Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-01-14
he WAS A FAMOUS HUNTER.
Al interesting Sketch Of The Late 10,
Darling.

aim to his grave though but for that he
vas robust man and only GS years OF
age.
IN a letter to the Boston Globe. J. N
Taylor, who knew Darling well relates
'everal interesting "reminiscences of thu
noted and sometimes notorious woods,
nan, trapper. poacher and guide.
JOCK Darling began to hunt and trar
tor a living before he was 20 wears old
md for several years previous to the wal
MS name was we'll known in the Bostoi
ma View York meat markets. He stud
ed hunting and trapping as a bushes,
nan OF today would study the stock maf
Ktt, ana he knew how to get the best re
'ults out of days hunt lie investigate,
he habits OF the big and small game, ant
when possessed of the knowledge whic'
such study brought he was prepared L
putstrip every other hunter in the woods
1T would surprise you. he said to m
one October afternoon while padding
np from Deep cove in Grand lake on tn
cast branch. to the landing at Haryey's
TO see what would take place if you wer
% go into good game country and 81
down for AN hour or two in the woods
Keep perfectly still and you viii Sc
things that Will amuse and instruct you
| sat one day in the woods near my ole
camp on Nickatous lake and a carbon
walked up to within 10 feet OF me. II
got no scent. and as ! Kept perfectly still
he was curious. They are the most in
1usitive animals in the woods and 20,
would have laughed till your sides achet
If you could have seen this fellows ac
tons. lie was Il young bull. and he stoo.
braced like Il calf in a pasture ready for
a froltc. After gazing at me for five min
utes he made move as if to spring a
me. Then he turned and kicked up his
heels ana swung around face to as be
fore. He kept up his gamboIs for full,
10 minutes, and dammc if | had tn
heart to shoot. He was a beauty witt
oil. n.
hide of Il beaver. let him cut capers
for . while and then | jumped up
swung my arms, and yelled BY George
man but didn't ne go. / examined tn.
Jumps he made. and the second and third
were nine and eleven PAGES wide"
In his youthful days Jock made the
acquaintance of small animals and birds
by sitting still in the woods and obServ-
ing their movements. Before he learned
the ways Of the partridge he had chased
apparently disabled birds in a vain en-
deavor 10 catch them, but he afterwards
disc oycrcd that the bird was only Turing
him away from nest or chicks. Wood
land mice and red squirrels found in him
a friend, for he never harmed anything
he did not want for food ANA he never
killed for the sake of killing. He has pos
ScSSed tame deer that would follow him
everywhere. and when he was IN camT
on NicliatouS the moose birds would fy
right in and help themselves from his
LIiit. Jock WOULD never allow one 81
these birds To be shot if he could help
ii. Tor he believed the killing would
bring bad luck ana scarcity of game.
Ii was Jocks close study Of game ami
mails that accounted long ago for the
scarcity Of deer in the State. There were
times when To see a deer in the Maine
forest created considerable speculation.
Jock could Ci1e years when scarcely
deer track would be seen In days
tramp. Hunters wer" amazed at their
absence, but Jock was not. There we're
wolves then. and jock was convinced
that the wolves drove the deer away 70
other timher@,
Jock used to dog deer in IN. old Gays
when such methods were sanctioned, and
h has tucked when to soc the Jack would
cause no comment. Deer recognize in
wolves and dogs their mortal enemies.
said Jock one night in his Nickatous
camp 'and DIGGING If continued Will
drive deer away" Ten or a dozen good
deer dogs, and hunters who visited his
camps were always sure OF game. one
night while diseoursing on dogs ana
sportsman from Boston. Mr..
Herbert NJ Iowes asked Jock If he
thought a swift-running dog could catch
a caribou.
~ might have thought So once. said
Jock but that was Il long time ago, be-
fore / had ever seen a caribou fetching
ground. was out one day with an old
hunter named Collins now dead. and We
came on herd OF Is caribou on Malta
-anlon lake. There WAS about two inches
of frozen snow on the ice. and tho foot
ing was good enough for any kind Of ram
ming Collins had been Dragging about
dog he owned a long. rangN. crossbfod
hound. with legs and quarters IKE y
cuurser When We sighted the caribou
the,- We're about = wards from shore,
llaNiug like It lot of young jersey cattle.
Collins wanted to shoot. and We might
have killed the Who'll" Is, for caribou viii
stand for the killing of whole h"rd II
they don't see OF scent YOU. SAID. No,
Collins lets put that dog . yours after
them.
Il had heard Collins tell SO many sto-
ri,S about that dogs speed that was
willing to lose chances Of q sh"t LUST To
4r. him rum Collins WAS sure tA" dog
would Land ono IT them. ana was willing
~ bet 50 I went plug . tobacco on the
r3tibou. collins slipped the dog ana
Kicked him.
Did he catch one?" asked Howes in
tcrrupting Jock.
"Catch be- bowed. replied Jock
Mating but Il bullet could have caught
tho bull that Collins dog took fancy
TO- The dog got within y yards 81 the
Nora before it broke IN. The animals
scattered ana the bull that the dog took
after lit out down the lax" toward the
shaded his eyes with both hands 10 watch
the chase and | leaned up against a big
hprlOck ard laughed.
What dyer think Collins. | asked.
Will Trigger catch him?'
catch him sez Collins. kinder dis
.usted like. -dammc. lock, If ii don't
ook AZ if Trigger was a-runnin the oth- 4
n way.
In this time Jock Darling killed more
than 1850 moose. These are not exact
figures. but one day last winter JOCK gave |
them az his best estimate He hunted
IA heads