The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1902-08-01
An EOrly Morning Hunt
For Black 7 all Deer.

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
Il turquoise blue all across the dome
The clouds, which had been purple. |
had faded to lavender, famed with a |
tint Of orange, and were now melting
away IN yellow deeces. II would soon
lie time when all sensible deer would !
be deep in the thickets Of the green
timber. where it would be all but Inn
possible TO come upon one Of them UNI
awares. Already the burros, far down
the valley where camp lay, were up
ana moving stifly down to get drink
az the river
The southern hin before me was one
1 had marked the year before as a
likely place for deer. Ii rose in smooth
slopes and narrow benches a 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 it 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 filing up on vines and tender
boughs
1t does not pay to hasten OF to get
out of breath when hunting deer, so l
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 twlg.
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 vel
to study closely each outline, else some
proud stag might bear his coveted
burden of venison out Of range at
bound, before my eyes had seen thC
slender legs and gracefully borne head
There were plenty Of tracks in TIT
mellow earth, some almost obliterateC
10y two or three successive dews, ant
} some apparently as fresh as though
the cushioned hoof had just been liftet
from them. In spite of all my caution
, a crack of twigs and stamp Of hoof
q off to the right indicated that an alarm
q had reached eyes or ears or nostrils o
2 some deer, but I sat still and listene
to the beating Of my heart until al
t parently it decided that its suspicion
4 did not justify precipitate fight, fo
d thought it went on, it was in a noise
less walk. From tree to tree l edge
b in that direction. / found the fres
f tracks, evidently a buck Of good sizt
:. and l followed carefully on slant u
the hill. l saw something movln
T. ahead Of me, and was ready to shoe
# but it came fearlcssly down towar
o me- evidently not seeing its danger.
q doe with her two fawns was workin
~ down to a safe shelter in the willo
# tangle along the river. / did III
% want to turn them back in the dire
II ton in which the buck had gone, so
,e crouched behind a bush to let the
IS pass Only a pot-hunter fails to I
le spect femininity and infancy in hun
m ing deer. The mother was pushil
ID along with all the ungracefulness
s. her kind, neck OUT ears back. Oh
as fawn wanted to stop for refreshmen
I and was pushing in front of her like
1r calf at milking time The other spott
n pet was intent on play, bounding abo
ia extravagant semicircles. His ezra
n course brought him directly upon Il
et and he stopped suddenly with lie
he braced at wide angles, so close thai
he felt the breath of his startled sno
as His ears were opened wide, and
TO dewy nostrils quivered as he drew il
OK scent OF whose danger he had yet
int learn. His great soft eyes looked {
zee lutO ulue lOE uuOLuehl, anu CO'
ve almost have reached out and touch
le him. Then he remembered his moth
vn who had passed on out Of sight, ga
oh a mew-like expostulating bleat boul
}se ed a couple of yards to one side, q
far gamboled on in pursuit
the The shadow of my hill had by t
tlme crawled down to the oppos
the slope in the valley and the sun Y
lin shining full through the tops of
no trees. A raven cawed and dap
tbe lazlly across the valley, high overh
lad on tour of investigation. His k
Of eye had marked the murderous Weal
rim l carried, and he circled above
we'd mountain and lighted in tall d
Ing spruce to await the outcome of