The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1905-03-25


BEAR AND DEER IN INDIANA.
When Indiana pioneers and their
sons get together and begin to swap
stories the result is likely to be inte-
resting. The old men tell stories they
have had at first hand, says the India
napolis News, and the young ones
stories they have heard from their
grandfathers until the air is perfne-
ated with "reminiscences of early times.
At an accidental reunion of this
kind a few days ago the conversation
turned to hunting "reminiscences and
bear stories. One of the oldest men
in the party said:
81 was born in what is now John
son county in 1922, and when was
boy wild game was plenty all around
there. The big game consisted of
deer and bears. Wild turkeys and
wolves were numerous. The wolves
were not regarded as game. They
were sneaking, stealing animal, to
be trapped or killed on sight. The
State and counties paid bounty on
their scalps. Deer and bear furnished
large part Of the food of the early
settlers, and their hides were used in
many ways.
II remember hearing that Jacob
Woodruff, Of Johnson county, killed
$40 deer in the fall of 1923, and Geo.
Doty killed 900 the same fall. I.
guess it was a good year for deer.
Samuel Herriott, dealer in pelts in
that county, bought 600 deer skins in
one year. Isaac Collier shot thirteen
deer early one morning at Golfers
Lick, on the edge Of Brown county.
In the spring of 1923 drove of wild
turkeys passed across johnson county,
making we'll marked trail nearly
100 yards in width. They were prob
ably migrating in search of food. AS
late as 1850 hocks of fifty or more
were seen in the woods of Union
township, Johnson county"
This started other "reminiscences,
going to show that for many years
after their first settlement central and
southern Indiana abounded with
game of all kinds. Deer were found
almost everywhere in the timbered
country, while bears were most num-
erous in the billy regions. Wolves
bred in the woods and swamps. In
1893 the Rev. Miles Walker, John
Walker and Vincent Cooper caught
thirteen young wolves in hollow
log in the woods of Hancock county.
They brought the scalps to Green
field and the county authorities gave
them credit of so cents scalp on
their taxes and the State paid the
same amount in money.
s'My father" said one of the per-
sons at this accidental reunion, "was
one of the pioneers of Hancock county.
When boy 1 used to wear deerskin
trousers. / have attended dances
where all the young men were dressed
in deerskin suits. My father once
killed three deer without leaving his
tracks. was with him short dis
tance behind on horseback and saw
the killing. Father kept few sheep
ia pen near the house to protect
them from the bears. Once on the
morning after his return from trip
down into Shelby county a neighbor
came and asked fathers assistance as
bear had attacked his hogs during
the night, killing and devouring one
within stones throw of the house.
They put fathers dogs on the trail
and followed it as far as Big Swamp,
on the Brandywine, where all trace
of it was lost"
Another old man said: 81 have
heard my father tell how he and my
oldest brother went from Hamilton
county in 1898 to trap in Howard
county. They followed an old Indian
trial through the reserve and camped
with party of land hunters. In a
few days they built a cabin on Little
Henry Creek and trapped during the
winter. They got seventy otter skins
and had venison to eat every day.
In the spring they found FIVE bee
trees, which they cut down and got
seventeen gallons of strained honey.
They strained the honey through
moss, and my father said it was clear
as crystal. At that time otter skins
brought from So to So each and deer
hides from so cents to ST."
One day when Adam Daugherty, of
Morgan county, discovered a bear not
far from his cabin, and getting his
rifle and butcher knife, he attacked
it. An ugly wound only stunned it.
AS Daugherty approached the bear
sprang up and made for bim with
open mouth and glaring eyes. They
grappled. While Daugherty was try
| ing to use the knife it was knocked
from his hand. The bear was hugging
him, and he was getting the worst of
the fight, when his wife came rum
ming up with another knife. He
called to her to give him the knife
quickly, which she did, and he made
short work of the bear.
In Shelby county, in the fall of 1928,
one Lewis Hendricks went to neigh
Dor of the name of Solomon George.
who was skillful hunter, and asked
him to shoot deer for him. George
consented, and they started out.
They had not gone far in the woods
before they came upon two young
bear cubs. George said: "Now