The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-01-21
GOATS ACT
AS WARNINGS
DEER LEAVE THE COUNTRY ON
SHORT NOTICE.
The Chivalry of a Buck Is Seriously
Questioned by the Veracious Chroni-
cler Of the Big Woods Doings-TIow
One Fell a Victim Of His Own Pre-
caution.
Bv c. C. KELLY.

BY =" G. KELLY.
There have been open deer seasons in this good
state of Minnesota a many, but ! Will wager
there has been never a one which held so much
hunting and so little game to take home, as
that closing on the 30th day Of last November.
And never a one when the woods were so full
of hunters and the red squirrels throwing more
fits over the. vivid red suits splashed over the
landscape like color in the famous picture Tur-
ner painted of 1.-The Israelites Crossing the Red
Sea-" Which suits are a great life-saving de-
vice beyond all question, and as helpful as a
warning to the wood-wise to sheer OF as was the
Inchcape bell to mariners before Sir ralph, the
Rover cut it away from the float.
But they are pretty near as helpful toward
getting deer as u brass band would be, and as
Il device for putting the deer wise to the fact
that danger is abroad and inducing them to step
over into the next county, they have got all the
north-country wolves faded. But they did not
harm my chances much, for l. had but one. l
barely managed to get foot loose with two and
a half days of the open season left, and twenty
miles to ira vel in the half day. But that l ex-
pected to make easily as a cruiser IF my &C
quaintance was going out to "9Cochran's
camp on one of the many Long lakes this upper
country is full of. and l was to ride with him.
The first snow Of the season had just fallen, the
country about Johns was a good one for deer.
John himself was a mighty hunter, the cruiser
a good one, and by joining forces it would be
pretty hard luck if I couldn't at least come in
for a saddle before 'the law was out"
Well, we started from Grand Rapids right aft
er dinner, the driving team we had being Johns,
by the way, and had covered about five miles,
when we met John himself, his whole posse or
lumberjacks, horses and the like. and had the
pleasure of learning from him that he had nm
ished cutting and skidding about Long lake,
and was moving to another location AND what
was more, and worse, he had to have that driv-
ing team right there. He got it. The cruiser
put off up the road afoot, and as John Bunyan
says of Appolyon: 81 saw him no more.' And
I rode back to town with John, exceedingly
crestfallep and wondering how long the pious
gang about the Pokegama lobby would keep me
on the gridiron over the matter before some other
victim fell into their very able hands. Reaching
town l dropped out of the blackboard and under
took to sneak around the back way, hoping to
get into the house and divest myself OF hunt
ing rig. rifle, etc., before any one caught on.
and might have succeeded If Louis urge naa
not run fairly into me at a street corner. l
simply held him up, threw gun and pack-sack
into his wagon, and told him to hike for home
as fast as the horses could travel. We got there
about ten O'Clock that night, and were up and
out in the woods before day the next morning:
John Nelson. a %neighbor of Louie's and a gooo
hunter, joining forces with us. .-
1t was to be share and share alike netWeen u.s.
all three to take turns in driving likely cover,
watching and shooting. and the spoil to be d.
vided. Well. we, walked, we drove, and we
watched with all our eyes until the wolf IN
shooting never a bit did we do. for the very good
| reason that we saw nothing worth shooting at:
i Then came noon and a halt Tor reiectloh' anu
the rejection alone was worth all the work II
COST ana uOIS. ILGCA udu plouShI - NAoAN ~
moosemeat Of about three pounds weight with
him, a hunk of bread. and a small bit of. mixed
pepper and salt. and thereby had material TOT q
better feed than ever Lucullus en1oyed. Eacn
made an %tInjun'' fre-that is a little one for
his own behOof; each cut several forked tw1gs
set them to roast-and, good citizen OF the
towns, you never tasted perfect game-nesh and
you never will until you eat IL cooked thdt vetS
way and no other. =,
What would have been a choker even. for Gar
gantua himself in town. can be disposed OF IN
the woods-and the most fastidious of men vii
lick his fingers as a kid ticks the bottom Of al
ice cream saucer. and wish he had another hunR
of the meat to roast. In fact. we became MIA.
riously happy over our feast to a degree tna'
reflected but little credit on our discretion, as
we discovered when having smoked the pipe OF
peace we took up our line of march for the next
! GOOD cover, some half a mile away. and founC
the tracks of three goodly deer. and very FRESH
our merriment. and decamped while 1t was yet
time. But Solomon has left record of fool plays
! Of his own. And We hunted all afternoon anc
took nothing. but just as dusk was closing IN
took post for the last drive. Louie and John go
ing thru, the cover from different directions:
had a beautiful cover, with an enormous pine
scarce been in waiting ten minutes before three
deer. a doe, a nearly full grown fawn. and 8
buck of perhaps three seasons. broke cover ant
came on a sharp run. SO rs to cross my line OF
fire at about 60 yards distance. The buck after
the usual chivalrous fashion of his kind after
they attain years of discretion, was allowing thu
ladies to go ahead that they might get first
chance at whatever danger might be lurking IL
front, and that he might be in position to 'whee
like q fash and fade away when the danger de
clared itself. .--.
Now had been a novice at the game I would
have played right into his hands by firing a
the first doe. but I wasn't. I just held My Lad!
valkyr straight ahead of him until gray fu
showed on the sights. and then she spoke he
| sharp. brief command to halt, and the bucl
went down like a shot rabbit. Two more quicl
shots caught the old doe. and then 1 discovers
the buck on his feet and going at a very goo
gait. considering that a $50 grain bullet ha
thwacked him in the ribs, But the next sho
broke his neck-and our hunting of the seasol