| Title: | From Thos. Wm. Magrath, Esq., Upper Canada, to the Rev. Thomas Raddiff, Dublin. |
|---|---|
| ID | 4558 |
| Collection | Authentic Letters from Upper Canada [Rev. Thomas Radcliff] |
| File | radcliff/16 |
| Year | 1832 |
| Sender | Magrath, Thomas Wm |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | farmer |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Erindale, Toronto, Upper Canada |
| Destination | Dublin, Ireland |
| Recipient | Rev. Thomas Radcliff |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | friends |
| Source | |
| Archive | |
| Doc. No. | |
| Date | |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | |
| Log | unknown |
| Word Count | 2006 |
| Genre | hunting |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Erindale, January, 1833. My dear Sir, In my last, you were presented with the Johnny-raw results of our two first day's sport; but as practice makes perfect, I have not only been amply repaid for my first failure by future successes, but having tried all the various methods of the country for the gratification of this exciting amusement, I am enabled to detail the different modes of deer hunting, with their appropriate circumstances. As I commenced with snow shooting, I will here add some useful directions to be observed by sportsmen, in this particular branch, and also the usual dress and apparatus to be adopted. The dress should consist of a blanket coat, made to button up to the collar; a cap of the same material; a warm pair of light coloured cloth trowsers, three or four pair of stockings under the moccasins, or a piece of blanket rolled round the foot as a protection from stumps—thus, with a leathern belt to carry your hunting knife, and with a rifle of the following description, you are accoutred for the hunting ground. It should be two feet ten inches in the barrel, about ten pounds weight, and of a bore, suited to balls, forty to the pound; a description of rifle shot experience has taught me to prefer to any other. This however is a point upon which you will seldom find two sportsmen agree, as your fellows of light metal generally prefer a bauble. I have invented a powder flask, to contain caps, balls and powder, to save the necessity of fumbling with cold fingers in different pockets, for the several articles—and will send you one as a model by the first opportunity, for the benefit of my brother sportsmen, who may come out to this country. If on arriving at the scene of action, you find the wood abounding with fresh tracks, stand steady for a time, and observe if any of the deer are in motion. If you spy one that does not see you, contrive to be concealed by the trees, whilst you approach him—should your step be heard, stand still, and never stir till he begins to move: when within shot, fix your eye on a space through which he must pass; your finger, rifle, and eye, all ready. If you require it, take a rest against a tree, but be sure to cover the spot, and as he passes, aim for the shoulder, and fire. Should you miss the deer, don't stand gaping like a fool, but load again at once, as he may be simple enough to give you a second shot, and you may have the luck to hit. Should he go off with his single DOWN, he is wounded. Keep as close as you can, and if he do not fall from the effects of the first shot, you can make sure of him by a second; your hunting knife must then be employed in the necessary operations—and lastly in opening the muscle of the nose and sinews of the fore legs, so as to admit a gad of the blue beech to pass through, and connect them all together—then taking the rifle on your left shoulder, and the gad over your right, you may pull away to the next house—but should you object to this laborious work, and yet wish to secure the venison, till an opportunity offer of sending for it, the head must be first got rid of, and the skin, to preserve it entire, be stripped from the fore, and left attacked to the kind-quarters, when, the carcass being cut across, you must look out for a tree of small diameter that will bend with your weight upon climbing up—as soon as it begins to spring, let go your feet, holding on with your hands only, and you will thus bring the top to the ground. The half deer fastened to this (as the tree springs back,) is put out of reach of wolves and bears, as the former cannot, and the latter will not, climb a tree of such pliable dimensions. A stem calculated to raise but half a deer, could not fail to give way under an entire bear; besides that, to admit of being climbed, the tree should be of sufficient circumference to fill his embrace, and Bruin is too shrewd a fellow to take the risk of a failure, and a fall. The remaining half must be treated in a similar manner on a separate tree. When you cross a river or ravine, never expose your person suddenly, and instead of walking along its edge, make a circuit through the wood, coming out with caution about three hundred yards below your point of entrance; and observe to examine the brow of the opposite hill, as the deer, in winter, always lye in a situation that commands a wide compass. If two sportsmen are in company-— one, should show himself at a distance to attract the attention of the deer, whilst the other, making a circuit, may come round unnoticed, and have a fair and decisive shot. This has happened to me in many instances. Should the snow be very deep, snow-shoes become necessary. I have had occasion for them, however, but one winter out of six—at first they are very unpleasant; experience only will teach to use them, without inconvenience. The second variety of the sport is termed deer stalking. This takes place in summer—at which time the deer are so much scattered over the face of the country, it becomes very difficult to find them. This is best to be effected at the salt licks, or springs, whither they resort to drink. The sportsman should walk quietly along, in the direction of one of these—stopping occasionally to listen, and reconnoitre. By observing this precaution, and strict silence, I have frequently known the deer to walk up within ten yards of me. In this mode of hunting, the arms should remain perfectly at rest; the body erect and steady—all motion limited to the legs and feet—no sawing of the air—no coughing—no brandishing the handkerchief—no sounding of the nasal trumpet—no flourishing the rifle from one side to the other, and above all, no talking—else the deer will be off. They have eyes, and ears, and a quick sensation of alarm. They dart away at a distance, and you will never get a shot. A third method is termed night shooting. The proper season for this sport is during the months of July and August. The time from midnight to day-break. In this case the salt spring is again the scene of action. Besides your rifle ready loaded, you bring thither, as appurtenances, a lantern with a concealed light, a bundle of pitch pine split into small stripes, and a flask of brandy; on your arrival seat yourself to leeward of the spring, that the deer, which are quick scented, may not perceive you on their approach. Let not a gleam of light escape, and remain quiet, 'till you hear a deer leap into the little marsh, which always surrounds the spring; then, waiting a few moments, slowly produce the light, and taking the rifle in your right hand, and the faggot in the left, apply your light, and ignite it gradually, as a sudden flash would put the deer to flight. As the faggot of pine wood, formed like a Bavarian broom, spreads an increasing light, you begin to perceive the game, the eyes first; which, from the reflection of the blaze, appear like balls of fire; you then take deliberate aim, and if you are not a bungler, you will bring down your deer. Still move not farther than to re-load. They generally come in pairs; if not so now, drag out the fellow you have shot, resume your former situation, and you may probably bring home a second deer; avoid the does; the bucks are now very fat and in high season. The fourth method is that of Driving the Deer. This is in my estimation an unsportsmanlike method, and is effected in the vicinity of lakes, by driving the deer with dogs, who pursue the animal through the woods, till he is obliged to take refuge in the water. There a canoe is in waiting; and as the hunted deer comes bounding along, and boldly dashes into the lake, the aquatic hunters follow slowly, till he has made some way, and then press on the chace. Thus pursued, the deer makes for the next headland, at a rate of swimming which seems to baffle his pursuers; but they contrive to intercept his landing, and he turns again to the expanse of water. The sportsmen, (if they deserve that title,) not a little exhausted, still gain upon the wearied animal, he gives up his forward course, wheels again and again in narrower circles than the canoe can compass; yet makes no way— his nostrils distended—his head less raised above the water —his swimming slackened—he sees the canoe approach him—snorts wildly, but cannot escape the fatal noose thrown over his gallant head by his enemy in the boat, who twisting it on his neck, by means of the long pole to which it is affixed, thus puts an ignominious termination tc the poor deer's life, and to the inglorious chace. Sometimes I have been gratified by seeing a novice take the deer by the horns. That moment, he strikes at him with his fore-feet, and unless the boat be a large one, invariably upsets it, or pulls the Green-horn overboard. The common practice is, when the deer is perfectly exhausted, to seize him by the tail with one hand, and make use of the tomohawk with the other—a description of butchery to which I never have, or ever will be accessarv. Having now detailed the various modes of deer hunting, I will hold out some concluding encouragement to sportsmen, by adverting to a day's sport which my brother and I enjoyed, very different from that which I reported at the commencement of this subject. In December, 1830, having arrived at the hunting ground, early in the morning, we found the tracks of deer so numerous on the snow, as to resemble those of a flock of sheep. Getting forward, in great heart, we came to a ravine, where we spied at least twenty deer, gamboling about a spring. Each singled out his deer and fired. Without waiting to see whether they fell, we made off to a pass where I knew the herd would come out, and having re-loaded, we met them precisely at the expected place, bounding and clearing every obstruction. Our alarm was that they would run over us; but they stopped short, and we pitched off two of them. Having bled and collected together those that we had shot, we parted company, taking different directions in pursuit of the scattered deer, and fixing on a place of rendezvous for the night; we met there at eight o'clock, and on comparing notes, we found that my brother had ten balls at setting out; he had expended all, and missed but one shot. I had ten in the morning, but two on my return, and had missed two shots. Next morning we hauled all home, and never stopped till we ranged along the farmer's yard thirteen fine deer, (two of them twice hit,) which were duly transferred to the frozen larder, at Erindale. for Winter provant. Many weeks of similar amusement might be enumerated, since I became acquainted with the manner of getting in on the game. The young sportsman, however, must not expect the success which I have described, on his first arrival in the woods. I remain, my dear Sir, Faithfully your's, THOS. WM. MAGRATH. P.S.—My next shall treat of Bear Shooting. |
