378 



RECREA TJON. 



The most vicious buck was the first one 

 caught. He came boldly to the gate and 

 was quickly roped. Restraint was an en- 

 tirely new thing to him and he objected 

 strongly. He was drawn struggling, fight- 

 ing, kicking and bawling with rage to the 

 fence, and his antlers were quickly removed. 

 This operation is not painful, as the antlers 

 of a deer are coreless. The part remaining 

 drops off in the spring, and' a new horn 

 grows in its place. 



A large chute had been constructed in 

 one corner of the enclosure, wide at one 

 end, and gradually narrowing to a small 

 pen. About 20 men, scattered out like a 

 skirmish line, gradually drove the deer to- 

 ward the pen. Once within it they were 

 easily caught and crated. 



The spectacle of 35 full grown deer tear- 

 ing around in a large enclosure, first one 

 way and then another, stirring up a heavy 

 cloud of dust whenever they crossed a bare 

 spot, far surpassed in interest the best game 

 of football or polo ever witnessed. They 

 tore around the field with the speed of 

 the wind; breaking through the line of 

 men here and there, and running back and 

 forth along the fence in search of an open- 

 ing. 



After several drives of this kind, some 

 animals being safely penned each time, the 

 fun began in earnest. The fence around 

 the enclosure was of heavy poultry wire, 14 

 feet high and stretched tightly. The bucks 

 began butting it frantically in their efforts 

 to escape; while the does ran in all direc-. 

 tions. It was a wild sight. The deer dash- 

 ing madly hither and thither with their 

 utmost speed, the bawling of the enraged 

 bucks in the pen, the sound of the many 

 flying feet, the voices of the men as they 

 ran back and forth — and all amid the fly- 

 ing flakes of a blinding snowstorm — will 

 never be forgotten by those who witnessed 

 it. 



A large buck dashed across the field, 

 determined to make his escape if speed, 

 power, weight and resolution could effect 

 it. He threw his strong antlers forward, 

 stiffened his neck to withstand the shock 

 and striking the fence about 4 feet from the 

 ground, passed straight through it. A doe 

 running behind him, seeing his escape, 

 darted through the same hole. This was a 

 surprise, as the wire seemed strong enough 

 to hold anything. 



The scene in the pen was a lively one. 

 The does were caught and crated as soon 

 as possible after they were penned; but the 

 bucks had to undergo the dehorning proc- 

 ess. This they did not meekly submit to, 

 and it required 3 to 4 men to hold each ani- 

 mal during the operation. 



It is impossible to realize the strength 

 and agility possessed by these animals un- 



til you attempt to handle one. They resist 

 all restraint until completely worn out, 

 when they lie down and afterward make 

 little trouble. 



The last buck was finally denuded of his 

 antlers and crated, and every one drew a 

 long breath. 



The animals were taken to the train, as 

 soon as they quieted down sufficiently, 

 and placed in a special express car. Mr. 

 Payne and one assistant went with the car, 

 to care for the safety and comfort of their 

 charges, and stayed with them until they 

 were liberated. They arrived at their des- 

 tination in apparently as good, if not better 

 condition, than when they started. 



TWO CHUCKS AND A CAT. 



W. S. CROLLY. 



The 22 long rifle is the little giant of small 

 cartridges — the load par excellence for 

 small game shooting. At 150 yards it will 

 hold its own with any load yet devised. 



Even at 300 yards it is uniformly reliable, 

 when weather conditions are favorable. Its 

 chief shortcomings are a lack of shocking 

 power, and a high trajectory. Express bul- 

 lets, of 40 grains, will overcome the first 

 trouble. The latter, can be remedied only 

 by sacrificing accuracy. 



Take your 22 Marlin, and go after wood- 

 chucks. 



There one sits on his mound, surveying 

 the country. Up g-oes your Lyman, a few 

 notches, and you draw fine on his breast. 

 Gone! As suddenly as if the little hill had 

 caved under him.. He saw or winded you. 

 You make a detour and come up wind. 

 There he is again! A snap, and over he 

 goes, struck in the chest. The little 22 

 downs him as effectively as would a brick. 

 He is up again, however, and scrambles 

 into his hole — to die. To kill a chuck 

 with the homeopathic 22, requires a head 

 s*hot. 



Number 2 is sitting on a ridge 300 yards 

 away. Get nearer if you can. At 100 yards 

 you should have him. With the click of the 

 hammer he rises, only to fall with a lump 

 of lead in his brain. Pick him up — 15 

 pounds of juciness — and take him home to 

 the poor. Suddenly you note a white spot 

 way off in the meadow. A cat! Half a mile 

 from home, and the season wide open. 

 Alas! poor Thomas, so soon to die! That 

 cat kills more game than a pot hunter. 

 Bang! Up in the air he goes, a full 5 feet 

 and — strange to say — fails to land on his 

 feet. He is off, projecting himself through 

 the air with a screw-like motion; his white 

 belly turns up to the sky, and one of his 9 

 lives ends at every jump. At the other side 

 of the meadow he falls dead. You wonder 

 where he was hit, to produce such an elec- 

 trification. By and by you find out. The 



