Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-11-18

me he saw at least 80 deer. this fail
before he succeeded in downing on'
and he wasn't in the woods two weeks
ard brought back pair of beauties.
| Probably no man who has shot q
friend would take all the deer i'm the
Maine woods and do it again. A hui
| man life is worth all the deer you can
shake a stick at in month of Fourth
of Julys ard the old world will wag
along just the same If a man does
spend a fortnight in the woods with
out bringing back deer.
1T looks to me as If the men, who
shoot their companions, went plumb
crazy when they thought they had a
chance to kill "a deer. You know now
you felt when you was boy and had
made your first kill with the old pro-
ken down muZzle loading shot gun. If
it was only "a bull frog it didn't make
any difference. you'd killed it and you'd
get feather white with excitement ana
lug it home to show the folks that you
don't feel quite the same. But when
YOU get your first woOdchuck or part
ridge or fox you feel just about the
same. Then comes the deer and it's
lust about the same old bull frog feel
ing all over again.
of course not all men are this way.
Some don't get excited at all ana some
are lust reckless and shoot without
thinking or caring where the bullet
goes. You'll find that the men who
down a deer with one well placed shot
usually know what they are nring at.
I've found that to shoot deer you've
pnnl ciOht him
and take your time for the shot. This
needn't be half an hour nor half min
ute. but you've got to see where you
are shooting and what you are shoot-
inc at You can't put a bullet through
Il three foot spruce tree ana Il deer $
heart ut the same time ana you can
shoot through clump OF bushes at
where YOU think the deer ought to be
and do good shooting. You've got TO
see your deer plain first and know
when the sight is OH him 10 do the bust
ness well.
Il know its astonishing how funny
things'n lock in the woods. clump
OF bushes win look exactly like deer
I've stood and watched a stump 10
minutes thinking it was a deer Usual
" Il step ahead or to either SIDE VIII
suoil the alluSion, but sometimes you
can't be sure until you get very close
But there's one sure way to tell Whcth-
er it's a deer o. not ana IN easy one.
ana that is To make slight noise. II
It's a deer he's pretty sure Ia move and
the chances are you'll get a good shot.
ANY way you're sure Of Il running shot.
If after YOU have made a due amount
of noise the thing don't move you may
he pretty sure it's a stump or man.
a deer will stand and watch you
about as long rs you'll stand perfectly
still and watch him, but if he hears
peculiar noise he's pretty sure to move
for higha- ground or investigate. But
these excitable fellows don't think of
these things. They go creeping along
peering from side to side and all at
once they see something that looks ex-
actiy like what they think Il deer ought
10 be and they blaze away without
thinking.
Another thing is that good many
hunters think they're the only men in
the woods. or seem 10 think so. IL 5
been my experience that on almost any
good hunting ground you are about as
liable 20 meet a man as deer Inc
hunters are everywhere and it's just
about as necessary 10 be careful where
you shoot in the woods, 40 miles from
nowhere. as it is in a village.
If one or two things are remember
ed when one goes into the woods ther
wouldn't be so many shooting dcci-
dents. One of these is that, as the deer
are ut present on good hunting grounds,
you're bound to get lots of good shots
without taking any chances. If your
first chance isn't a good one let it go
and you'll be pretty sure to get lot
more.
Another thing to remember is that
Won can see stumps or arrangements of
bushes almost anywhere in the woods
that look exactly like deer and be sure
that YOU don't fire at one of these
Your chance will come for a good clear
clean pretty shot and the odds will then
All be in your favor. where if you take
chances they'll be all against you
There are deer enough in the woods for
every one and more good shots thai
vou can count so it don't pay to bother
with the poor ones. Under these con-
ditions the man who fires into clump
of bushes ought to be kicked out of the
society OF hunters and the one who
shoots a companion ought to get the
full extent of the law