Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1929-04-18
BIG GAME HUNTING
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came our blankets, and, take it from
me, our beds were as soft as any
feather beds.
Now l will mention the lay of the
ground about three miles each way
from our camp. To the north of us
clumps of trees and grassy swamps
and one little stream and three or four
high hills To the east was green tim
Der with hills and ravines. To the
south was rough country with some
dead timber and brush, with low gras-
sy pOt-holes. To the west lay vast
stretch of grass and two or three
beaver dams in the creek that ran
through the country there. Now l will
tell you something about those beaver
dams-the largest one was fifteen rods
long and about twelve feet high. The
beavers cut their logs about five feet
long and skid them to the water, then
criss-crOss them and pile grass and
mud with brush on them so no water
can get through. They build dam
that no human hand could build of
When they find some poplar trees near
the stream that they want for their
houses or food they build a dam so the
water will be deep enough to float
the timber to the place where they in
tend to use it. They are a wonder
full and very intelligent little animal.
Now we will go to the first morning
e Ill I'D
some went north. some south, some
east to the green timber. some west to
the openings. The writer took to the
hills and openings, but did not see a
thing the first day. But when we came
in to camp that night. eleven in ALL
We had rounded up two bucks and one
doe. Everybody felt good and we had
heart and liver for supper. Dear read
ers-if you could have been in camp
that evening and listened to the eX-
cuseS of those that missed their shot,
and it was always the biggest deer
that got away. why you could imagine
that there were deer as big as ele-
plants in the woods.
1t was hard hunting this fall for u.s.
for there was no snow at all and if
we wounded any game it was not
easily tracked.
The morning that we all went out,
some to drive and some to watch on
stands, one of the boys was stationed
on a stump near a grassy swamp,
where the water was about foot
deep, caused by the beaver damming
up the little creek that ran through the
swamp, and | was about ten rods far
Their in the thick poplars and down
brush waiting for one of the boys
who was in a thick tangled bunch of
down spruce. balSam and tamarack,
you would think that a cat would not
crawl through, but he was an old time
hunter and he knew where to find the
game, for | had not been waiting long
when / heard the shots ring out from
3O1 automatic that belonged to the
fellow on the stump by the swamp.
He fired nine shots. | started over
to him and as | was only a short
distance from him, heard our driver
say. Did you hit him." His an
swer was, HI, ! couldn't miss him
that many times" What was it? A
bear. He crossed the swamp after all
the shooting and made his getaway
as he supposed But after | got there
and found which way the bear went,
| took circle around and after some
time | heard Mr. Bruin going through
the brush. / ran around the hill and
onf iorhf Of i'm, a
partner had hit him in the foot or
leg as he was limping some. turned
loose my 401 automatic, first shot was
behind him and only quickened his
pace, but the second one took effect and
he rolled over and got up and started
again, this time he made five or six
rods into grassy swamp with about
twelve or fourteen inches of water
in it, and with some difficulty |
managed to get another shot which
brought him down. When | got up to
him he still had fight left in him.
There he lay half covered with water
and his head up and one paw up ready
to slap anyone who came in reach.
But | found my last two shots had
taken effect one had pierced his body
back of the front leg and the other
about six inches from that so in a
short time he ''cashed in" Then the
fun came getting him out of the wet
swamp, hung up and dressed out There
were three of us there by this time,
so we put rope, which we always
carry on big game hunts, on his hind
leg, and three of us began to tug at
it. We were now in water to our
knees-one blessing, the weather was
not cold as We surely got some wet
Well, we finally got him out of the
swamp to high ground and there hung
him up to dress out; then we went
on with our drive to find the other
boys waiting on their stands. The