
A RUSHING; DEER HUNT IN MARYLAND. 
Ye. W. T. GATES. 
I make it a rule to take a deer hunt each 
season, and being prohibited by law from 
- hunting in West Virginia, being unable to 
go to Pennsylvania, on account of business, 
my only chance was in Maryland, so in a 
rush T. H. Newton and I picked up our 
tifles, on the evening of December 6th 
at 6.30, with a limited amount of ammuni- 
tion, and set off for the head waters of Sav- 
age river, Garrett county, Md., reaching our 
head-quarters on the 7th at one o'clock, 
with about 12 inches of snow on the 
South hills or sides and not favorable for 
- still hunting. Thursday was the first day’s 
hunt, a sort of preliminary. We saw some , 
old tracks of small deer and got one up, but 
he got up and slipped away, unseen. The 
second day was windy and the tracks at 
most places were covered. After traveling 
¥ day and not finding anything, myself and 
Mr. Wilt, with whom we stopped, came to 
the hill top of Middle ridge. It was decided 
that I take the North side of the ridge, 
and Mr. Wilt the South side with a view of 
meeting at a fixed point. After a few hun- 
dred yards’ travel, I found a fresh track, 
which had been made during the day» The 
wind was in my favor so I kept on, looking 
into the favorable places. 
I soon saw where he had gone up the 
other side. Looking down the ravine, at 
the root of a large pine, lay the animal, 
asleep, his head resting on his side like 
a red fox. I fired a .38-55 bullet at him. He 
got up, made a few jumps, and stopped. I 
let him have another, and he fell dead. 
In a few minutes he was hanging on 
a dogwood bush. The third day one came 
‘to me and stopped behind trees, except 
his head, which was in fair view, at about 
40 yards. I pulled on his head, but as I 
pulled he turned toward me. I missed 
him, but gave him all the company he 
wanted. Inside of 200 yards’ running I 
fired 12 shots and had proof of 10 on 
the deer. On the morning of the 4th 
we were up early, feasted on the finest 
buckwheat cakes, and started. After a 
- long journey we found fresh tracks, and 
carefully followed them. A minute later 2 
monarchs raised from their resting place 
and we got one shot each. They disap- 
peared over the hill. We followed across 
the flat to a gulch, and got there on time. 
We saw one seemingly getting ready to 
lie down. We fired at about the same time 
and he fell in his tracks, and I said again 
to Mr. Newton: ‘“ Follow me.” We ran 
about 200 yards. When I had reached the 
point aimed for, I waited for Mr. Newtun, 
being sure the deer was behind. My object 
was to have Mr. Newton go back, and 
take the track, and I would hold my place, 
but when he did not come, I hunted back 
to meet the old buck, and we both closed in 
on him on the point of the hill. I got 2 
shots at him, the second taking effect in the 
right hip, breaking it in 2 places. We then 
went back and bled the one we first killed 
and found one shot had hit him on the first 
run, just over the neck bone; the fatal shot 
behind the shoulders. He was a 4 prong 
buck. We then followed the other and 
found he had a fairly hard shot. He had 
fallen once going down the hill and once 
on the ice on Big creek, showing a streak of 
blood all the way across. As he ascended 
the bank he fell, and soon lay down; but he 
heard us coming through the crusty snow, 
and gotup. I then decided we would be re- 
quired to take other tactics, so I asked Mr. 
Newton to take the track. I then made for 
the top of Middle ridge, thence down the 
ridge and about 34 of a mile below there 
I found him standing looking back on his 
track, and waiting for us to come. I fired 
at him at 90 yards, and he fell, got up, 
and fell again, and was out of sight in a 
short time. Mr. Newton was with me, and, 
after following the track a short distance, 
the old buck was sighted lying on his back, 
with his antlers in the ground. This was a 
5 prong buck. Late in the evening we 
got after 2 does. I got ahead of one of 
them, and when she got within 4o yards, 
I bleated at her. She stopped, and I let 
her have it. She fell in sight and soon 
was hanging on a chestnut tree. It wes 
5 o'clock and we were 6 miles from home, 
in 19 inches of snow, so quit. The next day 
we filled up a 2 horse sled and off for the 
railroad station at Frankville. I had re- 
fused to kill any turkeys on account of car- 
rying them, but as we were nearing the 
railroad station I saw some fresh tracks. I 
asked to have the sled stopped. I got out, 
and in front of the horses, the turkeys began 
to fly out of the road. One flew upon the 
fence, I closed up the sights on him with a 
view to throwing him into the sled, but my 
gun snapped, and the turkey flew down the 
river ahead of the sled. 
Five deer for 2 men! Don’t you think 
that rather extravagant—especially in a 
country where deer are so scarce as in 
Maryland?—EDITorR. 
493. 
