The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1896-07-02
Vbad}adqda.
Paper Read by Member of Glass ID.
A DEER HUNT.

| While attending the university at Galesvlle
Wis.,, became acquainted with young man
whom l will designate by the name of Benjamin
Sykes. We became fast friends, and were al
ways together at our sports and studies. We
were both fond of athletics and enthusiastic
| members of gun club was rather the better
marksman, especially with the rifle but Sykes
maintained that this superiority was only SEEM
| ingly as there was great difference between
| shooting at target and bringing down living
game. His parents lived on farm in the Black
| River Valley, in western Wisconsin, and he
urged me to spend at least a part of our next va
cation with him at his parents home, promising
me rare sport shooting squirrels pheasants and
deer. l readily accepted his invitation, and we
| looked forward with pleasant anticipation to the
day when we could lay aside our books and take
up our guns.
Vacation at length arrived, and on the evening
| OF the 10th of November after d twenty ride
| in stage-coach, We alighted at the hospitable
door of the farmhouse and was given hearty
| welcome by Mr.. and Mrs. Sykes as the friend
| and boon companion of their only child. Every
| thing about the place, indoors and out, indicated
the prosperous farmer. l shall not dwell upon
the hospitality of these worthy people, it will
suffice to say that they were typical of the west
| ern farmer.
The laws of Wisconsin at that time prohibited
the killing of deer except between November 18th
| and February 18th, so we spent the first few days
along the brooks and ridges near the farm
| shooting pheasants and squirrels; and right here
l will say that young Sykes demonstrated very
| clearly that the art of successful hunting lies
more in the ability to locate the game than in
accurate workmanship. On the evening of the
| 14th we had everything in readiness for an early
start on the following morning, and as soon as
the first streaks of daylight appeared in the east
we were off for the favOrite haunts of the deer
The country for miles north of the Sykes farm
was dense forest, very billy or 'brOken." We
tramped quietly through this vast wilderness
hour after hour, every minute expecting to start
! one of the 'antlered mOnarchs'' of the forest,
but although fresh signs were plentiful we saw
no deer. The sun had now passed the meridian
and we reluctantly started homeward. still hop
ing to get shot at a deer. Just before sunset
we gained the summit of high bluff and stopped
to rest and enjoy the beautiful landscape before
u.s. About mile to our left was the residence
of Mr.. Sykes; in front and to our right was the
beautiful and picturesque Black River Valley.
We could trace the silver cleaning of the waters
of the river for miles through the trees, and the
they glanced among the many-cOlored autumn
leaves of trees and vines. For some minutes we
| stood leaning on the muZzles of our guns and
gazed enraptured at the sight, forgetting for the
moment that there might be deer near u.s. At
length we aroused ourselves from the cOntem-
platiOn of nature, and shouldering our guns de-
scended the hill in the direction of the house and
were soon on the highway that ran along the
foot of the bluff We walked briskly along talk
ing quite loudly and never dreaming of seeing
deer. small brook ran between us and the
house. its banks being thickly covered with
aderS and other underbrush. This brook was
spanned by single plank placed there for the
accommodation of foOt-passengers. l crossed
the stream first, and turned to watch my COM
panon meanwhile laughing and talking uncon-
cernedly for never dreamed of seeing deer so
near to human habitation. But a moment
later the attitude of Ben led me to think that big
game was near at hand. My companion walked
cautiously and silently over the plank and STEP
ping quietly to my side placed his hand on my
shoulder and slowly and in perfect silence we
walked right up tO-a deer? No, to the house.