Hunting at High Altitudes 



band. They disappeared in a creek bottom a mile 

 off, and as I did not see them come out of it, I went 

 to my mare, and making another circuit, climbed 

 the mountain, and when I looked over, discovered 

 three bands on the opposite side of the valley, some 

 lying down and some feeding. As it was late, I 

 determined to return to camp and perhaps try for 

 them to-morrow. On my way back I killed three 

 antelope. 



About 9 o'clock the next morning, I set out to 

 find the elk, and after a time discovered what I 

 supposed to be four black-tails a long way off on 

 the mountain bordering Elk Creek on the south. I 

 climbed the mountain to the windward and looked, 

 but seeing nothing across the valley, crept on down 

 after the black-tails. When I had come close to 

 them, I found they were not black-tails, but elk, but 

 near them was the band of ten or twelve black-tails 

 that I had seen a few days before. I was obliged 

 to creep just above and even among the deer to get 

 a shot at the elk, which lay just beyond. One of 

 them, lying down broadside about 125 yards 

 distant, was shot at. I made allowance for a strong 

 wind, but the light ball drifted and struck it in the 

 neck, killing it at once. I then turned my atten- 

 tion to the band of black-tails about 200 yards 

 down the mountain, but failed to get one. 



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