The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1901-11-20
Big Game Is Plenty.

Big Game is Plenty.
Under the above caption the Oil City
Derrick expatiates nicely on the plenti-
tude of big game, deer, bear. ETC., in the
vicinity of that bustling city. While it
has long been understood that oil City
mas been noted for years back as great
place for game of all sorts--a veritable
preserve in fact-pheasants roosting on
telephone poles, rabbits eating up the
cabbage and girdliHg the lawn shrubbery,
aud skunks infesting cellars aud hase-
ments, the why's and wherefores of it all
have not been generally understood,
hence the Derrick's dissertation is timely
and of more than common interest 1t
says:
To many TO whom the topography of
the country in the immediate vicinity of
Oil City is unfamiliar it seems strange
that so many deer can be found within
practically sight and sound of Oil City,
but the fact is that the shelter in the
woods in this section is such that thes.'
animals and bears find an almost ideal
home. 5 arting at Horse creek, three
miles from town, one arrives at what is
known as the Red Brush thickets, aud
can travel for days without getting out of
this thick woods through Venango, For
e,t, Warren, Cameron, Mexican and Elk
counties. 1t is true that between here
aud Lineville, distance of about 10
miles, most of the timber has been cut
down in the days when numbering was
the principal business of this section and
sntedating the oil producing business,
but the heavy timber has been succeeded
by second growth of red oak and this is
known as Red Brush thicket.
The brush grows to a height of from
six t. fifteen feet, and the leaves do not
fall to the ground. Growing to a less
height are brisrs and small pine trees
that hold what snow falls, and under
meath all are the brush piles or "slash-
ings," making combination through
which it is almost impossible for hunt
er to work his way and which prevents
one from, at times seeing more than 10
or ~ feet in trout of him. The deer fiud
forage in the buds of the smaller under.
brnsh and grass that is left tare through
the shelter afforded by the red brush
pine and th'ckets, and while hunting
parties are numerous, not only during
the legal season, but also during earlier
and later periods, the defense offered by
the thickets practically prevents the ex-
termination of the herds of deer that find
feed and breeding places in them.
All of the four deer killed by local
hunters have been yearlings, showing
that the old deer have not left this sec
tion, but are more wary aud able to avoid
the hunters. The Crossing known To
the veteran hunters OF 80 years ago are
used to-day by the yearling deer. The
spike buck killed on Saturday by Jack
Dempsey and Billy McAiee was shot on
the McPharson crossing, and ON Sunday
when A. Gilbert, of the south side, passed
over the road ON his way home from
visit to Clarion county, he saw the trail
/ VI a utti Nldt ll1h hSti lut Shilt tibNolhE
and back Of the tracks ofthe deer was the
trail OF man close behind it.
The same conditions that preserve the
deer of this section from the army Of
hunters permit ears to find shelter, and
although this game is scarce there have
been srveral seen in this immediate
neigbborhood within few years. Last
season a big black bear was KILLED near
the boat house at Henry's bend, and this
season another bear, supposed TO be its
mate, has been seen by Mr.. Nail, who
has charge of the boat house property
He has seen the animal on three different
occasions, the last time on Thursday
night when he was aroused by the cries
of alarm made by his pigs and caused by
the bear trying to enter the pen. Before
the hunter could slip into his clothing
and get his rifle bruin had disappeared.