Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-03-10
PICTURE HUNTERS SUCCESSFUL
IN PHorooRAPHiNo WEST.
ERN IOWA HERD.
SMALL suNcHEs COME
WITHIN RANGE OF MACHINE
Flock Of Wild Deer Originated on Iowa
Farm Some Fifteen or Twenty Years
200 to 100 nimaIs-stats Protects
Animals. ~.

tinued Saturday to get some of the
wild deer which live in this section OF
the state to pass within the range OF
the moving picture camera. 1t was
hoped that fewer men would be able
to exercise more care and that better
results would be obtained.
Starting. out early the moving picture
men were fortunate in getting in close
proximity to a bunch of thirty five
deer. The animals were lying down
and were not disturbed until the click
ing of the machine warned them that
there was something doing In the VI
cinity. They then made prompt and
sjeedy getaway but not until they,
had made impression on about fifty feet
of. film.
Sight Bunch Of Eighty.
A bunch of eighty deer. were signed
by the men during the day but they
were unable to get this bunch within
range of their machine. But three men
accompanied Messrs. Blank and Nor
man of Des Moines who manipulated
the machine and it was found that the
fewer the men the more success was
likely to attend their efforts In this
line.
Various estimates are placed on the
number of deer in the country. No one
knows with certainty how many there
are. The deer are Of the white tailed
variety and they are beautiful speci-
mems. They cling quite closely to
strip of territory along the east Nish-
nabotna river from a point perhaps a
mile south Of the Rock Island track and
four miles east to a point well north
toward Harlan. Two year ago William
Barnha1dt, farmer living northeast
Of Avoca, counted at one time 200 deer
in one bunch. One Of his neighbors on
another occasion counted 24O. 1t could,
not be known then whether or not all
the deer in the country had collected in
this one big herd or whether there were
still some smaller groups scattered
about over the country. Since that
time punches containing as high as 100
have been seen but generally the
groups run from six or eight to thirty
at this season Of the year. Later these
will scatter and many Of the nlmals
will be found in pairs or singly.
Herd Fifteen Years Old.
Farmers whose places are frequented
by these deer estimate that there are
now somewhere from 200 ito 800 In the
country along the tNishnabotna largely
between AvOca and Harlan.
The foundation of the herd dates
back something more than fifteen
years. Perhaps it was twenty years ago
that William Cuppy secured few deer
and kept them in an enclosure on his
farm They grew in numbers and null
tiplied until he had thirty-fve. One
day they escaped or were let out OF
their enclosure. They were gone sew
eral days. Finally they came up to the
house of a neighbor and using shelled
corn as a toll he led the bunch back
to Cuppy's enclosure. But Cuppy con-
Guided to turn them loose entirely and
did SO. The deer have remained in
the country in that locality since and
multiplied until it was definitely known
that there were two years ago 24O.
That is the only certain figure that
has ever been obtained. There are men
in the locality who believe there are
400 or 500 deer along this stream be-
tween the sections noted. But the gen.
eral impression prevails that the num-
Der is now around 200.
Animals Are Protected.
Most of the farmers where the deer
live love the animals and want to see
them protected and perpetuated.
few who are not so sentimental express
the opinion that the animals should all
be killed off or run out Of the country.
The subject has been one Of rather
animated debate since the deer were
turned loose by Cuppy and began to
multiply. Cuppy himself died some
years ago and recent session Of the
legislature enacted a law vesting the
title to all wild deer in the state it
self and forbidding their being shot or
killed. But this didn't settle the de-
bate among the people who willingly
or otherwise furnish the deer with