The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-10-18
GUN WAS TO BLAME
Hardware Man Explains How He
Came to Shoot a Buck Out
- o.. ~. ..r.'--.," 49,
~ :..s. Of Season. -; ..'.''
Gun Went Of Of Its ownAooord- A
Night With Professional
Game Law Breakers. !. -.

All us sportsmen bleeve in the game laws, N
all bleeye they oughter be enforced Funny
thing bout It is We all bleeye they ougbter be
enforced on the other Teller, n III bust merry
HI outen 'em I chanst puts up unexpected
fore we git a chanst to think:LPhiosophy Of
Mr.. Wheaton.
The northern flight has not yet shown
signs Of coming down, which proves that
duck knows a good thing when he sees
1T, and hangs on to Minnesota till Jack
Frost 'gives him the fire." Wherein he.
shows his good sense, as he will have to
fly a long distance, dodge shot all the way,
and reach worse climate than this
when he arrives at his destination, after
he does get ousted. But In the mean,
time, there is literally wood full of
.partridges in every forest stretch in north
Minnesota, and very good sport they at
ford the man who is man enough to take
them on the wing.
But when you do go after them, take
my advice and don't carry any buckshot
cartridges. If you do a tempta ton too
strong for poor, frail human nature to re-
sist is exceedingly apt to suddenly spring
up before you and you may have muir
der on your SOUL an mira ction of the law
on your conscience and corpse to dis
pose of before you git chanst to Think
which, by the way, wouldn't stop :you If
you did get it.
Now, there is my good friend, the hard
ware man, who always seeks, Gods first
temples when Sunday catches him in
town, and always takes a gun along for
fear of his devotions being interrupted by
chance to shoot something for which he
would otherwise be unprepared. He went
out last Sunday, and put half a-dozen
black powder cartridges with a dozen
buckshot in each into his pocket, expect
ing that possibly he might meet a bear,
a wolf, or that love-mad moose might
attack him. Neither of which happened,
but something else did, and, as he told
it on his return, this is what did. Said
this good commercial emissary:
II was sure I knew the road and the
lay of the land well enough to take my
pleasure regardless of landmarks or points
of the compass, having been over it sew
eral times in past years with local men,
so I just hunted. shot, and enjoyed my
self to the fullest calculating when had
had enough and the night shades began
to draw down, to cut through the woods;
hit an old tote road Of the miners follow
it to the county road and thence have
four miles of good road to hoof over
before<I reached the hotel and supper. ;.
But did not know that half dozen
different mining outfits had been in the
country since I had, each one of which
had made its own particular tote road,
and that some Of them reached town by
the county road, while others did not,
at least not the one was bent on strik-
Ing. Well had as nice a little bit OF
wing shooting as d n1an&sould AK. s LII
fact, the only fault 1 find was that the
birds were so tame that they had almost
to be kicked up before they would take
to wing. But for all that I got: eight
Cot HoI fIon <r1n IF r.
ing one Of the most difficult doubles. that
ever fell to my lot, and was about as
happy as man need ask to be when the
waning light warned me that it was time
was making for the tote. road that
would lead me downward. 80
"Well. I struck through the wood, and
although I hit the road rather quicker
than I thought I had reason to expect. I
simply put that to the account of, extra
good travelling, and hiked in what should
have been the right direction to join the
county road. Now for my sins i put up
a couple of nice cartridges, dropped one
with one barrel and tipped. the. other
with the second. OF course I couldn' t
leave the poor bird to suffer and die in
torment, so I put out after it, and after
a good long hunt, found and handed it
the happy release. I forgot to say that
had no: dog, which accounts for the
time I took to find the wounded bird.
Then got back to the tote road, and
as darkness was fast approaching, put
out at my best speed, first slipping a
couple Of buckshot cartridges into my
gun and lighting a small, but powerful
bicycle lantern which have found SO
useful as a road shower when driving
after dark, as l often have%yto do, that
| Isalways carry 1t with me. On the road
I carry it strapped around my hat and
it illumines the road for a good distance
ahead, and is comfort both to . the
horses and myself. fixed it that way
| now and felt ready to account for any
night prowler I might run up against,
whether two or four footed-which very
surety delivered me into the hands of a
temptation that am sure I would have
withstood had it attacked me under other
circumstances.
well, travelled for an hour before I
knew that was on the wrong road some
| how, and then, reasoning that Twas sure
to come out somewhere, and all the sooner
for keeping straight ahead, let out an
other link and did some very pretty hoof-
| ing, I do assure you. BY this time it was
pretty dark and I was getting rather
| nervous at the prospect of having to pass
I the night with the sky for a roof, when
suddenly I caught the CLEAN Of water
| made out the loom Of several buildings,
and thought I saw a light near one OF
| them. AS the road headed in that direc-
ton, I kept right along and ere long
came out in field which had oevidently
| borne a crop of hay this season, as several
| big stacks were scattered about it.
"WeI, I stopped beside one Of the stacks
to get the bearings of self and the build
ings, and then a splendid buck. with a
noble pair of antlers sprang into view al
the end of the little lane Of light my Ian
tern was sending ahead of me. Now,
didn't shoot that buck. Not on your life
wouldn't do such thing if I was or
my. death bed L can safely take oath
But the gun did. 1t flew to my shoulder
went off, and the buck, which had stood
perfectly STILL gazing right at the light
passed into the hence without a. kick.
II ought to be penitent,. and I am, that
is as far as I can force myself to be, but
after all there is something unregenerate
4 in me that understands what the little
boy felt when he blubbered out after a
licking: =, If I've done anything: Il ought
to be sorry for, I'm glad of IT. The re-
port Of the gun brought out three as
| hard looking ruffians as you would see
in days march anywhere, which ruffian2
I discovered to be professional breakers
of the game law, who hailed me as q
brother, fed me like a king on the most
perfectly cooked vension ever tasted
lodged me in comfort, took me across the
lake in the morning, set me on the road
to town, and soorned the idea Of receiving
a cent for their kindness.
''They said any tenderfoot who could
do what did for the pure love Of it was
entitled to any service they could render