Balmacan. A gillie accom-
panies each huntsman on q days trip,
also either stag hounds or collies.,
The latter variety of dog has only
come into general use in recent sea-
sons and it is claimed that collie is
better for tracking the game and driv-
ing it within range than the stag
hound.
Still there is halo of sentiment
surrounding the stag hound. He was
used by the Highland chiefs Of old,
and the same breeds have been care
fully perpetnated by succeeding gem
Grafton, so that the lairds of today
practically hunt with the same dogs
used in the chase by their forafathers.
EXTENSIVE KENNELS MAiNTAlNED.
There are extensive kennels at Bal
macan, and it is said that the main
tanning of the dogs cost in the neigh
borhood Of t2.oOO sterling Il year. A
score of gilles are employed for the
single purpose OF caring for the dogs
the year around. The deer are also
looked after carefully during the
winter months, when there isa scarcity
of natural food, owing to the severity
of the weather. Hay and cotton or ass
must be distributed in the isolated
spots frequently by the deer, a task
exceedingly dangerous when the
ground is covered with snow
A good deer estate must be kept
free of all other game. The grouse in
particular must be killed off. Many a
huntsman after a twenty mile tramp,
in which he has endangered his life
climbing to almost inaccessible spots.
swimming through icy lochs and
crawling along the ground for the last
five hundred yards to get within safe
range, has seen his game fade away
like smoke at the warning screech of
an old cock grouse aroused by the
weary hunter.
Very few of the experienced hunters
attempt a shot at more than two hun
dred yards, although it is common
thing to hear amateurs boast of bring
ing down Il big buck at anything from
500 to LOCO yards.
TOUGH ON POOR MARKsMEN.
The gillie who accompanies the hunt
er carries long spyglass. while the
hunter carries pair of field glasses.
When stag Is sighted he may be a
couple of miles away, aud 1t often
means a weary crawl on hands and
knees up and down rugged hills with
sides like the walls of house to get
within range. Ii the huntsman should
happen to miss fair shot after work
of this kind he must either bride the
gillie with a handful of silver to keek
him silent or leave the country in short
order. The guile cannot stand
poor marksman unless he can pay
generously to be tolerated.
OF late years some of the owners of
large deer forests have introduced
broken down thoroughbreds on their
estates to take the place of the High
land pony. But some bad accidents