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Post by spence on Mar 25, 2020 16:37:19 GMT -7
Pistols were common in 18th century. I've collected items offering them for sale, used in a multitude of incidents involving highwaymen or other criminals, in personal conflicts, battles in war, duels, suicides and others, but never in hunting. Until now. I find this interesting bit in A New Voyage to Carolina, by John Lawson, printed 1709. He is describing the black bear and the hunting of it:
"The English have a breed of Dogs fit for this sport, about the size of Farmers Curs, and, by Practice, come to know the Scent of a Bear, which as soon as they have found, they run him, by the Nose, till they come up with him, and then bark and snap at him, till he trees, when the Huntsman shoots him out of the Trees, there being, for the most part, two or three with Guns, lest the first should miss, or not quite kill him. Though they are not naturally voracious, yet they are very fierce when wounded. The Dogs often bring him to a Bay, when wounded, and then the Huntsmen make other Shots, perhaps with the Pistols that are stuck in their Girdles."
Spence
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Keith
Hunter
Bushfire close but safe now. Getting some good rain.
Posts: 1,002 
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Post by Keith on Mar 25, 2020 16:59:10 GMT -7
Excellent find my friend, many thanks.
Keith.
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Post by artificer on Mar 27, 2020 7:35:29 GMT -7
Pistols were common in 18th century. I've collected items offering them for sale, used in a multitude of incidents involving highwaymen or other criminals, in personal conflicts, battles in war, duels, suicides and others, but never in hunting. Until now. I find this interesting bit in A New Voyage to Carolina, by John Lawson, printed 1709. He is describing the black bear and the hunting of it: "The English have a breed of Dogs fit for this sport, about the size of Farmers Curs, and, by Practice, come to know the Scent of a Bear, which as soon as they have found, they run him, by the Nose, till they come up with him, and then bark and snap at him, till he trees, when the Huntsman shoots him out of the Trees, there being, for the most part, two or three with Guns, lest the first should miss, or not quite kill him. Though they are not naturally voracious, yet they are very fierce when wounded. The Dogs often bring him to a Bay, when wounded, and then the Huntsmen make other Shots, perhaps with the Pistols that are stuck in their Girdles." Spence Spence, I get the impression the author is describing hunters who are in at least a somewhat higher economic status from the sections I've emboldened and underlined. Am I reading too much into this? Gus |
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Post by spence on Mar 27, 2020 8:32:11 GMT -7
You may be right about that particular description, but bear was a favorite wild meat in those days and there are many mentions of killing bears for food, not for sport. One of my favorite sources is Westward into Kentucky: The Narrative of Daniel Trabue, by Daniel Trabue. He was a young quartermaster for Logan's fort in east-central Kentucky during the AWI, and he wrote several times of his efforts to provide food for the fort. Although this tale does not involve pistols, since I'm locked down and bored, and nobody seems interested in talking, I'll post it. It takes place in 1779, near the headwaters of Green River, and is typical of Trabue's writings. pg. 76 "[The two] Mr. Smiths and I went off a hunting, was 3 Days out, killed a little Deer which Just served us and the dogs. We started home wards and hunting as we went. We got in about 6 or 7 Mile of home and stoped to eat and then concluded to start home but every man to take a Different course, that 3 courses was better than one. So we Divided and started. It soon began to Rain. I saw a large bear before me. He was a running so I could not git a shoot. I was on a very good brisk horse. I lit out after the bear and could keep up with him. He went a good course for home. After a while the Dogs that was with Mr. Smith got on our trail and came to me. They soon stopped the bear. It was raining. I was afraid to git my gun wet. So I road close to him and stooped over the gun and fired at him not taking sight. Away went the bear. The dogs soon stopped him. I went off to a large tree and loaded, and the next time I thought I would go very close, and road up close and my gun flashed. The bear Jumped at me, scared the horse so he jumed side way against a Dog wood. I took up the dog wood. Dropt my gun. Away went the horse and bear. I picked up my gun, ketched my horse, and went to the bear. My gun was wet. I could not get it off. I made many trials but all in vain. The sun shined out. I Did not wont to loose my bear as we veryly needed it. I then thought of Driving him home. I called off the dogs. He run right away from us. We kept close behind him and when he would go rong I would set the dogs on him and he would stop. I would ride around and call of[f] the dogs. He would run straight from us. We Drove him nearly home when he run up a tree. Mr. G.S. Smith heard us and came to us and shot him. We took him home and Glad our people was as they was entirely out of food. He was a large fat bear.” Trabue settled in the same general area after the war, and I've been to his original home in Columbia, Kentucky. I've probably collected more insights into life at that time in that area from Trabue than from any other source. Here's a link: books.google.com/books?id=YSz82Es5IXgC&pg=PR10&lpg=PR10&dq=westward+into+kentucky&source=bl&ots=2ENBrOd1QJ&sig=tjQjoskNocxNtWlQsgsLLBmQXyc&hl=en&sa=X&ei=B5_yTpHcFI-2tweGrujPBg&ved=0CFMQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q&f=falseSpence |
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Post by artificer on Mar 27, 2020 15:25:31 GMT -7
Interesting anecdote, Spence.
I'm sure a bear would have fed many people including a lot of fat for other things.
I have wondered if folks like the REAL Longhunters carried some to more pistols than others, because of both the time they were away from frontier settlements and because of the threat of both hostile Euopeans and NA's. I guess I've been surprised a little at the lack of documentation, but pistols were still pretty expensive, so perhaps it was that reason more were not carried?
Gus
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Post by brokennock on Mar 27, 2020 16:44:34 GMT -7
Thank you Spence. Very interesting quotes.
I appreciate the link to the book. It is one that has been on my short list to read for a while. Too many books, to little time.
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Post by armando on Mar 28, 2020 14:17:27 GMT -7
Great find!
As an aside, I wondered if the author was referring to the Plott Hound, being that he was also describing Carolina, but those first Plott hounds did not arrive in the Americas until the 1750's.
I have a Plott Hound mix.
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Post by artificer on Mar 29, 2020 12:11:55 GMT -7
Great find! As an aside, I wondered if the author was referring to the Plott Hound, being that he was also describing Carolina, but those first Plott hounds did not arrive in the Americas until the 1750's. I have a Plott Hound mix. Good question! The text mentioned " , about the size of Farmers Curs." I am unsure if this meant a mixed breed/Non Standard Breed or did it refer to some type of hound common in the Colonies at the time? I don't know. OK, out of curiosity, I looked it up and found the following link: www.dogbreedinfo.com/curs.htmGus |
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