Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-01-10
SHOOTING DEER IN THE SOUTH

SHOOTING DEER IN THE SOUTH.
Driven From Cane Brakes by Hunters
on Horseback. and With Hounds.
When I first hunted, two years ago
in South Carolina, was utterly sur
prised to learn Of the many animals
that inhabit the forests Of that state.
writes Frank G. Harris in the Rats
mans Journal, and when we remember
that in a little over twenty-four hours
after leaving Clearfeld you may reach
some Of the best hunting ground In
the country it does not seem strange
that persons go there to hunt, In
preference to threshing over the
mountains Of Pennsylvania, that have
been so greatly depleted Of their
game.
Black bear, deer, wild turkeys, wild
geese, wild hogs, foxes, coons, ducks
quail, snipe, rice birds and squirrels
are found in abundance in the south
ern and coast counties of South Car
olina. The storms from the north In
the late fall drive thousands Of ducks
into the swamps and marshes and
back waters Of Beaufort county
where they feed on the rice fields dur
ing the day and take refuge In the
swamps during the night. The meth
cd Of hunting them is to station the
hunters in blinds and then send 4
boat either up or down the back wa
ter. and chase the ducks up, and a:
they fly over the blinds they are SHOT
on the wing by the hunters.
Almost every species Of ducks known
to North America may be found IN
the waters Of South Carolina. On
the coast, in the salt water, WILD
geese may be found. One who Is not
an expert wing shot need not expec;
to compete successfully with such
crack shots as James U. Jackson, Her
bert Jackson and others Of our south
ern friends, and one Of the best shots
in our camp was Walter Clark, col
ored boy, who pushed our boat and
worked around the camp.
Many Of the best hunting grounds
in South Carolina were once cotton
and rice plantations that for many
years have been abandoned by their
owners and have grown up in cane
brakes and live oak thickets. We
hunted deer over old cotton planta-
tions that have not been farmed since
before the war, and valuable timber
has grown on these tracts where once
great crops Of cotton, rice and corn
were raised.
In the swamp lands Of South Car
olina, where the live oak and other
timber are covered with Spanish moss
it Is impossible for the white people
to live during the summer months or
account Of fever, but the climate OF
the late fall and winter in these Sec
tions is delightful and many people OF
the north spend the winter months on
the coast and in the interior hunting
and fishing.
The quail. or Bob White, Is the
most popular game bird Of the south
1t feeds on the rice fields and grows
very large and fat and plump, and fol
that reason Is much sought after. In
enumerating the game animals OF
South Carolina, I said nothing about
the rabbit and opossum. These ami
mails are the game Of the colored peo-
pie very largely, and furnish then
with a large amount Of their amuse-
ment.
The forests Of Beaufort county and
the coast counties Of South Carolina
are full Of deer, and there seem to be
no restrictions as to the methods OF
be killed. Since there are no SHOWS
in South Carolina, and the deer are
found in the canebreaks and heavy
timber, it is impossible to still-hunt
them, and they must be driven out BY
hunters on horseback and with deer.
hounds. Even then it Is almost i'm
possible at times to drive them out Of
the canebrakes, which grow six OF
eight feet high and are so thick that 6
rider on horseback can scarcely pene-
trate them.
| The deerhounds of South Caroline
are trained to answer the call Of the
hunters horn. which Is made Of com.
mon cows horn and is used to com.
mand the dogs. We succeeded ir
jumping nine deer. Our party shot
at five, and we killed three very large
and very fat. The deer of the south
are the common white tail Virginia
deer, but because the climate Is warn
they are very thin haired and grow
very sleek, and in swiftness Of foo
they can match any northern deer
ever saw. The writer succeeded ir
killing one very large deer, and ir
order to do so had to shoot him on the
jump as he crossed a railroad cut
from one bank to the other.
,a8 Women have a queer way Of ap.
proving the taste shown by other wo.
men.
ia AS a general thing, women look
with suspicion upon the man who
treats them with silence.
89' The most liberal man will occa-
sionally drop into a spirit Of parsi.
mony.
1A' Women create the impression they
possess means by the show they make
in attire.