The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1895-02-08
LOTS OF BIG GAME IN OREGON.
Rear and Panthers Galore and DeeS In
Many Thousands.

LOTS OF BIG GAME IN OREGON.
Fear and Panthers Galore and Deei In
Many Thousands.
II would pay some ono who Is fond
Of sport and equal to descriptive writ.
Ing of sporting matters to take tour
through tho mountains and hills Of
southern Oregon and hear the stories
told OF hunters who are residents there.
tho ok ara not abundant, though some
arc found in tho mountains. The griz.
A,y bear used to be thereabopts, and in
recent visit to Umpqua listened to
rocitals Of old timo adventures when the
grizzly figured as holy terror. One
story was of 10 shots poured into bruin
before no was overcome. The cinnamon
bear Is yet found, and the black bear Is
tommSn.
Tho bear stories are not always of
lIrious encounters, hut partake of the
Judicrous at times Some 80 years ago
i had sudden encounter with modest
looking black bear who stood up and
looked at mo awhile when was pros
pecting alone among the Blue noun
tains up Powder river. Tho bear was
surprised to see mo and seemed 30 won.
der what we0 about in his dominions
Tho mesting wap quite unexpected on
my part as we'll, for sad lost no hear
and has 10 especial desire 60 find enc.
had NOS even a gun along 10 point et
Kim; so, with q conservative tendency,
l turned and ran far away, and not
finding any disturbance nor hearing
anything coming took look astern, but
saw no bear. Stopping to take breath,
| noticed something black waddling
away, and sure enough there was my
bear, running faster one way than
could the other. Since then l have
doubted the moral courage of ordinary
bears to face an ordinary white man,
and taken OH probation many bear
stories--even some l have written my
self
There arc bears among the mountains
Of Rogue river and the Umpqua, and
the stories | hear very often coincide
with my own experience, Bears are not
often dangerous unless you aggrava,e
them, and 10 times out of II will fold
their tents like the Arab and as silently
steal away-if you stand and look at
them. But tho bears are there all the
same, and if any of your readers have
lost any such stock there is the place to
go to look for them.
The Cascades and the hill ranges that
I'll the interval, with the coast ranges
that come down to the very surf line Of
the Pacific, constitute an almost unex-
plored wilderness, where the wild =
mails roam undisturbed. When the hunt
ing season is ON, game can be found in
great quantity. Woodchoppers on few
miles of the road in Cow Greek canyon
are said to have killed 800 deer last sea-
son, using the hind quarters only. The
agent of the Southern Pacific at enc
point has a couple of hounds, as we'll as
q mongrel that runs down game and
makes speciality of chasing rabbits. 1t
is said in the early mornings of early
autumn he can look through the win
dows of the station house and often see
the antlers of buck ranging over the
hill point that crowns the scene He
never fails when he chooses and will go
up the hills half mile to start deer.
Very often his dogs will scent one and
start him down the run.
The cougar is not infrequent, as the
flock owner knows to his sorrow. Sheep
run through the hilly wilds and take
their chances for life. At present save
your sympathies for the mutton, for it
Is hunted much more by bears and pam
theirs than men hunt wild beasts. All
this region of the Umpqua has been a
great sheep run, but the low price of
wool and mutton comes hard on the
flock owner SO it hardly pays him to
watch his focks. The panther is not Of
ten aggressive unless it be against do
nestle animals. 1t is fond of veal and
rather prefers it to the best Southdown
mutton; so calves suffer, and small pigs
also become victims.
The hills also abound in birds. The
Monaghan pheasapt has not yet become
very nr.iLerous here, but will no doubt
in time. 1t is my impression that it pre-
fers civilization and the vicinity OF
wheat fields, but it should do we'll in
these everlasting hills At Eugene l saw
hunter come to town with a string of
pheasants he had shot in two hours not
far from town-half dozen or more.
1t will be fne thing to fill these south
ern wilds with those beautiful birds,
and there is any amount of room for
them there. The ordinary grouse, the
drumming pheasant and the quail are
found here have seen coyeys Of quail
cross the road and run over the hills as
of old, when this was all primeval
wilderness. If any spot invites the
sportsman with promise of game. it
must be in these southern hills of west
ern Oregon. Portland Oreronian,