Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1959-12-22
AFIELD
I'm Maryland

The deer season is over and
fewer bucks were downed by
hunters in Western Maryland
than authorities expected.
Weather has been blamed by
many as the principal factor but
many observers feel the reduced
crowd was due in a great part
to the fact so many hunters
from the Baltimore and Wash
ington areas hunted on the
Eastern Shore.
Other reasons advanced IN
cluded: the deer fed at night be.
cause of the bright moon and
retired to their beds before the
hunters were afield. That open
ing the season on Saturday and
closing on the next Saturday
caused many hunters to stay
home during the week. Many
hunters in Frederick and Wash
ington Counties feel the deer
are moving away from the
mountains and are harder to
locate.
Whatever the reason, or
reasons, most people close to
the situation agree there are
more deer than in past years
in Western Maryland.
Two deer stories of unusual
interest to county readers come
from Carroll County. District
Game Warden, Arden L. Rick
etts, investigated a report con-
corning two dead deer.
Seems Ricketts, discovered
two bucks had drowned in an
abandoned quarry. According
to the warden, the bucks might
have been fighting and in their
struggle fallen together into the
pit and drowned.
The other story has a humor'
Gus but sad angle. Wardens
were told two hunters were
seeking deer in lower Carroll
County and a beautiful albino
buck leaped up in front of them.
One yelled Don't shoot, it's il
legal" The other withheld his
fire.
Later, in talking to authori-
ties they found the deer was
certainly a legal quarry. The
two hunters had confused the
albino buck with the law pro-
hibiting the killing of white
fallow deer in Talbot County.
During the rest of the week
many hunters tried for the
white buck without success.
Those who practice the unique
dwck hunting art of sneak boat.
ing in Frederick, Carroll, ALE.
gany or Washington Counties
on the Monocacy and Potomac
Rivers, are collecting their
limits regularly. Big northern
blacks and grey mallards are
the mainstays. A few pintails
and some wood duck are taken,
too.
Only those who reside in these
counties can purchase a license
to use a sneak boat but several
of the more accomplished hunt.
ers act as guides. Tom Cofield,
outdoor editor of the Baltimore
News-Post, Tom Mentally, out.
door editor of the Chicago
Tribune, and other outdoor
writers think this type of hunt.
ing is tops in ducking.
A perfect gift to start the
New Year right, is the Mary.
land magazine, THE Conserva.
ZIONIST" This magazine is
packed full of information for
hunters and fishermen and the
Illustrations by Bud Taylor will
be greatly appreciated by
nature lovers.
1t can be secured from the
Maryland Game and Inland
Fish Commission, Annapolis,
for 81 for a year or $1.50 for
two years. A real buy.
Tip Of the Week
One of the best rabbit hunters
when 1 was boy seemed to
have any trouble filling his bag
limit of rabbits in late season.
Because it is cold in December,
rabbits seek warm places to
rest. Along creek bottoms, the
water temperature usually
keeps the air a few degrees
warmer and the damp ground
furnishes them with succulent
greens for food.
Try kicking among the drift.
wood piles and thick under.
ditions they are fighting in the
inner cities. If citizens cannot
trust fhQ ma cfor.pIanc for ithaca