3io 



RECREATION. 



single file through the field toward the 

 woods from which we had just come. They 

 were not within gunshot, so we had to 

 content ourselves with noting the point at 

 which they entered the forest, resolving to 

 go after them early next morning. Mean- 

 time, we continued our ride to Kawkaw 

 swamp, where we secured 3 or 4 fat mal- 

 lards. 



True to our plans, we were up before 

 light next morning. Turkey hunting was a 

 new experience with me, and the thought 

 of securing one of these magnificent birds 

 produced sensations decidedly pleasant. We 

 rode to the point in the forest in the vicin- 

 ity of which we believed the turkeys were 

 roosting. Having hitched our horses, we 

 walked some little distance in different di- 

 rections and posted ourselves so that when 

 daylight should arrive we should be, as 

 we hoped, within gunshot of the game. I 

 took my position near a tall pine and 

 waited. A weird uncanniness seemed to 

 pervade the atmosphere. It was the hour 

 that just precedes the dawn, when the 

 stillness is intense, and all nature seems 

 to be at rest. Altogether it was a situa- 

 tion calculated to quicken the imagination 

 and cause one to see and hear things that 

 , exist only in the realm of fantasy. Pres- 

 ently I heard the startling whoop of a 

 great owl — "whoo-whoo-whoop-aw." Great 

 Scott ! What a fearful sound ! Day was 

 breaking ; nature was astir, and ere long 

 "the heavenly harnessed team" would begin 

 "his golden progress in the East." As the 

 shadows lightened and objects became 

 more discernible, I eagerly peered into the 

 branches of the trees. Eureka ! 1 here, 

 on the limb of a tall pine, but within good 

 range, perched a splendid gobbler. So still 

 had I remained that he was unconscious 

 of danger. I cautiously crept a few feet 

 nearer, using an intervening pine as a 

 shield to hide me from his keen eye. At 

 the crack of the gun he came down with a 

 crash. A little later my companion made 

 a skilful shot at another young gobbler on 

 the wing and bagged him. As we had 

 meat enough and fun enough for one day, 

 we abandoned further efforts and returned 



nome. 



E. S. King, Washington, D. C. 



MY COON HUNT. 



Our corn had been disappearing rapidly 

 for some time and the field was strewn 

 with half eaten ears. I surmised that coons 

 were doing this mischief, and on investiga- 

 tion found their unmistakable tracks, much 

 like the print of a baby's foot. Something 

 had to be done if we were to save our 

 corn, so I decided to have a coon hunt. 



I got Sam Jackson, a neighbor, to go 

 with me. He had a miserable looking mon- 

 grel with one ear partially chewed off, but 



Tige, as he was calle'd, was a good coon 

 dog. We started about 8 o'clock that night, 

 taking with us my father's old muzzle- 

 loader and about 5 rounds of powder and 

 shot, and walked over to the cornfield. I 

 staid along the edge of the woods which 

 skirted the cornfield, and started Sam, with 

 Tige, into the field. In a few minutes I 

 heard the dog bark furiously, so I prepared 

 for business. The coons headed off to the 

 left of me and went into the woods. I ran 

 as fast as I could to where I heard them go 

 in where I found the dog at the foot of a 

 sapling in the crotch of which sat a coon. 

 I drew a bead on him and down he came. 

 I thought he was the only one. Tige evi- 

 dently did not. He started for a large tree 

 near the edge of the woods, and began 

 barking and jumping up against the trunk. 

 Sam went up the tree and I hande.i the 

 gun up to him. He soon spotted a coon 

 and fired at him. Either the moonlight 

 was not bright enough for Sam to see well 

 Or one load of shot was not enough for the 

 coon, for he still sat perched out on the 

 branch. I loaded the gun again for Sam 

 and that time the coon came down. He 

 was the largest one I ever saw'. 



Sam found 2 more coons in the tree and 

 shot them both out. He was coming down 

 when I saw another coon out on the end of 

 a limb, but how to get him was a question, 

 for our gun was useless, as we had no 

 more powder. I told Sam to break off a 

 stick and knock the coon out with that. 

 Sam started out on the limb, creeping care- 

 fully until he was near enough to hit the 

 coon. Then taking aim Sam was about to 

 swat him, when down came limb, coon and 

 Sam! Tige jumped at them and finally 

 succeeded in dragging out the coon. After 

 a fierce fight Tige killed him. Two of these 

 coons were exceptionally large, but the 

 others were of ordinary size. 



W. K. McMullen, Schenectady, N. Y. 



A NEW WAY TO TRAP WILDCATS. 



I must tell you something. I have 

 been considerate and forgiving as long as I 

 can. Dad bing his skin ! It ought to be told 

 on him. I've been out with all kinds of 

 sportsmen, but I never went with a man 

 before who would offer to guide the game 

 to his traps. 



Will Hcckert, of this place, loves to 

 hunt, but is too blooming considerate to 

 suit my taste, and I will never go with him 

 again. 



A party of us started for the Florida 

 capes on a 22 foot catboat. Incidentally we 

 were going to catch a few 6-foot tarpon and 

 kill a wildcat or 2. This was Heckertt'? 

 part of the contract to make sure of win- 

 ring the apple pie. He bought a chicken for 

 which the woman charged him $1.50 when 

 she found he wanted it for bait. He made 



