Dec. 1, 189§.] 



PORESf ANiD STREAM. 



467 



A FIRE-HUNT. 



My experience at fire-hunting deer at night with a 

 headlight is limited to one hunt, and the tale briefly told 

 runs as follow: 



We started late in the afternoon to go two or three 

 miles away from home where the hunt was to commence. 

 With me was a friend, a veteran of two wars, his face 

 seamed and bronzed by the suns and winds of the Rio 

 Grande in '59, and afterwards by the hardships and ex- 

 posures of Civil War campaigns in Kentucky and Virginia. 

 I was a boy of fifteen who could only follow blindly his 

 leadership. 



We reached the hunting ground, and wlien it grew 

 dark my companion adjusted the lamp to his head and 

 took tbe lead. Our rouce was through the woods along 

 some old roads but little used, rather a wild country at 

 that time and abouading in game. We rode slowly, and 

 it soon became tedious to me, as I had neither lamp nor 

 gun, and had no chance to join in the fun of shooting 

 anything. Very soon I became tired, and although on 

 horseback bagan to nod. A growing boy, living in the 

 country, where exercise and open air are abundant, can 

 genei'ally sleep under any and all circumstances. After 

 riding for two hours my friend 

 stopped and dismounted and went 

 out through the timber following 

 something. lie crept along and 

 got some distance away. This was 

 a good opportunity for me, so I 

 ■slid off my horse, sat down with 

 my back to a tree, and without 

 ceremony went to sleep. I don't 

 remember ever having so sweet 

 a nap as that. Very soon the re- 

 port of his gun waked me up. He 

 came back directly and reported 

 that he had shot at a panther 

 but did not get it. 



As he came toward me he 

 looked quite weird and uncanny 

 out there in the darkness. The 

 light from his lamp sent its rays 

 out into the deep recesses of the 

 thick -woods, making the tbll 

 forest trees to appear more majes- 

 tic than ever, and the darkness 

 and the shadows were emphasiz- 

 ed. At 20yds. away one could 

 not tell what the lamp rested 

 upon. The bearer was completely 

 obscured. Thus it is that the game 

 is lured to its destruction. In the 

 still watches of the night, when, 

 mankind— the arch enemy of all 

 the animal kind— is supposed to 

 be rapt in restful slumber, it be- 

 holds approaching from out the 

 still mysterious darkness a some- 

 thing it cannot make out nor 

 understand. As it comes slowly 

 on the animal stands up straining 

 its eyes and every sense to their 

 utmost tension. It gazes and gaz- 

 ing wonders. Its curiosity leads 

 to its destruction, for those eyes, 

 wide opened in eager wonder 

 present to the hunter a shining 

 mark. Like balls of fire or like 

 shining gems, they stand out in 

 bold relief from a dark back- 

 ground. 



We journeyed on after that shot 

 for several hours without encount- 

 ering anything worth mention- 

 ing. We sighted game several 

 times, but killed nothing. Finally 

 we left the timber and entered 

 the prairie, I had long since be- 

 come useless to him as company, 

 for I was asleep half of the time. 

 Soon after entering the prairie he 

 got a good shot at a deer and 

 crippled ic badly, we could see it 

 staggering about in the light of 

 the lamp, but it got away. He 

 was shooting with a shotgun, and 

 as is too often the case with this 

 weapon, the game gets away 

 crippled to die, a loss to lue 

 bunter. 



This incident woke me thorough- 

 ly, and I now felt an interest in 



the hunt. Very soon he shot at another, and another— 

 three deer in all with the same results. We crippled 

 three, but not one could we get. It was now about 3 or 3 

 o'clock in tbe morning, when my friend concluded to 

 iJraw otf , as he, too, was tired and disgusted with his 

 luck. We started for home, about five or six miles dis- 

 tant, and when we arrived there, lay down and got a 

 little sleep. Not much, however, for soon after day- 

 light my friend roused me and said we must return 

 3,nd get those deer. I didn't feel much like mounting a 

 horse again, but I was ashamed to say so. I was tired 

 and sore. 



When we reached the place where we shot the last 

 ieer the night before and which now came first in our 

 route, the dogs scenting around in the tall grass soon 

 found the deer, which was badly wounded. We dis- 

 patched it with a rifle ball through the head. The game 

 5vas dressed and placed on my brother's horse and we 

 tnoved on hoping to secure the others as easily. When 

 we came to the neighborhood of the next one and were 

 looking about for it, we discovered another hunter buay- 

 ng himself after the same game. It was a large gray 

 f?olf and he must have been much interested in the search, 

 for he did not see us until we were near him. My com- 

 panion jumped from his horse and fired at him hastilv, 

 missing him. Tlie wolf started for the timber about 'a 

 mile away in the long swinging gallop common to them 

 and I started in pursuit, riding a good horse. He didn't 

 ^eemto expect pursuit, and for a while did not look back, 

 and with his start of 300 vda, the race for the timber was 

 exciting. When half way he did look and fouud i had 

 gained on him so much that he changed his gait to one 

 meaning business. He evidently realized that the race was 

 now one of life and death to ham and struck out with his 



best gait. Both horse and wolf warmed to the work, 

 (ilancing back I saw close up to the rear my old friend, 

 his broad sombrero bent by the breeze, sixshooter in hand, 

 and fire in his eye. The dogs, wild with the excitement 

 of the chase, were close at our heels and eager to close in. 

 When less than lOOyds. from the timber I passed the 

 wolf, dropped my rifle and fired at very short range. The 

 wolf turned over at the discharge of the gun though it is 

 probable I missed him. I have seen these scamps when 

 closely pursued and shot at or roped at to turn over and 

 run the other way. 



I passed him, l)ut as soon as I could recover my horse I 

 turned and saw him making for the timber again, this 

 time accompanied by my friend, who was playing on him 

 with his six-shooter. Roth of our muzzleloading rifles 

 were empty and useless. Some of the pistol balls took 

 effect in the wolf, but for all that he woald have left us 

 if it hadn't have been for our faithful dogs. They came 

 up to the charge in fine style as soon as the wolf arose 

 after my shot and took hold of him. They could not hold 

 him, however, for the wolf's fangs were sharp and his 

 snapping jaws sounded like the clacking of machinery. 

 They would all bunch up together in battle, but the wolf 

 would throw them off and spring away only to be seized 



AN UNCERTAIN POINT. 

 Ffom a phptogi'iipli by Mr. D. P. Cox. 

 (fTorest and Stream Amateur Phot<jgrapliy CompetlMoD-l 



agaim. At sttch times as they were momentarily separ- 

 ated, my companioa would get in a shot with his pistol. 

 The danger of hitting the dogs prevented him from doing 

 better shooting. In the excitement we were all on the 

 ground together, and our presence and encouraging yells 

 gave courage to the dogs. The wolf became weakened 

 from the pistol balls, one of which wounded him badly, 

 but was still far from being whipped. My coaxpanion's 

 pistol became empty, and it too was useless to us, for 

 there was no time for loading muzzleloading arms, I 

 seized a club to help the dogs, for, like all boys I was 

 very fond of my dogs and hated to stand by and see the 

 fine fellows used up by this skulking raBcal'. Before this 

 fight my brother and I had believed them invincible. 



My companion called on me to stand back, and draw- 

 ing from its scabbard his heavy hunting knife, took it by 

 the point and with a quick dexterous movement threw it 

 at the wolf, a distanca of twenty feet. The knife entered 

 the fleshy part oC the hind leg, vrent through and cut its 

 way out. This weakened the wolf still more, and all of 

 us, men, dogs and wolf, were brought to bay. Ttte wolf's 

 courage was that of desperation, and he looked like he 

 was desperate enough to do anything. My friend again 

 took up the knife and made another throw. This time 

 his aim was perfect. The blade went straight through 

 the animal's heart. The despairing wolf seized the handle 

 with his teeth, rolled over and was dead, 



Looking about for our horses, which had been for- 

 gotten in the excitement of the fight, we saw them going 

 across the prairie, just rounding a point nearly two miles 

 away. There was no alternative for us but to undertake 

 the return on foot, and when just wii;hin sight of home 

 we met a servant with the runaway horses. 



S. D. CVLDER. 



ADIRONDACK DEEF^ HUNTING; 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



Tbe season for deer hunting in New York State whick 

 opened Aug. 15, closed Nov. 1, and after to-day venison 

 can not be legally had in possession. It appears to be 

 universally conceded among sportsmen who frequent the 

 Adirondack region, that deer have thus far increased 

 rather than decreased in numbers under the existing j)ro- 

 tective laws, but it is also admitted that this gratifying 

 state of things can not long continue, unless there are 

 more strenuou--^ legislative enactments or more rigid en- 

 forcement of the present statutes. While it is probably a 

 fact that there are more deer in the Adirondack wilder- 

 ness now than there were ten, fifteen, or even twenty 

 years ago, it is equally true that the number of hunters 

 is yearly on the increase, and at a rate with which the 

 game can not keep pace. It is believed that there were 

 five or more deer hunters in the wilderness during the 

 past season, where there was one five years ago and ten 

 this year where there was one ten years ago. Of course 

 this means a very great increase in the number of deer 

 killed, and it is feared the cervine animals can not 

 multiply rapidly enough to fully replenish the stock. 



In view of these facts the sen- 

 timent is rapidly gaining ground 

 among sportsmen, and guides as 

 well, that some steps should be 

 taken to further protect the 

 does, and many unhesitatingly 

 declare in favor of the passage 

 of an act prohibiting killing 

 them at any time. The advisa- 

 bility of the adoption of such a 

 measure has been discussed be- 

 fore, in fact, no longer ago than 

 last winter, but the wisdom of it 

 has never been seen as clearly or 

 acknowledged as generally as at 

 the present time, with with 

 theseason's record of does killed 

 at hand for reference. The re- 

 cord shows, as is always the case, 

 that tbe percentage of does killed 

 during the floating or jacking sea- 

 son was far greater than bucks, 

 so much so that some of the hun- 

 ters who have hitherto earnestly 

 advocated that mode of hunting 

 are now in favor of prohibiting it. 

 Furthermore, everyone concedes 

 that there are very many deer 

 wounded,pre8umably mostly does, 

 that escape the jack hunter only 

 to die in the woods. The record 

 further shows that during the bal- 

 ance of the open season fully as 

 many does as bucks were killed. 



The new law which limits the 

 hounding season to the month be- 

 tween Sept. 10 and Oct. 11 is also 

 the subject of much adverse cri- 

 ticism on the part of deer hunters. 

 It is argued that under this ar- 

 rangement the season is neither 

 advantageous for the deer nor the 

 hunters. The deer are not in 

 prime condition until later in 

 the fall, and they make long and 

 often-times eccentric runs, being 

 very reluctant to take to the 

 water. Many believe that it 

 would be better to open the 

 hounding season Oct. 1 and close 

 it Oct. 80, or make the dates even 

 later than that. Probably dates 

 opening the season the middle of 

 October and closing it Nov. 1 or 

 later, would be fully as satisfac- 

 tory as the present. Any one 

 who has had experience hunt- 

 ing deer with dogs knows that 

 the animals will follow their run- 

 ways more closely and take to 

 the water more readily in October 

 than in September, and the per- 

 centage of bucks killed is larger. 



Many experienced hunters are 

 in favor of doing away with 

 hounding as wel as floating, 

 claiming that with both abolished 

 and the other restrictions regard- 

 ing shooting provided for in the 

 existing laws rigidly enforced, the deer would .nxul- 

 tiply so rapidlv as to afford excellent returns for 

 more legitimate and sportsmanlike methods of hunt- 

 ing within a very few years. Tiiere are very few 

 hunters who would not prefer to watch on a pond or 

 stream for a daylight shot at a deer, if the animals were 

 so numerous as to render the chance of getting one highly 

 probable, to floating or hounding. And still-hunting, 

 which means taking the deer on their own grounds and 

 pitting one's own intelligence and skill against their 

 instinct, is the fairest and most exciting sport of all when 

 there is game enough to warrant one in trying it. When 

 watchiiig or still-hunting the hunter can more readih' 

 determine whether the deer is . doe or a buck before he 

 shoots than he can when floating or even when hunting 

 with dogs, although it is not always a difficult thing to 

 decide under the latter method. 



No complaint has been heard concerning the clause in 

 the new law restricting the number of deer which a per- 

 son can kill to two instead of tbree, and it is believed to 

 be a wise provision. 



There is good reasan to believe that hundreds of deer 

 were killed in the wilderness last winter for nee in the 

 numerous lumber camps and in the camps of the laborers 

 employed in the construction of the Adirondack & St. 

 La wrence Railroad. It is said on good authority that .50 

 were, killed by the men in one lumber camp' between 

 Forest} lorfc and iNorth Lake. According to reports re- 

 ceived from the Adirondacks there have b.een other 

 flazrant violations of the game laws during the year, 

 and it is believed that a special game protector should be 

 appointed for work in that region who is active, fearless 

 and thoroughly acquainted with the country. Port.ssa., 

 UticA.,N. Y.,Nov. 15. 



