The Bryan daily eagle. (Bryan, Tex.) 1895-1898, 1898-05-29
FATE OF MAINE DEER.
a SINGLE LOCALITY SHOWS A
TERRIBLE STORY.
Deep snow nfings starvatioa-WhIie
Weak from Hanger NeiEhborhood Dogs
Destroy the Beautiful Creatures In
Great NumberA

ives OF thOufhndh OF ncer IN the hoIlh-
ern part OF Maine. This man Is Mr.
Joseph Vincent Of Lewiston, who has
passed the winter with his team and a
few men logging at Swift river. says
the Lewiston Journal. lie told
story OF butchery that almost equaied
the story OF Senator Proctor In It's pie
turesqueness OF woe. I'm the region
Of our camp at Swift river were per
haps a dozen yards Of deer containing
from eight to fifteen deer. When the
winter closed down aud the snow came
they were all as fat and rugged-look-
Ing a. butter balls. We used 10 see
them about the woods In the fall and
they yarded In the thick trees waere
they could get plenty Of tree branches
20 eat The snow came down heavy
and shut them In. They could not get
out Of their yard paths without noun-
dering In the snow. Ordinarily they
can wade out and make new paths and
tracks. but this year the snow was 30
deep that when they tried to get out
they merely stuck in the snow and had
TO struggle back into the yard az best
they could The result was that they
ate up all the green stun that there was
TO be had and then starved. Some Of
those that I found within a few weeks
back were 30 poor that their bones
stuck out OF their hides. almost. We
have had 20 haul hay into the camp
the last Of the season and for that pur-
pose have built roads through the
snow. The hay. of course. would fall
on and be torn on by the branches OF
the trees and scattered along the wood
road. Well. after the first crust came
on which the deer could walk In the
early mornings they came out Or their
yards on Il and scattered all through
the woods. eating everything ravenous-
~. They came to the wood road where
our hay was scattered along the way
and they Just camped down there.
They stayed TIL late In the forenoon
and when the crust melted they could
not walk back 10 their yards on t.
Then they continued 20 follow along
the road TIL they came 20 the camp
where we sometimes took pity on the
poor half-staryed things and gave
them food. But our greatest surprise
was when we were hauling In hay one
morning-thc first time that the crust
on the snow would HOLLAND saw a
lot o. the deer ahead Of us In the snowy
road. We had seen them In the fall
frisking through the woods like shad-
ows. and we supposed that they would
fee from M now. bu, they did not,
They waited TIL we came up and one
only tried 10 get out OF the path. he go
INK into the snow 20 the hips and wal
lowing there helpless. The rest stood
still. iammlng out Of the way and let
ting Us pass 80 near that they we're
touched by our hands when we passed.
A little distance ahead OF us they pre-
sented a beautiful picture and were ap-
parently well. But when we came up
TO them II was revealed why they so
patiently waited 70 let us come up.
AA'N N't' Hf"A WINS AN'f wv fhk'fll
at the hay as We passed them by. And
one or two followed ~ and ate on OF
the rear Of the load. But such pathetic
sights you never have seen In your
life They were as poor as poor could
be- Their eyes stuck out ~ the ap.
pearanoe Of the hay. and while they ex-
hiblted every appearance Of extreme
terror at oug appearance they never.
theless let us approach. They had
come out Of their yards In the early
morning while the snow was frozer
hard and had found the trail. when
they tried TO go back the crust was
melted and they could not 90.
But I do not think that that Il the
worst feature Of this winters deer
snow. | found that the dogs were max.
ing havoc with the deer all over that
region and from reports that have OF
the region farther east and north
should say that the same Is true Of the
entire upper part Of the state. One
morning found four dead deer beside
the road where they had been killed by
the dogs They we're bitten about the
neck and torn till they fell down from
loss Of blood and were then DESTROYED
But they are not eaten wholly-in fact
! the dogs deyourod only the hams Of
their hind legs. They then left them
and went after more deer to Kill.
"ln one place found three deer
alive but 30 hopelessly torn and LAGER.
ated that they died before my eyes
The dogs had thrown them down and
eaten their hams while they we're still
living and then gone away and leit
them there. These dogs could chas,
deer on the crust when the poor deei
would slump through the snow.
'In one place near our camp found
yard where the deer had been happ,
and fat In the fall. When visited H
in the spring. only week ago. all IN,
deer were dead. killed by the dogs IL
their yards. |, was n sight TO max,
| the blood OF sportsman boil. In m,
estimation, and ! have figured Il ou
carefully. there are In the region Of
Swift river the carcasses Of over 5Ol
deer which have been killed by dog
and which have starved to death. tn,
dogs are let out about the house Of N,
owner In the settlements and they dis
appear before night, A couple o
strong dogs though they may be moth
Ing but curs-will 20 OF In the wood
together on the crust and be gone FOL
days. and In that time no one know
how many deer they may have killed
We found many partially eaten car
cases In the woods since this last crus
formed don't know what can b,
done TO help It. ! don't suppose any
thing can"