Hunting &t High Altitudes 



When I reached the gulch at the point I had 

 determined on and had cautiously reconnoitered, I 

 could see nothing of bait or bear. Something had 

 happened since morning. I therefore cautiously 

 withdrew, and by a circuitous route reached a 

 point further up the gulch ground well above 

 the bear, so that I might locate him, for I was 

 sure he was there. Reaching this higher ground, 

 and with a clear view of the place where the elk 

 had been, it was not to be seen. Evidently it had 

 been dragged down into the gulch within twenty 

 or thirty feet of where it had been. As the elk 

 weighed at least a thousand pounds, the bear that 

 had moved it must have been a large one and full 

 of resource. 



I now removed my heavy leather shoes and 

 cautiously approached the spot, field glasses in 

 hand. The gulch was deep and narrow. I wanted 

 to make a sure shot, and to do this it would be 

 necessary to get very close to the bear before firing. 

 The utmost care was necessary to prevent even a 

 slight noise, for these bears have a keen sense of 

 hearing, as well as scent. Stooping and stealthily 

 approaching, I rose partly up when within twenty- 

 five or thirty feet of the bear. He was there, but 

 it had become so dark in that hole that I used my 

 glasses to see him. He was lying on the carcass 



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