Daily public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1892-191?, 1898-11-23

Luck Fills the Game Bag
ct USED TO spend more than half

1T USED 20 spend more than half
my time in the Pennsy lvanie
woods hunting and trapping during
the season" said resident of the
Fouthern Tier. because | loved the
chase. and | loved to try my skill and
ingenuity in outwitting the cunning
Of the fox. the bear. the wildcat and
other sagacious beasts i'm Turing them
10 my traps and Su1res and pitfalls.
And ! used to gloat at the way | could
run down and bag the fleet and willy
deer. It was great sport. and I used
TO get indignant when some one would
Cxclaim when l came in with Il lot of
game:
"'Say, maybe you didn't have good
luck.
That always made me indignant.
and l would reply: Luck he blowed.
No luck about it. skill! That's what
fills your game bag. skill, not luck
And | thought and believed so, Of
course. But | haven't been in the
woods hunting or trapping now for
more than ten years. The fact of
the matter is, got disguSted. | found
out that | had to take back a good
deal OF what 1 had always said about
there not being anything in luck bag.
ging your game; that il was skill that
did 1t. not luck. 1ad to lake il back,
and il Disguised me so that ! came
home. hung up my gun, gave nay traps
away aal haven't been in the woods
since.
The way my disgust started in 10
take possession of me was through
an experience / had ON Kettle creek
I'm the fall Of Sc. An immense buck
had been airing himself in the neigh
borhood Of my camp on the creek. 1t
didn't take me long to discover that
he was as smart as he was big, and
used ell the tricks I had learned in
80 years as a hunter and trapper In
trying TO bag that buck, but he got
the best of me every time. That same
fall wildcat had likewise defied all
my skill as a trapper, and continued
to prowl around there laughing at me;
md, TO increase my chagrin over the
situation. a big she bear. followed by
,coaple of spring cubs, took TO loung-
ing and fOraging and slouching almost
Nn6er my very nose. and yet gave me
the slip every time | went out with
my gun and treated with contempt my
efforts 10 show them what a superior
dissembler was in fixing up a trap.
II was growing furious when some
little encouragement came TO me. II
discovered that had got the best of
the wildcat enough to fool her into
stepping into a steel trap, but the
ugly critter had walked away with the
trap. / followed the trail of the wild
cat for miles and lost il. The same day
got after the buck and thought /
had him dead sure when the cunning
old cuss ciTcumventcd me the slickest
kind. ! was going back TO camp dis
gusted when ! struck the track of the
hear ard the two cubs. Although
knew from the marks in the snow the
bear must have passed thdtwa two
ar three hours before. / struck right
In after 'em with teeth set and blood
In my eye. had followed them mile
OF more and the track was getting
-reslier, when / heard a shot off to
my left. / went down to see who 1t
was and what ne had shot. found a
fellow named Asa Cole. who drove a |
Ieam for the mill people. lie sat in
the snow and looked half scared TO
death. Six feet away. TO my amaze /
Dnent and increased disgust. lay the !
wildcat had tried so long to capture. |
My trap was on one OF it's legs and the |
cat was dead with n bullet hole in it's |
side. Maybe I wasn't mad ~ soon
Asa saw me he seemed 10 think he
~as safe and he begun 10 grin.
did yOH hear me shootin'?' said he.
SITES and'l snapped II out pretty
nRly.
list nowT said Asa.
Yes. said ]. Jusg now
= oh, tilrn Il wasn't this here wild
~ sou heerd me shoot said he. II