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- 



