OUR AND SOMEBODPY’S ELSE BUCK. 
FALCON, 
Probably there are but few hunters in 
Pennsylvania who have not heard of the 
beautiful Diamond valley, in Huntingdon 
county, famed for its many deer. Sports- 
men from afar visit the valley every year 
and few return empty handed. Of course 
deer are not so plentiful as in former years, 
but there are still enough to afford good 
sport. In that valley, several years ago, 
David L., who has been my hunting com- 
panion for many years, and I, enjoyed our 
first deer hunt. 
An invitation had been extended to us by 
relatives living at the head of the valley to 
stay with them during the hunting season, 
and we were assured game was unusually 
plentiful that year. We took our departure 
by train early one morning in December. 
Reaching Petersburg we got off and started 
to walk to. our destination, 10 miles away, 
over a rough road covered with 6 inches of 
snow. Encumbered by the weight of our 
guns and satchels. It was dinner time be- 
fore we came to the quaint, old farm house 
for which we were bound. Dinner over, 
we decided to go down the valley a short 
distance to shoot grouse. We _ tramped 
through the brush 2 hours and bagged 8 
birds; and were on the point of returning 
to the house when 2 hunters came along 
dragging a large buck over the snow. The 
sight so transported us that we could not 
wait until the next day to go deer hunting; 
so having taken our birds to the house, we 
started out alone, in a strange country, in 
quest of deer. 
We had never hunted deer, but had read 
of the different methods employed, and de- 
cided to try still hunting. After wander- 
ing about the valley some time we heard the 
sound of a bell along the foot of the moun- 
tain. Knowing that a party of hunters 
near were belling for deer, we decided to 
keep moving along opposite the party, on 
the chance of their driving a deer toward 
us. We had double barrelled, muzzle load- 
ing shot guns, into which we had dropped 
a number of buckshot over the bird shot. 
That. was ‘a great mistake, as we afterward 
found. We were both partial to muzzle 
loaders at that time. 
We moved along until the sound of the 
bell became fainter, and finally died away, 
and it was apparent that the party had 
crossed the mountain. We were standing 
on an old logging road not far from the 
mountain, in a rather open tract, when I 
caught sight of something moving in the 
bushes about 300 yards distant, and called 
Dave’s attention to it. Suddenly an im- 
33 
mense buck emerged from the brush into 
the open timber, moving in a line parallel 
to us. We had given up all hope of getting 
a shot at him when he turned and came 
toward us. We crouched behind a small 
thorn bush and with guns cocked, anxiously 
awaited his coming. The animal moved 
forward in a leisurely way, ever and anon 
cropping the leaves in his path. We re- 
mained rooted to the spot, spellbound with 
admiration, but strange to say were not 
seized with buck ague. When the buck had 
advanced to within 30 yards of us he sud- 
denly threw his head high in the air with 
a loud snort. We were to windward of 
him, but nevertheless he scented us. Dave 
whispered, “Now!” We quickly brought 
our guns to our shoulders, took careful aim 
and fired. The monarch of the forest 
sprang high in air and fell, but regained 
his feet in an instant and rushed madly past 
us, taking immense leaps. I wheeled and 
gave him the other barrel broadside, just 
as he disappeared into a small ravine. Dave 
— behind me and could not ag another 
shot. 
Here we made the mistake of our lives 
by instantly starting in pursuit of the 
wounded animal. He had lain down after 
traveling a short distance, and had we wait- 
ed a while before starting on the trail, he 
would have been so stiffened as to be un- 
able to rise, and we could have made short 
work of him. His foot marks were covered 
with blood, and the irregular manner in 
which they were made showed that he was 
moving with an uncertain, staggering gait, 
badly wounded. The trail led down the 
ravine and along the foot of the moun- 
tain, through almost impenetrable thick- 
ets; then turned sharply to the left up 
the mountain side. Slowly we followed, 
now and then losing the track in the thick 
brush. Suddenly there was a crashing noise 
a short distance ahead. We rushed forward 
with all possible speed, and soon arrived 
at the place where the buck had fallen in 
the,snow; but hearing us coming, he had 
risen and started on again. We examined 
the place where he fell and found the snow 
covered with clotted blood. Expecting to 
find him at any moment, we moved quickly 
up the mountain, and after a laborious strug- 
gle arrived at the top. There we lost the 
trail. -We tried in vain to find it, and as it 
was getting late and we were in a strange 
country, we concludéd to give it up; so be- 
gan to retrace our steps down the moun- 
tain. 
Night soon overtook us, and not being 
