The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1896-09-25
NEFF'S CHICKEN HUNT.
The Lake Crystal Editor Tells of Early
Day Sport.

The following from the Lake Crys
tai Union will interest the local sports
men, as it shows the fun the old tim
ers had on one occasion:
1t is fun to hunt chickens, we know
from experience. Once upon a time,
about Is years ago, the writer, B. E.
Hitchcock and Mr.. Nichols started
out early one morning from our home
in West Mankato for a days chicken
hunt or anything else that chance to
fall in our way. On this occasion we
had to ford the Minnesota river at the
old ferry crossing. The water was
nearly waist deep, but across we went
and our clothes dried on us as we
wal ked along. After securing the
woods on top of the hill, getting
shot or two at cartridges, we all
struck out onto the prairie for chick
Mr.. Nichols had not as yet got hard
enened to tramping, and Mr.. Hitch
cock gave us the wink. We knew
what it meant. The last we saw of
poor Mr.. Nichols that day he was set
ting upon the top of a barbed wire
fence post with his hand shading his
eyes, gazing nOrthward, and the tired
est man one would care to see. 1t
was 40 uncommon occurrence for us
and Mr.. II. to tramp 35 and 40 miles
per day. and ''tote" from a dozen to
fifteen fat chickens. These were
great times. About all the old boys
who used to enjoy the season of hunt
ing have passed over the river meyer
to return. There were the Owen
Bros, Mr.. Payne, Mr.. Hitchcock and
Mr.. Lock. MIR. Hitchcock was the
best posted man on the habits of all
kinds of game and fish and there were
but few his equal. He could tell the
signs of deer or the various species of
birds at glance. He was a travelling
photographer and was very success
full hunter.
At one particular time, he and our
self and his brother-in-law started out
on deer hunt across the river. In
those days deer was quite plenty over
in the big woods in Belgrade. After
we had tramped through marshes,
over fallen timber, and scratched our
hides crawling through underbrush
for several hours we got sight of their
white tails, going through the timber
on the lOpe. The brother-in-law was
sent around to the left to head them
off, while Mr.. II. and ourself were to
stand little ways apart and as the
deer would return that way we would
get shot at 1them. We had a muz-
zle loading rifle, would not more than
hit the side of a good sized barn Mr..
I'll. carried an old Springfield army
rifle loaded with buckshot until you
could not rest. After waiting few
minutes the deer returned, coming
like the wind. They struck the old
man first. He was terribly excited.
He blatted like calf This attracted
the attention of the deer and all three
of them stopped stone STILL Mr.. H.,
in his excitement, trying to cock the
old musket pulled the cap off the nip
pie and he never saw his mistake I'M
til he had taken deliberate aim be-
hind the foreleg of the deer that stood
nearest to him, for all three stood
side by side, and pulled the trigger
and snap it went, and away went the
deer to the north. AS they passed
us, the old man yelled until you could
have heard him five miles away to
shoot the devils. We shot, but what
we hit has never been found out to
this day.