CHAPTER XI 



THE MOOSE; THE BEAST OF THE WOODLAND 



THE moose is the giant of all deer; and many 

 hunters esteem it the noblest of American game. 

 Beyond question there are few trophies more prized 

 than the huge shovel horns of this strange dweller 

 in the cold northland forests. 



I shot my first moose after making several fruit- 

 less hunting trips with this special game in view. 

 The season I finally succeeded it was only after hav- 

 ing hunted two or three weeks in vain, among the 

 Bitter Root Mountains, and the ranges lying south- 

 east of them. 



I began about the first of September by making a 

 trial with my old hunting friend Willis. We speed 

 ily found a country where there were moose, but of 

 the animals themselves we never caught a glimpse. 

 We tried to kill them by hunting in the same manner 

 that we hunted elk ; that is, by choosing a place where 

 there was sign, and going carefully through it 

 against or across the wind. However, this plan 

 failed; though at that very time we succeeded in 

 killing elk in this way, devoting one or two days 

 to their pursuit. There were both elk and moose 

 in the country, but they were usually found in differ- 

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