ADVENTURES IN THE KENAI 273 



A. M. was three above zero, and I washed in the cook tent 

 for the first time.' 



''On October 15th I started out early to hunt alone. 

 After seeing and getting close to a number of moose I 

 decided to cross over Funny River and hunt down the 

 ridge on its west bank. Nearing the top of the ridge 

 I spotted a bunch of four bulls apparently just looking 

 for a good place in which to lie down for the midday 

 siesta. 



'Tor the last few days we had noticed that the bulls 

 and cows were keeping apart more and more. In fact, 

 only occasionally after this time did we see the male 

 and female accompanying each other; and when we did 

 see them together the bull was always a young one who 

 had probably been unable to compete with his stronger 

 fellows during the height of the rutting season. 



"After a very careful stalk, during which time the 

 four bulls I had seen had lain down, I managed to approach 

 within about forty yards of them. The band consisted 

 of one small bull, two with heads that would probably 

 measure fifty inches, and another with a pecuharly de- 

 formed set of antlers. The latter animal was truly a 

 giant in stature, and when I compared his antlers with 

 the others they seemed to me as large in proportion as 

 his body. So after some hesitation, on account of the 

 peculiar formation of the horns, I shot him just behind 

 the shoulder. I saw the blood come where my bullet 

 entered his body and also some hair fall away, but the big 

 beast didn't go down. I raised my rifle again and aimed 

 at the spot my first bullet had made, and pulled the 

 trigger. The only effect of this shot, which hit within 

 two inches of the first, was to make the moose start 

 off at a more or less uncertain walk down towards Funny 



18 



