Bismarck daily tribune., 1908-12-20

Over 1000 Deer and About Seventy
Moose Shipped BY One Railroad
Alone of Life Small sunor-
Gus Experiences With Moose and
Deer Women Enjoyed the Sport.
In many respects this has been the
most remarkable sebig game hunting
season in Maine, the maritime prov
inces and Newfoundland for number
OF years. Even In Vermont. where the
open season on deer has been compar-
atiyely short, the hunters have had
unusually good luck, about 300 deer
having been killed during the first two
days.
All the returning Nimrods who have
gone through Boston en- route to their
homes in New York, Pennsylvania, the
west and the south have been agreed,
says a Boston correspondent. of the
New York Post, that they have seldom
seen more deer in the Maine wilder
ness or been able to hunt under more
enjoyable conditions.
In the earlier part OF the season
down In Maine the warm weather and
the absence Of snow on the ground
were considerable Of a handicap to the
hunters, the dry leaves rendering It
difficult to get within range OF the
acute cared quarry, but latterly con-
ditions have improved great deal.
While bull moose and bears have been
somewhat less plentiful than last sea-
son, the woods have been swarming
with deer, and few visiting sportsmen
have had any difficulty In securing
their quota. Partridges also have been
unusually plentiful as a. result OF the
early arrfvalsof summer.
During the first six weeks OF the
hunting season more than 600 deer
and about seventy moose were shipped
over the Bangor and Aroostook rail
road alone, considerable increase
over the 1907 figures for the same per
riod. Taking 1t altogether, the big
game hunting season has turned out
much better than was generally ex-.
pected. The open season for moose
closed Dec. i, and for deer It VIII close
Dec. 15.
AS usual, the wilderness has fur
nished its tragedies and its comedies,
but fortunately the loss Of human life
has been small. One OF the amusing
cases Of mistaken Identity is that In
which a Houlton (Ade.} hunter figured,
as reported to the writer by Boston
friend who was there at the time. This
luckless sportsman, who was by no
means new to the business, fired at
and killed a valuable colt In a clear
Ing, thinking 1t was a young moose.
The affair happened in the dusk, and
he didn't discover his mistake until
after he had cut the throat Of the sup
posed moose
Greatly disturbed and being q con-
scientious man, he took all the money
he had in his pocketbook, $40, and
tied 1t to the front door Of the farm
house where he supposed the colts
owner resided, scrawling brief note
of explanation at the same time. Here
he made another little mistake, how
ever, for the owner OF thessIain animal
lived in an entirely different house,
and 1t was some time before things got
entirely Strengthened out.
Another man, a Vermont farmer this
time, has every reason to believe that
the hunting joke OF the season In the
Green Mountain State Is on him. He
had managed to entice deer into his
barnyard the day before the hunting
season opened, intending to shoot him
with pna fnoss and I;rpofcb oaray navf
morning. He was on hand. with his
rifle, at daybreak, and the patient deer
was still there, waiting for slaughter
The farmers aim was triae too high,
however, and the rife ball went
through the side of the barn and killed
a valuable horse.
Several hunters in Maine have been
treed by an angry moose, and a farm
er was actually chased indoors by one.
"A particularly aggrayating case was
that OF two sportsmen who were pur-
sued by big wounded bear while out
partridge shooting. While they were
up In a tree waiting for bruin to recol-
lect a more important engagement
they saw two large buck deer and a
doe not far away and distinctly heard
the below Of a moose The sequel to
this incident was that they went back
next day and secured a buck and a
doe. while the bear was captured a
little later.
While following deer tracks two
hunters from Lynn, Mass, went astray
In the woods and for more than twen-