Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1914-03-13
LEE land GRANT
COODDEER HUNTERS
Clear Fork I Citizen ERecalls In
cidents of Happy Hunting Days
When Game Was Plentiful in
All Parts of The County.
shawver MN, Ya.. March 1ot]

Shawver Mill, Va, March 10th.
Dear Editor:-
saw in the News of March 9th a
big fish story, so | thought woulu
write the boys about my deer hunt,
ing when | was aboy.
Mr.. Jake Carper lived close to my
father. He was in the war, and whei
the war was over he came home. He
thought al ot of us boys. He had five
or SIX girls, but no boys. Us bows
would help put out his crops, and
aud all we could for them while he
was fighting. We had two hounds
We called one Lee and the other
Grant. One morning we went out
deer hunting. We wasn't out very
long until we had one started. You
ought to have heard Lee and Grant.
If you had been there you would have
thought the mountain full of dogs.
The deer started for the water, and
IN one hour we had that deer hanging
up. He was in the water up to his
neck, and Lee and Grant were on the
bank barking Mt him when we got
there. We told them to 20 in after
him, and they did. We had n hard
hight for mile, but finally brought
him to the bank. That was the first
deer they were ever after, but we
mad no trouble after that, for when
they got to one they grabbed him. If
we weren't there, they would Law
down and wait until we came.
In few days we thought we would
go hunting again. Mr.. Carper took
Lee and Grant and went to start the
deer. We put two or three bows on
a stand, and took my gun and went
to stand by myself. | was on hill
lour or five hundred yards from the
water sitting down on big stump
Win ,T my gun leaning up against il.
me dogs took the deer up between
Two mountains about two miles and
Iheh crossed over on the side | was
on l could not hear them, so +
waited until about l o'clock when |
heard dogs barking away Off, then
Khew they were coming. | sat
stlil until the deer passed me, then
jumped up and took after him. hnv.
ing forgotten my gun, but ! caught
him before he got TO the water, .Jnst
as he went to jump fence / grnbhcJ
him by one hind foot and held him
until Lee and Grant came. IL wnsn't
long until they were there. Just MS
soon as they came they took hold of
nm. To save my life couldn't tell
which one was the best of the two.
waited until all the boys came up
then we skinned him and divided 4
up, giving portion to the dogs.
Then we started home.
There were plenty of deer in those
days. We never shot ut one but
once, either. We had the old noun
tam rifle in those days and IL took
SO long to load it, but usually killed
the deer the first shot. In those days
we could kill n deer two hundred
yards running. We wouldn't want
MN any closer. have my gun vet.
and 1T will shoot as good as ever.
we hunted two or three days out
OF the week, and always killed one or
two deer each time. We would take
our hides and dress them and make
moccasins, they would not hurt your
teet-you could get along better
than you could barefooted-for we
didn't have but one pair of shoes n
year in those days.
One evening after that | went
out to get the cows. They were in
the woods. heard something be-
hind me and looking round saw
deer. / didn't have my gun, and he
was so close to me that / jumped up
III Tree. 1t was three spiked buck,
and he tried to climb too. So | got
him by one horn and held him up un-
til ! could get his horns over n limb
SO he could not get down. Then |
took out my Barlow knife and cut
his throat. took the deer home but
didn't take the cows. There is a deer
horn at my brothers that u man can
stand between. 1t has six prongs.
That one my brother killed with
rock.
,Nows, boys, you think you know it
all about hunting, but you don't know
b. You can kill few rabbits and
birds, but for big game you are out.
| could write week and not get
through, but the editor might not
like it. Now, boys, Mr.. Carper and
the dogs are dead, but am still
living. C S. COMPTON.