The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1922-08-24


is a small stream Of about half mile
from Bag Pond to the next one which
is called Long Pond although 1t
is not as long as the lower pond.
At the foot of this pond Ia the farm
where Mr.. Stevens lived four years
with his father and he liked 80 we'll
that after his marriage three years
ago, he moved back.
There Is a little swamp there where
deer are to be found in the morning.
Two or three men get in the field
at the edge of the swamp while two
others begin at the other end of the
swamp and make noise to drive the
deer out to where the men are sta
toned in the field. This is called
driving the swamp One morning
Mr.. Stevens brother and himself
were driving the swamp for three
others when they came onto big
buck. They wounded him and at
last Mr. Stevens knocked him over
with his last bullet. He walked up
to him to stick him and he jumped
up and started off for our informant.
The deer had fallen in a little open
he could do to keep away from him
was to run around and around in the
opening. lie could just keep out of
his way. He expected any minute
to feel his sharp horns. He was a
spike horn that is two straight
horns and they were about ten inches
in length. Just as Mr.. Stevens was
about to give up his brother came
along and put bullet through the
animals heart. That was the clos
est cali Mr.. Stevens is remarked as
having. He says, Now | want to
be sure they are dead before | walk
up to them.
AT the head of this lake where he
lives are the sporting camps which
are private camps. The other two
ponds in the chain are called Natanis
and Round Pond. Natanis is named
after an Indian girl and her grave is
at the head of the pond bearing her
name. There are several kinds of
fish in these ponds, salmon, trout and
togue are the principal ones. The
largest togue caught in these waters
is II l-2 pounds and the largest sal
mon, there weighed about four or
five pounds.
Every spring and fall Mr.. Stevens
sets bear traps. To set the traps,
he finds an old hollow stump with
one side torn out The holes are
all filled up but one and the traps
are set in the opening and the bait
put in the back. This is called a
bear house. When Mr.. Stevens was
sixteen years old he had bear trap
set about three miles from his home.
For a while nothing came near it.
but at last one morning he found the
trap gone. He got SO excited that
he ran all the way home after his
brother to help him find the bear
They found the animal and killed it
all right They were some proud
of the bear. Another animal they
trap a great deal is tho wild cat or
bob cat This cat weighs from 30
to 80 pounds according to its age.
In color they are yellow with gray.
These animals do a gseat deal of dam
age to deer every year. 1t is not
very often they take bucks but kill
the does and young. When it is
possible, they set the traps near a
deer that the bobcats have killed,
covering it with leaves or hair from
the deer. Sometimes they hang a
rabbit in tree and set the trap under
it.
Last fall Mr.. Stevens was hunting
deer the last of the season when he
came on bear track. He took 1t
and followed it to its den. 1t was
under the roots of fallen yellow
birch. lie walked around to the
front of the den and holered. The
bear came out and he fired two shots
and killed him. He was a small
bear but he had a thick black coat.