Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1896-07-02

style of craftsmanship is no longer al
lowed by the city chaps 1t Is seldom
that the outside world hears of Dams
successes. But last fall luck was so
phenomenal that some Of the hunters
from town got hold of 1t and circulated
the story They also got hold of one
Of old Dams deer and palmed 1t OIL as
their own trophy, but the cat is out
Of the bag and everybody now knows
that they paid $40 in gold for the three
pronged buck,
Dan Kreiger still hunts deer accord
ing to old-time custom, Early last
summer, when he learned that fine
old buck, a doe, and two fawns were
making their home in Hell's Kitchen
deep, dark ravine in the Black For
est region-he just made up his mind
that he was going to have sample OF
that herd He went to work and Sc
lected a convenient spot on one of the
runways of the deer, where he bored a
dozen or more holes along the side OF
an old hemlock log. These holes he
filled with coarse butchers salt.
The rains came and soaking through
the salt-flled holes the brine dripped
down and settled into the earth. Each
successive rain added more dripping
and 1t was not long before Dan noticed
that the deer had begun to work on
his lick. The earth was paved up
under the log and as the summer wore
on the deer signs became more ana
more frequent. Dan picked out
nearby hemlock tree as a good place
from which to watch his lick.
One day during the latter part OF
August he determined to watch the
lick Just to see how many deer were in
the habit of coming to his lick. the
day was drizzly, gloomy one. lie
mounted his perch an hour before dusk
and waited patiently Just as dusk be-
gan to scltle he had the satisfaction
of seeing an old doe and two half
grown fawns coming along the side or
the hill IN the direction of the lick
The doe approached cautiously, every
now and then Jerking her sharp-polnt-
ed nose in the air, as though seeming
danger. Then, with a sharp frlsk OF
the tail and an impatient stamp or the
foot, she would advance rod or more.
Once at the lick the doe paved the
earth under the log and licked the
soil with her tongue, The trio Of deer
remained at the lick nearly an hour.
Late in October Dan visited the lick
again-this time for keeps, having as
his companion a Winchester rifle. 1t
had rained only the day before and
Dan calculated that the deer, If they
were yet in Hell's Kitchen, would visit
the fresheneG lick that night. Dan had
sat on his perch on the hemlock tree
for over an hour and he was about
giving up hope of having a shot at the
deer that night when a significant
sound in the direction Of the runway
attracted his attention. 1t was a
sound much like that made by dog
when shifting the air and Dan knew
what it meant, 1t was the smiling OF
a buck as he approached the lick.
1t was already quite dark, but there
was a clear sky overhead and Dan
could make out to see the outline OF
the log at the lick. He had chosen a
position that looked parallel with the
log. so that a ball from his rife would
rake the entire length Of the log. lie
was not more than eight feet above the
ground and he had taken the precau-
ton of arranging marker by stick
ing his penknife in the limb of tree
SO that in the darkness he knew just
how low to shoot.
The shifting came gradually nearer
and before a half-hour had passed he
discovered the form of buck nOsine
in along the lick log and beginning tc
nav the ground. A moment later he
was Joined by the doe and she was fol-
lowed quickly by two fawns. The buck
was restless and every few seconds
threw up his head and gave loud
snort. Dan let his rifle settle down or
the lick against his knife and ther
waited for the buck to raise his heat
again. The buck was nearest to hin
and almost concealed the doe while
the fawns worked at the farthest enc
of the lick.
Suddenly the buck raised his heat
for another recOnnoiter and Dan fired
There was wild scramble at the lick
but Dan saw only three deer start W
the side of the hill and one of these
was the big buck. Chagrined at the
fact that he had missed the buck Oar
hurried over to the log, where he fount
the doe stretched out as dead as dool
nail. While he was engaged cutting
the deer's throat one Of the fawns re
turned to the lick, and before thu
frightened thing could escape Dan hat
sent bullet into its body.
The animals instinct had prompted
1t to return in search Of its mothe
and the same cruel fate which the lat
ter had met awaited 1t. Lighting
torch of pine splinters Dan found tina
the buck had left trail Of blood AM
following this up the mountain
scarcely 200 feet he came to the deat
&ody of the deer. It had evidently at
tempted to jump over high hemlocl
Gog and dropped from loss Of blood