OF A RANCHMAN 53 



telope, blacktail or whitetail deer. Moose, 

 caribou, and white goat never come down into 

 the cattle country; and it is only on the 

 southern ranches near the Rio Grande and 

 the Rio Colorado that the truculent peccary 

 and the great spotted jaguar are found. 



Until recently all sporting on the plains 

 was confined to army officers, or to men of 

 leisure who made extensive trips for no other 

 purpose; leaving out of consideration the 

 professional hunters, who trapped and shot 

 for their livelihood. But with the incom- 

 ing of the cattle-men, there grew up a class 

 of residents, men with a stake in the wel- 

 fare of the country, and with a regular busi- 

 ness carried on in it, many of whom were 

 keenly devoted to sport, a class whose mem- 

 bers were in many respects closely akin to 

 the old Southern planters. In this book I 

 propose to give some description of the kind 

 of sport that can be had by the average 

 ranchman who is fond of the rifle. Of 

 course no man with a regular business can 

 have such opportunities as fall to the lot of 



