The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1913-05-05

Buck fever means a state Of intense
nervous excitement which may be en-
tirely divorced from timidity. IL may
Affect "A man the first time no has TO
sTeak to a large audience just AZ II
affects him the first time he sees a
buck or goes INTO battle What such
a man reeds Is not courage but nerve
control. cool-headedness. This he can
sst only by actual practice. He must.
by custom and repeated exercise OF
sell mastery. get his nerves thorough
IL under control. This is largely a
matter az habit. In the sense OF re-
r'dted effort and repeated exercise of
vii! power. IL a man has the right
stun I'm him. his will grows stronger
and stronger with each exercise of it
ana II he has not the right stun In him
h" had better keep clear Of dangerous
game hunting. or indeed of any other
form 81 sport in which there is bodily
peril.
After he has achieved the ability TO
exercise wariness and control over his
nerN> which will make him shoot as
We'll AT the game as at a target. he can
begin his essays at dangerous game
hunting. and he viii then find that II
does not demand such abnormal Prov
ess as the outsider Is apt to imagine.
\ man who can hit "a soda-water bot
tie at the distance Of "A few Yards can
tram " Hon OF = bear or an elephant
At that distance. and il he cannot brain
10 When II charges he can at least
bring II 10 n s%tandStill. All ne has TO
do IS - shoot as accurately as he
would at a soda-watcr bottle. and 10
do this requires nerve. AZ least as
much as does physical address. lfaN-
ing reached this point. the hunter
must not imagine that h" Is warrant
ed In taking desperate chances. There
are degrees in proficiency. n what
a So - . .L III 81 wHaNr
FOR q man 10 take when h" has reached
"A certain grade OF efficiency may he a
foolish risk for him 10 take before H.
has reached that grad" \ mar h
has reached the degree 81 proficiency
indicated above IS quite warranted IN
walking AZ a lion AT bay. IN ar open
plain. to say. within a hundred yards.
II the lion has not charged. the lion
ought. az that distance go knock him
over and prevent his charging and =
he lion j. already charging. the man
ought At that distance To- be able to
stop him. But the amount Of Prov
csS which warrants q man in relying
on his ability 20 perform this feat
does not hN any means Justify him in
thintiug that. FOR instance. he can
crawl aztec q wounded Hon into thick
cover. ave known men ~ iudiner-
cut ~ 90 perform This latter 81
successfully. hu' a. least as often they
have been unsuccessful and IN these
cases tho result has been unpleasant.
tn" man who hahituallv follows
wounded lions .nta thick cover must
Do. 90 hunter of m" highest skin. or b."
can count with certainty ou an ulti-
mat. mauliuE.
The first two OF three bucks ! eve
saw CAV me buck fever badly. hu,
after | had gained experience with
ordinary game ] never had buck
fever again at all with dangerous
game. In my case the oVercomirs
OF buck fever Eas the result Of con
sciOus effort and "A deliberate deter
mination 10 overcome II. More hap
PLY constituted men never rave 20
make this determined effort az ali
which may perhaps show that the
average man can profit more from
M experiences than he can from
those Of the exceptional man.
! have shot only five kinds Of AMI.
mails which could fairly be called
dangerous gamc-that Is. tho lion.
elephant. rhiuoceros and buffalo 90
Africa. and tho big griZzlN bear 4
quarter % a century ago iu tho
Rockies. Taking into account rot
only my own personal experience. but
%" experiences ~ many veteran
hunters. ! regard All ih" four ART
can animals. but especially tho lion.
elephant. and buffalo. ass much mOT
dangerous than IN" grizzly. As ~
happened. how ever. The only narrow