FOREST AND STREAM. 



291 



strolled across the field. When near the spot, the rattling 

 of the chain by which the trap was fastened quickened 

 his pace: and behold a large wolf was in the trap. John- 

 son saw at a glance he w&s slightly caught by the end of 

 his paw. Now he soliloquized, "if I go back for the gun 

 he may succeed in getting free before my return," for 

 the brute was making frantic efforts to free himself. The 

 bounty $W, skin |3, it would uot do to miss him. Being 

 a line atfdete, Johnson n\ade a bound for the wolf, catch- 

 ing imn by the throat. In the meantime the wolf had 

 cleared bimaelf from the trap. Then came the tug-of-war 

 in that 'ift. of snow. The struggle was short andl'urious, 

 Johnson held his death grip, sometimes on top and again 

 underneath the brute, both so covered in snow it was 

 difficult to distinguish wolf from man. The wolf at last 

 was OTercome, kicked and choked to death by his power- 

 ful antagonist. Johnson did not attend church that day, 

 for his Sunday clothes hung in tatters: besides there were 

 some ugly scratches from the sharp claws of the noAv 

 dead game, "I neTer will try that again, Mack," he said 

 tome, "I thought myself a match for almost any wild 

 animal of tliese woods, but this fellow was a bigg'er job 

 than I reckoned on." Johnson was but 17 years of age 

 and I was 16. That winter was my first experience with 

 wolves. 



Five years later, I was working in the logging woods at 

 a place called the Narrows, head of Grand Lake, in 

 Maine. The second evening after our arrival at camp the 

 most of the crew had turned into their berths, the cook 

 only was outside the camp door, when he called, "Boys, I 

 hear a dog howling across the lake." I had seen a wolf 

 track that afternoon, and knew the kind of dog across 

 the lake. We were all outside the camp in a few 

 seconds. The moon was full and bright, and the 

 wind asleep— not a sound but the howl of the wolf. 

 Soon another and another gave tongue, until the recruits 

 nurnbered a dozen or more. 'Boys,'" I said, "those 

 devils are up to some mischief; they are old ac- 

 quaintances of mine. Listen!" One would think pan- 

 demonium had broken loose. They had discovered a 

 deer at our water hole. Over they came, the hills echoing 

 and re-echoing their cries, making the night hideous 

 with bowlings. 



The startled deer rushed by our camp, with wolves in 

 close pursuit. It was an unequal match. The poor 

 animal found they were closing with him ; and ran back 

 to the lake, the merciless pack at his heels. Again he 

 made for the woods, and in a clump of thick cedars they 

 took his life. There was but one gun in our crew and 

 that was not loaded. We did not enter into the scuffle. 

 Not one of the men but myself had ever heard or seen a 

 wolf before; and none of us had desire for a nearer 

 acquaintance. The next morning we visited the spot. 

 Af cer killing their game they had dragged it out on the 

 ice; and so completely demolished was the carcass that 

 scarcely a vestige remained. H. P. 



ADIRONDACK DEER. 



MMtor Forest and Stream: 



Four Uticans, and the writer was fortunate enough to 

 be one of chem, spent the last three days of the season 

 wlieu it was legal to hunt deer with dogs at Henry Paull s, 

 in the town of Wilmurt, on the southern edge of the 

 Adirondacks. As the 18th inst. was Sunday, of course 



the dogs were not put out, but we took a stroll as far 

 Mill Creek Lake, three miles distant. On our arrival 

 found that two hunters from a neighboring resort had 

 preceded us and killed a deer which they had already 

 dressed and hung up. The day was bright and warm, 

 and the pretfiy Uttle lake nestling at the foot of the moun- 

 tains, and the brilliant colored foliage of the trees which 

 covered the latter from base to summit, formed a picture 

 of rare beauty. We were loth to leave the spot, and 

 passed the greater portion of the day there enjoying the 

 beauties of nature. 



The next day was a counterpart of its immediate pre- 

 decessor as far as the weather was concerned, but we 

 spent it in a very different manner. Soon after daybreak 

 every one in the house was astir and an early breakfast 

 was had. Then we were assigned to runways on the 

 West Canada Creek, and the proprietor of the house and 

 one of his men started out on the mountains with five 

 hounds, which were placed on the tracks of deer. It so 

 happened that a party from Kreitzer's near- Morehouse- 

 ville was hunting on the same territory that we were. 



In the Kreitzer party was a man from Cold Brook, 

 Herkimer county, and it transpu-ed that he was assigned 

 to the same runway that one of our party had been. The 

 two hunters met on the runway, and agreed that if either 

 killed a deer it should be equally divided. During the 

 forenoon a doe came over the i-unway ahead of one of 

 Kreitzer's dogs, and safely ran the gauntlet of the Utican's 

 rifle and the Cold Brook man"s shotgun. Later, however. 

 PauH's dog drove a fine buck into the creek at the point, 

 and it was killed by the Utican, although his componion, 

 who was very excitable and got his shots mixed, first 

 tilled the animal's hide with, bird shot. A pole was cut 

 and used in carrying the buck to the spot where it was 

 decided to leave it until the day's hunt was over. Subse- 

 quently the pole, on which a few twigs remained, was 

 thrown into the Stillwater ajid it slowly floated down 

 stream. A little after noon the hunter from Cold Brook 

 caught sight of an object in the creek, which he mistook 

 for the head of a buck swimming in the water, and at 

 once opened fire on it. Shot after shot followed, until 

 more than a score had been fired and his ammunition was 

 exhausted. He then persuaded the ITtican to shoot three 

 or four times. Still unsatisfied with the result, the ex- 

 cited hunter upon the arrival of two other members of 

 the party, who had been attracted by the fusilade, en- 

 deavered to borrow their guns to continue the attack. 

 When his request was refused he excitedly exclaimed: 

 "Well, if you wont't shoot, the deer is dying ar 



dying any- 

 in the woods?" 



way. 



"Where is the deer, in the creek 

 queried one of the new comers. 



"Why, in the water, i^an'fc you see his horns?" replied 

 the Cold Brook man. 



"Great Scott! that is the brush vxi the pole we threw 

 into the creek," exclaimed the Utican j who had killed the 

 buck, as be burst into a roar of laughter, in which ail but 

 the excited man joined. It was some time before the 

 latter could be thoroughly convinced that he had been 

 shooting at the brush instead of a deer's head. 



an island at the head of the Chestley Stillwater, and be 

 tween 10 and 11 A. M. beheld a magnificent buck walk, 

 ing leisurely down the stream and coming directly 

 toward him. Biding his time until the buck had come 

 within eight rods of him, the Utican fired one barrel of 

 his shotgun, and a,8 the animal bounded into the air he 

 endeavored to discharge the other, but in vain. The 

 hammer feel again and again with a dull thud, and the 

 shell stubbornly refused to explode. The deer, after 

 nearly running over the hunter, escaped into the woods, 

 and the latter sat down and tried to decide whether it 

 would be better to throw his gun into the creek or take 

 it home and get the look fixed. 



As Oct, 20, the day when the hounding season closed, 

 was dark, cold and rainy, none of us cared to spend a 

 great deal of time out of doors. 



From the time the season for running deer with dogs 

 began until it ended, the cervine animals had but very 

 little rest in the West Canada Creek country. Over TO 

 deer were killed. George Dorn of Albany shot the biggest 

 buck of the season, at Morehouseville. It weighed 226lbs. 



An unusually large number of deer have been seen this 

 fall in this part of the woods, and also in the vicinity of 

 the State reservoirs on Black Piver. The Trenton Falls 

 Lumber Co. is engaged in blasting rocks on the West 

 Canada Creek above the Stillwaters, to enable it to float 

 logs, and in the Woodhull and Moose River country heavy 

 blasting is being done on the line of the Adirondack and 

 St. Lawrence EaiLroad. Old hunters think the deer have 

 been driven out by the noise, and that this accounts for 

 their being plentiful on the outskirts of the Wilderness. 

 There is a growing sentiment among the guides that both 

 hounding and floating, or jacking, shoidd be abolished. 

 Utica. N. T., Oot. 24. PORTSA.. 



Another member of the Utica party had a shot that ...... . ^..jt'-s -^^^ x^-x. .wu lu a uuuk. 



day, the first he ever had a.t a deer. He was stationed on • and during the .cutting season Smith's camp wiU accom- 



DEER IN WISCONSIN WOODS. 



CHICAGO, Ul.— For the benefit of your Chicago read- 

 ers I will write a short sketch of a deer hunt on 

 which I went in October of 1890. The impression is gen- 

 erally held here that to hunt deer it is necessary to go a 

 long distance from home, and that even then the deer 

 are few and far between. My object in writing of my 

 experience in the lumber region of Wisconsin is to dispel 

 these ideas. 



Our party consisted of Mr. Willard, lb'. Dixon Bean, 

 Mr. Thatcher and m;yself. We left Chicago Friday, Oct. 

 17, on the Wisconsin Central at 5 P. M. and reached 

 Phillips, Wis., at 5 A. M. next morning. Friends 

 at Phillips had already located our camp and had en- 

 gaged an experienced hunter with his dogs and a cook. 

 I have since learned that our hunter named Eaton has 

 killed more deer than any other man in that part of the 

 State. Upon our arrival we immediately set out for 

 camp, twelve miles through the pine forests on the Big 

 Elk River. During the logging season cabins are built 

 by the lumber men for the accommodation of the cutters 

 and when the lumber is all cut in a given vicinity the 

 camps are deserted and new camps located in another 

 portion of the country. Our camping grounds were 

 made in one of these abandoned camps, and were very 

 picturesque as well as comfortable. Our beds consisted 

 of straw thrown upon the floor and a large blanket placed 

 upon it, and to a tired hunter such a couch under the 

 circumstances answers as well as the regular made 

 article. 



After breakfast we tramped across the country through 

 the slashings and windfalls to the river. Our stations 

 were assigned us by Eaton, and he confidently assured 

 each and every one of us that a deer or perhaps many 

 would come down the runway each man guaj-ded. In mv 

 eyes, my runway looked particularly inviting to deer, and 

 I could not see how they could resist the temptation to 

 come up and get shot, 



I examined my rifle very carefully to see that every- 

 thing was in working order, and then gave myself good 

 advice as to how i should not get the buck fever at the 

 critical moment. After straining my eyes and ears for 

 at least two hours for the sound or sight of a deer, T at 

 last heard in the distance the deep melodious baying of 

 the hounds. At times the sounds drew near, and then 

 again they seemed but a mere echo. My runway was 

 particularly free from deer, and I amused myself by 

 bringing my rifle to bear upon an imaginary deer some 

 distance up the runway, and it is needless to say I 

 brought him down at the first shot. I watched and waited 

 in vain, and thought deer shooting excessively tauie com- 

 pared to duck hunting. 



My discouragement received a sudden check when I 

 heard two sharp reports of a rifle, and my spirits revived 

 when I thought that perhaps the deer was not hit and 

 would come my way after all. My excitement was 

 intense, and I could not resist the temptation to abandon 

 my runway (an unpardonable sin) and make my way 

 through the lorest in the direction of the shooting. In a 

 short time I came up with several members of the party 

 and gazed upon the first fallen prize— a fan- two-year-old 

 buck, weighing, so Eaton said, about loOlbs, I rejoiced 

 with my friends over our success, but was a little disap- 

 pointed to learn that Eaton had shot the buck. 



After returning to camp w?. rested, and about half -past 

 one again made our way through the woods to our re- 

 spective stations. Our spirits were all at a very high 

 point, due to the success in the morning, and each felt 

 sure of shooting a deer before nightfall. We f ou nd plenty 

 of tracks, which seemed to me to be very old, but Eaton 

 assm-ed us that they were quite fresh. 



The entire afternoon was passed away without our vigi- 

 lance being rewarded, and we returned to camjj foot-sore 

 and weary from our long tramp, but hoping for better 

 success the next day. Like genial Micawber, we had hope 

 and faith to buoy us up. 



We arose next morning at 4 o'clock and after a hearty 

 breakfast set out for the positions already assigned us by 

 Eaton. We were not in our positions more than an hour 

 when the hounds were heard. They drove a deer down 

 a runway watched by Mr. Beau. His aim was good and 

 at twenty rods the deer fell in its tracks, i 

 The next day we pulled stakes and set out for Smith's 

 campj which was a, legging camp about three miles from 

 our own. A logging camp consists of several log houses, 

 one is used as a sleeping apartment, another as a dming 

 room and another a bcirn, etc. The sleeping apartment 

 is particularly interesting to a new comer. On each 

 side are arranged bunks similar in appearance to the in- 

 terior of a sleeping car. The men sleep two in a bunk. 



modate about 75 men. The men are mostly Norwegians 

 and Swedes, and as a rule are tall and well-made. Their 

 clothing is made up of materials of many colors and the 

 wider the stripe and larger the square in the materials 

 the prouder the wearer. They seem to love bright colors 

 and nine out of every ten wear heavy red socks pulled 

 up over the trousers. The effect may not be very har- 

 monious in coloring from an aesthetic point of view, but 

 the general appearance is ver}' pleasing to a tenderfoot. 

 They rise at 4 A.M. and work until sundown and retire 

 about 8 o'clock, all work and no play being the rule at 

 the logging camps. 



Over the stove in the sleeping department are branches 

 of trees suspended from the ceiling; upon these the men 

 hang their socks to dry and to warm them up before put- 

 ting them in use the next day. Having no ventilation 

 these cabins are so close that it is with great difficulty I 

 could breathe the foul atmosphere. When the order for 

 all lights out was given I sighed for my soft bed at home 

 and wondered if I could sleep a wink during the night. 

 But being very weary I found no difficulty in sleeping; 

 and in my calm repose killed more deer than the mighti- 

 est hunter could have slain in a lifetime. We were called 

 at 4 o'clock, and that day we were fortimate enough to 

 shoot another deer, making three in all. 



On the fourth day, when I took my lonely watch I waa 

 heart-sore and weary. My hunting boots were stiff and 

 hurt my feet, and altogether I voted deer shooting a fa,il- 

 ure. My spirits revived when I heard the baying of the 

 hounds and I forgot for the time being my misery and 

 kept a sharp lookout over. my district. Iwiis on a high 

 point on the river bank, w'hich commanded a view of 

 the opposite shore with considerable territoi y back of it. 



In a short time I was overjoyed to see in the distance a 

 doe coming at a break-neck pace down the runway to- 

 ward the open with the dogs slowly gaining Upon it, I 

 stepped behind a stump and breathlessly awaited its 

 arrival. My nerves were steady, and the much-dreaded 

 buck fever seemed to have no power over me. This 

 being my first deer I naturally felt a wave of excitement 

 pass over me, and I settled down to business. When the 

 doe got within easy range I took a good steady aim when 

 she rested upon the ground and fired. The ball w^as well 

 directed and I was delighted beyond measure to see her 

 fall. I shouted for joy and regardless of the swift cur- 

 rent I forded the stream and looked with pardonable 

 pride upon my first deer. My companions soon came up 

 and I was congratulated upon my success. In a modest 

 way, I think, I increased the distance at which I shot 

 about ten rods. We returned to camp, and I concluded 

 that deer shooting was far more interesting than bird 

 shooting. We now had four deer to oin- credit, and all 

 of US felt very happy. 



Mr. Thatcher left our camp that afternoon to visit a 

 friend camping three miles down the ri^er from us. He 

 returned to our camp the next morning, and we saw from 

 his smiling face, as he came toward us, that he had suc- 

 ceeded in killing a deer. He related his experience, and 

 was quite positive that the buck he shot w^as the largest 

 ever seen in that portion of the country. It weighed 

 when dressed 1861bs. Mr. Thatcher was of the opinion 

 that the buck always remained in the stream because his 

 antlers were so large that he corrld not get through the 

 woods with them with any comfort. It was said that Mr, 

 Thatcher fired his entire magazine at the buck and yet 

 but one shot struck him. Mr. Thatcher explains this" by 

 saying that all the shots were directed at the same spot 

 and made but one hole. We had our opinion regarding 

 this point and annoyed the gentleman by expressing it. 



Our party succeeded in killing seven deer, and being 

 gone but one week we considered our success as phenom- 

 enal. I hope my article will reach some who are ignorant 

 of the fact that such rare sport is within such easy reach, 

 and I can recommend Mr. Eaton as a good hunter and a . 

 splendid shot. The trip will repay any one fond of out- 

 door exercise, and is comparatively cheap. 



Sam R. Jenkins. 



Steam Launches and Hudson Rivee Bvcks.— Editor 

 Forest and Stream: In last week's issue of your paper 

 I noticed a letter from Mr. W. H. Mead complaining of 

 certain sportsmen in Sing Sing shooting ducks from a 

 steam launch off that place. It certainly is unsportsman- 

 like and the law allowing them to do so ought to be re- 

 pealed at the next session of our Legislature. It to the 

 gunners of Sing Sing is a well-known fact that the law 

 was changed in 1887 simply to allow this family the 

 privilege that they now enjoy, by a certain resident of 

 that district, then a member of the Legislature. These 

 men have been known to steam by a gunner who had 

 sighted a flock of ducks, and was sculling upon them in 

 a. sneakboat (a fair and sportsmanlike way of shooting 

 duck, and one that embodies more labor than the steam 

 launch shooters care to employ), and shoot among them, 

 thus robbing the hard-working gunner of his sport. One 

 of these men spends most of his time in scanning the bay 

 with a glass, and as soon as a flock of ducks arise he is 

 after them at once. Is this fair to the gunner who em- 

 ploys fair means and plenty of hard work in trying to 

 .^etashot? How many shooters are there living on the 

 aanks of the Hudson below lona Island who can afford 

 to hunt ducks in steam launches? I dare say you can 

 count them on the fingers of one hand. Individuals who 

 are fond of sport and have very limited means to enjoy 

 it with are generally set down as pot-hunters, while the 

 rich individuals who sport fine guns, etc., are sportsmen, 

 I ask the readers of this paper who are the pot-hunters in 

 this case; the poor gunner who employs fair and legiti- 

 mate means in approaching his game, and is satisfied if 

 he kills two or three ducks, or the wealthy individuals 

 who employ steam launches and 4 bore guns and are 

 never satisfied no matter how many they may kill.— 

 Sneaicboat, 



Mr, E. M. MfisSEKGER.of the Bromfield House, Boston, 

 last week gaf e a \ ery interesting lecture on the scenery 

 of Alaska, the mode of life and customs of its inhabitants, 

 ilustraled by the stereopticon from pictures taken by 

 himself duriiig a recent four-months' visit to that and 

 other portions of the counti-y. The views, embracing a 

 large variety of subjeotSj were of unusual excellence, 

 while those ot the icebergs and glaciers may be especially 

 mentioned for their clearness and brilliancy, 



The Ideal Manufactubing Co. report that after de- 

 lay due to exhaustion of their first edition they have been 

 unable to supply handbooks, but that these are now 

 ready. 



