BEWARE DEER: Both Bucks and Does Can Be Aggressive, Experts Say

Stories of Woods Conflict From 1870s Grayling Area Will Curl Your Hair

November 6, 2015
By: Dave Rogers

Record numbers of deer in contact with record numbers of people spells? TROUBLE!

As millions of hunters prepare for deer camp, it's good to keep in mind the old story of the bullfighting days in Spain. The restaurant patron, disappointed in the size of the dish offered, queries the chef. "The bull does not always lose, Senor," is the punchline.

A wave of attacks by deer, many of them does, were reported on the campus of Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, shown on the video link below:

http://www.animalplanet.com/tv-shows/animal-planet-presents/videos/when-animals-strike-deer-attack/

Hazen Miller, in his book The Old AuSable, tells of amazing deer-human encounters from the 1870s.

"Deer were not too plentiful then because of the wolves," wrote Miller, adding: "Hunting in packs and howling dismally, they killed the deer, not to eat as much as for the killing, especially during the deep snows. The scream of a lynx "could be heard a long way and was enough to shiver any lone hunter's spine."

Venison could be sold at that time and much was shipped to New York and other cities."

Trappers could still make a living, although a gray fox hide brought only 50 cents, a red fox $2-$3 but a rare black fox brought up to $2,000.

In 1873 there was 110 days of frost, Sept. 15 - May 27, according to Miller. That was the year the "Iron horse" of the Jackson, Saginaw and Lansing Railroad first penetrated the North Country. Downstate sportsmen could then visit their hunting grounds regularly, where previously it would have required hard travel on foot or by wagon to go the 100 miles from Bay City into the woods.

Accessing the woods and conducting a successful hunt was the province of guides like the legendary Rube Babbit, Chippewa Chief David Shoppenagon, Charlie Shellenbarger, Ike Stillwagon and "Vinegar Bill" Christenson, at that time the oldest living descendant of the pioneer Stephans family that came to Michigan from Rouen, France.

When Vinegar Bill courted the daughter of the Schrieber farm family his 10 mile walk home took him four hours because "it was 54 below zero and the icy air hurt his throat if he breathed too fast," Miller recalled.

Camps set up by the guides became resorts like Babbit's Rainbow Club, the Sunrise Club at Esbern Hanson's old cabin site and the Riverview Club, formerly the Alma Club, at an old station of the JS&L Railroad.

Miller recites a story by H. C. McKinley who shot at a deer near dusk at Wakeley's Bridge. The deer disappeared and the next morning, with a small dog for tracking, he encountered the angry buck which tried to hook the dog and then chased him around a hemlock tree.

"When the dog took a nip at the deer, distracting him, he said "I made no delay to shoot the enraged animal, which proved to be a vicious buck, weighing about a hundred and fifty pounds."

A more desperate tale from October 1878 was related by Nick Shellenbarger, who while fishing with John Leece, shot at a huge buck with a light shotgun loaded for rabbits. "The shot only served to anger the big buck and he immediately charged the boat with hair sticking up.

"The animal reared up and planted both his front feet into the boat and tried to hook Nick, who rose to meet him with a hatchet in his right hand, with which he struck a powerful blow at the buck's head, but the buck suddenly threw up his head, knocking the weapon out of Nick's hand.

"Nick was a powerful man, some six feet tall and well muscled, but he had all he could do to handle the enraged animal which tried to strike him but the cedar sweeper prevented. It took all Nick's strength and dexterity to get that buck's head under water and drown him. The buck put up an amazing fight and was repeatedly trying to strike Nick with his front feet.

"He would hit and snort with rage but Nick held firm as this was his only salvation and after some ten minutes of desperate work and sweating on the part of Nick the struggling buck's head was got under long enough to take all the fight out of him, and Nick was the victor in a most exciting battle between man and brute. The buck weighed two hundred and twenty-six pounds."

So take care, hunters, remember: the bull (deer) perhaps may not always lose.

### ##