The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1896-01-31
Deer i'm the Puget Sound Country.

Puget sound has about 1900 miles
of shore line, and time was, but re-
Gently when deer could be killed almost
anywhere on its shores, with the ex-
ception of the neighborhood of large
towns; but in the last six or seven
years this has all changed, WILDLY
island at one time was the great hunt
ing ground for deer. Hundreds of
them have been killed on that island,
not only the common red deer but
spotted deer and white deer. The
British Columbia Indians used to
come over to the Sound to pick hops,
and after they got through hop pick
ing, they would 60 to WILDLY, Orcas
and other islands and lay in their
winters supply of meat. The bucks
and young Indians would go into the
timber and drive the deer into the
water, where the squaws would kill
them with muskets, clubs, spears etc.,
very often getting II deer in day.
After those islands got more thickly
settled this was stopped by the ran
chers. Then the noble white hunter
came with dogs and guns. They would
charter steamer at Seattle to trans
port themselver, dogs, guns and cases
of whiskey, to the island, and arriving
at their hunting ground they would
get their small boats into the water,
then the fun would commence. The
hounds would soon water every deer in
two or three miles Of camp, and if the
hunters were not satisfied with their
kill on that particular island they were
soon steaming to another
At first these hunters were received
with open arms by the ranchers on the
islands, for the deer were getting to be
a pest to them, as it was almost i'm
possible to raise any vegetables or
young trees at all. Then the ranchers
commenced raising sheep but it was
very hard TO find a hound that would
not run sheep as we'll as deer, so there
came clash between the ranchers and
hunters when the riot act was read by
the Janchers; also declaration of war
on the hounds. After their hounds
had been shot the hunters left their
dogs at home when they went to the
island hunting. Then the still hunter
came, he was in all his glory he could
slaughter Z or s deer day right along
and he had no trouble to sell the car
casses, as there was no law to prevent
him. Then the ranchers rose in their
might and stopped the slaughter, and
the legislature made laws to protect
the deer from dogs and hunters at
certain times of the year, but there
were few left to protect.
1t was the same with Vashon and
Hartstein Island on the upper Sound,
but hunting with dogs on the main
lands is more of blessing than mere
curse to the ranchers because it keeps |
the cougars, wild cats etc, down, the
hunters killing them or the dogs run
ming them back from the settlements. |
The deer are very scarce now in the
Sound country, although there are a
very few places remote from the settle
ments that deer is still found in num-
bers for the average hunter-but the
pretty, graceful creatures days are
numbered as they are slowly but sure
ly disappearing from the country.
Towns and cities have sprung up
where a few years the deer was bound
ing through the timber.
With the deer is the passing OF our
beautiful woods, as the many railroads
extend they leave path like a tornado
behind them, with nothing but stumps
and disorderly piles of debris. Such is
the march of civilization in the far
West.
While I do not uphold deer hunting
with dogs, I will say that If hunter
goes out hunting with two or three
dogs after bear or wild cats, it is al
most impossible to prevent his dogs
from running deer should they run
onto one, and there is not one man In
a thousand who would not empty his
gun at the deer, especially If 1t was
big buck. There was a time few
wears ago that it was no trouble at all
70 kill s or 9 deer near Lost Prairie,
hit now it is hard work to find trace