of country where I had several
bear traps as well as a good number of smaller traps set for fox,
mink, marten and other fur animals. As I wished to look these traps
over the next day before this party got scattered about the woods
where my traps were, I got up early the next morning, ate a hasty
breakfast and put a lunch into my knapsack and was ready to start out
before the party of hunters was up. I cautioned the hunters to see
that the fire was safe when they left camp and then started on my
day's hunt without the slightest idea that I was starting on one of
the luckiest days I ever had.

I had to climb a high ridge, then my route was for some distance on a
long ridge, which I would follow for a distance of a mile and a half,
when I dropped off the right hand side of the ridge into a ravine
where I had a bear trap set. This ridge was a clean open one of beech
and maple timber. I knew it would keep me busy the entire day to get
over the trap line, the best that I could do, so had no intention of
spending any time looking after deer. When I got to this open ridge,
I took a dog trot along the ridge.

I was making good time when on looking ahead along the ridge I saw a
good-sized buck come from the left hand side of the ridge. He would
take a jump or two then drop his head to the ground and then take
another hop or two and again drop his head to the ground. I knew that
he was on the trail of other deer. I had hardly time to bring my gun
to my shoulder when the buck wheeled and disappeared back over the
ridge from where he had come. I started on a run to where the deer
had gone out of sight, thinking that possibly I might catch him
before he got out of range down the side of the hill. Imagine my
surprise when just as I reached the top of the hill, where I saw the
deer disappear from my sight, I almost ran against the buck. He had
turned back to cross the ridge when I met him. He whirled down the
hill but I was too close onto him and I caught him before he could
get out of reach. I took out the deer's entrails and bent down a
sapling and hung the deer up, then I crossed the ridge and started
down the ravine to look after the bear traps.

I was hurrying down the hill near a jam of fallen timber, when all at
once out jumped five or six deer from this timber. In an instant the
whole bunch was out of sight behind the jam with the exception of one
large doe. I could see, one of her hips standing out from behind a
large hem