The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1896-11-26
pER1Ls FOR HUNTERS.

Z peue Of Them Safe When Bullets Fly
tk Four and Half Miles.
~,
n
hs The deer season is already open in
AZ Wisconsin and deer are being slaughtered
y hundreds by sportsmen now in the
u rssoods. On November l the season
in Minnesota. Owing to the in
seduction of the modern, small caliber,
sntong range fre.arms old time hunters
Hook forward with apprehension to the
. accidents that are likely to occur In
the windows of . Minnesota store hangs
!, Z harmless looking little rife, to which
il attached the significent placard:
"Range four and q half miles" This
simple little announcement means that
many men who have heretofore spent
mcst of the month Of November in the
woods of Northern Minnesota will stay
at home this year and scan the news
papers for the accounts of the deaths of
unhappy hunters who have been killed
by these terrible weapons. A number
Of these rifles have been sold. and It is
apparent that no man within . radius
OF several miles Of hunter armed with
one of them has any certain tenure of
life. In Minneapolis, alone, 1t least
dozen men who haven't missed their
annual deer hunts for several years have
given it out that they prefer the quiet
OF business to the hazards of deer hunt
ing with such dangerous weapons in use
in the woods.
This is the first year that these rifles
have been used generally in the United
States for hunting purposes, and with
those whe haven't reflected on the
possibilities Of their long range they arc
extremely popular. The long, small.
&alibre bullets, steel coated, discharged
fom these rifles carry for 800 yards on q
dead line. There is no need for adjust
able sights with such q powerful rife,
and for that reason, as for their compar.
ative cheapness, they are proving popu.
lar. A Minneapolis man who used one
of these rifles last year says he would
like to see Law passed forbidding the
,,se of such weapons. His change Of
heart was brought about by little ex.
perience while in the woods last winter.
He was sitting on log smoking. wait
ing for his wagon to come up with the
supplies when there came the peculiar
moaning sound Of the small-calibre bul.
let. It struck tree scarcely four feet
from Mr.. johnson. He had hardly re.
covered from his surprise when another
bullet passed near his head. The next
moment Mr.. johnson was crouching be.
hind log. After he had recovered his
equanimity he dug the ball out of the
tres and found that it belonged to one
Of his own men. He learned from them
afterward that the man was three miles
away at the time the two shots were
fred.
"You may think 1t is . laughing mat.
ter" said. w. w. Leonard, another we'll.
known hunter, but let me point out
lev iacts. The rifles now being sold in
Minneapolis and throughout the North.
west have the terrible carrying power
Of the formidable, small calibre rifles
now In uss In the armies Of Europe and
In the regular army Of the United States.
These rifles are warranted to kill at
three miles. The steel.incased bullet
leaves the mussel of the rife with such
terrible velocity that it will penetrate
80 inches Of pine.
"Now, imagine what may happen
with party of hunters armed with
such rifles, distributed over a compar.
atively small area of wooded country.
One OF the hunters may fire at deer,
miss his aim, and the bullet may 20 on
and kill another member of the party
two or three miles away. This is no
idle fear; such accidents often occur
with the rifles that have been used in
hunting in previous years, and which
have an extreme range of not more
than 1000 yards.
1t may BIZ urged that no rife bullet
can proceed great distance in forest
without imbedding itself in tree trunk,
but in the slashings, where deer are
often hunted. one can sometimes see
nothing but scattering trees and small
undsrbrush for miles.
II contend that there i no excuse
for the use Of such deadly weapons. In
osdinasy deer hunting he Il . poor hunt
y who doesn't stalk his game within
100 yards OF course in hunting noun
faln sheep and goats the range Il much
leaeer. bat Of Whist use i such an ex
tsene raneef A man can't sss his
oome = two o. three miles, and even II
! ke could he couldn't ain withia 30 feet
q Il There h no use lor such weapons
Se6u : II vasiase. and thsy ought to -