The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-31

Cold storage Hunters "a New Kind OF Foe or
Gnmc In the Maine Woods.

NoECEoss, Me-, Oct. g2-rhc first deer of the
season offered for sale hero came in on Oct. .
and was purchased by a Bangor hotel man. who
paid Il cents a pound for the dressed carcass.
To-day IL man may buy all the deer he wants or
all ii. has money to pay for at the rate of ! cent
n pound. or 800 pounds for 81. The visitor who
wants u deer has no need to so hunting. He
can drop of here at night, buy a 175.pound
buck. including antlcrs big enough TO hold Il
dozen hats in the front Il II, and II beautiful soft
skin that may be tanned and converted into Il
$40 mat. ana get the whole lot for 100.
The late dry spoil has CnG'ch the fallen Leaves
to CraCklc under foot in the woods, SO that the
deer take alarm before the hunter gets within
gunshOt Of his prey, and most of the deer that
have been captured lately have been shot from
canoes carly in the morning or late al night,
when the animals come down TO drink. The
Gccr's lovc-makinS season begins in November,
at which time the bucks forget their shynCss ana
come out into tho clearing, where ANYBODY
may Kill them at short range. should the
delayed autumn rains begin early in November
T." chances are that 100 deer Il day Will be
shipped from this station all through the month.
In a few weeks now the weather will be so cold
that Carcasscs hung up out of doors will keen
for an indefinite period. The pot hunters will
avail themselves of the opportunity and shoot
and store away large quantities of vcnison for
sale or winter
Though practically prohibited by law, the
practices OF shooting deer and selling them TO
increasing every wear. After having secured a
deer and d~iseinoowelci it. the only article
mans shotgun which is the Yankee name for
u supling gray birch. An old legend says that
of the North american continent if the
gray birch had held out. With n piece
OF string and Il stiff birch sailing the Frenchincn
could rig snnres and catch all the rabbits they
wanted without the use of firearms. AS far AS
the birches extended the French held domain.
Where the birches stopped the, English began;
These " frcnchmcn, shotguns." having served
their purpose in colonization; arc again doing
service for the pot hunters. The gray birch is a
catch crop between two Growths OF cvcrgrcens.
| When a pine wood has been cut away or burned
hy forest tires the hirchcs come ny and monopo.
The time they are big enough 10 afford
sR.nf G" al"ny t dn , i,,i" snow t drif ti" SS G4h Ind F% conc:
genial rcd bcds among the birch woods. In ten
years moro The pines haze oycri9pped the
projected them in infancy. As deer feed on
birch sprouts the year round. preferring them
TO all other foods. the best place for deer shoot
ing is in "A birch and pine thickc;. where the
hard wood affords food and the evergreens give
Here the man who shoots for profit makes his
camp and caches his supply OF fresh v"nison.
bitches the hind legs of each animal to springy
! birch sap.ing and SENDS II aloft among the dark
rinc %bouEIh,s, where II may remain frozen for
months. Then h. lOafs around the railruRd STA
( lions and hangs about the hotel piazzas. telling
the visiting hunters mysterious stories about
deer and how chcapthcy may he had: II the new.
conner wants n deer. regardless Of how it is Sc
cured, II trade is made. and the resident vi its his
cold storage lot 10 get what is ordered. Should
! thu visitor b. old-fashioncd enough 10 want TO
Kill his own game the resident turns him over
!" nL.ih..! Eii"c any fc's " iocr,i comthiis,
has gained greatly of late, and is largely re.
! sponslblc for the slaughter that is annually
, recorded. The wariCn~ have maze many ar
rests. hut the captured men have all been un'
able TO pay fines and have run up so heavy
board bills while confined in jail that the tax,
layers are fighting mad. and several OF the local
Justices have refused TO commit men who could
not settle in cash. Supported by local public opin'
ion. the cold.stOragc hunter is becoming a leading
factor in back woods life. Ten years ago his
calling was unknown. Now there are men who
onothiug else. How many deer they kill in i
year is hard 10 say. Last February a numbering
crew AT work on the w est Branch found forty
ak deer carcHsscs hanging on a quarter section
All of these were left over and could not be sold
prior 10 Jan. l.. How many were sold and
shipped away before the beginning of close time
nobody Int the man who did the Killing knows
and as there is a line of $40 IL head for every
deer thus killed hanging over him, he will MOI
be likely 10 tell.