The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-11-19
HUNTING ON THE DYBERRY
In the Days of the Past-Recollec-
tion of Ezra Brooks-How Dyberry
Received Its Name-Trapping
Wild Animals-Some Interesting
Hunting "reminiscences.
From the Wayne Independent.

AAuhliiiS "Reminiscences.
From the Wayne Independent.
Ezra Brooks, of Dyberry township.
occasionally comes to Honesdale He
is hale and strong at 6S years Of age
and full of "reminiscences of pioneer
days. He came to Dyberry in 1917
with is parents by way Of Newburg
and Cohecton, following the road that
leads through GirdlanG. They stopped
the first night at the house Of Conrad
Pulls and he well remembers the great
fire place and the griddle that swung
from the crane that would hold a
half dozen pancakes. Honesdale at
that time had not an inhabitnat, and
the whole country was Il Wilderness
excepting an occasional settlers clear
ing. Wild game was plentiful.
The Dyborry was named for half
blooded Indian named Dyberry who
had log cabin on the East Branch.
about one mile east of Tanners Falls.
He lived alone and trapped for a liv-
ing. Mr.. Brooks says he knew him
well. He had an ingenious way Of set
ting dead falls, He built CObble houses
of logs or smaller sticks according TO
the size Of the animal he desired to
catch; with one entrance here he
arranged his figure and as the ami
NAL gnawed at the bait he brought a
log upOn himself large enough to hold
him down. The weight would be six
or eight hundred pounds for bear.
When a fox or wolf was in his den
he would cut poles about two feet
long and sharpen them at one end:
these he would run into the hole butt
end first. after which he would close
the hole securely at the outside and
leave il. The wolf, when he wanted
to get out, would encounter the sticks:
these he would draw back one by one
and push them to his rear. The an
imal would finally find the entrance
closed. The hunter on approaching the
entrance, would frighten the animal
and 1t would attempt to return to
its burrow but would run against the
sharp points OF the sticks that it had
been industrlOusly pulling behind it.
self and could not return. The hunter
could easily shoot him where he was
entrapped. Mr.. Brooks says he caught
foxes this way, having learned how
uf Duberry.
DEER.
He says that he has killed as many
as 800 deer and that Lewis Day who
was a great hunter, killed as many
more. lie has killed three deer in two
minutes and three deer in a day a
number of times, but could never get
the fourth one the same day. He has
fired many times after getting three
bat luck always failed him after that,
Lewis Day had the same experience.
He could never get but three deer in
one day. Mr. n, II. Killam, Of Paupack,
told the writer about a similar exper-
iencc. He had killed three deer in a
day and three bear in a day and two
bear and "A deer and two deer and n
bear but never got the fourth one.
Iluntcrs, however have killed more
than three deer in a day. Abram Pull
IS killed seven i'm the snow crust at
enc time, but that was not fair hunt
ing. He killed 80 deer one year.
Mr., Brooks says deer were as plenti-
ful az the sheep are now;'he saw 10
I'm one drove and SO another dav. He
never killed any bear and but one wolf.
but he captured a great many foxes,
having killed 40 i'm one year. and in
three 81, GS shots in all. The one that
he missed he killed with the second
shot so that nine of the foxes that he
fired at out of the g. escaped him. He
killed two wild turkeys at one shot and
killed fat one that weighed 22 pounds,