Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1901-06-20
\ Deer Hunt i'll California.

ted by larry h Mct ann from Ooal
inga, Cal. to his father, L. R
McFann, Of McFann.)
DEAR FATHER Did you
ever have the buck fever Well did
not get it Yesterday for | shot deer.
We started in the morning for what
is called the Jonquin Rocks. Where an
old bandit named Jonquin Merrietta
used 10 have his stronghold. The first
place of any Importance that we passed.
was Doughnut rock. we stopped there
and had our pictures taken. | will give
Won the names of the Boys, they all
work on the lease here, Geo. Machen,
Fred Jost. he dresses tools for me, and
Sidney Ziegler. We had three saddle
horses. From Doughnut rock we had
gone about a mile and a half when | run
across deer track. Fred had his rifle
and started after the deer and we went
on to the rocks, agreed to all meet there
We only went a short distance when we
run into some large rocks George and |
climbed up on top Of them and heard
Fred shoot We looked and followed
but could get no answer or see anything
of him so we took our horses and start
ed. we rode those horses down over
places where | would hardly think OF
walking down back in the east. we
finally struck kind of an old trail and
followed it 10 the rocks and l was AT
the rocks about half hour before the
other BOYS come. When they got there
we went up on top of two of the rocks,
there is three of them all standing in a
row. The highest one is about 300 feet
high. the front is standing perpendicu-
lar and slopes from the front back TO the
hills: this rock was the old bandit
lookout and his caves were down the
canyOn about a quarter of a mile.
When we come down from the rocks
we built fire and made some coffee and
eat our lunch.
We had Just about finished when Fred
came up to Us Just about played out, be
had no water along with him anG you
can't get any in these foot hills there
are no springs and you have to carry
all your water along, so ne got to telling
MS about hitting the deer in the front
leg and it was travelling on three legs
and he showed us piece of a bone be
got out of its leg, he said that he had
followed the dear for about ten miles,
and it had crossed our tail two times and
he let it go the last time he came ON our
trail and started for the Rocks, this was
about 80 p. m, when we left the KocBs
and we wanted TO get shot at the deer
again so Fred gave me the gun. ana
when we got back to where 1t crossed
the trail and was going down IN the
CANYON, George and | started after IT
We followed it for about three-quarters
of mile when it jumped mp. Then Is
when the fun began Geo. commenced 10
hollow there it goes, and TO shoot. L
had not got to see 1t yet, he was little
above me and pretty soon l saw IT leap
about ten feet over some little shrubbery
and let 20 at it but of course missed II.
Bv that time it was gone, l took right
after it. and Geo could not keep in
sight and he was telling me afterward
about place went down over that be
had to crawl down. He said when he
got down / was about a quarter of a
mile up the other side of the mountain
When he came up we started again amt
followed il about three miles over places
| guess no white man had ever been be-
fore and / don't think could go unless
he was after deer. We put it up again
and got two shots at it that time and
gave Geo. the gun, and he got two shots
at it so we started again over worse
country than what we had came over
We followed it about three miles futher
when it doubled on its track and | start
ed ND over point and Geo. started
around it so | put it up again but dld
not see it when it started until it was
200 yards away and | SNAPPED twice on 1t
and throwed III another shell.
Of course / was giving the gun few
compliments so the deer stopped about
a half mile away from where l was
/ saw it and l started to get little
closer and 1 got about half way when II
started mp again. | snapped three times
and. threw in another shell, took good
aim and let 20 and down came Mr..
Deer. / guess Geo. was worse exclted
than was. it was 700 steps from where
| shot to where the deer was. beat
Geo TO where the deer was. | had not
killed it, just broke its back and when
/ got mp to it it tried to get up and
away, | Just collared it and held on
until George came up and neither one
of us hand a knife to cut its throat 30
took off my belt and tried to cut its
throat with the tongue of the buckle
and we did not know how to kill it, so
George wanted to hit it on the head
with his fist, well he hit it on the bead
and the third time he hit it, it made a
struggle and rolled down the side OF the
mountain about 100 yds. and me after 1t
we'll we came to the conclusion that we
would shoot it in the head so the bullet
wonld come out its throat and probably
bleed il for MS, so George shot 1t Then
is when W. had an elephant on our
hands How were we ever gong 10
get it to camp, it was getting dark and
we were about eight miles from camp
Fred had. in the meantime. gone on
with the horses to Doughnutrock and
had intended to 20 on home but when
We shot the deer | guess we made so
much noise that he heard US hollow and
started TO find us. We tied the deers
feet together with my belt and took
turn about carrying it out of the canyon
but before we got out we had come to
the conclusion to leave it and come
back in the morning, when TO our JOY
and delight we saw Fred about mile
on the other ridge across the canyon
He came down to rs and as he had
knife we cleaned it there and packed 1T
on horse behind us and started for
camp, dark and the country rough and
rocky and unknown to any of us but we
landed in camp at 1880 hungry and
had not had drink of water since r.
" well | would not have taken any
thing to have missed that trip