The Republican journal., 1908-11-12
GETTING "BUCK FEVER"
liar Action of Hunters When They Meet
Big Game.

An Old Guide Gives Reasons for the Pecu-
liar Action of Hunters When They Meet
Big Game.
The old guide sat on the front porch,
lazily blowing smoke from his pipe. His
theme was the curious action Of men
when they see deer or big game. He
called the peculiar action chuck fever. "
Eyes, sir, when was guiding it saw
lots of 'em have buck fever. They act
the queerest way you ever see when they
get it. Why, have actually seen men
drop their guns on the ground when they
saw deer, or sometimes they shoot into
the air or into the ground, thinking they
are filling the animal full of holes. They
actually go plumb crazy. About every
man has way of his own of acting when
he's got the fever Some will stare and
cape away and not think a thing of their
gun.
''But the queerest case ever heard of
or see was when had party from New
York up to Twin Lakes: One of the
men in that party went clean crazy, and
it took him nigh on to an hour before he
came out of it. He WASH t violent or any
thing of that sort, but just out of his
head 1t was bear that gave him the
buck fever, and l suppose that's why he
got it so bad.
SIT was one morning at breakfast time
that it all happened. l was cooking
'tarters, venison and other stuff to eat
while the fellers went down to the brook
and washed themselves. They had all
washed up except one teller, who was late
getting up. He went down to the brook
alone, and by and by he came back
| When he came into the door the first
thing he did was to stand on one foot and
swing around on it with his other foot in
the air. | looked at him and thought he
was doing it for fun, but | remember
afterward that his eyes sort of bulged
out little After he swung around he
went to the towel and wiped his face.
on the toe of his foot again. Then he
took his toothbrush and a cup of water
and washed his teeth, and when he got
through I'll be bowed if he didn' up
and swing around on the toe of his shoe
with his other foot in the air, just as he
did before.
'::'Steve is happy to-day, said one Of
the fellers. Must be he is going to kill
deer Stevenson didn't say word,
but planted himself before the looking
glass and began combing his hair. Pretty
quick he finished and took another swing
around He whipped out a funny kind
of knife and fixed up his finger nails.
swung around, put on his collar, his tie,
then his coat, and, idiotic like, swung
| around after he did each of these things.
! 1t was crazy actions, but we supposed he
was doing it for fun. Then he got down
his gun, TANNED it full of cartridges and
started for the door.
"'Where are you goingY said |.
breakfasts about ready
"'Bear! Bearr said he, and be up and
swung around, and his eyes popped and
stuck out like scared owls. | jumped
and grabbed my gun and made for the
door, with the other fellows after me.
We ran down to the brook. Stevenson
came along and pointed to where he'd
seen the bear. Well, the man had been
so long fixing up that | knew the bear
was on the other side of the mountain by
that time. But we went down the brook
where it had been, and there, in the
sand, was the biggest tracks of bear
ever see.
"When Stevenson saw them he stuck
one foot in the air. whirled around and
fell to the ground in faint. We poured
some whiskey down his throat, and be.
fore long he came to. He was weak and
! shook all over.
/ "Did kill him. said be. He seemed
to have clean forgot what had happened
after he went to the brook to wash.
When we told him what he'd been doing
he seemed surprised.
why, he said, when l got through
washing stood up and looked down the
brook, and there was an enormous bear
drinking from the water. | whirled
around on one foot and started for the
".Buck fever by gosh!' said l, and we
all laughed hard, you bet, for, as l say,
/ it was a most curious case. New York
/ Sunday Herald.