STATE NORMAL SCHOOL

LOS AMGELE3, CALIF0R14IA

iMNneRStTY o! CALIFORNU

AT
LOS ANGELES

OUR BIG GAME

51^

BULL .MOOSE

ON THE UPPER TOBIQUE RIVER, NEW BRUNSWICK

From a photograph. Copyright, 1901, bj' F. C. Walcott.

OUR BIG GAME

A BOOK FOR SPORTSMEN AND
NATURE UOVERS

BY

DWIGHT W. HUNTINGTON

AUTHOR OF "OUR FEATHERED GAME"

WITH SIXTEEN ILLUSTRATIONS FROM
PHOTOGRAPHS OF WILD ANIMALS

' 9 - »-

I * ^

CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS
NEW YORK :: :: :: :: :: 1904

Copyright, 1904, By
CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS

Published, September, 1904

■ c c •

« c

a • » *

■ * » C

* 4 o «

TROW DIRECTORY
PRINTINS AND BOOKBINDma COMPANY
NEW YORK

'-\

CONTENTS

I. Big Game Shooting ....
II. Game Clubs, Parks, and Preserves

PAGE

3

21

BOOK I
THE DEER FAMILY

III. The Deer Family

IV. The Wapiti or Elk .
V. The Moose .

VI. The Mule-Deer

VII. The Black-tail Deer

VIII. The Virginia Deer .

IX. The Woodland Caribou

X. The Barren-ground Caribou

39
46
66

95
III

117

146

161

BOOK II
THE OX FAMILY

XI.

The Ox Family

XII.

The Bison .

XIII.

The Musk-Ox

XIV. The Big-Horn or Mountain Sheep
XV. The Mountain Goat
XVI. The Antelope

167

170
196
206
217
228

vi CONTENTS

BOOK III
THE BEAR FAMILY

PAGE

XVII. The Bear Family 253

XVIII. The Grizzly Bear 257

XIX. The Polar Bear 278

XX. The Black Bear 282

XXII. The Big Brown Bears 294

BOOK IV

THE CAT FAMILY

XXII. The Cat Family 301

XXIII. The Cougar or Mountain Lion . . . 303

XXIV. The Lynx 315

APPENDIX 325

INDEX 339

ILLUSTRATIONS

From Photographs

Bull Moose on the Upper Tobique River, New

Brunswick Frontispiece

FACING
PAGE

Buffalo Cows and Calves 26

Wapiti or Elk 46

Mule-Deer 96

A White-tail (or Virginia) Deer 118

Woodland Caribou 148

Bison in the Yellowstone National Park . . ,172

MusK-Ox 198

Big-Horn or Mountain Sheep 208

Mountain Goats 218

Prong-horned Antelope 230

A Grizzly Bear 258

Polar Bear 280

Black Bears 290

Cougar or Mountain Lion 304

A Lynx or Wild-Cat 316

OUR BIG GAME

BIG OAShT'^iiUO i ING

IT was the writer's good fortune to visit the haunts
of the big game of North America and form a
somewhat intimate acquaintance with most of the ani-
mals while they were marvellously abundant and sur-
prisingly tame.

Only a little more than a score of years ago the gun
was literally " the wolf's dinner-bell," and as the hunter
moved away from his fallen quarry, having taken that
part which he wished, the wolves responded to the
call to dinner, and came in great numbers to devour
what was left and fight over the bones.

The elk and deer were then seen peacefully grazing
with the bison and the antelope on the open plains
and prairies. I have ridden upon the mountain-lion on
the fields of wild sage when shooting the sage-cock, or
cock of the plains. I have come upon the grizzly
bears but a short distance from our camps when
shooting the blue grouse or deer.

I have seen the buffalo, in vast herds, covering the
plain for many miles, when it was no difficult matter
for a few horsemen to cut one out and run him into
camp before killing him.

The bison is practically extinct as a wild animal

3

4 OUR BIG GAME

(there being only a small herd in the Yellowstone Na-
tional Park), and the elk and deer have everywhere
deserted the plains to live in secluded forests and
mountain fastnesses. The antelope are no longer to
be seen in many places where they were formerly
abundant, and the naturalists predict that they soon
will be exterminated. But there are to-day many local-
ities where the large game animals (excepting the bison
and antelope) may be found fairly abundant, and where
the sportsman may count upon getting the limited
number of animals (" with horns," as the statutes read),
which it is now legal for one gun to take in a season.
The killing of does and fawns has been prohibited
everywhere, and the bag limit is usually not more than
one or two of the larger animals in a season.

The number of sportsmen who shoot big game has
increased rapidly within the past few years, but not-
withstanding the fact that they now use smokeless
powder in repeating rifles, and are thus able to see to
fire rapidly in the damp woods, where the smoke from
black powder often sadly interfered with a second
shot, the large game animals are holding their own
much better than they did a few years ago, and in
some localities they show an increase.

It is gratifying to record the fact that the tremen-
dous slaughter and waste have been stayed, and that
there are, in many States of the Union, excellent game-
laws which are now enforced. The zoologists, like
the ornithologists, are inclined to be pessimistic when
discussing the decrease of game. One date fixed for
the extermination of the moose has already passed,
but the moose in Maine and the deer in several New

BIG GAME SHOOTING 5

England States are more abundant to-day than they
were when the writer began to shoot.

The sportsmen of to-day think more of the pleasures
of going out of doors, of picturesque camps beside
trout-streams and forest lakes, than of the killing of
large numbers of game animals. They are also inter-
ested in the natural history of the game, and have
contributed much to our knowledge of the present
distribution and habits of the animals. There is no
camp to-day without its camera. There is, too, I am
pleased to observe, a gratifying improvement in the
character of the pictures which are brought out of the
woods. Sportsmen have ceased to delight in being
photographed as butchers in an abattoir surrounded
by heaps of slaughtered animals.

The term big game includes all of the larger ani-
mals of the chase that are taken by sportsmen with the
rifle. The flesh of all the North American big-game
animals is edible (excepting the cougar or mountain-lion
and the lynx or common wildcat). The two excepted
felines afford considerable sport, and their killing is
justifiable, since they destroy many domestic animals,
as well as some of the animals which are regarded as
true game.

The Boone and Crockett Club (a strong game pro-
tection club, with a large membership of distinguished
sportsmen and writers) has provided in its constitu-
tion that " no one shall be eligible for regular member-
ship who shall not have killed with the rifle, in fair
chase, by still-hunting or otherwise, at least one indi-
vidual each of three various kinds of American large
game." In section iv. of the club's constitution the

6 OUR BIG GAME

big- game animals are listed as follows: "Black or
brown bear, grizzly bear, polar bear, buffalo (bison),
mountain-sheep, woodland caribou, barren-ground
caribou, cougar, musk-ox, white goat, elk (wapiti),
prong-horn antelope, moose, Virginia deer, mule-deer,
and Columbian black-tail deer."

The wolf (not coyote) was originally on the list, but
was stricken out before the constitution was adopted.
Wolves and foxes are fair game for the hounds, and
furnish much sport when chased with a full pack, but
they are not big game for the riffe.

So far as the true game animals (those which are
good to eat when shot) are concerned, the list of the
justly celebrated Boone and Crockett Club is complete
and authoritative. It has occurred to the writer that
if the cougar or mountain-lion is listed as a big-game
animal the lynx or common wildcat might be added to
the list, since it is always shot on sight by sportsmen
with the rifle or dislodged and killed with dogs, and it is
often pursued in the same manner as the cougar. For
these reasons the lynx is included in my commentary.

All of the big-game animals are placed by the natu-
ralists in the four families, the Cervidis or deer family,
the BovidcB or ox family, the Ursidcs or bear family, and
the FclidcB or cat family.

The first of these families is the most important to
sportsmen and includes the moose, the elk, the two
caribou, the mule-deer, the Columbian black-tail deer
and the Virginia or white-tail deer — seven splendid
game animals, all gifted with a keen sense of hearing,
of sight and of smell ; and all swift of foot, wild, wary —
ready to match their wits against those of the sportsmen.

BIG GAME SHOOTING 7

Included in the order Bovidce are the bison (usually
miscalled buffalo), the musk-ox, the big-horn or moun-
tain-sheep, the white goat and the prongbuck or ante-
lope. Three of these animals (all save the bison and ante-
lope, are fairly abundant, in certain localities, and the
flesh of two of them, the mountain-sheep and the ante-
lope, is highly prized by epicures. In the UrsidcE or
bear family we have only four bears (although at least
twice that many bears are much written and talked
about) — the grizzly bear, the polar bear, the black
bear and the big brown bear. "Silver-tips," "cinna-
mons" and all the rest are referred by the naturalists
to one or the other of the four varieties above men-
tioned.*

Here ends the list of the edible big-game animals,
those which may be termed true game. The fourth
order, FelidcB, in North America includes only two cats
— the cougar and the lynx ; the jaguar being too
rare to be listed.f There has been much controversy
about the natural history of many of the big-game ani-
mals. Much has been written that is confusing and
unreliable. The leading zoologists and the best sports-
men have differed as to the number of species. The
former have fought over the proper classification and
nomenclature, as the latter have over the methods of
capture and the size of the bag. In a recent book a dis-
tinguished moose-hunter who was asked to write the
monograph on the moose finds much that he wrote
flatly contradicted, in copious notes at the bottom of

• The glacier bear is a new species known only by a single specimen.
This is classified as a species of black l)ear.

t For the smaller cats see Appendix.

8 OUR BIG GAME

his pages, by the sportsman who edited the work. As
late as 1885 Baillie-Grohman says:* "There is much
myth interwoven with the natural history of the white
goat, and but little that is authentic is known of it ;" and he
adds : " Of twenty-three scientific authorities who have,
so far as I have been able to follow the subject, written
on this animal, none had ever seen one alive; but they,
nevertheless, have bestowed thirteen generic names
upon it, some making of it a sheep, others calling it a
goat, while others again ranked it as a chamois." Since
Baillie-Grohman wrote this, many naturalists and
sportsmen have visited the white goat in his native
mountains. I have an excellent photograph of him
taken at short range,t and the editor of Recreation has
a number of photographic groups showing these
" mythical" wild animals at rest and in motion.

Our knowledge of the big-game animals has in-
creased rapidly within the past few years and now
may be said to be fairly accurate. Much of the best
information about the natural history of the game, its
present distribution and the methods of capture, is to
be found in papers written for the magazines, such as
the excellent monographs on the antelope by Grinnell
in the Century and in Outing, the papers by Roosevelt
on the cougar in Scribners Magazine, and by Schwatka
on Polar Shooting, and many other recent papers by
sportsmen and writers of ability. The writer is under
obligations to these sportsmen, and has digested much
of this recent literature in the following pages with
the view to making this volume as complete, accurate

*The Century Magazine, vol. vii., p. 193.
t See " In Brush, Sedge and Stubble."

BIG GAME SHOOTING 9

and authoritative as possible. The remarkable stories
used to illustrate the methods of the chase are true
stories. It is gratifying to note that the attention of
sportsmen is now given to the rules of "fair chase";
that many of the questionable methods of taking game
have been abandoned by sportsmen who have been
instrumental in the passage of laws prohibiting "fire
hunting," "hounding" and "crusting," or the night
shooting with shot-guns by the aid of torches or
lamps, the driving of deer to runways or to the water,
where the guide often held the animal by the tail while
the sportsman (?) despatched it with a shot-gun, and the
pursuit of moose on the crust of deep snows, when the
animal, breaking through the crust at every step, was
easily overtaken and slain with a club or knife.

The weapon for big game is the repeating-rifle.
The shot-gun is the weapon for game birds. I am
aware that the gun is still used in the South and some
other places to shoot deer and the smaller bear, but
the riffe should be the only weapon used for big
game. The heavy gun loaded with buckshot will do
the work at short range; there may possibly be some
excuse for its use when the game is hunted on horse-
back and shot running — but all of the animals are
such large marks that anyone should be able to hit
them with a rifle when within the range of the gun.

As to the kind of a rifle— there are many good ones.
1 have seen more of the Winchester than of the others.
I have killed many of the big-game animals with the
ordinary single-shot Springfield rifle and carbines,
such as were used by the infantry and cavalry when I
went to shoot in the West.

lo OUR BIG GAME

The earlier hunters in America, of the Boone and
Crockett period, and even later, used a long, brass-
mounted small-bore rifle and did excellent work with
it. It answered very well for the small deer, the
turkeys and even for the common black bear, which
was never formidable, and was often shot from the
trees. These rifles were, of course, all muzzle-loaders,
and there was often no time to reload for a wounded
bear; but the bears usually tried to escape even
when wounded, and when they were cornered or
brave enough to attack the hunter, they were usually
despatched with the knife. For the elk, the moose, the
bison, and especially for the ferocious grizzly bear,
the pea-rifle was entirely too light, and the Western
hunters soon demanded a heavier weapon. Some shot
a ball weighing nearly if not quite an ounce. The
modern repeating-rifles, of a few years ago, were for
the most part forty-five or fifty calibre, and these
were regarded as none too large for the formidable
Western bear. There has been much discussion re-
cently as to the comparative merits of large and small
calibre rifles, and many sportsmen are now inclined to
use the thirty calibre. One of the most accomplished
sportsmen in America, who has written entertainingly
on all branches of shooting, says " the best all-around
rifle is now the thirty-calibre nitro, not because it will
do all that is claimed for it, but because it makes so
much flatter a line to everything within reasonable
distance than any black-powder gun can do. The ball
goes too much to pieces on some shots, and all that
I have tried throw ten per cent, of the balls wild, five
slightly wild and five badly so. But the swiftness of

BIG GAME SHOOTING ii

the ball overbalances the other defects. An all-around
rifle is almost impossible and some sacritice must be
made."

" Sacrifice for flat trajectory is not always a sacrifice
of accuracy, but often one in favor of it. Between
seventy-five and two hundred yards, the jilace where
most shots on the open ground fall, no black-powder
gun small enough to be carried with comfort can
make up in accuracy what it loses in curve of trajec-
tory as compared with the thirty-calibre nitro rifle. I
refer to the high velocity shell, and not to the smokeless
cartridges of the same strength as black powder. The
soft-nosed bullet, driven with the high-power nitro, is
the most killing form in which a ball of equal diameter
can be made for all-round work. Those of copper or
steel do not make a large enough hole for most shots
on the softer parts of the body." *

For my part, I have always had a liking for a ball
rather heavy than light, especially for the larger ani-
mals, such as the bison and grizzly. It has always
seemed to me that the heavy ball was more sure to
prove quickly fatal, that the shock was much greater
and that there was more of the "knock-down and stay-
down" power, as it has been termed, in (he larger
ball. Roosevelt, if I remember rightly, used the forty-
five Winchester on grizzlies, and with tiiis weapon
dropped his first bear so dead that there was no
chance for a charge.

Dr. George McAleer, in a paper on moose-shooting,
says that" for many years the makers of rifles persisted
in putting too much weight into them. Sportsmen cried

* Van Dyke.

12 OUR BIG GAME

out against this, but their contention was unheeded.
After the lapse of time nitro powder was invented — a
smokeless explosive that was hailed as a blessing by
sportsmen. The small-calibre rifle made its appear-
ance, and its lessened weight and smokeless ammuni-
tion soon made it a popular favorite even with those
who distrusted its small-calibre and diminutive pro-
jectile. Some of the more enthusiastic of the brother-
hood discarded the heavier weights and larger calibre
for the more portable light-weight, small-bore and
smokeless ammunition.

"The older manufacturers suddenly awoke from
their lethargy and produced a large-calibre rifle of
lighter weight and adapted for nitro (smokeless) pow-
ders, and now but little is left to choose between them
on the score of weight or freedom from the smoke of
the old saltpetre, brimstone and charcoal powder.

" For the small calibre, of which the .30-30 may be
mentioned as a type, a greater initial velocity is
claimed, and consequently a flatter trajectory and
greater accuracy in long-distance shooting. Be this
as it may, long-distance shooting is not a factor in
moose-hunting, either by calling or still-hunting ; and
some old hunters of long experience and great success,
who have given both large and small calibres abun-
dant trial, have discarded the latter and will take them
to the woods no more.

" Doubtless some sportsman who may have made a
chance lucky shot through the heart or broken the
spinal column of a noble buck or lordly moose, may be
highly pleased with the execution of the small-calibre
weapon with which he made the shot; but is he justi-

BIG GAME SHOOTING 13

fied in allowing his enthusiasm to run away with his
discretion and give the rifle undeserved and unlimited
praise ? For the nearby shooting of big game, and
nearly every shot at big game in the woods is at close
range, the initial velocity of the .45-70 leaves nothing
to be desired; the trajectory is sufficiently flat and the
impact of the heavier bullet is more deadly. A popu-
lar rifle with old and experienced woodsmen is made
by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company substan-
tially as follows : It is built for nitro powder .45-70
calibre, 22-inch round barrel, half-magazine, shot-gun
stock, fitted with Lyman ivory bead front and combi-
nation rear sight, and weighs about seven pounds."

The reader will find further mention of the relative
merits of large and small balls in the chapter on bears,
where the effect of a number of actual shots with two
rifles of different calibres at the bears is described.

In " Our Feathered Game," I referred to the fit of
the gun. It is equally important that a rifle should fit
the shooter and "come up" well, or handle well— as
shooters say, since many of the shots are at running
animals, and in bear-shooting, especially, it is impor-
tant to be able to shoot well quickly. Here, as in
shooting with the gun, much practice is required to
make a good shot, At running game the shooter will
do well to shoot with both eyes open. A careful fine-
sighting of the rifle is best, when the game is at rest. It
would seem almost impossible to miss such a large
mark as an elk, moose, bear or deer, but the shooter
must remember that the vi^il mark is very small ; and
it is desirable to hit the game in such a place that " the
hunt ends instead of just beginning."

14 OUR BIG GAME

A first-rate man in the woods desires, above all
things, to kill the game he hits, when he hits it. A
wounded animal will often travel for miles, before it
is recovered, and will sometimes escape. The chances
that a wounded deer, elk or moose will get away, now
that dogs are no longer used in their pursuit, are much
greater than they were when every hunter had his
hounds. If it were not for the fact that the privilege
would be abused, I would strongly favor taking one
or two dogs into the woods, to be used only to run
down and locate the wounded deer. Of course, if
dogs were allowed in the Avoods for one purpose, the
temptation to use them for another would often prove
too great to be resisted, and it seems necessary, there-
fore, that the laws prohibit all " hounding." On club-
preserves the matter might well be regulated by club-
rules, which the members would observe, and in States
where the law requires the shooters to be accompanied
by licensed guides, the guide might be authorized to
use a hound for retrieving purposes only. The most
disagreeable thing about shooting is the wounding of
an animal which escapes to die. The sportsman and
his guide should do nothing else until such an animal
is brought to bag.

As already stated, the use of hounds on the deer
is now prohibited in many States and should be every-
where (excepting for wounded animals, if that can be
arranged), since the chasing of deer to the runways
is very destructive and tends to drive the game out
of the country. I am aware that many sportsmen
favor this form of sport. Mr. Hornaday says : " The
hunters are obliged to kill the deer on the run. . . .

BIG GAiME SHOOTING 15

This requires good marksmansliip, and is legitimate
sport."

Certain it is that this form of capture is not nearly
so bad as driving the timid creatures to the water,
where the sportsman (?) is waiting in a canoe, with a
strong-armed guide, ready to follow the quarry, when
it swims, and to murder it with a charge of buckshot
at close range.

The shooting at night by the aid of a light, called
a "jack" or "jack-lantern," is as bad as driving the
deer to the water by day — even worse, I may say,
since the murder is done at night. The "jack" has
been put to a very proper use by Mr. George Shiras,
of Pittsburg, and a number of other sportsmen, who
use a camera. The deer attracted by the light stand
very nicely to have their pictures taken, at short
range. The flash-light also is used, of course, when
the exposure is made, the " jack " being simply to
hold the deer, until the artist is within range. Mr.
Shiras cruising with a " jack-light " at night secured
a remarkable series of flash-light pictures of deer in
Michigan. This is an interesting, and the only le-
gitimate, form of " jacking " deer. It furnishes all the
excitement of the night-chase, without the murder at
the end. The fact that Mr. Shiras was able to take
a number of excellent portraits of the deer at very
close range, indicates how easy it was to pot the ani-
mals with a jack-lantern and shot-gun before the law
prohibited such killing.

The use of dogs on deer being prohibited, all that
remains to be said about the use of these animals in
connection with the rifle, relates to bear-hunting, cou-

i6 OUR BIG GAME

gar-hunting, bobcat-hunting, and the hunting of the
musk-ox. Dogs of all sorts are used to chase the bears
and cougars. The Esquimaux furnish the dogs for
the musk-ox chase. The reader will find a description
of the methods of pursuit of all these animals with
dogs in the chapters describing the various game.

The most important thing about the costume in
big-game shooting is the foot-wear. Silence is ab-
solutely necessary in stalking. There can be no noisy
stalk. The moccason is the proper foot-wear for the
stalker. I always preferred the Sioux moccason, with a
light sole, but that prince of deer-stalkers. Van Dyke,
says the thinner moccasons are best. The costume
should harmonize with the surroundings and no white
or bright colors should be worn. White suits have
been tried on the snow. They are not desirable in the
timber.

The greatest danger of missing big game, either run-
ning or standing, arises, I am satisfied, from over-shoot-
ing. I have repeatedly had the opportunity of seeing
where my balls struck, when shooting at deer, antelope
and buffalo, by reason of the animals having a butte or
some rise in the ground back of them. Even at long
range, I observed that my errors were in the direction
of " high," rather than " low." When a deer is running
before a background, which shows where the balls are
striking, the aim may be corrected, as the magazine is
emptied. I once shot at a large mule-deer (whose
splendid head I wanted so badly as to be over-eager)
and, as the buck bounded along, I fired too high several
times, and then too low, my last shot sprinkling his
fore-feet with dust and gravel. I really enjoy thinking

BIG GAME SHOOTING 17

about that buck, and the way he pranced, now the dis-
appointment about the antlers has been somewhat
diminished by time. Had it not been for the back-
ground all of my balls would have gone far too high.

Van Dyke does not agree that it is correct to shoot
the rifle with both eyes open. He says : " I tried
thoroughly all the trick-shooting, hip-shooting, shoot-
ing with both eyes open, and shooting by sense of di-
rection. I was right in the midst of plenty of game, and
shooting at it every day. There is no profit in any of it,
but vanity rather, and vexation of spirit. It is a val-
uable aid in quick shooting. But it makes you careless
on the sights and, unless balanced by careful work,
injures that perfect holding and extreme fineness of
vision on the sights, on which, in the long run, success
with the rifle mainly depends. I still do it, because
it is fun to set the ground afire around a deer that
you probably can't get anyhow. But from the day
I got a repeater and learned how to keep a string of
empty shells whizzing over my head, my shooting has
become steadily worse."

Notwithstanding Mr. Van Dyke's advice, I shall con-
tinue to shoot at all running marks, as I do at birds on
the wing, with both eyes open and take my chances of
getting my share.

Mr. Van Dyke is clearly right in advising the rifle-
man to " always shoot arm's end and never take a rest."
This was the advice he received, in his first hunting
days, from one of the best shots, and he has followed it
ever since and found it sound. "Nothing," he says,
"damages confidence in offhand shooting so much as the
habit of taking a rest. There are so many times when

i8 OUR BIG GAME

you must shoot offhand because you cannot move
without endangering your shot, that it is much safer to
cultivate the habit by doing so always."

I have sometimes thought that the rifleman who
would learn to shoot always with both eyes open,
even at standing game, would bag the most animals.
There can be no doubt that many men do shoot well
with both eyes open. Certain it is, in the language of
an old English line, "you'd better shut one eye than
both." For my part I take more pleasure in making
one running shot than in hitting a dozen or more marks
at rest, and I have been inclined to experiment with
the rifle in this direction. The shot I most enjoyed
seeing was made by my friend Major Tillson from a
horse going at full gallop at an antelope, going its
best in an effort to escape him. One of my own shots
which I recall with the most pleasure was at a small
bison running his best; w^hen the ball struck him he
pitched head over heels down hill, as rabbits often do.
My best shot at birds was from a running horse, w^hen
I killed a sage-grouse on the wing. Van Dyke, who
has killed hundreds of fine deer, says his best shot was
at a fleet jack-rabbit. At long range he landed his
rifle-ball on its ribs.

Books have been written about learning to shoot,
but the real place to learn is in the field. I have wasted
a lot of balls, as a matter of practice, for big game
on coyotes and jack-rabbits. I learned to shoot fairly
well at the birds only by going where the partridges
and ducks were sufficiently abundant to make a big
bag possible notwithstanding lots of misses.

One good rule is, "don't be afraid to shoot — because

BIG GAME SHOOTING 19

the shot seems difficult." Get a good rifle, a repeater,
of course. Shoot much at marks — both stationary and
moving, before going to the woods and when you see
your first head of big game you will no doubt do as
I did, and as many have done before, gaze at it for a
fatal moment and forget about the rifle. You will be
lucky if you do not often have the ague — the buck
kind, called buck fever in the woods. The sure cure
for this is killing a buck, but most likely you must be
cured before you can get the buck. Experience here,
as in all shooting, is most important. By all means do
not get excited and shoot before you know what you
are shooting at. Ever since the English king lost his
life by a quarrel, shot from a cross-bow at a deer, the
fatalities in the shooting-field have been on the in-
crease. The fools who shoot at everything which they
think may be a deer, unfortunately, seem to shoot well
when the object is a man, and the result has been that
each season we read of many hunters being killed in
the Adirondacks, the Maine forests and elsewhere by
accident. So careless have the shooters become that
one State, at least, has taken notice of it, and in Maine
it is now a felony to shoot a hunter carelessly, and the
penalty is a $1,000 fine and imprisonment"'^ besides, if I
remember the law correctly. Captain Lewis, one of the
famous " Lewis and Clark " explorers, was carelessly
shot by one of his men, who mistook him for an elk ; but
such accidents can always be avoided if the shooter
does not shoot until he knows what he is shooting at.
The conduct of Colonel Dodge, when he doubted the
correctness of his orderly's vision when llic latter

* The imprisonment may be for ten years.

20 OUR BIG GAME

pointed out a mule-deer, referred to in the chapter on
that animal, is in pleasing contrast to the conduct of
many city sportsmen to-day, who are willing to shoot
at anything without waiting to determine if it is a deer
or a man.

The plan of this volume is similar to that of " Our
Feathered Game." We do not go to the museum to
look over a pile of antlers, or a lot of skins in the search
for a tenth caribou (all caribou, like coons, look alike
to me), but to the forests and mountains, to pursue the
animals the sportsmen know, stopping now and then
to observe the lovely backgrounds, or make some note
of the natural history of the animals, and to discuss
the means of saving them from extermination.

The two volumes are intended as a complete review
of shooting in America as it is to-day. As in the
former volume, the greater space is given to those
animals deserving of it.

II

GAME CLUBS, PARKS AND PRESERVES

ONLY a few years ago the word poacher was un-
used in America. Since there were no game
parks or preserves there was no poaching. Every one
who desired to shoot went where he pleased and shot
birds and big game, often kiUing many times as much
as could be used, and leaving wagon loads of fine
grouse and ducks and thousands of splendid elk, bison,
deer and other quadrupeds as food for the wolves.
Paradoxical as it may seem, the big-game animals as
well as the birds, which were threatened with exter-
mination, are indebted to their destroyers for their
preservation. A very few years ago there were no
laws to restrain the indiscriminate slaughter which
went on at all seasons, until it became evident to
sportsmen that the day was not far off when there
would be no game in the land. To the sportsmen
the game is indebted for the many good laws in the
statute books to-day, which provide for short open
seasons, small bags, and the killing of male animals
only, and which prohibit the destructive methods of
pursuit referred to in the preceding chapter.

A few years ago there was no such thing as a sport-
ing-estate, game-park or club in America. To-day
many parks and game refuges have been established

21

22 OUR BIG GAME

both by the States and the Nation, and there are many
clubs where big-game animals are kept in parks.
There are, too, many large sporting estates owned
by individuals. There should be one or more parks
in every State in the Union owned and controlled by
the State where the big-game animals would be safe at
all times, and where they could be seen at home in
their natural surroundings as tame as they were on
the Western plains and mountains before the railways
crossed them. There are many clubs and organiza-
tions concerned with the protection of big game, such
as the Boone and Crockett Club and the League of
American Sportsmen, which work for the preservation
of the big-game animals, urge the passage of good
laws and take a hand in their execution. The League
of American Sportsmen has a very large membership
and has done an immense amount of good work. The
Boone and Crockett Club is composed of one hundred
active members and has, besides, many associate mem-
bers. This club has urged the taking of animals only
in " fair chase," and has done much to create a senti-
ment among sportsmen opposed to the unfair and dis-
graceful methods of pursuit which I have referred to
as now abandoned by sportsmen or prohibited by law.

The Boone and Crockett Club is composed of dis-
tinguished and influential men, who are thoroughly in
earnest that the big game of North America shall not
be exterminated. Largely through the influence of
this club we have many National and State parks or
refuges for the game, and we are soon to have more.

The Boone and Crockett Club, as set forth in its con-
stitution, is organized to promote manly sport with the

GAME CLUBS, PARKS AND PRESERVES 23

rifle ; to promote travel and exploration ; to work for
the preservation of the large game, and, so far as pos-
sible, to further legislation for that purpose and to
assist in enforcing the existing laws.

My readers are no doubt aware that the National
Government has set apart large tracts as forest reser-
vations and has created a number of National parks. In
these parks and reservations the big-game animals find
a refuge from persecution, and many of them show a
gratifying increase. When the great Yellowstone
Park was first established shooting was permitted;
after it was prohibited by law the shooting still went
on and a lawless class gathered there, which was able
to defy the superintendent and his assistants, and to
destroy not only the animals but the vegetation of the
park besides. The National Park now has a military-
superintendent and is guarded by regular soldiers.
No guns are allowed in the park excepting under re-
strictions. No shooting is done. Most of the wild
animals are increasing. Some of them, especially the
bears, are becoming very tame, notwithstanding the
fact that there are large hotels in the park and thou-
sands of tourists visit it every year. Here is pre-
sented a far different picture from that of the Big
Horn Mountain region not far away. When the writer
first visited the Biij Horn Mountains there was far
more game there than in the park. Elk, mountain-
sheep and deer made well-beaten trails through the
forests, and the banks of the streams showed every-
where the tracks of the bears. Antelope and bison
grazed together on the plains below, in great herds
and bands. But the Big Horn Mountains arc saitl to

24 OUR BIG GAME

be gameless to-day; "shot out," is the expressive
phrase applied to them by hide and horn hunters.
The necessity for game preservation is nowhere more
apparent than in the Big Horns. In the nearby Na-
tional Park there are moose, elk, deer, antelope, buffalo,
mountain-sheep, grizzly and black bears.*

We have now five National parks and thirty-eight
reservations. The Yellowstone is the largest of the
parks and contained 3,444 square miles, an area equal
to Rhode Island and Delaware. This was increased
by the creation of the Yellowstone National Park
timber reservation, and again by the Teton forest re-
serve, so that we now have a great park nearl}^ twice
as big as that originally created. The big game has
profited much by the additions. As we shall observe
later many game animals go up the mountains in the
summer and return to the lower valleys and plains for
the winter. So long as the winter quarters of the
animals remained outside the park, the tame creatures
which had spent the summer peacefully in the park
walked out to meet an army of rifles, and it is not
strange that they did not show a gratifying increase.

This National Park now has many valleys as well as
mountain ranges which are watered by lakes and
streams. It has the dark, dense swamps where the
moose love to dwell, and the alternating park-like
woods and natural lawns which the elk and mule-deer
like the best. It has many thickets, ravines and
forests, the unchanged homes of countless deer, and

* Far different is the picture in the vicinity of the park hotels from that
near most of our seaside resorts. In the park grizzly bears are easily taken
with a kodak ; the last sanderling has been shot near many of the Eastern
hotels.

GAME CLUBS, PARKS AND PRESERVES 25

high mountain peaks and rocky cliffs where the big-
horn roams at will. Many bears find it easy to get a
living in the garbage piles behind the hotels. The
park is not so well suited, however, to the bison and
the antelope, and Mr. Hornaday has well suggested
that there should be another park on the plains for
these animals in some place where they used to dwell.
Other parks are the Yosemite, the General Grant, the
Sequoia and the Mount Rainier. I can imagine no
more beautiful place in the world than the Yosemite
Valley with its rock walls thousands of feet high, its
cascades falling over them with brilliant rainbows, its
lakes and rivers and forests of great pines. The giant
trees, the Sequoias, found nowhere else in the world,
are included in the other California parks. The
Rocky Mountain reserves, besides the Yellowstone
and the Teton, which adjoin the National Yellowstone
Park, are the Lewis and Clark reserve, named for the
celebrated explorers of the Northwest, the Bitter
Root, the Priest River and the Flathead. These con-
tain more than twelve million acres. The Bitter Root
reservation alone has four million acres and "is full of
Nature's animals, elk, deer, wild sheep, bears, cats and
innumerable 'smaller people.'"

There are great forest reserves in Oregon and
Washington which include more than twelve and one-
half million acres. Besides these National parks and
reserves, there are a number of State parks, such as
the Adirondack Reservation in New York, and the
State reservations in California. Books have been
written about these vast and wonderful parks and
preserves, one of which, that of John Muir, is so

26 OUR BIG GAME

charming that I should like to quote it entire, which,
of course, would make this chapter too long, since Mr.
Muir has written a good-sized book. I have borrowed
his description of the Columbia black-tail deer for my
chapter on that animal, since it is the most satisfactory
account of that comparatively rare animal which has
been written for sportsmen, although Mr. Muir does
not shoot them.

There are now many vast shooting estates in Amer-
ica where the big-game animals are presfved as they
are in the older countries, such as the lat Tr. Whit-
ney's October Mountain in Massachusetts, and the
Corbin Park, in New Hampshire, which is now owned
by the Blue Mountain Club. The owner of the former
park presented to the New York Zoological Park a
score or more of bison from October Mountain, and
a large band of elk. He also furnished some carloads
of the latter animals to help restock the Adirondacks.
The Blue Mountain preserve has not only bison and
elk in abundance, but moose also, and many deer. At
the Blooming Grove Club, in Pennsylvania, there is a
large deer preserve containing several thousand acres
under fence.

In the Adirondack region there are some splendid
estates, such as Kamp Kill Kare, owned by the Hon.
T. L. Woodruff, Mr. Vanderbilt's Camp Sagamore,
Mr. Morgan's Camp Uncas, and many more, over
fifty, I believe, where the deer roam the forests and in
summer come down to the lakes and ponds to feed in
safety upon the lilies. The growth of game preserv-
ing in the United States has been truly marvellous in
the past few years. It is well that it should be so,

\ ,••'"'

■J'

•>..

kA

■ *

t r

1 ^k^

Pi

'' '''i[

W'

^ 4,

^\''

.%

V V

z

K ■ '»

< (

GAME CLUBS, PARKS AND PRESERVES 27

since without the preserves all the large wild animals
were destined to go the way of the bison and the wild
pigeon.

There have been many attempts to add to the ani-
mals in the game preserves those not indigenous to the
neighborhood. There have been some importations
of foreign beasts, such as the wild-boar, for example.
But so long as we have the moose, the largest deer
that lives or ever did live on the earth, the stately elk,
and an abundance of deer, antelope, sheep, goats, and
bears, including the largest and most savage of the
last-named, there is no need to go abroad for our game.
In discussing the birds, I called attention to the fact
that States, as well as individuals, in their race after
the new, were propagating foreign fowls — the pheas-
ants— to the neglect of their own grouse and par-
tridges, which are far better birds. So here, I say, we
would do well to look, first, after our own and see that
the preserves are well stocked with deer, elk, moose
and bear before adding foreign animals which may not
do well or may prove undesirable.

Our experiments thus far suggest a general rule,
which should be observed by all game preservers who
would meet with success — the preserve in any locality
should be stocked with the animals which live or did
live in a wild state in the neighborhood.

A good stock animal for preserves in all parts of the
country is the common Virginia deer, or white-tail,
for the reason that it has always lived, in suitable
localities, in all the States of the Union. In the West
the mule-deer and antelope may be added to a pre-
serve, but these animals, especially the last-named,

28 OUR BIG GAME

have not proved desirable for Eastern parks or shoot-
ing-preserves.

Judge Caton, who for many years kept up a splendid
deer park in Illinois, and carefully studied the animals
of this family, came to the conclusion that he was too
far East for the antelope. These same animals, how-
ever, are reported as doing well in the Yellowstone
Park and in other places where they are indigenous.

The fact that an animal is not now present in a wild
state in any locality is not to be considered in making a
selection for a preserve. The bison and the elk have
long been extinct in New York, but there is evidence
that they formerly lived there. They have been found
to do fairly well, even in the small spaces which can
be given them in zoological parks. They, of course, do
better in such vast parks as that of the Blue Mountain
Club, or the late Mr. Whitney's October Mountain.

In the big game preserves there are lakes and
streams where game-fish abound, and, in a former vol-
ume,* I have referred to the game-birds and their
preservation and protection by clubs and individuals.

The big-game preserve should be a large one. It
should be measured by miles, not acres; should contain
mountain forests and valleys, well watered by streams,
and open glades and pastures where the animals may
live as they did before the days of preserves. When
the preserve is a small one and under fence there is but
little sport to be had. The mere thought that the ani-
mal has no chance to escape but must turn back from
a wire fence, proves too much for a first-rate sports-
man.

* "Our Feathered Game."

GAME CLUBS, PARKS AND PRESERVES 29

Where there are large shooting-estates which open
into each other and extend over vast forests and moun-
tains, the chase is very similar to what it was in the
good old days when preserves were not needed.

I referred in the volume devoted to the birds, to the
hostility of market gunners and natives generall}^ to
game preserves. At the Tolleston Club, near Chicago,
there were several fights resulting in a loss of life.
The fences of big game parks have been cut, and ani-
mals allowed to escape. It is, of course, necessary to
have game-keepers and police the grounds. In many
places the local shooters have thus been given employ-
ment or are engaged as guides, and these men, taken
from the neighborhood, are the best game-keepers for
evident reasons. They and their people, of course, be-
come the friends of the preserve. At least one death
in an Eastern State has been charged to hostility against
the game preserve. The National, State and private
parks, which are unfenced, do a lot of good for the sur-
rounding country, where the game wanders out and
may be shot during a short open season. The season
has been said to be exceptionally short on Long Island
since the deer scamper back into the preserves at the
first fire from the army of outsiders on the opening
day.

As to the care of the animals on the game-preserve —
their feeding, etc., if the preserve is for shooting, the
best care is none at all outside, of course, the protec-
tion of the animals from poachers and their natural
enemies, the wolves. The preserve should be large
enough for the animals to roam absolutely at wiU.
There should be an abundance of natural food. Where

30 OUR BIG GAME

it is necessary to take up the animals in the winter and
feed them they lose in interest as objects of pursuit.
Bear, as well as deer, soon become tame, and first-rate
men do not desire tame game. Since the growth of
game preserving in America is now rapid, there are
many men familiar with the care of game, and all pre-
serves must of course have many game-keepers.

There are some fine game-preserves in Canada,
which is the home of the moose, and Canada has be-
sides a large Rocky Mountain park. There, as in the
United States, the people are being educated to be-
lieve in the protection of game animals, and to realize
that parks and preserves and the punishment of poach-
ers are necessary for the salvation of the game. Game
animals have survived for centuries in the densely
populated countries of the old world. It is safe to say
they will survive in America now that we have game
clubs, parks and preserves.

And here I wish to urge upon the sportsmen who
can afford it the establishment of more big game pre-
serves, especially in the West. The Virginia deer
and the moose are, I believe, safe from extermination,
at least in the Eastern game parks, and under the
good laws which are now enforced these animals will
survive for many years in the open forests, which are,
as I have observed, in many places benefited by the
overflow from the game preserves.

There is immediate need for more protection in the
West. Naturalists, sportsmen and the camera hunters
are all agreed that the antelope, the elk, the mule-deer
and the other Western animals are in danger of ex-
termination.

GAME CLUBS, PARKS AND PRESERVES 31

INlr. Hornaday, in his new book,* predicts thai it
will not be long- before many of these magnificent
game animals are extinct. Mr. Wallahan, of Colora-
do, the celebrated photographer of live big game,
says :

" Unless we have a close season on the mule-deer,
five years will see the finish of these animals. 1 will give
you some figures : In 1897 I was on the big trail here
for nine days, and I counted within a few of a thou-
sand deer. In 1901 I Avas on the same trail for eigh-
teen days, and counted two hundred and twenty-eight
deer. In 1902 I was out fourteen days, and counted
fifty-two deer. More deer passed in a single twenty-
four hours in 1892, '93, '94, 95 and 96 than passed dur-
ing the whole month of October, 1902." f

Again Mr. Wallahan says : " Look at the antelope !
But I don't know whether you can find any to look at;
for I don't think there are fifty in Routt County,
where ten years ago there were probably 5o,ooo."t
Mr. Hornaday predicts the total extinction of this
animal at an early date, unless it is fully and perma-
nently protected in a wild state on its native ranges
for a long period, and says it cannot be perpetuated
by breeding in captivity.*

A few large game preserves in Colorado and else-
where in the West would prove the salvation of these
animals, and with the kind of laws now enforced in
New England, on Long Island and elsewhere, these
animals, I believe, can be made to show an increase as
the Virsfinia deer and moose have.

* " The American Natural History."
t " Outdoor Life."

32 OUR BIG GAME

The number of men who shoot for sport is increas-
ing rapidly. It is estimated that ten thousand annu-
ally hunt in Maine. As wealth increases, there are
more men who can afford to shoot, and shooting priv-
ileges become valuable. There are many large tracts
in the West which now produce nothing but which
would yield a large revenue if kept stocked with game.
" Shoots," to use an English expression, will become
more valuable as the game in the unpreserved tracts is
exterminated. Shares in clubs where game-birds only
are preserved have already risen in value. As a busi-
ness proposition some large game preserves in the
West would prove paying investments. Hotels in the
South, such as those at Pinehurst and at Old Point
Comfort, etc., are now preserving and propagating
feathered game on immense tracts, and find that it
pays. As I stated in " Our Feathered Game," it is
estimated that in Scotland the Highland land owners
receive $2,200,000 annually for shooting privileges.
These figures give the value of shootings when prop-
erly looked after, and " all this money is derived from
land, which in the days of our grandfathers produced
practically nothing." * Sportsmen in the West who or-
ganize large game preserves now can procure the land
for very little. They can provide shooting for them-
selves, and at the same time save the game ; in the
end they will own a property which has increased in
value from year to year. There are, I believe, many
men who would contribute to maintain such shooting
preserves, who would never fire a weapon more dan-
gerous than a camera, but who would not object to

* British Sportsman.

GAME CLUBS, PARKS AND PRESERVES 33

shooting so long as the game showed an increase, as it
surely would under proper regulations. Men who
contribute to support zoological gardens and museums
of natural history would, 1 beUeve, contribute to the
game preserves if assured that they would save the
animals from extinction.

The rules of the big-game clubs usually provide for
a short open season and limit the killing of the game
by each member to a small number of males per an-
num. At the Blooming Grove Park Club, in Penn-
sylvania, the killing is limited to bucks, and a club-
rule provides that a member killing or wounding more
than one buck in the breeding-park, in any one season,
or a doe or fawn, shall pay into the treasury of the
club $100.

At this club other rules provide that deer may be
killed only from and including the first day of October
to and including December 31st.

This, however, does not apply to the breeding-park,
where stalking or still-hunting bucks is allowed, to
members only, from September ist to November 30th
inclusive. This rule provides that rifles only shall
be used, and that no device of any nature shall be em-
ployed to drive or chase the deer.

This club has a number of lakes and streams which
are well stocked with game-fish and has bird-shooting
besides, including the imported pheasants which arc
propagated at a hatchery on the club grounds.

I have referred to the organization of the game-clubs
in the earlier volume and the general rules governing
members and invited guests, where guests are per-
mitted, as they are at nearly all shooting-clubs, under

34 OUR BIG GAME

certain regulations. The clubs usually have fine club-
houses and often cottages and camps besides. In Cali-
fornia there are a number of immense game-preserves
owned and controlled by clubs, where there are no
buildings, the members preferring to camp out when
they go to shoot on their preserve. One of these clubs,
the Tamalpais Sporting Club, controls the shooting
over 18,000 acres, and another, the Point Regis Sports-
man's Club, composed of San Francisco sportsmen,
has 22,000 acres of hill and lowland, which is patrolled
by game-keepers.

The Country Club is said to have the largest shoot-
ing territory in California — 76,000 acres of mountain,
marsh, lake, and coast-line.

This club is an auxiliary of the Pacific-Union, the
pioneer club of San Francisco. At the Country Club
the members shoot deer, bears, "lions," and wild-cats.
Here, as elsewhere, the club has good fishing and bird-
shooting in addition to the big game — salmon and
trout, wild-fowl, snipe, etc.

In Missouri there is a large country club which
has little shooting near its fine club-house, but at an
annex some miles away, the members have good
shooting.

I have referred to these few clubs to give my readers
some idea of their size and of how they are planned
and conducted. I have been surprised at the number
of these organizations which are concerned with the
preservation of big game.

The number of private game-parks is also increasing
rapidly, and at one of these parks the deer increased so
rapidly that it was found necessary to release many of

GAME CLUBS, PARKS AND PRESERVES 35

them since there was not food for all.* Some of the
private shooting-estates in the West are truly magnifi-
cent in their dimensions, being much larger than the
Adirondack estates. Many of the Western club pre-
serves contain a great variety of game.

In the writer's opinion, it will not be many years be-
fore all big-game shooting in America is done on game
preserves, not necessarily small, fenced enclosures, but
in large preserves also, where the animals range at will
over mountain-ranges and through great forests, where
the shooting is owned, controlled, and guarded by clubs
or individuals.

* Mr. Corbin informs me that the deer increase too rapidly at Blue
Mountain.

BOOK I
THE DEER FAMILY

2oC^^-5-

Ill

THE DEER FAMILY

ATORTH AMERICA may be said to have fared
-L N badly when the antelope were distributed, and
has only one, while Africa and Asia have a hundred or
more. We find ample compensation for this shortag-e
when we observe the Cervidae or deer. If the two
splendid caribou which are named as separate species
in the Boone and Crockett club-list be considered as
one we have at least six distinct species of deer, includ-
ing the moose and the elk, the two largest and most
magnificent deer in the world; the mule-deer, another
splendid animal, justly celebrated as an object of the
chase and noted for the delicacy and fine flavor of its
flesh; the Columbia black-tail, an equally good deer;
the familiar Virginia or white-tailed deer, somewhat
smaller, and the caribou, or reindeer, which is similar to
the reindeer of Europe. There are a number of geo-
graphical races which are mentioned by naturalists, the
most notable of which are the varieties of the common
Virginia deer, one of which, the dwarf specimen found
in Arizona, is not much over two and one-half feet in
height. These all have the same habits and are all
common Virginia deer to the sportsman.

With the exception of the moose, which is positively
ugly in appearance, all of the deer arc remarkably

39

40 THE DEER FAMILY

handsome and graceful animals. The}^ all have horns
which are prized as trophies of the chase, and the elk-
antlers and those of the moose are the largest and
finest taken anywhere in the world. The horns of the
deer differ much in formation and structure from those
of cattle. All deer are fleet of foot and are much more
trim in outline, more alert and quicker in movement
than cattle, but the deer are said b}' the naturalists to
belong to the Artiodactyla, or even-toed ungulates,
which means that their feet are planned like those of
the ox.

All sportsmen and naturalists agree that the deer
have keen noses, but there is much difference of opin-
ion about their sight. There can be no doubt that
the deer can smell their enemies at great distances, and
when they are alarmed by their noses they do not wait
to see or hear who is approaching, but instantly take to
their heels and in a few moments are a mile away from
the danger. Often the sportsman is entirely unaware
that he has been in the vicinity of his quarry if the
ground be dry and the deer leave no trail. The first
thing to be considered by sportsmen in all deer-shoot-
ing is the direction of the wind. So keen is the deer's
sense of smell that it is impossible to approach him
down wind.

All deer have good ears which are at all times raised
to catch any alarming sound. A slight noise, however,
if the hunter remain motionless and the quarry do not
smell him, will not always put the deer to flight.

Caton, in his work on the American antelope and
deer, says that the deer does not see well. Many
writers and sportsmen are of the opinion that the deer

THE DEER FAMILY 41

does not see as well as the antelope. However this may
be, he certainly sees well enough to get out of the way
quickly when he has been much hunted, and I would
not advise a sportsman anywhere to rcl}- upon the
deer's defect of vision. Grinnell is no doubt rig-ht in
what he says about this matter in his paper, "The
North American Cervid^." " It is true," he says, " that
deer will pass close by a man sitting in the woods
without seeing him, provided only he remains per-
fectly motionless ; but this does not necessarily imply
an}^ imperfection of vision. Other mammals and birds
will do precisely the same thing. The deer would not
walk up to a man standing or sitting in the middle of a
meadow, where there were no surrounding objects.
A man, if motionless in the woods when clothed in
hunter's garb, very closely resembles a stump or stick."
I was once sitting upon a rock in quite an exposed
place on top of a mountain in Wyoming when a mule-
deer alarmed by m}^ companion in the woods slowly
came out into the open and walked within a few feet
of me. He did not see me until I turned to shoot,
when he went off at his best gait. The hawk is pro-
verbial for his keenness of sight, but I heard of one actu-
ally alighting upon the head of a punter who was sit-
ting in a marsh watching the ducks. The punter was
wearing a canvas coat, of a marsh-grass color, and an
old gray cap ; and the hawk, approaching from be-
hind, no doubt mistook him for a stump, dropped on
his head, and there remained until the punter raised
his hand and turned to see what had touched him.
He told me he thought his companion had approached
and struck him with his hand, until he saw the hawk

42 THE DEER FAMILY

as it flew from his head, and shot it. The man who
told me this was thoroughly reliable and it no doubt
occurred just as he said it did. The sportsman will
do well to remain absolutely motionless in the presence
of a deer until he is ready to shoot.

The methods of pursuing deer have been changed
much by legislation within the past few years. The
open season has been shortened, the bag limited, and
the sale of venison prohibited. This is most fortunate,
since all of the deer were threatened with extermina-
tion.

The range of the deer is limited and the habits
of the animals have changed much where they have
been persecuted. All of these matters will be referred
to in the chapters on the different species. Most of the
States require a license to shoot. This varies in amount
from ten to fifty dollars for non-residents. A nominal
sum is usually charged for residents. In my opinion
this inequality in the charge will eventually prove fatal
to such laws, but in the meantime the sportsman who
desires to avoid trouble will do well to take out the
license required.*

Since laws are changed so often it would be useless
to give a table of these rates. The Forest and Stream
Company publishes a quarterly magazine, Gavie-Laws
in Brief, which gives an accurate synopsis of all the
game-laws in the United States and Canada, in addition
to short stories of the chase.

All of the male deer have horns, which they shed an-
nually, usually about March. In two species, the cari-
bou, the females also have horns. The new horns are

* The license in Newfoundland is $50.

THE DEER FAMILY 43

fully grown and strong by the end of the summer,
when the bucks are much given to testing them on
each other and indulge in many pushing-matches, often
fighting viciously. Sometimes the horns become locked,
ajid the two deer, being fastened together, die from
starvation. Many pairs of these locked antlers have
been picked up in the woods.

The antlers of all deer have branches when the deer
are fully grown, but the first antlers of a 3'oung two-
year-old are spikes, as they are called, without branches.
Hence sportsmen often speak of shooting a spike-
buck.

Although the deer are not usually regarded as dan-
gerous animals, they at times will attack persons and
many instances are on record where elk, moose, and
the smaller deer have shown fight when wounded and
have charged their enemy. Mr. Caton tells us of an
elk in his park which killed a trespasser. Mr. Horna-
day gives us an account of another which killed a man
in Montana, who entered the corral armed with a pitch-
fork to show a friend that the large male elk feared
him.

Mr. Hornaday says that once, when unarmed and
alone, he saved himself from an infuriated buck (fortu-
nately a small one) by suddenly releasing one antler,
seizing a foreleg low down, and pulling it up so high
that the animal was powerless to lunge forward as he
had been doing. In this way he held him at bay and
at last worked him to a spot where he secured a stout
cudgel, with which he belabored him so unmercifully
that he was conquered for that day.

I once saw two small white-tail bucks break through

44 THE DEER FAMILY

the fence in a city park and charge the by-standers,
knocking down several persons before they were finally
recaptured, and at the end of a sportsmen's show in
Chicago, I observed that it took several strong men
to handle the deer which were to be boxed and re-
turned to the late Judge Caton's park.

The sportsman will do well to approach a wounded
buck, even though it be stretched out on the ground,
with great care, since the rapidity wi„l: which these
wounded animals will sometimes spring to their feet
and charge is most surprising. Mr, Hornaday advises
striking the buck across the nose, for that is his tender
spot. He can take any amount of punishment on the
forehead, neck, and shoulders without its diminishing
his energy in the least. The sportsman, of course, if
his rifle is loaded, will give the wounded animal an-
other ball.

The deer in parks and preserves where they are fed
often become quite tame, but as the rutting season ap-
proaches, the gentle animals are often positively dan-
gerous and no one should visit the park unarmed.
Judge Caton once came very near seeing one of his
children killed by a vicious deer.

The common white-tail deer, known as the Virginia
deer, is the most abundant in North America and the
most widely distributed.

The mule-deer is a Western deer and has a more
limited range.

The moose and caribou are northern animals, being
found north of the United States, excepting in small
areas in a few Northern States.

The elk formerly had a wide range, but by persecu-

THE DEER FAMILY 45

tion they have been driven back into small, compara-
tively inaccessible, areas.

The black-tail has the smallest range, being a Pacific
Coast variety. These matters are referred to more at
length in the chapters on the various species.

IV

THE WAPITI OR ELK

THE elk is the most magnificent game-animal
found on the North American Continent. He is
by far the best deer and in my opinion the best game-
animal in the world. There was an objection to him
a few years ago on account of his tameness, but he has
overcome that. His great size, handsome form, and
splendid, symmetrical antlers delight the eye of the
sportsman, who loves to follow him in the vast forests
and picturesque mountains where he dwells. He has
often been called the king of the deer. His flesh is
tender and delicious and wonderfully nutritious, much
more so than beef.

Grinnell says the bull elk is about the size of a horse
and measures about five feet high at the withers. The
females are somewhat smaller. Full-grown bulls will
weigh more than 600 pounds. Judge Caton, who
raised many of these animals in his park in Illinois, had
one which weighed 650 pounds when three years old,
and which, he says, probably weighed 900 pounds
when he was unfortunately killed. He stood over
sixteen hands at the withers. Mr. Hornaday gives the
weight of one which died in the New York Zoological
Park as 706 pounds. The elk grows until he is eight
or nine years old. He is not quite so large as the

4j6

•ji.

u

M

o

THE WAPITI OR ELK 47

largest moose, but is far handsomer. He has, in fact,
all the grace and beauty of the common deer, while
the moose is positively ugly, excepting possibly to those
who see more beauty in the pug and bull-dog than in
the thoroughbred setters and pointers. The horns of
the elk are round, wide-branching, and symmetrical, like
those of the deer. They are the most magnificent
trophy of the chase. The color of the elk is yellowish
brown. The head, neck, legs, and under parts are a
rich burnt umber. The rump is yellowish white,
bordered by dark brown. The dark brown hair on
the neck is coarse and very long.

The elk has a valuable hide, which, as Grinnell says,
"has a commercial value which makes it sousfht after
by those butchers of the plains called 'skin-hunters.'"
The Indians prized the teeth of the elk and used them
as ornaments.

Like the common Virginia deer, the elk occupied a
wide range throughout the United States from Canada
and Labrador to northern Mexico. Like the bison,
they could not stand civilization (that kind, at least,
that killed every large animal on sight in order to try a
gun or bait a trap for a bear), and retreated from the
open country to secluded places in the woods and moun-
tains, and soon disappeared entirely to the eastward of
the Mississippi. It seems hard to realize to-day that
these magnificent animals were to be seen in large
bands from the Great Lakes to Kentucky and Ten-
nessee, almost within the lifetime of old hunters.

Dr. C. Hart Merriam's map shows the range of the
elk in 1900 to be the Rocky Mountain region, from
Alberta, south through Montana and Idaho, to the

48 THE DEER FAMILY

northern and western parts of Wyoming and the
Rocky Mountain region of Colorado. There are areas
in western Washington, Oregon, and California where
the elk is shown to exist, and a small area on the line
between Arizona and New Mexico. A small area is
shown on the Manitoba — North Dakota line, and a
small area in Minnesota. These areas are decreasing,
excepting in the vicinity of the Yellowstone National
Park and other reservations.

As late as 1880 I saw and shot elk, in the upper Mis-
souri region, in the open country, some distance from
the timber. Roosevelt says that in the early eighties
but few remained between the Mississippi and the
Rocky Mountains, and that they were being exter-
minated in this region as fast as the bison, and may
be said to have ceased to be a plains animal in 1883.

The fact that the moose have held their own longer
than the elk, in localities where they were found asso-
ciated, would indicate that they are more difficult to
approach and kill, and such I believe to be the case;
but the experienced elk of to-day is difficult enough to
test the skill of the most experienced sportsman, and if
he be unattended by a guide, the chances are much
against his bagging the game.

Mr. W. A. Wadsworth, I am aware, holds to the
contrary. " We have," he says, " heard so much of the
sport of elk-hunting from all sorts of writers, from the
President down, that it seems ungracious to find fault
with it. But the elk is a very large animal, a naturally
tame and stupid animal, and a gregarious animal.
With the wind in my favor and by keeping absolutely
still I have had a herd browse up so close that I could

THE WAPITI OR ELK 49

have touched them with my hand ; and during the rut-
ting season the bulls will, if alone, come trotting up to
even a ver}^ poor imitation of their ' whistle' or keep
answering it if with the herd."

Mr. Wadsworth, referring to the recent introduction
of the elk into the Adirondacks, says : " I hope the elk
will be introduced into New York as a ' beast of orna-
ment,' not as a ' beast of chase,' " and he adds that one
live elk is worth more to any forest than a ton of his meat.

What Mr. Wadsworth says was true of the elk a few
years ago, but, as I have already observed, the elk of
to-day has overcome this objection and is a different
animal — ^in fact, he is now one of the most difficult deer
to stalk successfully. Mr. Corbin informs me that the
elk are too tame to be interesting at the Blue Mountain
preserve. I suggested the introduction of a few cou-
gars, less feeding and more shooting.* An elk which
is kept and fed in an enclosure becomes tame, and of
course is not a game-animal. But on a large preserve,
where enough shooting is done to keep the elk wild,
they are a most desirable game-animal, and if the
shooting is confined to the natural increase and the
animals are looked after as other deer are on the
foreign preserves, there is no reason why we should
not have good elk-shooting for all time to come.
The same writer tells us that there is a great local
pretence that the elk are killed off by " Eastern
dudes," " tourists," " Indians," etc., but the majority
are taken late in the season by men who go into the
mountains for "meat' for winter use, and by pot-

* A few wolves would give the elk some exercise. They should be used
sparingly, however.

50 THE DEER FAMILY

hunters wanting the hides or teeth — the former have
little value, but the two small tusks called the ivo-
ries, found in the upper jaw, have, by a strange perver-
sion and without the approval of its officers, become
fashionable as a badge among some of the members of a
well-known society.

So, he says, " many a noble beast has died in the snow
leaving head, hide, and carcass to rot untouched, to fur-
nish a foolish ornament to some fat and worthy club-
man who never saw forest, mountain, or camp-fire, and
is so ignorant of the lore of his own fraternity as
not to know the difference between the great prehis-
toric Irish elk, from which it derives its name, and the
American wapiti, which is technically no elk at all."*

Van Dyke thinks the elk is now probably the
hardest game animal to secure by any means of
hunting, but I am of the opinion that the common
white-tail is as difficult, if not more so. Van Dyke is
no doubt right if he refers to the elk of the Pacific
Coast forests, but there are places in the Rocky
Mountains, especially near the park, where the chances
of getting a good shot are better.

When the elk were abundant in the open country in
California, the ranchmen used to take them with the
lasso, but there as elsewhere the elk retreated before
civilization to the almost inaccessible forests.

Elk feed upon grass and weeds and the leaves and
tender branches of trees. They thrive well upon either
diet. Caton says a considerable portion of his daily
food he desires to be arboreous, yet, if deprived of it, he
will keep in good condition on herbaceous food alone.

* New York State Forest, Fish and Game Report.

THE WAPITI OR ELK 51

The sight of the elk is keen, but perhaps not so
good as that of the antelope. He hears as well as a
deer, and has a nose which warns him of danger a long
way off. He walks rapidly or goes off, at a rapid
swinging trot, travelling much faster than he appears
to, and when he has a fair start it takes a good horse
to overtake him on the open plain. No rider can hope
to keep up with him as he goes smashing through the
heavy brush and timber, easily stepping over fallen
logs and tree-tops, and brushing aside branches which
soon bring the horseman to a halt. He is said to lack
bottom, when running, and that if pressed into a gal-
lop, a horseman can easily overtake him. I once
endeavored to ascertain if this was a fact. Having
dismounted to shoot, and killed an elk in the open, I
sprang into the saddle and rode hard after another,
shouting at him, and trying to make him run. He
kept well ahead of me, however, on the trot and went
into the timber some distance ahead without a break.
There I soon found it advisable to give up the chase.
He gained so rapidly that 1 ceased to hear him smash-
ing through the brush while I was compelled to go
slowly.

The elk are gregarious and polygamous. They
were sometimes seen in great bands containing a
thousand or more animals. Mr. Leek, of Wyoming,
showed me this spring a photograph, containing over
a thousand elk, which he made last winter in the Jack-
sons Hole country south of the National Park. This is
the only place, I believe, outside the park where such
large bands are ever seen to-day.* Like the deer, the

* This shows the value to the surrounding country of game preserving.

52 THE DEER FAMILY

elk sheds his horns annually. In the rutting season,
which begins about September, the new horns have
become hard and strong. The bulls are then much
given to fighting, and may be heard sounding their
loud challenge, which is a whistling noise easily recog-
nized when once heard.

Mr. Wadsworth says : " The elk whistle varies very
much, so that it doubtless has different meanings ; but
it is assuredly not a sign of fear or signal of danger,
as is often stated. It is a defiance, and is promptly
answered by any other bull that hears it. If he is
with his herd he usually stays there waiting for the
stranger ; but if alone he is apt to start toward the
sound to investigate, and he will come up pretty close
before deciding what to do. I have seen them come
within fifty feet of a pack train in answer to an imita-
tion of it, and then, notwithstanding the noise and loud
talking, follow along abreast for a mile or so, chal-
lenging at intervals and never over one hundred yards
away. *

The stronger bull drives out the weaker, and
having gathered his cows about him, he is prepared
to fight any other bull that may put in an appearance.
The cows retire to some lonely place to bring forth
the young, which are usually born in May. There are
one or two fawns handsomely spotted with white.
Both the cows and fawns are said to hide at this
season of the year in secluded places. The elk prefer
mountains, where there are open glades and mountain
meadows, watered by lakes and small streams, where
they can procure grass and water and browse on the

* W. A. Wadsworth.

THE WAPITI OR ELK 53

shrubs and trees. They were formerly more often
found in such country than in deep, dark and almost
impenetrable woods without the openings and pictur-
esque lakes. They are fond of walking out on some
high point where there is an extended view over
mountain ranges and intervening valleys watered by
streams and lakes. I can imagine no picture more
charming than such a scene with this great antlcrcd
stag in the foreground.

INIy first expedition after elk was made years ago in
the Uintah Mountains in northeastern Utah and south-
ern Wyoming, where few white men had ever been.
Our main camp was pitched on a small branch of the
Green River. Here we had wagons and an escort of
soldiers from Fort Bridge, and lived comfortably in
wall tents while engaged in collecting fossils from the
adjacent bad-lands for the Yale Museum. With a
competent guide we made an early start, taking a
small amount of provisions, some bedding, and a few
cooking utensils on pack animals; and crossing the
broad graj'^-green plain overgrown with the tufted
shrubs of wild sage we followed a small stream to the
point where it issued from the mountains between
huge walls of rock and here made our first camp.
Along the stream the beavers had made many dams,
and the stream was called Beaver Creek after these
industrious animals. Having made our camp, which
consisted of spreading our blankets on the grass (we
had no tents), we took enough large trout from the
stream for supper and breakfast and the following
morning pushed on into the mountains, following a
well-worn game trail alongside the little stream. We

54 THE DEER FAMILY

rode much of the time in the woods, but crossed many
beautiful little glades carpeted with wild flowers so
numerous as to make the ground look like a brilliant
rug. The blue-grouse were abundant and tame, and
in the afternoon I decided to shoot some of them for
supper. A few moments after my first shot we came
to the shore of a small mountain lake, and here saw
the fresh tracks and droppings of a large band of
elk, which had evidently been alarmed at my shot and
had trotted away across a little meadow into the forest
beyond. We immediately decided to camp beside the
lake and go in pursuit of the elk.

Our guide was a thorough woodsman, an old trap-
per, who had seen Indian fighting and was a sure shot
at game. He was as taciturn as the ideal Indian of
romantic fiction and seldom spoke unless spoken to.
He dismounted without excitement, pointed to the
huge tracks in the soft ground and said " Elk." He
suggested that one or two of us accompany him while
the rest made the camp. With a friend I followed him
to the edge of the woods, where he enjoined silence
and pointed again to the trail, which indicated that
the animals were somewhat separated, and, deployed as
skirmishers, we stole softly into the woods. The guide
held the left, I was in the centre, and my friend on the
right. It was not very difficult walking at first, but
the small timber was so thick that I could not see
far ahead and soon lost sight of my companions.

I had never seen a live wild elk. I had visions of
those I had seen in zoological gardens. My heart beat
rapidly. Assuming the posture of the deer stalkers I
had seen pictured in books leaning somewhat forward,

THE WAPITI OR ELK 55

I moved slowly, as the guide directed, but soon begun
stepping on sticks, and was aware that I was not doing
the thing just right. Bang went a riile off to my right,
and, in a few moments, I heard another report to the
left and somewhat in advance of me. Aware that the
game was afoot, I ran hastily forward, seeking to join
the guide, and as I ran, bang went his rifle again still
ahead and to the left.

Soon I saw the guide and joined him. He was
standing beside the prostrate form of a huge elk.
Prostrate, I believe, is the word always used when elk
are down. "Did you miss him the first time, Sam?"
1 inquired. "No. Shot 'nother one," he said. "Where
is he? "said I. " Over there," said he, pointing. "Fell
in deep hole — bad place get 'em out — so I shot this
one."

He was soon at work with his knife, eviscerated the
game, cut off the head and lower part of the legs, and
then we returned to camp and, procuring a horse,
brought out the carcass and hung it up in a tree. My
friend in the meantime fired a few more shots and re-
turned to camp with a headless blue-grouse. He had,
he said, a fair shot at an elk standing broadside, but hit
a tree in front of him and made a very large hole in
the tree. He admitted having a mild case of "buck
fever." It was a long time after this before I killed an
elk. I could see, however, that it was an easy matter
for Sam. The game was by no means wild, and ran
but a short distance after his first shot.

Our camp for the night was made in the edge of the
timber. For supper we had trout, blue-grouse and
tenderloin steaks from the elk, and never have 1 iiKirc

56 THE DEER FAMILY

enjoyed a meal. The fish, the birds, the elk meat were
all delicious. After supper we sat about the camp
fires, smoked our pipes and heard stories of the chase.
The moon shone brightly for a time over a dark pine-
clad mountain, and when it disappeared our guide gave
us a few instructions as to what to do if the Indians
jumped us, and we went to bed. The wolves attracted
by our game sang to us from a distance in the woods
and later came quite close. A lynx sang a solo from
the mountain side. {Lynx ninta, he is now — since 1903;
the poor thing had no name then.) The fire burned low,
and at last, tired out, I fell asleep. In the morning we
were up early and admired the charming view. The
lovely, placid lake reflected the high mountains which
surrounded it. A flock of wild fowl were swimming
about, not far from shore. After a hasty breakfast we
again went into the woods, but killed only a deer and
saw no more of the elk. Our vacation was for three
days and we were obliged to return to work.

I once had a splendid opportunity to observe a large
band of elk under the leadership of a fine antlered stag.
They were grazing in a mountain meadow. The stag
had the finest pair of antlers I ever saw on a live ani-
mal. I was riding with Captain Baldwin of the Fifth
Infantry (now General Baldwin) in the Wolf or Pan-
ther Mountains, Montana, and as we came to the edge
of the hill or low mountain the elk were just below us,
but too far away for a shot. Dismounting, we sat
down where we could observe them, without their see-
ing us. They were moving slowly from left to right,
stopping now and then, when the stag raised his splen-
did head and, no doubt, tested the air with his nose to

THE WAPITI OR ELK 57

ascertain if danger was near. I looked at him through
a powerful glass which brought him quite close and,
admiring him, determined to have his horns. Ahead
of him there was a rise in the ground which then
sloped gently down to the timber on the mountain
side. Taking a tree as a mark where I would be di-
rectly in front of the elk, I slipped away and made a
long detour, and when I reached my tree I dismounted
and proceeded to creep forward up the slope, exercis-
ing the utmost caution. The grass was long and
heavy and I made no noise. The wind was right.
The captain sat on the hill and observed my move-
ments and the game. When half way up the slope a
wolf sprang up from the grass in front of me and made
off. I almost put my hand on him and he gave me
quite a start ; but I was on my feet in a moment and
ran after him. The wolf quickly crossed the ridge,
and, when I reached the top, the elk had taken the
alarm and run into the woods. The captain enjoyed
the performance more than I did. I have never for-
given that wolf.

The foregoing episodes illustrate two familiar
methods of pursuing elk when they were abundant.
The shooter rode comfortably along until he dis-
covered elk signs, and then dismounting, followed the
trail into the forest and easily bagged one and often
several animals, or often got in front of the animals
when they were grazing and let them approach witliin
range. I once saw some elk standing, like antelope, on
a slight elevation in an open plain. It was evident that
they saw me, and 1 made a rush at them while they
stood and gazed, and, jumping off mv pony when

58 THE DEER FAMILY

within range, easily killed a fine animal which must
have weighed 700 pounds or more.

When the rutting season is on and the bulls are
whistling their loud challenge on the mountains, they
are less difficult to approach than at any other season.
Roosevelt has given us an account* of shooting elk at
this season at the Two-Ocean Pass in the Shoshone
Mountains, Wyoming. He describes many fine days'
sport and successful bags. His best bag was three elk,
all fine bulls, in a half day's shooting. " We went up the
steep, forest-clad mountain side, and before we had
walked an hour, heard two elk whistling ahead of us.
The woods were open and quite free from under-
growth, and we were able to advance noiselessly ; there
was no wind, for the weather was still, clear and cold.
Both of the elk were evidently very much excited, an-
swering each other continually ; they had probably
been master bulls, but had become so exhausted that
their rivals had driven them from the herds, forc-
ing them to remain in seclusion until they regained
their lost strength. As we crept stealthily forward,
the calling grew louder and louder, until we could
hear the grunting sounds with which the challenge of
the nearest ended. He was in a large wallow, which
was also a lick. When we were still sixty yards off,
he heard us, and rushed out, but wheeled and stood a
moment to gaze, puzzled by my buck-skin suit. I fired
into his throat, breaking his neck, and down he went
in a heap. Rushing in and turning, I called to Woody :
' He's a twelve pointer, but the horns are small.' As
I spoke, I heard the roar of the challenge of the other

* The Century Magazine, September, 1892.

THE WAPITI OR ELK

59

bull not two hundred yards ahead, as if in defiant an-
swer to my shot.

"Running- quietly forward, I speedily caught a
glimpse of his body. He was behind some fir-trees
about seventy yards off, and I could not see which
way he was standing, and so fired into the patch of
flank which was visible, aiming high to break the back.
My aim was true, and the huge beast crashed down-
hill through the evergreens, pulling himself on his
forelegs for fifteen or twenty rods, his hind quarters
trailing. Racing forward, I broke his neck. His ant-
lers were the finest I ever gfot.

" These two bulls lay only a couple of hundred yards
apart, on a broad game trail, which was as well beaten
as a good bridle-path. We began to skin out the
heads ; and as we were finishing, we heard another
bull challenging far up the mountain. He came nearer
and nearer, and as soon as we had ended our work,
we grasped our rifles and trotted toward him on the
game trail. He was very noisy, uttering his loud,
singing challenge every minute or two ; the trail was
so broad and firm, that we walked in perfect silence.
After going only five or six hundred yards, we got very
close indeed, and stole forward on tip-toe, listening to
the roaring music. The sound came from a steep,
narrow ravine to one side of the trail, and 1 walked
toward it with my rifle at the ready. A slight puff
gave the elk my wind, and he dashed out of the
ravine like a deer ; but he was only thirty yards off,
and my bullet went into his shoulder as he passed be-
hind a clump of young spruce. I plunged into the
ravine, scrambled out of it, and raced after him. In a

6o THE DEER FAMILY

minute I saw him standing with drooping head and
two more shots finished him. He also bore fine ant-
lers. It was a great piece of luck to get three such
fine bulls at the cost of half a day's light work ; but we
had fairly earned them, having worked hard for ten
days, through rain, cold, hunger and fatigue, to no
purpose. That evening my home-coming to camp,
with three elk tongues and a brace of ruffed grouse
hung at my belt, was most happy."

Since the account of the hunt was written, Two-
Ocean Pass has been included in the National Forest
Reserve. As the reader may well imagine, it is a
good place for elk.

Elk shooting formerly was much like mule-deer
shooting. It was little or no trouble to shoot an ani-
mal the size of a horse, and before the elk came to
know what the sound of a gun meant, it was not diffi-
cult to get within range of them. They have been
coursed with stag-hounds and greyhounds, when they
were a plains animal, and this must have been fine
sport indeed. I have followed these dogs on the great
limitless plains, in pursuit of antelope and wolves,
but have never used them on elk.

There is but one method of elk-shooting to-day —
still-hunting, and the man who gets his elk has some-
thing to be proud of. Like the black-tail deer the elk
are less numerous and far more wary than they were a
few years ago, and the shooter must make a long jour-
ney with a pack-train into the woods, and then make a
very careful stalk to procure the antlers of an elk.
There are now some excellent guides in the West, and
these will usually place the sportsman in sight of his

THE WAPITI OR ELK 6i

game, provided he has the endurance for a long trip
into the mountains and sufilicient knowledge to silently
stalk a deer. In most of the States where there are any
elk the bag limit is now one animal to a gun in a
season. This is right. One is enough, now that the
game has become scarce. After all, the journey into
wild mountain fastnesses, with camps beside crystal
lakes and tumbling mountain brooks, where enough
wood-grouse of three varieties (the ruffed-grouse,
black-grouse, and blue-grouse) may be shot in an
afternoon to keep the camp in meat, and where every
pool is full of trout of large size, is more important
than the game. One can well afford to go several
times to get an elk and be well repaid for his trip,
until at last he will bring out the greatest trophy
known to American sportsmen. A head to-day is
worth more than it was when the writer began to
shoot. It represents a great deal more to the s{)orts-
man who has taken it in " fair chase."

The sportsman who desires to shoot an elk must to-
day travel as far west as the Rocky Mountain region
unless he belongs to a club. Only five States, besides
Pennsylvania, permit the shooting of these animals at
any season, and Pennsylvania may be excluded since it
has no elk. The law in Pennsylvania reminds us of a
law in Ohio which protected the wild pigeons at all
seasons long after the birds were extinct.

The States in which elk may be shot arc, in the
order of their desirability, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho,
Washington, and South Dakota.

The first three States are much benefited by the
great national preserve — the Yellowstone Park. Thou-

62 THE DEER FAMILY

sands of the elk which are bred in the park wander out
into the surrounding territory, and animals, no doubt,
which are bred outside find a refuge in the park at
times. If I am rightly informed there are not many
elk left in South Dakota. A great part of the State is
open prairie or plains country and bad-lands, where
there is no cover, and where the cover is absent it is
useless to look for elk to-day. The elk in Washington
live in vast forests where, I am informed, it is difficult to
find and approach them.

Outside the United States the elk may be shot in
Manitoba and the Northwest Territories. There are
not many elk left in Manitoba. They are fairly abun-
dant in many places in the British Rocky Mountain
regions.

In a recent paper in Field and Stream, "Where to Go
for Elk," we are told that South Dakota demands a
license of twenty-five dollars from non-residents, and
one dollar from residents ; Montana has a twenty-five-
dollar non-resident license ; Wyoming a fifty-dollar
license ; Manitoba a twenty-five-dollar license. Each
of these States has a kill-limit : — Montana, two bucks ;
South Dakota, one elk ; Wyoming, two elks ; Mani-
toba, two bucks, but deer, moose, antelope, and cari-
bou come under the same section, and the law reads,
"or take more in all than two of such animals;" hence
the man after elk had better leave deer alone in Mani-
toba. In the same paper, it is stated that "a licensed
guide is required in all three of the States, but that is
no hardship, certainly, for guides are essentials, and it
is proper that the State should see that they are re-
liable, and will prevent infringements of the very

THE WAPITI OR ELK 63

necessary laws." . . . . " Many guides will undertake
providing the entire outfit, outside of guns, ammuni-
tion, rods and tackle. We lately had a prospectus
issued by one of the Montana outfitting guides, and it
well illustrates what these men are prepared to do.
He provides wagons, cots, chairs, saddle-horses, takes
along a large mess-wagon, with a big cooking-range ;
and here is luxury indeed: 'The dining-tablc is made
in sections so that it can be enlarged. This is covered
with a table-cloth, the dishes and cups are all enamelled
granite, and the silverware is of the Rogers make.
Each sleeping-bag is equipped with three pairs of
heavy woollen blankets, two comforters, a cotton
blanket for a sheet, and a pillow. Parties are not re-
quired to make their beds, as I have help for that pur-
pose. Hot and cold water is also served at each tent
each morning or at any time when wanted.'

'' This guide undertakes the getting of all supplies,
and adds, ' I will carry anything my patrons suggest
except fresh meat, and that only because plenty of fish,
sage-hens, and game in season can be got at all times.* "
Table-cloths, sheets, pillows, and silver. How lovely
this sounds to those of us who have slept in the rain
with one blanket or none at all!

In some of the States all the guides are game-wardens,
and are required to file a report stating the number
and kind of game-animals killed by their patrons, and
the sportsman therefore goes to the woods accompanied
by an officer to see that he does no wrong— possibly to
arrest him on the spot. In this instance, however, the
law seems to sanction the giving of money to an ofllicer.
Upon a number of my shooting-trips in the Rocky

64 THE DEER FAMILY

Mountain region I was the guest of officers of the
army who travelled even more comfortably than as
above suggested. We had an ambulance to ride in,
when tired of the saddle ; escort-wagons for the trunks,
and camp-chests which contained china and glass for
the table. We had cots from the hospital and many
handsome rugs for floor-coverings. We sipped cham-
pagne from the proper glasses at the bottom of the
Black Canyon of the Big Horn, and had, besides the
game and fish, many canned vegetables and fruits from
the commissary, good soups, good coffee, and sometimes
hot bread. I have tried roughing it with only a pair
of blankets. I have tried wet grass without blankets
on cold nights, and am free to say that for a permanent
camp I prefer the army style, and am satisfied with it.
Short trips into the mountains and a few stormy nights
on the ground without shelter supply all the "roughing
it" I require.

The elk, as I have observed, are splendid animals
for the game-preserve, and will do very well in any of
the States, provided they have enough to eat and
are not shot off too close. Not long ago, shortly after
four elk were liberated in the Adirondacks, three
of them were found dead, having no doubt been shot
for sport by some scoundrel who was afraid to claim
them and left them on the ground where they fell. In
a recent note in Field and Stream the editor says that
" it is fortunate that the supply of elk in the Adiron-
dacks has not to rely upon the single doe which escaped
death, for on the previous Wednesday Paul Smith
received a present from Wyoming of two car-loads of
elk, to the number of forty-three, for liberation in his

THE WAPITI OR ELK 65

" forty-thousand-acre preserve." Some time before his
death Mr. W. C. Whitney notified Dr. F. E. Kendall,
of Saranac Lake, that he was about shipping him a
car-load of elk to be distributed as he saw fit.

Sportsmen will be gratified if both the elk and moose
are restored to the magnificent North Woods, and are
watching these experiments with interest.

V

THE MOOSE

AS we have already observed, the moose suffers by
comparison with the wapiti or elk — only in
beauty, however. He is even larger than the elk and
will measure, sometimes, over six feet at the withers.
A recent specimen from Alaska measured six feet, four
and one-half inches. The moose is about the same
beast as the Scandinavian elk. If our moose is an
elk, the picture of a moose in my little girl's geogra-
phy is correctly labelled "Elk"; but our elk must
be somethinor so that it is reallv best to talk about
going wapiti-shooting in the future, when we go
in pursuit of the animals which were formerly elks.
The natural history of these moose and elk has always
had a charming, labyrinthine quality, equalled by
that of no other animal save the white goat. As we
shall see later, the natural history of the latter animal is
simply delightful to those who love puzzles and variety.
Mr. Madison Grant has pointed out some matters relat-
ing to the early natural history of the elk-moose or
moose-elk, which indicate that the beast had a good
start in a literary way.

" Its upper lip is extremely large, for which reason
it is obliged to go backward when grazing; other-
wise, by moving onward, the lip would get doubled

66

THE MOOSE 6y

up."* Anyone familiar with the moose's lip will not
blame Pliny much. Again: "It is not unlike the elk,
but has no joints in the hind legs. Hence it never lies
down, but reclines against a tree while it sleeps; it can
only be taken by previously cutting into the tree, and
thus laying a trap for it, as, otherwise, it would escape
through its swiftness."t

Mr. Grant says the strange stiffness of joint and gen-
eral ungainliness of the elk, how^ever, were matters
of such general observation as to apparently have
become embodied in the German name eland, sufferer.
Curiously enough, this name eland was taken by
the Dutch to South Africa, and there applied to
the largest and handsomest of the bovine antelopes,
Oreas carma.X It is lucky that the Africans coming to
America have not applied the names oreas or eland to
our moose.

Mr. Grant tells us, in the same report, that the name
moose is an Algonquin name, meaning a wood-eater, or
browser, and is most appropriate, since the animal is
pre-eminently a creature of the thick woods. The old-
world term, elk, was applied by the English settlers,
probably in Virginia, to the wapiti-deer, an animal
very closely related to the red deer of Europe. In
Canada one sometimes hears the moose spoken of as
the elk, and even in tlie I'locky Mountain region one
sometimes hears of the "flat-horned elk." We are for-
tunate in possessing a native name for this animal, and

* Pliny's Natural History, Book VIII, Chapter XIV.
t Ilnd. 15ook \' 1 1 1 . ( haplcr XVI.

} The Moose, in the Seventh Report of the New York State Forest, Fish,
and (jame Commission.

68 THE DEER FAMILY

it can only create confusion to call it by any other
name than moose.*

Comparing the moose with the common deer, Grin-
nell says the very name Virginia deer is symbolical of
elegance and beauty of motion, while, on the other
hand, the moose is huge, ungainly, and in most of its
movements awkward. With a head more hideous than
that of a mule, a neck so short that it cannot reach the
ground, legs of immense length, and huge horns shaped
like coal-shovels, it is as far as possible from being
graceful or attractive.

" But regard it with the hunter's eye, as, when
startled, it dashes along with swinging trot, crashing
through the forest and making the dead sticks snap and
fly in its impetuous career, taking in its stride, without
any apparent effort, the great, fallen logs that lie in its
course, and in a moment disappearing, shadow-like,
among the bare tree-trunks in the distance, and it will
be acknowledged that if not a graceful, it is at least a
grand, animal."

The color of the moose varies from a light brown
to a dark Vandyke brown which appears almost
black. The Alaskan moose are said to be the dark-
est. They are the largest and have the finest antlers.
A magnificent moose-country is there now fairly ac-
cessible, and it is well that the Congress of the United
States has passed a good game-law for that territory,
which is referred to later.

The moose has tremendous palmate and wide-spread-
ing horns. The bull, the first year, like the elk, has a

* The Moose, in the Seventh Report of the New York State Forest, Fish,
and Game Commission. All is well, as Mr. Grant says, if we let this animal
have the name moose and call the others the American elk or wapiti.

THE MOOSE 69

spike, and the palmation begins the third year, and for
a number of years the horns are larger every year.
Moose-antlers are measured from point to point ; the
value is said to depend upon the spread. The head
owned by the artist, the late Albert Bicrstadt, meas-
ured sixty-four and a quarter inches. Mr. Grant says
the best head he remembers from the Ottawa district
measured nearly six feet in extreme breadth. It is safe
to assume that a little short of six feet is the extreme
width of an eastern head.* The moose of the Rocky
Mountains, from Wyoming to the Alaskan boundary,
have relatively small antlers, f The great Alaskan
moose has the largest and most massive antlers. Mr.
Hornaday in his "Natural History":}: gives us a pic-
ture of the antlers of an Alaskan moose, killed on the
Kenai Peninsula by Dall De Weese, which have a spread
of sixty-eight inches. The demand for moose-heads
caused them to bring good prices, and the moose in
Alaska suffered accordingly. Mr. Hornaday sa3's:

" Until the enactment of the national law of 1902 for
the preservation of wild-animal life in Alaska, the huge
antlers of the moose of Alaska threatened to cause the
annihilation of the species in Ihc territory. 'Record
heads' and 'record antlers' began to be sought for
by those who were able to buy them at high prices,
and very promptly moose-killing for heads and horns
became an established industry. The unfortunate fact

* Mr. George Brown, of Boiestown, secured a record head in New liruns-
wick last fall. The spread is sixty-seven inches. — Field and Streatn.

t Seventh Report <-f the New York State Forest, Fish, and Game Com-
mission.

\ The American Natural History.

70 THE DEER FAMILY

that, in many portions of southwestern Alaska, moose
were easily found and killed, bore heavily against them.
The Kenai Peninsula partook of the character of a
moose 'preserve,' in everything save preservation.

"In 1902, through the combined efforts of naturalists
and sportsmen, Congress enacted a law for the protec-
tion of the wild animals of Alaska, very wisely charged
the Secretary of Agriculture with its enforcement,
and vested him with wide discretionary power. It
was a great day for big game, and for all persons inter-
ested in the preservation of our grandest wild animals,
when the fauna of Alaska came under the protection
of Drs. C. Hart Merriam and T. S. Palmer, of the
United States Biological Survey, who are specially
charged with the enforcement of the Alaska game-law.
The killing of moose for salable heads promptly de-
creased. Excepting by prospectors and natives in
great need of food, no moose, white sheep, goat, cari-
bou, or big brown bear may be killed in close season
without a special license signed by the Secretary of
Agriculture ; nor can any skins, heads, or antlers of
protected game be transported from Alaska without
permits."*

The moose inhabits the northern forests, being
chiefly found north of the United States. There are
some moose in Maine — more now, under good game-
laws, than there were a score of years ago — but not
nearly so many as appear in railway-guides and hotel-
prospectuses. There are moose in the Rocky Moun-
tain forests of the northwestern United States, but
they are nowhere very abundant. The moose was, not

* Hornaday, The American Natural History.

THE iMOOSE 71

long ago, found in the Adirondacks, but they have
become extinct there. There has been a recent move-
ment to restore them and I hope it will succeed.
Moose are found in the swamps of northern Min-
nesota. The best moose-grounds, both for the abun-
dance of the game and its size, are in Alaska and some
portions of British America. Mr. Grant gives us the
following exhaustive account of the moose-range :

" The range of the moose in North America is of
enormous extent, from Nova Scotia in the extreme
east, throughout Canada and certain of the northern
United States, to the limits of tree-growth in the west
and nm-th of Alaska. Throughout this vast extent of
territory but two species are recognized, the common
moose, Alces aniericanus, and the Alaskan moose, Alces
gigas, of the Kenai Peninsula ; but it is probable that
further exploration will bring to light another species
near the head waters of the Liard River and the Cas-
siar Mountains of British Columbia, and still another
farther north in the neighborhood of the Colville
River.

" Taking up this range in detail, the Nova Scotia
moose are to-day distinctly smaller than their kin in
Ontario, but are very numerous when the settled char-
acter of the country is taken into consideration. I
have seen very few good antlers come from this dis-
trict, and in my opinion the race there is showing
decided signs of deterioration. These remarks apply,
but with less force, to New Brunswick and to Maine,
where the moose, though larger than the Nova Scotia
animal, are distinctly inferior to those of the region
north of the Great Lakes. This is probably due to

72 THE DEER FAiMILY

killing off the big bulls, thus leaving the breeding to
be done by the smaller and weaker bulls ; and also to
inbreeding.

" In Maine the moose originally abounded, but by
the middle of the last century they were so reduced
in numbers as to be almost a rare animal. Thanks to
very efficient game-laws, backed by an intelligent public
opinion, moose have greatly increased during the last
few years in Maine and also in New Brunswick. Their
habits have been modified, as we shall see later, but as
far as the numbers of moose and deer are concerned,
the protection of game in Maine has been a brilliant
example to the rest of the country. During the same
period, however, caribou have nearly vanished.

" Moose were found by the settlers in New Hamp-
shire and Vermont, appearing occasionally, as mi-
grants onh% in the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts.
In the State of New York, the Catskills appear to have
been their extreme southern limit in the East; but they
disappeared from this district more than a century
ago.

" In the Adirondacks, or the North Woods, as they
were formerly called, moose abounded among the
hard-wood ridges and lakes. This was the great hunt-
ing-country of the Six Nations. Here, too, many of
the Canadian Indians came for their winter supply
of moose-meat and hides. The rival tribes fought
over these hunting-grounds, much in the same manner
as the northern and southern Indians warred for the
control of Kentucky.

" Going westward in the United States we find no
moose until we reach the northern peninsula of Michi-

THE MOOSE 73

gan and northern Wisconsin, where moose were once
numerous. They are still abundant in northern Min-
nesota, where the country is extremely well suited to
their habits. Then there is a break, caused by the
great plains, until we reach the Rocky Mountains.
They are found along the mountains of western Mon-
tana and Idaho as far south as the northwest corner
of Wyoming, in the neighborhood of the Yellowstone
Park, the Tetons and the Wind River Mountains
being their southern limit in this section.

" The moose of the Western mountains are relatively
small animals, with simple antlers, as compared with
the Ontario moose. Western moose have adapted
themselves to mountain-living, in striking contrast to
their brethren in the East, and are considered by the
Western hunters to be typical rock-animals, in places
nearly as much so as the big-horn.

" North of the Canadian boundary we may start with
the curious fact that the great peninsula of Labrador,
which seems to be in every way a suitable locality for
moose, has always been devoid of them. There is no
record of their ever appearing east of the Saguenay
River, and this fact accounts for their absence from
Newfoundland, which received its faima from the
north by way of Labrador, and not from the west by
way of Cape Breton. Newfoundland is well adapted
for a moose-range, and a number of individuals have
been turned loose there without as yet any apparent
results. Systematic and persistent effort, however, in
this direction should be successful.

" South of the St. Lawrence River, the peninsula of
Gasp6 was once a favorite range, but they were nearly

74 THE DEER FAMILY

killed off in the early '6o's by hide-hunters. Farther
west they are found in small numbers on both banks of
the St. Lawrence, well back from the settlements, until
on the north shore we reach Trois Rividres, west of
which they become more numerous.

" The upper Ottawa and Lake Kippewa region has
been a grand moose-country in recent years, so far as
the size of the antlers is concerned, but the moose
are now rapidly pushing farther north. Twenty-five
years ago they first appeared, coming from the south,
probably from the Muskoka Lake country, into which
they may have migrated in turn from the Adirondacks.
This northern movement has been going on steadily
within the knowledge of the writer. Ten years ago the
moose were practically all south and east of Lake Kip-
pewa, now they are nearly all north of that lake, and
extend nearly, if not quite, to the shores of James Bay.
How far to the west of that they have spread we do
not know ; but it is probable that they are reoccupy-
ing the range lying between the shores of Lake Supe-
rior and James Bay, which was long abandoned.
Northwest of Lake Superior, throughout Manitoba,
and far to the north is a region heavily wooded and
studded with lakes, constituting a practically untouched
moose-country.

"No moose, of course, are found in the plain country
of Assiniboia, Saskatchewan, and Alberta ; but east, in
Keewatin, and to the north, in Athabasca, northern
British Columbia, and northwest into Alaska, we have
an unbroken range, in which moose are scattered
everywhere. They are increasing wherever their
ancient foe, the Indian, is dying off, and where white

THE MOOSE 75

hunters do not pursue too persistently. In this entire
region, from the Ottawa in the East to the Kenai Pen-
insula in the far West, moose are retiring toward the
North before the advance of civilization, and are every-
where occupying the new country.

"The moose of Maine and the maritime provinces
occupy a relatively small area, surrounded on all sides
by settlements, which prevent the animals from leaving
the country when civilization encroaches. In this dis-
trict their habits have been greatly modified. They
do not show the same fear of the sound of the rifle or
the smell of fire, or even the scent of human footsteps,
as in the wilder portions of the country. In conse-
quence of this change of habit, it is tlirficult for a
hunter, whose experience is limited to Maine or the
maritime provinces, to appreciate how very shy and
wary a moose can be."*

Although the moose is always found in woods he is
not found in all the woods. He has a decided prefer-
ence for dark, swampy, solitary, and almost inacces-
sible forests, where he has the best chance of escaping
his intelligent enemy. In this he differs from the elk,
which prefers higher and dryer ground. There is no
country more difficult to hunt in than that inhabited
by the moose. There is probably no animal more dif-
ficult to capture by " fair chase," and the immense
trophy is prized accordingly by sportsmen.

The following record of the shipment of moose over
the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad in Maine shows
that the moose are fairly plentiful, and that many

•Madison Grant in Seventh Report of the New York State Forest, Fish,
and Game Commission.

-je THE DEER FAMILY

sportsmen are annually rewarded for their labor in
pursuing this difficult quarry in Maine.

The number shipped during the months of October,
November, and December is as follows:*

Oct. Nov. Dec. Total.

1894 24 8 13 45

1895 53 21 38 112

1896 79 19 35 133

1897 55 37 47 139

1898 71 77 54 202

1899 80 63 23 166

1900 83 63 64 210

1901 99 97 63 259

1902 68 no 66 244

The largest shipments were from these points:
Masardis, 66; Patten, 26; Norcross, 22; Grenville, 14;
and Ashland, 10. Many white-tail deer were shipped
from the same places, Masardis furnishing no less than
559 in the years named.

It is very evident from the manner in which the
moose is built that he was not intended for a grazing
animal. His extremely long legs and short neck make
it almost impossible for him to eat grass. When he
desires to eat from the ground, he must spread out his
forelegs in a wide, awkward fashion. Like the white-
tail deer, with which he associates beside the marshy
woodland lakes and streams, he is fond of lily-stems
and marsh-plants, and wades into the water for these.
When it was legal to shoot deer and moose in the sum-
mer, they were more easily taken from boats, which
moved silently about on the water by day and on
moonlight nights. The open season for moose in
Maine now begins October 15th and ends December

* In the Maine Woods. Bangor and Aroostook Railroad, publishers.

THE MOOSE T!

I St.* In Canada the season is also a short fall season,
from September 15th to January ist in New Bruns-
wick, Nova Scotia, and Manitoba — a little longer in
some of the other provinces, and in Alaska moose may
only be shot from September ist to October 31st, and
the bag-limit is two male moose over one year old.
There has been a shortening of the season for all big
game everywhere, and it is largely due to such legis-
lation that we have any big game left.

Since the moose frequent dark, swampy valleys,
where it is often impossible to approach them, there
are many places where they remain absolutely safe, so
long as they do not come out to the edges of the
swamps, where the hunter has some chance for a shot.
The nature of the ground prevents a successful stalk,
and the moose has a wonderful nose and can hear the
slightest noise. When alarmed, he goes off at a rapid
trot, and usually travels for miles without a halt, and
then is alert to ascertain if he is pursued. Old moose-
hunters think nothing of following a moose for days,
camping on his trail, but it requires an expert to follow
the trail, and few city sportsmen care to keep at it for
days at a time, sleeping far away from their camp, and
enduring the hardships which attend such procedure.

The moose plunges into any lake or stream, and
swims readily and for great distances. He has been
kodaked, as well as shot, in the water many times.
Monogamous, or nearly so, the moose differs much
from the elk in this regard. During the rut the bulls

* The cow and calf-moose are protected at all times. The term "calf-
moose " refers to young animals until they are one year old, and have at
least two prongs or tines to their horns.

78 THE DEER FAMILY

wander about through the woods and sound a chal-
lenge, which is different in sound from the loud, shrill
whistle of the elk. It is best described as a roar, and
once heard will be remembered. The bulls fight
viciously at this season. The cows answer the call of
the bulls, and the Indians and guides imitate the call
of the female to bring the bulls within shooting dis-
tance. There is some difference of opinion, which will
be referred to later, as to whether the bull is deceived
by the Indian's horn, which is made of birch-bark.
The young are easily tamed and playful, but, like all
deer, they are not safe pets as they grow older.
Judge Caton, who observed the deer much, and kept
large numbers of them in his park in Illinois, says that
the wild deer run away, usually, since they are afraid
of man. Domesticated or partly domesticated animals,
having lost their fear of man, are not afraid to attack
him. An elk killed a trespasser crossing the judge's
park. Grinnell saw a young moose in the Yellow-
stone country, which spent much of the time in the
brush, but came when called, provided it was hungry.

The moose naturally feed much in the morning and
evening, and the best time to look for them is therefore
before nine or ten o'clock in the morning or late in the
afternoon. They move some distance, circle about,
and lie down in the middle of the day to sleep and
ruminate. They are difficult to find and approach at
such times. Where much persecuted they no doubt
feed more by night.

The flesh of the moose is excellent, but coarser than
and not so good as that of the other deer.

In the winter the moose gather in small bands, and

THE MOOSE 79

are said to "yard up." Having selected a place where
food is plentiful, they remain in it, tramping down the
deep snow. It was formerl}- the practice to seek them
at such times on snow-shoes, and when a " yard " was
discovered the whole band were often easily exter-
minated. The animals breaking through the crust on
the snow were easily overtaken and clubbed to death,
or killed with a knife. The pursuit of moose on deep,
crusted snow is called " crusting," and is, of course,
unsportsmanlike. The Boone and Crockett Club has
declared against this method as not being within the
term "fair chase," and it is now unlawful so to take
them. In fact, the open season now ends before the
time when "crusting" is possible.

The most familiar method of capture is by " calling,"
which has already been referred to. Many of the
guides are expert at imitating the call of the moose, or
at least are able to bring the bull within shot by mak-
ing a noise which, it is supposed, the bull mistakes for
the call of a cow. Under the rule of the Boone and
Crockett Club this method, also, is not " fair chase,"
although, it is safe to say, more moose have been taken
in this way than in any other.

Mr. A. J. Stone, a talented moose-hunter, says : " I
wish to correct a general impixssion that the bull-
moose can be called by the use of the birch-bark horn
in the belief that he is approaching a female. No bull
was half so stupid. Such a thing is entirc^ly unreason-
able. He is simply attracted by the unusual sound,
and being extremely curious, endeavors to locate the
meaning of this strange thing in his home. The
pounding on a tree with a club by the Tahetan or

80 THE DEER FAMILY

Kaska Indians in northwest British Columbia (among
the best moose-hunters in America), or pounding the
willows with a dry shoulder-blade of the animal by the
Liard River Indians, will serve exactly the same pur-
pose, or almost any other unusual noise would bring
the bull within the sound just as readily. There is no
animal in the world whose sense of hearing is more
acute, and no hunter with any knowledge of the moose
will call it stupid ; yet hunters tell how their guide
brought up a bull by imitating the call of a cow. How
many of these hunters ever heard the call of a cow-
moose, to give them authority to decide how perfectly
the birch-bark horn in the hands of their guide imitated
the cow's call ? " *

Mr. Caspar Whitney, the editor of Outing, says that
Mr. Stone's opinion on this subject differs from that of
experienced hunters. " There is convincing evidence
that the bull is deceived into believing the horn to be
the call of the cow." And he adds: "The cow's call
is quite familiar to those who have had much calling
experience in the Maine woods."

No doctors at a bedside, no court of last resort, ever
split more evenly than these sportsmen. Both furnish
evidence to support their opinions ; but I believe Mr.
Whitney is right. The consensus of opinion seems to
support him.

There can be no doubt that the question is full of
difficulties quite equal to those which have disturbed
the noted psychologists. We must first determine
what is in Mr. Bull's mind — what he thinks.

The fact that moose respond to the pounding of the

* "The Deer Family."

THE MOOSE 8i

willows with the shoulder-blade proves nothing. It is
an old trick of deer-hunters to rap discarded antlers
together, or even two stones, to indicate to any deer
within sound that a fight is in progress and to invite
him to look in, if he wants some of it or the favor
which may belong to the winner. I think the buck
thinks in that case that there is " something doing "
in the glen. But what Mr. Bull Moose thinks (when
he hears some of the amateurs, who imagine they can
call), no one knows. My opinion is that when he hears
an expert caller he thinks a cow is near and that when
he hears an amateur he just wonders what that noise
is. In the latter case I believe he more often goes the
wrong way.

Mr. Grant, who is probably the best all-around
moose-hunter in America, says on this subject, that
"in Maine and New Brunswick, the animals answer
the birch-horn, under the impression that it is the call of
the cow. This calling is usually done in the evening
by lake or marsh ; but in Nova Scotia, daybreak on a
barren is a favorite hour and place. Personally I have
not much confidence in calling, and rely generally on
trailing ; but bulls certainly are killed in this manner,
although it seems that the young bulls are much more
apt to answer the call than the larger and more wary
animals. In Nova Scotia it seems to be a well-au-
thenticated fact that bear have been shot by moose-
callers, the bear apparently sneaking up to seize the
supposed cow. If this be true, it must be a very rare
occurrence, and is certainly the only time I have ever
heard that adult moose are attacked by bears."*

* Seventh Report of the New York State Forest, Fish, and Game Com-
mission.

82 THE DEER FAMILY

Dr. George McAleer, an experienced moose-hunter,
says: "During the rutting period in the early part of
the open season, the bulls are wild with passion and
daily roam many miles, seeking the society of the cows,
whose low bellowing, in the unbroken stillness of the
woods and beside placid lakes, is heard a long dis-
tance at early dawn and in the evening twilight. The
skilful guide so clearly imitates these seductive notes
upon a horn made of birch-bark as to deceive the most
wary bull, who is attracted within close range, only to
receive the death-dealing bullet instead of the blandish-
ments of the cow.

" This method of hunting moose is not now so popu-
lar as formerly. It is thought to savor too much of
barn-yard slaughter, as unworthy of the manly sports-
man, and as taking undue advantage of the blind in-
stinct of the moose. Others consider it not above
jacking deer, now so out of favor, and predict its early
condemnation and discontinuance, as not sanctioned by
the higher canons of sportsmanship."*

The following description of calling a moose will
give the reader an excellent idea of this method of
capture :

A party of sportsmen were in camp beside Cobocong
Lake. " The infinite peace of the October evening, the
solemnity and mystery of the looming forest of gloomy
hemlock, and the beauty of the dim, spreading lake,
hushed the words upon our lips and lifted our hearts
to song within us.

" Suddenly a deep sound boomed through the sombre
recesses of the woods — a long, plangent bellow. It died

* Field and Stream, October, 1903.

THE MOOSE 83

away, and a great hush brooded over the forest, but the
roar still rang in our ears. We sprang to our feet. It
was a bull-moose calling to his mate.

"Up rose a big crimson moon, glowing with rosy fire.
The bellow rumbled again across the wilderness and
we listened intently for the response of the cow, but
no wailing answer shivered through the sleeping forest.
Our hearts beat hot with the lust of the hunter. ' Boys,'
said old John Markham, ' that bull is our meat.'

"Wetting out the fire, we stole through the pitchy
gloom of the woods to Shallow Lake, a small pond
about a quarter of a mile from our camp. Holmes
and I carried our rifles, and Markham his birch-bark
horn, a small megaphone made of a sheet of bark about
sixteen inches square. At the small end it is an inch
in diameter, at the larger end, six inches, and is tied
around with spruce-roots.

"Slowly the lifting moon rolled above the tree-tops,
changed to a dull gold, and sailed high among the
clustered stars, paling to silver. The brilliant radiance
varnished the still oval of the little pond, and brightly
lit its spruce-palisaded shores. At the head of the
pond a broad beach of yellow sand, bathed in moon-
light, sloped gently to the water's edge. Behind this,
in the indigo shadow of a mighty hemlock, we took
position. As we did so, a gust of wind stirred the air,
shivered the silver mirror of the pond, and mourned in
the woods.

"Again the bull-moose in his passion bellowed wist-
fully and the deep, hoarse sound reverberated through
the shadowy colonnades of the woods. We judged that
the bull was not more than half a mile away, and Mark-

84 THE DEER FAMILY

ham raised the horn to his lips and upon the waiting
silence arose the call of the moose-cow. Soft and low
at first, a tremulous, whimpering, sobbing wail, it
swelled into a great wave of sound, vibrant with eager
longing, then ebbing fainter, fainter, fainter, it died
away.

"Intently we listened. The forest stirred with a
vague unrest, and we seemed to hear soft murmurings
and whisperings, and the sighing of a thousand sleep-
ers. Far away a wolf bayed like a hound. . .
' He's coming,' whispered old Markham, and we felt
the heat of savage exultation. The bull grunted.
Lifting the horn, Markham answered him with a short,
coaxing bellow. The animal grunted again. Appar-
ently without a touch of suspicion, he was approaching
rapidly from the foot of the lake, following the narrow
arc of sand-beach. Our fingers crooked on the trig-
gers. Soon we heard the hollow thudding of his
swinging hoofs on the hard sand. But within twenty-
five yards, just out of sight from the place where we
stood, he halted. Markham dropped upon his knees,
laid down the horn and rapidly snatched up handfuls of
the short grass. The sound was that of a cow grazing.
It reached the sharp ears of the listening moose and
reassured him. Into the moon-glare he rushed, a
splendid beast to look upon. Against the moonlit
beach his immense bulk and enormous head with
its magnificent antlers loomed twice their natural
size.

" We were filled with admiration, but the desire to
kill burned within us. The steady rifle-nozzles jetted
flame as we pressed the triggers. The great bub

THE MOOSE 85

stumbled forward and his huge body thudded on the
sand."*

Mr. Grant says that in the Western mountains
moose-calling is practically unknown, although a sub-
stitute is found by making any unusual noise, such as is
produced by rapping a tree twice with an axe, in imita-
tion of the double cough or short call of the bull, or by
beating alders with a stick to imitate the antlers thrash-
ing in the bushes. These contrivances sometimes at-
tract the attention of a bull who is close at hand, and
bring him out into the open. Calling in Maine, how-
ever, will always be a popular but unsportsmanlike
means of hunting the moose ; unsportsmanlike, because
everything depends upon the guide and nothing on
the hunter, the only skill required of the hunter being
the ability to sit still on a very wet log or on very cold
ground. Whatever shooting is done is at close range
and in the dusk.

It is too much, however, to ask of the average sports-
man, who escapes from his desk for a couple of weeks
in the w'oods, to show the skill and endurance neces-
sary even to follow the guide while the latter trails
hour after hour through wet leaves or soft snow, to
say nothing of camping on the tracks. In fact, few
men do it, and it not infrequently happens that the
actual killing is done by the guide. No true sports-
man, of course, allows his guide to carry a rifle; but
even then many moose have been killed by the sports-
man's rifle in the guide's hands.

This matter of calling moose is important to sports-
men and high-priced guides, who are paid on account

♦ Field a?id Stream.

86 THE DEER FAMILY

of their ability to call the bulls within easy range. It
will not be long, however, before the matter is of no
importance whatever, since leading sportsmen, as I
have observed, now do not regard the calling of a
moose to the gun as good sportsmanship. When a
skilful guide calls a huge animal, much larger than a
horse, within a few feet of the gun, it is no very diffi-
cult matter to hit it. The calling is also done at night,
and most sportsmen are opposed to night shooting.

All sportsmen and writers agree that the moose is
able to, and often does, slip away from the still-hunter
silently like a rabbit, making little or no noise in going.
Mr. Stone says if the moose recognizes that it has been
observed it does not endeavor to conceal its move-
ments ; but that it can run through woods and all sorts
of tangles without so much as snapping a twig. Hunt-
ers have been injured by charging moose, deer, and
elk, but the animals usually try to get away, and are not
dangerous. A wounded animal, when cornered, will
fight, and a moose has been known to charge a hunter
when not cornered, but he does not do so as often as is
generally believed.

There has been some discussion as to whether a
moose will repeatedly charge if he fails to strike his
enemy at the first onrush. That he sometimes charges
more than once is evidenced by the following story:
Mr. Charles Jacobus, while on a canoe-trip in the
forests of Lower Canada, with Dr. Stephen Griggs, of
Brooklyn, was told by their guide, an experienced
trapper and woodsman, of being charged by a moose
which he had wounded.

The guide referred to was returning one day from a

THE MOOSE 87

visit to his line of traps, when, walking rapidly over a
little rise of ground, he suddenly came upon an im-
mense bull-moose lying down in the forest. A shot
from his gun, which was loaded with heavy buck-shot,
brought the moose stunned and wounded to the
ground. Drawing his hunting-knife, the guide sprang
forward to cut the animal's throat, "when, presto!
like a dash of cold water, the prick of the cold
steel apparently revived the moose, who jerked back
his head, and in a moment, as if that immense corpo-
rosity had been filled with powerful springs of steel,
regained his feet. Pete jumped suddenly backward,
and Mr, Man and Mr. Moose were thus brought
by this unique introduction face to face. A snort
followed as a blast evidently betokening war, and
without waiting for Pete to get ready for defence, the
moose in his anger, doubtless goaded by pain, rushed
to the spot where the guide had, more quickly than
ever before, gained a perpendicular position. Reader,
did you ever see a full-grown bull-moose? The bulls
of Bashan, the war-horses of the Orient, the excited
Amazons of fable, cannot surpass his really terrible
look. But let him be infuriated, his bristly hair stand-
ing up in a frightened way along that immense spine,
his most ungainly snout below, those mammoth horns
above, those eyeballs of most spiteful fury, and making
mighty lunges straight for you ! How would you
'comport yourself,' as the French say?

" Pete himself had never taken moose in this way
before. A few hunters have, but others have told the
tale."

Pete sprang to one side as the moose charged him,

88 THE DEER FAMILY

and cut the straps holding his bundle of furs as he ran
for a tree with the moose close behind him.

Here the moose charged the guide again and again,
but, as the story runs, " of course the side that the
moose took would be minus Peter," and the moose was
compelled to turn around to renew the affray.

Toward evening the guide made a run for another
tree, where he secured a stout shoot. To the end of
this he lashed his hunting-knife, and with this spear,
after several thrusts, he reached the neck of the moose
and killed it.*

The following episodes, from a capital story of
moose-calling sent me by the writer, the late Mr.
George Walton Green, shortly before his death, illus-
trate the delightful method of pursuing the moose by
canoe in Maine, a trick of the resourceful guide in call-
ing the game, and the strict observance of the Maine
law, which permits the killing of only one bull-moose
in a season. The story appeared in Harper s Weekly.
Mr. Green says :

" We started out one night to call, shortly after sup-
per, and paddled down Munsungan stream below the
dam at the foot of the lake. Coming round a bend we
heard an animal in the water a few rods away, ran
down on it, and I opened the jack. Half-way up the
bank I caught sight of what looked like a moose, but I
could see no horns, and did not raise my gun. To my
surprise I heard a whispered ' Shoot ! Shoot ! ' from
the stern of the canoe.

" In those early days I was instantly responsive to
any suggestion from William, and I obeyed without

* Outing, November, 1902.

THE MOOSE 89

hesitation. If he could sec horns, well and good.
There was a plunging dash of something big and
black, whose outline 1 could only dimly discover
through the thick smoke — for it was before I had be-
gun to use nitro-powder — and the rush of the big body
across the stream, and I could feel the canoe driven aft
under William's powerful strokes as he shouted : ' Give
him another ! ' Then the black mass seemed to rise
out of the water, swing round, and come plunging
straight at the jack at my elbow. The stream was only
about five feet deep with a pebbly bottom, which gave
the moose a firm foot-hold, and it came on, rearing,
plunging, and striking with its forefeet like a fighting
stallion. I could feel William straining his powerful
muscles to snub and turn the canoe, while his warning
shout came sharp and strenuous, ' Shoot ! Shoot ! '

" But the fog of mist and smoke was too thick to
risk a random shot, and somehow I managed to hold
my fire until the animal came into the light of the jack
and almost into the boat. Even as it was, I had to
fling the rifle into my elbow and pull the trigger as we
rolled over, jumping back to get away from the jack,
and kicking the canoe forward between me and the
moose. There was a very pronounced mix-up of canoe,
moose, William, and me. I scrambled ashore to climb
a tree and get our bearings, but changed my mind and
came back. Rifle, axe, and jack had gone to the bot-
tom and the boat was upside down. But nobody was
hurt and the moose had disappeared."

The next day Mr. Green returned with William, and
they found the moose lying dead near the place where
he had charged them.

90 THE DEER FAMILY

Two years later, on Reed Pond, in the same Munsun-
gan region, Mr. Green called a moose not intending to
kill, since he had killed his bull several days before.

" Just after the third call," he says, " there came a
curious, soughing sound apparently miles away, some-
thing like the puff of a locomotive heard far off through
the woods on a clear, still night — a sort of ' o-o-o-f.'

" William whispered : ' That's a bull.' Pretty soon
the noise came again and yet again, and each time
more distinctly. Then it seemed to grow fainter and
louder by turns, but always coming from the same di-
rection. Then the ' o-o-o-fs ' ceased and presently we
heard an oddly ludicrous sort of whine. * He's got a
cow with him calling him back,' says William. This
was a new feature in my experience, and gave zest to
the episode. Pretty soon it was time to call again, and
the sonorous tones rolled out from William's mighty
chest. This started the bull again, and his answers
were prompt and vigorous. Nearer and nearer he
came until he reached the edge of the lake.

" When there he paused as if to lend one ear to the
jealous remonstrance of his consort, while he listened
with the other for the inviting temptations of novelty.
All at once — for another twenty minutes had passed,
and William's custom is to call strictly on time, even
when the bull is close at hand — the horn gave forth a
different note from anything I had ever heard, a long-
drawn coaxing whine that suggested the ' m-i-a-o-u-w '
of an amorous tomcat projected through a megaphone.
Again the bull moved toward us and stopped just
within the circling cover of the woods. Then William
filled his hat with water and slowly poured a stream

THE iMOOSE 91

upon the limpid surface of the lake. The bull came
on with a rush, pushed through the bushes, slid grunt-
ing down the bank, and stood knee-deep in the water,
as William, 'still paddling,' shoved the canoe noise-
lessly up to him and I opened the jack. There was a
full moon shining down over my right shoulder. This
and the slight mist rising from the lake made the
jack's light glow dimly, but I could see quite plainly
enough to note that the animal was a three- or four-
year-old, with fifteen prongs to a shapely set of horns,
so there was no need whatever of getting up any
closer, and when the bull lowered his head and sucked
in a long drink (as I solemnly aver, though William
says he simply drew in a deep breath to catch our
scent), and then raised his great muzzle, inflated his
nostrils with a long-drawn * w-o-o-o-f,' and took a step
toward us, I did not care to have him come any
nearer. I could see all of him I wished to see from
where I was.

" I don't know what made me glance over my right
shoulder — perhaps it was to let William know that I
appreciated his skill in putting me up so close ; but I
happened to catch sight of the moon and the jack-
stick, and the jack-stick was slowly crossing the face of
the moon — the canoe was noiselessly and impercep-
tibly gliding nearer and nearer to the bull. I whis-
pered : ' Keep away ! I don't want another moose to
get aboard the boat ! ' and I could feel the canoe shake
with William's silent, cruel laughter. This time I had
to look up, for I vow the nose of the canoe was almost
between his forelegs, and I could see the 'ruff rise
and stiffen on his hump. Mine did the same. At least

92 THE DEER FAMILY

I felt that way. It was an awkward situation for at
least two of the three of us — the bull and me. William
did not share our embarrassment in the least. He
enjoyed it. But I was between him and the bull, and
fifteen feet nearer. I slowly raised my rifle, covered
the bull's breast and whispered over my shoulder: ' If
you don't quit, I'll shoot.' I said one or two other
things, not exactly connected sentences, rather phrases
to emphasize my meaning. It was plain enough and
suggested the risk of a heavy fine and imprisonment
for violating the game-laws. The canoe shook more
than ever, but it began to move in the right direction,
dropped back, and swung slowly round until the ani-
mal passed out of the disk of light, when I quietly
raised my hand and closed the jack." *

Few sportsmen go in pursuit of moose without a
guide. A guide may be said to be absolutely neces-
sary to conduct the sportsman to the grounds, to locate
the game, to discover and follow the trail or call the
game, to recover wounded animals, and to assist in
many ways on the journey and in camp. Few sports-
men can do all these things unattended. There are
many guides, who are capable, deserving, and agree-
able as companions, who can furnish references as to
their past performances.

The sportsman who goes after elk or moose in the
Rocky Mountains more often travels with a pack-outfit,
and the guide knows how to put the packs on the ani-
mals so they will not come off. I was once travelling
on a narrow game-trail which ran up the side of a high

* It would appear from this story that the moose is not absolutely monog-
amous. He is, however, nearly so.

THE MOOSE 93

mountain. In some places it passed beneath a wall of
rock on one side and overlooked a precipice on the
other. At times the trail was so narrow that, in
riding:, one foot almost touched the wall of rock and
the other was at the edge of the precipice, where
the tops of tall pines were a hundred, or often many
hundred, feet below. While we were strung out in
single file, some rattlesnakes alarmed the leading ani-
mal, ridden by a soldier, and there was a back-down
all along the line. It was evident that at any moment
one or more of the riders or pack-animals might be
crowded off the trail. After a few moments of great
suspense and peril for all of us, one of the pack-mules
was crowded off and went spinning through the air to
the tops of the tall pines, which grew on a steep in-
cline far below. One of our men slipped off his
horse, went forward quickly, and threw the snakes off
the trail in time to prevent further damage, and we con-
tinued on our way to the top of the mountains. Some
soldiers were sent down into the canyon (it was the
Black Canyon of the Big Horn Mountains) to recover
the pack. No one expected to again see the mule alive.
But at night the soldiers reached our camp, bringing
the mule with his pack — the animal being sadly the
worse for his mishap and having much of his skin torn
off. The branches of the pines, no doubt, broke his
fall, and the pack protected his back.

When going after moose, especially in Maine, much
of the travelling is done in canoes. The guides know
how to handle them and can assist at the portage as
well as in camp; and the sportsman in the hands of a
good guide will go into the woods safely and comfort-

94 THE DEER FAMILY

ably. He will be well taken care of while there, will
not get lost, and will long remember many picturesque
camps where he dined on the wood-grouse, trout, and
the venison of the white-tailed deer, and if he be lucky,
he will have a great, antlered head, taken with his own
rifle in fair chase, to remind him of the good times in
the forest.

VI

THE MULE-DEER

FROM the sportsman's point of view the mule-deer
may be regarded as coming next to the moose
and elk. In size he is much smaller, being little, if any,
taller than the Virginia deer known as the white-tail,
the common deer of the Eastern, as well as Western,
States. Like the Virginia deer, the mule-deer vary in
size, but the difference is not so great in the latter.
Since scales are not handy in the woods but few
sportsmen give the weight of deer. Colonel Dodge,
who has had more experience with this deer than any
other writer, says he often weighs 250 pounds and that
he has heard of one that weighed 280 pounds.

The ears of the mule-deer render it unmistakable.
They are twice the size of those of the common deer
and, of course, suggested the name. It is often called
black-tail deer from its tail, which is short and has a
tuft of black hairs at the end. The name black-tail is,
however, correctly applied to another deer, found only
in the forests and mountain ranges of the Pacific Coast,
which is nearer the common Virjrinia deer in size and
weight, and which has a black tail in shape more like
that of the common deer. The mule-deer is sometimes
called burro-deer in the Southwest. The summer coat
of this deer is red. At the end of summer it takes on

95

96 THE DEER FAMILY

a winter coat and for a short time appears to be nearly
black, but later its color is a dark gray. There is a
patch of white on the rump and the head and body are
effectively marked with black. Compared with the
common deer, the mule-deer may be said to be more
stockily built or heavier in body, but his legs are slen-
der and graceful, and he is altogether a very handsome
animal. The antlers of an old buck are large and sym-
metrical ; the first antler on a young buck is usually a
spike from six to nine inches long.

The mule-deer is not so graceful when running and
not so fast as the Virginia deer. Caton says a good
dog can overtake a mule-deer on open ground much
more quickly than the white-tail. He jumps too high
for speed. Van Dyke refers to the mule-deer's bounc-
ing gait as being pretty but tiresome, and says: "All
four hoofs strike the ground with one far-sounding
thump." In the brush this deer goes smashing
through bushes at a rapid gait and easily leaves the
dog far behind.

Upon one occasion, when shooting mule-deer in the
the Rosebud Valley, Montana, a large, fat, white bull-
dog, which belonged to our cook, followed me out
of camp without my observing him, and declined to
go back. As I rode quietly around the edge of a
grove of small trees I came face to face with a very
large buck, which instantly turned and went off, bound-
ing over the ground with the bull-dog at his heels.
They went over a ridge before I had time to shoot,
and while I sat upon m)'^ pony, thinking of the ludicrous
sight, the deer came bouncing back over the ridge and
passed me within easy range. He was not going very

THE MULE-DEER 97

fast (the bull-dog was far behind) and was evidently
aware that the dog could not catch him. I fired sev-
eral shots at the buck, two of which were evidently
hio-h and the last too low, and he went on unharmed.
The dog soon came back thoroughly tired out. Dogs
have not been much used on mule-deer, but Van Dyke
agrees with Caton that they can overtake them in the
open, but not in cover. The first-named writer says
that the hounds are not serviceable in driving this deer
to the gun stationed on a run-way, since the mule-deer
goes bouncing through the woods almost anywhere
when alarmed, and takes a different course off the hill
each time. The whole subject of the use of dogs is no
longer important since the better sentiment of sports-
men is now against their use. There is, too, a legal
prohibition of the use of dogs on deer in many States,
and there should be one everywhere, since the hounding
of deer has a tendency to run them out of the country,
besides being very destructive, since deer are easily
shot in the water. A sportsman is not eligible to mem-
bership in the Boone and Crockett Club who kills his
deer with the assistance of hounds, since this method is
held by the club not to come within the meaning of the
term, " fair chase."

The Virginia deer, when running, carries its tail,
which is long, white, and very noticeable, up. The
mule-deer runs with its tail down. Judge Caton, how-
ever, speaks of a mule-deer in his park which ran with
its tail elevated, and the hairs spread out like the Vir-
ginia deer.

The mule-deer is distinctly a Western deer. It was
formerly abundant from the Missouri River region to

98 THE DEER FAMILY

California, and from Canada to Mexico. It prefers,
wherever found, a rough country — the hills, buttes,
bad lands, and mountains. Where this deer and the
white-tail are found associated, the latter will be seen
in the valleys of streams and rivers, and the former
higher up. Roosevelt says that although the mule-deer
and white-tail are found often side by side, the two do
not actually associate together, and their propinquity
is due simply to the fact that, the river-bottoms being
a favorite haunt of the white-tail, long tongues of the
distribution area of this species are thrust into the do-
main of its bolder, less stealthy, and less crafty kins-
man. The same writer is of the opinion that the mule-
deer does not hold its own as well as the white-tail.
Caton found it difficult to raise the mule-deer in his
park in Illinois, and it is not so suitable for parks and
preserves in the Mississippi Valley, or to the eastward,
as the common variety.

Since it is easier to stalk and kill the mule-deer than
the Virginia deer, by reason of its inhabiting rough,
hilly country, and being often seen in the open, it has
disappeared more rapidly in many localities, and every-
where has retreated before civilization, going into the
mountains or deep forests. Roosevelt expressed the
opinion, a few years ago, that the range of this deer had
not decreased much, but that the number in the area
had decreased sadly in places and almost everywhere.
Of course, as this decrease proceeds to extermination,
the area where this magnificent animal is found grows
smaller. The only salvation of the mule-deer is to be
found in National and State parks and preserves,
where the overflow may be relied upon to supply the

THE iMULE-DEER 99

surrounding- territory. The reader will find some
statistical matter relating to the present area and
centre of abundance of this deer in the appendix.

The food of the mule-deer consists largely of the
leaves and tender branches or shoots of shrubs or trees.
He is more of a browser than a grazer. He is on the
lookout always for something good for dessert. Like
other deer, he visits gardens and vineyards, and Van
Dyke says he is positively mischievous. " INIost all
deer eat turnips, beans, and occasionally nip grain, but
the mule-deer will spoil from thirty to fifty of the
largest bunches of grapes in a night, and later in the
season will finish off the leaves and shoots, besides
cleaning up the new wood on deciduous fruit-trees —
apples, Japanese persimmons, pears, quinces — almost
anything in reach he spoils with a single bite, and
passes on to another as he does with a bunch of grapes.
Bean-vines, melons, squashes, and many other things,
he* harvests often more completely than the settler
would if he had a chance."

The mule-deer was evidently not a desirable neigh-
bor for the early settlers in California. They are far
less abundant in California at present than they were a
few years ago, and do not so often visit the orchards,
vineyards, and gardens.

The flesh of tlic mule-deer in the fall of the year is
excellent. There is probably no better venison.
Grinncll, if I remember rightly, regards this as the
best. I have eaten the tenderloin of the elk, when it
seemed to me to be equally good, but our hunters* ap-
petites have much to do with our judgment on such
matters, and for my part I have always taken more

lOO THE DEER FAMILY

interest in the chase than in the cooking. The mere
thought of the odor of venison of any kind, mingled
with the scent of wood-fires, is most distracting.

There has been much written about the pursuit of
the mule-deer and his performances in the presence of
danger that is conflicting. The reason for this is
found, no doubt, when we consider the fact that all
animals behave differently, when abundant and com-
paratively tame, than they do when much persecuted
and extremely wild. It is to be remembered, too, that
the same deer behave differently at different times and
on different grounds.

Now that the hounds are no longer to be used on
deer, either in coursing or in driving them to water or
to the guns stationed on run-ways, but one method of
pursuit — stalking or still-hunting — remains. It has
been the writer's good fortune to spend weeks at a
time among the mule-deer, when they were quite
tame, or at least not very wild. Upon one of my
shooting-trips we literally went after the deer with a
blare of trumpets (or more accurately trumpet, since
we had only one), and although we had very noisy
camps, being accompanied by a company of mounted
infantry, many mule-deer were seen quite near the
camps, and put to flight at close range as we marched
away. The second day out from Fort Keogh, Mont.,
Captain Baldwin asked me at our evening camp-
fire if I preferred to have the bugle-calls stopped,
especially the reveille, suggesting that it, no doubt,
alarmed the deer, but the game was evidently so abun-
dant that I had no hesitation in deciding in favor of the
music, since I loved to hear the bugle-calls, and after

THE MULE-DEER lOi

the morning-call had been sounded, I often found the
mule-deer quite near the camp. This was in 1880, and
the Northern Pacific Railway then ended at Bismarck,
Dakota, so that we were several hundred miles west of
the track, and in a land where Sitting Bull was still at
large. Buffalo were abundant on the plains of the
Yellowstone, and we killed some but a short distance
from the garrison, as we set out on our hunt. White-
tail deer and antelope were also plentiful, and easy to
procure, and sage-cocks and sharp-tailed grouse were
as plentiful in the grass and sage as the blue grouse
were in the mountains. The streams were full of trout
of large size, which responded obligingly to almost any
lure. With a bit of flannel or a few grasshoppers it
was an easy matter to take all the trout we could use
in a very short time.

We always counted on finding the mule-deer in the
hills, where there were groves of trees — pines, wild
plum-trees, and others. He seemed to prefer these
park-like places, part open and part grove. In the
morning we came upon the deer when they were feed-
ing, and later in the day, riding ahead of the command
with an orderly, I often jumped them lying down in
the grove, or at the edge of a thicket. Upon one
occasion, my orderly, riding a few paces in the rear,
shouted to me to look at the deer. I of course looked
the wrong way, and meantime three splendid mule-
dccr, which had jumped on our right, passed back of
me but ahead of the soldier, and made off for the brushy
hill-side. 1 sent a ball after them when I finally dis-
covered where they were, which had no other effect
than to hurry them.

102 THE DEER FAMILY

The proper method of pursuit is to ride to the place
where the game is and there dismount and seek it
afoot. Two hunters are the proper number, since com-
pany is always desirable, and, as Colonel Dodge well
says, there is always a chance for accidents. The
sportsmen should take turns in shooting. Nowadays
the hunter in the West is usually attended by a guide
who knows the country and is of great assistance in lo-
cating the game and placing the shooter in a position
to bag it. The guides are of great assistance in secur-
ing the wounded, and as I said of duck-punters in " Our
Feathered Game," they too often aid in taking the un-
wounded. Upon our hunt from Fort Keogh, we
visited no less than three mountain ranges, camped on
many rivers and streams — the Yellowstone, the Tongue,
the Rosebud, the Big Horn, and the Little Big Horn,
and many smaller brooks and branches. The country
traversed is charmingly picturesque. Hills and dales
are covered with grass and wild sage, fields of wild
sunflowers and roses, of wild gooseberries and cur-
rants, are surrounded b}^ groves and thickets, and mag-
nificent forests cover the foot-hills and extend up
the sides of the higher mountains to well-defined tim-
ber-lines, where the rocks are for a good part of the
year covered with snow. For several weeks we saw
no human beings excepting occasional bands of Crow
Indians, and one small party of officers from Fort
Custer, who were returning from a hunt in the Big
Horn Mountains. The bleaching bones of horses and
ponies were lying about in the grass where General
Miles and his soldiers had recently encountered the
Sioux. We followed for a time General Custer's last

THE MULE-DEER 103

trail, camped where he camped, and returning from the
Big Horn Mountains, passed the field where he fell.
At evening we heard many stories of affairs with the
Indians, told by men who took part in them, and lis-
tened to many tales of wild adventure. There were,
of course, no houses or fences. The country and the
game remained the same as they had been before the
advent of white men.

The mule-deer has now retreated from most of this
open, park-like country and is to be found, in greatly
diminished numbers, wild and wary, living in the wilder
parts of the hills and mountains.

Roosevelt found the mule-deer plentiful in north-
western Colorado (January, 1901). "This high coun-
try," he says, "'is the summer home of the Colorado
elk, which are now rapidly becoming extinct, and of
the Colorado black-tail deer (mule-deer), which are still
very plentiful, but which, unless better protected, will
follow the elk in the next decade or so. In winter
both elk and deer come down to the lower country,
through a part of which I made my hunting trip. We
did not come across any elk, but I have never, even in
the old days, seen black-tail (mule-deer) more abun-
dant than they were in this region. There was hardly
a day when we did not see scores, and there were
some days that we saw hundreds. The bucks had not
lost their antlers, and were generally, but not always,
found in small troops by themselves; the does, year-
lings and fawns — now almost yearlings themselves —
went in bands. They seemed tame, and wc often
passed close to them before they took alarm."* Here

* Scribners Magazine, October, lyoi.

I04 THE DEER FAMILY

is a place for a club preserve, or, better yet, a State
park or refuge.

In stalking mule-deer it is important to see the game
before he sees you. His nose is keen, he hears well,
and sees better than some writers seem to think he
does. Proceeding carefully on the higher ground, look
carefully into open places below, and having dis-
covered the game, look well to the wind and approach
it so that you have the wind in your face. Do not
hurry. Proceed with the utmost quiet and caution,
taking care not to break a branch or twig. Take
advantage of whatever cover there may be, and if the
deer stops feeding, remain motionless until he starts
to feed again. Remember alwa3's that it is motion
that attracts the deer's attention and alarms him. If
you be dressed properly, in clothes of dull yellowish
or gray tones that harmonize well with the trunks
of the trees and other surroundings, the deer will
not be apt to see you if you remain absolutely still.
Try always for a side-shot, aim just behind the
shoulder and rather low, and if the shot does not
drop him, keep firing so long as he is in sight. Deer
will often run after being fatally wounded. In the
mountains look well to the little glades and marshy
places, and in shooting down at a deer remember
that there is great danger of overshooting. Shoot
low. I once discovered two mule-deer in a deep
hollow or pocket in the mountains and saw my first
ball strike the ground far too high. The deer did
not seem to know from what direction the noise came,
and pranced about but did not run away. I fired
several shots all too high, but at length brought one

THE MULE-DEER 105

down. When two shooters are working together in
the mountains it is well for them to move forward
in line, stopping often to listen and look ahead.

I have hunted the mule-deer more often on horse-
back, riding about the park-like country and taking the
shot at the standing game, or more often when it was
in full flight. This method did not produce many
deer, even when they were abundant and comparative-
ly tame. I know of no place to-day where it would
yield any. The mule-deer of to-day must be stalked
afoot and the stalker must be extremely skilful to get
within range of him. The pursuit is now more like
that of his diflficult cousin — the white-tail.

The easiest and best way to get a shot is, as I have
observed, by looking for the deer from ridges and try-
ing to locate him and then going to him. When the
ground is wet, he may leave a trail which an experienced
guide or hunter can follow, but the approach on the
trail is extremely difficult, and when the ground is dry
and the trail bad, not even an Indian can hope for suc-
cess. It is not a bad plan to sit down now and then
where there is an extended view over many little open-
ings in the forest valleys and study them one by one
with a glass. I have no doubt it would do well to rap
two stones, or better, two pieces of an antler, together
in the rutting season, with the idea of attracting any
buck within hearing that might be jealously looking for
a rival and eager for a fight. The reader will find men-
tion of this trick of the hunter in the chapter on the
white-tail. Moccasons are of course the best foot-
wear in deer-stalking.

The mule-deer is a difficult mark when running on

io6 THE DEER FAMILY

account of his bounding motion. The antelope and
white-tail run more smoothly and easily, and the elk,
as we have observed, go off at a long, swinging trot.
Mule-deer should be shot with a heavy ball, since they
lequire hard hitting to bring them down and will carry
away more lead than the Virginia deer. Early morn-
ing is the best time to look for the mule-deer of to-day.
Like many other animals, when much persecuted, they
lie quiet by day and feed by night or in the early
morning and at evening. They are never seen in large
bands like the elk, only a small number are usually seen
together. They seek higher ground when through
feeding and lie down to rest and ruminate. Here the
hunter who is fortunate enough to jump them must stir
himself quickly for a snapshot. In former years they
often jumped up and paused for a moment, presenting
an easy mark, but the educated mule-deer of to-day
omits the pause.

Lydecker was in error in stating that the mule-deer
never dwells permanently in the forest. Roosevelt
found them plentiful in the densely wooded mountains
of Montana, where practically the whole country was
covered by a dense forest, and where the opportunities
for grazing were small indeed. The stomachs of the
animals contained not grass, but blueberries and the
leaves and delicate tips of bushes. The only way to
procure them, he says, was to find a trail and lie in wait
beside it early in the morning and late in the evening.

Mule-deer are in no sense migrator)-, but in moun-
tainous countries they feed high in summer and move
to lower and more sheltered localities in the winter
season, almost, if not entirely, deserting localities where

THE MULE-DEER 107

they have been abundant. In the summer they go up
to and above the timber-line on high mountains.
Colonel Dodge says they will often move more than
a hundred miles when leavine: the hiijh mountains to
spread themselves over the country where they find a
locality suited to their tastes.

We are indebted to Colonel Dodge for much in-
formation about the mule-deer. Few, if any, sports-
men, and no writers, have seen more of this animal.
He tells of many big scores and has killed as many
as thirty-one in a week. This was on ground near
Fort Lyon. On August 16, 1875, he says: ''I came
within lontj shot of a herd of four — as fine bucks as
I ever saw — and knocked down all of them. Three I
bagged, but the fourth, though mortally wounded, hid
in the thicket and was lost."

In the middle of the day, the Colonel says, a ridge
or point surrounded by cedars is a favorite place for
the deer's siesta. " This is my favorite stalk, and when
the ground is soft enough to show tracks and the wind
is right, T always consider such deer as my meat. A
trail leading to such a thicket being found, it should
be followed with the greatest caution if the wind will
permit. When suddenly surprised, the black-tail
(mule-deer) sometimes makes up his mind to remain
concealed. He will crouch close to the ground, head
down, and allow a man almost to step on him without
moving." One day when the Colonel was passing in
the open, close to a thicket, his orderly called lo him
in a low tone and pointed out something in ihc bush
which he said was a deer. " I scouted the idea," he
says. "We were to(j near, and I could sec nothing

io8 THE DEER FAMILY

unusual, but he insisted that he had seen it move.
1 dismounted and walked quite near, where 1 could see
through the brush a gray patch as large as my hand,
apparently on or very near the ground. I was about
to fire at it, when it flashed across my mind that
there were many men, tie-cutters, at work about the
mountain, and that this might be some sleeping or
drunken man. I approached still nearer and called
out in a loud voice, warning whoever was there, that
I was about to fire. I did this two or three times, still
advancing, until I was scarcely twelve feet from the
object, when, giving a last loud warning, 1 fired and
bagged a splendid black-tail (mule-deer)."

Van Dyke tells us, more recently, of a mule-deer
that he saw enter a thicket, which hid and refused to
leave, although he tramped all over the thicket after
throwing many stones into it from the high ground.
I have almost stepped on them when they were evi-
dently hiding. Upon one occasion we were encamped
in a narrow canyon with high walls. A trout-stream
flowed at the base of one \vall and our camp was
pitched beside the stream on a little grassy meadow
which extended to the other wall. Many huge rocks
were lying about, which had fallen into the valley.
One afternoon, with shot-gun and rod, I strolled up the
canyon, intending to get a few blue-grouse and trout for
supper. I had gone but a very short distance when,
as I turned the corner of a rock, two large mule-deer
jumped from the grass at my feet and went bounding
away toward the camp. It occurred to me that if I let
them have the contents of the gun they might run
on through the camp, and it was evident, from the

THE MULE-DEER 109

extra jumps, that I made a fine double. My shots at-
tracted the attention of our soldiers and had the de-
sired effect of sending the deer through the camp, and
as the men grabbed their rifles and opened fire the
picture was worthy of the brush of a Detaille or
De Neuville.

The soldiers were shooting the old-fashioned powder,
and clouds of smoke overhung the camp, but the mule-
deer bounded safely on, and the last I saw of them was
when they turned an angle in the canyon bucking and
jumping as if they enjoyed the fusillade. I am inclined
to believe that the mule-deer are less likely to try to
hide now than formerly. It would be well if the shoot-
ers who go to the woods to-day would use the caution
displayed by Colonel Dodge when in doubt about
what the object is before their rifles.

Sheep are one of the main causes for the decrease
of black-tail in many localities. The deer have a
strong antipathy to sheep, and Colonel Dodge says
that when a herd is driven into any locality the deer
leave with as much precipitation as if the sheep were
hounds.

Next to man, the chief enemies of the mule-deer are
the wolves and cougars.*

Colonel Dodge, who knew all of our game-animals,
well regarded the mule-deer as the best, and said
its pursuit possessed for him a fascination which he
found in no other game. He says this deer must be
stalked with more caution than the red deer, since his

* Deer are the customary prey of the couf^ar, bucks, does and fawns
beinji killed indifTerently. — Roosevelt, "With the Couf^ar Hounds,"
Scribner's Magazine.

no THE DEER FAMILY

senses are more delicate and he is more ready to take
alarm. This was, no doubt, true, comparing him with
the red deer, which had never heard a gun and which
were to be found in the little valleys near the mule-
deer's ground, but the mule-deer was never, in my
opinion, as keen and able to take care of himself as the
educated red deer of the Eastern States. The educa-
tion of the mule-deer has progressed rapidly, however,
and the stalking to-day is difficult enough to satisfy
the most experienced still-hunter.

The rutting season of the mule-deer begins the end
of September or in October; in some places even later.
The young (usually two in number) are born late in
the spring, and are beautiful little animals spotted with
white like many of the other young deer. The bucks
are pugnacious during the rutting season, and fights
are common. They are more easily approached when
thus engaged.

It was formerly the fashion to shoot mule-deer every-
where at any season of the year in order that the
shooter might try a gun or to see if he could hit them.
The laws now provide for a season which is of short
duration, and the killing of does and fawns is absolute-
ly prohibited. The sale of the game is also prohibited.

VII

THE BLACK-TAIL DEER

WITHOUT the aid of the naturalists, the black-
tail deer would be a mule-deer to the sports-
man, or the mule-deer a black-tail. The mule-deer is
more often called the black-tail by the native sports-
men in many places in the West, and in some locali-
ties that is the only name by which the mule-deer is
known. Colonel Dodge, in his account of hunting
the big game on the plains, often refers to the mule-
deer as the black-tail, and Roosevelt, who has had
as much experience as any sportsman and writer
with mule-deer, says it is known everywhere as black-
tail, and has as good a historical claim to the title as
its Pacific Coast kinsman, the coast or true black-
tail.

The naturalists having settled the question of names
to their satisfaction, it behooves sportsmen who desire
to speak precisely to call the present species black-tail,
and apply the term mule-deer only to the animal de-
scribed in the preceding chapter.

The black-tail, or Columbian black-tail deer, as the
naturalists call it, is more like the mule-deer than the
common red deer. In size and weight it will average
somewhat smaller than tlic mule-deer, and somewhat

1 1 1

112 THE DEER FAMILY

larger than the Virginia deer.* Van Dyke describes
the black-tail as a smaller and more graceful animal
than the mule-deer, bearing much the same relation to
it that a thoroughbred Jersey bears to a Durham-
"This only," he adds, " when compared side by side in
a park. In woods none but the expert can note the
difference." Grinnell says that the true black-tail is
intermediate in size between the mule and the common
deer. Van Dyke says he never weighed one, but that
the black-tail is smaller than the Virginia deer.
Hornaday says this species inhabits the well-watered
and densely shaded coniferous forests of the Pacific
Coast, is smaller than the typical white-tailed deer, and
very much smaller than the mule-deer. The outer
surface of its tail is black all over, and constitutes the
best distinguishing character of the species. The
antlers are very variable. Occasionally those of old
bucks exhibit the double-Y on each beam which is so
characteristic of the mule-deer; but in most cases the
double bifurcation is wanting, and the antlers look
very much like those of the white-tailed deer. In its
body colors it resembles the latter species. As we
have observed, both the mule-deer and the Virginia
deer vary much in size and weight, especially the lat-
ter. It is likely that the average white-tail and the
black-tail do not differ very much in weight, but, the
body of the latter being more stocky, like the mule-
deer, it will probably be found to weigh more.

When I was in California there was no difference
known to the sportsmen — black-tails were mule-deer,

* Including the Arizona white-tail deer. Many white-tails are probably
larger than the black-tail.

THE BLACK-TAIL DEER 113

and mule-deer were black-tails. The black-tail has
large ears. Its tail is black above and white below.

The range of the black-tail is limited. It is distinctly
a deer of the Pacific Coast, and is found only north of
San Francisco. Grinnell met it as far north as latitude
51°. Northward this species "dwindles" into the
Sitka deer, " in stature and antlers even smaller than
the Florida white-tail." It is abundant in some parts
of Alaska.

The few writers who have mentioned this deer agree
that it is a woodland species, caring little for the open
country. Many of the forests in which it dwells are so
thick that it is difficult to stalk it without making a
noise, and it is often pursued with hounds and driven
to the water, or to run-ways, in the same way the Vir-
ofinia deer was in the Adirondacks before such methods
were forbidden by law.

The methods of hunting this deer are the same as
those used by sportsmen to shoot the Virginia deer.
" Along the sea-coast," Grinnell says, " especially to
the northward, where they have been but little hunted,
they come down frequently to the salt water, for the
purpose of feeding upon a species of sea-weed, cast up
by the waves, and the tracks made in their passage up
and down the sides of the mountains are often worn a
foot or two deep, showing a great amount of travel
over them. The Indians of British Columbia kill great
numbers of these deer along the water's edge, stealing
up within shot in their light canoes, which they paddle
noiselessly along, close to the shore. Still-hunting in
the forest is practised with success in many localities.
Deer are very abundant on the islands and among the

114 THE DEER FAMILY

mountains of this coast, and as they are not often dis-
turbed, they are very unsuspicious, and will frequently
permit the hunter to approach very close without tak-
ing alarm. There are, however, great areas of terri-
tory where, owing to the thick and tangled character
of the undergrowth, stalking is out of the question, be-
cause of the impossibility of noiseless progress through
the thickets." This deer, the same writer says, is driven
with hounds to arms of the sea, as well as to lakes and
rivers, where the hunter has no difficulty in paddling or
rowing up to the swimming quarry and despatching it.

The black-tail feeds on shrubs, leaves, and tender
twigs. It feeds at night and early in the morning and
rests at noon, lying down in some secluded place. The
best time to find it is early in the morning. Judge
Caton advises leaving the camp very early, so as to be
on the ground at daybreak, and sa3^s to move about
slowly and with the utmost quiet.

Anyone familiar with the dense chaparral of the
California woods will appreciate the difficulties of stalk-
ing the deer. Caton says there is no more fatiguing
sport. Mr. Muir has written the following story of
some black-tails that he met in the Yosemite Park:

" One morning in a little garden-spot, hedged around
with chaparral, I noticed a deer's head thrust through
the bushes, his big, beautiful eyes gazing at me. I kept
still and the deer ventured forward a step and then
snorted and withdrew. In a few minutes he returned
and came into the open garden, stepping with infinite
grace, followed by two others. After showing them-
selves for a moment, they bounded over the hedge,
with sharp, timid snorts, and vanished.

THE BLACK-TAIL DEER 115

" But curiosity brought them back, and with thcni
another, and all four came into my garden, and satis-
fied that I meant them no ill, began to feed, actually
eating breakfast with me, like tame, gentle sheep
around a shepherd — rare company, and the most
graceful in movements and attitudes. I eagerly
watched them while they fed on ceanothus and wild
cherry, daintily cutting single leaves here and there
from the side of the hedge, turning now and then to
snip a few leaves of mint from the midst of the garden-
fliowers. Grass they did not eat at all. No wonder
the contents of the deer's stomach are eaten by the
Indians."

Mr. INIuir again tells us of the movements of the
deer:

" Toward the end of the Indian summer, when the
young are strong, the deer begin to gather in little
bands of from six to fifteen or twenty, and on the ap-
proach of the first snow-storm they set out on their
march down the mountains to their winter quarters,
lingering usually on warm hill-sides and spurs eight or
ten miles below the summits as if loath to leave.
About the end of November a heavy far-reaching
storm drives them down in haste along the dividing
ridges between the rivers, led by old, experienced
bucks, whose knowledge of the topography is won-
derful.

" Then, when deer are coming down, the Indians
have a fall hunt — wait for them and waylay them.
Great preparations are made. Men and women,
young and old, set forth together. Camps are made
on the fleer highways.

ii6 THE DEER FAMILY

" But the Indians are passing away here as else-
where, and camps on the mountains are fewer every
year." *

I visited Yosemite long before it was a public park,
but even in those days there were notices posted on
the trees near the hotel requesting visitors not to
shoot the deer with a blue-ribbon on its neck.

*Our N^ational Parks.

VIII

THE VIRGINIA DEER

BY far the most common and widely distributed of
our deer is the Virginia deer, often called the
red deer. This deer is our most important big-game
animal, best suited, as we have observed, to the game-
preserve ; it occupies in the big-game field the same
important position that the Virginia partridge occu-
pies among the game-birds.

There is no more reason for calling this animal,
which is found from Canada to Mexico, and from the
Atlantic to the Pacific, the Virginia deer than there is
for naming our best known and most widely distrib-
uted partridge, " Bob-white," the Virginia partridge.
There may be some appropriateness in these names as
a tribute to the inhabitants of that commonwealth, who
have from Washington's time been ardent sportsmen,
differing much in that regard from the colonists of
New England, but a local name is misleading when
applied to a bird or beast of wide geographical distri-
bution.

The Virginia deer is more abundant in some of the
other States than in Virginia.

The name red deer refers to the summer coat, which
is reddish gray. In the autumn when the deer as-
sumes its winter coat the coat is often referred to as

"7

ii8 THE DEER FAMILY

blue, the gray being of a colder tone late in the season
than earlier. This deer is often referred to as the
white-tail, a name given it from its flag-like white tail,
which it carries aloft like a flag of truce when running
away from an enemy. The Virginia deer may be said
to be our staple deer. It is often referred to as the
common deer or the common red deer.

I have read somewhere recently that the deer will
sink when in the red coat, and that it floats when " in
the blue," and that for that reason the Adirondack
guides (when it was overtaken with a canoe, in the
summer time) held on to its tail, while the sports-
man (?) shot it. I had always supposed they held on
to the tail to steady the game or give it a motion uni-
form with the canoe, so that the sportsman (?) might
the more readily hit it. The whole performance con-
sisted of driving the timid little creature with hounds
to a lake, where the shooter (I am inclined to drop the
word sportsman), with his guide in a canoe, awaited its
coming. It was no difficult matter to overtake it,
swimming in the lake, and when the guide dropped
his paddle and had a good hold on the tail, the gunner
proceeded to shoot and shoot until at last he scored ;
the murder was done, and the gunner had a trophy to
put on his wall. He then was fully equipped to talk
about the hardships of the chase, the astuteness of the
deer, the tremendous difficulties to be overcome in
getting one, and the corresponding value of the head.

As I said recently in the Century* there has been a
revolution in American field-sports within the last few
years. It is fortunate that this method of taking deer,

*Field Sports of To-day, the Century Magazine, October, 1903.

THE VIRGINIA DEER 119

and several others which will be referred to later, have
gone under in the revolution.

The red deer is the most beautiful and graceful of
all the deer. It is the fastest of the smaller deer, and
would excel, I am inclined to believe, in a race with
the large trotters — the moose and elk. Its gait, as I
have said, is more even and smooth than that of the
mule-deer and Columbia black-tail deer. It goes
rapidly forward, jumping fifteen feet or more at each
bound. The mule-deer are said to jump too high for
speed or grace, but their bounding motion is very at-
tractive to me.

The Virginia deer vary so much in size that there
have been attempts to create a number of species.
They are all one and the same deer to sportsmen, the
habits of the game and the methods of pursuit being
the same. They are all the same in appearance also,
and have the same horns. The smallest variety is
found in Arizona, where the sportsman may shoot a
deer so small as to be called a dwarf, on the ground
where he will find the greatest variety of partridges,
pigeons, and doves to be found in the United States.
The weight of the Virginia deer will average less than
that of the mule-deer. The reader will find references
to the weights of the game-animals in the Aitpendix.

The red deer has a handsome head of trim outline,
surmounted by symmetrical antlers. His legs are slen-
der but strong, and at a glance, it is evident that he is
built for speed. He has the keen nose of the other
deer. He hears well, and although many writers be-
lieve that he does not see as well as an antelope, he
certainly sees well enough to get out of the way of a

120 THE DEER FAMILY

sportsman who moves at all incautiously. Here again
I may remind my younger readers that it is of the ut-
most importance in approaching deer, antelope, or any
large game in fact, to see the game before it sees you.
Remember also that it is not likely to see you in the
woods when you remain absolutely still. It is motion
that attracts the eye. You may lose sight of your
companion dressed in clothes which harmonize well
with surrounding objects, and find it impossible to see
him. Let him take a step or two forward, and your
eye at once reports him. Grinnell has well referred to
this matter in his paper on the Ccrvidce : " Like other
wild creatures, the deer seems to recognize danger
only in life, and life only in motion."*

When, therefore, the deer stops feeding or appears
to be alert, remain absolutely motionless, and the
chances are he will not see you. Move slowly when
you move, pause often, and make absolutely no noise.
If you thus approach within range and kill your deer,
you have earned your horns and meat, and have every
reason to be proud of the performance.

When the deer have been educated to the gun there
is no more dil^cult task for sportsmen than stalking
them. On some grounds this is impossible in dry
weather. Within the past few years nearly all methods
of taking deer have been prohibited excepting still-
hunting, often called stalking, and waiting for the
game on game-trails (without its being driven in by
dogs).

In most of the States "hounding," or the use of
dogs to run deer to the lake, or to the ambushed

*The Century Magazine, reprinted in " Sport, with Rod and Gun."

THE VIRGINIA DEER 121

gunner on his run-way in the woods, has been pro-
hibited. It is also unlawful now in most places (and
should be everywhere) to shoot deer at night with
the aid of torches or lamps.

This was an eas}' and somewhat picturesque form
of sport. The sportsman, seated in a canoe with a
blazing torch at the bow or more often a powerful
lantern, called a " jack," on a stick or on his head, was
paddled slowly about the margins of lakes and streams,
until a deer was seen feeding in the water ; the guide
moved the canoe slowly forward until the shooter
was within very short range, when he killed the timid
but curious deer, which had stopped feeding in the
lily-pond to gaze at the strange light, often with a
load of buck-shot.

This was a common way of taking the deer in the
Adirondacks, in Maine, in Michigan, and ever3'where
where there were deer and lakes and streams on
which to float the canoe. It is no wonder that these
beautiful animals, when driven by the loud-yelling
hounds by day to the shot-guns ambushed on their
run-ways or by their lakes, became night-feeders. It
is no wonder that when summer night-shooting was
added to the hounding by day the deer were nearly
exterminated.

I have already referred to the fact that in the West,
where the white-tail is found associated with the mule-
deer, he will be seen in the thickets and timber along
the streams. I have jumped these deer singly or in
little bands in the tall grass of couR-s or draws when
riding thrcnigli a country where the mule-deer were
abundant. White-tails were abundant a few years

122 THE DEER FAMILY

asro in the river-thickets in the hills and mountains
of Dakota and Montana. I met two of them one
morning in a little grove but a very short distance
from our camp when I went to the stream soon after
our bugler had sounded the reveille, which echoed in
the hills. Like all other animals they were fairly
tame, and easy to approach and kill until they learned
the sound of the gun. It is fortunate that they learn
quickly and are able to take care of themselves wher-
ever the cover which they like is large enough to af-
ford them a chance to escape.

Like other wild animals, deer are fond of salt, and
resort to salt springs or licks, where they are often
shot from ambush. Hunters used to place salt in the
woods as a means of baiting the white-tail, but this
practice is now illegal in New York and perhaps else-
where.

Many years ago in Utah and Wyoming, I used to
ride about in the little river-bottoms, looking over
natural hedges of brush into meadows and grassy spots
beside the beaver-ponds, trying for a shot at a white-
tail standing or more often running.

The first morning I went out in this way, my horse
walked without making any noise across a damp, grassy
piece of ground to a point where I could look over
some low brush into a meadow where there was a
stream and beaver-pond. As I stood up in my stirrups
to look over the brush a large stag, with fine antlers,
stopped feeding, raised his head, and looked me in
the eye but a gun-length away across the narrow
bushes. I had a touch of that excitement or nervous-
ness which is known to sportsmen as "buck-fever," and

THE VIRGINIA DEER 123

before I was ready to shoot the stag snorted in alarm,
turned tail, and ran rapidly and safely away, although
I disregarded his flag of truce. Our guide, who left
camp at the same time that I did, went on foot to a
little hill and located several deer feeding. He selected
one that was easy to approach and furnished the veni-
son for our dinner. I have still-hunted the white-tail
in the woods with this same guide and he was, I think,
the most skilful man I ever saw on game. One day
he approached a white-tail feeding in a large, open
glade. He stopped frequently, and when he moved,
moved so slowly, hardly a half-step at a time, that the
deer remained entirely unaware of his presence. He
did not tr)' to approach very close, but at long range
slowly raised his rifle and at the report the deer fell
dead.

I have fired a second shot at a deer before it ran
away, when they were not wild, and had never heard
a gun, but the deer of to-day more often does not wait
for the first.

I have referred to the camera-hunting of Mr. George
Shiras, of Pittsburg, in Michigan. He secured a re-
markable series of pictures of single bucks, does and
fawns, and groups containing two deer or a deer and
fawns. The pictures were made from a canoe at night
with the aid of a flash-light and they are all excellent.
The skies are of course black, but the deer and fore-
grounds are well lighted — from below, however, since
the light was reflected up from the water instead of
coming from the sky. One of these photographs con-
tains a deer and a porcupine — the latter jumping in
alarm from a log, while the deer stands with his ears

124 THE DEER FAMILY

up, gazing at the strange light. Mr. Shiras told me he
was entirely unaware that he had "bagged" the porcu-
pine until he developed his negative. The negatives
from which these pictures are made are all excellent
and Mr. Shiras showed me some enlargements made
from them which were quite sharp.

Roosevelt called our attention to the fact that where
the mule-deer and the white-tail are associated, the for-
mer disappears first, since it is easier to shoot. The
white-tail is less often seen in the open, and is more
often found in low river-valleys far from the hills.
The hunter who can take the advantage of locating his
game from an eminence and then go to it under cover
has the best chance of bagging it.

The white-tail is the deer for parks and preserves.
Since it is found in every State in the Union, except
four,* it will do well anywhere. It becomes half
tame, unless the park be of vast extent, and when
tame is, of course, uninteresting to a true sports-
man.

The following is a clever description of deer-shoot-
ing, with turkey " on the side," on the preserve of the
Oketee Club near Savannah, Ga. The Oketee and the
Pineland Clubs (largely composed of New York and
Philadelphia men) adjoin, and together they own and
control a strip of land which, with the private hold-
ings of Mr. Garnett, the president of both clubs, con-
tains about 103,000 acres. The tract is thirty-five
miles long by from two to seven miles wide. Besides

* Delaware, Oregon, Nevada, and California. Hornaday adds Arizona,
but Arizona has the small variety known as the Arizona white-tail deer, as
Florida has the Florida white-tail.

THE VIRGINIA DEER 125

deer these clubs have wild turkeys, woodcock, part-
ridges, doves, snipe, and wild-fowl.

Mr. W. G. Van Tassel Sutphen, who wrote the story
of these clubs, says : " We have had two days among
the birds, with an incidental battue in honor of the
doves (and, by the way, a swiftly quartering dove is no
bad wing-practice), and this morning are to try our
luck with hound and horn. A telephone message to
the Pineland Club the night before has brought us a
couple of recruits, and the drivers are to meet us a
mile below on the Parachicola road. There is some
discussion over the respective merits of ' Three Bone '
stand on Cyprus run and the ' Sisters ' stand on Blue
run, but as we are only five guns strong the decision is
finally for one of the smaller stands. It is a glorious
morning, with all the balmy softness of a perfect May
day, the deep-blue sky over our heads and the brown
sedge crackling musically beneath our horses' feet.
Truly it is good to be alive and astride a horse's back
on such a day as this.

" We amble along two and two, with Mr. Warren
Lawton, who is officiating as master of the hounds,
bringing up the rear and keeping a watchful eye upon
his dogs. ' White Rouser ' and ' Reb ' are young and
impetuous and inclined to range widely, but we are
still in the open country, and they are too anxious to
be in the chase to disregard the occasional admoni-
tion of the master's lustily winded horn. They are
fine, deep-chested animals, these black-and-tan native
hounds, and evidently built for both speed and bottom.
Several attempts have been made to introduce English
strains, but the imported dog has not shown himself

126 THE DEER FAMILY

equal to the pace. Lately a cross between the native
dog and the Virginia lemon-and-white hound has been
tried with satisfactory results, and the evolution prom-
ises improvement in all-around points. At present,
however, the pack is made up entirely of native dogs,
and they are quite fast and stanch enough lor all prac-
tical purposes.

" Of course the principal shooting is from stands,
but it is the rarer sport to ride with the drive and run
the chance of a snap-shot at the moment that the game
is ' jumped.' There are three or four natives and
negroes who are assisting the master, all mounted on
nondescript specimens of horse or mule flesh, and pos-
sessed of an abnormal capacity for the emission of ear-
splitting shrieks and whoops. The canebrake cover
beyond is a favorite jumping-place, and a ' find ' is al-
most certain. And listen! there is 'Black Rouser'
giving tongue, and the other dogs, with an implicit
confidence in their old leader's omniscience, hasten to
swell the chorus. A flash of fawn-colored light as the
deer breaks cover, and then with a whoop and a yell
the crescent-shaped line of horsemen sweeps forward
and the chase is on.

" It is fairly open riding through the cathedral-like
aisles of the mighty pines, for there is almost no under-
growth. But there is plenty of fallen timber, relics of
the famous storm of August, 1893, which devastated
the sea-islands and swept like some giant scythe
through these forest glades. However, these native
horses are wonderfully surefooted, and with a loose
rein and a home-seat in the deep McClellan tree, you
may trust ' Tip ' and ' Whiteface ' for the rest, with, of

THE VIRGINIA DEER 127

course, a mental reservation that may permit of provi-
dential interference in the case of a gopher-hole or
hidden log. It is all in the game, and it is a poor spirit
indeed that will not risk the candle.

" The chase is clear away, and that, too, without giv-
ing the ghost of an opportunity on the-' jump.' But
the stand is gjUl ahead of the quarry, and by the exer-
cise of a little imagination we may aa^me that we
have elected to wait for fortune rather than to follow
it.

" It is quiet here in the deep woods, quiet with the
stillness of a New England Sunday morning. We are
stationed some three hundred yards apart (out of gun-
shot— for rifles are not allowed) with the horses
tethered safely in some hollow beyond. The sunlight
flickers down through the pine-tops, changing the
brown needles into masses of dull gold, while sharp
against the heavenly blue stands out an enormous
holly-bush, gorgeous in its Christmas raiment of green
and scarlet. It is peace and good-will again on earth,
and then — the gentleman from New Jersey grasps his
gun nervously with both hands — can it be that this
' cruel war ' is not yet over? Surely that was the old
Confederate yell; and was it the Louisiana 'Tigers' or
the ' Black Horse Cavalry ' ? Steady ! that is ' Black
Rouser's' voice, and our host expects every man to do
his duty if we are to have venison-steak for supper.
Motionless as graven images — for the least flutter will
cause the deer to swerve — ^we stand waiting. The
novice feels his heart thumping wildly, and there is a
blue haze before his eyes. He almost wishes that the
chance may not come to him, and an instant after bit-

/

128 THE DEER FAMILY

terly anathematizes the other fellow's good luck as a
shot rings out on the station above. Three blasts of
the horn as the drive sweeps over the stand, and we
hurr}^ to the scene of the kill — a two-year-old buck,
and we are hardly two miles from the house, and just
one hour out!

" It is too good luck not to follow up, j^d after a few
minutes' pau^to bleed and hang the carcass, and let
the dogs have a good sniff at the forbidden fruit, we
are in the saddle again, bound for the ' Boggy * run,
two miles away. The station here is near the Parachi-
cola road, and it is to be understood that most of
the stands are on the ancient causeways, built in ante-
bellmn days by slave labor, and running through the
swamps to the river-landings.

" The run this time is longer, for the game may
be either turkey or deer, and the hounds are as ready
to flush and run the one as to 'jump' the other. Truly
to-day the gods are propitious, for a flock of six or
seven gobblers break out of the cane and come sailing
majestically over our heads. Nobody is loaded with
turkey-shot, but no matter ; a brace of ' bucks ' in the
right place will do the business quite as well. There is
a sharp crack from T.'s gun, and the great bird falls
like a stone into the thickest part of a thorn-patch.
But it is worth a few scratches to get him out — a verit-
able king of the woods, resplendent in his purplish-
bronze plumage and a patriarchal beard. ' He'll weigh
sixteen pounds when drawn,' says Warren Lawton, as
he 'lifts' him meditatively; 'and now what did the
Governor of North Carolina say to the Governor of
South Carolina? ' And we answer as one man." *

* Harper's Weekly.

THE VIRGINIA DEER 129

That the white-tail shooting is still very good in
Maine is shown by the following statement of the num-
ber of deer shipped over the Bangor and Aroostook
Railroad in the years named : *

1894 white-tail deer 1,001

1895 " " 1,581

1896 " " 2,245

1897 " " -. 2,940

1898 " " -i^-ill

1899 " " 3.756

1900 ••• " " 3.379

1901 " " 3,882

1902 " " 4,495

There are other railways which carry game in Maine
and the above list includes only the game killed and
shipped by sportsmen over the road named. Native
hunters also killed many deer in the same region which
were not shipped and do not appear in the figures
given. If the proportion is the same as that reported
in the Adirondacks no fewer than 17,980 deer were
killed in Maine in 1902.

The report of the New York State Forest, Fish, and
Game Commission shows the following shipments of
deer from the Adirondacks :

Carcasses Saddles Heads Total

1900 1020 89 95 1204

I90I 1062 103 121 1286

Reports received by the Commission from each
locality indicate that for every deer shipped by ex-
press four more are killed which are eaten in camp,
consumed by the residents, or hauled out on wagons to

* In the Maine Woods. Bangor and Aroostook Railroad, publishers.

I30 THE DEER FAMILY

the numerous towns and villages, situated near the
outskirts of the forest.

In a report of the game-warden of Wisconsin it is
stated that during 1902 non-residents paid $9,925 in
license fees, as against $3,635 in 1900. The total
amount received from resident hunting licenses is
$65,371.50. " The protection given to the game has re-
sulted in more deer in Wisconsin than there has been
for twenty-five years." The figures show a rapid
increase in the number of big-game shooters, and at
the same time an increase in the game.

The weights on the shipping bills of the express
companies show that the Adirondack deer compare
favorably in size with those of other hunting-grounds.
The deer in 1901 were larger and in better condition
than usual, which was due in some extent to the fact
that 1901 was a beechnut year.

A buck shipped from Big Moose to Charles Phil-
more, Remsen, N. Y., weighed on the scales of the
station-agent 267 pounds, dressed weight. By adding
one-fourth, according to the usual well-attested rule
we have 333% pounds as the live weight.*

Mr. Hornaday, in his "American Natural History,"
gives the rule for obtaining the live weight of deer
from dressed weight more accurately than above stated.

" So many records of the dressed weight of deer are
published," he says, " that it is desirable to offer a simple
rule by which anyone can accurately calculate the
weight of the animal when alive. Taking an antlered
elk as a basis, we find that the dressed weight re-

* New York Forest, Fish, and Game Report. There are records in the
report of other deer which weighed nearly as much.

THE VIRGINIA DEER 131

presents .21388 of the live weight, or 411 of the whole
animal.

" The dressed weight being given in pounds, add to
it five ciphers, divide by 78,612, and the result will be
the live weight in pounds."

The white-tail deer is especially fond of lily-pads
and stems and the vegetation of the swamps, and in the
summer is often found near the small woodland lakes
and streams. Here it spends much time in the water to
escape the flies and other insects. It prefers the still
waters where the lilies grow to the tumbling moun-
tain trout-brooks. A country where there are many
of these feeding-places is the best deer-country. The
Virginia deer is a good swimmer and crosses large
lakes without difficulty. The deer feeds also on grass
and on shrubs, berries, and the leaves and tender
shoots of trees. He is accused of visiting the gar-
dens, and like the mule-deer in California, he can do a
lot of damage in a night. New England farmers have
insisted upon the right to shoot them out of season
when they were raiding their gardens.

Judge Caton and Grinnell regard the Virginia deer *
as the best of all the deer as a game-animal. Colonel
Dodge prefers the mule-deer, and as we have seen, re-
gards him as more difficult to stalk. Roosevelt says :
"To my mind the chase of the white-tail, as it must be
carried on, offers less attraction than the chase of
any other kind of our large game."

I agree with the last-named writer. In all the places
where I have seen the white-tail recently, the sport
was not especially interesting. There was more fun
to be had in shooting ruffed grouse over dogs. In

132 THE DEER FAMILY

a hilly country, where the white-tails are found in
almost impassable swamps and well educated, they are
safe from my gun, without the use of dogs. On such
ground I have seen many hunters in the woods for
days at a time, singly and in company, who even with
the aid of dogs did not get a single shot at the crafty
animals, which were known to be living on the ground
they hunted over. Where deer are so scarce and so
wary that the chance for a shot only comes once in
several years, I beg to be allowed to go after the
grouse. In Maine and Michigan, in the Adirondacks,
and in the Western mountains, in West Virginia, Ken-
tucky, Tennessee, Texas, and many other States, there
are places where the journey by canoe or with pack-
train is delightful, where the camps are picturesque and
comfortable, and where, at the opening of the season,
the chances of the hunter's getting the two or three
white-tails which he is now permitted by the laws
to shoot in a season are very good, and on some of the
grounds named he may have a chance to kill a moose,
mule-deer, or elk.

In most of the States, however, he must procure a
license to shoot ($50 in Wyoming and $15 to $25 else-
where) and must obey strict rules as to the tagging
and shipping of his game, if allowed to ship it at all. In
many places he is required to take a guide who is also
a game-warden. He must in most places be able
to kill his game by still-hunting, but he may get a shot
now and then from his canoe or from the saddle when
on the march.

For Eastern sportsmen the woods of Maine and
New Brunswick no doubt offer the best chance. The

THE VIRGINIA DEER 133

guides in Maine are good, the travelling is largeW
done in a canoe, the camps are beside streams and
lakes which contain trout and sometimes bass. The
sportsman in the Maine woods may kill a moose. He
may possibly have a chance to shoot a black bear.
He certainly will hnd the ruffed grouse and the Can-
ada grouse, more often called spruce partridge, and in
New Brunswick he may add a caribou to the bag.

There are many excellent guides in Maine who
know the good camping-places and where to look for
the game. There are also excellent guides in the
Adirondacks, and, as already indicated, there are
many deer in these hills. The best shooting, no
doubt, is on some of the game-preserves.

The North Woods, as the Adirondack region is often
called, are wonderfully picturesque. There is nothing
sublime about the mountains; in fact, they seem some-
what small to one who has climbed the Western peaks
for the big-horn and white goat, but the thousands of
little water-ways winding about through the forest-
clad hills, the many lily-ponds and lakes — the latter
sometimes dotted with small islands — make the jour-
ney by canoe an easy one to camping-places where the
deer-stalker may take his trout for breakfast from
his front door and shoot his grouse in the back-yard.
Without the aid of dogs, and now that it is illegal to
murder deer by "jacking" them at night, there is
much less venison in the Adirondack camps than for-
merly, but an industrious sportsman who has learned
the science of still-hunting has a chance to match his
wits against the smartest deer of them all, and whether
he wins or no, he is sure of an outing that will end

134 THE DEER FAMILY

entirely too soon. While moving about in the woods
on foot or in a canoe there is a chance of stumblingf on
a deer, for some reason less wild than the others, and of
potting him without the exercise of much skill. Such
chances are uncommon, however, to-day.

It pays when rambling in the Adirondack woods to
push on up to the top of a mountain and take the view.
From the higher peaks one may look over blue pine-
clad ranges of hills and small mountains, which fade
away into lighter blue at the horizon, and down into
the valleys where the streams feed and empty many
lakes. 1 have forgotten now how many lakes we saw
from the top of Whiteface — there were very many and
all were beautiful.

The sportsman from the central States will find
many deer in Wisconsin and Michigan and Minne-
sota; the northern parts of Minnesota are perhaps
the best grounds. Here again are the many small
lakes and streams, and there are more large fish and
more grouse than in the Eastern States. West Vir-
ginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee have some very good
deer-grounds, and in the last two States they still use
the hounds to chase the deer to the run-ways. There
is a very large preserve in West Virginia where they
have good shooting and good fishing. My invitation
to shoot there was accompanied by the statement that
I was sure to get some good fishing. I notice this is
nearly always the case. They don't tell you with any
great confidence that you will get a deer. The prom-
ise is always for fishing. They have, however, lots of
deer in West Virginia, and I am inclined to think that
the promise of good fishing indicates simply a knowl-

THE VIRGINIA DEER 135

edge on the part of the person extending tlic invita-
tion of the great difihculties which attend the capture
of a white-tail deer to-day. I speak of the open woods
and mountains and of vast unfenced preserves, where
the deer are running wild. There is a difference, of
course, in small fenced parks where the deer are fed
by keepers. The latter kind of shooting the first-rate
man does not care about. He prefers to try the wilder
animals even though he fail. I have seen the shooting
so good at deer, both large and small, in the Western
mountains that I appreciate the difficulties of the
chase of the white-tail in the Eastern woods. I care
as much for the outing as the game, however, and
am in no hurry to run away from the woods disap-
pointed because I do not get a deer. I have, in fact,
let many a good chance go while gazing at a lovely
landscape with the rifle left carelessly out of reach.

In Florida there is a smaller variety of the Virginia
deer. His habits, however, and the methods of pursuit
are much the same. The open season is from Novem-
ber ist to February ist.* Much of the ground is
swampy and difficult, but there are lovely lakes and
streams in Florida which contain many fish. Quanti-
ties of wild-fowl winter there, and the best game-bird,
bob-white, is plentiful in many upland fields.

In Georgia and the Carolinas some of the hotels now
assure their guests in attractive advertisements that
there is good deer-shooting. In Georgia and South
Carolina the season opens September ist; in North
Carolina, October ist. In Georgia and North Caro-
lina it closes January ist, and in South Carolina Feb-

* The bag-limit is five deer per annum.

136 THE DEER FAMILY

ruary ist.* In Mississippi the season is September
15th to March ist, and in Louisiana November ist to
April ist.

Louisiana and Arkansas have followed Missouri's
lead in prohibiting non-residents from shooting in the
State at any time. In Louisiana non-residents are
classed with idlers, vagrants and pot-hunters. The
law reads no idlers, vagrants, pot-hunters or non-resi-
dents shall catch, kill, pursue game, etc. A step
further in this kind of legislation and we may have :
" No pickpocket, sneak-thief, Louisianian, etc., shall

attend any place of amusement within the State of

etc." Such selfish and inhospitable legislation is not
creditable to any State, and I believe such laws when
tested in a United States Court will fail, as they
should. The open season is usually longer in the
Southern States than in the Northern States. In
Pennsylvania, for example, the season is only one
month, November ist to December ist. (I refer to
deer only. The open season for bull-frogs — act of
1903 — is July ist to November ist.) In Michigan, a
great deer-State, the season is still shorter, Novem-
ber 8th to December ist. In Wisconsin the season is
only twenty days, November loth to November 30th.
In a number of Northern and Western States, New
Hampshire.t Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecti-
cut, New Jersey, Illinois, Iowa, Oklahoma, and possi-
bly some others, the deer are protected at all times or
for a period of years.

*In some counties the season closes January ist.

f Except in the Blue Mountain preserve and certain excepted counties
and towns.

THE VIRGINIA DEER 137

In Massachusetts and Rhode Island the laws con-
tain exceptions in favor of the owner, who is permit-
ted to kill " his own tame deer kept on his own
grounds." This would seem to require that the game
on the preserves be not wild. In Iowa the exception
is in favor of the owner, who is permitted to kill deer
on his own ground.

The above references to the laws will give the reader
an idea of the tendency of the legislation in different
parts of the country. When the deer are protected at
all times or for a period of years, the legislation plainly
indicates that the animals were threatened with exter-
mination. It is fortunate that the deer soon recover
under such laws, and a friend who is familiar with
New England conditions informs me that the deer
really are becoming a nuisance in some localities.

In the North generally all methods of capture, ex-
cepting still-hunting, have been prohibited. In the
South it is the fashion to use hounds, and horses,
horns, and darkies besides, as already observed. The
weapon, too, is often the double gun loaded with buck-
shot, with which the sportsman sometimes makes a
double. The reader will find a clever word-picture
of the Mississippi bear-country in the chapter on the
black bear. The deer in that State are found on the
same ground with the bear. The riding about after
the hounds on Southern plantations is often difficult;
the timber is heavy and full of briars, vines, and many
undergrowths, and often swampy, and the canebrakcs
are in places wellnigh impenetrable. It is a pictu-
resque sight, however, to see a lot of well-mounted
sportsmen out with iiounds and horns and their ser-

138 THE DEER FAMILY

vants, who manage the dogs and act as beaters to drive
out the deer to the sportsmen who are on the lookout
for them.

The following description of the hounds and horse,
the country and the chase, will give the reader a very
good idea of Southern methods :

" Old Bob had been waiting for us with coffee for
half an hour, and as soon as we were refreshed he
called the dogs. Nancy, a blue-colored bitch ; Music,
the sweetest-voiced red hound that ever ' tolled a bell ';
and old Rattler, a big rawboned ranger, were the lead-
ers, with six or eight puppies who were just beginning
to learn the game. After we had gone a couple of
miles horns began sounding. Now if there is any-
thing on earth elusive to a greenhorn it is a deer-
horn, which is really an old cow-horn open at both
ends. In the first place, it simply can't be blown by
an3^one but an old deer-hunter. I blew into both ends
of one, but nothing more than a gurgle came out. Old
Bob put that horn to his lips and there came forth the
sweetest sound, it seemed to me, that ever mortal lis-
tened to, but with the peculiarity that if you turned
your back to it you could not tell whether it was a
rod or a block away. When the other horns sounded
I had not the slightest idea where or how far away
they were, but those old fellows called the names of
the blower of every horn, and said they knew to
within a hundred yards of where each was. Which
I did not believe, but after found to be true.

" We trotted forward for a mile or more down an
unused logging-trail, through the prettiest country
imaginable. It was just where the foot-hills leave off

THE VIRGINIA DEER 139

to meet 'Old Red,' the tall, glimmering green pines
meeting the dusky gra}^ of the moss-cypress ; not a
clearing within five miles, and just at that hour when
the long golden scouts from the rising sun reach up to
push away the dark. The trail grew close, and was
ever winding about impenetrable thickets and black-
ened stumps of what had once been monarchs of the
forest. Suddenly we came into an open stretch where
the underbrush was much less dense, and, grouped
around a big cypress, with at least twenty dogs, and a
half dozen darkies on mules and other animals, was old
Sam Johnson, Bob Brosseur, and Hugh Bufkin, three
of the best-known deer-drivers in the parish. They
had been waiting for some time and were impatient,
so old Bob tolled off his boy to put me on a stand,
while the four white men went ahead to the right to
find their own particular place to stand."

The darkies and hounds were now sent to " what is
known as the Berry Brake, a dense lagoon-like section
of ground filled in with blackberry-bushes and a wild
tangle of a million varieties of creepers, cypress, and
tamarack."

The writer, Mr. Seaman, with his colored guide,
went toward the river, and after they had gone a mile
or so the latter instructed the former " to stop and get
off and wait there, as it was a ' stand.' " When they
heard the distant voices of the hounds the guide said :
"They got him," Shortly afterward the negro began
to get excited, and calling to Mr. Seaman to come on,
they started at a rapid gait through blackberry-bushes
and other briers, under low-hanging branches and
vines, over fallen logs, and when they had gone some

140 THE DEER FAMILY

distance, " the half-crazy negro deer-hunter galloping
ahead," they came to an opening — "and out from a
clump of bushes," the writer says, " not sixty yards
from me, cantered the prettiest little prong-buck
imaginable, coming straight toward me with his head
turned back to listen to the dogs. I grabbed my
gun, dropped to one knee, and took careful aim at
the white spot on the front of his breast — Bang !
Up into the air five feet high he bounced, and a
white streak through the bushes to my right told me
that I had missed a deer at thirty yards with eighteen
buckshot."

For an hour Mr. Seaman waited, and then, he says:
"Away off in the distance I heard the horns and the
hounds again. Had the deer doubled? I didn't know
much about those little red swamp-deer, but this might
be the case. And if a deer had passed that way once,
might he not do so again ? I concluded to be pre-
pared, and took up a stand on the top of a six-foot
stump, where I could see for seventy-five or eighty
yards in any direction. The sounds grew nearer,
nearer, nearer — they were within a quarter of a mile,
the music of the hounds ringing clear and mellow
through the aisles of the forest. I clutched my gun
tighter, the safety-catch up ; they were heading
straight for me, and from the sound I knew they
were behind something. Then I asked myself if the
dogs had doubled on their own trail ? This idea
nearly made me climb off my stump, when, skipping
lightly through the bushes a hundred yards away, and
headed straight for me, came my identical buck with
a doe beside him. Oh, but it was a sight ! They were

THE VIRGINIA DEER 141

bounding lightly, not swiftly, just seeming to go fast
enouofh to tantalize the hounds. I had crouched as
low as circumstances would permit. Now or never.
They were within thirty yards. I raised quickly.

" Bang ! Straight to the right fore-quarter, and the
hunt was over for the buck. As the doe wheeled
swiftly, she threw her broadside to me — a quick turn
and the left barrel brought her to the earth beside her
mate. In a second the dogs were on us, and I had my
troubles keeping them off. I beat them back as fast as
I could, and fired again and again to call the others.
Within ten minutes they came in."

Mr. Seaman's interesting story indicates that the
deer circled and returned. This is a very common
thing for white-tail to do. When pursued by dogs,
they easily keep ahead of them, and, like rabbits, circle
about, often running to the exact spot whence they
started. This is well worth remembering by one who
goes to enjoy this most picturesque form of sport in
the South.

Games are classified as games requiring skill and
games of chance. The game of whist is especially en-
joyable, since in it skill and chance are blended. Chess
is the game of pure skill unadulterated by any chance.
It is too much like work for many folks. Stalking the
white-tail is the sportsman's game of chess. It requires
the same long time to learn the game, and an immense
amount of practice to become a good player. It is a
game played with long, thoughtful pauses, followed by
careful moves, based on scientific reasons. The sports-
man's opponent in the game played in the woods is
always a good player.

142 THE DEER FAMILY

In hunting the Virginia deer, whether it be in Maine,
the Adirondacks, or in the Western or Southern moun-
tains, the sportsman is usually accompanied by a guide
whose duty it is to find the trail and follow it and en-
deavor to put the sportsman in position for a shot. Of
course, all this was easy when the dogs were used to
drive the deer to well-known run-w^aj's. But to-day,
where the deer are not numerous and are very wild,
the shooting of a white-tail is next to impossible for a
novice. It is a difficult matter for one highly skilled
man to approach within range of a deer without its
taking alarm. It is twice as difficult for two to do it in
company. Comparatively few sportsmen are equipped
to "go it alone." Those that are are the ones who
thoroughly enjoy deer-stalking. The shooting of the
animal is not so difficult as the getting within range.
Some men, as we have suggested, not only need the aid
of a guide for the latter service, but for the former
also. With them, the man whose servant shoots a deer
has shot a deer. Qui facit per aliiivi facit per se. It is
quite true that the act of the agent is the act of the
principal, ever since laW'S were written in the Latin.
Such hunting suits few sportsmen. I have the highest
admiration for the men I know who can slip off rapidly
through the woods without the slightest noise and, ob-
serving every sign, go straight to the \\\\d quarry and
drop it with a well-aimed shot.

I do not altogether like the game when the white-
tail is the opponent, most likely because I do not play
it very well. Where there are a lot of teal and mallards
flying in a marsh, and a solitary crane, extremely wild,
is reported to have been seen " last week " on the

THE VIRGINIA DEER 143

prairies only four miles awa}^ 1 will try the mallards
and the teal.

There are lots of men who can sit by the table and
appreciate ever}'- play in a championship game of bill-
iards. There are few champion pla3-ers.

JNIr. Van Dyke is one of the most accomplished deer-
stalkers in America, because he has always preferred
to follow the game without the guide,

"From the first days I read about hunting moose,"
he says, " I envied the Indian who found the game, and
felt contempt for the white machine that merely did
the mechanical part of pulling the trigger. Hunting
was always more of a charm than shooting, and game
that knew how to get away was always my first choice.
To be surrounded by scores of invisible spirits aware
of my presence while I was not keen enough to be
aware of theirs, to feel that I only was at fault, and
that the time would yet come when I could play in
the game without being laughed at, was to me the
loftiest form of pleasure in the pathless woods. The
remark of the settler with whom I w^as stopping,
'There's no use huntin' now ; the woods are too noisy,'
was only a spur to my ambition. That I could not
touch the dry leaves lightly enough to prevent a deer
from hearing me and running so far away that I could
not even see him or hear the thump of his feet, instead
of being a reason for stopping, was only the strongest
possible reason for keeping on. And after seeing
much of the best shooting of America, I must say
that the most charming of all days were those — eleven
successive days — I hunted from morning till night,
never out of sight of tracks made that very morning.

144 THE DEER FAMILY

yet without catching the faintest glimpse of a tleer until
the evening of the eleventh day, and then it was so far
away that I was at first in doubt about it. There are
fools among the wildest animals, and the more one
hunts deer the more apt one is to feel a painful suspi-
cion that the greater part of success comes from stum-
bling over a fool. Nothing much worse can befall the
tenderfoot at first, for he is apt to feel himself a born
hunter and learn little more. But such was not my
fortune, and I became so interested that that hunt
lasted several months and was repeated every fall until
I moved to California.

" Most beginners have much the same experience in
still-hunting, and it arises mainly from the difficulty of
comprehending — in practical form — the extreme acute-
ness of the senses of a deer and the constant watch the
animal keeps on man, even in the wildest woods."

The above describes a hunt years ago in Wisconsin,
when the woods were full of white-tails, and Mr. Van
Dyke says he has never since seen so many tracks,
though he has been in many an almost untrodden wild.

Much has been written about the chase of the white-
tail deer. The lesson cannot be learned from books.
The best school is that held by the camp-tire in the
woods. The best teacher is the guide or woodsman
who lives in the same forest with the deer and who
knows, if anyone does, how to circumvent them.*

June 4, 1904, I read the proof of this chapter at the
South Side Sportsman's Club on Long Island. While
fishing, a short distance above the club-house, I saw a

* It will be a matter of satisfaction to all sportsmen to know that the sta-
tistics show a steady increase in the number of deer in the State forests. No

THE VIRGINIA DEER 145

number of white-tail deer which were more tame than
I ever saw them in the West. One of them ran out of
the water and stood within easy range of a shot-gun
while we passed down the river in a boat. Upon ex-
pressing my surprise, our boatman said that he had
recently counted seventy-eight deer in a field within
a few hundred yards of the club-house. These deer
are restrained by no fence. The club is less than fifty
miles from New York City. What better evidence
could we have of the benefits of game preserving?

better argument can be advanced in favor of the present system of protec-
tion, and it is believed that local interests are steadily becoming convinced
that the laws as they exist are for the good of all concerned.

From the statistics furnished by the American and the National Express
Companies, the following figures showing the shipments of deer have been
compiled :

Year. Carcasses. Saddles. Heads.

1903 1,961 145 188

The percentage of increase in the shipments, which last season vi^as about
30 per cent., is seen this season to be more than 44 per cent, over that of the
previous year. Following the apparently reasonable rule that for each deer
shipped out, at least four others are killed in the woods, it can readily be seen
how greatly the deer have increased under our present laws. — Forest and
Streatn. From advance sheets of the Eighth Report of the New York State
Forest, Fish and Game Commission.

IX

THE WOODLAND CARIBOU

THE older naturalists describe two caribou. More
recently there are more, no less than nine having
received technical names, but for many reasons these
may be considered as one and the same by sportsmen.
The two principal varieties of caribou are the wood-
land caribou and the barren-ground caribou. These
look much alike; one, however, is much larger than
the other. Their horns are also similar, but the small-
er animal has proportionately much the larger horns.
The habits and methods of pursuit of both animals are
similar. Mr. Charles C. Ward, to whom we are in-
debted for an excellent article, " Caribou Hunting,"
says it seems to be a moot question whether the bar-
ren-ground caribou found inhabiting the Arctic regions
and shores of Hudson Ba}' is another species or only a
variety of the woodland caribou. The barren-ground
caribou is the smaller animal and seldom exceeds one
hundred and fifty pounds in weight, while large speci-
mens of the woodland caribou weigh nearly five hun-
dred pounds. The caribou of Newfoundland is the
large woodland deer.

I have referred to the Boone and Crockett Club's list
of big game and their requirement for membership —

146

THE WOODLAND CARIBOU 147

that the applicant shall have killed at least three big-
game animals of different kinds.

The two caribou are listed separately by the club as
the woodland caribou and the barren-ground caribou.
There are, therefore, two caribou for sportsmen, and
an3'one who kills them both need only kill one other
big-game animal to be eligible for membership in that
justly famous organization and be invited to dine an-
nually with Roosevelt, Grinnell, Rodgers, and ninety-
seven other distinguished sportsmen, many of whom
have written capital descriptions of the chase.

The woodland caribou is certainly a good geograph-
ical race. As its name would indicate, it inhabits the
forest regions, its range extending from Maine west-
ward through British America, and lying directly south
of the range of the barren-ground caribou, which dwells
on the great northern plains called the barren grounds
which extend to the Arctic Sea,

The range of the caribou, like that of the other deer,
has been restricted by persecution, and the caribou is
now so nearly exterminated in Maine that the killing
of these animals there is prohibited at all times. They
are migratory, or at least have the habit of moving
for greater distances than any of the other mem-
bers of the deer family. The barren-ground caribou
are more migratory than the woodland animals, of
which species Grinnell says: "The migration seems to
be little more than a mere restlessness, a desire to keep
moving, or a natural change from a winter feeding-
ground to a summer one, and back again; but in the
barren-ground form, the journeys take place with so
much regularity and are on such a large scale that

148 THE DEER FAMILY

they have attracted the attention of all travellers who
have had opportunities of observing them."

The woodland caribou is much larger than a deer
and measures four feet at the withers. A typical
specimen in the New York Zoological Park weighed
280 pounds. The head of the caribou is not so hand-
some as that of the elk or deer, but he is not so homely
as a moose. The horns are large and heavy and re-
semble those of the moose more than those of the
deer. They may be said to be intermediate between the
two, being palmated, but not widely as in the case of
moose. In outline the caribou is not so graceful as the
deer. He is stockier, and the body is more like that
of the mule-deer than the Virginia deer.

The color of the caribou is grayish brown on the
body and legs. The belly and rump are yellowish white.
The color is said to be much paler in winter; a wood-
land caribou will weigh as much as 500 pounds, possi-
bly more.

The feet of the caribou are peculiar. Grinnell says:
"The foot is broad and spreading, and the supplemen-
tary hooflets or dew-claws are large, the whole being
admirably adapted for supporting the animal in its
passage through marshes or over the snow. The thin,
horny shell which forms the border of the hoof also
serves it well when travelling on the ice. The repre-
sentatives of the second and fourth digits contribute
something to the support of the animal's weight, and
are always more or less worn and abraded on their in-
ferior surfaces. When the animal trots swiftly, these
dew-claws strike against one another with a loud,
clattering noise." Mr. Ward refers to this noise as the

A

THE WOODLAND CARIBOU 149

peculiar castanet sound caused b}' the split hoofs of the
caribou striking together.

The caribou feeds largely upon reindeer-moss, lich-
ens, shrubs, and grasses. The guides note well where
they are feeding, and where the feed is best, and are
usually able to conduct the sportsmen to the game, as,
in all big-game shooting, guides are almost indispensa-
ble, not only to find the game, but to prevent the
sportsman from getting lost in the woods and to at-
tend to many other matters already referred to.

The caribou, when they have not been much hunted,
are comparatively tame, and not hard to approach.
Mr. Ward says when his haunts have been unmolested
he will imconcernedly trot up within range of the
rifle. He believes, however, that a great deal of this
apparent fearlessness is due to defective vision. There
are more places to-day, however, where the woodland
caribou has been exterminated than there are where he
is tame. In the inhospitable, uninhabited Arctic bar-
rens where his near relation is found, there, no doubt,
are places where comparatively tame caribou may be
found. Maine found it necessary to pass a law pro-
tecting the caribou for a term of six years from October
J 5, 1S99. They will be, no doubt, fairly abundant, and
at the end of the close period, for a few years at least,
it will not be difticult for the shooter to procure a
caribou trophy in the northern portions of that State.
The law will no doubt permit the killing of only one
male by a gun in one season. Since the moose and the
Virginia deer are found on many caribou-grounds,
the chances for a splendid bag are good. Any sports-
man should be satisfied with one of the larger animals

ISO THE DEER FAMILY

and the two or three deer usually allowed to each gun.
The ruffed grouse and the spruce or Canada grouse
are found in the woods and prove an acceptable addition
to the camp-table. The Canada grouse is the most
abundant, and is often too tame to afford much sport.
There are fine trout in the streams and lakes. In the
northern parts of the range the beautiful ptarmigan is
also fairly abundant. This grouse flies well and affords
considerable sport for the double gun, which should
always be found in the camp of the caribou-hunter.

The rutting season is in the early autumn and begins
about September ist. The caribou then fight like the
moose, elk, and deer. The does bring forth one and
sometimes two fawns in May or June, which are spotted
like the deer, the spots, however, being not so distinct
and noticeable.

The females, as well as the males, have horns — those
of the female being smaller and lighter than the many-
tined, wider-palmated antlers of the buck.

The flesh of the caribou makes excellent venison and
is much used by the northern Indians. In gait the
caribou resembles the elk and moose more than the
smaller deer. He travels with a long, swinging trot,
and goes much faster than he appears to. He has
good bottom and can travel great distances without a
halt, so that it is almost useless to try and follow a band
of wild caribou when once they have taken the alarm.

Like the antelope, the caribou sometimes exhibit
curiosity. Mr. Ward, referring to this, says : " The in-
difference or curiosity with regard to the noise of fire-
arms exhibited by the caribou often stands the hunter
in good stead and affords him a chance for a second

THE WOODLAND CARIBOU 151

shot, should his first prove ineffectual ; for it is not un-
common for a herd to stand stock-still on hearing the
report of a gun, even when one of their number has
fallen a victim thereto. The pause is but for an in-
stant, and the hunter must be quick to take advantage
of it, or his chance will be gone before he is aware of
it ; for, recovering quickly from the shock or alarm, or
whatever it may be, the herd will dash off at a rattling
pace. A caribou, if not mortally wounded, will en-
deavor to keep up with the herd, and will travel a long
way without giving out. If near the sea-coast, the
wounded animal seeks it to die, and so is often found
by the hunter. In such cases the skill of the Indian
again comes into play, and he will follow the track of
tiie wounded animal, readily picking it out from all the
others and seldom failing to run it down. The Indians
say that the caribou likes to feed on sea-weed, and goes
to the coast in the spring and fall of the year for that
purpose."

The caribou has the sense of smell wonderfully de-
veloped and relies largely upon its nose to escape its
enemies. It is absolutely necessary to approach it
against the wind, and the rule, so often referred to in
the chapters on the other deer and the antelope, of see-
ing the game before being seen, should be observed.
Since the caribou is a Northern animal, there is usually
snow on the ground in the shooting season, and its
trail, of course, is more easily followed in the snow. It
is well to be equipped with snow-shoes and to know
how to use them, since the snow is often too deep to
travel without them. The rifle is the proper weapon.
The ball and charge should be heavy rather than light.

152 THE DEER FAMILY

since this deer, like the others, unless hit hard, may run
a long distance and escape, and nothing is more dis-
tressing to a true sportsman than to lose a wounded
animal,

Mr. Ward says "a competent authority " doubts the
existence of the caribou west of the Red River of the
North, Its distribution is much better known now.

Roosevelt killed a caribou in the Selkirk Mountains
near an Alpine lake, and says the stomach was filled
with blueberries and their leaves, and with a few small
mushrooms also, and some mouthfuls of moss. He re-
gards the caribou as better able to take care of itself
than the moose, but rather easier to still-hunt. Here,
as elsewhere, the question is dependent upon the com-
parative tameness of the animals. The caribou of the
Selkirks were, no doubt, not very wild at the time when
Roosevelt saw them. He intimates as much, saying that
when not pursued they are fairly tame. Colonel Dodge,
it will be remembered, regarded the Virginia deer as
easy to stalk, even easier than the black-tail, as he
called the mule-deer. It, no doubt, was not at all diffi-
cult to shoot the white-tails when Colonel Dodge lived
at Western posts, far beyond the railways, I have seen
the white-tail more recently in places far beyond a rail-
way, where the shots were at close range and where
the quarry often was inclined to pause and gaze at an
intruder. But there is no more difficult animal to stalk
than the white-tail of to-day on most parts of its range,
and I doubt not the caribou is almost, if not quite, as
difficult in places where he has been educated, and
where only a few crafty and experienced animals have
survived.

THE WOODLAND CARIBOU 153

The Newfoundland caribou were until recently
listed as woodland caribou, but they have now been
classified as a new species " chiefly on account of their
light color." Their habits being the same as those of
other woodland caribou, and the methods of pursuit
being also the same, the sportsmen disregard these
technical differences just as they do the ornithological
separation of the gray ruffed grouse from the plain
every-day ruffed grouse. The caribou were formerly
very abundant in Newfoundland, and they are by no
means scarce to-day. There has been a tremendous
slaughter of these animals every winter, and Mr.
McGrath says "the mail steamer plying along that
coast has frequently brought to St. Johns consign-
ments of 500 carcasses of caribou ; that venison sells for
two and three cents a pound in the meat-markets of
the city ; that the charitable societies buy it to dis-
tribute among the poor ; and that in the fishing-ham-
lets the people salt down the meat for use as a staple
article of diet during the ensuing spring ; the carcasses
have been shipped to St. Pierre in schooners to be
used by the French fishermen in baiting their peri-
winkle traps on the Grand Banks, and it is not un-
common for caribou-meat to be fed to the dogs." The
same writer says that these caribou are " in appear-
ance like an Alderne}' cow, with short legs and broad
feet which enable them to traverse the snow and wet
marshes rapidly and easily. They weigh from five
hundred to seven hundred pounds, stand about four
feet six inches high ; and afford excellent sport to the
still-hunter."

The caribou feed largely upon lichens and moss.

154 THE DEER FAMILY

They find an abundance of moss in the woods in
winter, and wander north in summer to seek a white
moss whicli grows on the marshes. Early in the
autumn the horns have lost the velvet and are strong.
Mr. McGrath says that in the rutting season " they do
not hesitate to rush upon the hunters if these are
incautious enough to get within their sight." They
also strike a bad blow with their feet.

The shooting-season for caribou is now much shorter
than formerly. It was the fashion, in fact, a few years
ago to shoot them at all seasons, but to-day in some
States it is illegal to shoot them at all. Such is the
law in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, New
York, in Michigan,* North Dakota, Nevada, and Idaho.
The Southern States, of course, have no caribou. The
season in Minnesota, the single Northern State east of
the Rocky Mountains which permits the shooting of
these animals, is from November loth to November
30th. Glancing at the laws of the Pacific States, we
find that the caribou is not mentioned in California and
Oregon, and that the season in Washington is Septem-
ber 1st to November ist.

It will be observed, therefore, that there is very little
open caribou-ground in the United States. The cari-
bou, however, like the moose, properly belongs to our
neighbor across our northern boundary.

In Newfoundland the open season for caribou is
from August ist to October ist and from October
20th to February ist, the interval being for the mating
season. In Nova Scotia f and New Brunswick the

* Michigan, to year 1911.

f Protected at all times to 1905.

THE WOODLAND CARIBOU 155

season opens September 15th. In Manitoba the season
is September 15th to December ist; in Quebec* and
British Columbia it is September ist to February ist,
and in Northwestern Territories, November ist to De-
cember 15 th.

The usual license in the provinces named is $25. In
British Columbia the license is $50, and in all the
provinces, I believe, the open season for moose and
caribou is the same, and the license permits the killing-
of all game. In Newfoundland tiic license has been
made $100 for non-residents ; this permits the killing of
not more than three stag caribou.

The license in Newfoundland being really prohibi-
tive for most sportsmen, the best good woodland
caribou-ground left for eastern sportsmen is in New
Brunswick and parts of Quebec.

It is most unfortunate that Newfoundland has such
a high license. It is certainly one of the best shooting-
grounds for caribou visited by sportsmen from the
United States, and has, in addition to the caribou,
deer and grouse and fine fishing, including the lordly
salmon.f

Mr. McGrath says that when the summer's cod-fish-
ing is over, the Newfoundland coast-folk go to the ii{)-
lands for a winter's supply of venison, which they salt
down and barrel for the support of themselves and their
families. He continues :

" From the harbors where they reside they go in

* Quel)ec is divided into two shofjtinj; zones with different laws. In one
zone the season closes March ist.

•j- The Newfoundland license has been reduced to $50 since the above was
written.

156 THE DEER FAMILY

their boats to the rivers and fiords which strike into
the interior. When navigation is no longer possible
they debark and continue on foot to the deer-country.
They carry barrels filled with salt, and sometimes go
in large companies. When the rendezvous is reached,
they camp. Then they ambush themselves along a
promising 'lead,' or deer-track, armed with long, six-
foot, muzzle-loading sealing-guns, which they charge
with about ' eight fingers ' of coarse gunpowder and
'slugs' of lead, fragments of iron or bits of rusty nails,
whichever they may have. They fire point-blank into
a herd of caribou as it passes, and being usually good
shots, contrive to kill almost anything they aim at, or
to wound it so badly with these dreadful missiles that
it soon collapses. Then they skin and cut up the meat,
for these men know a little of every trade, and pack it
in the barrels with the salt as a preservative. When
enough slaughter has been achieved, the barrels of
meat are slung on carrying-sticks which rest on two
men's shoulders and conveyed back to the boats, those
not so laden bringing full stores of fresh venison for
immediate use. This crusade is pursued generally in
the remoter northern areas, where the difficulty of
obtaining other supplies is greatest. Other parties of
fishermen who cannot reach the uplands by boat go
by train of late years, in preference to making long
marches. They pay freight inward for their barrels of
salt and outward for the packed venison. The trains
drop them on the various marshes, and there they
operate just as the others above described. They
camp near the track-side, for their unhandy equip-
ment cannot be carried far afield, and they shoot the

THE WOODLAND CARIBOU 157

caribou on the open moors, in full view of the passing
trains. Passengers across the country at this season
can count hundreds of deer as the engine speeds
alone-, and see the whole drama of this novel hunt
unfolded before them. The fishermen ambush the un-
suspecting creatures and shoot them, and then the
paunching, skinning, and cutting up follows in quick
order. The meat is then carried into the camps,
where the salt is turned out into little gleaming
hillocks, and the packing takes place, while great
steaks are frizzling before the blazing fires near each
birchen 'tilt,' or shelter, and horns and hides, with
here and there a carcass, litter the foreground. The
scene is one of animation and cannot be matched any-
where nowadays."*

After the caribou have run the gantlet of " this
slaughter-zone," they move southward to the forests of
the south coast. Here again the settlers shoot great
numbers of them for the markets. Mr. McGrath says
that these facts will serve to indicate to the alien
sportsman what the possibilities of caribou-hunting
are in this island. The Newfoundland law prohibits
the use of dogs and the trapping of the animals.
The sportsman is permitted to take home the antlers,
heads, and skins of the deer he may shoot under his
license, on making oath that they are not being ex-
ported as articles of commerce.

Dr. T. S. Davis, of Lancaster, Pa., says that during
a twenty days' trip on the White Hills, inland from
Hall's Bay, his party saw over nine hundred deer by
actual count; and the marsh which was the scene of

* On ling.

158 THE DEER FAMILY

their operations was not of very large extent. Mr.
Davis secured the "largest and most perfect woodland
caribou-head in America, basing this opinion on speci-
mens carefully examined whenever an opportunity
was offered, including those at the Sportsman's Ex-
hibition recently held in Madison Square Garden,
New York. The dimensions of these antlers are as
follows: Length of horns, from hair to tip, 42 inches;
spread from tip to tip, 32 inches; points, 47; circum-
ference of entire rack, 1 1 feet six inches."

Some wealthy Americans have shooting*-boxes in
Newfoundland and have fine shooting every fall.

"One of the Standard Oil magnates, who owns a
hunting-lodge in one of the remoter sections, has it
located at the base of some high trees, in the upper
branches of one of which he has constructed a shade
or lookout. In this eyrie a guide is constantly sta-
tioned to watch for the passing of caribou, for the
place commands one of the best leads in the region.
When the guide sights a herd he presses an electric
button, which actuates a bell in the lodge below and
summons the owner to the lookout. There, with his
glasses, he surveys the herd, and if it evidences the
possession of a likely head, he descends and proceeds
to stalk it. Otherwise, he returns to his pipe and book
in the lodge while the guide watches for another
promising specimen. Other wealthy Americans have
practically pre-empted territory which hunters not
so generousl}' dowered cannot afford the expense of
reaching, but in spite of this there is ample oppor-
tunity and excellent vantage-ground for all who are
likely to visit us for some years to come."*

* p. T. McGrath, in Outing.

THE WOODLAND CARIBOU 159

Competent observers maintain that if the present
needless and unbridled butchery of the caribou is
not speedily checked, the extermination of the ani-
mals is only a matter of a few years. Meanwhile,
Mr. McGrath says that the American hunter is assured
of a hearty welcome and satisfying sport.

That the woodland caribou are still fairly abundant
in New Brunswick is attested by the story of "A New
Brunswick Caribou-hunt," written by Mr. W. T. Chest-
nut, of Fredericton, N. B., and illustrated by photo-
graphs taken by the author which show, among other
things, a splendid stag shot by a lady who stands be-
side it in the picture. The hunt took place last autumn,
and the writer says that one day they saw thirty-two
caribou before dinner, and later in the day enough
more to make the total for the day sixty-four. The
animals do not appear to have been very wild ; the
hunting was, of course, still-hunting, or stalking, and
when the stag fell, the rest of the herd stood around
waiting for their chief.

The shooting-party was in the woods seven days, and
saw in that time no fewer than one hundred and fifty-
eight canboii.*

The records which are continually coming out of the
woods accompanied by photographs, which show not
only the fallen quarry but often live animals also, are
wonderfully clever. They give us not only portraits
of the animals, but fine pictures of their surroundings,
both the foreground detail and pleasing backgrounds,
which indicate the character of the field and woods
where the quarry lived and died. The camera has be-
come an essential in the sportsman's outfit.

* Field and Stycuin, March, 1 904.

i6o THE DEER FAMILY

Farther west, in the Canadian provinces, the wood-
land caribou are found, and when they have not been
much persecuted they are comparatively easy to shoot.
Mr. Tyrrell, of the Canadian Geological Survey, wrote
of these animals in a letter to Mr. Hornaday,in which he
says that the woodland caribou may be found in all the
thickly wooded tracts of Alberta, Athabasca, and Sas-
katchewan, and that this deer is known to the Indians
of that country as the Muskeg-Atik, or swamp-deer, in
recognition of the fact that it lives in the swamps and
coniferous forests, and not on the plains, or in the
country studded with groves of poplar. Mr. Tyrrell
does not believe the woodland caribou are numerous
anywhere in the Canadian Northwest Territories.*

* Hornaday, The American Natural History, p. 135.

X

THE BARREN-GROUND CARIBOU

AS stated in the preceding chapter, the barren-
gfround caribou is much the smaller of the two
North American animals. The naturalists now regard
this reindeer as closely related, if not identical with
that found in the Arctic regions of the Old World.
Hornaday says, that in general terms it may be said
that the average barren-ground caribou is a close un-
derstudy of the average reindeer of Siberia and Lap-
land and is also a smaller animal.

Comparatively few American sportsmen have shot
the barren-ground caribou on account of the forbid-
ding character of the ground and the hardships attend-
ant upon the chase. Its habits are now well known,
however, and there are places where many animals are
killed annually by venturesome sportsmen.

Richardson long ago gave us an excellent description
of the animal and its habits in his great work, " Fauna
Boreali Americana."

The sportsman who goes to shoot the northern rein-
deer may expect to bag the musk-ox, and on parts of
its range he will find the polar bear. Since the bar-
ren-ground caribou is usually found on wide, open
plains, he is easily seen at a long distance, and the
sport is therefore somewhat like that of antelope-

i6i

i62 THE DEER FAMILY

shooting. A powerful glass is desirable and the
sportsman will do well to use it often, and carefully
look over the ground in order to discover his game
without alarming it and be able to plan his approach.
Schwatka says when the temperature reaches the ex-
tremes of — 60° to — 70° Fahrenheit, the musk-oxen
and reindeer herds can be located, at from six to seven
miles' distance, by the cloud of moisture which hangs
over them, formed by their condensing breath, and
from favorable heights, at even fifteen to twenty miles.
The color of the animal is said to harmonize well with
the gray, barren plains. This animal, like the other
deer, relies upon its nose, and can detect its enemy at
a great distance, if the wind be in its favor. It is
sometimes necessary to retire, after discovering the
game, and make a long detour before attempting to
approach it.

The migration of this animal is from north to south.
In the summer it is found most abundantly far within
the Arctic Circle near the shores of the Arctic Ocean.
Here the young are brought forth, and in the fall the
animals move southward, and spend the winter on the
barrens and in the vicinity of the adjacent forests.

The caribou are seen in small bands, and often in
great herds, numbering hundreds of animals where
they are abundant. There are a number of varieties
of this caribou, as we have observed. These are re-
ferred to in the Appendix.

Mr. Warburton Pike has given us an excellent story
in Mr. Hornaday's "American Natural History," of the
Barren Grounds, and the musk-oxen and caribou to be
seen there. He says that the caribou in great bands,

THE BARREN-GROUND CARIBOU 163

commonly known as La foulc, late in October move
southward for the winter.

"Scattered bands of caribou were ahnost always in
sight from the top of the ridge behind the camps, and
increased in numbers till the morning of October 20th,
when little Baptiste, who had gone for firewood, woke
us before daylight with the cry, 'La foulc! La foulc!''
(The throng.) Even in the lodge we could hear the
curious clatter made by a band of travelling caribou.
La faille had really come, and during its passage of
six days, I was able to realize what an extraordi-
nary number of these animals still roam the Barren
Grounds.

" From the ridge we had a splendid view of the mi-
gration. All the south side of Mackay Lake was alive
with the moving beasts, while the ice seemed to be
dotted all over with black islands, and still away on
the north shore, with the aid of the glasses, we could
see them coming like regiments on the march. In
every direction we could hear the grunting noise that
the caribou always makes when travelling.

"The snow was broken into broad roads, and I found
it useless to try to estimate the number that passed
within a few miles of our encampment. We were just
in the western edge of their passage, and afterward we
heard that a band of Dog-ribs, hunting some forty
miles to the west, were at this very time in the last
straits of starvation, only saving their lives by a hasty
retreat to the woods. This is a common danger in the
autumn, as the caribou, coming in from the Barren
Ci rounds, join together in one vast herd, and do not
scatter much till they reach the thick timber.

i64 THE DEER FAMILY

"The caribou, as is usually the case when they are
in large numbers, were very tame, and on several oc-
casions I found myself right in the middle of a band,
with a splendid chance to pick out any that seemed in
good condition. . . ."*

Mr. David T. Hanbury, in a new book, says the mi-
grating caribou " arrive in bands of from about a dozen
to as many as two hundred. Trotting quickly down
to the edge of the river (the Arkilinik River), they take
the water without a moment's hesitation. They swim
with marvellous speed, almost appear to be trotting,
and they keep up a peculiar grunting noise while in
the water. The Huskies (Eskimo) wait till they are
fairl}- in mid-stream, then shoot out in their kyaks and
surround the band. The spearing then commences.
The slaughter is sometimes great.

"The deer show no signs of diminution at present,
nor will they so long as the population of the North
remains as it is. They exist in hundreds of thousands,
it is safe to say millions ; and the few hundreds, perhaps
thousands, killed by the Huskies are insignificant."

* Sport and Travel in the Northland of Canada, London, 1904.

BOOK II
THE OX FAMILY

XI

THE OX FAMILY

THE BovidcB or ox family of the naturalists con-
tains many genera and species of tlie ungulata
or hoofed quadrupeds. These animals are generally
termed the hollow-horned ruminants {Cavicornid), the
extreme forms being the oxen and the sheep. These
are separated widely, but there are many intermediate
forms, which are said to make the division into smaller
groups a matter of great difficulty.

There are in North America only five of the holhnv-
horned ruminants which interest sportsmen, and until
a very few years ago it was not settled that we had
five. While the controversy between the naturalists
went on, the most important species, the bison or
buffalo, which was by far the most numerous, became
practically extinct, and the white goat or mountain-
goat, whose existence was disputed within the writer's
memory, has become well known to sportsmen and
naturalists. The five North American species of the
order or family Bovida; are :

The Bison, or Buffalo.

The Musk-ox, or Musk-sheep.

The Big-horn, or Mountain-sheep.

The Mountain-goat, or Wiiite Goat.

The Prong-horned Antelope, or Prong-buck.

jC7

i68 THE OX FAMILY

Two of these animals — the first and last named —
were, only a few years ago, wonderfully abundant upon
the great Western plains. The bison has, as we have
observed, become extinct, there being only a small
herd of the animals in the National Park, besides those
in captivity referred to in the chapter on that animal.
The musk-ox is a boreal animal, only known to a few
sportsmen, its range being confined to the extreme
northern parts of the continent, from the so-called
barren grounds of Canada to the Arctic Ocean.

The big-horn and the mountain-goat live on the
high mountain-tops of the Western mountains, and a
few years ago these animals were regarded as identi-
cal by many hunters, although they do not look at all
alike. The information concerning the white goat was
so scant when I first visited the Rocky Mountains that
I doubted its existence, as did many others who visited
the same regions. At present, however, we know the
natural history of these two aninicds well ; and there
are many sportsmen who have killed both. We are
indebted to the adventurous sportsmen who climbed
the peaks of the Western mountains in pursuit of these
animals for much of our information concerning them.

The bison being practically extinct, and the antelope
being so nearly exterminated in many places as to be
no longer an object of pursuit (its pursuit being pro-
hibited in nearly all of the States by law); the musk-
ox being an Arctic animal, and the two remaining
species being found now only on high mountain-peaks,
it is apparent that the animals of the ox family found
in North America are comparatively of little impor-
tance to sportsmen.

THE OX FAMILY 169

The flesh of two of the animals, the musk-ox and the
white goat, is not very desirable, but the flesh of the
big-horn is not surpassed by that of any of our big-
game animals.

The goat which we have known for the shortest
period of time seems to have held its own the best.

None of these animals are suited to the game-pre-
serve unless the preserve be a large one and located
on the ground where the animals are found. The
bison, as we have observed, may possibly be excepted,
since it seems to thrive in New England parks. The
other animals, if they are to be preserved at all, must be
protected where they are now found.

In all of the animals of the ox family, excepting the
prong-horned antelope, the horns are persistent. The
prong-horn, as we shall observe, has new horns every
year, which are not, however, like the deer-horns in
structure or shape.

XII

THE BISON

SO well established is the word buffalo that the
American bison is seldom called by its right
name. Although related to the Old-World buffalo, the
naturalists have decided that our animal must remain
a bison, and the sportsmen, who hereafter will only
shoot this animal in the game-preserves, must go " bi-
son "-hunting, if they would speak correctly. The dif-
ference between chasing these animals about in an en-
closure surrounded by a wire fence and running them
on the limitless plains of the West is sufficient, how-
ever, to warrant a change of name. The word bison
was never used on the Western plains when the writer
formed this animal's acquaintance, and we may be
excused, therefore, if we get to " buffalo "-hunting be-
fore the end of the chapter. Irving furnishes the lit-
erary warrant for "buffalo," if one be needed, in " The
Adventures of Captain Bonneville " and " The Crayon
Miscellany," Within the memory of many sportsmen
now living, the bison covered the great plains of North
America in numbers which would be beyond the belief
of those who did not see them, were it not for the
cumulative evidence of many writers of unquestioned
veracity, who have described the vast herds as they saw
them and furnished statistics of the numbers slain and

170

THE BISON i;i

the hides shipped. Lewis and Clarke, Captain Bonne-
ville, Colonel Dodge, and others left full descriptions of
the immense multitudes of these animals, and many liv-
ing writers, not least among them William F. Cody,
more familiarly known as " Buffalo Bill," have told us
of the great herds they saw, and of the number slain
by their o\vn guns. An Indian is reported to have said
"the country w\as one robe." When the railways
were built across their range, the great herds of bison
stopped and even overturned trains of cars. There is
a record of one train being held up for three hours to
allow a herd to pass in front of it. Colonel Dodge tells
us that " trains were thrown from the tracks of the At-
chison Pacific Railway by the bison twice in one week."
Grinnell says they dashed into rivers and swam against
the sides of steamboats. When the buffalo started in a
certain direction it was next to impossible to divert
them and dangerous to be caught in ivont of them
unmounted. The animals behind crowded upon and
pushed those in front, so that the leaders could not
stop if they would, and often great numbers of the ani-
mals were drowned in streams and lost in quicksands.
All writers complain of the inadequacy of our lan-
guage to describe the great herds. Captain Bonne-
ville tells us that "as far as the eye could reach, the
country seemed absolutely blackened by innumerable
herds." No language, he said, could convey an idea
of the vast living mass thus presented to his eye. At
another time he speaks of plains "absolutely swarm-
ing with buffalo," and says, "it was a beautiful sight to
see the runners, as they are called, advancing in col-
umn at a slow trot until within two hundred and fifty

172 THE OX FAMILY

yards of the herd, then dashing on at full speed, until
lost in the immense multitude of buffaloes scouring the
plains in every direction," The runners succeeded in
driving numbers of the buffalo to an appointed camp-
ing-ground, " where they were killed hard by the
camp, and the flesh transported thither without diffi-
culty."

In 1869, when the first trans-continental railway was
opened for business, the range of the bison was cut in
two. The number of the animals was much reduced
for a long distance on either side of the track. Soon
there was a wide avenue between two vast herds (one
to the north and one to the south), where few animals
were to be seen, and near the railway they were ex-
terminated. The southern herd, which extended from
Kansas and Texas west to the Rocky Mountains, was
not long afterward invaded by the Kansas Pacific and
the Atchison Pacific Railways, and in a few years the
bison ceased to exist in the South. The northern
herd held out somewhat longer in the Dakotas and
Montana and until the Northern Pacific Railway was
built, when the same results followed as in the South.
In 1880 the northern road was finished and open for
business as far west as Bismarck, Dak., and the bison
were still abundant from the Missouri River to the
Rocky Mountains. The following year the railway
reached the valley of the Yellowstone and the last great
slaughter began. In 1883 only a few straggling bands
were left, and soon thereafter the buffalo were practi-
cally extinct everywhere in the United States. It is no
exaggeration to say that billions of animals were slain
in less than a score of years. There has never been

o

A —

A

OJ

.JL,

■*-■

A

>.

n

^

c^

•—

iT

—

•r

^

^

O

■s.

U

z

^

C3

^'

7-.

2

■j:

THE BISON 173

such a slaughter of wild animals anywhere in the world
as that which took place between the years 1865 and
1883 on the plains of North America.

The United States Government has recently taken a
census of the bison. In 1902 the Senate passed a reso-
lution directing the Secretaries of the Interior and of
Agriculture to transmit to the Senate any facts which
they possessed with reference to the preservation of
these animals, and information as to their increase or
decrease. Thereupon the Secretar}^ of the Interior ad-
dressed letters to the executives of all the States and
Territories and to certain other persons supposed to
have some knowledge of the status of the bison, and
later, with his letter to the Senate, the secretary sent
copies of the replies of the governors of the States and
many other persons from whom he had sought in-
formation. As was to be expected, most of the govern-
ors of the States simply reported: "No buffalo within
the State." Some reported one or very small numbers
of animals held in captivity in zoological gardens or
parks in the cities or with circuses or menageries at
their winter quarters.

A summary of the reports indicates that there were
in 1902 only 1,143 bison, including both those of full
and mixed blood (the latter being animals resulting
from a cross with domestic cattle, which are called
cataloes). Only seventy-two bison were reported as
running wild in the whole United States! Fifty were
reported to be in Colorado,* and twenty-two in the
Yellowstone National Park. It seemed almost incredi-
ble that there were less than one hundred wild buffa-
* These have all been killed.

174 THE OX FAMILY

loes in the land where I had for days at a time seen
the vast herds grazing peacefully like cattle on the
plains.

The total number of buffaloes in Canada was re-
ported to be 600 (pure blood running wild), and sixty-
nine held in captivity. The rest of the world was
estimated to have 128 of our bison, all, of course, in
captivity.

The figures given are believed to be very accurate.
The superintendent of the National Park said there
might possibly be thirty animals there, but they had
been able to find and count only the number given
above. The bison running wild in the United States
were reported as rapidly diminishing in numbers,
while those being domesticated or in captivity under
proper climatic and other conditions appeared to be
increasing in numbers. Most of the animals in cap-
tivity are owned by persons, firms, or corporations.
Some are exported ; some killed for their hides or
heads, which are valuable.

Much other information of interest to sportsmen
was collected by the Secretary of the Interior and
appears in the numerous letters from the governors
of the States and from those persons interested in
breeding and preserving the animals. There is much
that is surprising. There are, for example, a number
of individuals and firms who owmi more bison than
there are running wild in the entire country. There
are many who own more than there are in the Na-
tional Park. One shooting-club (the Blue Mountain
Forest Game Club) has on its game-preserve in New
Hampshire about ten times as many bison as were re-

THE BISON 175

ported to exist in the National Park ! * The acting
governor of Wyoming reported that there were no
buffaloes in the State save in the National Park and
such as stray away. During the winter months, he
says, many of the park buffaloes leave the park and
go principally into the contiguous country in the east
and south, known as Jackson's Hole. " While under
our State statute," he adds, " it is a felony to kill buf-
faloes, still the Indians from the Shoshone Reserva-
tion, which borders on Jackson's Hole, and some
white hunters do kill them. The herd is being rapidly
depleted not only from the depredations mentioned,
but because of in-breeding and also their confinement,
owing to the settlement of the country, to a section
not adapted for a winter range."

The governor suggests the infusion of new blood,
the removal of the bison during winter to a proper
range where food and shelter abound, and finally
domestication. The governor of Colorado (the only
other State where there were any wild buffaloes) also
speaks of the necessity of the infusion of new blood to
save the small herds now remaining from extinction.
Congress appropriated, in 1902, $15,000 to establish a
herd of buffaloes in the National Park. The reader
will find a further reference to this and other matters
of especial interest to game-clubs and individual own-

* These, Mr. Corbin informs me, are thriving, and the animals bred in the
park sliow an increase in size over the plains animals. The Hon. Jolin C.
Dooly, of Salt Lake, has a beauiiful herd of buffalo on Antelope Island. He
writes me that his animals are all in fine condition, and adds : " Subsisting
as they do on the natural grasses of this intcrmountain region, and enjoying
the most excellent range, they are as symmetrical in appearance and have as
beautiful coats as the buffalo that formerly roamed the plains."

176 THE OX FAMILY

ers of game-preserves in the chapter on game clubs,
parks, and preserves, and in the Appendix at the end of
the volume. We proceed to a description of the bison
and a brief mention of the former limits of his distribu-
tion and then to the chase as it was when the writer
visited these animals on the great plains of the West.

The buffalo is familiar to most readers who have
seen the animal in the zoological parks and menage-
ries. Although in size the bison is somewhat similar
to domestic cattle, it is quite different in shape and
in the color and character of its pelage. Strong and
heavy in front, it is much lighter behind. The hump
is high and noticeable. The head is large and appears
much larger than it is, being covered with thick, shaggy
hair, dark brown and sometimes almost black. Tiie
head is carried low, and the long beard and hair on the
neck and forelegs reaches sometimes to the ground.
The general color of the bison is yellowish or grayish
brown, some animals being much darker than others.
I have shot young bulls which were almost black, and
old ones which were a very light or faded brown.
The horns are thick, short, and curved. The tail is
from eighteen to twenty inches long, and is covered
with short hair like that of the hind parts, and at the
end there is a tuft of black hair about six inches long,
which serves as a brush to keep off the flies and other
insects.* When a great bull lowers his shaggy head,
elevates his tail, and glances savagely with his brill-
iant black eyes at his enemy, he is a most formidable

* The buffaloes are fond of rolling on the ground and dusting themselves,
and great circular depressions, called " wallows," were made in many places
on the plains, and are to be seen to-day, overgrown with grass.

THE BISON 177

and menacing beast. He is by no means, however, as
dangerous as he looks, and is more given to turning
and running away than he is to charging. I never re-
garded the buffalo as nearly so dangerous to approach,
even on foot, as the half-wild cattle of the ranches.
Colonel Dodge says : " The domestic cattle of Texas,
miscalled tame, are fifty times more dangerous to foot-
men than the fiercest buffalo." The calves, which are
born about April, are of a light reddish-yellow color.
Their flesh makes good veal, and the liver was often
cooked with bacon as the domestic calf-liver is.

The range of the buffalo formerly extended as far
east as Virginia and New York and from Canada into
Mexico. Within the memory of the present genera-
tion, however, they only existed west of the Missis-
sippi. The extermination of the bison was largely
brought about by the " skin-hunters," who made a
business of following them for their skins, which had a
commercial value. There were few sleighs during the
period, 1865-85, that were not equipped with one or
more buffalo-robes.

There were also many shooters who pursued the
animals simply for sport and killed them in great num-
bers, often not stopping to take the robe or even the
tongue, and leaving many carcasses scattered on the
plain. Many wounded animals were permitted to es-
cape and were easily captured by the great bands of
wolves which were always to be seen in the vicinity of
the herd. Buffalo Bill had a contract with a railway
to furnish a large number of the animals' heads, to
be used as signs at the railway-stations and at ticket-
offices throughout the country. The slaughter of the

178 THE OX FAMILY

bison was a disgraceful performance. No one would
have believed it possible to kill so many animals in
so short a space of time. Although a heavy animal in
appearance, the bison is surprisingly quick, both in
arising from the ground and in running away from its
enemies. Captain Bonneville first mentioned this, say-
ing: "Such is the quickness with which this animal
springs upon his legs, that it is not easy to discover
the muscular process by which it is effected. The
horse rises first upon his forelegs; and the domestic
cow upon her hinder limbs; but the buffalo bounds at
once from a couchant to an erect position, with a celer-
ity that baffles the eye. Though from his bulk and
rolling gait he does not appear to run with much
swiftness, yet it takes a stanch horse to overtake him
when at full speed on level ground; and a buffalo cow
is still fleeter in her motion." To the captain's accurate
description of the gait and speed of this remarkable
animal, he might have added the fact that the bison has
great staying power and runs at full speed to great dis-
tances, so that vuiless the horse have a good start or
be not too far away from the animals when they take the
alarm, the chase will prove a long one, and the horse
may give out before it is possible to fire a shot.
Another remarkable thing which enables the bison to
escape is his ability to run down the steepest and
most precipitous places at full speed, going over the
edges of high hills and racing or sliding down their
steep sides, where no horseman would dare follow at a
walk, and climbing up similar places with an agility
equal to that of a goat. Grinnell says they were al-
most as active as the mountain-sheep.

THE BISON 179

Upon one occasion, when I was in full chase after a
small herd (a section of a much larger herd which ex-
tended for miles), the animals headed for an almost per-
pendicular cliff, one hundred feet or more in height,
which overhung a little river-valley. The surface of
the cliff was loose, alkaline earth; no grass grew upon
the steep incline; only a few shrubs of the wild sage
clung to its sides. Over this cliff the buffaloes plunged
headlong and went racing or sliding down to the val-
ley below, kicking up a cloud of dust which almost
concealed them from view. I drew rein at the brink,
and seeking an easier place, attempted the descent on
foot, driving my horse on ahead, since there was great
danger of his falling. Sliding slowly down, grasping
at every bush, I at length reached the bottom, but the
buffaloes were miles away and still going at top speed.
It was useless to follow them.

My first buffalo-hunt was somewhat inglorious (I re-
fer to the second day of the hunt, when I killed my first
buffalo). I had ample opportunity, however, to learn
something of the chase and to study the habits of the
animals at very close range. My vantage-ground was
much closer, in fact, than I would have selected had the
choice been left to me. A showy but unruly cavalry-
horse, laboring under much the same excitement as
that affecting his rider when Ave made the charge, was
unwilling to keep to the outer edge of the herd and
pushed on in among the scattered animals. Before long
he dispensed with my services and left me in the grass
while he Hed onward, kicking viciously at the buffaloes
and endeavoring to relieve himself of the saddle.

I was travelling on this occasion up the valley of the

i8o THE OX FAMILY

lower Yellowstone. General Miles had sent me the
horse, a large, handsome bay animal, on which to make
the journey from Fort Buford to his post, Fort Keogh,
some two hundred miles up the river. Although not a
very bad rider, I knew shortly after we set out on our
journey that my mount was likely to make trouble.
He began to give exhibitions of spirit, prancing and
cavorting about, rearing and kicking, and was hard
on the bit, and often ran away with me. The third day
out from Fort Buford (we were moving slowly with
a company of recruits who marched on foot) I rode
away from the valley with two friends (one of whom
was a lieutenant in General Miles's regiment, the Fifth
Infantry, and who knew the country) to seek the buffa-
loes, which were reported to be abundant on the plains
a few miles north of the river. We soon discovered a
large herd. The animals were distributed in bunches
and were all headed in one direction and grazing. We
approached under cover of a rise in the ground, and
stopping behind a somewhat circular knoll or small
hill, held a consultation as to the best means of getting
nearer. The buffaloes were still a long way off, on an
almost level plain. The lieutenant had killed so many
that he cared nothing about the shooting and pro-
posed making a long detour and stampeding the ani-
mals in our direction so that we could have a good
start and be sure of overtaking them. To the right of
the hill behind which we were concealed, there was a
wide depression (which they call a coulee or draw in
the West), and beyond this the plain rose and fell in
wide, gentle, grass-covered ridges which extended as
far as the eye could reach. The buffaloes were distant

THE BISON i8i

nearl}' a mile from our position. They were moving
slowl}' away from us, grazing as they went. Taking a
shot-gun, which we had brought to shoot some sharp-
tailed gi-ouse for dinner, the lieutenant rode away,
circHng far out to the right in order to keep out of
sight of the animals. We dismounted to wait until
he arrived in front of the herd and started it in our
direction.

It was a very long and exciting wait, but at last the
lieutenant appeared beyond the herd. Galloping rap-
idly forward as he approached the animals, he fired
two loads of bird-shot at them. They were now in full
flight in our direction. We sprang to our saddles and
awaited with beating hearts the opportunity to charge
at close range. But before they had covered half the
distance between us, there was a mighty sound of rush-
ing hoofs in our rear and close at hand. Turning, we
saw another large herd of bison (or most likely a part
of the same herd) racing through the draw in our rear,
along the sides of its slopes, and out on the plain be-
yond. It was a short-cut across the little knoll I have
described to the nearest animals, the front of the herd.
Putting spurs to our horses, we raced up the slope,
over the top, and charged down upon the buffaloes. I
had carelessly neglected to look to my cinch, and on
the up-grade it loosened and my saddle slipped back.
Leaning forward, I grasped the mane of the horse,
which now, frantic with excitement, galloped, snorting
and kicking, past the nearest animals on the slope, be-
fore I managed to steer him in the direction of the flight.
It was very evident that if I tried to shoot or even re-
leased my hold on the mane, 1 would go over the horse's

i82 THE OX FAMILY

head. His hind legs were much of the time in the air.
He evidently was displeased at his surroundings and
determined to get rid of both rider and saddle.

The saddle continued to slip, and finally turned.
Casting my rifle in one direction, I went headlong
into the grass in the other. Although I received a
severe jolt, 1 was not hurt, and picking up the rifle,
I opened fire on the buffaloes, which were passing at
close range. My first few shots were wild. I saw
the balls send up the dust as they struck the rising
ground far beyond the game. Aiming more care-
fully and lower, I at length saw one of the animals
fall. Another shot tipped the back of a huge bull not
over forty yards away and brought the dust from his
hide. With remarkable celerity he wheeled about and
locked horns with another bull behind him, thinking,
no doubt, that the latter had punched him with his
horn. A furious fight ensued while other bulls and
cows and calves went galloping past. I still had half a
beltful of ammunition, and being somewhat cooler after
killing the first animal, I fired two well-directed shots
in quick succession, and the two fighting bulls fell dead
with their heads together. A few more shots brought
down another bison and wounded several more which
went limping away, and when the last animals had
passed I turned to see what was going on in other
parts of the field. My friend, the doctor, had dis-
mounted and was firing rapidly, but without much
effect, at the tail-end of the procession as it passed him
some distance away.

The lieutenant had arrived on the scene some time
before, had passed me, ascertained that I was uninjured,

THE BISON 18

J

and had galloped away to recover my horse. He was
now returning, leading the captured animal. I re-
mounted, having tightened the cinch, and rode over to
join the doctor. A wounded bull stood some distance
away, and after the doctor had tired several ineffective
shots at him I suggested that he mount his horse and
that we charge the bull in proper style, giving the doc-
tor the shot. The lieutenant and I rode just behind,
acting as an escort ready to despatch the bull, pro-
vided the doctor should fall off. This he was most
likely to do, since he did not ride well and carried
a long and very heavy rifle. As we moved forward,
the bull took to his heels, not going very fast, however,
on account of the wound in his leg. When we were
quite close to him, the doctor raised his rifle as if
to shoot, but found it difificult to aim the heavy piece,
and resting it across his saddle, he drew a revolver.
He had, however, now fallen a little behind, and as he
replaced the revolver, preparatory to making a fresh
spurt, the weapon was accidentally discharged and
the ball struck the doctor in the hip and passed down-
ward through his leg. All thought of the game was at
once abandoned. We rode to the doctor's side and
asked if he was hurt, while we put out the sparks in his
coat and trousers. The doctor, with perfect comj^os-
ure, handed me his rifle, and it was evident that the wild
excitement of the sportsman had given way to the cool,
deliberate demeanor of the skilled physician. The
wound was evidently a bad one. The blood flowed over
his shoe, stained the tapadera, and dripped upon the
ground. After a hasty examination the doctor issued
his first bulletin — the wound was only a bad flesh-

i84 THE OX FAMILY

wound — no bones were broken; no artery severed —
and at his suggestion we rode slowly away toward the
Yellowstone. We did not succeed in ixjoining our
command until the next day, and, of course, had a bad
night out. The following day we sent the doctor in a
boat* to the hospital at Fort Buford, and moved on
toward Fort Keogh.

Before leaving the field where I killed my first buf-
falo, I cut off the tails of a number of the animals (in-
cluding the two bulls which fell while fighting). The
officers and scouts were much amused at my trophies,
when I displayed them. The cook was disgusted be-
cause I did not know enough to keep my score with
tongues. The buffalo-tongue is considered a great
delicacy, and it was often cut out and saved when the
rest of the animal was left for the wolves.

While the buffaloes were most abundant upon the
gr-eat plains, there were many small herds, containing a
few hundred or perhaps a few thousand animals, which
ranged up into the little river-valleys in the foot-hills
and even into the mountains. One morning when I
was riding in the hills just west of the Rosebud River
and looking for deer, I heard firing in the valley, and
looking down, saw a good herd of buffaloes in full
flight headed up the slope and directly toward me.
I had dismounted and was drinking from a canteen.
Seizing my rifle, I stepped back a few paces behind a
small butte or point of the hill on which we were and
awaited the oncoming herd. With a great noise of

* A small steamboat which, fortunately, came down the river, bearing the
Secretary of the Interior, Carl Schurz, who had been visiting some of the
Indian Agencies. The secretary kindly offered to take our wounded to the
hospital.

THE BISON 185

hoofs and in a cloud of dust, the buffaloes soon begun
to pass but a few feet away, and moving close to my
pony,* which was held by an orderly, I picked out a
handsome bull, almost black in color, and fired at his
shoulder, aiming with both eyes open as I would at a
rabbit or flying bird. At the shot the huge animal
pitched forward and fell headlong. The shot was
fatal. The bull was dead when its head struck the
ground. Upon examination I found my ball (which
was fired from a Springfield rifle such as the soldiers
used) had passed entirely through the bison, breaking
his shoulder-blade. The ball, much mushroomed, was
held by the hide on the far side, which it pressed out-
ward so as to be quite noticeable. I cut the ball out,
and taking the tongue, we rode on. I regretted much
that I could not stop and secure the robe, which was
the finest I ever saw in color and texture. We de-
sired, however, to be near the command and must
keep moving. Our photographer, who had been
shooting at the herd in the valley, killed five animals
in a short run and ceased firing when they rushed up
the steep incline, to ride away and overtake the sol-
diers, not even stopping for a tongue.

Shortly after I killed the bull, my orderly asked me
to kill a calf. A large number of yellow calves of
various sizes were passing with their mothers, and I
proceeded to shoot at them ; they were not easy marks
as they bounded along and the range was constantly
increasing, since the herd crowded away from us as I
fired. After trying a number of shots I handed the

* I found the Indian ponies the best animals on which to run buffaloes.
They seemed to enjoy it.

i86 THE OX FAMILY

rifle to the soldier and said I would like to see him kill
a calf, but he also missed them repeatedly, and at last
gave it up. We of course could have mounted our
ponies and easily have killed a calf from the saddle, but
game was so abundant we cared little about it, and had
our shooting-match from the ground.

Somewhat later in the day, while we were still rid-
ing in the hills overlooking the Rosebud, I discovered
a small herd of buffaloes in a little valley or pocket in
the hills. Among them there was an immense bull,
much larger than any of the others and by far the
largest buffalo I ever saw alive or dead. Since I felt
sure we could not be far from our camp, 1 decided to
kill the great animal with a view to procuring the head
and robe. Dismounting, I fired. My aim was a trifle
high, as is often the case when one is shooting down,
and I saw where the ball struck the ground. My
second shot was better, but not a good one. The dust
flew from the bison's head. As he started off a third
shot brought the dust too high on his side, but my
fourth shot brought him down. Walking down the
grade, I approached the huge beast with the loaded
rifle at the ready, although I was quite sure he would
not move again. When, however, I was within a few
yards, the bull sprang to his feet and charged. I
planted a ball squarely in his front and turned and
ran. I was shooting the single-shot Springfield rifle.
There was not time to load again. The orderly, gal-
loping forward with the ponies, shouted : " He's down
again," and I stopped to look about. The huge beast
was unable to get up a second time, and soon expired.

At this time I had killed altogether less than a dozen

THE BISON 187

buffaloes. There was some excitement in riding close up
to them on the open plain. I rather enjoyed killing
this monster bull, and the good shot at the smaller one
as he ran past earlier in the day. But we could not
possibly use the meat, not even all the tongues, and
the animals were usually killed while on the march and
at such times and places that it was impossible to
secure the robes. The sport soon became entirely
uninteresting and the killing inexcusable. I gave it
up, and often carried a double gun to shoot at the
grouse and the wild fowl as we jumped them in the
grass or from the streams.

Some weeks later, on the lower Yellowstone, I again
shot a few buffaloes, more for the entertainment of
some ladies with whom I was travelling in an ambu-
lance than because I cared to kill the animals.

By far the easiest way to kill buffaloes was to
stalk them when the ground was suitable. When they
were feeding on both sides of a little stream with high
banks, where there was little or no water, it was an easy
matter to get between the sections of the herd by follow-
ing the dry bed of the stream. Alarming the animals
on one side, the others would follow them as they made
off, taking the same course, and presenting the easiest
kinds of shots as they passed.

I once shot a buffalo at close range on an open plain,
which bounded into the air as the ball struck him, and,
falling on his head, buried one horn deep in the ground.
He was dead when I reached him.

Most persons who have shot buffaloes when they
were abundant will agree with me that the chase was ex-
citing enough for a short time, but that one soon tired of

i88 THE OX FAMILY

it. It was attended with little difficulty and practically
no danger from the quarry at least. The hard riding,
like any hard riding, has always an element of danger.*
The horse or pony may put his foot in a prairie-dog
burrow or other hole. There is the danger of suddenly
coming upon some unseen depression or other bad
ground, especially when the ground is covered with
the tufted shrubs of wild sage.

One day, when we had great difficulty in bringing
down our wagons from the Wolf Mountains into the
valley of the Tongue River, I decided, while the
wagons were coming down, to go in pursuit of a herd
which we observed grazing in the valley below. No
one cared to accompany me, and I set out alone. I
was riding an Indian pony, which seemed thoroughly
to enjoy chasing buffaloes. He was one of the best
mounts I ever had for this sport. Moving slowly
across the plain, which was overgrown with sage-
bushes, I kept my eye on the bison, ready to put spurs
to the pony as soon as they took the alarm. There
was no cover under which I could approach, and I
expected the chase to be a long one, since the buffaloes
in the neighborhood were used to the guns and exceed-
ingly wild. While I was more than a half-mile away
the bison started and went off at a rapid gait. Putting

* That experienced buffalo hunter, Colonel Dodge, says: " I have never
known of a man hurt by a buffalo, but have know^n of six injured by falling
horses."

Captain Bonneville tells of an Indian boy killed by a buffalo bull.

Charles Reynolds, the chief of scouts at Fort Smith, told Mr. Grinnell
that a wounded cow killed his brother, and there are other records of a
chase ending fatally. Such occurrences are, however, extremely uncom-
mon.

THE BISON 189

the spurs to the pony, I galloped after them. Keeping
my eyes far ahead on the game, I let the pony look out
for any inequalities or holes in the ground, but before
long I saw a wide chasm immediately in front of me.
There was no time in which to decide if I should draw
rein or attempt the leap. The pony had already
decided he could make it, and in a moment we were
in the air. The space was far too wide, however, and
the pony only reached the far bank with his nose. 1
went on over his ears and landed safely in the sage-
bushes on the loose alkaline earth. The pony dropped
out of sight to the bed of a dry creek some eight or ten
feet below. As his neck and front struck the bank a
cloud of white alkaline dust arose, and those who
witnessed the mishap from the camp said there seemed
to have been an explosion, a cloud of smoke being in
the air, while horse and rider disappeared as if by
magic. The shrubs of sage were sufficient to conceal
me until I sat up. A number of horsemen galloped out
to see what had happened. A soldier dropped into
the creek and helped me down one side and up the
other, and while he rode away down the creek to find
a place where he could get the pony out, I mounted
his animal and returned to the camp. I might, of
course, easily have broken an arm or even my neck,
but was entirely uninjured excepting some scratches
from the sage.

There was no more dang-er in runniner buffaloes than
in fox-hunting ; in fact, there was not as much. Serious
accidents resulting from a fall were unusual.

It was not a difficult matter for expert horsemen and
cattlemen to cut out a few buffaloes from a herd and

I90 THE OX FAMILY

drive them to camp before killing them. Colonel Dodge
tells of some Mexicans who had a goodly lot of skins
in their camp, and who told him all their buffaloes were
driven in before they were killed, since it "saved a
heap of trouble packing the meat to camp." Grinnell
tells of a long run with a companion when they deferred
the killing until they reached a trail where their wagon
would pass. I had heard of a buffalo being run into a
small Western post and chased about the parade
ground, and one day when we were travelling down
the valley of the Yellowstone I determined to try and
take a bison into camp. I had an escort of five soldiers
and arranged to place three of them on the right just
outside the cotton-woods, which grew along the stream,
and two behind as drivers, while I (better mounted
than the others) undertook to make good the left and
keep our buffalo from getting to the hills. VVe were to
camp at a spring by a little banner-shaped tree, which
could be seen for a good distance. I knew the place
well, having camped there a few weeks before. It was
not long before we found a fine old bull, separated
somewhat from the herd, and soon had him going full
tilt down the valley. I had ordered the loads with-
drawn from the rifles, since I was determined the game
should not be killed under any circumstances until it
had been driven into or through the camp. The men
were instructed, in case of a charge by the bull, to
retreat, holding their relative positions, so that the bull
would be surrounded at all times, excepting in the
direction we desired him to go. At the outset the
buffalo ran off at full speed, heading down the valley,
and we galloped along at short distances from him, the

THE BISON 191

men holding well the positions assigned them. We had
gone but a mile or two when the bull decided to make
for the hills. Putting spurs to my horse, I intercepted
him, and waving my hat in his face turned him back,
and we then pushed him hard, since I thought he would
be easier to handle if thoroughly tired out. After a
straightaway race of a few miles he stopped, and turn-
ing about lowered his head, erected his tail, and with
dilating nostrils and flashing eyes faced his pursuers.
He pawed and stamped the ground, and was evidently
getting ready for a charge. We all rode slowly for-
ward, closing in about him in a horseshoe formation
leaving only one avenue of escape, hoping he would
move on again, but, with lowered head, he came
charging back, and the wisdom of my orders to the
men to keep their positions and not shoot was evident.
The maddened bull drove us for some distance and
then stopped. Again he stamped the ground, shook
and lowered his head, and tried to make us afraid; but
we gathered slowly about him until I was near enough
to talk to all my men. I directed them to give the
animal a rest, and we sat upon our horses and chatted
about his appearance and laughed at the witticisms of
one of the men, who made some remarks to the bull
about his conduct, etc. The beast was tired and hot
and ugly. His tongue hung from his mouth. He
seemed too tired to run farther and determined to
fight. A number of times he put us all to flight by a
charge; but we held him securely between us, and his
only avenue of escape was in the direction of the
"lone-tree" camp. At length he turned and walked
slowly and sullenly down the valley. When rested

192 THE OX FAMILY

sufficiently he again tried running, but did not go very
fast and stopped occasionally to turn about and warn
us not to approach too near. When we saw the top of
the little banner-like tree far away over a rise in the
plain, I knew that it would soon be time to push the
buffalo at full speed in order to carry him in style over
the ridge and through the camp. I could see the top
of one of our ambulances near the tree and knew the
camp was there. There were, in addition to a number
of officers, several ladies in the camp, who were return-
ing to "the States" for the winter, and I looked for-
ward with much pleasure to driving the bull through
the camp at full speed. When a short mile away
we gave the animal a rest, and when he started to
walk we kept well away from him in order that he
might go slowly and be rested for the final charge,
which I ordered to take place as soon as the bull
started up the gentle slope of the hill beyond which
the camp was situated. We moved at a fast walk, then
at a trot, and as the bull started up the grade we
spurred our horses into a gallop, and with loud shouts
and waving of hats we encouraged him to do his best
as he started to run.

A few hundred yards more and he would be going
down grade in the camp. Before the bull reached the
top of the ridge, however, two soldiers, who had been
given permission to go hunting, appeared, coming over
the ridge at a gallop, directly in front of our game.
The bull turned to the right and headed for the river.
I shouted to the soldiers not to shoot my buffalo, but
one of them was already galloping alongside of him,
and at the report of his rifle the great beast fell on its

THE BISON 193

side and expired. I have never been more provoked
or disheartened in my life. Tears came to my eyes.
Riding into camp I at once reported the misconduct
of the soldier, but when I urged an immediate court-
martial, and that the trooper be sent off to jail for the
rest of his life, the captain only laughed at me and said
he was glad his man acted as he did, since all the
mules would certainly have been stampeded had the
bull made his appearance in camp, and he might have
done some damage to his guests, who were sitting
about before the tents. This was my last buffalo chase
and the old bull was the last wild buffalo I ever saw.
I have always regretted his untimely death.

To the Indians the buffalo was " a staff of life." They
subsisted largely on the flesh and made houses, robes
and clothing out of the skins. I have seen the Indians
crossing a river with their women and children in
"bull boats," as they are called, made from the buffalo
hide. Grinnell says a green hide was used also as a
kettle and to make shields that would turn an arrow.
The bones were used for implements and sled-run-
ners.

It was a picturesque sight to see the Indians chase
the buffalo. I never saw this but once and then at
some distance. The Indians did not belong to our
party and we did not make our presence known. In
fact we stole away silently " like the Arabs." It was
a fine sight to see the wild Sioux riding hard after the
great throng of animals. They left a cloud of yellow
dust, which overhung the plain for miles.

The weapons used in running buffaloes were the rifle,
the carbine and large revolvers. The carbine and re-

194 THE OX FAMILY

volver were much easier to handle on a running horse,
and hence the better weapons for the run. In still-
hunting a heavy repeating rifle was desirable, since
some of the shots presented were at long range. Colo-
nel Dodge says: "A bull eighteen months old has
been bagged in my presence with a single charge of
No. 4 shot. There is a record also of an old hunter
bagging seven antelope and a fine dog with one dis-
charge of a huge weapon which he called a shot-gun."
Such shots were, however, quite unusual.

The Blue Mountain Forest Association was formed
and incorporated by the late Austin Corbin with the
idea of keeping his great game preserve in New Hamp-
shire in his family — " a difficult thing to do in this
country, where law and sentiment both are opposed to
any form of entailment." The association is composed
of members of Mr. Corbin's family only. The Blue
Mountain Forest Game Club has certain shooting
rights for a term of years.

The fine herd of buffaloes, already referred to, is the
largest herd in captivity. These animals are the prop-
erty of the association and are not shot for sport. The
association has recently exchanged some bulls with
the Canadian Rocky Mountain Park. Our national
government would do well to make similar exchanges
to prevent too close in-breeding. The small national
herd might well be largely increased by purchase from
the association.

Mr. Edgell, to whom I am indebted for the pictures
of the bison, told me recently that the animals were
thriving on the Corbin preserve and showed a satis-
factory increase. He and one of the keepers were

THE BISON 195

recently charged by a cow (which had a young calf)
in a way that would have proved disastrous had it not
been for a convenient tree. Mr. Austin Corbin, Jr.,
was recently charged by a female elk and killed it with
his revolver in self-defense.

XIII

THE MUSK-OX

THE musk-ox is often called musk-sheep, since it is
in some ways more like a sheep than an ox, and
is said by the naturalists to be intermediate between
these two animals. It is the least known to sportsmen
of all North American game animals and few have
seen one alive. There is not a single live specimen
owned by any of our zoological societies. The New
York Zoological Park has had two musk-oxen, both
of which died. There are few live specimens in
captivity in the world. We are chiefly indebted to
the Arctic explorers for our knowledge of the appear-
ance and habits of this animal. A few intrepid sports-
men have visited the Barren Grounds especially to
shoot this animal, and two of them, Mr. Warburton
Pike and Mr. Casper Whitney, have written fully of
this sport. The Arctic explorer, Mr. Frederick
Schwatka, also described a musk-ox hunt in the
Century.

Mr, Hanbury in his new book* says: "The musk-
oxen are often absurdly tame. One remained close to
us while we were pitching the tent in the evening. As
he did not appear disposed to move off I took my
camera and approached within about thirty yards

* Sport and Travel in the Northland of Canada, London, 1904.

196

THE MUSK-OX 197

when I snap-shot him. He remained feeding on the
willows, so I went still nearer. He showed no signs of
fear, but I did, for I carried no arms. I ascended a
small knoll below which he was feeding, and thus got
within a few yards of him, and snap-shot him again. I
then wished for another shot in a different position, so
I threw a piece of rock at him which only produced an
angry shake of the head. I threw several other mis-
siles, but he only stood angrily shaking his head, paw-
ing the ground and making a low guttural grunt. I
took one more photo, and then retreated, leaving him
to finish his evening meal in peace. He remained npar
our camp all night."

There are two excellent reasons why sportsmen do
not care to pursue the musk-ox. First, this animal
does not offer much sport, being quite easy to shoot
when once it is found, and second, the great journey
which must be undertaken into a land which is well-
named the Barren Grounds. Besides being easy to
shoot, the animal is comparatively worthless when shot.
Its flesh is coarse-grained and has a strong flavor,
which suggested the names musk-sheep or musk-ox.
Whitney describes it as tough and by no means pleas-
ing to the taste, and says that in the rutting season it
is uneatable.

Mr. Hornaday, /rr contra, says : " Although this ani-
mal is called musk-ox, it has neither the odor nor taste
of musk, and its flesh is excellent food. General
Greely, Commander Peary and other explorers have
feasted on its flesh."

Mr. Hanbury says . " The flesh, in spite of tlic strong
smell of musk, is excellent eating, but it is generally

198 THE OX FAMILY

pretty hard and requires much cooking. When the
animal is in prime condition and rolling in fat the meat
is as tender as English beef. But he is not often found
in this condition."'^ The difference of opinion is no
doubt due to the season of the year when the animals
are taken and the state of the Arctic appetite. The
eider ducks, which we do not regard as edible, have
been pronounced "excellent " by a sportsman in the
Arctics.f

Neither the head nor the robe make a very good
trophy; they would not be considered desirable
were it not for their being uncommon, the musk-
ox being the " most inaccessible animal in the whole
wide world." Both sexes have horns. The horns
are heavy at the base and curve downward, being
recurved toward the ends. The hair is very long
and coarse, hanging down nearly to the ground in
some specimens. The color is dark brown. The
height at the shoulder is a little over four feet. A full-
grown animal will weigh as much as 350 pounds. The
average weight will probably not exceed 300 pounds. :{:

Musk-oxen or sheep are never seen in large herds.
Sometimes only a very few animals are seen together.
Herds have been observed which contained forty
and perhaps more animals. Whitney says the average
herd will contain from ten to twenty animals, there
being one or two bulls to each herd. The range of the
musk-ox is believed to have been formerly circumpolar,
but the animals are found to-day only in Arctic North

* Sport and Travel in the Northland of Canada, Lcyidon, 1904.

f Our Feathered Game, p. 202

X The heaviest weighed by Greely was 432 pounds.

■r.

THE iMUSK-OX 199

America, from about ^2'^ north and west to the Mac-
kenzie River,

The Barren Grounds are described as vast treeless
wastes; in summer, swampy for the most part, with
many low ridges of broken rock ; in winter, snow-cov-
ered, but not so deep as to prevent the snow-shoes
from catching in many places on the rocks. In winter
the thermometer often remains 50 to 60 degrees below
zero and a spirit thermometer must be carried if the
sportsman desires to know how cold it is. The mer-
cury freezes and is of course useless. There is abso-
lutely no fuel to be had, and a large part of the sports-
man's baggage is wood, to be used to make a little fire
for cooking his meals. This is transported on sleds
drawn by the dogs, which are used to chase the musk-
oxen and hold them until the sportsman arrives within
range. The camps are cheerless in the extreme. The
hardships to be endured are far greater than those
which the sportsman undergoes anywhere else in the
world. Mr. Whitney made his trip to the Barren
Grounds in the winter and described the trip and its
hardships at that season in a series of articles which
were published in Harper s Magazine and which after-
ward were printed in the book " On Snow-shoes to
the Barren Grounds."

In summer the journey is made by canoe, but to
secure the game the sportsman must leave the streams
and make excursions into the vast marshes, where the
mosquitoes and other insects are so numerous and
so hungry as to endanger life.

By far the best and safest way to get the musk-ox is
either to organize a polar expedition or accompany

200 THE OX FAMILY

such an expedition to the far northern waters, there to
live on the ship, making excursions into the haunts of
the ox with Eskimos and a sled train, drawn by the
Eskimo dogs, which Mr. Whitney thinks are more
desirable than the animals he was able to procure when
he went in overland from the south. The Eskimos are
absolutely necessary as guides to find the game, keep
the sportsman from getting lost, and handle the dog
trains and the dogs when turned loose for the chase.
Although they command good wages and are supposed
to accompany the sportsman to aid him in getting a
shot at the ox, they are so fond of the chase and so
extremely excitable in the presence of game that as
soon as the dogs are loosened from the sleds they rush
off with them in pursuit of the animals at a gait which
usually leaves the sportsman far behind. Such con-
duct, or, rather, the sportsman's reflections upon it (as
he runs along a few miles in the rear, hoping to keep
in sight of his servants), should prove to be warming.
Mr, Whitney says he perspired freely from the running,
but the reader can well imagine there must be some
unusually exciting thoughts about the hired hands
running far ahead and determined to kill the bulls and
the cows without stopping to ask their employer (who
goes stumbling along over the rocky ridges, but thinly
covered with snow, and falling often) if he would like
to see the performance.

Frederick Schwatka advises the holding on to the
dog-harness so that the excited animals can drag the
sportsman along up and down the ridges at a furious
pace, which no Indian could expect to excel, but
Whitney says such travelling, on the rocky ridges

THE MUSK-OX 201

where he found the musk-ox, would prove disastrous
in the extreme. A powerful field-glass is desirable in
huntinof the musk-oxen. The distances are tremendous
and the animals few and hard to find. Often the
Indians return from the hunt without having seen an
ox. All shooters who go into the Barren Grounds rely
largely upon the caribou for subsistence. Mr. War-
burton Pike made a special preliminary trip for these
animals, storing his meat in places where he could find
it when he afterward went in to shoot the musk-ox,

Schwatka tells us, as I have observed, that the
oxen and the caribou can be discovered by a vapor
which arises from their bodies and which is visible
on a clear day for miles. This can be seen when
the animals are scarcely visible, and w^ould most
likely pass unnoticed. The Indians are said to be able
to tell what the game is (whether caribou or oxen)
when they discover the vapor in the air. This is, of
course, most remarkable if true.

When the game is discovered an attempt is made to
approach it as closely as possible, before it takes the
alarm. The dogs are then released from the sleds and
race awa}' after the fleeing animals. Musk-oxen travel
rapidly and have great endurance, and the chase is
often a long one before the animals are brought to bay.

The rifle should be a repeater, carrying a heavy ball.
More than one shot is often required to despatch one
of these animals, and when once a herd has been over-
hauled it is usual to kill a number of animals to provide
meat for the dogs and Indians. Mr. Whitney carried
the .45-90 half-magazine Winchester, an excellent
weapon for all big-game shooting.

202 THE OX FAMILY

The animals, when overtaken by the doi^s, stop
and stand in a circle with their heads out. They look
more formidable and ferocious than they are. In
fact, but little or no danger is to be feared from the
charge even of a wounded animal. Mr. Whitney is of
the opinion that they never charge and are quite inof-
fensive and harmless. With good dogs, he says, every
herd met could be easily wiped out.

Frederick Schwatka tells us that the Indians of the
Hudson Bay country make winter trips into the
musk-ox country from the sea-coast, where they live
the greater part of the year. But the musk cattle of
the Arctic, he says, " are so sparsely distributed that
they form only a small part of the game necessary to
furnish these northern nomads with their yearly sup-
plies, and they place very little reliance upon them.
The annual musk-ox hunt, however, is looked forward
to with much interest, and is long in advance the
burden of their conversation, while housed in their
little snow huts. It is in the sport and excitement of
the chase that they find the greatest reward, and not
in the meat secured, nor in the half-worthless robes
that are thus obtained. These robes are of almost no
value to them unless they be near some trading-station
or whale-ships wintering in the ice. To us, however,
their huge carcasses were, as food for our three teams
of dogs, of great importance compared with that of the
reindeer or any other game that we would be likely to
fall in with."

Whitney says he never saw a musk-ox charge a dog
— much less a man — and doubts if the}' would do so if
pulled by the ear. Schwatka says when the fl^'ing

THE MUSK-OX 203

herd has been brou^-ht to bay in their circle of defence
by the dogs, the Eskimo hunters approach within five
or six feet and make sure of every shot that is tired, as
a wounded animal is somewhat dangerous and ex-
tremely liable to stampede the herd.

The danger that the herd will be stampeded is
greater (I am satisfied, after reading many accounts of
the assaults made upon these animals by Indian and
white hunters) than the danger of their charging their
pursuers. There can be no doubt, however, that they
do charge the dogs and sometimes kill them. We need
go no further than Schwatka's account of the chase,
however, to learn that there is no danger in approach-
ing these animals quite closely. He speaks of the
" rapid blazing of magazine-guns right in their faces —
so close often as to burn their long shaggy hair."

Mr. A. Hyatt Verrill, in an entertaining stor}^ has
described a musk-ox hunt from a whaling schooner,
which was locked fast in the ice in the northern part
of Hudson's Ba}-. With a party consisting of six
squaws and three men he made a hunting trip into the
Barren Grounds in pursuit of musk-oxen. They had
three large sleds and about thirty dogs. The weather
was extremely cold, the spirits being far below zero,
and they camped in the little hollows to escape the
raging blizzard. He describes the Iwilics, his attend-
ants, as agreeable, jovial people who make the best of
everything, and says they are very fond of chasing the
musk-ox. Shortly after setting out they met the Bar-
ren Groimds caribou and bagged four of these animals.
The next few days they bagged only two wolves and
three (ji lour foxes. The ptarmigan were, (jf course,

204 THE OX FAMILY

the only game-birds. One day they secured a large
bear which the dogs chased and brought to bay.

As they neared the ground where they expected to
find the musk-oxen, they moved forward, carefully
approaching the ridges until they found a trail. The
dogs were then unleashed, and soon their yelping and
howling indicated that the game was in sight. Before
long the dogs overtook and held the herd until the
hunters approached quite closely, when the animals
stampeded, and as they rushed over a near-by ridge
the writer fired at the bull and shortly afterward
found him Ijang dead just over the ridge. He describes
the shaggy wild creatures as turning and facing the
dogs when brought to bay, and using their horns on
any dog which ventured too close.

There does not appear to have been any exhibition
of ferocity or any charging of the hunters by the oxen.
On the contrary, the timid creatures seemed most
eager to escape. While engaged with the dogs they did
not seem to notice the hunters until they approached
quite close; as soon as they were observed, however,
the game broke away fi-om the dogs and ran rapidly
over the rocky snow-clad ridges.

These accounts give us a fair impression of the musk-
ox as a game animal and of the methods of its pursuit.
The trip with the Eskimos and dogs has much that
is picturesque and interesting, which is offset, however,
by much hardship and the danger of travelling in a
country where there is but little game, where the ther-
mometer registers 60 and 70 degrees below, and where
the wind usually is an icy gale from the Arctic Sea.

For my part, I am quite satisfied to "hunt the musk-

THE MUSK-OX 205

oxen on a winter's evening before a library tire in the
pages of Mr. Whitney's capital book and in the good
accounts of the Arctic explorers.

The sportsman who thinks he needs a musk-ox head
and robe of his own killing would do well to move into
the Barren Grounds with a good force of Eskimos
who know the way and who can conduct him safely
back to his base of supplies on the coast. The trip is
iar more venturesome than that undertaken into Lab-
rador recently by Mr. Leonidas Hubbard, who died
from exposure and starvation. However, if some Arctic
explorer or whaler extended an invitation to go to the
land where the Eskimo chase the musk-ox, many of us,
no doubt, would be quite ready to accept and take
our chances of returning safely to the ship.

XIV

THE BIG-HORN

" I "HE big-horn, or mountain-sheep, is one of the best
^ of the North American big-game animals. He has
a splendid head with large curved horns, which sug-
gested the name, his flesh is excellent, and his pursuit
is so difficult as to make him a prize worth having.
When I first went to shoot in the Far West the bip--

o

horn were not uncommon in the Bad Lands, and I heard
of their being seen on the level prairies when passing
from one range of hills, or buttes, to another; but this
animal, like the elk and deer, has retreated before the
advance of civilization, and is to-day found only high
up in the mountains, usually above the timber-line in
summer, and descending lower into the timber to escape
the severe storms of winter.

So long as they remain in their mountain fastnesses
the sheep are comparatively safe, since the settlers and
miners in the valleys do not care to undertake the long,
arduous journey up the mountains, with only a slim
chance of securing a sheep in many days' hard climb-
ing ; but in the winter, when the animals are driven
lower by the snows, many fall to the rifles waiting for
them in the hands of the miners and ranchmen.

There are several varieties of wild sheep distributed
in the mountains throughout the world. Our big-horn

206

THE BIG-HORN 207

is one of the best of them, and is said to resemble the
argali of Asia.

Mr. Stone regards the mountain-sheep of America
as the handsomest of our wild animals. They are, he
says, the most perfect combination of strength, hardi-
hood, endurance, agility, beauty and grace. They are
most delicate in their tastes. Their home is most
picturesque and their food the daintiest. They are
timid in the presence of their enemies, but courageous
in battling with the many forbidding elements to which
their lives in the high mountains are exposed. They
range through the greatest depth of latitude of any
family of the ruminants on the continent and are
instinctively wild. No wild animals are further
removed from domestication; they find the most
congenial home in the pure air of the wildest moun-
tain countries, and so far all efforts to transplant and
domesticate them have been failures.

As animals for the game-preserve they would, there-
fore, certainly prove to be a failure, unless, of course, the
preserve be created to include some of their native
mountains in the West. Here again I invite the atten-
tion of Western sportsmen to their opportunity to
establish parks where the grounds are of little or no
value and where they may preserve for their shooting
one of the best, if not the best, American game animal,
and, at the same time, have the satisfaction of saving
it from destruction.*

The time to establish a game-preserve is while the

* A New York club has saved the deer on Lonjj Island and now has
hundreds of these animals in an unfenced preserve within fifty miles of the
city. See note to chapter on the Virginia deer.

2o8 THE OX FAMILY

animals are fairly abundant. It would be an expensive
matter to restock a preserve with these wild and wary
sheep. The animals could be made to show a satis-
factory increase by keeping down their enemies, the
wolves, the cougars and the eagles, which destroy many
of the lambs, and by prohibiting the shooting by a club
rule for a period of years and limiting it thereafter to
the increase of the year. The time is not far distant
when the game in the mountains will be worth far
more than the land.

Mr. Stone points out that the territory occupied by
the largest of our wild sheep is the best suited to the
development of these animals, since they do not experi-
ence the long winters known to their relatives farther
north, nor do their pastures become dry and parched
like those ranged by their relatives in California and
Mexico.

It was not until 1884 that a new variety of big-horn
was discovered ; the white sheep, ovis dalli, was named
in honor of Professor Dall. This sheep is white
throughout the year. It is not so large as the common
big-horn; the horns are not so heavy and are lighter
in color. The range of this sheep is from Alaska south
through the Rocky Mountain regions to the Liard
River: and this sheep is said to have "the most
northerly range of any sheep in the world " and " the
most extensive of any in North America."

The black big-horn was discovered by Mr. Stone,
from whom it was named by Dr. Allen, who described
it in 1897 as the ovis stonei. Mr. Stone regards his
sheep as the handsomest of the American wild sheep;
they are the darkest, shading from a gra3^ish brown to

■s:

;/;

2

O

<

,-'*,

2

Si

p-;

tj

rf

o

r-

n,

«

Ul

z

-

THE BIG-HORN 209

almost black. This sub-Arctic sheep is found " through-
out the mountains from the headwaters of the Peace
and Frazer rivers as far as the source of the Pelley
River," Both the white and black big-horns range
above the timber line.

Other mountain sheep, since discovered, are: One
very similar in pattern to Mr. Stone's sheep, which
has been named after Mr. E. W. Nelson of the Death
Valley expedition; one named ovis fannini by Mr.
Hornaday, which is said to have amber-like horns; and
one named mexicanus by Dr. Merriam, from its habitat.
The Mexican sheep is said to be lighter in color than
the common every-day big-horn, which we have known
so long, and to have ears nearly double in size. Its
range is not fully determined.

From the sportsman's point of view these are all
mountain-sheep, or big-horns. They are all splendid
game animals. They all make fine mutton. The
females of all our wild sheep wear horns, which,
Mr. Stone says, are very much alike. " They arc
quite flat, slightly annulated, grow upward and back-
ward and outward to a height rarely exceeding eight
inches."

Mr. Stone, who, I believe, has seen more wild big-
horn than any sportsman, gives us the following pic-
tures of their haunts and habits:

" The habits of the sheep are very regular and very
interesting. I have spent days up in the mountains
watching them feed and rest and travel. In winter all
ages mingle in large bands of various numbers, accord-
ing as they are plentiful in any given locality. They
will paw the snow from the grass where it is only a

2IO THE OX FAMILY

few inches deep, but they usually keep to high table-
lands where the winds keep the snow blown off. The
character of their coat is such as to give them great
protection against cold and storm, and it is rare that
the northern herds seek any more protection from the
elements than what they find among the cliffs of rock.
The canadensis are more accustomed to being in timber
and often seek the higher belts of timber during storm,
and sometimes come down to the very bottom of the
canyons.

" The dalH, the stonei, and the fannitti simply defy the
elements throughout the long Arctic and sub-Arctic
winters. Like most animals, they do not feed much
during severe storms, and will huddle closely, the little
fellows crouching alongside the older ones for warmth
and protection, while many of the adult males and
stronger animals grow restless, and prowl about, walk
the highest ridges, and nibble indifferently at the single
spears of grass found peeping through the snow here
and there. When the storm breaks they will at once
set out to some feeding-ground of which they have a
most perfect knowledge. They know their own home,
and always know where to look for food, even when it
would seem that every foot of their country was buried
deep in snow. It not infrequently happens, however,
that during storms they remain in some small rocky
cave and the winds drift the snow across their only
avenue of escape so deeply that they find their way out
with difficulty. The old males are always the first to
break their way out, and their superior strength is
often put to a severe test, but the road made by them
is of great advantage to the weaker and younger ani-

THE BIG-HORN 211

mals. During the winter season the older males always
lead the way from one feeding-ground to another. . .

"... When the sun grows warm in the spring
the old rams leave the general herd and steal into
the highest mountains, gradually working their way,
as the snow leaves the higher elevations, into the very
highest meadows. These are generally small, but
numerous, and almost always shut in by rugged peaks,
making them very secluded and rendering them almost
entirely free from every kind of enemy, even a very
large per cent, of the most ambitious big-game hunters.
In these high pastures, surrounded with patches of
eternal snow and ice that are piled so deep in many
places that the short summers cannot destroy them,
they live a quiet, peaceful life, and exchange their old
coats for new ones. They have their entire new coat
by the middle of July, and it is then they begin to
take on flesh rapidly. By the last of September they
are very fat; in fact, I have seen them in August so fat
that they seemed burdened under the great weight of
flesh."

The shooting is thus cleverly described by the same
writer :

" I was once with two companions^ one a white man
and the other an Indian, high up in the Chc-on-nee
Mountains, N. W. B. C, hunting ovis stonei. We
reached a very high point about 11 A.M. from where
several high ridges extended in several directions. I
decided we would take up positions overlooking these
ridges and watch for game, and accordingly my party
located themselves for tlic purpose, no two being over
one hundred yards apart. We had kept our places

212 THE OX FAMILY

about an hour, and besides being chilled by the high
mountain winds, though the sun was really shining
warm, I was growing tired ot the inactivity. I never had
very much patience in waiting for animals to come to
me (the great feature of an Indian's hunting), and I was
just thinking of abandoning my position when I heard
a low whistle, and looking around, saw the Indian beck-
oning. When I reached him he pointed to a patch of
snow almost a mile away, and, taking my glasses, I
could see two sheep, one standing and the other lying
down on the snow. It was then in the month of Au-
gust and the Indian remarked: 'Sun warm; big ram
heap fat; 'fraid his glease will melt.'

" The two animals soon left the snow and worked
their way up the ridge to within a quarter of a mile of
us, and again lay down on a patch of snow, where they
remained, lying down most of the time for more than
three hours. I secured the pair just before sundown, and
they were so fat that I concluded the Indian was right;
they must have feared the sun would melt their fat."

I have quoted the above paragraphs from Mr. Stone's
long and excellent paper, " The Mountain Sheep of
America," * since it contains the latest and best informa-
tion on these animals as they are seen in British Amer-
ica and Alaska.

The habits of the different kinds of big-horn are the
same, and the methods of pursuit do not differ in any
mountains. It is a long climb, a high climb; often a
long wait, and at last, if fortune smiles, there is pre-
sented a good chance for a shot, and, if the aim be true,
a splendid trophy for the wall.

* Outing.

THE BIG-HORN 213

Mr. Stone gives us many other stories of the chase,
in which he describes the ditihcult places where the
animals are often found. Once he saw three rams
resting on a ledge not more than a foot in width on
the face of a perpendicular cliff fully five hundred feet
below the top. He ordered his Indians to throw
stones at them, knowing they would find some way to
reach the top. The first two to appear w^ere missed at
long range, but, running forward, Mr. Stone bagged
the third animal with the second shot fired at it, at one
hundred and fifty yards. But the ram rolled over the
face of the cliff down to a little bench some hundreds
of feet below, where Mr. Stone and his Indians were
compelled to leave it, finding it impossible to get down
where the animals came up. They had ropes and worked
hard for the ram, since they were badly in need of food,
and "that ram represented the only food in sight."

The big-horn has smooth, short hair, more like that
of the deer or antelope than of domestic sheep. The
color of the ovis canadensis, the largest big-horn, is
grayish brown. The hair of other species differs
much in color, as we have observed. The big-horn is
a stout, muscular animal, about three and one-half feet
in height at the withers. The legs are trim, well formed,
and altogether it has a decidedly graceful appearance
when seen standing or bounding along over the rocky
heights. It is wonderfully sure-footed and travels
at full speed up and down narrow and precipitous
ledges where no man would dare follow it, bounds
lightly across deep chasms or rushing mountain-
streams, and is in every way as well equipped to take
good care of itself as any wild game animal in the land.

214 THE OX FAMILY

Like other wild sheep, the big-horn are gregarious.
They are like the goats, usually seen in small flocks ;
often the animals of but one family are together. The
big-horn has the agility of the antelope, but little of its
curiosity. It has none of the stupidity of its neighbor,
the white goat.

Owen Wister says that in many, if not all the places
where the wild goats and sheep are found near together,
they will not be found on the same hill or mountain.
He repeatedly found them living on adjacent hills and
mountains, and heard others speak of them as being
usually found on separate hills, but could not account
for this separation. The food seemed to be equally
good on both grounds and all other conditions seemed
to be the same, but the goats seemed to claim one
ground and the sheep another.

The range of the big-horn is much wider than that
of the goats. It is found on the Western mountains,
from Alaska and British America to Mexico and southern
California; from Colorado and Wyoming to the coast
ranges, going down near to the sea-line in the higher
latitudes. It was fairly abundant in all the Western
mountain States a few years ago, but is not now found
anywhere in such large numbers, excepting parts of
the British possessions and Alaska, and certain little-
frequented spots in our own States. The mountain-
sheep does not like a mountain with a town at its base
any more than the antelope likes the plains near the
cattle and sheep ranches. In many places where he
was fairly abundant a few years ago he is not seen
to-day. I have referred elsewhere to the fact that the
Big Horn Mountains have been "shot out."

THE BIG-HORN 215

Even when the big-horn were most plentiful, the
sportsman who desired to shoot them was obliged to
climb high and make an arduous journey similar to
that made by those who went after the white goats-
It required two or three days at least from most of
our camps in the mountain valleys to make the trip to
the haunts of the sheep, and, since elk and blacktail or
mifle-deer were abundant and very easy to get, but
few of our company went after the big-horn. It was
absolutely necessary to travel light, with a few pack
animals, and these often proved a nuisance.

The game trails we travelled were often rough and
strewn with rocks and fallen trees, which an elk, deer
or sheep could bound over easily ; but not so our mules
with their heavy packs on their backs. These often
became entangled in- the branches and there were many
long delays before \he march was resumed.

I saw some magnincent heads, procured, unfortu-
nately, by other rifles, and thoroughly enjoyed the
scenery and the mutton, which was, as it always is
represented, excellent.

The big-horn is gifted with fine eyesight. He hears
well and has a wonderful nose. The walking in many
places is most difficult. Loose, broken stones are lit-
tered everywhere about, and the slight rattle of any
one of them will put a distant big-horn to flight, and
when he flies he goes most often at a wonderful pace,
along up over some dizzy height or down into some
deep ravine or canyon and up the other side, and is
soon so far away that it would take another day to
follow him. For those who like anything arduous or
most difficult, I can recommend the chase of the big-

2i6 THE OX FAMILY

horn. The chances are all in favor of the game, and
the sportsman who at last secures a fine head, with
massive, curved horns, has a trophy as valuable, yes,
more so, I think, than any to be taken in America.

There is no danger from the animal, as there is
sometimes when the grizzly bear is the quarry, but I
am inclined to regard the ram's head as representing
more than the robe of a great bear.

The journey into the mountains and the camps
beside the lakes and streams is delightful. The hard
work begins when the higher levels are reached, and
one disappointment follows another as the wary ani-
mals see, hear or smell their pursuer and go bounding
away.

Many stories are told of the animals bounding off of
high precipices and alighting on their horns, and the
broken horns were said to attest the fact that they did
jump so as to alight head down. The rams, however,
are great fighters, and the battered horns are the result
of fierce encounters during the rutting season. The
animals do go bounding down steep and high places,
where no man can follow them, but they use their feet
as they go and alight on their feet at the bottom of the
incline.

XV

THE MOUNTAIN-GOAT

BAILLIEE-GROHMAN refers to the white goat of
the Western mountain peaks as the rarest game
animal on the North American continent. The state-
ment was correct a little over a score of years ago,
when it was made. As we have observed, however,
this animal was then regarded as a myth by many
sportsmen, and only very few had ever seen one even at
long range. Our knowledge of the mountain-goat is
quite different to-day. The animal is known to be
fairly abundant on a number of mountain ranges from
Idaho into British America, and in addition to killing
many of them, the sportsmen have made many excel-
lent photographs of the animals, which have been pub-
lished in the magazines. Mr. Shields has recently
given us in Rccrcatioji a full-page photograph which
he made in Canada, showing one of the trails made by
these animals, which is worn so deep as to indicate the
passage of a great number of goats. Accompanying
the picture is another of one of the goat-licks in the
Canadian Rockies, to which Mr. Shields says there
are many trails leading from the surrounding moim-
tains, which average a foot to two feet in width, and
which are in places worn a foot deep in the hard

earth.

217

2i8 THE OX FAMILY

The Rocky Mountain goat in outline has the form of
a pigmy American bison ; except in the length and
color of its pelage it is clad after the style of the musk-
ox.* The average male is thirty-seven inches high
and weighs 200 pounds or more.

The Rocky Mountain goat is often called the white
goat. It is nowhere abundant in the main chain of the
Rocky Mountains, if, indeed, it exists in these moun-
tains at all. Owen Wister tells us we may expect to
find white goats as far south as the Saw Tooth Moun-
tains, Idaho, and among the peaks northward from
Lake Chelan, the Okanogan and Methow rivers, all
three in Washington, and also on many mountains near
the coast in British Columbia, and adds if "you climb
high and hard enough you are almost sure to find
him."

The reason why this animal remained so long un-
known to naturalists as well as sportsmen appears when
we observe the limited range occupied by the white
goat and the great altitudes where he is usually found.
So long as elk and deer were abundant in the valleys, the
early hunters, who shot for the meat, had no difficulty
in getting an abundance lower, and had no occasion to
look for it on the dizzy heights far above the timber-
line. The pioneers were not given to mountain-climb-
ing for sport or to take the view, and in crossing a
range always looked for the lowest pass, so that it is
not strange that for a long time the white goat was
overlooked.

Captain Bonneville mentions the pursuit of two white
bears by some of his men. I have always thought

* Hornaday.

i

THE MOUNTAIN-GOAT 219

these bears were mountain-goats, since there are no
white bears in the United States. The " bears" unfor-
tunately got away.

The best places to find the white goats are in the
mountains reached by the Great Northern, the North-
ern and Canadian Pacific Railways. The surveying
parties reported them from many places in the Cascade
Mountains last year. Of course, the animals are less
wild and shy at some distance from the railway, but
the majority of sportsmen of my acquaintance who have
met them do not agree with the naturalists as to the
timidity of the white goat, so often spoken of. It is
best to approach these animals from above, since they
are said to be on the look-out for danger from below.
Owen Wister (who, by the way, did not believe until
1889 there was such a thing as this goat) has had
much experience with these animals and says they are
far less wary than the mountain-sheep. Their watch,
he says, is concentrated upon the approaches from be-
low. All the hunter has to do is to get above him, to
make at once for the summit of the ridsfe which he
proposes to hunt, and the unsuspecting creatures will
never give him a thought.

" Upon my word for it," he continues, "it is inexcusa-
ble to kill him, except for a specimen in a collection,
he is so handsome, so harmless, so stupid, and in his
remoter haunts, where the nature of man is still a
closed book to him, he 'thinketh no evil'; he will stand
looking at the hunter with a sedate interest in his large
deep-brown eyes."

In the vicinity of the goat-licks it is not even neces-
sary to do any hard climbing to get a goat. If a man

220 THE OX FAMILY

is too lazy to climb, Mr. Shields says, he can simply
sit down anywhere within rifle-range of the cut bank
an hour before sunset, or at daybreak, and pot his
goats when they come in to get their supper or break-
fast of salt mud.*

The cupidity of these poor brutes, Mr. Shields adds,
" has proved the destruction of most of them." The
time has evidently been when thousands of goats used
the lick he describes, where but a few, perhaps one
hundred, use it now. All about there, on the river
banks, are remains of old Indian camps, and in each of
these is a veritable bone-yard. The Indians have
evidently made a practice of going there every sum-
mer, for perhaps a hundred years past, killing goats
and drying the meat for winter use ; yet the poor
brutes crave the salt so eagerly that they keep on
going back every summer to get more.

In "Our Feathered Game" I referred to the name
fool-hen, given the blue grouse of the Rocky Moun-
tains on account of its stupidity. Roosevelt says:
"Verily the white goat is the 'fool-hen' among beasts
of the chase." He describes shooting a buck at a
distance of thirty yards, and says the old she-goat,
which ran past, "went off a hundred yards and then
deliberately stopped and turned round to gaze at us
for a couple of minutes."

As a game animal the white goat is no more desir-
able than the musk-ox. His flesh has a similar musk
flavor, and only the kids are edible. Sportsmen now-

* On the coast of British Columbia, the white goat sometimes descends
so near to tidewater that more than one specimen has been shot from a
canoe. — Hornaday.

THE MOUNTAIN-GOAT 221

adays, however, are not given to shooting tlie young
of game animals and the laws protect them at all times
in many States. Neither the head nor the robe makes
an especially desirable trophy. Both the musk-ox and
the white goat might well be stricken from the list of
big game and left to be taken by those who now do
their hunting with the camera. The mountains where
the white goats are found are far more picturesque and
interesting than the Barren Grounds inhabited by the
musk-oxen. There is a pleasure in the wild scramble
to lofty peaks where the views are sublime. Although
I have never killed a goat, I have climbed his moun-
tains to the tops and have seen range after range of
bare rocks and snow-clad peaks, which extended as far
as the eye could reach, to melt into blue lines at the
horizon. I have camped many times beside the crystal
Alpine lakes and trout streams which abound in the
wild goats' country. There is usually ample oppor-
tunity to get a deer or elk in the woods, on the moun-
tain-sides and in the valleys, and there are a number
of varieties of the woodland grouse which may be shot
often within a few yards of the camp. In many places
the mountain-sheep, a far better game animal than the
goat, will be found quite near, although not associated
with the goat, and the flesh of the former is one of the
best known to North American sportsmen.

The sportsman who desires the head of a goat should
select a guide, who knows the mountains where
the goats live, and travel with a pack train to a good
camping-place beside a lake or mountain-brook, well
up near the timber-line, or possibly above it. Having
selected a mountain or high range, where the goats are

222 THE ox FAMILY

known to dwell, the sportsman sets out at daybreak, or
even earlier, and moves to the top of the mountain or
ridge. With his glass he looks about until he discovers
a flock of the goats feeding below him. The game is
not hard to see when on the rocks, but of course
is more difficult to locate when standing on the
snow. When alarmed, the animals run off up hill or
along the ridge, and the sportsman can often intercept
them.

A careful stalk will usually bring him within range
without the animals taking alarm ; they sometimes
stand for several shots before running away, and when
they start will often run directly toward the shooter
if he be above them and fairly well concealed.

On some of the mountains the goats spend much of
their time in the timber. Here they make the well-
worn trails, such as Mr. Shields photographed for his
magazine. Roosevelt says he has killed goats by lying
in wait beside the well-trodden trail th-ey make in the
timber. " The hard work," he adds, " is to get up to the
grounds. Once the animals are spied, there is but little
call for the craft of the still-hunter in approaching
them. Of all American game the white goat is the
least wary and most stupid."

It seems strange, notwithstanding the cumulative
evidence of the sportsmen who know best the habits
of game animals and are interested in learning if they
are easy or difficult to approach, shy or confiding,
to read in natural histories that the white goat is
"shy."

In some of the natural histories the mountain-goat
is described as being seldom disturbed or seen by

THE MOUNTAIN-GOAT 223

hunters, and as being " excessively shy." * As a matter
of fact, however, the sportsmen do not speak of it as
a very shy animal, and many of them have reported
it as quite tame and easy to approach.

All animals, however, grow wilder when they are
much hunted, and perhaps it would not be worth while
to change the language of the natural histories, since
the white goats may decide to live up to it in a very
short period of time; that is, of course, if there are any
goats left.

The most recent and reliable information on this
point we have from the editor, Mr. Shields, in his
article in Recreation^ entitled "Where the White Goats
Get Their Salt."

" We were seriously in need of fresh meat," says the
editor, "when we arrived at our camp near the lick,
and Wright went up there to get a young goat. There
was nothing doing at the lick at that time, so he fol-
lowed the trail up the river, crossed the drift on the
same logs the goats used, picked up the trail on the
opposite side and followed it up a mountain two or three
miles away. There the animals habitually scattered
out and roamed in search of the food they needed to
carr}^ on their business. Wright climbed to an alti-
tude of about 1,200 feet above the river, when he landed
on a sharp ridge, and looking up, saw a band of twenty-
two goats, old, young and middle-aged, big, little and

* Mr. Hornaday, per contra^ is right in referring to it as " phenomenally
stupid." Several times goats have, approached the canip-fircs of explorers,
and on one occasion an individual whose "partner" had been shot de-
liberately sat down dog-like thirty yards away and watched tlie hunter skin
and cook a portion of his mate. In Idaho two miners killed a large
mountain-goat with an axe. — 'Jlic American IVatnral History.

224 THE OX FAMILY

middle-sized. He slipped up to them, picked out a
goat that would make a few square meals for us, killed
him and brought him to camp. Wright said he could
have loaded the pack-train in five minutes if he had been
disposed to use his opportunity. At the first shot some
of the goats trotted away, but most of them stayed
about, or walked toward him and tried to find out if
the thing was still loaded. He was within forty feet of
some of the big old billies, but had meat enough for
present purposes, so did not disturb them. Unfortu-
nately he did not take his camera with him that day."

The writers differ somewhat as to the chances of this
animal's escaping extinction. There are two things
much in its favor — the undesirable quality of its flesh
and hide, and the hard work required to reach its
haunts. It is impossible to ride all the way to much
of the best goat-ground, and after one is obliged to
leave his horse the climbing is often difficult and in
places dangerous.

The head and horns are not nearly so handsome or
desirable as those of the mountain-sheep, or big-horn.
The reader will observe the great difference when look-
ing at the pictures of the animals.

There are many "fool-hens" which are foolish no
longer, having learned to know what the sound of the
shotgun means, and the white goats will no doubt soon
learn to keep out of a man's way when they see him
coming with a rifle. After they have been shot at from
above a few times, those which survive will, no doubt,
learn to expect danger from above as well as from be-
low, and if they become as wild as the antelope and
keep always on the look-out for an enemy, run at the

THE MOUNTAIN-GOAT 225

first alarm to the most inaccessible crags, and stop sit-
ting up like " begging dogs " to be shot at, they may, no
doubt, remain to ornament the mountain-tops for many
years to come. No sportsman, head-hunter or meat-
shooter would be likely to go after the white goat in
mountains where the big-horn were equally abundant.
Both meat-shooters and head-hunters care more for the
elk and deer than for the goat. In the mountains in-
habited by the white goat there are still some moose,
and the sportsman going in or coming out may meet a
bear, and can count on getting one in many localities
provided he is willing to give a few days to their pur-
suit and has the dogs.

Roosevelt says this goat is the only game beast of
North America which has not decreased in numbers
since the arrival of the white man. The reasons given
for their holding their own are: that the Indians, who
hunted the goat for robes, now get blankets; the early
trappers kept to the valleys, and the toil is too great
and the flesh too worthless. The same writer regards
the chase as laborious rather than exciting, and as less
attractive than the pursuit of other game.

The naturalists, as we have observed, had much diflfi-
culty in naming and classifying this remarkable ani-
mal. Lewis and Clark brought in a skin, or part of
one, which had been used by the Indians as a coat or
robe, and from this the naturalists began to describe
and name the beast. He has been a goat, a sheep, a
chamois, an antelope. Nearly all of the time, I believe,
he has had four legs and been a ruminant quadruped.
I forget if he is just now an antelope or a goat, but
can promise the reader that any new thing he may

226 THE OX FAMILY

be up to the time of publication will be found men-
tioned in the Appendix.

For sportsmen the animal always has been a large,
white, goat-like creature, with small, slim, short, curved
black horns, like those of the chamois. He has a pelage
somewhat like that of the cashmere-goat, the hair being
long and fleecy. Owen Wister says the hair hangs
long, like that of a Spitz-dog or an Angora cat. The
animal, although it has had "thirteen generic names," *
I believe, thus far, has not been either a Spitz-dog or
an Angora. I would respectfully suggest these names
to the naturalists as likely ones when it is thought best
to make another change. Spitzdogoid-Angoracati would
be a lovely name for a change. This would work no
serious harm, since the mountain-goat never has been
properly named after either Lewis or Clark, and, be-
sides, they only brought in a part of a goat which
had been used as a coat.

But to return to the beast the sportsman knows. It
has an awkward gait and is often seen sitting up on its
haunches like the "begging dog." It is an excellent
climber and can readily escape its enemies, chief of
which are the wolves. It fights well with its sharp
black horns.

In winter the goats are usually driven lower in the
mountains by the heavy snows. They are then found
browsing in the timber and make the well-defined
trails, beside which patches of their hair will be ob-
served in the bushes. The goats are usually seen in
small companies or flocks, frequently containing but a
single family.

* Baillee-Grohman, in The Century.

THE MOUNTAIN-GOAT 227

Some writers say we may find a few of these curious
animals in isolated colonies in the high mountains in
Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico. OwenWister,
however, gives the range as extending from Alaska to
Montana and Idaho, but only in "spots" in the two
States named. Goats are also found, he says, in the
northern Cascades in Washington, but not in the Olym-
pic range nor in the southern Cascades in Oregon.

XVI

THE ANTELOPE

SPORTSMEN who wish to see a great variety of
antelopes must go to Africa. America has only
one — the prong-horned antelope, often called prong-
buck.

Our antelope is a trim and graceful animal and sur-
prisingly fast. It is the fleetest game-animal in the
land. A few years ago it was wonderfully abundant
on the great Western plains, but it is nowhere plenti-
ful to-day, and the naturalists predict its extermina-
tion.

Lewis and Clark furnished the first information
concerning this animal one hundred years ago. The
first technical descriptions were written from the speci-
men brought by those early explorers of the West.

Popularly the antelope is often regarded as a deer.
He has similar slender, graceful legs, and is somewhat
similar in color, but he is effectively marked with
white on the neck, under-parts, and buttocks, and with
dark brown on the muzzle, forehead, and back of the
neck. His height is about three feet at the withers.
His slender head supports a pair of black, curved, and
pronged horns from six to twelve inches long. The
form is more like that of the mule-deer than the Vir-
ginia. The snag or prong which suggested the names

228

THE ANTELOPE 229

prong-buck and prong-horned antelope, and the
ebony-like color of the horns, are characteristic of the
animal. His horns differ from those of the deer in
construction, as well as in shape and color. They are
more like the horns of cattle. Hence the antelope is
placed by the naturalists in the family BovidcB or ox
family.

All of the deer shed their horns annually. None of
the ox family do, except our antelope, which differs in
this regard from all the other antelopes in the world.
Audubon says the hunters first discovered that the
antelopes shed their horns, but we managed to prove
the contrary ; but in this case Judge Caton says the
hunters were right and the naturalists wrong. The
structure of the deer's horns is bony, that of the ante-
lope's is a dermal outgrowth. The deer, it is said,
" loses a bony outgrowth — a portion of the skeleton
— while the antelope parts with a dermal outgrowth."*
The antelope differs from the deer in many other ways,
but the sportsman, I am aware, is more interested in
the head and horns of the antelope, as he sees them on
the plains or later on his wall, than he is in the fact
that the horns are a dermal outgrowth. We proceed,
therefore, at once to the plains, to ascertain where the
quarry may be found and how best to procure it, re-
ferring the reader to Mr. GrinncU's capital mono-
graph for other matter relating to the natural history
and anatomy of this most remarkable animal.f

• Grinnell, in The Century.

■f Many sportsmen as well as naturalists insist that the antelope should
not be shot at any season, since there is great danger of its extermination.
To this I say Amen.

230 THE OX FAMILY

My acquaintance with the beautiful, bright-eyed,
dark-hoofed, prong-horned antelope began many years
ago, when only one railway extended across his plains,
and only a few years after that road was opened for
business.

It was then a common sight to see from the car-
windows the Indian villages, with skin-covered tepees,
and many of the Indians themselves, in bright blankets,
riding about on their ponies. Many Indians rode on
the tops of the freight-cars and sometimes on the
platforms of passenger trains. The antelopes were seen
shortly after leaving Omaha, on the Nebraska prairies,
and as the train passed into Wyoming the antelopes
were almost constantly in sight, grazing in bands or
racing away with an airy grace most charming to
behold.

When near the train, or in motion, the antelopes were
easily seen, but when standing still at a distance they
were not so noticeable, since their yellowish-red coats
harmonized well with the gray-brown tone of the
plains. At one of the small stations an Indian joined
me on the rear platform of the Pullman car, where I
had taken my seat the better to observe the view while
I smoked a cigar. The Indian knew but a few English
words, among them, however, were " cigars " and
" antelope." Upon his saying the former word, I sup-
plied his want, and he often said "antelope" and
pointed out animals at a distance which I certainly
would not have seen without his calling my attention
to them.

The conductor came to the door and said " Tickets,"
and when I handed him mine he at once handed it

a
o
a

THE ANTELOPE 231

back. The Indian looked at the conductor and then
at me, and produced from his pocket a well-worn
letter, which the conductor glanced at and then gave
it to me to read. It was from a barber at a military
garrison, and stated that, in the writer's opinion, the
bearer was a good Indian, that he claimed to be named
Anantoi and to be the son of the Shoshone chief,
Washaki. In a postscript the barber added a line
advising the reader that the bearer might be as bad as
they made them, for all he knew. The Indian evidently
prized his testimonial, and probably thought the barber
the big medicine-man of his garrison. He had, no
doubt, seen him lather and shave the faces of those in
authority.

The antelopes often gave us a race, tearing along not
far from the train, and putting forth their best efforts
when the engineer whistled and increased his speed.
On a spurt they could easily outrun us, but the iron
horse had, of course, more bottom, and we finally won.
Upon one occasion a prong-buck, which had run a
good race, dropped back even with the rear platform
of the car, and was so near that we could almost touch
him. After we passed him, he decided to cross the
track, and cleared it at a bound as if afraid of the rails.

Captain Bonneville has given us the following ac-
count of the methods used by Indians to capture the
antelope :

" In a short space of time the antelopes started from
their hiding-places and came bounding from all points
into the valley. The riders, now gradually contract-
ing their circle, brought them nearer and nearer to the
spot where the senior chief, surrounded by the elders,

232 THE OX FAMILY

male and female, was seated in supervision of the chase.
The antelopes, nearly exhausted with fatigue and fright,
and bewildered by perpetual whooping, made no effort
to break through the ring of hunters, but ran around
in small circles, until man, woman, and child beat them
down with bludgeons. Such is the nature of that spe-
cies of antelope-hunting technically called a surround."

Mr. Croker says a four-foot fence is ample to confine
antelopes. Judge Caton says the prong-buck cannot,
or rather, I should say, does not, know how to leap
over high obstructions like animals which inhabit
wooded countries.

Judge Caton also states that the prong-buck may be
restrained by a fence which would be sufficient to con-
fine our domestic sheep. They can make great hori-
zontal jumps, however, and Judge Caton saw one make
a long jump across the track of the Union Pacific Rail-
way. "If the antelope on the plains desires to cross
the railroad track, when alarmed by the cars, as is
sometimes the case, he will strain every muscle to out-
run the train and cross ahead of it, as if he suspected a
purpose to cut him off from crossing, and thus many
an exciting race has been witnessed between muscle
and steam. The same disposition is manifested by the
bison, or buffalo, as we call him, and if either is beaten
in the race he will turn away to the plains in apoparent
disgust, but will never cross the track immediately
behind the train."*

* This does not agree with the performance of an antelope which I have
already described as jumping the track at the rear of our train. The incident
illustrates the danger of stating a rule of conduct to be absolute. Later ob-
servation often produces exceptions. The antelopes, no doubt, usually run
away from trains.

THE ANTELOPE 233

The range of the antelope was almost as extended as
that of the bison, or buffalo, on the great plains west of
the Mississippi Valley, extending to the Rocky Moun-
tains ; but the bison, as we have observed, extended
into many of the Eastern States, while the antelope
was never found east of the Mississippi. Grinnell says
the antelope was formerly found all over the plains
and among the mountains of the West, wherever the
country was adapted to it, from latitude 53° N., south
into INIexico, and from about the meridian of 95° west
longitude to the Pacific Ocean. All through the great
region indicated it was once abundant, and was equally
at home on the flat prairies of the Platte River bottom,
the broken Bad Lands of Dakota and Montana, or
among the rugged foot-hills, sage-brush plateaus, and
bald mountain-slopes of the main range.

Being distinctly an inhabitant of the open plains, the
antelope can be seen at a great distance, especially when
standing against the sky, as he is sure to be whenever
he sees an enemy. Although an extremely timid ani-
mal, he has one fatal defect of character — his curiosity.
In the early days of his acquaintance with sportsmen
this often brought him within range of the gun.

With the settling of the valleys and the coming of the
cattlemen to the plains there was a great increase in
the number of hunters, and it is not to be wondered at
that the bands of antelopes were sadly diminished and
that in many places they have entirely disappeared.
The antelopes held their own very well on the plains so
long as there were buffaloes, since the bulTalocs were
much easier to kill and the robes were valuable. They
were usually seen grazing in the vicinity of and among

234 THE OX FAMILY

the buffaloes, and I have often seen a band of antelopes
take the alarm first and by their headlong flight set a
great herd of buffaloes in motion before I was ready to
charge them.

At the railway eating-stations on the plains the wait-
ers said "antelope chops," "antelope steak," etc., in
announcing their list of edibles, and, next to the buf-
falo, the antelope was the most familiar meat. Tiie
flesh is excellent, and resembles mutton rather than
venison.

As I have said, the antelopes were very plentiful along
the line of the Union and Central Pacific Railway in
all suitable places for some years after the railway was
open for business. As late as 1880, when the Northern
Pacific was being built into the upper Missouri and
Yellowstone country, I saw the antelopes equally abun-
dant on the wide, undulating grass-plains, on alkaline
plains overgrown with the ArUmism, or wild-sage, in the
little valleys and mountain-meadows, and even rambling
through the Bad Lands, those peculiar buttes to which
the earlier French-Canadian voyageurs gave the name
" terres niaiivaises."

So long as the Sioux and Cheyennes were a menace
to hunters as well as cattlemen, sheepmen, and farm-
ers, the antelopes were safe and showed no decrease,
but as soon as the Indians were subjugated and re-
moved from the country to the reservations and agen-
cies and the Northern Pacific Railway crossed the
continent, the last great herd of buffaloes disappeared,
as we have seen, and soon there were few antelopes,
and in large areas none.

Upon revisiting the plains, where I had seen both

THE ANTELOPE 235

buffaloes and antelopes extremely abundant, 1 found the
trails of the former indistinct scars on the plains, over-
grown with grass, and even a small herd of antelopes in
many places was an unusual sight.

The range of the antelope to-day is very limited.
The animals have retreatd to small areas, far away
from civilization. They are extinct in great States
where a few years ago they were most abundant.
They were formerly as plentiful in California as any-
where in the country. They were fairly abundant on
the prairies of Oregon, but there are few left in those
States, and those that remain are protected by law. *
The rifles of the miners, ranchmen, and settlers, and
the destruction of the food by great flocks of sheep,
soon proved too much for the antelopes of California,
as well as those of the great plains.

Judge Caton says the antelope appears to endure
the presence of civilization in the eastern and southern
districts of the range better than the northern and
western ; although a quarter of a century ago they
were more abundant in the open country on the
Pacific coast than in any other locality.

The antelope was always a wild and timid animal,
but its curiosity so often overcame its fear that it really
seemed quite tame at times. Any peculiar and strange
object, especially white objects, or objects striking in
color, proved irresistibly attractive. There are many
records of the antelope coming up within easy range
of the white tent of the hunter. Our camp, on one
occasion, was in a mountain meadow beside a spring,
and late in the afternoon, just as we sat down to din-

* In California at all times.

236 THE OX FAMILY

ner, a pair of antelopes came to the head of a little
depression or " draw " which sloped gently down to
the spring before our tents. They paused a short
distance out of range and gazed at us with the
greatest of curiosity, at times approaching a little
nearer and again retreating and standing still or im-
patiently stamping their feet as if deliberating if it
would be best to run up close and settle all doubt as
to what the strange objects before them were. A
soldier of our escort came to the table and asked his
captain's permission to go in pursuit of the game, and,
his request being granted, he slipped quietly away to
the right, going behind a slight rise in the ground.

For some time we could see him moving very cau-
tiously and then he disappeared, and I expected every
moment to hear the crack of his rifle and see one of our
graceful visitors fall dead. I really was inclined to give
the gentle creatures a sign that danger was approach-
ing. The predatory instinct is not nearly so strong
when game is abundant, fairly tame, and easy to shoot
as it is when it is wild and difficult to approach. The
thought of leaving the dinner-table to shoot at these
antelopes did not occur to me, and, as I have indicated,
I wished that they might escape. Observing them
closely, I soon knew they were aware that an enemy
was coming. They stood absolutely still and gazed in
the direction of our soldier. A moment more and they
were sure there was something wrong, and, turning,
bounded away with lightning-like rapidity. When
the soldier's head appeared they were out of sight.

Upon another occasion I was riding with an officer of
the army and two ladies in an ambulance drawn by

THE ANTELOPE 237

four white mules. As we travelled rapidly over the
plain, just outside the timber, on the north bank of the
Yellowstone River, two antelopes came galloping
toward us, stopping occasionally, and then galloping
alongside, at some distance, but gradually coming near.
General Baldwin told our driver to drive slowly,
while he took down a light Winchester, removed the
case and loaded it. As we moved slowly, the antelopes
came closer and closer, and finally, with a graceful
run, came within a few feet of us, gazing with their
large, expressive eyes at our mules and again at us.
At a shot from the captain one of the animals fell
badly wounded and the other scampered off unharmed
by the numerous balls sent after it from the repeat-
ing rifle. A second shot despatched the wounded
animal, which was bleating loudly, much to the dis-
tress of the ladies as well as myself. Our driver got
down and threw our game in the boot and we drove
on down the valley, shortly afterward engaging in the
buffalo-run, which I have already described.

The traveller who journeys in the valley of the lower
Yellowstone to-day may hardly expect to see a living
animal on this same ground.

Our antelope-shooting upon this trip consisted for
the most part of shots now and then when on the
march or when out after buffaloes or other game. When
we went out especially to shoot antelopes we found
them difficult to approach. Although they were often
overcome by curiosity, and, as T have said, came quite
close to examine strange objects, they seemed always
aware that we meant them harm when we tried to stalk
them, and having once seen us, were wild and wary.

238 THE OX FAMILY

One morning I met a small band as I was riding
out from our camp, which came forward fearlessly
until within range, when I slipped to the ground and
shot one before they had decided that I was dan-
gerous.

The best and by far the showiest rifle-shot I ever
saw was made by my friend, Major Tillson, from
a running horse, at an antelope running at his best gait.
We were riding somewhat in advance of the command
one day, and met three antelopes which were coming
toward us and stopped within long range to inspect us.
Slipping off our horses, we fired, and one antelope fell,
while the others, with the speed of the wind, went off for
the hills, quartering to the right and a little toward us.
We mounted our horses to ride to our fallen quarry.
The antelope was only wounded, however, and sprang
to its feet and ran off, taking the direction taken by the
others, since antelopes, like sheep, always follow a lead.
The major, putting spurs to his horse, raced off to
the right toward the point which he knew the antelope
would pass. The swift animal fairly flew over the
ground, and as it passed well ahead of my friend he
dropped his reins and fired. The antelope, pitching
over and over like a rabbit, fell dead at the shot, and
the galloping horse immediately brought its rider
up to it.

Upon several occasions I had shots at antelopes in the
hills, or bad lands, where they could not see me, and
patiently stood for more than one shot; on one occa-
sion, while I indulged in some very bad shooting.
They, of course, heard the noise, but did not know
from what direction it came. I was firing down from the

THE ANTELOPE 239

top of a butte, or rather from the top of a little ridge
which connected two buttes. I could see where my
shots struck each time. I was overshooting, and after
giving me three or four chances the antelopes scam-
pered away, and turning the angle of a butte were
soon out of sight.

I have seen the wild-sage bushes, where they grew in
great fields, tall enough to conceal an antelope or give
the sportsman a fine opportunity to stalk the game,
but the sage-bushes are more often low, and the ante-
lopes prefer the wide, undulating plains, where they can
see great distances. The white markings on the ante-
lopes are easily seen when the animals are near, and
attract the eye often at long range when they are
moving about feeding.

One who has not seen and travelled the great plains
can hardly realize their immensity. Beginning far to
the north in the British possessions, they extend south-
ward in vast undulating waves like a mighty ocean.
In some places there are level stretches for hundreds
of miles like the sea in a calm. Again there are great
swells like waves, or the ground is broken, as if huge
waves had been arrested as they tumbled, and ragged,
precipitous banks, buttes, or bad lands appear with
surfaces much wrinkled by erosion, and in some places
handsomely decorated with conglomerate layers or
layers of different colors, which run for miles and miles
in and out of ranges of hills which are so bewildering
in number as to be dangerous to the traveller who ven-
tures among them. There was a time when the ante-
lopes were to be seen everywhere on these plains, from
the British possessions to Texas and west to California

240 THE OX FAMILY

and Oregon, lending animation to the scene. As we have
observed, they are seldom seen on the plains to-day.

A familiar method of taking antelopes was " flagging "
them, as it was called. A handkerchief or other object
was placed on a stick and quietly moved about on the
summit of a ridge, the gunner, of course, being con-
cealed in the grass or behind some elevation. The
curious creatures could not resist approaching within
range to see what the strange object was, and many
were slain in this way. The hunters learned to "flag"
antelopes from the Indians, who brought them within
range by exhibiting a piece of tanned skin, colored
red or white.

Grinnell says: "A tent or wagon would so puzzle a
near-by antelope that it would walk up close to the
strange object to discover what it was. On a number
of occasions I have killed antelopes from the camp, and
again while stopping in the middle of the day to cook
a little food have had them come to the hill-top, look
for a time, and then gallop toward me, until finally I
killed one within forty yards of the fire over which the
coffee-pot was boiling." Grinnell once walked up to
within one hundred yards of two buck antelopes and
shot one, but says he believed the antelopes, which
were looking directly at the sun, had no idea what sort
of an animal it was that was approaching, and were
ignorant as to whether it was man, cow, or elk.

The antelopes were sometimes taken with hounds,
and this coursing over the limitless, fenceless plains
was magnificent sport indeed. Sportsmen to-day,
however, have only one method of pursuit — stalking
or still-hunting, the most difficult of all methods of

THE ANTELOPE 241

taking game, but the one recognized as most sports-
manlike. The use of dogs has almost everywhere been
prohibited by law.

Stalking was, I have observed, difficult, even where
the antelopes were abundant and fairly tame. If they
did not come to the hunter, by reason of their curios,
ity overcoming their fear, and he set out to follow
them, it was next to impossible to get within range,
provided they discovered the hunter before, or at the
same time, he saw them. They seemed to realize the
danger, and ran off at once to the top of a ridge, where
they surveyed their enemy for a time, and then ran
with marvellous speed to another ridge or hill, always
keeping the hunter in sight, moving when he moved
and remaining always far out of range. All hunters
are agreed that the best thing to be done in such cases
is to at once admit defeat, give up the game, remount
and ride away to other ground to seek other animals
and endeavor to get sight of them before being dis-
covered. A good glass here is of great assistance.
The sportsman rides slowly about on the ridges, stop-
ping now and then to examine the country, and going
up all grades with great care, so that he may peep
over and survey intervening valleys and depressions
and examine the ridges beyond without being himself
observed.

When the game is discovered the approach is care-
fully planned, so as to take advantage of the wind and
any cover there may be. The antelopes sec well, hear
well, and, like the deer, they have the most remark-
able sense of smell, and it is idle to attempt to get
near them going down wind. If, from the nature of

242 THE OX FAMILY

the ground, it is impossible to approach the game
under cover, nothing remains but to wait until the
game moves, taking care not to alarm it. If it is feed-
ing toward higher ground or cover of any kind, such
as a patch of sage-bushes, a ravine or draw, or, better
3^et, the bed of some water-course, many of which are
dry, excepting in rainy seasons, the sportsman makes
a long detour and gets in a position where the game,
if it holds its course as it walks along feeding, will
come within range of his rifle. It is exciting sport
with a glass to watch a prong-buck or band of antelopes
approaching, but it requires much patience. If the
game moves too slow or stops out of range, the experi-
ment of flagging it may be tried, but the antelope of
to-day is a different beast from the antelope of a few
years ago. He has gained experience with the years,
which has become, no doubt, a matter of heredity.
He takes the alarm easily, and flagging will, I am
satisfied, more often fail than be successful. When
the game is discovered near good cover, such as a
ridge or depression, the approach is a simple matter.
The utmost care must be taken not to make any noise,
not to be seen, and, most important of all, not to be
smelt. Go slowly. As a rule there is no hurry. The
grazing animals will usually remain about where they
have been discovered long enough to enable the hunter
to get within range.

The riding on the vast plains in the autumn is delight-
ful. The camps, however, are not so picturesque as the
deer, elk, or moose camps, being often by a little spring
or water-hole far from the timber. At the edge of the
range, however, the camp may be made in the forest

THE ANTELOPE 243

beside a trout-brook, but the antelopes will be found,
always, well out from the woods.* If the hunters drive
these animals toward the woods, it is said they will
turn about and endeavor to escape by rushing past
their pursuers rather than enter the woods.

The approach to an animal is best made when it is
feeding. When it stops feeding it is best, as we have
observed in deer-stalking, for the hunter to remain
absolutely still until the feeding begins again, when
he may move slowly forward. Antelopes do not read-
ily see an object at rest if it be in tone with the sur-
roundings.

The canvas or corduroy clothes of the hunter har-
monize well with the grass, and so long as he is abso-
lutely motionless, there is little danger of his giving
alarm. The same thing is true of birds as well as large
game. In "Our Feathered Game" I referred to the
wild ducks coming to a pond and sitting on the water
quite close to me, when I was but partially concealed.
So long as I remained motionless the ducks swam
about seeking food, and tipped and preened and were
completely at their ease, but so soon as I made the
slightest motion with one hand, they all sprang into
the air and flew away in great alarm.

The wolves and cougars are enemies of the antelope
and the eagle often gets the kids and has been known
to kill a full-grown animal, f

* Contra — See statement of Roosevelt, iufra, p. 249. I have never seen
the antelopes in the woods. They have been so much persecuted in the
open, however, that 1 am not surprised to learn that sometimes they have
taken to the woods.

\ I\ecreatio7i published the story of an eye-witness to the killing of a full-
grown antelope by an eagle.

244 THE OX FAMILY

The prong-bucks fight until the stronger drives the
weaker away and sometimes pursues him for a dis-
tance. Mr. Seton, at a recent dinner of the Camp-fire
Club, told an interesting story of an encounter which
he and a friend witnessed. The vanquished animal
ran directly toward them and stopped near enough
for them to take him with the lariat had they so
desired. An eagle was flying on behind, but did not
come within range. The victorious buck stopped some
distance away.

The coursing of antelopes with a good pack of grey-
hounds and stag-hounds on the open plains was the
best sport offered to the officers stationed at the mili-
tary garrisons of the Far West. I had a fine run one
day on the plains not far from Denver. I had been up
to visit and shoot ducks with an old college friend, a
ranchman, who lived north of Denver. Passing through
Denver upon my return, I met a college classmate who
was afterward Governor of Colorado. I had not seen
him for years, and he insisted upon my remaining over
for an antelope-hunt which he had planned for the next
day. He secured a good horse for me, and very early
in the morning a number of ladies and gentlemen as-
sembled, and with a fine pack, including many hand-
some greyhounds and stag-hounds, we rode out on the
plains. At about ten o'clock we discovered a small
band of antelopes feeding in a little valley a long way
off. The dogs were taken from the wagons, and their
handlers manoeuvred so as to approach the quarry
within a half-mile under cover of a rise in the plain.
We rode slowly behind. It was an exciting moment
as we sat upon our horses until the dogs were lined up.

THE ANTELOPE 245

When they were released they went off, well together,
with wonderful speed down the slight grade, and we
rode after them at a gallop. The antelopes took the
alarm when the dogs started, and it was a long chase
before the dogs got near them. As they curved to the
right or left the dogs took the short cut across, and in
this WM}' gained sometimes, but only to fall behind
again when the quarry went straight away. After we
had gone several miles the antelopes made a curve to
the right, and two smart old dogs left the pack, cut
across the intervening space, and soon were well up
with the game. We put spurs to the horses and urged
them to move faster as we saw one of the dogs make a
spring at an antelope's throat. He missed, however,
and fell to the ground. The other was but a few feet
behind and did his best to get into a position where he
could seize an antelope, but the beasts were running
for their lives, and for another mile or more the dogs
did not seem to gain a foot. A wolf jumped in the
grass, crossed ahead of me with a part of our pack
at his heels, and as they passed quite near and the
antelopes were by this time very far away, I fol-
lowed the wolf, hoping to see the dogs overtake him.
It had begun to snow heavily (it was the last week in
November), and with the blinding snow in my face I
pushed on until the chase led through a prairie-dog
village, a most dangerous ground for hard riding,
and I drew rein among the squeaking dogs as a little
(jwl flapped almost into my saddle. The dogs and
w'oU were out of sight, and as I looked back I dis-
covered that I was entirely alone. It was impossible
to see any distance. The plain and sky were blended

246 THE OX FAMILY

into a gray mass but a few yards away in all direc-
tions.

Having- turned my horse to look about, I lost my
direction and had no idea from what point I had trav-
elled or where to go. It was getting very cold. The
situation was alarming. I knew I could not remain
out on the plains and must try and rejoin my friends.
But where were they? I started to ride slowly for-
ward and listened to hear any sound. The silence was
appalling. A dog slipped past ahead of me and I
tried to follow him, but in a few moments he was lost
in the snow. Another dog came to my side, but im-
mediately started to leave me. I spoke to him sharply
and he fortunately stopped, and when he started on
again I followed him, speaking to him repeatedly.
How much smarter that beast is than I, I thought, and
held on to him for my deliverance. So long as I could
keep him in sight I felt that I was safe. I knew he
would rejoin the others, or at least go home. He was
a stranger, however, and I feared that he would desert
me at any moment. A few bounds would take him
out of sight. At length, after a long ride, I saw the
blurred forms of two horsemen, and as the dog bounded
forward I followed him and was greeted by my friend,
who had been much alarmed for my safety. They had
given up the chase when it began to snow, but my
friend had seen me take after the wolf and had been
trying to find me in the storm. He fortunately was
familiar with the country, and we returned safely to
Denver.

Although the antelopes are the fleetest game animals
in North America and are fast enough sometimes to

THE ANTELOPE 247

escape the best dogs, my Colorado friend told me it
was unusual for them to return without an antelope
when they went coursing, and Grinnell says General
Stanley's dog Gibbon in 1873, caught, unaided, twenty-
one antelopes. The antelope is short-winded and can-
not long maintain its speed.

The side-shot at an antelope, as at other game, is
the best. Grinnell, who knows an antelope inside as
well as out, says : "Aim at the little curl of hair just
back of the elbow, as in most herbivores the heart
in the antelope is low and usually the creature drops
to a well-directed ball ; at the same time I have seen
an antelope run four hundred yards with its heart torn
to pieces."

The antelope will sometimes not observe a sports-
man who steps out of a wagon, and while the animal is
engaged in watching the moving vehicle it may the
more easily be approached — behind good cover, of
course. If two horsemen are together,one may slip off
while the other proceeds leading his horse, but the an-
telope of to-day is a remarkably smart animal and such
manoeuvres are more likely to fail than to succeed.

Judge Caton kept antelopes in domestication in his
park in Illinois, but they did not thrive and they have
not done very well anywhere, I believe, in zoological
gardens or parks east of the Mississippi at least.* The
opinion of Judge Caton is that the antelope will never
do well away from its native grounds. It may be that

* Mr. E. C. Mallory, of Buffalo Centre, Iowa, tried raising antelopes in
captivity, and a short time ago had " a very fine bunch." In a letter to the
writer he says the "antelope business was not very successful. They
seemed at the age of eighteen months to lose their health." They died so
rapidly that Mr. Mallory says the "wind seemed to get away willi tiiem."

248 THE OX FAMILY

it requires a larger area than it has been given in most
parks, or that the ground was too damp and not high
enough when the experiment of domesticating it has
been tried to the eastward of the Mississippi.

In the late summer, autumn, and winter antelopes are
seen in bands. In the spring the does separate from
the bucks, the young bucks and young does, and in
secluded places bring forth their young, two kids at a
birth. These are not spotted like the young of the deer.
When wolves attack the kids the mother will fight to
protect them, striking powerful blows with her feet.
A single wolf cannot hope to succeed, but a pack often
proves too much for the mother as well as the young,
and a few wolves hunting together and running an old
buck will tire him out and finally despatch him. Their
method of hunting on the open plain is ingenious.
Some chase the animal about while others rest; these
get in front of him when he makes a wide circle and
relieve those tired out by pursuit, until finally the
quarry, thoroughly tired out and distressed, can go no
farther, when his savage enemies seize and devour
him.

A band of antelopes is usually attached to a particular
neighborhood and may be found from day to day with-
in an area of a few miles. The hunters, having found a
band, know where to look for it again, and having failed
to approach it for any reason, they correct the error
upon a second visit. The animals can, of course, be
seen at a great distance with a powerful glass, and
when once located, as we have observed, they may be
stalked provided they have not discovered the hunter.

The rutting season is September and the early part

THE ANTELOPE 249

of October. The bucks at this season may often be
seen fighting, but they do not often injure each other
much in the light, the weaker taking to liis heels when
he is vanquished.

It is with feelings of regret and sorrow that I think
of the great plains, as I have observed them more
recently, almost everywhere deserted so far as wild-
animal life is concerned. The range of the antelope,
which, as we have seen, was a few years ago estimated
not by hundreds but by thousands of miles, is to-day
restricted to comparatively small areas, where the ani-
mals are not nearly so plentiful as they were when I
first visited them. They would have been truly
exterminated had it not been for the passage of laws
protecting them at all times in some States and limit-
ing the shooting to short seasons and small bags of
male animals only in others.

The antelopes are only to be seen to-day in parts of
the following States : Texas, Kansas, New Mexico,
Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Utah, Nevada, Idaho,
California and Oregon.*

In some places the antelopes have taken to the hills,
and, Roosevelt says, even resort to the timber in their
endeavor to escape. It is to be hoped that they will
be saved from extermination in the Yellowstone Park
and other national and private preserves in the West,
where the ground is more suited to them than that of
the Yellowstone Park.

* The antelope is protected at all times in Montana, Utah and California.
In Texas, New Mexico and Colorado it is protected for a period of years.

I

BOOK III
THE BEAR FAMILY

XVII

THE BEAR FAMILY

" I ^HE bear family, the Ursidcs of the naturalists, con-

-*- tains about fifteen species — the naturalists do
not agree upon the number, and sportsmen here, con-
trary to the general rule, count rather more than the
naturalists, since the same bear is known by different
names in different localities. It is now well settled
that we have four bears in North America, or at least
one-fourth of all the bears of the world.

Our bears include the most ferocious and formidable
bear in the world, the grizzly bear; the largest bear in
the world, the big brown bear; the polar or white
Arctic bear, and the common black bear, often called
brown bear.

The bears, as their fur coats indicate, are northern
animals and are said to be Polar rather than Equatorial
in their distribution. Two of the bears named above
are only found in the far North; the range of the grizzly
and black bears extends as far south as Mexico.

The bears are the only North American game-ani-
mals, excepting the cougar and wildcat, which are
ferocious. The deer, however, as we have seen, when
wounded are often ugly customers. The ferocity of
our bears has been exaggerated greatly. They arc
seldom the aggressors, but fight furiously when cor-
nered or in defence of their young.

253

254 THE BEAR FAMILY

The bears are not as fierce and formidable as the
tiger, the lion, and the jaguar, found in tropical or
semi-tropical countries, the grizzly bear excepted. Our
cougar or mountain lion, which is found from New
York State to northern South America, is said to be
more fierce and dangerous and destructive to cattle in
the South than in the North. It is there also more
abundant.

Although regarded as ferocious and dangerous, all
the bears are inclined to run away and escape, and
seldom attack a man unless wounded or suddenly
cornered. The only bear which is really very dan-
gerous when in such situations is the grizzly bear.
Instances where the smaller black bears have killed or
injured a person are comparatively uncommon. I
know a man who, going to the assistance of his dog,
attacked and killed a large black bear with his pen-
knife. The black bears have killed many dogs, as we
shall observe in the chapter on these animals.

All bears will fight to defend their young from man
or other enemies, and then exhibit much courage.
Their method of fighting is peculiar and consists in
rising up on their hind legs and striking with their
powerful claws. The statement, often made, that they
embrace or hug their enemy is disputed.

The bears are classed by the naturalists as carnivo-
rous animals, but they eat such a great variety of food
that they may be said to be nearly omnivorous, except-
ing the polar bear, which cannot procure a great vari-
ety in the frozen North-land where it lives. The grizzly
and the common black bear are very fond of vegeta-
bles, roots, insects, honey, and fish.

THE BEAR FAMILY 255

In the northern and colder portions of their range
the grizzly and black bears become dormant in the
winter and are said to " hibernate." Retiring to some
cave, depression, or hollow tree, the bears sleep with-
out taking food for long periods, and are at such seasons
safe from harm. If they remained out after the ground
became covered with snow, they could be followed
easily by their tracks, which are large and noticeable.
After an early snow, the hunters often find the tracks
of bears which have not yet "holed" for the winter,
and easily follow them.

Bears are said to be plantigrade animals ; that is, ani-
mals which walk with the whole sole of the foot on the
ground. Their tracks are easily discovered along the
margins of streams and on soft ground; and as they
pass through the woods they leave other unmistakable
signs of their presence by scratching the trees and
overturning logs and stumps in their search for in-
sects. Their tracks on the ground resemble somewhat
those made by the hand, and are easily recognized
when once they have been seen.

The bears are affectionate and playful. The deer, as
we have observed, do not exhibit much affection.
Many of the deer are polygamous, and the male moose
is said to often destroy its own young. The bears, how-
ever, seem fond of each other and of their young, and
are often seen playing with their cubs. Many pretty
stories of the bear's affection for its mate or young,
shown even after death, are to be found in the bear
biographies.

By far the greater number of bears killed are killed
by woodsmen and trappers, most of the animals being

256 THE BEAR FAMILY

caught in a trap or deadfall of some kind before they
are despatched. The sportsmen who have killed a bear
are comparatively few in number, and the game has
usually been killed unexpectedly when the shooter was
in the woods after other game. Bear-hunting is more
common in the South and West than in the northern
and eastern parts of the country. But few bears re-
main in the mountains and forests of the Northern and
Eastern States. Those that are found in New England,
New York, and Pennsylvania are the common black
bears, and in most places they have been much pur-
sued and have become so wise and cunning as to be
seldom seen.

The traps used for taking bears are the steel traps
and deadfalls. I have recently seen it stated that many
are taken in a trap made of a keg with nails driven
through from the outside at an angle, the points down-
ward or toward the bottom of the keg. This is usu-
ally baited with honey or molasses, and the bear who
puts his head in is caught by the nails when he at-
tempts to withdraw it. Sportsmen, however, are not
interested in traps except to destroy them. A bear
killed after it is trapped is not recognized by the Boone
and Crockett Club as being killed in "fair chase," but,
as Mr. George Cahoon says : " To the bear the trap is
more fatal than the rifle."

XVIII

THE GRIZZLY BEAR

IN North America there are only two game-animals
whose pursuit may be said to be attended with
much danger — the grizzly bear and the Arctic or
polar bear. The huge grizzly bear, technically Ursus
horribilis, is undoubtedly entitled to rank first in feroc-
ity among the bears of the world. Ever since Lewis
and Clark discovered him he has been known as
an extremely dangerous beast, and countless stories
have been written of encounters which resulted dis-
astrously for the hunter. Roosevelt, however, has
pointed out the fact that he was far more dangerous
in the days when small-bore, muzzle-loading rifles,
carr3dng a light ball, were used than he is to-day. If
the first shot at close range did not stop the bear, there
was no time to reload the old-fashioned rifle if the
wounded bear charged ; and the hunter had to resort
to his knife in a hand-to-hand fight, and the great beast
was often able to finish him with one blow of his large
and powerful claws. There are many records of
wounded bears killing persons. There are records of
a single blow proving fatal.

In a valuable paper, "Grizzly Bear Lore," Mr.
Henry G. Tinsley says:

" In the old days of the Spanish occupation of Cali-

257

258 THE BEAR FAMILY

fornia, a common amusement on fete-days was a fight
between a grizzly bear and a bull. Old-time residents,
who witnessed the barbarous contests, say that the
grizzly came off victor. Some bears have despatched
five and six bulls in an afternoon. The maddened bear
would always rise upon his hind legs as the attacking,
bellowing bull, with head lowered, came prancing
toward the grizzly. The bear would await the attack,
then at a favorable moment, quick as a flash it would
deal the bull a staggering blow between the eyes.
This blow was sometimes so powerful that the bull
dropped dead with a crushed skull. Anyhow, the
blow from the bear's paw was always so heavy that
the bull was groggy for a few minutes and stumbled
on its forelegs. Meanwhile the grizzly would cling to
the bull, striking its razor-like claws deep into the bovine
flesh, while it bit and chewed the bull to death. At
some of these Spanish contests bears have broken
bulls' legs as if they were pine sticks.

" ' The best illustration I ever knew of a grizzly's
powerful forearms and quickness of motion occurred
at a bear-and-buU fight in San Gabriel, Cal., in the early
forties,' said Senor Don Aguilar recently. ' In the
excitement of the mortal fight between the beasts, a
man accidentally fell over the railing to the floor of
the pen below. In a second the big hulking bear
dived from the bull straight at the man. striking one
paw at his head. The man was literally and instantly
scalped, and in a second more the grizzly had torn the
man into a horrible mass.' "

However bad the bear of some years ago may have
been, I am satisfied from what I have seen of the

A (ikIZZKV IJEAR
From :i stereograph. Copyright, 1904, by Underwood and Underwood.

THE GRIZZLY BEAR 259

grizzly, and from what I have learned from others,
that this animal to-day has a wholesome fear of
man, having learned that he is more than an equal
match when armed with a heavy magazine-rifie, and
unwounded bears will certainly try to escape, slip-
ping quietly away as soon as they see, hear, or smell the
enemy.

I was once riding with an orderly on a natural ter-
race just above the valley of a little stream which
issues from the Big Horn Mountains. From our
elevated position on the plain we could look down
into the valley some twenty-five or thirty feet below.
We had ridden out from camp expecting to shoot
a deer, and moved slowly along the plain a little dis-
tance back or away from the terrace where the plain
dropped into the valley. From time to time we rode
near, and peeped over into the river-bottom, which
was partly overgrown with berry-bushes in little
clearings, and in other places heavily timbered. I
was riding on the inside, or nearer the valley, in order
to take the shot. We had not gone over a mile from
our camp when, upon approaching the terrace, I saw
immediately below me one of the largest grizzly bears
I ever beheld.

He was sitting up in a patch of wild gooseberry
bushes, eating the fruit. He growled as soon as he saw
us like a dog with a bone, and my pony fairly stood up
with fright, and as he wheeled about, desiring to run, he
jumped sidewise against the soldier's pony, and one of
my feet went through the loop of the lariat hanging at
his pommel. The other pony was also much terrified
and turned about in his endeavor to escape from the

26o THE BEAR FAMILY

bear, and my leg was pulled and twisted in such a way
that I feared it would break. I had started to raise my
rifle, but shooting was now out of the question and my
only thought was to extricate my leg, and I urged the
orderly to hold his pony alongside while 1 attempted to
untwist the lariat. We whirled around several times
on the edge of the terrace and at one time came near
going down into the valley. The bear sat up for some
moments but did not offer to charge us, and before I
could shoot he had dropped on all fours and moved
slowly away through the bushes, and was soon out of
sight in the woods. When at length I had freed my
foot, I cantered forward some distance along the edge
of the terrace and then descended into the woods
and moved cautiously forward to meet the bear. The
soldier strongly advised against our proceeding into
the woods. It was wet, muddy, and slippery under-
foot, and vines hung from the trees overhead. I was
riding without a saddle, since I expected to go only a
short distance from camp. It was evident that if the
bear charged there was great danger of my being dis-
mounted or of the pony slipping and falling, and when
it occurred to me that it would be impossible to shoot
from the back of the terrified animal, I decided to give
the bear up, for that day at least, and try for him again
when I at least had some stirrups to assist me in keep-
ing my seat. We had pushed through the woods nearly
to the point where the bear entered them, and I was
satisfied, when I thought the matter over later, that
although he did not appear much afraid of us and was
not inclined to give up his berries, he evidently must
have heard us coming and sought safety in flight.

THE GRIZZLY BEAR 261

Upon several other occasions when fishing I passed
very close to bears and often found their tracks numer-
ous in the soft earth when I was out with a gun after
grouse. One day when the bear-tracks were very nu-
merous I decided that I would try and cut a bear's throat
at short range with a load of bird-shot. I was a good
many years younger than I now am and believe I
should have attempted the performance had I met
a bear that day (having once killed a fox with very fine
shot by shooting him in the neck at close range, and
having read of the buffalo being killed with a load of
No. 4), but I have no doubt it is just as well that I did
not meet a bear after having decided to experiment
with a shotgun. The shotgun, however, is a formi-
dable weapon at very close range, and I believe two
heavy charges of shot would come near to stopping
an}' bear provided the shots were fired at just the
right time. It would require an immense amount of
coolness, however. There is no animal which has a
greater tenacity of life than the grizzly bear, and he
often keeps coming even after he is mortally wounded.
It was often provoking, however, to see bears or other
large game when out with a rod or after birds with a
gun, and I often returned to camp to exchange weapons.

Roosevelt, who visited the Big Horn Mountains a
few years after I was there, had very good luck with
the bears. In the account of his trip which he wrote
for TJic Century he describes killing a number of griz-
zlies, the first one of which was killed instantly with a
single shot from a .45-75 Winchester. Although they
came suddenly ui)on the bear, he did not offer to charge,
but simply reared up on his haunches and then dropped

262 THE BEAR FAMILY

down again on all fours, " the shaggy hair seeming to
bristle " as he turned toward the sportsmen. In the
same article we are told (something that I did not know
before) that the name of this bear has reference to its
character and not to its color, and should therefore be
spelled "grisly" — in the sense of horrible as we speak
of a " grisly spectre " — and not grizzly.

" In killing dangerous game," the same writer well
says, " steadiness is more needed than good shooting.
No game is dangerous unless a man is close up, for
nowadays hardly any wild beast will charge from a
distance of a hundred yards, but will rather try to run
off ; and if a man is close, it is easy enough for him to
shoot straight if he does not lose his head. A bear's
brain is about the size of a pint bottle, and anyone
can hit a pint bottle off-hand at thirty or forty feet. I
have had two shots at bears at close quarters, and
each time I fired into the brain, the bullet in one case
striking fairly between the eyes and in the other
going in between the eye and ear. A novice at this
kind of sport will find it best and safest to keep in
mind the old Norse viking's advice in reference to a
long sword: 'If you go in close enough, your sword
will be long enough.' If a poor shot goes in close
enough, he will find that he shoots straight enough."

Upon one occasion, in the Big Horn Mountains, a
friend of mine, an army ofificer, fired at a grizzly at
close range and only wounded it. With a savage roar
the beast turned about, and, seeing his orderly stand-
ing at a short distance, charged him at full tilt. As
he passed my friend (who was, by the way, one of the
coolest and best shots I ever saw in any field), he fired

THE GRIZZLY BEx\R 263

a second shot at such close range that the powder
from his rifle burned the hair on the bear's side. The
second shot proved fatal, and the bear fell over dead,
much to the gratification of the orderly, who was ter-
ribly frightened.

A heavy repeating-rifle is the weapon for bears. It
is of the utmost importance that the rifle be clean and
in good working order, so that the second or any suc-
ceeding cartridge will not stick and prevent the shooter
from firing. I have seen the best rifles refuse to work
at an exciting moment, either from the cartridge being
a little large or the rifle being gummed with oil and
dirt. A heavy half-magazine rifle is the best; and it
is not a bad plan to put all the cartridges through once
or twice to see that they run well before going into
the woods for a day with the bears. It is almost a
certainty that a wounded grizzly bear will fight. He
will often charge, and I can imagine no more danger-
ous position in the field than that of a sportsman in
front of one of these huge animals with a rifle which
refuses to work properly.

Sportsmen long ago became aware that the pea-
rifles used to shoot squirrels and the small deer were
not suitable for elk, moose, and grizzly bears, and a
much heavier ball and charge of powder came into
general use in the West. The lighter rifle is, of course,
easier to handle, and one can do much better shooting
with it than with a weapon too heavy to handle nicely;
but the shock from a heavy ball seemed necessary to
stop the ferocious grizzly. There has been much dis-
cussion recently as to the comparative merits of small
and large bore rifles, and the relative stopping power

264 THE BEAR FAMILY

or " knock down and stay down " power of the large
balls and the small balls thrown with high velocity.
Mr. James H. Kidder well says that sportsmen are at
times apt to draw rather hasty conclusions, both for
and against the small bore. If we go on a trip of one
month, which means our whole year's vacation, and
get just one chance at a grizzly and knock him over
with a .30-40, are we not inclined to return home feel-
ing that the gun is all right? Again, if we do not
knock him down to stay down, are we not inclined to
think that the gun is all wrong ?

Mr. Kidder says he formerly used the .50-100-450
rifle with excellent results, and with this he killed
grizzlies. From the first he appreciated its great kill-
ing power, and, for this reason, had great confidence
in it. In an out-of-the-way place, he says, he could not
get the .50-calibre cartridges, and was forced to buy a
.30-40 Winchester, and with this rifle the improvement
in his shooting was most marked ; so much was this the
case that when he made a seven months' shooting-trip
in western Alaska, he determined to use the .30-40
even upon the large bears of the Kadiak Islands and
the Alaskan Peninsula. His friend, Mr. Robert P.
Blake, who made the journey with Mr. Kidder, used a
.45-70 with 405 grain, soft-nosed bullets ; his native
hunter always carried Mr. Kidder's old rifle, the .50-
100-450, with which he had killed his first grizzlies, as
above stated, so that there was a fair chance to see the
effect of the shots from these different weapons on
bears.

Mr. Kidder, with the .30-40, killed his first Kadiak
bear with three shots. The first bullet passed through

THE GRIZZLY BEAR 265

the lungs and heart. The bear kept going, and the
second shot entered close beside the first and also
passed through the lungs and heart. The third shot
broke the bear's back and it dropped, having gone
twenty-five yards through deep snow after the first
shot went home. The last bullet " frightfully shattered
the vertebrae," he sa)'s, although its hole of exit was
very little larger than the aperture made by its en-
trance. A second bear went fifty yards, after a ball
had passed through the shoulder and lower portion of
the heart, and two more balls were needed to "finish
him off," one breakino- his back.

Mr. Kidder shot another bear (the ball entering
behind the shoulder and passing through the lungs),
which started off, after being hit, when his native fired,
hitting her behind the shoulder with the .50-calibre,
when she dropped like a stone. Upon still another
bear Mr. Kidder had an opportunity to compare the
stopping power of his .30-40 with his friend's .45-70.
He says: "A large female bear, with two yearling
cubs, was stalked. My friend shot the female back of
the shoulder with the .45-70. This knocked her over,
and, although she regained her feet, she went less than
twenty-five yards before she succumbed. At the same
time I shot one of the cubs with the .30-40. The
bullet was beautifully placed behind the shoulder, and
knocked him over. He picked himself up and was
going rapidly away when I knocked him over again.
There is no doubt but that the .45-70 upon the larger
bear had more of a shock than did the .30-40 bullet
upon the yearling, although they were hit in almost
identical spots."

266 THE BEAR FAMILY

Mr. Kidder and his friend, on this trip, bagged four-
teen bears, and says of the nine which he shot not one
was killed with a single bullet, although all but one
were shot through the lungs, and two through the
heart as well. " In several cases when I placed a bullet
well in a bear, and he continued going away hard, a
shot from the .50-calibre would seem to knock all the
life out of him, although the bullet might not be so
well placed as the first shot from the smaller rifle.
The knock-down force of the .45-70, as used by my
friend on these bears, was, we both considered, far
ahead of the .30-40, while the .50-calibre, with its 450
grains of lead, was noticeably more powerful than the
.45-70." In conclusion, Mr. Kidder says he regards
the .30-40 an ideal gun for hill-shooting, and that he
does not believe a more accurate and excellent rifle for
all but very heavy game is made, and that he con-
tinued to use it even in following up wounded bears in
thick alders. He says, however: "This rifle did re-
quire proportionately more bullets to accomplish the
same results than the .45-70 used by my friend."

Most of the big-game animals that I have killed, or
seen killed, were shot with the large-calibre Winches-
ter or the ordinary Springfield rifle used by the United
States infantry a few years ago. Those of my readers
who have read " Our Feathered Game" are aware that
the writer has a decided liking for all of the game-
birds. When bird-shooting in the West with officers
of the army, we often came upon large game, and
passed the guns to our orderlies in exchange for their
Springfields, and with these clumsy weapons, which
pulled hard on the trigger, I have killed many big-

THE GRIZZLY BEAR 267

game animals with the first ball. Army friends have
thus stopped grizzlies with this weapon, and I recall at
least five buffaloes which were dead when they struck
the ground or died instantly thereafter, having been
struck by my first bullet. The buffalo-bull which we
were taking into camp, as described in the chapter on
that animal, was killed with one shot from one of these
Springfield rifles. Here, as elsewhere, the man behind
the gun has much to do with the results; for my part,
however, I would much prefer to face a charging
grizzly with a double shotgun than with a very small-
gauge rifle.

Mr. T. S. Van Dyke, who has had as much experience
in still-hunting deer as any sportsman in America, says
in an article on "Handling the Rifle on Game" that
" the old dispute between big-bores and small-bores is
meaningless now, because the most killing guns are the
high-velocity nitro-guns, which are all small-bore com-
pared with the black-powder guns. The best all-around
rifle is now the .30-calibre nitro, not because it will do
all that is claimed for it, but because it makes so much
flatter a line to everything within reasonable distance
than any black-powder gun can do." This article by
Mr. Van Dyke appeared in the same magazine* which
published the article by Mr. Kidder, who based what
he had to say upon experiments made with rifles of
different calibre on fourteen bears. Mr. Kidder evi-
dently does not regard the "dispute between big-bores
and small-bores" as "meaningless" when bears are
the game.

Use smokeless powder, of course, on all game. It is

* Outing.

268 THE BEAR FAMILY

of the utmost importance in bear-shooting to see well
for the second and other shots.

A rifle made to fit, or " come up " well, as shooters
say, and which balances nicely, is far better than one
a little long or short in the stock or too straight or too
crooked. It is well to practise much at moving marks,
such as a wooden disk or wheel, shooting rapidly at it
as it is bowled along over the ground. A field-shot can-
not use his gun or rifle too often at moving objects.
The first quick sight is the best. The danger is of
over- rather than under-shooting.

Mr. Van Dyke made a solid wheel two feet in diam-
eter, arranged in a frame on a hill-side, so that he could
start it with a string, and practised some two years on
this, and so improved his shooting at running game.
He says, however, that all the fine shots of his acquaint-
ance agree, when pinned down to it, that there is
always more luck than skill in shooting at moving
game at any considerable distance. He says the shot
which he considers his best was at a jack-rabbit, in-
spired by a greyhound, crossing over two hundred
yards ahead and gaining on the dog at every jump.
He raised the peep-sight for forty yards, aimed nearly
thirty feet ahead, and hit him square in the middle.

The grizzly bear does not climb, and many a hunter
has saved his life by going up a tree before an enraged
bear reached him.

In " Astoria," Irving tells us of a trooper who, while
making his way among the thickets, with his traps on
his shoulder and his rifle in his hand, heard a crushing
sound, and turning, beheld a huge grizzly bear ad-
vancing upon him with a terrific growl. " The sturdy

THE GRIZZLY BEAR 269

Kentuckian," he says, *' was not to be intimidated by
man or monster. Levelling his rifle, he pulled the
trigger. The bear was wounded, but not mortally :
instead, however, of rushing upon his assailant, as is
generally the case with this kind of bear, he retreated
into the bushes." The trapper followed him for some
distance, but the bear effected his escape.

In " A Tour on the Prairies " the same writer fur-
nishes another account of one of their hunters named
Beattie, who wounded a bear with a rifle-shot. " The
bear took to the brook, which was swollen and rapid.
Beattie dashed in after him and assailed him in the
rear with his hunting-knife. At every blow the bear
turned furiously upon him with a terrific display of
white teeth." This bear also escaped, " scrambling off
among the thickets."

Another hunter, one of the rangers who accom-
panied Irving on his tour, one day shot a deer and
heard it fall in the bushes of a ravine. Stealing for-
ward, he looked down into the ravine, "and beheld a
huge bear dragging the carcass of the deer along the
dry channel of a brook, and growling and snarling at
four or five officious wolves, who seemed to have
dropped in to take supper with him. The ranger
fired at the bear, but missed him. Bruin maintained
his ground and his prize, and seemed disposed to make
battle." Night was coming on, and the young hunter
withdrew.

Irving sums up the information he obtained from
the hunters and trappers of the West, saying:

"This powerful and ferocious animal is a favorite
theme of hunter's story, both among red and wiiitc

270 THE BEAR FAMILY

men ; and his enormous claws are worn round the neck
of an Indian brave as a trophy more honorable than a
human scalp. . . . Other bears are formidable when
wounded and provoked, but seldom make battle when
allowed to escape. The grizzly bear alone, of all the
animals of our Western wilds, is prone to unprovoked
hostility. His prodigious size and strength make him
a formidable opponent ; and his great tenacity of life
often baffles the skill of the hunter, notwithstanding
repeated shots of the rifle and wounds of the hunting-
knife."

John Muir, who recently met a grizzly in California,
says he did not shoot (was in fact unarmed), and that
the bear slowly retreated, without offering to attack
him.

Grizzly bears are gregarious, and in former years
many were sometimes seen together. Mr. Tinsley
says when the animals were many and the hunters
few, bands of fifty and more grizzlies were frequently
found. The sportsman of to-day, however, who wishes
a rug, is lucky to find one bear as a reward for several
weeks' hard work.

Mr. Elmer Frank, with a friend named Clark, had an
engagement with grizzly bears which was most re-
markable, not alone on account of the number of the
enemy actively in the affair, but for many other
reasons. So remarkable, indeed, did Mr. Frank's ac-
count appear to the editor, when he sent it to a maga-
zine,* that he decided to verify it before publishing it,
and I may say here, that two persons who visited the
field, saw the five bears which were slain in the encoun-

* Outing.

THE GRIZZLY BEAR 271

ter, and talked with the wounded Mr, Frank and his
friend Mr. Clark just after the battle, said they had no
doubt that the story was not exaggerated.

Mr. Frank and his friend were shooting in Wyo-
ming, and having killed their allowance of other game,
were looking for bears. Near a small lake they dis-
covered fresh tracks and followed them into a little
canyon, on one side of which the wall was a per-
pendicular cliff, several hundred feet high, and on the
other there was an almost perpendicular embankment
of willows. At the point where the encounter took
place, the canyon broadened, on one side of the creek,
into a sage-brush flat, about two hundred yards in
width.

As the two hunters rode into the valley, they saw
one large grizzly, which stood up on his haunches, and
immediately saw other bears until, Mr. Frank says,
the brush " seemed alive " with them. When his
horse, which was a spirited animal, had first scented
the bears he began to get " troublesome," but he forced
him up the creek toward the willows until they came
in sight of the game. Clark's horse was a gentle ani-
mal, and he easil}^ dismounted and tired, dropping one
of the bears in his tracks; but when Mr. Frank dis-
mounted, he had trouble with his horse while trying to
get his Winchester from the saddle-sling. The horse
reared, plunged, and kicked, and at length gave a
mighty leap, escaped, and ran off with the gun.
Clark's horse followed. There was a great com-
motion in the brush. Another bear got on a rock, and
Clark shouted: "The wood is full of them. Great
God — look at 'cm."

272 THE BEAR FAMILY

" I told him to keep his head and blaze away, which
he did, wounding this fellow, who dropped off his
perch and began to bawl and kick up a great row gen-
erally. Immediately three other bears stood on their
hind legs, and the wounded one regaining his feet, they
came for us with growls of rage. This was too much
for me, armed only with a knife. I told Clark I was
going to quit and rustle my gun, which I proceeded to
do. Clark emptied his magazine and ran also."

The horses had caught their reins in the sage-bushes
and were easily captured. The two friends loaded
their rifles and leading the horses by the lariats, which
they fastened to the bridles, they returned " to re-
deem themselves from the stigma of so hasty and
undignified a flight."

The bears were now in the willows, where it was
necessary to walk in a crouching position and at times
to crawl. Mr. Frank found one of the bears and fired
as it charged him. In another moment he dodged the
bear's paw and embraced it to keep it from striking
him, shouting lustily to his friend, who came into the
willows and fired as soon as he could safely do so.
The shot struck the bear in the back, and, when Clark
fired a second time, it charged him. Striking at him,
the bear " hit his gun and sent it spinning in the air."
Clark, " true to the hunter's tradition," played 'possum
in an admirable manner and lay perfectly still, while Mr.
Frank sat up and prepared to shoot. " My gun," he
says, " was full of sand ; it refused to work. I threw
down the lever, and was working the sand out of it as
rapidly as possible, but the magazine refused to give
up its cartridges. It was an awful moment of sus-

THE GRIZZLY BEAR 273

pense." At this point another bear leaped on Frank,
and, standing over him, tore at the willows, being evi-
dently wounded. The bear over Clark now left him
and charged Frank, the wounded bear retiring, and as
the new enemy came on, Frank says, he managed to get
a cartridge in the rifle, poked it against the bear and
pulled the trigger. This bear fell dead, with his head
on Frank's breast, " knocking the wind out of him."

A little later in the engagement the two friends hav-
ing secured a position on a ledge were charged by the
three remaining bears, and killed two of them. Clark
was now wild with delight, and swore there was only
one left. Moving into the willows, they found the last
bear and killed it without difficulty. Clark was en-
tirely uninjured, but Frank was badly bitten in the
thigh and through one hand.

This is the largest bag of bears I ever heard of. The
account which I have outlined is interesting and excit-
ing throughout. Mr. Frank says in conclusion: "The
fact that Clark did not receive a scratch should be
explained, if susceptible of an explanation. Old hunt-
ers say that a badly wounded grizzly will seize and
hold on to the first object within reach and expend its
remaining strength in a desperate endeavor to rend it
to atoms. I have seen this fact verified in at least a
half-dozen instances. The bear grabbed a mouthful
of willows and was crunchinir them while over Clark,
who was playing 'possum. This might also explain
why the second bear did not make mince-meat of me.
Both of them died with their mouths full of brush."

Certain it is that both Mr. Frank and his friend had
a most miraculous escape. It is a well-established fact

274 THE BEAR FAMILY

that grizzly bears do not eat human flesh, so that the
ruse of playing 'possum should work. The bear's inter-
est in his enemy ceases with his death.

Mr. Muir tells of a bear-hunter, who acted as guide for
a geological survey party and who had killed forty-seven
grizzlies, and said he wished to kill one hundred. This
old hunter had learned so much while with the survey
that his admiring fellow-mountaineers, he said, gave
him credit for knowing not only the botanical names
of all the trees and bushes but also the botanical names
of the bears. He was accompanied on his bear-hunts
by " a small wise dog," which could trail and worry a
bear and often engage its attention long enough for
him to take careful aim, and many of his bears fell dead
at the first shot.

There is a great difference in bears. Some are much
more courageous, vicious, and formidable than others.
Although wounded, grizzlies often charge the hunter,
and it is important for him to be ready to fire a second
or more shots; they seldom show fight unless wounded
and there are many recorded instances, besides those
above given, where even wounded bears tried to make
their escape. A well-directed heavy ball from a mod-
ern rifle often kills the bear instantly. The best shots
are at the brain or heart.

Grizzly bears are far less abundant than they were a
score of years ago. When in Montana I saw many
robes offered for sale at two or three dollars each, and
some fine ones with the claws on were sold for only a
little more. There are comparatively few places where
a sportsman can be sure of getting a grizzly on a short
hunt to-day. I thoroughly believe in the use of dogs

THE GRIZZLY BEAR 275

in hunting all bears. Without the aid of these animals
the chances are much against the sportsman's seeing a
bear, even where they are known to be fairly plentiful.
The "small wise dogs" are the right kind. Large
courageous hounds which are willing to attack a bear
are soon killed by the enraged beast and he can dispose
of a good pack in very short order. The small dogs,
many of them of unknown pedigree, which have
learned to nip at the bear's heels and quickly skip out
of his way when he turns upon them, are the only dogs
which can successfully be used to hunt grizzly bears.
The little dogs cannot always hold a big grizzly when
he has once made up his mind to escape.

A good guide who has had experience with the griz-
zlies is quite necessary. The trip into the haunts of
this bear is a long one. High moimtains are to be
climbed, vast forests traversed, and without the aid
of a guide the sportsman from " the States," as they say
in the West, could not expect to find a grizzly and
would stand an excellent chance of not bagging him if
he did. He would, most likely, soon get lost in the
tremendous forests. The best guide is the one who
owns dogs which have had experience with the game.

The grizzly bear weighs from five hundred pounds
to a thousand pounds, and some have been killed
weighing several hundred pounds more. The Califor-
nia grizzlies, and those found in the Northwest, are said
to be the largest. Its pelt is brown with a gray cast
which is described as grizzly, although, as we have ob-
served, the bear is not supposed to have been named
from its color. The grizzlies vary much in color and in
size and appearance. Fat bears seem to have shorter

276 THE BEAR FAMILY

legs than lean ones. In the days of Lewis and Clark
and Bonneville the grizzly was common on the plains as
well as in the mountains, but he is now found only in
wooded hills and mountains and is abundant only at a
distance from civilization. They are probably more
plentiful in British America and Alaska than else-
where. The powerful limbs of the grizzly indicate
great strength. He has been known to kill elk and
buffalo as well as horses and domestic cattle. Like the
brown bear the grizzly eats a great variety of food.
He is fond of the flesh of all animals, especially pigs,
and eats fish when he can procure them. Although
classed as a carnivorous animal its food consists largely
of mast, nuts, roots, fruit, berries, honey, and insects.

The flesh of this bear is edible but he is not hunted
on that account, but rather for the excitement incident
to the chase and the fine trophy — his pelt and claws.

The grizzly is more agile than one would suppose
when looking at him at rest, or pacing about in a cage.
He goes into action with remarkable speed. He is
said to prefer pigs, sheep, and cattle to game, since he
can capture the former with less effort.

The cougar, or mountain lion, is the only wild ani-
mal said to encounter successfufl)^ the grizzly bear.
This seems doubtful, although often stated. Traps for
bears are often baited with elk or deer, and such bait,
without the trap, is often left in the woods by sports-
men who visit it from time to time, in the hope of get-
ting a shot. Tinsley says : " The grizzly bears w^ere so
numerous in California that as late as 1862, when Le-
land Stanford was Governor of California, a bounty of
ten dollars was given by the State for each grizzly-bear

THE GRIZZLY BEAR 277

scalp, and several hunters each got more than a hundred
scalps in one year. A party of five professional hunt-
ers spent a whole year in hunting for grizzlies only in
Oregon in 1848, and they brought into Sutter's Fort, at
Sacramento, 700 pelts."

Although the grizzly appears clumsy, and has the
shuffling gait common to all bears, it has been known
to overtake and kill the bison. It has killed and car-
ried away a two-year-old cow. Captain Dan Fuller,
of Portland, Ore., says : " I have known young griz-
zly bears to carry carcasses of heifers for more than
fifteen miles as fast as most men can run. Once I saw
an old grizzly carrying a dead pig weighing 150
pounds in its forepaws and mouth as easily as a boy
would carry a cat. I saw a she-grizzly carrying a year-
ling cow home to her cubs." Kit Carson used to say
that the grizzlies he and his comrades encountered in
the West during the thirties were the most awful
things ever known on four feet, beside which modern
grizzlies are gentle and refined. It was an old saying
in the West that " A man's a fool to go arter b'ar
alone."

The grizzly attacks and kills for vengeance and, as
I have observed, it does not eat human flesh. The
bears that devoured the youths who made improper
remarks concerning the bald pate of the patriarchal
Elisha, were certainly not of the grizzly variety.*

* Grizzly- Uear Lore, II. G. Tinsley.

XIX

THE POLAR-BEAR

FEW sportsmen have killed a polar-bear. As the
name indicates, this bear is an Arctic animal, and
our information concerning its habits and pursuit is
chiefly derived from Arctic explorers, from trappers,
and whalers.

The great polar-bear is easily distinguished from all
other bears by its color, which is silvery white ; it
differs in form also from other bears, and has a very
long neck, which is useful in hunting the seals and fish
which this bear eats and which constitute a large part
of its food ; it has also fur on its feet to prevent its slip-
ping on the ice ; the facial angle is almost a straight
line ; its claws are black.

The polar-bear can move rapidly on land or on ice,
and swims very fast and dives to catch the passing
salmon. It is said to swim toward the seals on the ice
like a submarine boat, occasionally putting up the tip
of its nose for air. If the seal takes to the water or re-
treats on land it is easily captured by its amphibious
enemy. The white-bear is said to be an affectionate
beast, and many pretty stories have been written about
mother-bears and their cubs.

One of the earliest accounts of the polar-bear gives
us a good idea of its aquatic nature. In Jacques Car-

278

THE POLAR-BEAR 279

tier's voyage to Newfoundland, 1534, in his account of
the island of birds, situated off the coast of Newfound-
land, is the following: "And albeit the sayd island be
fourteen leagues from the mainland, notwithstanding
beares come swimming thither to eat the sayd birds,
and our men found one of these as great as any cow and
as white as any swan, who in their presence leapt into
the sea, and upon Whitsunmunday (following our voy-
age to the land) we met her by the way swimming
toward land as swiftly as we could saile. So soon as
we saw her we pursued her with our boats and by
maine strength tooke her, whose flesh was as good to
be eaten as the flesh of a calf two years old."

The polar-bear is, when full grown, from eight to
nine feet in length ; nine feet is said to be large for a
polar, but some have been taken which measured more
than ten. In addition to the flesh of seals and fish, this
bear eats quantities of marine grasses. It sits near the
water on the ice and "makes a current toward it with
its paws in the water and then reaches for an object
floating on it." I have often observed polar-bears thus
engaged, as no doubt my readers have, in zoological
gardens. Like the grizzly, the polar-bear was consid-
ered by the earlier visitors to the Arctic regions as a
most ferocious and formidable beast. He has, how-
ever, learned much about the repeating-rifle, and his
knowledge has, no doubt, become a matter of instinc-
tive heredity, so that the present generation of polars
is reported not to be so fierce and dangerous as its
ancestors were said to be. The change in the disposi-
tion of this bear is said to be very noticeable. It is
possible, however, that the earlier accounts were some-

28o THE BEAR FAMILY

what exaggerated, and that the fatalities resulted from
the bears being slightly wounded by small-calibre rifles
which could not be quickly reloaded.

Mr. Tinsley says on this point: "When the stations
for the Hudson Bay Company were established, the
diaries of the men there often referred to the fright
of attacks by polar-bears. Many a navigator in the
Arctic seas has been clawed and chewed to death by
polar-bears. But for nearly a century the polar-bear
has not been regarded as so very fierce, and nowadays
it is looked upon as a cowardly beast. Association
with armed men has modified the polar-bear's disposi-
tion."*

The following story illustrates the chase: "A party
from the Isabella, including a number of Esquimaux and
myself, were walking on the ice a short distance from
the ship, when, rounding a hummock, we unexpectedly
discovered a short distance from us a large bear quietly
feeding. We would have returned to the ship without
disturbing it, as we were armed with only one rifle and
a few spears carried by the natives, had not one of the
several dogs that were with us announced their pres-
ence by a loud bark. The bear, as soon as it saw the
intruders, began to advance slowly toward us, but was
met by the dogs, who attacked the animal vigorously,
but with little effect. He shook them off, and after in-
juring three of them so badly that they had to be killed,
he continued to advance. We discharged the rifle and
then fled to the ship, where we armed ourselves and
came out to look after the bear, which had disappeared
behind one of the numerous hummocks by which we

* Grizzly- Bear Lore.

THE POLAR-BEAR 281

were surrounded. We had searched for some time, when,
as one of the Esquimaux passed the corner of a hum-
mock, he came face to face with the infuriated animal.
He gave a fearful cry just as the brute struck him with
one of liis immense paws. The rest of us heard the
cry and rapidly surrounded the brute, which stood
perfectly still over the body of the Esquimau. We fired
sixteen shots, twelve of which entered his body, before
he received his death-wound. The native was insensi-
ble when we picked him up and badly torn about the
shoulders by the beast's claws, but was not seriously
hurt. We took the body of the bear on a sledge to the
ship. It weighed 1,575 pounds and was ten feet and
one inch from nose to tail and eight feet and four inches
around the thickest part of its body."*

This was an exceptionally large polar-bear, and the
weight given exceeds that of any grizzly that I ever
heard of. The opportunity of weighing grizzly bears
seldom occurs, however, since they are shot in the
mountain forests, where there are no scales at hand,
and where it is often impossible to bring out the bear.
It is no difficult matter with the aid of a lot of Esqui-
maux with a sled to convey the polar to a ship and
put it on the scales.

* Standard Natural History, Volume V.

XX

THE BLACK BEAR

TN the days of Boone and Crockett the black or, as
"*■ they are often called, the brown bears were plenti-
ful. Some hunters of that period killed hundreds of
these animals. The hunters, when out after other
game, often came across the bears, and it was not a
difficult matter either to find or to kill them. They
are, as a rule, not very formidable even when wounded.
Many black bears were treed and then shot in the
same way one would shoot squirrels. There are many
recorded exceptions to the rule just stated, and in the
old days when the bear was stung with the small rifle-
ball, from the muzzle-loader then used, but not dis-
abled, it was often necessary to despatch him with a
knife. I have referred to the killing of a black bear
with a penknife. I heard Mr. Wright, who did this,
describe the killing at a hunters'-night meeting of the
Hackensack Golf Club, and Mr. Shields, the editor of
Recreation, who was present and introduced the story-
teller, said every word of the story was absolutely
true.

The following story proves that a black bear can be
killed with bird-shot. I give the story at length since
it is too good to be curtailed, and far too good to
remain buried in a State Fish and Game Report,

282

THE BLACK BEAR 283

where I found it. Mr. George Chahoon, the hero of
the tale, says :

"On September 9, 1899, Mrs. Chahoon and I went
for a little drive, hoping to get a couple of partridges
ere returning. We left our home in Ausable Forks in
a single carriage, taking with us our little bird-dog
' Bounce,' and a twelve-guage shotgun.

" While going through a swamp near the middle kilns,
on the road to Saranac Lake, Mrs. Chahoon driving,
and I holding the gun, cocked and ready for a quick
shot at a bird, about thirty yards in front of us four
bears came into the road, looked at us for an instant,
and then ran on ahead. Bounce, the dog, gave chase,
and was close to the bears as they turned to enter the
woods on the opposite side of the road. This was fun
for Bounce, and we sat laughing at his audacity, when
soon we saw a procession of dog and bears coming
toward us, the dog leading and the larger, older bear
in close pursuit, and clearly shortening the distance
between them as they neared us. Don, our horse, not
liking this style of a hunt, started to go home back-
ward ; but fortunately did not succeed in overturning
us, only so placed the carriage as to give the dog and
bears a narrow passage as they ran by. The dog had
about six feet of lead, and as they passed I fired both
barrels of No. 8 bird-shot into the first bear at a range
of about ten feet. She showed no evidence of having
been hit, and kci)t on her course for some twenty yards,
when she turned into the woods, the other three bears
taking to the woods when opposite our carriage. The
dog quickly turned and followed them, and when
about thirty yards from the road he stopped and began

284 THE BEAR FAMILY

to bark furiously. I jumped from the carriage and
started to go to the dog, and when nearly to him Mrs.
Chahoon called excitedly for me to come to her. On
getting back I found that another very large bear had
come into the road and stood on his hind legs in front
of the horse, while the horse rose on his hind legs and
looked at Bruin. As soon as our horse was quiet
enough to be hitched, Mrs. Chahoon and I went to the
dog, which was still barking at the bear where it had
fallen.

" We tried to drag it to the road; but two hundred
pounds was more than our hands alone could manage.
While thus engaged, Mr. Edmund Roberts came along
with the stage, and with his help the dead captive was
put into his wagon and carried back to our home, where
its hide now makes a fine rug on our floor. The ground
where the bear was shot showed no blood or other evi-
dence of the animal having been hit. Both charges
struck near the shoulder and were driven downward,
and part of them went entirely through the body. The
shot was not bunched, but had separated so as to form
a pattern resembling the top of a large pepper-box.

" There was nothing to indicate a struggle, and
doubtless she fell perfectly dead where she lay when
we reached her. In all, she must have run fifty or sixty
yards with her heart riddled with shot."

The black bear is much smaller than his great griz-
zled cousin, and weighs from 200 or less to 400 pounds.
His coat is black or brown, as his name would indi-
cate, and the hair is glossy and soft.

The range of this bear is North America — from
Maine to Alaska and South to Mexico.

THE BLACK BEAR 285

Black bears were formerly plentiful in nearly all the
North American woods within the area named, and,
before they were much persecuted, they were com-
paratively tame. They did much damage about the
clearings of the early settlers, being fond of vegetables
and fruits, as well as pork and mutton, and a con-
tinuous warfare has been made on them, some of the
States offering rewards or bounties for their scalps. It
is not strange, therefore, that the little black bear has
become wild and shy and nocturnal in his habits, and
since he has good eyes, ears, and nose, he is seldom
seen to-day, even by the professional hunters who
spend much time in the woods. His presence is often
well known from his visits to fold, sty, coop, orchard,
or garden ; his tracks are often seen in the soft earth ;
but the sly little rascal manages to keep entirely out
of the way, and it is quite unusual nowadays for one
of these bears to come to a violent death, excepting
in places where he is sufficiently abundant to make
it worth while to set traps for him or to keep up a
pack of bear-hounds.

The flesh of this bear is much esteemed by some
hunters. It resembles pork more than the flesh of any
other animal, and is often very fat. John Muir quotes
a hunter, from whom he was seeking information, as
saying: " B'ar-meat is the best meat in the mountains,
their skins make the best beds, and their grease the
best butter. Biscuit shortened with b'ar-grease goes
as far as beans ; a man will walk all day on a couple of
them biscuit."

The sportsmen, however, who occasionally kill a
black bear when in the woods care more for the pelt

286 THE BEAR FAMILY

than the flesh, which is not to be compared with veni-
son or the mutton of the mountain sheep.

The naturalists have classed the bears, as we have
observed, as flesh-eaters {Carnivora), but the brown
bear is literally omnivorous. One writer in Recreation
says, " he will eat anything from a honey-bee to a well-
greased saw-mill. His natural food is mast, roots,
berries, fruits, vegetables, insects, eggs and fish as well
as flesh. Like the deer these bears go to the lakes
and swamps in the summer-time, and then are said to
mix in their diet moUusks, reptiles, salamanders and
fish. In the autumn this bear consumes acorns and
mast. They often visit the orchards by night and are
said to prefer the sweet apples, and hence the trap is
often placed under the sweet-apple-trce.

A black bear unmolested will always try to escape.
They may possibly follow and attack a person who
meets them unexpectedly and starts to run away. Ad-
vice not to run, at any rate, is given in the books, and
there is really no occasion for running. One writer
says he met a bear at short range which stood looking
at him, but that he " hallooed " at him and the bear
turned, walking slowly and once in a while looking
behind him ; then he went off at a run.

The knowledge of what the bears are doing in any
locality is valuable to a sportsman when he goes to
seek them. When out " after his rations the bear is
a great traveller, but travels on system." The guides
who know the woods have of course some knowledge
of where the bears are feeding, and can read the many
signs which Bruin leaves in the woods. He tears old
stumps to pieces, overturns logs and stones in his

THE BLACK BEAR 287

search for food, and leaves many other signs beside
his tracks which the woodsman sees at a ghmce, and
which the sportsman would, no doubt, pass unnoticed,
unless, of course, he had learned the art of bear hunt-
ing. Without dogs there is but little chance of seeing
a bear in most of the woods to-day, or of following it
if seen slipping away. The cover is often heavy, and
the little black rascal can travel fast, sliding down into
deep ravines and climbing mountain sides in a way
most surprising, for the animal seems to be clumsy and
to have a shuffling gait.

Many amusing stories are told of the bears and the
bees. The bears are excessively fond of honey and
receive many stings from the bees when robbing the
hives or bee-trees in the woods. I read a maafazine
story (I have forgotten where) of a farmer who was
much damaged by a bear's visits to his premises, and
who fixed up a bait consisting of whiskey and honey.
The bear becoming very drunk was found roaming
about the neighborhood in the morning, and easily de-
spatched. Since writing these lines I find the follow-
ing story told of a gentleman who killed a bear in
New Hampshire : " He saw a bear up a tree, and all
around him the air was gray and alive with bees.
Bruin had effected an entrance to their stores and was
helping himself. He had both legs and one arm around
the tree, and with the other hand was dipping out the
dripping comb and stuffing it into his mouth. But he
seemed covered with bees, which in their way were
taking vengeance on his ears, over his eyes, on his face
and nose, and occasionally a louder but muinbling note
of distress and a momentary thrusting out of the

288 THE BEAR FAMILY

tongue told plainly that he was ' getting it ' in the
mouth, thus despite his fortitude compelling Bruin to
give tongue to his tormentors.

" But Bruin kept at the feast until he was nearly
stuffed with the sweets. He was utterl}' unconscious
of the hunter's presence, who now fired, and the gorged
animal fell mortally wounded." *

There is a popular impression that the bear embraces
and hugs his enemy, thus crushing him to death. His
method of fighting, however, when forced into an
encounter is to strike with his claws and bite.

The bear has from two to five cubs, the former
number being common, the latter quite exceptional.
The cubs are very small at birth — not over six inches
long. They make amusing pets when young, but they
grow rough as they grow older. I was much amused
in observing one owned by a friend. When it grew
old enough to strike a hard blow he decided to part
with it. After it had handled him roughly several
times he presented it to me. I declined the gift, how-

* Standard Natural History, Vol. V. Bruin, as we have observed, is
easily intoxicated, and very human in his drunken antics. One writer says :
"I have seen him killed by negroes while lying helpless upon his back
catching at the clouds ; but such slaughter is unsportsmanlike, and no true
hunter would resort to it."

In the year 1894, the last year in which the State paid a bounty on bears,
359 were killed in the Adirondacks, on which bounty was claimed.

Mr. Chahoon says: "It is the general opinion of people who live in
the Adirondacks that when a bear kills a sheep he eats all he can, and
returns in a night or two for another good meal on the remains. I have
known of three instances where steel traps and strychnine have been cun-
ningly prepared for his expected return, but he did not come back in either
case." The bear is, however, extremely sly and cautious. It is more than
likely they returned, but suspected something wrong, and smelling the trap
or bait, retired. They have often acted in this way.

THE BLACK BEAR 289

ever, and I believe the cub finally went to a zoological
garden.

Although the black bears are still fairly plentiful in
parts of Maine and New Brunswick, in the Adiron-
dacks, the AUeghanies, and other wooded and moun-
tain regions, it is quite unusual for a sportsman to kill
one by stalking; in fact, as already stated, these bears
are seldom seen. In the Adirondacks it is proposed to
protect the black bear as a game animal, instead of
offering a bounty for his scalp. This movement is in
the right direction.* There is a certain amount of
healthy sport to be had in hunting the black bear, and
as a game-animal he is worth more than the damage
he does, at least in the places where bears are no longer
abundant.

A bear is shot now and then in the forests of Michi-
gan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and other Western States,
but here, as elsewhere, far more are taken with traps.
Few sportsmen make a practice of hunting the black
bear in the Northern States. Bear-shooting, however,
in the South has long been a favorite sport. Many
packs of bear-dogs are owned in the Southern States.
These usually contain dogs of various sizes and kinds ;
rough-haired terriers, hounds, and "curs of low de-
gree" are often found in one pack. As stated in the
chapter on the grizzly bears, the hounds are not expected
to attack and kill the bear, but to find and follow him,
nipping at his heels and bringing him to bay, or tree-
ing him until the hunters arrive and despatch him.
The hunters usually arc mounted and the riding is often

* So many protests from those injured by hears have been received that
Forest and Stream says they sh<;ulcl not be protected.

290 THE BEAR FAMILY

rough, the trail leading through dense canebrakes and
across swamps and bayous, where the trees are fes-
tooned with many vines. The cover is so dense that
the noise of even a large pack can be heard only a
short distance, and the dogs are frequently lost for a
time. Shotguns are often used in the South instead
of the rifle, and they are, no doubt, very service-
able weapons, but seem out of place in the big-game
field.

Many dogs are often killed by the bear, but there is
comparatively little danger to the hunter, and fatal
accidents are uncommon. General Wade Hampton is
said to have killed more black bears than any other
sportsman. One of his bears weighed 410 pounds.

President Roosevelt not long ago was invited to a
bear hunt in Mississippi, and Mr. Denison, one of the
special correspondents accompanying the President's
party, wrote a long and amusing account of the hunt.
Although the President returned withouthavingburned
a grain of powder, " He got three bears, they will tell
you in Sharkey County," the reporter says, "so that
at the outset it is necessary to appreciate fully that the
Mississippi bear hunt proper is a communal and not an
individual sport, and that the man for whom the hunt
is organized is credited with all the killing done by his
company and the pack. It was something of a blow to
the sense of Southern hospitality — which is no stronger
anywhere than in Sharkey County — to find that the
President had a vigorous desire to kill a bear himself.
It was even more of a blow to find, after this prejudice
of the distinguished guest had been discovered, and a
bear had been captured, at least half alive, to await his

o

&

c

T3
C

o

'-> ^
< J=

■J .5?
— . i^

-" >.

p.

o
U

THE BLACK BEAR 291

pleasure, that he refused with something very like scorn
to put the finishing bullet into it."

Mr. Denison thus describes the ground where the
hunt took place : " Leaving the plantations, the road
wound through four miles of open forest, carpeted with
a brier tangle, knee high, which made travel anywhere
out of the trodden trail almost impossible. Here all
the trunks were much darker in color, for fifteen feet
from the ground, than they were above, showing the
effect of the annual flood, which about Smedes is re-
ferred to only as the ' Yazoo back water.' Explaining
the marks on the trees, Jim, the guide, waxed eloquent
in describing the prowess of a Mr. Hamilton, who used
to hunt bears through these woods in boats in the
back-water season.

" Then came Coon Bayou, a four-mile-long mud
gully, where the flood water caught and lay stagnant
through all the summer and fall, attracting bear and
deer and raccoons. A deer went trotting back into the
bushes as we slid down the slimy incline into the bed
of the bayou. A flock of mallards rose with a roar of
wings and a flash of white, fifty feet beyond. Scram-
bling up the other side, we were in the real delta
swamp. Briers and creepers were knit together be-
tween tree trunks and saplings, so that it seemed as
though a sickle or a scythe must have been necessary
for one who would leave the trail. There were banks
of brier tangle twenty and thirty feet high, and from
fiftv feet to an eighth of a mile in length, looming up
in the forests on either side. Time and again there
were places where the trail had been cut with axes,
like a tunnel, through the jungle."

292 THE BEAR FAMILY

The pack is described as being "without monotony,"
and containing pure-blooded fox-hounds, plain "yaller
dogs" of the conglomerate and unlimited variety that
hangs about every negro cabin, and one lone " fice-dog."
The latter is described as being more like the Yorkshire
terrier in conformation than any other breed.

The bear, after being chased about in the cane for a
good part of a day, was at last overtaken when " Holt
Collier spurred his horse almost over him," and thus
addressed him: " Gwan, you fool bear! Gwan up a
tree or I'll kick you up one." Again the black face
was turned to Mr. Parker, who was riding behind, and
Collier complained. " Mr. Parker, sah, can't you
please, sah, come forward an' tell dis yer bear in polite
language dat he'll have some regard for our feelin's,
and dat he is desired to get up a tree whilst we all
goes and gets de Colonel? " The " Colonel " had been
stationed in the break at a point where it was thought
the bear would pass and had there taken lunch.

The bear proceeded until he fell in a water-hole, and
when the dogs attacked him, he grasped with a fore
paw a yellow cur that was Holt Collier's especial

pet.

Thereupon that worthy again addressed the bear:
"Leggo mah dog, bear! Leggo mah dog!" and, so
saying, he swung the stock of his gun through an arc
that landed at the base of the bear's skull and twisted
the steel frame of the stock. The dog was dead and
"the bear, too, seemed to lack further interest in the
proceedings ; but he was not dead, and Holt tied a rope
about him and dragged him up to the edge of the pool
and tied him to a tree." Then Holt sent a negro boy

THE BLACK BEAR 293

post haste to the camp to tell the " Colonel" : " We
done got de bear at bay an' are awaitin' for him."

Mr. Denison's account is a long one and capital
throughout. I have given these few quotations from
it since they furnish an exxellent description of the
ground and the methods of the black bear chase as it is
practised in the South. We have, too, a fine descrip-
tion of the pack and a reference to a naval form of
warfare on bears " in the back-water season," which
was entirely new to me. The story has an evident his-
toric interest.*

There is, no doubt, much fun to be had in black bear
hunting with horses, hounds and horns, and darkies in
the Southern swamps. The difficulty, of course, is,
for one not used to it, to keep up with the hunters. It
is safe to say, however, that had the President had his
own way he would have followed the hounds and
would have enjoyed, no doubt. Holt Collier's conversa-
tions with Bruin ; it would not have been necessary to
send a messenger to announce that the bear was "at
bay."

* Outing.

XXI

THE BIG BROWN BEARS

TN Alaska on the mainland and on some of the islands
-''■ there are many large brown bears which have been
recently described as new varieties. These differ in
size, the one known as the Kadiak being the largest.
This bear is named from the island where it is found.
It is so large that it has been mistaken for, and wrongly
called, a grizzly. In the Badminton Library, Mr.
Phillipps-WoUey so refers to it. Mr. James H. Kidder
has killed a number of the Alaskan brown bears, and
has written entertainingly about them in a series of
papers,* in which he has given us much information as
to where and when to go, and how to pursue these
animals.

These bears, although large, are evidently not nearly
so ferocious and formidable as the grizzlies. In a
series of some fourteen or fifteen bears, the killing of
which is entertainingly described by Mr. Kidder, only
one charged the hunters, and that first tried to run
away. The others are repeatedly referred to as mak-
ing for the woods (they were for the most part discov-
ered feeding on open marshes), after being severely
wounded, and while the subsequent shots were fired at
them.

* Hunting the Big Game of Western Alaska, Outing, December, 1902,
and following numbers.

294

THE BIG BROWN BEARS 295

Mr. Kidder gives the following account of the bear
which charged his friend Mr. Blake, which would in-
dicate that the charge of the Kadiak is not at all like
that of the grizzly, which wounded and charging would
certainly not stop so long as he was able to keep mov-
ing toward his enemy. Mr. Blake had carelessly left
his coat containing his ammunition when wading a
stream during the stalk, and at the time of the charge
both he and his native attendant had fired their last
shots. Had the bear been a grizzly there certainly
would have been a fatal ending to the chase. The
bear, when the stalk began, was feeding in a meadow.
Mr. Kidder says : " I saw them [his friend and native
hunter] disappear among the trees and then turned my
glasses on the bear. At the first shot he sprang back
in surprise, while Blake's bullet went high. The bear
now located the shot and began a quick retreat to the
woods, when one of my friend's bullets struck him, roll-
ing him over. He instantly regained his feet and con-
tinued making for cover, walking slowly and looking
back over his shoulder all the while. Blake now fired
another shot, and again the bear was apparently badly
hit. He moved at such a slow pace that I thought he
had surely received a mortal wound.

" Entirely against orders, Ivan now shot three times
in quick succession, hitting the bear with one shot in
the hind leg, his other shots being misses. Blake now
rushed after the bear, with his hunter following some
fifty yards behind, and approached to within ten steps,
when he fired his last cartridge, evidently hitting the
bear hard, which fell upon its head, but once more re-
gaining its feet, continued toward the woods. At this

296 THE BEAR FAiMlLY

point Ivan fired his last cartridge, but missed. The
bear continued for several steps, while the two hunt-
ers stood with empty rifles watching. Suddenly, quick
as a flash, it swung round upon its hind legs and gave
one spring after Blake, who, not understanding his
Aleut's shouts not to run, started across the marsh
with the bear in close pursuit. At every step the bear
was gaining and Ivan, appreciating that unless the
bear's attention was attracted my friend would soon
be pulled down, began waving his arms and shouting
at the top of his voice, in order to attract the bear's
attention from Blake. The latter saw that his hunter
was standing firm, and taking in the situation, suddenly
stopped. The bear charged to within a few feet of the
two hunters ; but when he saw their determined stand,
stopped and, swinging his head from side to side,
watched them for some seconds, apparently undecided
whether to charge home or leave them. Then he
turned and looking back over his shoulder, made slowly
for the woods."

If Holt Collier had been present at this point to fol-
low the bear and say : " Gwan, you fool bear! Gwan
up a tree ! " etc., there is no telling what the big
brown's attitude would have been ; but from a studv of
all the accounts of the other bears killed by Mr. Kidder
and his friend, it is quite evident that the Alaskan
brown bear performs in the field more like the little
black bear than 7irsiis horribilis. Mr. Kidder used a
dog in hunting the Alaskan bears, but found one dog
hardly sufficient to hold the larger bears when they
moved off unwounded. A pack would no doubt work
as well on these bears as on the smaller ones found in

THE BIG BROWN BEARS 297

Maine, Mississippi and many of the other States. The
performance of Mr. Kidder's dog was very creditable.
He nipped at the heels of the fleeing animals and some-
times attracted their attention long enough to afford
the hunters some good shots.

The Alaskan bears eat berries and various kinds of
salmon when these fish are running in the streams. On
these they fatten and then hibernate like other bears.
The natives are very fond of bear meat, but Mr, Kid-
der says the flesh of the Kadiak has rather a bitter taste
and was too tough to be appetizing. The meat of the
bears killed on the Alaska peninsula, however, was ex-
cellent and without the strong, gamey flavor.

The pelts of the great Alaska brown bears vary in
color ; their great size makes them much prized as tro-
phies.

Mr. Kidder mentions besides the grizzly and black
bear a bear known as the glacial, or blue bear, as also
inhabiting Alaska. The last he estimates, from pelts
he has seen, to be rather smaller than the black bear.

BOOK IV
THE CAT FAMILY

XXII

THE CAT FAMILY

AS wc observed in the introductory chapter on big
game in general, the cats are hardly to be con-
sidered true game, since they are not good to eat.
Throughout the world, however, the greater animals
which are included in this family have long furnished
sport with the rifle, and the puma or North American
cougar, familiarly known as the mountain lion, is listed
by the Boone and Crockett Club as " big " game.

In other lands there are many animals belonging to
this family ; some of them have magnificent size and
strength, are ferocious in the extreme, and their pur-
suit is attended with much excitement and danger.
Wc have only to recall the great African lion, " the
king of beasts," the tiger of India, and the jaguar of
South America, to realize that our own cats are of lit-
tle importance when compared with those of Asia and
Africa and South America. True, wc have a few jag-
uars in tiie Southwest, but their occurrence is so sel-
dom that they may be regarded as not a game animal
for North Americans.

Sportsmen who seek the highest excitement and de-
sire a sport which is attended with mucii danger will
hardly be satisfied with the American animals of the
feline groujt. Thc\' know that they must go to other

301

302 THE CAT FAMILY

continents to find cat hunting at its best, and many do
go to Africa and to India. The trophies procured are,
of course, the handsome pelts with the heads mounted
on them ; and a pelt of the African lion, the beautifully
striped tiger from Asia, the spotted leopard or the jag-
uar makes a very handsome rug, and when its owner
has taken it with his own rifle he has something to be
proud of. When he looks upon it on his floor it no
doubt brings back many pleasant memories of pictu-
resque places where the excitement was great indeed.

Our own cougar and lynx suffer by comparison in
every way. They are not so handsome or difficult
to obtain. Their pursuit is attended with no great
danger.

The jaguar, a common variety of the cat family, is a
South American beast, but its range, as already sug-
gested, extends northward through Mexico into some
of our Southern States. It is by far the largest, most
formidable and ferocious American cat, and has been
called the tiger of the new world. It is marked some-
thing like a leopard, but, as we have observed, it is sel-
dom taken in the United States.

We proceed to describe the cougar and the wild-cat,
their habits and the methods of taking them, giving
them the small space they deserve.

XXIII

THE COUGAR OR MOUNTAIN LION

OUR puma or cougar is everywhere called the
mountain lion, and is the only member of the cat
family listed as big game by the Boone and Crockett
Club.

This animal takes its popular name from its resem-
blance to the female African lion ; its technical name,
Felis co?tcolor, indicates, of course, that it is a cat of one
color. The color is tawny, but much lighter and
almost white underneath ; the tip of the tail is black.
Mr. Frank Mossman killed one of these great cats
(June, 1893), in Mason County, Washington, which, he
says, was ten and a half feet in length and which
weighed 200 pounds.* The average weight of this
animal is said to be not over seventy-five or eighty
pounds. The average length to the tip of the tail is a
little less than seven feet, the tail being usually about
thirty inches.

The mountain lion is a flesh-cater, and is evidently
built to prey upon other animals. It kills elk, deer,
and antelopes as well as domestic animals, and, as we

* The largest cougar killed by Roosevelt on his cougar hunt in Colorado
measured eight feet and weighed 227 pounds. He is of the opinion that
no cougar ever measures nine feet. Tf Mr. Mossman's tape and scales
were right, he certainly killed a big cat. Eleven of the fourteen cougars
killed by the Roosevelt f)arty weighed over 100 pounds each

303

304 THE CAT FAMILY

have observed, it has been said to be a match for the
great grizzly bear. This, however, Roosevelt says is
an error. The cougar was formerly common in many
parts of the United States, inhabiting the forests, more
especially those of the hills and mountains. It is a
cowardly animal and does not remain long in settled
neighborhoods ; but few are found to-day east of the
Rocky Mountain region. I read recently of one being
seen in the Adirondacks, but the animal may be re-
garded as extinct in most of the Eastern States. It is
sometimes called catamount, panther or painter, and
by other less familiar names, such as tiger or red tiger.
The cry of the cougar can be heard for miles. It is
best described as a loud wailing scream. When once
heard it will be remembered, and will never be mis-
taken. No other animal can imitate it. There are
usually two kittens, sometimes three; these remain
with the mother until grown, when she teaches them
to hunt the game and to rob the settlers.

Although upon several occasions I spent weeks in a
good lion countr}', I seldom saw any of the lions. I
had no dogs and, of course, had no thought of going
out after them, since dogs are absolutely necessary to
find and tree these animals or bring them to bay.
Upon one occasion when out on a large plain at the
base of the Rosebud Mountains, Montana, while riding
about on an Indian pony and shooting sage-grouse
from the saddle, I started an immense cougar which
was, no doubt, after the same game. The pony took
alarm at the great cat as it slipped from behind a sage-
bush a few feet ahead and, while I tried to steady him
for a shot, the cougar ran off some fifty yards and dis-

THE COUGAR OR MOUNTAIN LION 305

appeared over the wall of a stream, which had water
in it only in wet seasons. Putting the spurs to the
pony, I urged him to the top of the bank, and, dis-
mounting, ran forward hoping to bag my lion with
birdshot, trusting to a revolver if he showed fight, but
I was only in time to see the animal go at a great pace
around a distant bend, running in the bed of the stream,
which was as dry as a floor. The bank was perpen-
dicular or nearly so. Remounting, I galloped forward,
keeping along the high bank of the stream, but when
I reached the bend I saw another one a long distance
ahead, which the cat had already turned, and I soon
came to a branch, which I could neither leap over nor
descend with my pony.

It was nearly sundown.

I was a long way from camp and reluctantly gave
the lion up. I should have had no hesitation in giving
the cowardly beast my double load of number 6 shot,
and had I been able to shoot when I first saw him, I
doubt not I could have stopped him. There is a
record of one of these large cats being shot with bird-
shot, but the animal escaped into the brush and was
not immediately followed. The sportsman, a Mr. Don-
nelly, of Washington, while out after grouse, came
upon several cougars in the road. One remained un-
til lie approached near enough to see what it was, and
he fired two loads of birdshot into her. She sprang
off the road and escaped, as I have stated. Mr. Frank
Mossman took the trail of these cougars the next morn-
ing, and killed two of them, and says the other one
could not be found. The same writer has contributed
a number oi excellent cougar tales to Out-door Life

3o6 THE CAT FAMILY

recently, one of which I quote at some length. It de-
scribes the animal taking a colt, an animal which cou-
gars like especially, which was running in a road (in
Mason County, Washington) with its mother.

" Two years ago," says the writer, " a lady was driv-
ing a mare that had a five months' old colt following
her. She was driving on what is known as the Olyni-
pia road, one mile east of Anderson's ranch. On both
sides of the road there is heavy timber and underbrush.
Going through this timber the mare became frightened
and almost got away from the lady, whose name is
Mrs. Andrus. When she got the mare quieted down
a little she missed the colt, and, getting out of the
buggy and tying the mare, she went back to see where
the colt had gone. As she turned a bend in the road
she saw a big lion trotting along a log, carrying the
colt as a cat would a rat. His tail was straight in the
air and swelled like that of an angry house cat. The
lady promptly fainted away. At midnight her hus-
band arrived at my home and excitedly told me of his
wife's adventure. It was just daybreak when we ar-
rived at the seat of war. I found where the struggle
had taken place in the road, and pushed my dogs, old
Don, Snowbird, and Bugle & Co., in on the colt-killer's
trail. Immediately there was music in the air. When
found the colt-lover did not run, but simply climbed a
tree and sat on a limb. His length was seven and one-
half feet, and he weighed 170 pounds."

Mr. Mossman tells of a lion attacking children on
their way to school, but the beast was put to flight by
a brave boy with a club. He says on one occasion the
sheriff of Mason County and Colonel Richardson, an

THE COUGAR OR MOUNTAIN LION 307

attorney, were held up on the road by a large lion,
who stood in the road and refused to move on, the
team refusing to go farther. The sheriff secured a
club and some stones, and throwing these at the beast,
he moved off of the road.

Mr. P. S. Bonebrake has recently described a cougar
hunt in the Coast Range.* Having camped on the En-
cino, he says, they were pleased to hear, from some
sheep-herders, that two nights before a pair of lions,
accompanied by two kittens, had jumped the low brush
enclosure within which the sheep were bedded, and
had killed four sheep before they were driven away,
which was accomplished by waving lanterns and firing
an old musket, assisted by the barking of dogs. Upon
receiving the information, the sportsmen resolved to
try their dogs in a long canyon west of the slope where
the sheep were bedded, and retired for the night. The
following morning they were met by an excited herder,
who informed them that the lions had entered the cor-
ral in the night and killed sixteen sheep. The dogs
took the trail in the canyon, and before long caught
and held a large " Tom " on the top of a huge boulder.
Mr. Bonebrake says:

"After considerable debate as to how to get him
down ('Tenderfoot' the night before being skeptical of
the hounds' fighting abilities and anxious to see a fight),
I decided to scare him out. I fired two shots from my
.30 short-barrelled Marlin in his immediate rear with no
effect. I unhitched the third a trifle closer, and, as the
fragments of splintered rock hit him, he bounded clear
of the dogs and paused for the briefest space, as if un-

* Western Field.

3o8 THE CAT FAMILY

decided where to go. That stop was fatal, for Jim
grabbed a healthy mouthful near where his tail starts
out, and when the lion turned back to slap him, J. B.
got him by the back of the scalp, and the rest of the
dogs distributed themselves in any vacant spot in the
order of their arrival.

" Pandemonium reigned ! Growls, spits, howls, yelps,
rocks rolling, brush cracking, and the excited yells of
the men combined, made a conglomeration of sound
that must be heard to be appreciated. 'Tenderfoot'
stood aghast at the trouble he had turned loose, and
begged to be allowed to shoot the lion before he killed
all the dogs, but he was cautioned to stand quiet and
see the fight of his life, which he sure did !

"With Jude and J. B. working at his throat, the lion
came to the conclusion that life wasn't worth living. It
might be a hard winter, anyhow, and so he gave up the
ghost after as game a fight as it was ever my good
fortune to see. He was old and mangy, and we con-
cluded his hide was not worth taking, so cut off the
tip of his tail only."

Shortly after the lion was killed, the dogs found and
treed the lioness and her two kittens. " Puss}'" was in
a small sycamore, and a .30 behind the ear killed her.
The dogs had already dragged one of the kittens out
of a bush and killed it. The other was " roped " from
a tree and taken into camp alive. As a rule, when the
lion is treed, the hunters approach and shoot him. If
wounded, he will fight the dogs and often kills some
of them. There is really no danger to the hunters,
since the lion always tries to escape.

President Roosevelt, a few years ago, went to Colo-

THE COUGAR OR MOUNTAIN LION 309

rado especially to hunt cougars, and described the hunt
in two papers published in Scribner s Magazine,^ from
one of which I quote the following, which will further
illustrate the chase:

" Owing to the character of the ground we could
give the hounds no assistance, but they finally puzzled
out the trail for themselves. We were now given a
good illustration of the impossibility of jumping a
cougar without dogs, even when in a general way its
haunt is known. We rode along the hillside, and quar-
tered it to and fro, on the last occasion coming down a
spur where we passed within two or three rods of the
brush in which the cougar was actually lying; but she
never moved and it was impossible to see her. When
we finally reached the bottom, the dogs had disentan-
gled the trail ; and they passed behind us at a good
rate, going up almost where we had come down. Even
as we looked we saw the cougar rise from her lair, only
fifty yards or so ahead of them, her red hide showing
bright in the sun. It was a very pretty run to watch
while it lasted. She left them behind at first, but after
a quarter of a mile they put her up a pinyon. Ap-
proaching cautiously — for the climbing was hard work
and I did not wish to frighten her out of the tree if it
could be avoided, lest she might make such a run as
that of the preceding evening — I was able to shoot her
through the heart. She died in the branches, and I
climbed the tree to throw her down."

Roosevelt says : " The only skill needed in such
shooting is in killing the cougar outright so as to save
the dogs. Six times on the hunt I shot the cougar

* " With the Cougar Hounds," Scribner's, October-November, 1901.

3IO THE CAT FAMILY

through the heart. Twice the animal died in the
branches. In the other four cases it sprang out of the
tree, head and tail erect, eyes blazing, and the mouth
open in a grin of savage hate and anger ; but it was
practically dead when it touched the ground."

The cougar lives largely upon deer and destroys
many of these animals. Although the fact is not men-
tioned in cougar biographies, I have no doubt the beast
catches and devours many grouse. Roosevelt says : " It
is also the dreaded enemy of sheep, pigs, calves, and es-
pecially colts, and when pressed by hunger a big male
cougar will kill a full-grown horse or cow, moose or
wapiti. It is the special enemy of mountain sheep. In
1886, while hunting white goats north of Clark's fork
of the Columbia, in a region where cougar were com-
mon, I found them preying as freely on the goats as
on the deer. It rarely catches antelopes, but is quick
to seize rabbits and other small beasts, and even porcu-
pines." ^

The cougar, when pressed by the dogs, usually takes
to a tree, but often gives them a long chase first. He
sometimes escapes into a hole, and the dogs there fight
him at a great disadvantage. It is well to have some
good strong fighting dogs to do the killing after the
hounds have trailed and treed the orame.

From Colorado to Oregon and Washington is prob-
ably the best cougar ground. They seem to attain a
good size in Washington, and are probably as abun-
dant in certain parts of that State as anywhere.

Mr. G. A. Welder has written a clever account of how
the cougar springs from a tree on a passing deer: "As

* With the Cougar Hounds, Scribner's Magazine.

J

THE COUGAR OR MOUNTAIN LION 311

only a huge cat can leap, the lion flashes upon its prey
and crushes it to the ground."

"After eating his fill," this writer observes, "which
is no small part of his kill, he covers what is left with
leaves and sticks, or partly buries it ; and woe to any
lesser beast of prey that is found meddling with his
cache when he returns."

Roosevelt says that where a cougar kills a deer in
the open it invariably drags it under some tree or
shelter before beginning to eat. All the carcasses we
came across had been thus dragged, the trail showing
distinctly in the snow. Goff, however, asserted that
in occasional instances he had known a cougar to carry
a deer so that only its legs trailed on the ground.

Mr, Welder says he once knew a cougar to chase a
man, who would doubtless have had a narrow escape
had not the beast in its spring jumped into a barbed
wire fence. Barbed fences being a rarity in the cou-
gar country, this one, no doubt, proved a tough propo-
sition to the would-be man-eater. If the cougar is not
successful in his first attempt, he will seldom renew the
attack. If he springs for a deer and misses the mark,
he will rarely, if ever, give chase. Roosevelt says all
the cougars we came across were living e.xclusively
upon deer, and their stomachs were filled with noth-
ing else; much hair being mixed with the meat. In
each case the deer was caught by stalking, and not by
lying in wait, and the cougar never went up a tree
except to get rid of the dogs.

Upon one of Mr. Welder's shooting trips, in Mon-
tana, he bagged a lion with a .22-calibrc rifle. " It was
the first day (jf the pheasant season," he says, " and, as

312 THE CAT FAMILY

I had bought an all-around dog, I was anxious to try
him. We had not gone from camp more than twenty
minutes when his bark announced that he had put up
some birds. We hurried up to him, only to find that the
birds were very wild, and that the dog, with all his bark-
ing, was unable to hold them until we could get a shot.

" We tramped on for ten minutes more and heard his
bark again, but it took a different and rather savage
key this time, being as much growl as bark. Not be-
ing used to the dog, we remarked about it and quick-
ened our gait. From the barking of the dog, we judged
that he was on the move, and Rockwood remarked that
whatever the quarry was, it was moving. We had
heard that there were bear around the lake, and
concluded that the dog had jumped one. I had been
looking for bear on occasional hunts for several years,
but on those occasions I had always had my .30-30 with
me. Rockwood had also been hungry for bear; but
neither of us was exactly loaded for bear on this occa-
sion. Rockwood had a 12-gauge shotgun and I had a
22-calibre repeater with 'short' cartridges. But it was
a chance not to be missed, and I said, 'Come on, I am
going to try him anyhow.' Rockwood needed no en-
couragement, and we followed the barking of the dog
as fast as legs could carry us, Rockwood in the mean-
time trying to replace his birdshot cartridges with
others loaded with buckshot.

"After a short run I caught a glimpse of something
red running in front of the dog (about the color of a
summer deer), and concluded that it was a lion ; and
knew that if the dog could keep up his gait he would
soon have him treed.

THE COUGAR OR MOUNTAIN LION 313

"In less than a minute the loud, steady barking of
the dog told that his part of the work was done, and
accordingly I hastened to the spot with the intention of
doing my part, if possible. Old Spot was looking up a
large fir-tree and barking, as much as to say, ' He went
up that one.' I looked the tree over very carefully for
as much as three minutes, and said to myself, ' If there
is a lion up that tree, it is somewhat undersized.' Then
I began to look into the trees near by. Very soon I dis-
covered in a large fir-tree, about sixty feet up, crouched
among the branches, a large female lion.

"I yelled to Rockwood to come on with his shot-
gun. But for some reason he could neither get the
shells into nor out of his gun, so I must cither do the
work with the little .22 or let the lion go, which latter
was out of the question. I had been looking for lion
at other times, now my chance had come, I figured
that, if the first shot did not kill, the dog would help
me out in case of a close call. I took careful aim, and
the bullet struck just over the eye, ranging backward,
tearing a hole in the skull an inch long, and taking
effect in the brain. The rifle had hardly cracked when
the biggest piece of meat I ever saw in mid-air came
tumbling down. The dog had her in an instant, but
there was no need, for she was as harmless as a cougar
could be."*

It is quite evident from all the cougar tales that the
beast is cowardly and tries to escape by sneaking away
from the hunter, or running from the dogs. Such was
my opinion of him when I met him. The hunter Goff
told Roosevelt of a cougar which stalked a young girl,

*(j. A. Welder, Kalispell, Montana, in Field and Stream.

314 THE CAT FAMILY

but was shot before making- the final rush. Roosevelt
relates two cases of negroes being killed by cougars.

The cougar was the aggressor in the story quoted
above where the animal is said to have struck a
barbed fence, but, as Mr. Hornaday says: "The cougar
is less to be dreaded than a savage dog." The most
important thing for the sportsman to remember is that
he cannot expect to get these cats without dogs. Of
course, one might stumble on one now and then, as I
did, but it would be useless to go out and try for them
without the dogs. On this point Roosevelt says : " No
animal, not even the wolf, is so rarely seen or so diffi-
cult to get without dogs. On the other hand, no other
wild beast of its size and power, is so easy to kill by
the aid of dogs. Without dogs it is usually a mere
chance that one is killed."

Mr. Goff, the owner of the pack which Roosevelt
followed, who lives in the cougar country and has killed
some 300 cougars, has killed only two without the dogs.
Goff never but once was charged by a cougar, and on
that occasion it was promptly killed by a bullet. The
cougar will, however, often kill or maim some of the
hounds if they are permitted to fight him.

XXIV

THE LYNX

T N North America there are two wild-cats, which
-*■ are commonly called bob-cats on account of their
short tails. These are the lynxes of the naturalists — the
Canada lynx (Z. canadensis), and the red lynx (Z. rufa).
The naturalists have, in fact, several lynxes besides the
two named — the spotted lynx {L. inaculata), and others,
including a new one from the Uintah Mountains, which
I, no doubt, heard sing twenty years ago in a chorus
with some wolves and owls. From the sportsman's
point of view they are all plain, every-day wild-cats,
too small to come within the Boone and Crockett list
of big game.

The Canada lynx is said to be much like the Euro-
pean lynx, but somewhat smaller. Its length is about
37 inches, from the nose to the tip of the tail ; the Eu-
ropean lynx will measure 40 inches without the tail.
The red lynx is found throughout the United States in
suitable localities. The reddish hair suggested the
name of this animal. The handsomely spotted skin of
the third variety, of course, suggested the name, maai-
lata. Mivart is of the opinion that the Old World lynx
and the North American varieties, Canada, red, and
spotted, " should be ranged under one species {Fclis
borealis), since, after a careful examination of the rich

315

3i6 THE CAT FAMILY

series of skins at the British Museum, he can detect no
constant difference, and, moreover, the skulls closely
resemble each other." * Under the plan of this volume,
however, reference to such discussions belongs prop-
erly in the Appendix, which is designed to free the text
from all technical matter in order that there may be
more room for the description of the animal the sports-
man knows, its habits, the methods of pursuit, and for
the short stories illustrative of the chase. The reader
will find in the Appendix descriptions of the three wild-
cats the naturalist knows and mention of an assorted
lot of lesser cats, which are distributed over small
wooded areas chiefly in the Southwest and in Mexico.

The bob-cat, like his larger cousin, the cougar, is a
predatory flesh-eater. He prowls about the forests
after birds, rabbits, squirrels and other small ani-
mals and is, in turn, chased by coyotes and wolves,
just as the domestic descendants of the latter chase
common house cats on sight. The long practice which
wolves have had in chasing and treeing wild-cats has,
no doubt, given rise to the passionate love for cat
chasing which is noticeable in all dogs, great and small,
and which is of the utmost advantage to the sports-
man who would hunt cougars or bob-cats.

In shape and general appearance the wild-cat is very
much like a " great big" domestic cat, varying in color
from the grayer Northern species through the reddish
kind to the most Southern spotted variety, there being
all sorts of intermediate cats, showing shades of trans-
ition between the three principal kinds.

Anyone who has observed the common house cat

* The Standard Natural History.

A 1,\NX, ()1< Wll.lJ-CAi.

THE LYNX 317

stealthily moving 011 a mouse, or sneaking through
the grass, or moving out on the limb of a tree in the
orchard, with crouching form, frequently remaining
motionless, then putting down its velvet feet slowly
and noiselessly, until at last it springs upon a bird —
anyone, I say, who has observed these performances
will have a ver}'^ good idea of how the wild-cat manoeu-
vres in the woods. It is extremely strong and agile,
and has been seen to spring into the air and strike
down a flying bird. It is a natural-born hunter, and
is especially fond of rabbits ; and so is the house cat.
I knew one that was harbored at a hotel in the Ken-
tucky highlands, which used to slip out into the garden
after birds ; and one day I saw it bring in a rabbit
almost as big as itself, and sneak under the porch to
serve it to its kittens. Wild-cats, like tame cats, de-
spise dogs. They will always ** spit " at a dog on sight
— that is, after they have found a safe refuge on a
limb.

There is a whole lot of fun to be had in chasing bob-
cats. The dogs enjoy it fully as much as the sports-
men, although they are the ones that receive the dam-
age from the fighting. The sport is something like
coon hunting, and I am free to confess that I thor-
oughly enjoy that. Anyone who likes coon hunting
a fortiori will enjoy cat hunting. The " scrapping " be-
tween the dogs and cats is much finer. An old coon
makes an excellent fight, as everyone knows who has
tried coon hunting, but the wild-cat is a fiercer and
more skilled fighter, and accordingly furnishes more
sport. As in coc^n hunting, more than half the fun is
in giving the dogs a chance to fight and kill the game.

3i8 THE CAT FAMILY

The bob-cat is, however, often shot out of the trees, as
the cougar is. Cat hunting may be said to be a sort of
intermediate species of sport half-way between coon
hunting and cougar hunting. It approaches the latter,
however, more nearly than the former.

A pack is often made up of terriers, hounds, and
even curs of low degree. The dogs easily follow the
trail, giving expression to their delight as the scent
grows warmer, and shouting "he's treed "in different,
louder notes when the cat has been compelled to go
aloft. Mr. A. C. Laut has beautifully described the
wild-cat in the tree. " Had the trapper Koot," he says,
"glanced up to the topmost spreading bough of a pine
just above the snare, he might have detected lying in
a dapple of sun and shade, something with large owl
eyes, something whose pencilled ear-tufts caught the
first crisp of the man's moccasins over the snow-crust.
Then the ear-tufts were laid flat back against a furry
form, hardly differing from the dapple of sun and
shade. The big owl eyes closed to a tiny blinking slit
that let out never a ray of tell-tale light. The big
round body, mottled gray and white like the snowy
tree, widened, stretched, flattened, till it was almost a
part of the tossing pine bough. Only when the man
and dog below the tree had passed far beyond did the
pencilled ears blink forward and the owl eyes open,
and the big body bunch out like a cat with elevated
haunches ready to spring."

The cat when treed is easily shot, but many thor-
ough-going cat hunters prefer to dislodge him in order
not to disappoint the dogs, which are always eager for
a fight. A hunter sometimes climbs the tree and

THE LYNX 319

drives the cat out, and good dogs easily take care of
him when he reaches the ground. The cat often does
some damage to the dogs, and sometimes escapes them
and climbs another tree.

As in cougar hunting, dogs are absolutely necessary,
since the wild-cat is shy and is never seen by the sports-
man without dogs. Roosevelt, when " with the cou-
gar hounds " in Colorado, killed a number of these
cats, and Mr. Stewart, who accompanied him, "took"
many of them with his camera.

" When the bob-cats were in the tree tops," he says,
" we could get up very close. They looked like large
malevolent pussies. I once heard one of them squawl
defiance when the dogs tried to get it out of a hole.
Ordinarily they confine themselves to a low growling.
Stewart and Goff went up the trees with their cameras
whenever we got a bob-cat in a favorable position and
endeavored to take its photograph. Sometimes they
were very successful. Although they were frequently
within six feet of a cat, and occasionally even poked it
in order to make it change its position, I never saw
one make a motion to jump on them. Two or three
times on our approach the cat jumped from the tree
almost into the midst of the pack, but it was so quick
that it got off before they could seize it. They inva-
riably put it up another tree before it had gone any
distance."

The two largest cats killed by Roosevelt weighed,
respectively, thirty-one and thirty-nine pounds.

Since the dogs are of the utmost importance in cat
hunting it is important to know the kind of dogs and
something of their training, and what g(X)d dogs arc

320 THE CAT FAMILY

expected to do. Roosevelt more than once refers to
the fact that in cat hunting the success of the hunter
depends upon his hounds. " As hounds that are not
perfectly trained are worse than useless," he says, " this
means that success depends absolutely upon the man
who trains and hunts the hounds."

We all know how exasperating it is when bird shoot-
ing to have an ill-trained dog — one that races away, for
example, after every hare, and, having put an end to
the shooting for a long time, at length returns thor-
oughly tired out and often with his eyes full of dirt
from digging at a burrow. Nothing is more trying
than to see such a dog throw himself, panting, on the
grass and refuse to get up and continue his work with
the birds, from sheer exhaustion.

A hound not properly trained for one kind of game
will follow almost anything. I have seen young dogs
leave an antelope to try and catch a jack-rabbit which
popped up in front of them when in full chase. The
reader will recall the fact that part of the pack left
their quarry and went off after a wolf when I was
chasing antelopes with Governor Mclntyre, of Colo-
rado. When the dogs are after the cougar or the bob-
cat they will most likely strike the trail of the deer
and wolves, and may jump these animals in the grass.
If well trained for cats they do not notice the other
animals any more than well-trained setters and point-
ers notice the " cotton-tails," which continually run
away before their noses. Mr. Golf's hounds which
Roosevelt followed were, with the exception of one
new dog and a puppy, so well trained that " not
one of the pack would look at a deer even when they

THE LYNX 321

were all as keen as mustard, were not on a trail,
and when the deer got up but fifty yards or so from
them." They were never permitted to follow elk,
deer, antelope, rabbit, or wolves unless the latter were
wounded.

Bob-cats are abundant in parts of Colorado and in
many other Rocky Mountain States, as well as in the
Canadian provinces. Thousands of skins have been
brought into the ports at Hudson Bay and elsewhere,
and many are annually taken with traps.

Besides taking to the trees when pursued the bob-
cats enter holes in the ground, and Roosevelt says
they lost over half the bob-cats they started by their
getting into caves, deep holes or washouts.

Roosevelt describes the chase of a bob-cat which
took to a hole in the ground, as follows :

" The next day we were again in luck. After about
two hours' ride we came upon an old trail. It led
among low hills, covered with pinyon and cedar, and
broken by gullies or washouts, in whose sharp sides of
clay the water had made holes and caves. Soon the
hounds left it to follow a bob-cat, and we had a lively
gallop through the timber, dodging the sharp snags of
the dead branches as best we might. The cat got into
a hole in a side washout ; Baldy went in after it, and
the rest of us, men and dogs, clustered about to look
in. After a considerable time he put the cat out of the
other end of the hole, nearly a hundred yards off, close
to the main washout. The first we knew of it we saw
it coming straight toward us, its tail held erect like
that of a white-tail deer. Before cither we or the dogs
quite grasped the situation it bolted into another hole

322 THE CAT FAMILY

almost at our feet, and this time Baldy could not find
it, or else could not get at it."

Both bob-cats and cougars are decreasing. As ani-
mals for a game preserve, it may be said, they would
not do at all in small deer parks or pheasant *' shoots,"
but on large shooting estates, I am satisfied, they would
do no harm, or might even prove to be a benefit. Had
there been cougars in the Pennsylvania parks, where
the deer became too numerous for the food supply,
they might have been kept down by these cats, which,
no doubt, would have given the deer considerable exer-
cise and the owners of the preserves would have had
good cougar hunting. There is such a thing as both
birds and beasts becoming too numerous for theii
health on the game preserve. A few cougars and bob-
cats would help regulate this matter. There seems
here as elsewhere in the fields and woods to be a re-
quirement for that "balance of nature" which is so
much talked about nowadays.*

* A New York sportsman who owns an insular game preserve near the
Georgia coast, recently informed me that he had fine cat-hunting — following
the hounds on horseback and shooting the cats from the trees. They de-
stroy many of his partridges.

APPENDIX

APPENDIX

The following descriptive notes will enable the
reader to identify any of the North American big
game animals. The species and sub-species are listed,
with their technical names, and a brief reference to the
points wherein the sub-species or varieties differ from
the species.

The various sub-species of deer, bear, sheep, and
other animals are comparatively unimportant to sports-
men. The big-game hunter will, however, often notice
that one animal differs from another which he sup-
posed the same, and the same animal often bears dif-
ferent names in different localities; these differences
are referred to in the following pages.

I am indebted to the writers of valuable papers,
which have appeared in the Century, the Scribners, and
the Harper s Magazines, as well as those who have writ-
ten for the sportsmen's journals. I am under obliga-
tions to Roosevelt, Grinnell, Hornaday, Dodge, Caton,
Whitney, Madison Grant, Stone, Kidder, and many
others (whose works are cited in the text) for informa-
tion, which has made it possible to describe all the big
game animals, and their methods of capture, within
the limits of one volume. Mr. Shields, the editor of
Recreation, kindly permitted the use of the pictures of
the mountain goats and the big horns. I am indebted,
also, to Mr. Austin Corbin and to Mr. George S. Edgell

325

326 APPENDIX

for the photographs of the bison which were made at
the Blue Mountain game-preserve in New Hampshire.
Mr. Hornaday's new "American Natural History "
.contains much interesting matter concerning the hab-
its and present distribution of all the North American
game animals, with many capital pictures, and should
find a place beside the works of the other writers in
every sportsman's library.

BOOK I

THE DEER FAMILY — CERVIDiE

There are six well-defined types of North American deer in the
Cervida, or deer family ; seven, if we consider the woodland caribou
and the barren-ground caribou as distinct forms. According to Mr.
Hornaday, a full count reveals no less than twenty-four recognized
species and sub-species. The list, of course, includes many animals
that are so much alike as to be one and the same from the sportsman's
point of view. The deer of the sportsmen are the moose, the elk, the
mule-deer, the Columbia black-tailed deer, the Virginia deer, and the
two caribou.

All deer belong to the order Uiigulata, or hoofed animals. They
are divided into two classes— the deer with round horns and the deer
with fiat horns.

I. The Moose. — Akes Aniericanus.

The largest deer in the world ; from six to seven feet high at the
shoulder ; legs quite four feet long. Hair purplish gray, coarse, and
from three to six inches long. Head large, with broad, square-ended,
overhanging nose. Adult male has large flattened or palmated ant-
lers. Neck short; so short as to interfere with this animal's feeding
from the ground. He is evidently a browser.

Range. — The moose is found from Maine to the Pacific coast and
Alaska; chiefly north of the United States. It frequents dense wood-
lands and swamps. In the West, the moose is found in the Yellow-
stone National Park and a few favored localities in northern Minnesota,
northwestern Wyoming, and Idaho.

APPENDIX 327

Note. — In great forest game-parks, or preserves, where the ground and cli-
mate are suitable (such as Blue Mountain Park, New Hampshire), the moose
will thrive and increase.

Favorite shooting-grounds are Alaska, Canada, and .Maine. "Except in
Alaska, the majority of moose killed by hunters are shot from ambush beside
ponds or from canoes. Frequently moose, that are surprised when wading and
feeding in shallow water, make the mistake of rushing into deep water to escape
by swimming, when they are easily overtaken, and either killed, captured, or
photographed. " — Hornauay.

{ii) The Alaskan Moose {Alces gi'gas).

A large moose similar to the preceding, with larger antlers.

Range. — Alaska. This moose is much like the preceding, No. i,
the common moose of sportsmen. Mr. Hornaday says : " Its place
in the annals of natural history is at least very questionable."

2. The Elk or Wapiti. — Cervus Canadensis.

Second in size to the moose, this deer is often described as being as
tall as a horse. Color yellowish brown ; head, neck, and under parts
dark brown ; rump yellowish white. In shape the elk is more like the
common or Virginia deer than the moose. The elk is a handsome,
graceful animal. The males have large round-horned antlers. A large
stag will weigh from 700 to 750 pounds.

Ratline. — The range of the elk was formerly three-fourths of the
United States. It has been exterminated from nineteen-twcntieths of
its range. Abundant in the Yellowstone National Park and vicinity.
Elk are found in smaller numbers in Washington, Oregon, Colorado,
western Montana, and Idaho, a small area in Manitoba, and in central
California.

Note. — Elk do well in captivity and are to be seen in most of the zoological
gardens. They thrive in game-parks and preserves from New England to
California.

3. The Mule-Deer. — Odocoileus kemionus.

This deer is often called the black-tail deer. It is somewhat larger
than the common Virginia deer, and is heavier or more stocky in
body. The fall and winter color is gray. In summer the coat is more
brown. It is a large, handsome deer, with large antlers, which branch
like two Y's on each antler. This deer is easily distinguished by its
antlers and by the large, long ears, which suggested the name. It is
somewhat like a small elk. Weight, about 250 pounds. A large
specimen has weighed 280 pounds.

328 APPENDIX

Range. — From the Dakotas to Oregon, British possessions to Mex-
ico. " The few, widely scattered survivors of this species are found in
Chihuahua and Sonora, Mexico; western Colorado and Wyoming,
southeastern Idaho, central Montana, and eastern British Colum-
bia."— HORNADAY.

Note. — This deer is fond of the open, park-like country. It prefers hills and
mountains partly wooded, with intervening meadows. It is, therefore, more
easily seen and shot, and is more easily exterminated than the Virginia or
white-tailed deer. Mr. Hornaday predicts its extinction in the United States
in about ten years, "for everywhere, save in the Yellowstone Park, it is being
destroyed very much faster than it breeds."

This is a splendid deer for game-parks and preserves, from the Dakotas
west. It is difficult to acclimatize outside its own home, but this has been
accomplished at the Whitney "October Mountain" game-preserve in Massa-
chusetts.

4. Columbia Black-tailed Deer. — Odocoileus Columbianus.

An animal much smaller than the mule-deer. Tail black, which
suggested the name. Antlers variable ; sometimes resemble those of
mule-deer; at others resemble antlers of white-tail deer. The color is
more like that of the Virginia deer than the mule-deer. Weight about
the same as average white-tail, or Virginia deer, No. 5.

Range. — From central California north to British possessions, in-
habiting the Pacific coast forests and mountains.

Note. — This deer "does not live when brought to the Atlantic coast. The
New York Zoological Society tried fifteen specimens, and has given up the
attempt to transplant them." It does not necessarily follow that they would not
do well in large game-parks.

(a) Sitka Deer (^Odocoileus Sit kens is).

The Alaskan form of the preceding ; much smaller ; formerly abun-
dant, but " being slaughtered in great numbers. "

5. Virginia Deer, Common Deer, White-tail. — Odocoileus_ Virgini-
anus.

Also called red-deer, from its summer coat, which is reddish. The
coat turns gray in the autumn. The deer is then said to be " in the
blue." This is the most familiar and common deer in North America.
The long, bushy tail is very white underneath, and quite noticeable
when the deer is running. The antlers are round. At a short dis-
tance from the head they "drop forward with the beam almost hori-
zontal. The antlers of nearly all other deer point backward as they
rise. "— HORNADAV.

APPENDIX 329

The size and weight vary much. One hundred and fifty pounds is
a good average. A large specimen weighed 333^4^ pounds.

Katige. — United States, from the Atlantic to the Pacific and from
the British possessions to Mexico. This deer is found in every State
in the Union except Delaware, Oregon, Nevada, and California. Abun-
dant in Maine, Vermont, the Adirondacks, New York, Michigan and
Minnesota and parts of British provinces and Mexico.

Note. — This is the best all-around big-game animal in North America. Its
place among the big-game animals is similar to that of the partridge, bob-white,
among the birds. "One fine old white-tailed buck," says Hornaday, "killed
by fair and square trailing and stalking, is equal to two mule-deer or three elk."
This is the best deer for the game-preserve. It thrives wherever protected.
Under good laws, well executed, it is showing an increase in New England and
in the Adirondacks, and is increasing on Long Island with ' ' surprising rapidity. '•
The open season on Long Island is only four days per annum.

(a) Florida White-tailed Deer.

This is a smaller variety of Virginia deer. It is also distinguished
by its smaller antlers and scanty pelage.

{J)) Arizona White-tailed Deer.

A much smaller or dwarf variety of the Virginia deer. Its range
extends from southern Arizona southeastward into Mexico to lati-
tude 25°.

Both {a and b) are said to be nothing more than diminutiv'e races
of the more robust northern type, with very small antlers and the
short scanty pelage which is necessary to the comfort of deer in the
tropics. — Hornaday.

6. The Vy^oodland Caribou. — Rangifer caribou.

This animal is much like the familiar reindeer of Europe. Its
color is gray or "bluish brown." It is easily distinguished by its
antlers, which are palmated, but not so widely as those of the moose.
Both sexes have antlers. Those of the female are smaller. None of
our deer, excepting the moose and caribou, have palmated antlens.
The moo.se antlers are so large, heavy and widely palmated as not to
be compared with those of the caribou. The body of the caribou is
also much smaller than that of the moose. The largest caribou meas-
ures not over fifty-five inches at the shoulder.

Range. — Maine and northern parts of the Rocky Mountain States ;
British pcssessions, south of the barren grounds, where it is replaced
by the barren-ground caribou.

330 APPENDIX

(a) Newfoundlatid Caribou {Rang if er terraenovae).

Until recently the same animal as the preceding. Now ranked
as an independent species, chiefly on account of lighter color.

ip) Black-faced Cariboit, Motmtain Caribou {Ra?igifer montanus).
A darker caribou, September coat almost black.

(c) Osborne Caribou {Rang if er osborni).

A large dark-colored caribou of northern British Columbia.

{d) The Kenai Caribou {Rangifer stonei).

Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, named in 1901. Almost extinct in 1903.

Note. — Woodland caribou prefer wooded districts, especially barrens and
swamps. They are found often associated with the moose, and inhabit similar
grounds. They do not like open plains or the country "studded with groves
of poplar. " Barren-ground caribou are, on the other hand, plains animals,
and emigrate north and south across the great northern barren districts of
North America

7. The Barren-Ground Caribou. — Rangifer arciictts.

This caribou is somewhat similar to No. 6 in appearance, but is
smaller. It is regarded by some naturalists as merely a geographical
race, the barren-ground caribou being the more northern. The head
is not so trim in outline or so handsome as that of the Virginia deer,
being "blunt and rather heavy, but less coarse than that of the moose "
— (Grinnell). The horns are remarkably large and heavy for the size
of the animal. Both sexes have horns. Those of the female are
smaller.

Range. — Arctic regions south to the wooded districts of British
America ; Greenland to Alaska.

{a) Greenland Caribou,
{b) Grant's Caribou.

(c) Peary's Caribou.

These caribou are all similar to the comtnon barren-ground cari-
bou. They are as much alike as the many ruffed grouse of the
ornithologists, and are of no importance to sportsmen. Some
naturalists doubt the merit of this classification.

APPENDIX 331

BOOK II

THE OX FAMILY. — BOVIDjE

The Bovida, or ox family, is another family of the order Un-
gulata, or hoofed animals. The game animals of North America in
this family are five in number, from the sportsman's point of view —
Bos americanits, the bison ; Otnbos nioschatns, the musk-ox ; Ovis
canadensis, the big-horn ; Oreamnos montanus, the mountain goat, and
Antilocapra americana, the prong-horn antelope.

8. The Bison. — Bos americanus.

The American bison is a large ox-like animal, brown in color, and
easily distinguished by the high hump and shaggy head and neck.
It has simple, unbranched horns. The bison is usually miscalled
buffalo; but the true buffalo has no hump. The largest bison meas-
ures five feet eight inches at the shoulder. Estimated weight, 2,100
pounds.

Raftg-e. — Formerly from the British possessions to Mexico and
from \'irginia and New York, west to the Rocky Mountains ; most
abundant on the great plains. The bison is now practically extinct.
There is a small herd in the Yellowstone National Park.

Note. — There are many bison in captivity in zoological gardens and game-
preserves. The bison is easy to raise in captivity, and does well even in the
small enclosures in the public gardens. The largest herd is in the game-pre-
serve, Blue Mountain Park, New Hampshire — this contains over one hundred
animals and is increasing steadily. The largest herd on public exhibition is
that of the New York Zoological Park, which in 1903 contained thirty-four head
of pure-breed animals representing all ages. These were presented by the
late William C. Whitney, from his game-preserve in Massachusetts, October
Mountain.

9. The Musk Ox. — Ovihos mosc/iatus.

This animal is smaller than the preceding. It is a simple horned
animal, and is easily distinguished by its very long hair. Hornaday's
description is : " An oblong ma.ss of very long, wavy brown hair, ^%
feet high by 6yi, feet long, supported upon very short post-like legs, that
are half hidden by the sweeping pelage of the body. The three-inch
tail is so very small and short that it is quite invisible. . . . The
top of the head is crowned by a pair of horns enormously flattened at
the base and meeting each other in the centre line of the forehead."

Range. — From 64° to the Arctic regions.

332 APPENDIX

10. The Big-Horn Mountain Sheep. — Oz'is canadensis.

General color gray- brown, with a large whitish patch on the hind
cjuarters, around the tail. This animal is easily recognized by the
large curving horns, which are different from those of any other wild
animal. The largest horns are said to measure i8_^ inches in circum-
ference and 52j4 inches in length. "All horns of 14 inches in basal
circumference may be considered large " (Hornaday).

Range. — Western mountains, Alaska to Mexico; formerly bad-
lands of Missouri region.

[a) Nelson s Moioiiain Sheep {Ovz's nelsont).

A smaller big-horn, short-haired, and of a pale, salmon-gray color.
Range. — Southern California and the peninsula of Lower Cali-
fornia.

iU) Mexican Mountain Sheep {Ovis mexicamis).
Much like {a) ; found in Chihuahua, Mexico.

{c) The White Mountain Sheep ; Balls Sheep {Ovis dalli).

A pure white northern big-horn, with yellowish amber-like horns.
Smaller than big-horn ; horns smaller and more slender. Widely
distributed in Alaska and Yukon country.

{li) Black Mountain Sheep ; Stone's Sheep {Ovis stonei) .

Upper parts and sides dark brown ; abdomen white ; same size as
white sheep. Found in northern British Columbia.

{e) Fannin's Afountain Sheep {Ovis/annini).

A new species, about the size of the white sheep. This sheep has
a white head and bluish gray body. Found on the Klondike
River, Yukon territory.

11. The Rocky Mountain Goat; White Goat. — Oreamnos ?nontanus.
In form and general outline this animal is like a " pigmy American

bison " ; white, as the name indicates. The horns are small, short,
and plain. It weighs about as much as a Virginia deer. The shoulder
height of an average-sized male is 37 inches. Females average one-
third smaller.

Range. — Western mountains, Idaho and Montana ; northward to
Alaska.

{a) Kennedy s Mountain Goat.

This is a new species, said to have more slender horns.

APPENDIX 333

12. Prong-horned Antelope ; Prong-buck. — Antilocapra americana.

Somewhat smaller than the common deer ; color yellowish brown,
marked with white ; lower parts white ; neck white with brown collar.
Easily distinguished by the black-pronged horns.

Range. — Formerly abundant in the open country from the great
plains to California. Now found in small bands in a few localities in
Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, Texas, New Mexico, Nevada,
Idaho, Utah, Oregon, and California. In all of these States, save four,
its destruction has been absolutely prohibited or prohibited for long
periods.

Being an open-country animal the antelope is easily seen, and, as
I said in a paper on " Field Sports of To-day" {The Century, Octo-
ber, 1903), "everyone took a shot at an antelope to see if he could hit
it." The result has been that the antelope has been exterminated in
many places.

Mr. Hornaday urges sportsmen to stop shooting it everywhere. In
my opinion, its preservation depends upon the establishment of great
Western game-preserves, where the shooting should be interesting and
valuable, and should be limited to the increase of the year.

BOOK III

THE BEAR FAMILY. — URSID^

The bear family is placed in the order Carnivora — the f^esh-eaters.
The bears are all plantigrade, or flat-footed animals, and are armed
with long, non-retractile claws. Most of the bears are unable to climb
trees, but the black bear is a good climber. The bears eat a great
variety of food, insects, fruits, berries, and mast, as well as flesh.
They are fond of fish, and especially fond of honey, and may be said
to be omnivorous, or nearly so.

North America is rich in bears. We have the largest bear in the
world— the big brown bear of Alaska ; the fiercest and most formida-
ble— grizzly ; the great polar-bear and the black bear.

13. The Grizzly Bear. — Ursus horribilis.

A large brown bear having a grizzly appearance from the ends of
the hair being tipped with gray ; high at the shoulders ; long curved
claws. There are various shades of color in different localities. Gray
bears are called silver-tips. A specimen has weighed 1,153 pounds.
The average weight is much less — 500 to 600 pounds.

334 APPENDIX

Range. — Western States; Mexico to Alaska; formerly in plains
country, as well as in mountains.

The grizzly bears are now found only in remote places in the moun-
tains, and are uncommon everywhere. In many localities they are ex-
tinct.

Note. — Grizzlies thrive in parks and preserves, as is evidenced by the bears
in the Yellowstone National Park. They become tame when unmolested and
seem harmless.

Other varieties are :

{a) The Sonora Grizzly Bear ( Ursus horribilis horriaeus).
Southwestern New Mexcio.

{b) The Alaskan Grizzly Bear {Urstis horribilis alascencis).
Norton Sound, Alaska.

(<:) The Barren-Ground Grizzly {UrsJis richardsoni).
Great Slave Lake and barren grounds.
These are all the same from the sportsman's point of view.

14. Polar-Bear. — ThsJaiu:tos_maritimus.

A large white bear, easily distinguished by its color and long neck.
A tall animal, often seven feet or more in length ; weight, 800 pounds
or more for a very large specimen.

Range. — The polar-bear inhabits the Arctic regions and is found all
around the pole.

15. Black Bear. — Ursus americanus.

This is the smallest and best known American bear. Usually the
color is black in the Eastern States, but it is often brown in the West.
The nose is a " dirty white " or light brown. Brown specimens are of-
ten called cinnamon bears and brown bears. Cubs, both brown and
black, have been observed with the same mother. The black bear is
highest in the middle of the back, not at the shoulder, and has a well-
rounded appearance.

Range. — From the Atlantic to the Pacific ; from Florida and Mexico
to Alaska. " During the past twenty years it has been seen or killed
in forty States of the United States ; in Mexico, Alaska and eleven of
the British provinces." — Hornaday.

Other varieties are :
{a) Labrador Bear {Ursus americanus sornborgeri).
Range. — Labrador.

APPENDIX 335

{d) Louisiana Bear {Ursus luteoltcs).
Range. — Louisiana and Texas.

{c) Everglade Bear {Ursus Jloridanus).
Range. — Florida.

{d) Glacier Bear {Ursus eminonsi).

Range. — St. Elias, Alps, Yakutat Bay, Alaska.

{e) Queen Charlotte Bear (l/rstts carlotta:).

Range. — Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia. The list
reminds us of the long list of ptarmigans of the ornithologists.
The above, however, are all plain, every-day black bear to the
sportsman.

l6. The Big Brown Bear, Kadiak Bear. — Ursus middendorffi,.

A large bear, in color light brown. This bear (unlike the black bear
which is often miscalled brown bear) is highest at the shoulder. It has
a large, massive, wide head, short, thick claws, and a shaggy pelage.
In size and shape it resembles the grizzly bear. In courage it seems
more like the smaller black bear. This bear is the largest carnivorous
animal in the world.

Range. — Kadiak Island, Alaska.

(ci) Yakutat Bear {Ursus dalli).
Range. — Yakutat Bay, Alaska.

(/;) Peninsula Bear l Ursus dalli gy as').
Range. — Pavlof Bay, Alaska.

[c) Merriam's Bear {Ursus merriami).
Range. — Portage Bay, Alaska.

{d) Kidder's Bear {Ursus kidderi).
Range. — Chinitna Bay, Alaska.

(e) Sitka Bear ( Ursus sit kens is) .

Range. — Alaska coast, near Sitka.

Note. — The Alaskan brown hears would seem from the above list to be
maritime bears, since all are listed as from Alaskan bays, excepting two — the
Kadiak bear, which hails from an island, and the .Sitka bear, which is registered as
from the coast. The liears, no doubt, iniiabit the regions round about the bays
named. Ilornaday says: '' The big brown bears range from Sitka around to

336 APPENDIX

the extremity of the Alaskan Peninsula, Kadiak Island, and inland for un-
known distances." He is of the opinion that some of the above species may be
consolidated. They may all be consolidated into one "big brown bear" for
the sportsman.

BOOK IV

THE CAT FAMILY— FELIDiE

The cats belong to the order Carnivora — the flesh-eaters. North
America is not well supplied with wild-cats from the sportsman's point
of view. The powerful and ferocious lions, tigers, and leopards are
absent.

The two typical North American cats are the puma, more often
called cougar, and the lyn.\ — the former being the mountain lion and
the latter the wild-cat of the sportsmen. The jaguar has been taken in
the Southwest, this side of the Rio Grande, but not in sufficient num-
bers to be listed as a big-game animal by the Boone and Crockett
Club.

17. The Cougar, Puma, Mountain Lion. — f(]is concploi-.

This is a large cat of a uniform tawny color, which is lighter under-
neath. It is usually called mountain Hon from its resemblance to the
lioness of Africa. This animal has a long, slim body and a long tail.
The average weight is given as about eighty pounds, but many moun-
tain lions have been killed which weighed nearly two hundred pounds.
A large specimen weighed 225 pounds and measured eight feet from
nose to tip of tail.

Range. — Formerly from the Atlantic to the Pacific ; north to Alaska,
south to Mexico and South America. Probably extinct or nearly so in
the Eastern United States, except Florida. One was recently reported
in the Adirondacks.

lK\-ite. — The cougar is not very dangerous ; usually tries to escape by climb-
ing trees. " Of all the large cats of the world it is the best climber."

18. The Canada Lynx. — L. Canadensis.

An animal similar to a domestic cat in appearance, but very much
larger. The general color is gray or reddish gray. One variety is
spotted. Tail very short ; often called bob-cat ; about eighteen inches
high ; weight of full grown specimen 22 pounds.

Range. — Canada to Mexico.

APPENDIX 337

r\Jote. — The lynxes are not courageous ; always seek to escape, usually to
trees or holes in the ground.

(rt) The Red Lynx {L. rufd).

Similar in size and shape to No. i8, but reddish in color.

{p) The Spotted Lynx {L. maadatd).

Similar in size and shape to No. i8, but gray and spotted as the
name indicates.

Other smaller wild-cats are the ocelot, length, 26 to 33 inches,
Mexico; the Margay, length, 24 to 27 inches, Mexico ; the Jagu-
aronde, a very small cat, shaped like a puma, Mexico ; the Eyra,
about the size of the common house cat, Texas, near the Rio
Grande.

INDEX

INDEX

Adirondack Reservation, 25

Adirondacks, shipment of deer from,
129 ; scenery, 133, 134

Aguilar, Senor Don, 258

Alaskan brown bears, 294, 335 [»oW\ ;
food, 297 ; flesh, 297 ; pelts, 297

Alaskan grizzly bear, Ursits hurribilis
alascencis^ 334

Alaskan moose, alces g-igas, 69, 71, 327 ;
range, 327

Allen, Dr. , 208

Ammunition, 9, 10-13

Andrus, Mrs., 306

Antelope, atttilocapra americana, ex-
tinction of, 31, 168 ; horns, 169, 229 ;
description, 228, 333 ; former abun-
dance on the plains, 230, 234 ; rac-
ing with railway trains, 231, 232 ;
Indian methods of capture, 231 ;
jumping, 232 ; range, 233, 333 ; curi-
osity, 233, 235-237, 240 ; decrease,
233-23S ; hunting, 235-239, 247 ;
"flagging," 240, 242; stalking, 240-
243 ; enemies, 243, 248 ; coursing
with greyhounds and staghounds,
244-247 ; domestication, 247, 248 ;
habits, etc.^ 248, 249 ; protection of,

249. 333
Antelope Island [r/oU], 175
Arizona white-tail deer, 124, 329
Artiodactyla, 40
Atchison Pacific Railway, trains thrown

from track by buffalo, 171
Audubon, quoted^ 229

Raillie-Grohman, quoted, on the

white goat, 8, 217, 226
Baldwin, General, 56, 100, 237
Barren-ground caribou Rangifer arti-

cus, 146 ; range, 147, 152, 153, 330 ;
color, 148 ; food, 149, 153, 154 ; lame-
ness, 149 ; rutting season, 150 ;
horns, 150; flesh, 150; curiosity, 150;
shooting, 150, 151 ; sense of smell,
151 ; weapons and ammunition, 151 ;
shooting season, 154, 155 ; licenses,
155 ; relation to the reindeer, 161 ;
difficulties of shooting, 161, 162 ;
migration, 162, 164 ; bands, 162,
163 ; abundance, 163, 164 ; descrip-
tion, 330

Barren-ground grizzly, Ursus richard-
soni, 334

Barren Grounds, 199

Bear family, Ursidce, 6, 7, 333 ; species,
253; range, 253, 256; ferocity, 253,
254; food, 254 ; " hibernating," 255 ;
tracks, 255 ; affection for young,
255 ; traps, 255, 256.

Bees attacking black bear, 287, 288

Bierstadt, Albert, 69

Big brown bear, Ursus middendorffi,
253 ; varieties, 294, 297, 335 ; hunt-
ing, 294-297 ; food, 297 ; flesh, 297 ;
pelts, 297 ; description, 335 ; range,

335

Big game, decrease in slaughter of, 4 ;
varieties, 6, 7

Big game shooting. 3 ; decrease in
slaughter, 4 ; weapons and ammu-
nition, 9, 10-13 ; use of dogs, 14, 15,
16; costume, 16; shooting, 16-18;
carelessness, 19 ; preserves, 28-30,

31
Big-horn, Ovis canadensis, 167, 206,

210, 213 ; range, 168, 214, 332 ; flesh,
169; horns, 169, 209, 216; descrip-
tion, 207, 213, 215, 332 : species.

341

342

INDEX

208, 209; habits, 209-211, 214 ; shoot-
ing, 211-213 ; difficulties of shooting,
215, 216

Big Horn Mountains, necessity for
game preservation, 23, 24 ; grizzly
shooting, 259, 261, 262

Bison, Bos americanus, 167 ; extinc-
tion of, 168, 172, 17s, 177, 178 ;
origin and name, 170; vast herds,
170-172 ; census of, 173, 174 ; ex-
termination owing to railroads, 172 ;
preservation, 174, 175, 331 ; range,
177, 331 : description, 176, 177, 331 ;
swiftness, 178, 179 ; hunting, 179-

193 ; weapons and ammunition, 193,

194 ; dependence of Indians on, 193,
"wallows" \note\, 176

Bitter Root reserve, 25

Black bear, Ursiis aTnericanns, 253 ;
food, 254; "hibernating," 255;
methods of hunting, 282, 289 ; anec-
dote of killing with bird-shot, 283,

284 ; description, 284, 334 ; range,
284, 334 ; habits, 285, 286 ; flesh,

285 ; food, 286 ; fondness of honey,
287, 288; easily intoxicated, 287,
288 ; cubs, 288 ; protection of, 289 ;
shooting in the South, 289-293 ;
bear-dogs, 289 ; varieties, 333, 334

Black big-horn, Ovis stonei, 208 ; range,
209

Black-faced caribou, Rangifer mon-
tanus, 330

Black mountain sheep ; Stone's sheep,
Ovis stonei, 209, 210, 332

Black-tailed deer, Odocoileus Columbi-
anus, 45, 95 ; confused with mule-
deer, III ; description and charac-
teristics, 111-113, 328; range, 113,
328; hunting, 113, 114; food, 114;
in Yosemite Park, 114-116

Blake, Mr. Robert P., 264, 295, 296

Blooming Grove Park, 33

Blue bear, 297

Blue Mountain Forest Association, 194

Blue Mountain Forest Game Club,
buffalo preserve, 174, 194

Blue Mountain preserve, 26, 28 ; in-
crease of deer, 35

Bob-cat, see lynx

Bonebrake, Mr. P. S., describes cou-
gar hunt, 307, 308

Bonneville, Captain, quoted^ 171, 178,
188, 218, 231

Boone and Crockett Club, qualifica-
tion for membership, 5, 6, 97 ; pres-
ervation of game, 22 ; moose, 79

Brown, Mr. George [note], 69

Brown bear, see black bear

Buffalo, see bison

Bull-and-bear fights, 257, 258

Burro-deer, see mule-deer

Cahoon, Mr. Georgk, 256; encoun-
ter with black bear, 283, 284, quoted
on black bear, 288, [note]

Cahoon, Mrs. George, 283, 284

California parks and reserves, 25

Canada, buffaloes in, 174

Canada lynx, Z. canadensis^ 315, see
lynx

Canadian Rocky Mountain Park, 194

Caribou, 39, 44; two species, 146;
range, 147, 152, 15 j, 160; size, etc.,
148 ; color, 148 ; feet, 148 ; food, 149,
153, 154 ; tameness, 149 ; rutting
season, 150; horns, 150; flesh, 150;
curiosity, 150 ; shooting, 150, 151 ;
sense of smell, 151 ; weapons and
ammunition, 151 ; slaughter in New-
foundland, 153, 155-157, 158 ; shoot-
ing season, 154, 155 ; licenses, 155 ;
shooting-boxes, 158 ; abundance in
New Brunswick, 159 ; see woodland
caribou and barren-ground caribou

Carson, Kit, 277

Cartier, Jacques, quoted, 278, 279

Cat family, Felidcs, 6, 7, 336 ; not true
game, 301 ; varieties in various coun-
tries, 301, 302, 336

Catamount, see cougar

Caton, Judge, 28, 40, 33, 44, 46, 50,
quoted, on moose, 79 ; mule-deer,
96. 97, 98; black-tailed deer, 114;

INDEX

343

Virginia deer, 131 ; antelope, 229,
232, 235, 247

Chestnut, Mr. W. T., quoted, 159

Clark, Mr., 270

Cody, William F., "Buffalo Bill,"
171, 177

Collier, Holt, 292

Colorado, buffalo in, 173, 175

Colorado black-tailed deer, see mule-
deer

Columbia black-tail, see black-tailed
deer

Common deer, or common red deer,
see Virginia deer

Corbin, Mr. \note\ 35, 49 \note\^ 175 ;
his herd of buffalo, 194

Corbin, Mr. Austin, Jr., 195

Corbin Park, 26, 194

Cougar, Felis concolor, 5, 6, 254, 336 ;
color, 303 ; weight and size ; 303 ;
prey, 304, 310 ; range, 304, 310 ; cry,
304 ; young, 304 ; cowardness, 304,
305, 306. 307, 313, 336; hunting with
dogs, 307-310, 311-3135 314 ; killing
deer, 310 ; decrease, 322 ; use of in
game preserves, 322 ; range, 336

Country Club, 34

Croker, Mr., 232

Custer, General, 102

Dall, Professor, 208

Davis, Dr. T. S. , quoted, 157

Deer family, Cervida, 6; "jacking,"
15 ; natural history, 39-43 ; species,
326

Denison, Mr., quoted, 290-293

De Weese, Dall, 69

Dodge, Colonel, 19 ; quoted on mule-
deer, 95, 107, 109, III ; Virginia deer,
131 ; buffalo, 171, 177, 188, 190,
194

Dogs, necessity of, for retrieving, 14 ;
hunting with, 15, 16 ; bear hunting,
289, 297 ; cougar, 307-314 ; lyn.\, 317-
322

Dooly, Hon. John C, his herd of buf-
falo [note'\, 175

Eagles, killing antelope, 243

Edgell, Mr., 194

Eland, 67

Elk, Cervus canadensis, 44 ; description
of, 46,47, 327; range, 47, 48, 327;
tameness, 48, 49 ; food, 50 ; habits,
etc., 51-53; hunting, 53-61; where
elk may be shot, 61, 62 ; licenses,
62 ; guides, 62, 63 ; in captivity, 327

Eskimos, musk-ox hunting, 200, 203

European lyn.x, 315

Everglade bear, Ursus flor idanus , 335

Eyra, 337

Fannix's mountain sheep, Ovis fan-
nini, 20g, 210, 232

Field and Stream, qttotedoxi. moose call-
ing, 82

"Flat-horned elk," 67

Flathead reserve, 25

Florida white-tail deer, 124, 329

Frank, Mr. Elmer, experience hunting
grizzly bears, 270-273

Fuller, Captain Dan, quoted, 277

Game laws, 42

Game-wardens, 63

Garnett, Mr., 124

General Grant Park, 25

Glacier bear, Ursus emmonsi [note], 7 ;

297, 335

Goff, Mr., 311, 313, 314, 319

Grant, Mr. Madison, quoted on the
moose, 66, 67, 69, 71-75, 81, 85

Grant's caribou, 330

Green, Mr. G. \V'., quoted on moose
hunting, 88-92

Greenland caribou, 330

Griggs, Dr. Stephen, 86

Grinnell, G. B., 8, quoted, 41, on elk,
46, 47 ; moose, 69, 79 ; black-tailed
deer, 112, 113 ; Virginia deer, 131 ;
caribou, 147, 148, 330 ; buffalo, 178,
193 ; antelope, 229, 240, 247

Grizzly bear, Ursus horribilis, 253 ;
ferocity, 254, 277 ; food, 254 ; " hiber-
nating," 255 ; fights with bulls, 257,

344

INDEX

258; fear of man, 259; hunting, 259
et seq.; weapons and ammunition,
263-268 ; bands, 270 ; decrease of,
274 ; use of dogs in hunting, 274,

275 ; guides, 275 ; weight, 275 ; color,
275; strength, 276 ; food, 276 ; flesh,

276 ; speed, 276 ; traps, 276 ; former
abundance, 276, 277; description,
333 ; range, 334 ; in captivity, 2>2>Z \
species, 333

Guides, 62, 63, 85, 92

Hampton, General Wade, 290

Hanbury, Mr. David T., quoted, 164 ;
on musk-ox, 196, 19B ; white goat,
220, 223

Hollow-horned ruminants, Cavicornia,
167

Hornaday, Mr., quoted^ 14, 25, 31, 43 ;
on elk, 46, 328 ; moose, 69, 70, 327 ;
black-tailed deer, 112 ; weight of
deer, 130, 131 ; musk-ox, 197 ; Ovis
fannini^ 209 ; cougar, 314 ; Virginia
deer, 329 ; black bear, 334 ; white-
goat [tzofe], 220, 223

Hounds, hunting antelope with, 240,
244 247

Hubbard, Mr. Leonidas, death of, 205

Indians, dependence on buffalo, 193 ;

musk-ox hunting, 201, 202 ; killing

of mountain-goats, 220 ; antelope

hunting, 231
Irving, Washington, 170 ; quoted on

grizzly bear, 268-270
Iwilics, 203

" Jacking," 15

Jacksons Hole country, abundance of

elk, 51 ; buffalo, 175
Jacobus, Mr. Charles, 86
Jaguar, 7, 301, 302
Jaguaronde, 337

Kadiak bear, 264, 294, 335 ; hunt-
ing, 295-297 ; flesh, 297
Kenai caribou, Ratigifer stonei, 330
Kenai Peninsula, 70

Kendall, Dr. E. F., 65
Kennedy's mountain goat, 332
Kidder, Mr. James H. , quoted on

rifles, 264-266, 267 ; Alaskan brown

bears, 294-297
Kidder's bear, Ursus kidderi, 335

Labkador bear, Urs2is americanus
sonborgeri, 334

Laut, A. C, quoted^ 318

Lawton, Mr. Warren, 125

League of American Sportsmen, 22

Leek, Mr., 51

Lewis, Captain, 19

Lewis and Clark reserve, 25

Licenses, 42; for elk shooting, 62;
caribou, 155

Louisiana bear, Ursus luteolus, 335

Lydecker, 106

Lynx, L. canade?isis^ 5, 6 ; species,
3i5i 316; prey, 316; appearance,
316, 336 ; resemblance to common
cat, 316, 317 ; dislike of dogs, 317 ;
hunting with dogs, 317-322 ; range,
321, 336 ; means of escape, 321 ,
decrease, 322 ; in game preserves,
322

McAleer, Dr. George, quoted on

moose " calling," 82
McGrath, Mr., quoted, 153, 154, 155-

157
Mclntyre, Governor, 320
Maine, shipment of moose from, 76;

of deer, 129
Mallory, Mr. E. C, 247 [tiote^
Margay, 337

Merriam, Dr. C. Hart, 47, 209
Merriam's bear, Ursus merriami, 335
Mexican mountain sheep, Ovis mexi-

canus^ 209, 332
Mississippi, bear hunting in, 290-293
Missouri, shooting club in, 34
Miles, General, 102, 180
Mivart, quoted, 315
Moose, Alces americanus^ 39, 44 ;

size, 66, 74 ; description, 66, 67, 326 ;

INDEX

345

origin and meaning of name, 67 ;
compared with deer, 68 : color, 68 ;
horns, 68-70 ; slaughter of, 69, 70 ;
preservation, 70, 327 ; range, 70-76,
326 ; shipment from Maine, 76 ;
habits, 76-79 ; open season, 76, 77 ;
"yards," 79; " calling, " 79-86 ; dan-
gerous when wounded, 86-88 ; hunt-
ing with jack, S8-92 ; guides, 92 ;
hunting in Rocky Mountains, 92. 93 ;
in Maine, 93, 94 ; shooting-grounds,

327-

Mossman, Mr. Frank, quoted on cou-
gars, 303, 305, 306

Mount Rainier Park, 25

Mountain caribou, Ra7igifer montanus ,

330

Mountain-goat, Oreamus montanus,
167; range, 217, 218, 219, 227, 332 ;
description, 218, 226, 332 ; hunting,
219-224 ; salt-licks, 219, 220 ; flesh,
220 ; habits, 222, 226 ; extinction by
Indians, 220 ; increase, 225

Mountain-lion, see cougar

Muir, John, 25, 26, quoted on black-
tailed deer, 114-116; grizzly bear,
270, 274 ; black bear, 285

Mule-deer, Odocoileus kemionus, 39 ;
extinction of, 31, 328 ; range, 44, 97-
99, 103, 106,328; size, etc., 95, 96;
use of dogs in hunting, 96, 97 ; food,
99; flesh, 99; pursuit of, 100-106,
107-109 ; antipathy to sheep, 109 ;
enemies, 109 ; rutting season, no ;
protection of, no, 328 ; description
of, 327

Musk-sheep, see musk-ox

Musk-ox, Ovidmoschatus^ifyj ; range,
168, 198, 199, 331 ; flesh, 169, 197,
198 ; lameness, 196, 197 ; difficulties
of hunting, 197, 199 ; description,
198, 3'i^ ; herds, 198 ; hunting, 199-
205 ; weapons and ammunition, 201

Nelson, Mr. E. W., 209
Nelson's mountain sheep, Ovisnelsoiii.^
332

New Brunswick, abundance of cari-
bou, 159

New York State Forest, Fish, and
Game Commission, report on ship-
ment of deer, 129, 145

New York Zoological Park, 26 ; musk-
ox, 196

Newfoundland caribou, Rangifer ter-
rcEno-oce, 153, 330; slaughter, 153,
155-157. 159 ; shooting-boxes, 158

North Woods, 133

Nova Scotia moose, 71

Ocelot, 337

Oketee Club, 124

Oreas canna, 67

Osborne caribou, Rangifer osborni,

330
Ox family, Bovidcs, 6, 7, 167 ; species,
167, 331 ; extinction of, 168 ; preser-
vation of, 169 ; horns, 169

Pacific-Union Club, 34

Painter, see cougar

Palmer, Dr. T. S., 70

Panther, see cougar

Parker, Mr., 292

Peary's caribou, 330

Peninsula bear, Ursus dalli gyas., 335

Philmore, Charles, 130

Pike, Mr. Warburton, quoted, 162-164,
201

Pineland Club, 124

Plains, immensity of, 239

Pliny, 67

Point Regis Sportsman's Club, 34

Polar - bear, Thalarcto'i maretimus,
253 ; description, 278, 334 ; aquatic
nature, 278, 279 ; size, 279 ; food,
279 ; ferocity, 279-281 ; hunting,
280, 281 ; weight, 281 ; range, 334

Preserves, 21-35 ; necessity for, 31, 32

Priest River reserve, 25

Prong-buck, 167, see antelope

Prong-horned antelope, 167, see ante-
lope

Puma, see cougar

346

INDEX

Quebec, shooting laws [fiofe], 155
Queen Charlotte bear, Ursus carlotteB,
335

Red deer, see Virginia deer

Red lynx, L. rufa, 315, 337

Red tiger, see cougar

Reserves, 24, 25

Reynolds, Charles, 188 \note\

Rifles, 9, 10-13, 263-268

Roberts, Mr. Edmund, 284

Rockwood, Mn, 312, 313

Rocky Mountain goat, see mountain
goat

Rocky Mountain reserves, 25

Roosevelt, Theodore, 8, 48 ; quoted on
elk-shooting, 58-60 ; mule-deer, 98,
103, 106, 109, III, 124 ; Virginia deer,
131 ; caribou, 152 ; mountain-goat,
220, 225 ; antelope, 249 ; grizzly bear,
257, 261, 262 ; bear hunting in
Mississippi, 290-293 ; cougar, 304,
311, 314 ; cougar hunting with dogs,
308-310 ; bob-cats, 319, 320, 321, 322

ScHURZ, Carl {note^, 184
Schwatka, Frederick, 8 ; quoted on

musk-ox, 200, 201, 202, 203
Scotland, value of shooting privileges,

32

Seaman, Mr., 139

Sequoia Park, 25

Seton, Mr. E. T., 244

Shields, Mr., qzioted or\. mountain-goat,

217, 220, 223 ; black bear, 282
Shiras, Mr. George, 15, 123, 124
Shooting, 16-18 ; carelessness, 19
Shooting-boxes in Newfoundland, 158
Shooting clubs, 34
Shooting estates, 26
Sitka bear, Ursus sitkensis, 335
Sitka deer, Odocoileus sitkensis, 328
Sitting Bull, loi
Smith, Paul, 64
Sonora grizzly, Ursus horribilis hor-

ricBus, 334
South Side Sportsman's Club, 144

Spotted lynx, /,. maculata, 315, 337
Standard Natural History, quoted, 2^0,

281, 288 [note]
Stewart, Mr., 319
Stone, Mr. A. J., quoted on moose

"calling," 79, 80; moose hunting,

86 ; big-horn, 207, 208, 209-213 ;

discovers black big-horn, 208
Swamp-deer, or Muskeg-Atik, 160

Tamalpais Sporting Club, 34

Teton reserve, 25

Tiger, see cougar

Tillson, Major, 18, 238

Tinsley, Mr. Henry G. , quoted on

grizzly bear, 257, 258, 276, 277 ;

polar-bear, 280
Tolleston Club, 29
Turkey shooting in Georgia, 128
Tyrrell, Mr., quoted, 160

Uintah Mountains lynx, 315
Ungulata, or hoofed quadrupeds, 167

Van Dyke, Mr. T. S., quoted on
shooting, 17, 268 ; elk, 50 ; mule-
deer, 96, 97, 99 ; black-tailed deer,
112 ; deer-stalking, 143 ; rifles, 267

Van Sutphen, Mr. W. G., quoted, 125,
128

Verrill, Mr. A. Hyatt, quoted, 203, 204

Virginia deer, Odocoiletis viyginianus,
39i 43 ! various names, 117; change
of color, 117, 118 ; description of,
119, 328; stalking, 120, 142-144;
use of jacks and salt prohibited,
121, 122 ; in Dakota and Montana,
122 ; hunting, 122, 123 ; in Georgia,
124-128 ; in Maine, 132, 133 ; with a
camera, 123 ; range, 124, 329 ; ship-
ments from Maine and Adirondacks,
129 ; licenses, 130, 132 ; weight, 130 ;
food, 131 ; as a game-animal, 131,
132 ; localities for shooting, 132-138 ;
open seasons, 135, 136 ; methods of
hunting in the North and South,
137-141 ; increase in State forests,
144; on Long Island, 145, 329

INDEX

347

Wadsworth, Mr. \V. A., quoted

on elk, 48, 49, 52
Walhihan, Mr., quoted on mule-deer,

31

Wapiti, sec elk

Ward, Mr. Charles C, quoted on cari-
bou, 146. 149, 150

Weapons, 9, 10-13

Welder, Mr. G. A., quoted, 310-313

White Arctic bear, see polar-bear

White big-horn, Ovis dalli, 208, 219 ;
range, 209

White-goat, see mountain-goat

White mountain sheep ; Ball's sheep,
Ovis dalli, 208, 210, 332

WTiite-tailed deer, see Virginia deer

Whitney, Mr. Caspar, qjwtedon moose
" calling," 80 ; musk-o.x, 197, 199,
200, 202

WTiitney, W. C, 26, 65

Wildcat, see lynx

Winchester Repeating Arms Co., 13

Wisconsin, increase of deer in, 130
Wister, Owen, quoted, 214, 218, 219,

227
Wolves attacking antelope, 248
Woodland caribou, Rangifer caribou,
146; range, 147, 152, 153, 160,329;
description, 148, 329 ; feet, 148 ;
food, 149, 153, 154 ; tameness, 149 ;
rutting season, 150 ; horns, 150 ;
flesh, 150 ; curiosity, 150 ; shooting,
151 ; sense of smell, 151 ; weapons
and ammunition, 151 ; shooting
season, 154, 155 ; licenses, 155
Woodruff, Hon. T. L., 26
Wright, Mr., 223, 224, 282

YOKUTAT BEAR, Ursus dalli, 335

Yellowstone Park, 23, 24 ; buffalo in,

173
Yosemite Park, 25 ; black-tailed deer
in, 114-116

OUR FEATHERED GAME

A HANDBOOK OF THE
NORTH AMERICAN GAME BIRDS

BY

DWIGHT W. HUNTINGTON

With eight full-page shooting scenes in color and one hundred and
thirty-five bird portraits. 8vo, $».oo net (postage, 15 cents)

Mr. Wm. T. Hornaday, Director of the New Tork Zoolog-
ical Park, writes as follows :

" Any man with sporting blood in his veins will be delighted
with this book, which describes, pictures, and gossips about I 2 5
species of birds, yet is small enough to be carried comfortably
in any hunter's grip-sack."

"His book is pre-eminently a sane sportsmen's book, and is
deserving the perusal of every hunter, not only for its sound
advice, but for its interesting description of days afield and by
the shore." — Boston Transcript.

" The sportsman's point of view is never lost sight of,
neither is the naturalist's." — N^zv Tork Sun.

*♦ The chapters are short and to the point, untechnical, and
contain, besides the story of the usual behavior of the fowl in
question, its geographical distribution and seasons, frequent
anecdotes from the author's own experiences, and restrictions
with which State legislatures have surrounded the quarries in
game laws." — New Tork Tribune.

The Naturalist Frank A. Bates says :

" I must congratulate author and publisher for the pictures of
the birds. I could identify the species readily, which is more
than 1 can say of most of the even more pretentious books.
They are excellent. Of course the hunting scenes scattered
through the work were good. The signature vouches for their
accuracy."

OUR FEATHERED GAME

A HANDBOOK FOR SPORTSMEN
By DWIGHT W. HUNTINGTON

«* We regard it as the most up-to-date volume on our game
birds." — Shooting and Fishing.

** His book is excellently classified and arranged, the various
families and species of game birds being grouped together under
their several heads, and their habits, haunts, and customs clearly
described. The book is written in an easy, pleasant style, not
technical nor didactic, but in a most readable manner, and
shows thorough knowledge of the subject. The author has
evidently pursued a sportsman's career in all parts of the
country, and relates from personal observation many interesting
facts concerning bird game, and also gives much practical advice
that will be of good service to other sportsmen."

— Philadelphia Telegraph.

" From the standpoint of a general reader it is interesting,
and from that of a sportsman doubly so, in fact is invaluable.
On his descriptions the author makes himself well
understood in simple language, while the eight full-page
shooting scenes in color materially stir the blood of the follower
of the dog and gun." — Providence News.

" Mr. Dwight W. Huntington has been the first to put the
birds of the whole country under their specific headings into
one volume. . . . • Our Feathered Game ' appears to
contain a clear summing up of all information that will be
valuable to a sportsman." — Washington Post.

CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS
PUBLISHERS

153-157 FIFTH AVENUE NEW YORK

The

American Natural
History

By

W. T. HORNADAY

Director of the New York Zoological Park
343 illustrations, 47a pages. $3.50 net (carriage extra)

*• Not only a book packed with information which can be
depended on, but one of absorbing interest. . . . The
best thing in its field that has been published in this country."

— Nashville American.

" Mr. Hornaday is a practical man and he has written a
practical book. . . . The descriptions are clear and avoid
over-technicality, while they are accompanied by readable
accounts of animal traits and incidents of wild life. It is re-
freshing to have a book that is thoroughly dependable as regards
fact and scientific in spirit, yet written with liveliness and
freshness of manner. " — T/ie Outlook.

*' The author has succeeded remarkably well from the popular
as well as from the professional point of view. The result is a
book which a farm-boy may study without a teacher and get a
proper idea of the animals about him; and a book which a
teacher may truthfully follow in the class-room and not mislead
the pupils he is endeavoring to instruct." — Ernest Ingersoll.

*' Here are the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, the
fishes of the deep, described in clear, simple language, with no
ambiguity, and pictured in many cases by photographs from life,
in others by drawings of well-known animal painters. We
suspect that Mr. Hornaday's book will be the popular natural
history for a long time to come." — New York Sun.

The
American Natural History

By V/. T. HORNADAY

<* It is safe to predict for this lavishly illustrated work wide
and enduring popularity; there is so human a note in it, it is so
markedly well designed to attract and hold the attention of older
as well as younger readers." — New York Evening Mail.

"The manner of treatment throughout is not merely interest-
ing, it is exceedingly witty and uniformly readable.
It would seem that every effort had been made by the author to
secure accuracy and modernity of treatment, and his book is
altogether one to be prized on every account." — The Dial.

"It is a work of dignity and importance, of large size,
profusely illustrated and written with intent to appeal to the
average reader who is interested in animals." — Brooklyn Eagle.

" It is a veritable treasure house of animal, bird, and fish lore,
and must become a standard work with educators and students
as well as with the general public." — Rochester Democrat.

** A most satisfactory book from every point of view."

— The Review of Reviews.

"It is just such a book of reference as should be in every
library, and its possession would be a great boon to wide-awake
boys and girls." — The Congregationalist.

" Professor Hornaday's style is nothing if not gracious and
enlivening. He is the reverse of pedantic, and he apparently
has striven to make the work as readable to the popular mind as
it is exact to the scientific." — Boston "Transcript.

CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS

PUBLISHERS
153.157 FIFTH AVENUE NE^V YORK

2 9 1953
MAR 4 - 195b

ForinL-9-15JH-ll,'27

IBRARV FACIU

^A 000 509 844 7

J. SCHOOL

^I^SITY of CALTpO!^]f^

31 :