LOST IN A TAMARACK SWAMP. 



W. A. MASON. 



The morning of November n, 1901, 

 opened bright and clear in the Northern 

 part of Beltrami county, Minnesota. We 

 were out early. It was the second day of 

 our stay in our hunting cabin. The day 

 before we had looked over the country sur- 

 rounding our camp and knew that deer 

 were plentiful, as we had seen 3 bucks and 

 an enormous number of tracks.. 



We were 4 in our party. We went to- 

 gether for about a mile South, where we 



ridge, while Mr. Fuglestad went around 

 on the South side. He had hardly got 

 around before he started a big buck, but 

 there was so much brush he only saw the 

 deer's white tail and did not shoot, The 

 buck crossed within 40 yards of me and 

 I fired at his shoulder. He went down and 

 I called to my friend that I had the deer; 

 but as I loked again he scrambled to his 

 feet. I fired a second shot as quickly as I 

 could, but as I fired he passed a dry birch 



AMATEUR PHDTO BY W. A. UASON 



THE TREES WERE STANDING SO THICK WE COULD SEE BIjT A FEW YARDS AHEAD. 



separated, 2 of the boys going East, while 

 Mr. Fuglestad and I went West. I had 

 the only compass and as I seldom get turned 

 around in the woods, I let one of the other 

 boys have it. Mr. Fuglestad and I followed 

 a creek about a half mile, when we came 

 to a big slough. South of that was a long 

 high ridge mostly covered with brush and 

 dead birch trees. Beyond that lay a great 

 tamarack swamp. North of the slough 

 was higher ground and a long belt of Nor- 

 way pine stretched Northward. We de- 

 cided to cross over to the ridge, walk up 

 along the West edge of the slough and 

 hunt up through the big pines. In get- 

 ting to the ridge we found many fresh 

 deer signs. I walked along the top of the 



stump and the bullet crashed into that, 

 throwing splinters of wood all over the 

 deer. That frightened him and he turned 

 down the ridge into the tamarack swamp. 

 I fired a third shot as he entered the swamp 

 but missed. 



The swamp stretched out as far as we 

 could see, and we knew that unless the 

 deer was badly wounded we would never 

 get him. We examined his tracks and 

 found much blood. W r e then ate our lunch- 

 eon and waited a while, thinking he would 

 not go far if not followed immediately. 

 After about an hour we took up his tracks, 

 which led almost straight into the swamp 

 for at least a mile, when he began to go 

 in every direction except out of the swamp. 



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