The sun., 1902-12-21
Sport for Gunners With
Bird and Beast.
SHINING" DEER IN THE SOUTH.
A Form Of Woodcraft Practised
Especially by Negroes.
differences Between II and Deer JackinE
Fascination OF the Light for the Deer
Mistakes 10 Look Out For-Winter
Cunning for Quail and Rufred Grouse
The West Catching Pickerei Through
the Ice - Experiences Of Hunters.

the Ice - Experiences Of Hunters
This is the season when the fire-hunter
in the South begins his work. The leaves
are OF the deciduous trees and the woods
are as clear as they will he. The nights are
cool. though not cold. and the deer are
moving about freely
II is not the highest form Of sport, but
has its merits and pleasures, and success in
it requires much experience and skill. The
fre-hunter is rather looked down upon by
the genuine sportsmen Of the South, gen.
une sportsmen being restricted almost
wholly TO the well-to-do classes.
These people hunt the deer with highly
bred hounds. and possession of a pack of
deerhounds presupposes possession of a
good horse. All who attend these drives
are well mounted and well armed.
There are many folk, however who cam
not afford to follow the dogs. though they
have some sort of guns, and these are the
folk who in the main make up the army
Of hre-hunters. Negroes are especially fond
of this form Of killing
Negroes run naturally to firearms. and
nearly every negro owns weapon. It
may be nothing better than an army musket
made in 1881, but smooth-bored musket
IOdGtu WIN Twelve DuchSUOt ana "a nHnulul
of coarse black powder, will work deaf h
In circle five yards in diameter, possibly
knocking down deer and certainly cutting
short the lives of half dozen pine saplings
In the South little effort is made TO pro-
tect deer or any other form of game, but in
many parts Of that vast territory they are
holding their own and here and there are
increasing. 1t is difficult TO exterm;nate
or even to lessen the numbers of animals
which have thousands Of square miles Of
woods and almost impenetrable swamps as
habitation.
So far as the woods are concerned, any
man hunts on any other mans land, and the
negro is not restricted more than the white.
Such venison as he gets he gets by fire
hunting. and that is true of the legions Of
poorer whites who cannot afford to feed
twelve rayenous dogs six days in the week
for the pleasure of chasing a buck on the
seventh.
The fire hunter. before beginning his sport
in earnest. makes some casual explorations
of the woods in order to find the places in
which deer are most plentiful. He looks
for runways. scattered tracks, trees which
the bucks have rubbed, sign" and such
things. For no apparent reason deer will
inhabit thickly one square mile and will
never visit anether square mile which
grows the safns trees and offers the same
food and water.
Having found a section on which the
animals are certain to be day and night
the fire hunter goes back to his cabin and
invites an acquaintance to help him with
the hunt. These night walkers 60 in pairs,
never more nor less.
They charge their muskets, or muzzle-
loading shotgu with black powder and
blue whistler buckshot-the largest size OF
buckshot-and the wadding is of paper,
preferably brown paper, though news
paper IL made to do. There used to be a
brand Of caps in that country which missed
fire three times out Of five, and when they
were good exploded and blew small pieces
OF themselves into the shooters hands, and
they became unpopular. Great dependence
is put by the fire hunter on his caps, and he
now gets the best brand
Also he puts in much time seeing that the
black powder has been SO rammed home
that the grains are well up in he tube or
nipple. 1t is standing rule that the ram
rod must bounce clear Of the muzzle before
the powder has been rammed sufficiently
II the powder is not up in the tube the
hunter will stick a pin in, bore passag geway
10 the explosive in the breech and then
put separate grains in the tube, exactly as
our grandfathers used to do. Probably
the black-belt parts OF the South unboth-
cred by railroads, Ia the only part of the
Union In which that kind Of loading il
and interess ing
The fire which shines in the ewes of the
deer after dark ia made from pine knots
Ptne-knots filled with resin give a fierce,
lasting and illuminating flame. and more
than one President OF this country has
studied his lessons by their light when he
was small boy lying on his belly in front
OF the open fireplace with his chin ON his
hands and his book between his elbows,
baking his young brains while absorbing
wisdom.
The knots are carried In brazier-a
basket made OF iron cotton-bale hopping
and holding half bushel-- and the brazier
is on the end OF pole six feet long, which
is carried on the shoulder, the light being
four feet behind the carrier. II takes one
man to tote the brazer and anot her 10 tote
the gun, and they divide the spoil
They set out on their wandering after
10 o'clock AZ night and may keep it up
pntl daylight. That happens seldom
The man with the gun walks in front OF
or to one side of, the man with the brazier'
They 60 very slowly, combining themselves
% the territory In which the explorer has
found the most signs, and they 20 over il
again and again. crossing and recrossine
square mile.
II their fire burns low they replenish il
from any dead pine, and for this purpose
the, brazier bearer has a hatchet They
quarter the ground 30 closely because they
know that the deer are there
IL happens often that they pass within
hundred yards OF n buck and do not shine
him because his head is turned the other
nj all tLA,.