The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1909-12-16
BY WILL O. CLOUGH.
From the Sioux City Tribune.

"How easy 1t would be to track deer
after such a snow as this" remarked
an old timer with griz2led locks as he
looked at the smooth white surface of
mother earth. Then dreamsly he cooked
his eye up toward the hills where the
suns rays had barred wee splits of light
brown grass which at q distance looked
as though they might spring into active
life and action and so bounding away
to some favorite feeding ground or
safe retreat from dog and hunter.
Track a deer, a wild deer, and on
the prairtes? Spring it gently, old man,
You may Save been a pioneer on some
frontier. and you may, ~perchance, have
been in at the death in 8 wolf hunt or
a jack rabbit coursing meet. but. deer?
Deer inhabit the forest glades and feed
on evergreen foliage, and burr oak
leaves, n hemlock bark, but on the
prairies? Take a new tack. please, and
then draw 1t mild"
See here. stranger" said the old
timer, IF you could cash in what you
think you know about pioneering and
deer hunting and UGH things you
would be able to retire from business,
but according to my estimate You
would be in the poorhouse."
An Awful Winter.
Urged to tell his story. the pioneer
made a few more remarks about the
weather II then took a flying start.
Remember the hard winter of 80
and 81? 1t is hard for me to remem-
Der any other winter but that one. Be
a in October and quit the last of
April. 1t was all winter, too. Snow?
Whole seas of it. mountains of it; val
leys full of it, barns buried under it,
haystacks hidden so deep that you had
to dig down and pitch up. instead of
climbing up and pitching down. Stock
corraled in the barns, and no road to
town for man or team. Not a spear of
grass could be found for miles and
miles up in South Dakota where I was,
except in some of the big slcughs where
bulb grass grew eight and ten feet
high and defied the old storm king
sweeping down from the north to bury
its tasseled heads under the drifts of
snow.
Those tassels saved the life of many
an antelope. They also lured many of
them to death. Starved out of the up
per Jim river country, droves of an
telope came trooping down to the
eastern part Of the territory, their
sharp hoofs cutting through the crust
of the snow and making their progress
p1t1able In comparison with their
bounding motion when their feet could
reach the prairie turf. They We're some
what lean, but they We're nevertheless
like heaven sent mama to the settlers
spending their first winter holding
down claims.
Diversion Welcomed.
as some folk regard doves, as messen-
gers of other things to happen and as
there was not much happening among
the snowdrtfts on the prairies, most any
kin of diversion was welcome. But
when the bowling, hungry wolves drove
the lamb-faced gazelles almost within
a stones throw Of the settlers cabins,
as though civilization would protect the
objects 1t had doomed, it was borne in
upon the minds Of those who saw the
wild prairie beauties gathered in the
dusk or moonlight in close order, feed
Ing upon the tassels of the bulb grass,
that they, like their pursuers were our
sued also by hunger.
Yet, the savage instinct Of civiliza-
ton could not long protect them. When
q neighbours dog. half hound, half ter
rier, gave chase one bright morning
and caught an antelope by the ham and
bore 1t to the snow crust, then spring
ing to its head, let out It's life through
Its bleeding throat, two boys who were
navlng their first experience at pio-
~nefghborhood tasted meat for the first
time in possibly two months. The the
white mans hunger drove off the
wolves, and hunting parties were linn
fted only by the endurance of the IAN
telope" dog to give chase, for no other
dog could be found that would attack
one OF the fawn-like animals, though
there were several in the nefgflborhood
that fought and bested' the wolves.
was no more meat hunger in the
that winter, and, except for
occasional straggler there were no
antelope in the territory east Of
the Jim river when winter ended
One Shot Does It.
But, deer? Three Of them wandering
down from no m knew where; per-
from the Devils lake country, well !
up toward the Canadian Hire, were
sighted n morning in a lake bed or
slough, and the one field worthy rifle,
with its few cartridges boarded for
special occasion, was. made ready
to do execution, mi three. OF US neigh
boys with an older leader went
forth for our first deer hunt. Locating
our quarry, a descent was rrade from
three directions, while u leader with
the rifle was hidden back Of a snow
bank IN a deftle or outlet from the
slough. AS the deer dashed past him
ore was laid low by an shot
and not only the biggest game Of the
season but the biggest eve in our ex-
per1ence, became the subject Of our ex-
and admiration. The other two
started at n for shelter which
could be found IL miles away in the
fringe of willows along the Big Sioux
Worried by the degs, the deer
became separated and ONE was lost to
with one u and two dogs, gave chase.
Chase Over Snow.
And what a chase! Over prairie en-
crusted snow supporting the weight
Enns acn rnnr