A DEER RETRIEVING DOG. 



E. B. COLLINS. 



Jake and me was runnin' a ranch up on 

 Roane creek and we thought we could 

 make somethin' out of the shootin', so we 

 kinder give out over in Debeque that we 

 could accommodate a few people what 

 wanted to do some huntin'. The first folks- 

 what come 'long was a man and his wife. 

 This kinder stumps my pardner, for he 

 'lowed things warn't fittin' and he didn't 

 know just how to cook for lady folks; 

 but it warn't long till they made Jake think 

 everything was first class, for they didn't 

 miss any meals and had no kicks comin'. 



These folks didn't do much shootin'. 

 The lady just killed a few ducks so as to 

 have a change in the meat, as we only had 

 venison. The gentleman he was after 

 jack rabbits. When he would get a jack- 

 he would bring him to the ranch, skin him 

 and cook all the meat off his bones; then 

 set the bones all back in the places where 

 they belonged, and just study them a 

 long time. You see, he was one of them 

 sculpter fellers what makes all kinds of 

 animals out of mud and rock; and he 

 makes them look like they was sure alive. 

 He was larnin' how to make a jack rabbit. 



Well, the next folks what come was 2 

 men from way back East what wanted to 

 do some deer shootin'. I says to Jake, 

 "These fellers just come out here to see 

 how many they can kill, then go back 

 home and blow about it and make their 

 friends think they are great hunters; but 

 it don't go with me. I'm the game warden 

 for this here district and I'll just tell them 

 the're allowed to kill only 2 deer apiece, 

 and they better look for horns before they 

 do too much killin'." 



You see, does was plenty. They had 

 come down off the high tops and was 

 feedin' low down so you could just knock 

 'em over as easy as you could sheep in 

 the pasture. But I didn't get no chance 

 to say nothin' to them fellers 'bout this, 

 for they just jumps out the wagon and 

 tells their guide to look after the horses 

 and their traps, as they was goin' up the 

 gulch to look round before dark. 



They comes back just as supper is ready 

 and kinder makes theirselves known to the 

 sculpter feller and his wife. When they 

 sets down to supper they asks about the 

 deer shootin' 'round there. The young fel- 

 ler he said he had come a long way to 

 shoot a deer and was goin' to stay until he 

 got one; said they had seen quite a number 

 of does in the gulch just before dark, but 

 as they were after horns they didn't do any 

 shootin'. So I says to Jake, "I guess 

 these fellers ain't no butchers, shootin' for 

 some town market." 



The next mornin' they gets up early, goes 



out and breaks the ice in the water bucket 

 so as to wash. The young feller he just 

 blows the water like he's skeered he'll get 

 some on his face, and then he says he likes 

 to wash in ice water. After they gets a 

 good breakfast they starts up the gulch. I 

 says, "Better take Bob 'long. He's good on 

 deer, and if you wound one he'll keep on 

 his trail till he rounds him. ' 



They didn't seem to think much of Bob, 

 as he was scraggly and not much for looks, 

 part shepherd and the other part just dog, 

 you know; but he begged so hard they 

 whistled him along. 



They comes back that night dead tired 

 and hungry as bears; said they didn't 

 know they had gone so far till they started 

 back, but as they was well paid for the trip 

 they didn't care 'bout bein' tired. 



After they had their supper, the young 

 one he starts to tell me 'bout Bob. He 

 says, "Say, Ike, you know you got the 

 best dog for deer that ever went over the 

 hills after them. He don't only round 'em 

 up, but he brings 'em to you. I killed a 

 200 pound buck this afternoon and Bob 

 goes and fetches it right to me." 



Now, you see I knowed Bob; he 

 wouldn't weigh over 30 to 40 pounds, and 

 when this young feller commenced to tell 

 us 'bout bringin' him a 200 pound buck, I 

 just thought 'twas time to call him off and 

 ask him to explain, as I didn't want Bob's 

 reputation hurt as a deer dog. 



So he says, "Ike, 'twas this way: The 

 buck was with a lot of does feedin' way low 

 down the mountain, and when we come up 

 he winded up and started for the rim rock. 

 After he gets up there he had to circle 

 round so as to get out. As he come my 

 way, T commenced to pump lead after him, 

 the third shot strikin' him just back of the 

 shoulder and rangin' back. Down he went. 

 He would try to get up and when down he 

 would go again. I saw he was hard hit, 

 so^ did no more shootin'. Bob was stand- 

 in' by my side all the time, givin' little 

 low whines and anxious to go after him, 

 so I says, 'On Bob, bring him down.' Bob 

 starts up, goin' round and round till he 

 gets up on the rim rock, where the buck 

 was. They had quite a scuffle, and the 

 deer fell off the shelf as it were, and 

 started to roll down the mountain. He 

 lodged in some brush, but Bob come on 

 after him, got hold and give him a yank 

 which started him rollin' again. This was 

 repeated till the deer was at my feet." 



This explanation seemed to satisfy all 

 the folks, so I told him I knowed Bob was 

 an awful smart dog and I believed under 

 certain conditions a 30 pound dog could 

 retrieve a 200 pound deer. 



