The new enterprise. (Madison, Fla.) 1901-1908, 1902-07-31
An Early Morning Hunt
For Black Toll Deer.

AhNlt was Nv AlAeNARN AhoN -
very light, My eyes had been growing
accustomed to the dimness, meeting
the dawn half way, but the FIRST glow
Of the rising sun was just striking the
tops OF the higher hill. The sky was
turquoise blue all across the dome.
The clouds, which had been purple.
had faded to lavender, famed with q
tint Of orange, and were now melting
away In yellow feeces. 1t would soon
he time when all sensible deer would
be deep in the thickets Of the green
timber, where 1t would be all but i'm
possible to come upon one Of them UNI
awares. Already the burros, far down
the valley where camp lay, were up
and moving stifHy down to get a drink
at the river.
The southern hill before me was one
had marked the year before as a
likely place for deer. 1t rose In smooth
slopes and narrow benches thousand
feet or so, fringed on the top with the
edge Of the deep thick forest Of spruces
which ran back on the plateau beyond.
The ascending surface had spruce and
aspen groves lying on 1t in long stream
ers, divided by half a dozen open
grassy glades, each with a tiny rill
gurgling down the centre, coming from
the banks Of snow which still lay pro-
tected by the dense shade Of the crown
Of spruces. The streams were fringed
with the succulent marsh herbs which
deer and elk most fancy as dessert
after filling up on vines and tender
bouPhs.
1t does not pay to hasten or to get
out Of breath when hunting deer, so
climbed. very, very slowly upward,
keeping in the shelter of the bushy
young aspen that fringed the bigger
trees at the edge OF one of the ascend
Ing glades. At each step, as / placed
my foot to avoid any cracking twig, |
looked all around and listened for any
sound Of game. The stimulation of the
color Of the early coat of the deer to
the dry punches of grass is so close
that in the imperfect light It was well
to study closely each outline, else some
proud stag might bear his coveted
burden Of venison out of range at a
bound, before my eyes had seen the
slender legs and gracefully borne head.
There were plenty of tracks in the
mellow earth, some almost oblterated
by two or three successive dews, and
some apparently as fresh as though
the cushioned hoof had just been lifted
from them. In spite Of all my caution,
a crack Of twigs and stamp Of hoofs
of to the right indicated that on alarm
had reached eyes or ears or nostrils Of
some deer but 1 sat still and listened
to the beating of my heart until ap-
parently 1t decided that its suspicious
did not Justify precipitate flight, for
thought It went on, 1t was IN noise
less walk. From tree to tree / edged
in that direction. / found the fresh
tracks, evidently a buck Of good size.
and followed carefully on a slant up
the hill. l saw something moving
ahead Of me, and was ready to shoot,
but 1t came fearlessly down toward
me, evidently not seeing its danger. A
doe with her two fawns was working
down to a safe shelter in the willow
tangle along the river did not
want to turn them back in the direc-
tlon in which the buck had gone, SO |
crouched behind bush to let them
pass Only n pot-hunter fails to re.
spect femininity and infancy in hunt
Ing deer. The mother was pushing
along with all the ungracefulness Of
her kind, neck out, ears back. One
fawn wanted to stop for refreshments
and was pushing in front Of her like a
calf at milking time. The other spotted
pet was intent on play, bounding about
IN eXtravagant semicircles. His elratic
course brought him directly upon me-
and he stopped suddenly with legs
braced at wide angles, SO close that
felt the breath of his startled snort
His ears were opened wide, and his
dewy nostrils quiyered as he drew in a
scent Of whose danger he had yet to
learn' HIS great soft eyes looked full
into mine for a moment, and l could
almost have reached out and touched
him. Then he remembered his mother,
who had passed on out Of sight, gave
a mew-like expostulating bleat, bound
ed couple OF yards to one side, and
gamboled on IN pursuit.
The shadow of my hill had by this
tlne crawled down to the opposite
slope In the valley, aud the sun was
shining full through the tops Of the
trees. A raven cawed and dapped
Iazlly across the valley, high overhead
on tour Of investigation. His keen
eye had marked the murderous weapon
carried, and he circled above the
mountain and lighted in a tall dead
n