The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1895-04-10
HEWASHARD TOBEAT
A SLY OLD WooDcHucK AND HIS
PERSISTENT ENEMY.

very Smart Through Close Touch with
Civilization.
"Spealkin Il voodchucks," soid en-
old Long Island farmer the other day,
"reminds me of some curious incidents
with 'cm. 'Twarn't more'n 90 years
ago when they was thick rs flies ON this
island, an we ate them instead of rab-
bits an made muillers and mittons ont
of their skins. They was mighty warm,
too, those old woodchuclt mittCns an
mufllers. When man wanted big fell
low, he only had to walk down into
the nearest field an tako his pick ont
Of two or three They was so plentiful
that it was no trouble to Kill 'om. But
thoy have been killed off now so that
there amt many moro roun. Onct in
awhile big fellow brings up litter
into tho lower clover lot an we have to
root 'em out.
"Ever hunt woodchucks? Waal, IL
amt much If they be young ones. II
You wait long enough you'll catch them
runnin across tho lot in broad daylight
II you are good shot, you can bring
one down. They're tough. an 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 1t
no easy Job to dislodge him. He's too
KNOWN cuss to live. He'll only eat
your clover ut night, an, Lord, how
much ho can get away with in ono
night In the daytime he keeps close
into his holo an laughs at you. Dig
him out? Waal, yes, you can try II,
but he'll dig good deal faster on the
other end than you will an take it
easy ut that. Mind you, I'm talkin Of
old ones-those know all the tricks of
the business. The woodohucks that you
find on Long Island are wiser than 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 the time.
"a few years ago ounnin old fell
low took up his home in that clover
field Just Off the lower meddors, an we
had the hardest timo to kill him that
you can imagine. guess afore we got
through with him he cost us bout 800
that is, fur clover destroyed an labor
at ST. 80 per day lost in trying to cap
ture him. 'Twarn't any use layin in
wait fur him with shotgun. He was
too wise to poke his nose out of the
hole. But every night he'd come ont
an cat clover fast enough. He brought
up seven litters Of young chucks III that
field, but we killed 'em all except the
old one. He'd bring new mate with
him to his homo every season, but she'd
be shot in tryin to save her young ones.
But We could never get shot at the
prime mover Of the whole trouble. We
waited fur him on moonlight nights an
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 we got tired. Then we
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 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 a pitchfork an
shotgun while poured the water into
the hole.
"Waal, sir, that hole held more wa
ter than any millpond. 1t took tho hull
ten barrelfuls to bring it up to the sur
face, an then, jest as l put in the last
pailful, that pesky old chuck showed
his nose. 81 jabbed at him with the
pitchfork, an Jake shot the handle to
pieces Us he banged away at the critter.
But it warnt no use. The water soaked
away rapidly, an the woodchuck went
down again, GRIMM at our failure.
''But we warn { so easily discouraged.
Next day we added five more barrels
an all the tubs an pals round the
house. 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 came up to the surface
an flowed out of tho 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 If
to spite rs. Waal, we found out in time
that the oritter was 30 wise that he had
dug his hole way up toward q hill SO
that he could sit mp there an watch
MS pourin water in at the other end.
This put q stop to any attempt to drown
him out.
''It was 81 that rigged up the trap
that finally caught the old fellow. He
took big stone weight bout 30 pounds
an suspended 1t right over the hole.
Then he fixed little stick down below
fist as he would set rabbit trap. The
old muskrat couldn't get out Of the hole
noway without hitting that stick, On
well. the thing happened two nights
later. The first night the oritter didn't
venture out, but the second mornin the
stone was down. an the old fellow was
crushed beneath 1t. We amt had none
In the fields since then. New York
Post.
Great COurteey.