USA > Pennsylvania > Jefferson County > Jefferson County, Pennsylvania : her pioneers and people, 1800-1915, Volume I > Part 24
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and try to get the meat. While thus rampant, the unsuspecting brute would sometimes step into the trap and throw the spring. The trap was not fastened to a stake or tree, but at- tached to a long chain, furnished with two or three grab hooks, which would catch to brush and logs, and thus prevent the game from getting away."
By the fall of the year bears would become very fat from the daily feasts they had on beechnuits and chestnuts, and the occasional raids they made on the old straw beehives and ripe cornfields. In pioneer times the bear committed considerable destruction to the corn. He would seat himself on his haunches in a corner of the field next to the woods, and then, collecting a sheaf of the cornstalks at a time, would enjoy a sumptuous repast on the spot.
Wolves usually hunt in the night, so they. too, were trapped and penned. The wolf pen was built of small round logs about eight or ten feet high and narrowed at the top. Into this pen the hunter threw his bait, and the wolf could easily jump in, but he was unable to jump out. The wolf trap was on the principle of the rat trap. only larger, the jaws being a foot or two long. Wolves would welcome a domestic dog in their pack, but a dog that clung to man, their enemy, they would tear 10 pieces.
Trappers rated the fox the hardest animal to trap, the wolf next, and the otter third. To catch a fox they often made a bed of chaff and got him to lie in it or fool around it, the trap being set under the chaff. Or a trap was set at a place where several foxes seemed to stop for a certain purpose. Or a fox could be caught sometimes by putting a bait a little way out in the water, and then putting a pad of moss between the bait and the shore, with the trap hid under the moss. The fox, not liking to wet his feet, would step on the moss and be caught.
Old William Vastbinder, a noted hunter, of what is now Kirkman, a pioneer in Jeffer- son county, was quite successful in trapping wolves on Hunt's run, about the year 1819 or 1820. But for some unknown reason his ste- cess suddenly stopped, and he could not catch a single wolf. Ile then suspected the Indians of robbing his traps. So one morning bright and carly he visited his traps and found no wolf, but did find an Indian track. He fol- lowed the Indian trail and lost it. On look- ing around he heard a voice from above, and looking up he saw an Indian sitting in the fork of a tree, and the Indian said, "Now.
you old rascal, now go home, Old Bill, or In- dian shoot." With the Indian's flintlock pointed at him. Vastbinder immediately be- came quite hungry and started home for an early breakfast.
THE AMERICAN ELK
The moose is the largest of all the deer kind, the American elk coming next. The last moose was killed in this State in 1799. Bill Long and other noted hunters killed elks in these woods seven feet high. The early hunt- ers found their range to be from Elk Licks on Spring creek, which empties into the Clar- ion river at what is now called "Hallton," up to and around Beech Bottom. In winter these heavy-footed animals always "yarded" them- selves on the "Beech Bottom" for protection from their enemies, the light-footed wolves. The elk's trot was heavy, clumsy and swing- ing, and would break through an ordinary crust on the snow; but in summer time he would throw his great antlers back on his shoulders and trot through the thickets at a Nancy Hanks gait, even over fallen timbers five feet high. One of his reasons for locating on the Clarion river was that he was person- ally a great bather and enjoyed spending his summer on the banks and the sultry days in bathing in that river. In 1838 Bill Long pre- sented a pair of enormous elk horns to John Smith, of Brookville, who used them as a sign for the "Jefferson Inn." Advertisements ap- peared in the pioneer paper of Elk county as late as 1850-1851, something like this :
"Hunters .- Several young fawns are wanted, for which a liberal price will be given. Enquire at this office. For a living male elk, one year old, I will give $50; two years old, $75: three years old. $too; and for a fawn three months old, $25.'
Elks are easily tamed. They can soon be taught to work like oxen, but it takes from six months to two years to be able to stand in front of an elk and command him.
The common Virginia white-tail deer. once exceedingly numerous in the northwest, is still to be found in limited numbers. This deer when loping or running elevates its tail, showing the long white hair of the lower surface. If the animal is struck by a bullet the tail is almost invariably tucked close to the ham, concealing the white.
All deer kind who have branched horns, deer, moose, elk and caribou, with one excep- tion, shed their antlers annually from January to March in the wild state ( in captivity a little
the
AMERICAN ELK
THENEW YORK
TIT LIZKARY
ALLINOX
) IONS
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later), and have them completely restored by August of the same year. The new growth of horn loosens the old horn and in time causes it to drop off. These shed horns are eaten by wood mice, squirrels, porcupines, and by the deer kind themselves. The shed- ding of the horns indicates the time when the season of selective attachment should close. A castrated elk will never shed his horns, they crumble away like cheese.
Deer handle their growing antlers very carefully, for it is at this time that deformities are apt to occur. The deer seem to realize this, and allow themselves to be driven about with a stick, for they do not want to run the risk of breaking the thick velvety skin that incases the antlers by acting on the offensive. Should the skin get broken, the deer is apt to bleed to cleath, or if the flexible, pulpy antler gets broken or bent it will become ossified when the hardening period of its growth arrives and retain its crooked shape.
The horns are built up by the blood. The veins pass through the burr of the antlers, and as the antlers near their full growth the burr gradually tightens on the veins until the flow of blood is entirely shut off. Up to this time the velvet is very sensitive, even to the slightest touch.
It requires about thirteen weeks for an elk or a deer to grow his horns, and then one month more is required for the hardening. The horns grow inside a tough skin, which in appearance resembles coarse plush of a brown color. When in this condition they are said to be "in the velvet."
There is a dispute as to the location of the scent that is given out by the deer. It is located in the foot. If the hoof is separated, a little pocket is found containing a pasty substance, the odor of which resembles that of rank cheese. This substance works out on the hoof and leaves its scent on the ground. If a deer is hard pressed by hounds he will take to water, and running in it for some distance the odor will be so thoroughly washed out of the hoof that no scent will be left on the ground and consequently the dogs will be unable to follow.
"The American deer, common deer. or joust deer, is peculiar to Pennsylvania. It differs from the three well-known European species -- the red deer, the fallow deer and the pretty little roe. Of these three, the red deer is the only one which can stand comparison with the American.
"The bucks have antlers peculiar in many cases, double sharp, erect spikes or tines. The
doe lacks these antlers. The antlers on the bucks are shed and renewed annually. Soon as the old antlers fall, swellings, like. tumors covered with plush, appear; these increase in size and assume the shape of the antlers with astonishing rapidity, until the new antlers have attained their full size, when they present the appearance of an ordinary pair of antlers covered with fine velvet. The covering, or 'velvet,' is filled with blood vessels, which supply material for the new growth. The furrows in the complete antler show the course of the circulation during its formation, and no sooner is the building process complete than the 'velvet' begin to wither and dry up. Now the buck realizes that he is fully armed and equipped for the fierce joustings which must decide the possession of the does of his favorite range, and he busies himself in test- ing his new weapons and in putting a proper polish upon every inch of them. He bangs and rattles his horn daggers against convenient trees and thrusts and swings them into dense, strong shrubs, and if observed during this honing-up process he frequently seems a dis- reputable looking beast, with long streamers of blood-stained 'velvet' hanging to what will shortly be finely polished antlers with points as sharp as knives. When the last rub has been given and every beam and tine is furnished thoroughly, our brave goes a-wooing with the best of them. He trails the cow does through lone covers and along favorite run- ways unceasingly ; he is fiery and impetuous and full of fight, and asks no fairer chance than to meet a rival as big and short-tempered as himself. He meets one before long, for every grown buck is on the warpath, and when the pair fall foul of each other there is frequently a long and desperate combat, in which one gladiator must be thoroughly whipped or killed. All deer fight savagely. and occasionally two battling rivals find a miserable doom by managing to get their antlers securely interlocked, when both must perish. Two dead bucks thus locked head to head have been found lying as they fell in an open glade, where the scarred surface of the ground and the crushed and riven shrubs about told an eloquent tale of a wild tourney long sustained. and of miserable failing efforts of the wearied conqueror to free himself of his dead foe." The Vastbinders, Longs, and all the early hunters, found just such skulls in these woods.
A "deer lick" is a place where salt rests near the surface of the earth. The deer finds these
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spots and works them during the night, gen- erally in the early morning.
Artificial deer-licks were numerous, and made in this way: A hunter would take a coffee sack and put in it about half a bushel of common salt, and then suspend the sack high on the branch of a tree. When the rain descended the salt water would drip from the sack to the ground, making the earth saline and damp, and to this spot the deer would come, paw and lick the earth. The hunter usually made his blind in this way: A piece of board had two auger holes bored in each end, and with ropes through these holes was fastened to a limb of a tree. On this board the hunter seated himself to await his game. Deer usually visit licks from about two a. m. until daylight. As a rule, deer feed in the morning and evening, and ramble around all night seeking a thicket for rest and seclusion in the daytime.
For "ways that were dark and for tricks that were vain" the old pioneer was always in it. When real hungry for a venison steak he would often use a tame deer as decoy in this way: Fawns were captured when small, tamed, reared and permitted to run at large with the cattle. A life insurance was "written" on this tame deer by means of a bell or a piece of red flannel fastened around the neck. Tame deer could be trained to follow masters, and when taken to the woods usually fed around and attracted to their society wild deer. which then could be shot by the secreted hunter. At the discharge of a gun the tame deer invariably ran up to her master. Some of these does were kept for five to six years. Deer generally have two fawns at a time, in May, and sometimes three.
Love of home is highly developed in the deer. You cannot chase him away from it. He will circle around and around, and every evening come to where he was born. He lives in a square of about eight or ten miles around his birthplace. In the wilds of swamp and mountains and laurel brakes he has his "roads," beaten paths, and "crossings." like the civilized and cross roads of man. When hounded by dogs he invariably strikes for a creek or river, and it is his practice to take one of these "traveled paths," which he never leaves nor forgets, no matter how circuitous the path may be. Certain crossings on these paths where the deer will pass are called in sporting parlance "stands." These "stands" never change, unless through the clearing of timber or by settlement the old landmarks are destroyed.
The deer loves a habitation where he may wander over hills, through thick swamps or open woods, with silence all around save what noise is made by the chirping birds and wild creatures like himself. He loves to feed a little on the lowlands and then browse on the high ground. It takes him a long time to make a meal, and no matter how much of good there may be in any particular place he will not remain there to thoroughly satisfy his appetite. He must roam about and eat over a great deal of territory. When he has browsed and fed till he is content. he loves to pose behind a clump of brushes and watch and listen. At such times he stands with head up as stanch as a setter on point, and if one watches him closely not a movement of his muscles will be detected. He sweeps the country before him with his keen eyes, and his sharp ears will be disturbed by the breaking of a twig anywhere within gunshot.
A doe carries a fawn seven months before dropping it. Fawns when first dropped are for some hours unable to stand. They have white spots over the body until six months old. The doe does not remain beside them, but paces slowly around at a considerable dis- tance. Every now and then she gives a little tremulous, bleating call, at sound of which the fawn lifts its head and tries to struggle to its feet. Should a man or a dog appear mean- time the doe runs away in a straight line, but laggingly and halting, as though herself hurt unto death. When she thinks she has lured the enemy far enough away, she gives three great flying leaps, which take her at once out of sight, and goes back to her baby. But if left undisturbed she keeps up the pacing until she sees the fawn standing, then paces dain- tily away in a straight line, choosing always the easiest grade. As she paces she calls faintly and every now and then halts, looking over her shoulder to see if she is followed.
When the day is still the deer is confident he can outwit the enemy who tries to creep up on him with shotgun or rifle. But when the wind blows, he fears to trust himself in those places where he may easily be ap- proached by man, so hides in the thickets and remains very quiet until night. To kill the deer on a still day, when he is difficult to find. the hunter must match the deer in cunning and must possess a marked degree of patience. The deer, conscious of his own craftiness. wanders slowly through the woods; but he does not go far before he stops, and like a statne he stands, and can only be made out by
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the hunter with a knowledge of his ways and a trained eye.
The deer listens for a footfall. Should the hunter be anywhere within the range of his ear and step on a twig, the deer is off with a bound. He does not stop until he has reached what he regards as a safe locality in which to look and listen again. A man moving cau- tiously behind a clump of bushes anywhere within the sweep of his vision will start him off again on the run, for he is seldom willing to take even a small chance against man. Should the coast be clear, the deer will break his pose, browse and wander about again, and finally make his bed under the top of a fallen tree or in some little thicket.
To capture the deer by the still hunting methods, the hunter must know his ways and outwit him at his own game. First of all, the still hunter wears soft shoes, and when he puts his foot on the ground he is careful not to set it on a twig which will snap and frighten any deer that may be in the vicinity. The still hunter proceeds at once to put into prac- tice the very system which the deer has taught him. He strikes a pose. He listens and looks. A deer standing like a statue two hundred yards away is not likely to be detected by an inexperienced hunter, but the expert is not deceived. He has learned to look closely into the detail of the picture before him, and he will note the difference between a set of ant- lers and a bush. The brown sides of a deer are not very distinct when they have for a background a clump of broken bushes. But the expert still hunter sits quietly on a log and peers into the distance steadily, examining all details before him. Occasionally his fancy will help him to make a deer's haunch out on a hump on a tree, or he will fancy he sees an antler mixed with the small branches of a bush, but his trained eye finally removes all doubt. But he is in no hurry. He is like the deer, patient, keen of sight, and quick of hear- ing. He knows that if there are any deer on their feet in his vicinity he will get his eyes on them if he takes the time, or if he waits long. enough he is likely to see them on the move. At all events, he must see the deer first. Then he must get near enough to him to bring him down with his rifle.
Deer will not run in a straight line. They keep their roads, and it is this habit they have of crossing hills, paths, woods and streams, almost invariably within a few yards of the same spot, that causes their destruction by the hounding and belling methods of farmers, lumbermen, and other non-professionals.
Deerlicks were numerous all over this coun- try. One of the methods of our early settlers was to sit all night on or near a tree, within easy range of a spring or a "salt-lick," and pot the unsuspecting deer which might hap- pen to come to the lick in search of salt water. This required no more skill than an ability to tell from which quarter the breeze was blow- ing and to post one's self accordingly, and the power to hit a deer when the gun is fired from a dead rest.
Belling deer was somewhat common. I have tried my hand at it. The mode was this : Three men were located at proper distances apart along a trail or runway near a cross- ing. The poorest marksman was placed so as to have the first shot, and the two good ones held in reserve for any accidental attack of "buck fever" to the persons on the first and second stands. An experienced woods- man was then sent into a laurel thicket, carry- ing with him a cowbell; and when this woods- man found and started a deer, he followed it, ringing the bell. The sound of this bell was notice to those on the "stand" of the approach of a deer. When the animal came on the jump within shooting distance of the first stand, the hunter there posted would bleat like a sheep; the deer would then come to a standstill, when the hunter could take a good aim at it; the others had to shoot at the ani- mal running. The buck or doe rarely escaped this gauntlet.
One of the modes of Mike Long and other pioneer hunters on the Clarion river was to ride a horse with a cowbell on through the woods over the deerpaths. The deer were used to cowbells and would allow the horse to come in full view. When the deer were look- ing at the horse, the hunter usually shot one or two. Every pioneer had one or more cow- bells; they were made of copper and iron. They were not cast, but were cut, hammered and riveted into shape, and were of different sizes.
In the days when guns were rare and am- munition very costly, hunters set stakes for deer, where the animal had been in the habit of jumping into or out of fields. A piece of hard timber, two or three inches thick and about four feet long, was sharpened into a spear-shape, and then driven firmly into the ground at the place where the deer were ac- customed to leap over the log fence. The stake was slanted toward the fence, so as to strike the animal in the breast as it leaped into or out of the fields. Several of these deadly wooden spears were often set at the
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same crossing, so as to increase the peril of the game. If the deer were seen in the field, a scare would cause them to jump over the fence with less caution, and thus often a buck would impale himself on one of the fatal stakes, when but for the sight of the hunter the animal might have escaped unhurt. Thon- sands of deer were killed or crippled in this way fifty years ago.
The deer was always a coveted prize among hunters. No finer dish than venison ever graced the table of king or peasant. No more beautiful trophy has ever adorned the halls of the royal sportsman or the humble cabin of the lowly hunter on the wild frontier than the antlers of the fallen buck. The sight of this noble animal in his native state thrills with admiration alike the heart of the proudest aristocrat and the rudest backwoodsman. The last time I saw a wild deer in Brookville bor- ough was in the summer of 1864.
The American elk was widely distributed in this section in 1800. The habitat of this noble game was the forest extending across the northern part of the State. These animals were quite numerous in the thirties. A one- thousand-pound elk was nothing uncommon in Jefferson county, and specimens have been killed that weighed twelve hundred pounds. These were bucks. The does would weigh anywhere from six to eight hundred pounds. Elks had a very short and thick neck, with a short and upright mane. Their ears were of enormous size. The Pennsylvania elk's eyes were small, but sparkled like jewels. Another peculiarity of the elk was the great size of his nostrils, and the keenness of his scent was something beyond belief. A set of elk antlers of five feet spread, and weighing from forty to fifty pounds, was not an infrequent trophy.
It required more skill to hunt the elk than it did to trail the deer, as they were much more cautious and alert. For all that, an elk. when startled from his bed, did not instantly dash away, like the deer, but invariably looked to see what had aroused him. Then, if he thought the cause boded him no good, away he went, not leaping over the brush, like the deer. but, with his head thrown back, and his great horns almost covering his body, plung- ing through the thickets, his big hoofs clatter- ing together like castanets as he went. The elk did not go at a galloping gait, but traveled at a swinging trot that carried him along at amazing speed. He never stopped until he had crossed water, when his instinct seemed to tell him that the scent of his trail was broken before the pursuer or dogs.
At the rutting season the elk, both male and female, was fearless and fierce, and it be- hooved the hunter to be watchful. An elk surprised at this season did not wait for any overt act on the part of an enemy, but was instantly aggressive. One blow from an elk's foot would kill a wolf or a dog, and hunters have more than once been forced to elude an elk by running around trees, jumping from one to another before the bulky beast, unable to make the turns quick enough, could recover himself. To follow an elk forty miles with- out running it down was considered nothing remarkable.
The whistle of the buck clk, as the hunters used to call it, was not a whistle, although there were changes in it that gave it something of a flute-like sound. The sound was more like the notes of a bugle. In making it the buck threw back his head, swelled his throat and neck to an enormous size, and with that as a bellows he blew from his open mouth the sound that made at once his challenge or call for a mate. The sound was far-reaching, and. heard at a distance, was weird and uncanny, yet not unmusical. Near by it was rasping and harsh, with the whistling notes prominent.
The elk's whistle varies much and has dif- ferent meanings. They seem to have a lan- gnage, like all the other animals, big or little.
There are scattered through our woods, gen- erally high on the hills, from the Allegheny river down to the West Branch and Clarion river, huge rocks, some detached boulders. and others projections of ledges. These are known as elk rocks, and every one of them has been, in its day. the last resort of some elk brought to bay after a long and hard chase. It was the habit of the hunted elk. when it had in vain sought to throw the hitn- ter and hound from the trail, to make its stand at one of these rocks. Mounting it, and facing its focs, it fiercely fought off the assaults of the dogs by blows of its forefeet or tremen- dous kicks from its hind feet, until the hunter came up and ended the fight with his rifle. It would be strange if one or more of the dogs were not stretched dead at the foot of the rock by the time the hunter arrived on the scene. More than once dead wolves were found lying about one of these elk rocks, tell- ing mutely, but eloquently, the tragic story of the pursuit of the elk by the wolves, his coming to bay on the rock, the battle, and the elk's victory. The elk was not always victor, though, in such battles with wolves, and fre- quently has been found the stripped skeleton of one lying among the skeletons of wolves
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