HITS AND MISSES ON THE TRAIL. 185 



setting marten traps and had built a number of deadfalls and had 

 also set several steel traps for foxes. On their way home to camp 

 they had to cross several low ridges which were good sections for 

 deer. It was nearly sundown and just the right time for deer to 

 be on their feet feeding so we spread out along one of the ridges 

 in hopes that some of us might get a shot. There was a good 

 tracking snow and deer tracks were plenty. We were on the last 

 ridge before we dropped off into the hollow to where the camp 

 was and it was beginning to get dark in the heavy timber. I had 

 come out onto a short spur of the ridge and was standing looking 

 over the ground very carefully to see if I could not see a deer 

 feeding, when I heard a shot fired by one of the boys. In a- few 

 moments a bunch of five or six deer came in sight, making their 

 way around the point at breakneck speed. 



I opened fire on the bunch without taking aim at any par- 

 ticular deer, as it was too dark to get down to real business and 

 the deer were in too much of a hurry to change their feeding 

 grounds to give me very much of a show. I was not stingy of my 

 ammunition and pumped lead at the bunch as long as I could guess 

 where the deer were. As soon as I had ceased to waste am- 

 munition I heard my brother calling for me. When I got to him 

 he was at work taking the entrails out of a good sized buck. We 

 dragged the deer down to where the deer were when I began 

 shooting to see if I had chanced to hit one of the bunch. It was 

 too dark to see much but we found a little blood on the, snow in 

 one place but concluded that I had not done much damage. 



We dragged the buck that my brother had killed to camp, got 

 our supper and made plans for the next day's work. It was agreed 

 that I should look after the bunch of deer and see what effect 

 my shots had on the deer that we had found that had bled some. 

 I was to work this bunch of deer while the other boys went to 

 look after the marten traps, being quite sure that there would be 

 a marten or two in the traps, for we had built some deadfalls 

 where we saw fresh marten signs quite plenty. 



The next morning I was up early and had breakfast before 

 daylight and ready to start out and carry out the work as already 

 planned. It was about one-fourth of a mile from camp to the 



