EXPERIENCES OF A TRAPPER AND HUNTER 
FROM YOUTH TO OLD AGE 
By T. ALEXANDER 
CHAPTER VII. 
Andrew Climan introduced me to a man, W. C. Skinner, whom 
I consider worthy of mention. Mr. Skinner was a bachelor hunter 
about forty-five years old and made a cotton crop on the Shrell farm 
on shares and as he boarded with Climan I was brought in contact 
with him every day. 
Skinner could tell me of the entire swamp country for miles. 
He had had some experience hunting and trapping and was a real 
interesting man to talk with. I soon found out, from his tales, that 
there was no end to the bear, deer, wild turkeys, wolves, beaver, 
otter, coon, mink, lynx cat, etc. 
He said he didn’t work Sundays and if I liked we would go deer 
hunting. Did I like! 
I picked cotton hard all week, never forgetting that Sunday we 
would go on our deer hunt. It was my first. I was confident I would 
get a buck. 
After what seemed like an almost endless week Sunday came. 
Skinner and I were up early and as we had oiled and loaded our 
guns the night before, we were off in a few minutes. 
Skinner had what was know as the IT. S. armory gun, which was 
about five feet in length and shot a cartridge about the size of your 
forefinger. He gave me a little short sawed-off gun about three feet 
long, over all, and a hard looking gun for deer hunting it was. I sup¬ 
pose Skinner thought that would do me though as it was plain he 
thought the chances for a tenderfoot to shoot a deer were slim. 
Just as the day was breaking we started for the swamp. It was 
a cold, snappy morning and the ground was a little frozen, making a 
brisk, crackling sound under our feet. I remember remarking that I 
didn’t believe it a very favorable morning for hunting. Skinner 
looked at me in a superior way and asked why I didn’t think so. 
I told him I thought we were making too much noise. He pooh-poohed 
the idea, saying it didn’t make any difference. But while I hadn’t 
hunted deer before, I wasn’t quite such a greenhorn at hunting as 
Skinner gave me credit for and I knew the less racket made the better. 
We had been out but a short time when we saw several deer 
running about three hundred yards from us; in fact, before nine 
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