OUR HUNT AT FENCE LAKE, MICH. 



JOE A. BOTTKOL. 



Early on the morning of November 4th, 

 '02, we boarded the St. Paul passenger train, 

 our destination being Floodwood. We were 

 going on our annual deer hunt, 5 of us be- 

 sides Bill, the cook. At 9.30 o'clock we ar- 

 rived at Floodwood, loaded our camp out- 

 fit and grub chests into a wagon, shoul- 

 dered our guns, and tramped 9 miles to 

 Fence Icke. There we made camp. 



The next day we started out to hunt. I 

 went East, in the maples, armed with a 

 30-30 Winchester fitted with Lyman sights, 

 and a 3% x 4% pocket Poco. It was a 

 crisp, exhilarating morning, with frost 

 glistening on the autumn leaves. Occasion- 

 ally the hoarse note of a raven broke the 

 stillness of the forest; while red squirrels 

 scolded and barked at me for trespassing 

 on their grounds. I finally came out in an 

 old chopping where I found Charles. We 

 decided to cross the chopping, and mount 

 a high hill, from which we could get a good 

 view of the surrounding country. We had 

 been there only a short time when I spied 

 a buck running in a slash, about %. of a 

 mile away. He evidently had seen us, as he 

 was making for a small swamp, or pocket, 

 clearing the windfalls with graceful ease, 

 carrying a magnificent set of white antlers, 

 well back over his shoulders. As he neared 

 the swamp he disappeared. Charles waited 

 20 minutes while I made a detour to the 

 other side of the swamp. At the end of 

 that time Charles started for the swamp, in- 

 tending to go through it, and drive the deer 

 in my direction. When about 70 paces from 

 the edge of the swamp he heard the snap- 

 Ding of a twig, and got behind a stump. 

 Presently the buck emerged from his retreat, 

 walked about 10 yards, stopped, lowered his 

 head and commenced prodding at something 

 on the ground. Charles fired and the buck 

 staggered and fell. A doe bounded up in 

 his place, waved her flag, and tried to as- 

 certain in which direction the danger lay, 

 when another shot dropped her in her 

 tracks. As both deer were struggling on 

 the ground, Charles advanced a short dis- 

 tance and finished them. Immediately^ after, 

 there was a loud crashing of brush in the 

 swamp and coming directly toward him. 

 The next instant a buck thrust his head 

 through an opening of the cedar boughs. 

 Charles fired, striking him on the nose. At 

 this the buck leaped over a windfall and 

 came at full speed toward him. Charles 

 fired 3 more shots, one striking the buck 

 on the left front leg. The magazine was 

 then empty, and when the deer was only 

 a few yards away Charles threw up both 

 fiands and yelled. At that the deer turned 



his course to the left and went by. Charles 

 slipped 2 more cartridges in the magazine. 

 The buck in the meantime slowed down to 

 a walk, and Charles dropped him at long 

 range. 



The following morning Math brought 

 down a doe and a fawn in the same chop- 

 ping. 



The next morning Frank and Will went 

 East, where Frank shot a buck with a set 

 of large antlers. Bill, the cook, being re- 

 lieved by Charles, went South in an old 

 slash, and came back with a doe. Math and 

 I crossed the lake in a boat and took an old 

 logging road running through the maples, 

 stopping now and then to listen. While 

 thus engaged we heard a deer walking on 

 our left. Math took up the trail and I ran 

 down to where a runway crossed the road. 

 It was a frosty morning, and I was soon 

 shivering on my stand, until the sun ap- 

 peared above the crest of a ridge, forcing 

 comfortable warmth through the transpar- 

 ent tree tops. 



I had quite forgotten about the deer, when 

 I heard a rustling in the leaves and turn- 

 ing my head in that direction I saw a deer 

 coming my way. I dared not move, for he 

 would have heard the least sound. He 

 came to a halt behind some brushes, I fired 

 and all was quiet. I knew I had hit him, 

 and I dashed into the brush, throwing a 

 fresh cartridge in the chamber as I went. 

 The buck bounded up some distance ahead 

 of me, and ran broadside, his right hind 

 leg dangling. I fired 3 more shots before 

 he disappeared, one of them taking effect 

 just below the back bone. I then took up 

 the trail, Math joining me. In a short time 

 we found the buck on a hillside, where I 

 finished him with a shot through the neck. 

 He was a 190 pounder. 



The following day I jumped 2 deer, 

 whereupon I gave my rifle some needed ex- 

 ercise. On returning to camp I found that 

 Will and Frank had each shot a buck. 



That night I awoke after midnight to 

 find myself shivering. Math and Will, who 

 slept on either side of me, were also shiver- 

 ing. Our fire had burned low and each of 

 us was waiting for the other to get up and 

 replenish it. Finally Math rose and soon 

 our friendly little camp stove filled the tent 

 with warmth. We used a camp stove manu- 

 factured by W. D. Cree, which is adver- 

 tised in Recreation. For baking and keep- 

 ing fire it is the best thing we ever used. 



A few days later Bill shot a buck. We 

 then had 12 deer and were satisfied. The 

 next day our team arrived, and with many 

 regrets we broke camp, 



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