The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-03-09
ADAY IN WINTER
WOODS GOOD SPORT
Wild Life Signs Seen Every
where in Snow; Tracks
Of Deer and Fox.
BEAR LEAVES ITS DEN
Carrying Pack on SnOwshOes
Easy; Meals Quickly Pre-.
pared on Journey.

A day in the winter woods makes one
fecl how much wild life Is close at hand
il one can read the signs. Recently two
Rod and Gun contributors, "Tamaraclx~
and "Bilf Crockett" spent two weeks on
snowshoes in the Adirondaoks, accom-
panied by Jim Sturges, guide, Of Spec
tulator. ....
Both "Tamarack" and Sturges are
woodsmen. campers. anglers. hunters and
outdoorsmen. and the way these men
read the signs upon the winters snow
seems amazing IL II were not so sim
pie. There is from twelve to eighteen
inches of snow in the Adirondacks, which
viii mean much water in the trout
streams when II mefts.
The three men on the midwintsr hike
!tAuled a sled and for time carried
their Pack baskets OF provisions and
blankets strapped across their shoulders,
resting slightly upon the hips.
These pack baskets are small at the
mouth and wide at the bottom and their
strength and capacity seems incredible.
S;ometimes they are ocvered with water
proof canvas. but ordinarily they are
woven 20 closely that little rain enters,
particularly X they are covered at the
top. s-1-. ...--
Twenty-Five pounds siuns over one
shoulder or held by hand would become
burden if carried any distance. but
sling twenty-five pounds In a basket
ncross both shoulders, letting II rest on
the hips. and you have practically no
weight at all. Make It fifty pounds and
the average man will carry It easily. Jim
Sturges has carried ITO pounds for n
day. covering many miles when walking
IN from town TO camp. without thinking
he was performing an unusual stunt.
Indian guides in Maine and Canada
frequently carry big loads on their backs
held by strap which goes across the
forehead, but to carry packs In such a
manner requires moro or less experience
and unusual strength.
The soldier carries his kit in a long
roll slung between the shoulders, and
that Is especially adapted to hiking with
a kit that rolls up we'll. but in the
Adirondacks or the big woods the pack
basket Is best suited because It Is a
carryall for things that cannot be
oiled up.
Starting off with packs and snow.
shoes. to stop at noon in a desirable
place and have o bite to eat means
merely putting your hand into the pack
and taking out what is needed without
having to unpack or repackl and when
night comes and camp site Is selected
the pack basket saves one from losing OF
misplacing articles required on such a
"trip.
wild Life Signs in Snow.
With pa k basket and snowshoes the
midwinter hiker starts OF, and practi.
oaly at the start there are signs OF Wild
life. Just outside the camp there are
,igns OF a snowshoe rabbit He has not
taken alarm because the strides are reg.
ular and a I one place you see where the
big brother OF little Molly Cottontail ha.
sat down.
A fresh snow in the woods tells mucf
OF the habits of wild life. The guide
stops. He says: "a partridge (ruffec
grouse) slept here last night. He prob
ably dove down into the snow from tina
limb. to get warm, remained there al
night and this morning was Off. II yol
will look closely you will see the i'm
print Of its wings MS II started In flight.
You look closely: you see how deepl,
the bird has plunged into the snow an'
the imprint of its feathers is mos
marked.
THE snow Is not deep enough" say
Tim Sturges. cor we would And the dee
yarded in the plains OF the Moose River
Nj this section through the West Can
adas are runways and thoroughfares 70
deer. Now we will merely see thei
cracks
You have stopped for minute or tw
while Jim breaks through the ice to ge
a running water and as you take tn
waterproof canvas cup to your lips yo
realize how cold these springs. brook
md lakes are. Also 1t makes all tn
water you have tasted anywhere els
feel like n cheap imitation of the res
thing. You drink two or three cups o
Il and it quenches the thirst.
what the Tracks Tell.
You do not drink too much becaus
Il Ia so cold and you know that prac
tically anywhere you can get drin
when YOU want 1t. Sometimes merel
crossing a lake with ice a foot or foe
and half through. the imprint OF you
snow shoes in the snow will contain waite
II you round out a small hole. Will
drinking water from a cup Ia conrenien
sometimes it so happens that there
danger of breaking through the Ice
shallow streams. and lying nat on you
funny you surprise yourself that you II
In that position so long. doing so becaus
the water tastes so good
~ see you chased deer that ha
come down 10 water" says Jim Surge
10 "Tamarack."
III ulu ne must nave seen me Hrbt
repltsaI amarack -
YES. ] saw the long strides, but thf
deer nust have been alarmed at som'
thing else
"May be, but that buck must hay
been alarmed at something" conclude
Jim.
Both men call attention 10 the tract
that reveal to you the whole story no
that the woodsmen have pointed 1t on
One track Is at a water hole. the next
n number Of feet away as IL the de,
bolted in alarm. and as the tracks al
followed they gradually show the norm
walking track.
by and by you become accustomed
the deer tracks and because Of their ri
they are easily recognized. So. too. gro
the rabbit tracks. these being mo
numerous, however. mt the settlements.
But the other tracks, beaver, otte
fisher or ''black cat" martin or sabl
and mink look more or less alike exec
to the trained observer. The fox max
an unmistakable track particularly wi
its brushy tail Swimming across the sno
But 10 men like Jim Sturges and Tam
rack" they read not only the signs
beaver. otter. fisher. martin. mink al
field mice. but they can tell also some
the tragedies of wild life.
Making Sure of observations.
one Of the most interesting thin
About these woodsmen observers Ia he
they stick to a track until they are de
,ireiy sure in their own minds what 1t
=