Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-09-17
STATE HOUSE.
Precautions Against Shooting
Accidents in Woods.
A Circular Containing Valuable Advice
to be Issued to Hunters.
Letter That Will 30 in the Circular IRON an
Old Guide.

the last hunting season, there were
several fatal accidents from careless
shooting in the forests OF this State.
Not so many, however, as is popularity
supposed. not over six fatal shooting
accidents occurred at the outside, and
no registered guide was connected with
any of these but this was six too
many.
caution hunters. to the fullest extent
possible, and to this end will issue
leaflet for general distribution, to such
parties as appear to be going into the
woods hunting.
General Manager Cram of the Ban
gor & Aroostook Railroad, has gener-
ously offered to bear the expense of the
printing
Nathan B. Moore, the oldest guide in
Maine, and one who has had more ex-
perience than any other, felt impressed
to write letter to the commissioners
on this subject, which we print. The
commissioners have decided to utilize
this letter in their leaflet of caution
which will be circulated throughout the
State.
The following is the letter:
Bingham. Sept. 10, 1898.
Dear Brother Hunter:
AS l am a man who has had a long
experience hunting in the Maine woods,
and on the, ST. Johns river, I wish to
give you all few words of caution, as
there have been so many accidents
happening every year. 1t has come to
be serious thing and I cannot help
giving my brother hunters a feWIworis
of ia ution. hoping it may teach you
all THAI takes his rifle and starts out
on a hunting trip. to try their luck on
big game. 1 have hunted the Maine
woods for "a years. l have killed PIG
moose that have kept a true account
of, and one-half as many caribou, and
many deer, bears and small game, al
most without number. so you must
know that l understand the rules of
hunting, and hope that I am able to
give all of my good brother hunters j.
few good words of advice. Not any
good, experienced hunter is agoing to
shoot anyone. 1t is the man who never
had any parties in the woods, that
shoots men, and how terrible it is to
shoot our fellow man; where is the
man who ever can forgive himself for
such a deed. IL he does it 'innocently.
it is horrid terror that he must car
ry to the end of mis- life, and now, my
good brothers. let me tell you all how
to keep clear of all these terrible deeds.
You must all know that I have seen
some terrible scenes in all of my hunt
ing for so many years, and l will tell
you how I have Stunned all those try
ing scenes in all of my long hunting
experience When l first started out,
in the morning OF life, as a young hun
Ger, made this solemn promise that
would never fire my rifle at amy kind OF
game. uhll I could see enough of the
object to tell whether it was a man Or
a beast that I was taking sight at, and
if had not made chat promise and
stood UP to it, i should have shot q
man dead.
I was out hunting moose in January:
the snow was very shoal and light. AMI
no one but myself would have thought
of running a moose down in such hard
going, and after had run him eight
miles, as he came out of a thicket,
saw him go up a little rising ground
about II rods from me. tried to pull
| the case off from my rifle. but it was
frozen on and when l got the case off,
he was just going over the knoll.
| l soon came to the top of the knoll.
and it was descending ground for about
80 rods, and there was spruce thicket
about four rods through it, and knew
the moose was not one minute ahead
of me. l did not think was man
within 10 miles of me, and there was
moose standing in a thicket. just ahead
of me. 1 came running very fercely.
knowing I must be in sight of the
moose. and as / came there stood the
moose, head to me. in the thicket. He
was as black as bear, not over three
rods from me.
l took my rifle to my face, and took
good aim. 1 would hit a quarter every
time, at that distance, but there was
the vow 1 had made. l pulled on The
trigger two-thirds hard enough to fire.
and thinking of the promise that |
would never shoot until knew what I
was shooting at, stepped three steps
one side, and l saw man in the place
of the moose. Please tell me il there Is
one man in 10000 but what would have
shot in my chance?
| He did not see me until I said. "EiOw
came you here?" He said, "he was
1 there was a tote road within Is feet O.
him. He just stepped out to look at
the tracks. I kept right on upon the
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