62 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[July 32, 1893, 



the summit of a sharp ridge, when bang, bang, b-b-bang, 

 "Look out, boys, look outl" and a finer sight I had never 

 witnessed. A tremendous five-point buck had sprung 

 from the "branch" in the very midst of the deploying 

 line, making straight up a long open slant. Everybody 

 shoots, and nothing but a frightened old buck could run 

 like that. With his big horns laid back and plume spread 

 like a fan, he seemed to cleave the air. Somebody has 

 hit him, hut his gait is little retarded. His flag waved 

 defiance, as he gained the crest of the ridge and sank 

 from sight beyond, bound for a big reed brake a half mile 

 away. The whole pack of hounds and half-breeds are 

 now enjoying the result of their raising and simultane- 

 ously "break into song" as they spin along the quarry's 

 track. 



Some of the men had gained the other side of the brake 

 by heading it. The old stag, having gained the morass, 

 began his tactics. The brake is several miles long and 

 from 100 to 300yds. wide — an oozy quagmire, covered 

 with reeds, bamboo brier and bay trees — and would bog 

 a bed quilt, so man nor horse would attempt a penetra- 

 tion, though deer and dogs have a secret about getting 

 through that has yet to be learned. But now the row is 

 in full progress, the cunning game plays his part Avell. 

 The yelling, yafiing, screaming of the mongrel pack, 

 mingled with the bang, bang! of the guns now and then, 

 and the excited "hollering" of the hunters, until now I 

 hear the keen pi-yo7V-ah! of old man Miley's rifle ring 

 out through the pine forest— then the closing in chorus of 

 the pack, and all is still again. The day's hunt is now 

 virtually ended. All rapidly close around the new quarry 

 and quarter him up and divide into sacks. It is now 

 growing bitter cold, and the dogs, black and wet with 

 ooze, are shivering until their teeth chatter with rigor. 

 We are soon snug in camp. The night has drawn around 

 us and all is dark, save the glorious fire; and then comes 

 the welcome annotmcement: "Supper ready, gen'lemen; 

 yer's had big luck ter-day, en' I reckon yer's tired an' 

 hongry , so I 'eluded to fix yer all up er more bigger supper 

 than las' night, en hopes as how yer'll do hit justis." 



My brother, who has acted the part of clerk to the 

 party for years, calls the roll, the iDurpose of which is to 

 keep a correct account of the expenses of the camp, and 

 a diary of every day's proceedings and results, so there is 

 never a dispute after the camp adjourns. 



When the roll is called each one is required to tell the 

 number of shots he made, and heads and character of 

 game killed, so that all claims are settled then and there. 

 After all this formality the general abandon begins and 

 goes on till all yield to the requirements of sleep: but 

 here is where the mii'th-provoking yarns, rej)artee and de- 

 tail, so characteristic of the "Mississippiau," crop out. 

 When each has narrated his experience for the day, and 

 all have pulled their heads mider and are dead asleep, it 

 may be midnight, or 2 A. M. , when suddenly some fel- 

 low has thought of something he has failed to tell in the 

 general parley, and uj) he gets with a voice that chills 

 your marrow. "Jim; oh, Jim; I forgot to tell you 

 'bout—" and out he gets, regardless of the discomfort he 

 is affording those next to him by the sudden exposure to 

 cold, rushes to the fire, builds up the smouldering chunks, 

 and, lighting his pipe, begins a fresh recitation of what 

 he failed to add in the general convention, thus awaking 

 another fellow who has "forgot something," and then the 

 smoking, shivering, talking and laughing crowd of ghosts 

 talk until chilled by the cold. At last the jargon ceases, 

 they crawl under the cover, and once more all are asleei). 

 But my rest is broken and there is no sleep for me. The 

 night has grown old, the gaunt forms of tall pines begin 

 to materialize in the new-forming light. Shimmering 

 stars one by one have quenched their spark amid the deep 

 blue ether of heaven. The frisky fox squirrel has perched 

 upon yonder pine knot to chaff the new invaders. The 

 big horned owl is "blowing his gourd" in that dense clump 

 of pine. The teams and hunting horses are pawing and 

 munching their morning fare. Wash is humming a dirge 

 as he feeds the stock and smokes his pipe. A heavy white 

 frost enshrouds the bosom of earth, and the dawn of day 

 is here. 



Hello, fellows! and all are up. Everything is quiet, 

 pantomimic bustle, no shouting, blowing of horns or un- 

 necessary firing of guns here. The true hunter hates a 

 noise out of order. The timid game is ever on the alert 

 for unfavorable sounds, the slightest impression of danger 

 ' may place a fine old buck miles away. Breakfast, and 

 then we are oft'. The more experienced heads have 

 planned the "beat," and the line is soon in motion, The 

 guides resume their original places to avoid confusion. 



The line has scarcely deployed, when there comes the 

 sudden report of a gun that awakens the stillness of the 

 cold, frosty morning, and reverberates along the heavily 

 timbered slopes, and I see a white puff of smoke and a 

 couple of deer spinning acro.ss the open vale, until with 

 rapid strides they clear the ridges and are gone. A clean 

 miss, as no signal comes. The crowd moves slowly along, 

 with every nerve strung, and an eye and ear to every 

 moving grass blade or scraping leaf. Bang, bang, bang, 

 look out, fellows! look out! bang, bang, look out! here! 

 here! here! run here wifch the dogs! here! here! toot! toot! 

 too-t! run! b-bangl bang! "I told you so, I got 'im! I got 

 im!" All has hushed. Ah, there's the three long toots, 

 and old man Joe and I move slowly and watchfully to- 

 ward the signal, crossing some broken knobs covered with 

 rank grass above our horses' backs, and as we reached the 

 crest of a narrow ridge, and looked down a narrow valley 

 just in time to see my brother and white pony emerge 

 fi-om a tihicket, two powerful bucks got up right under his 

 horse, but on the wrong side to shoot, so he threw up his 

 feet, turned all hold loose and fell off. Springing to his 

 feet, he fired on the biggest buck, which was behind and 

 dropped him, then some seventy yai'ds, hut he was up in 

 an instant and going, he had fired the other barrel at the 

 smaller one too far, and missed him. The two bucks 

 passed along a portion of the line whose guns belabored 

 them terribly, but there was no other hit. The Scotch 

 half-breeds were near us, and I soon had them stretched 

 out after tlie big buck, which they overhauled, and it was 

 dispatched; but the others are not idle. The hounds hav- 

 ing taken vantage of tliis turmoil have each a deer or two 

 to himself, and the wild chaos that now pervaded that 

 region was simply overwhelming — the cry of the half- 

 breeds, the big bell notes of the hounds, mingled with the 

 incessant yaf, yaf, yaf of the terriers; bang! bang! bang! 

 yeov, yeow, yeow, bang! bang ! "Look out, boys! look out 

 over there, Jim! he's er comin'," bang, "run here, Sam, 

 and bring er dog. I've crippled a buck; shot aU. the load 

 into 'em. Fetch old Ring! Sick 'em, ^Ring, sick 'em!" I 



Yaf, yaf, yaf; bang! bang! "I got 'em that pop, I told 

 you so." And the grand hurly-burly has hushed as stiU 

 as if there was no living creature in a himdred miles; but 

 what is the narrator doing the while? Let me tell you. 

 Down off his horse, frozen nearly to death from the com- 

 bined force of cold and excitement, trembling from head 

 to foot like a gristmill in action, a,nd never a deer, dog or 

 man in sight, but ha^dng a fine lot of shivering, and 

 listening to the racket. So much for one's luck. 



Ere long the signals begin to wail out upon the crisp 

 morning air, one, two, three, or four, are sounding the 

 death knell of some unlucky deer, wliile I mount my 

 trembling steed and seek the nucleus of the convening 

 crowd. 



Arriving, I find everybody talking, everybody assert- 

 ing claims and making much ado; three fine deer are 

 here, two grand old bucks and a fine doe. One of the 

 bucks to my brother's gun, the other between Miley and 

 Dukes. The doe to Per vis. The cold still intense, a pine 

 knot fire is built at once to warm up our benumbed hands 

 and feet. 



These fine animals are soon dressed, quartered, put in 

 the sacks, pipes lighted, all remount, and the "breast" 

 again resumed. I had ridden but a short distance and 

 just as my horse had waded a clear running creek, bang! 

 came a sohtary rejiort scarce 100yds. from me, and a 

 rapid toot, toot, toot. I hastened quickly to the horn. 

 Dan Miley had jumped a large buck, and having slightly 

 woimded him, saw him lie down in the grass not a great 

 way off, so calling up some of the dogs, the men began to 

 deploy in a V-shape front and forward move. The dogs 

 are put on the trail, the deer being the nucleus of all 

 attention. The dogs had gone less than 200yds. when a 

 loud scream from the hounds prociaimed the hot scent, 

 and otit came the old fellow right amid the dogs and 

 equidistant from the enfilading fines of the hunters. I 

 am behind the dogs, and again out of range, but a grander 

 sight 1 never beheld, before or since, as he sped up the 

 open glade in front of both lines, and although gi-and and 

 thrilling, yet amusing, to see the old fellow with head 

 laid back, and great spreading tail waving as he cleared the 

 gauntlet of a dozen guns pouring into him, and to see the 

 dogs run him by sight, and everybody "hollering." 



But the chase does not stop here, this being only initial. 

 All having gathered for consultation, Jim Dukes and my 

 brother agreed to follow the dogs, as they were good riders 

 and unencumbered with meat, and struck out in pursuit, 

 as the hounds were in full cry, still in hearing. After a 

 short parley, the rest of us turned about and resumed our 

 trend in the direction of camp, moving leisurely along, 

 jumping deer now and then, out of range — ^then a "Look 

 out! look out!" — bang, bang, until some one kills another 

 deer. So now having all the "venison" we could con- 

 veniently pack, the day being far spent, and we fatigiied 

 and hungry, we strike square for camp, which we reach 

 a while before sundown. We had been in camp but a 

 short time, when my brother and Dukes came in with the 

 big buck. They had run this deer from near noon until 

 late afternoon, and when they killed him were ten miles 

 from camp. 



This closed the second day's hunt with five more as 

 fine deer as man ever saw. Four of them big, fat bucks, 

 with splendid horns, and one fine doe, aggregating near 

 6001bs, of venison to pack down, for that day. 



The undressed deer and the rest is all carefully salted 

 down in boxes and barrels brought with corn in them, to 

 be returned full of meat, as a foregone conclusion. 



The next two days' hunt were a repetition of the first 

 two, and I will spare you the detail, although the scenes 

 were as glori us as those related. Nineteen fine deer being 

 the final bng, fourteen of which, immense bucks. Not a 

 povmd of this fine meat was lost or wasted. I ate of some 

 of the hams the following summer. 



On the morning of the fifth day in camp the wind had 

 shifted to the east, the sky overcast^ and a cold drizzling 

 rain began to fall. The wagons are packed in snug order 

 and the teams started for home near ninety miles, where 

 we arrive in x)rime shape after three days more travel. 



C. L. Jordan. 



CAMP-HUNTING IN FLORIDA. 



Florida is a good place for sport. Hunting and fishing 

 can be indulged in to one's heart's content, and though 

 the deer are gradually disappearing from the settlements, 

 there are still a few haunting the old favorite spots, while 

 by going a reasonable distance they are still to be found 

 in good numbers. Turkey, quail, snipe and duck also 

 abound to gladden the gunner's heart, though the close 

 season for turkey and quad commences March 1 and ends 

 Nov. 1. The game law has only been in force now for 

 two seasons, and it will be interesting to note how it 

 affects siDort. The deer are supposed to get eight months' 

 rest also, but as they vary their breeding time consider- 

 ably in different parts of the State; it isleft to the Com- 

 missioners of each county to say what four months shall 

 be the open season. This gives one a chance to get a 

 little more work in, as in this county (Polk) the close sea- 

 son ends Nov. 1, and in the adjoining one (De Soto) it ends 

 Oct. 1 ; so by crossing the county line one gets five months' 

 hunting in the place of four. 



It is unquestionably a most delightful life one leads 

 when camping out in Florida. Personally, the distance 

 from a postoffice is by no means a small consideration; 

 but the perfect air of freedom, the char min g sun-ound- 

 ings, the splendid climate, the jolly goodfellowship, the 

 strong feelmg of health, the success of the day, the glori- 

 ous uncex-tainty of the morrow, the sound, healthy sleep 

 resulting from healtliy exercise — a hundred things com- 

 bine to make it charming. The abundance of good water 

 and "liglitwood" rendera it a simple matter in selecting a 

 camp. Of course rain occasionally interferes with one's 

 comfort, but winter as a rule is a dry season, and the cold 

 is seldom severe enough to do more than make a good 

 fire acceptable. And oh, ^vhat an appetite one gets. Nice 

 juicy tenderloin or "backstrap" of venison , barbecued ribs 

 or backbone stew — ^nothing comes amiss, and the cook has 

 to hump himself. 



It is advisable to take a good supply of canned pro- 

 vi.sion.s, etc. on these trips, but it is hard to make be- 

 ginners believe this. Consequently things rim pretty fine 

 at times. Luck often hangs fire for some days, and, 

 moreover, it generally takes a few days in a new covmtry 

 to get fairly on the run of the deer. In company with 

 two good hunters (one a cracker who has killed hundreds 

 of deer) 1 started on a trip on the 13th of February, '89. 

 We were tantalized with occasional glimpses of game, 



but the country had been disturbed a good deal and the . 

 grass recently burnt off, so the deer were very wary and 

 it was not till the 16th that we did any good. Of course 

 when luck came, it came in a htirry — as on the 15th we 

 bagged four deer and on the 17th two more. We had no 

 meat in camp except some of the most rancid bacon I 

 ever ate when the firet batch of deer came to hand, so iti 

 will be easily imagined how welcome they were. 



Again, only last month (February) I, with two others, 

 started on the 6th for a camp-himt. One of the others, • 

 who was taking his first hunt, undertook to look after the 

 commissariat; accordingly I was more or less prepared to 

 find the supply slim, but when it was discovered that all' 

 our stock of bacon had been left behind, well ? A few , 

 quail along the road helped matters along, but when by ' 

 the greatest good luck we bagged a fine fat doe on the 

 evening of the 8th, one small can of potted ham— not a 

 hmch for a hunter— was absolutely all the meat we had 

 in camp, and 43 miles to a store. 



It is doubtful whether a himter could be induced for a 

 pecuniary consideration to do as hard a day's work as he 

 sometimes does for nothing. Let me quote a case where 

 I doubt if any one would have paid enough to make 

 either parties concerned tmdertake it knowingly. 



In October last F. W. and myself were on a camp-hunt. 

 One evening it was decided to tiy some fresh country, 

 some miles from where we camped, and accordingly at 

 daylight next morning the wagon was hitched up and we' 

 drove about four miles to where we intended to hunt. 

 We were doing all our hunting on foot, as the deer were 

 lying out in thick palmettoes, where horses had great dif- 

 ficulty in getting about. After leaving the wagon we: 

 tramped for some distance — two or three miles— with no; 

 success, but at last a fine buck got up near F,, who was 

 about 200yds. to the left of W. and SOOyds. from myself. 

 F. and W. had Winchester rifles and I a shotgun. For 

 some reason F., who is really a fine shot, failed to touch 

 him. I fortunately stopped 'my dog, and we went on, 

 W. and I tm-ning to the right and F. following the. 

 buck in hopes of another chance. After another long 

 tramjj, up jumped a buck and doe about 40yds. from 

 myself , and the buck bit the dust, W. apparently wound-, 

 ing the doe sfightly. 



We butchered the buck, hung him up and proceeded 

 to ti-ail the doe, but there were apparently so many trails 

 that the old dog got completely bothered, and we aban- 

 doned it, more especially as we cotdd find no traces of 

 blood on the doe's trail, and we feared the buzzards would 

 have found our buck. When we had got back within 

 sight of the dead deer we separated to go each side of a 

 high palmetto patch which skirted a pond, W. going on 

 the pond side on my right, and Smiler— my dog— being off 

 some distance to my left. Almost immediately I heard 

 W. shoot and give a triumphant shout. Thereupon I 

 turned back round the patch into the pond to join him 

 and had got to where he had shot (he had walked on^ 

 ahead), when the dog, who was coming up to the sliot 

 dashed into the palmettoes close to me, and the next 

 thing heard was a desperate struggle and the bellowing of 

 a deer. Naturally thinking it was W.'s cripple I drew 

 my knife to go in and finish it, when suddenly the deer — 

 a large doe— struggled gamely clear of the palmettoes and 

 broke Smiler's hold, rushing close by me with a largei 

 gash in her throat and one side of her face peeled. Still 

 thinking it was the wounded deer, I expected Smiler tol 

 catch her, but seeing that she was gaining fast on him I 

 shot and broke her neck. 



"Here she is," I cried. "Yes, all right— go on butchei^ 

 ing — here's mine," shouted W., holding up the head of a 

 grand buck. The doe having the wind of me and heaiingi 

 W. down wind had evidently squatted, and Smiler must 

 have run on to her. 



Well, here was a nice lookout and no mistake, five longi 

 and weary miles to the wagon and three large deer toi 

 carry! The country was quite an impossible one for a 

 wagon, besides which the time occupied in going for it 

 and returning would have kept us very late. Therefore; 

 there was nothing for it but to put our backs into it. 

 : Fortunately F. came up shortly and we dispatched him: 

 to keep the rapidly gathering buzzards away from our 

 first deer, and at length we started; W. being the stoutest, 

 carrying the big buck, and F. and I the other buck andi 

 the doe respectively. Stoppages occurred at every pond 

 for water, for it was hot, and we had to rest frequently as 

 well. I thought things nearly as bad as they could be,' 

 but I had to be enlightened yet. 



When a Mttle more than a mile and a half from the: 

 wagon a buck ran across about 150yds. ahead. In spite! 

 of the deer on their backs F, and W. went to work at.' 

 once with their Winchesters, and W.'s third shot turned' 

 him over with a broken back. This made matters worse 

 than ever in the way of porterage, but they had to be 

 faced, and after the customary offices had been performed 

 W, took the two lightest deer, one on each shoulder, and 

 on we went wearily. The wagon was reached at last, and 

 just at dark we got to camp simply tired out. We had 

 taken nothing since daylight but a pint of whisky (and 

 lots of water), so F. went to work at once to prepare sup-: 

 per, while W. and I proceeded to skin and cut up the' 

 deer. As we were botmd to be home in two days it was, 

 absolutely necessary for the meat to be salted that night 

 preparatory to smoking it on the morrow, so that it was 

 about midnight when we finally washed ourselves, 

 changed our blood-stained garments and crawled to bed. 

 We did not start out at dayUght next morning. R. F. B. 



CHICAGO AND THE WEST. 



[JVom a Staff Oorrespondent.] 

 Took to the Woods. 



Mr. Wm. C. Held, of Saginaw, E. S-, Mich., writes me 

 as follows to-day. It would seem that the season has been, 

 so wet that the snipe have taken to the woods. I have 

 known of several instances where snipe have perched 

 upon objects high above the groimd, and have seen the 

 upland plover perch upon a fence. Such cases are very 

 rare. Mr. Held's picture shows a hunter standing at the 

 edge of a wood and holding up a bunch of snipe. It is a 

 pretty little bit by itself. The letter reads: 



"I herewith send you a Kodak view of one of the 

 places where we killed our snipe tliis spring — in the woods 

 and fields, where in this section of the cotmtry you wiU 

 always find the little rascals when the water in the 

 marshes is high. Have you ever seen a snipe sitting on an 

 object of any kind, such as a log fence or limb of tree? I 

 have seen them perched upon the a,bove-named objects on 



