AT THE PAINTED WOODS. 136 
About the year 1870. Reynolds the hunter made an 
estimate of the elk at that time divided in the various 
points as follows: Sibley Island, Heart River Point, 
under the Square Buttes, Painted Woods Lake, Mandan 
Lake and Elm Point contained herds of about forty each, 
while Burnt Creek, Dry Point lower Painted Woods, 
and Buffalo Paunch Point and vicinity, contained herds 
of about twenty each. 
The last elk killed in the immediate neighborhood 
of the Painted Woods proper, was slaughtered in the 
summer of 1874. It was a huge bull, and so noted and 
well marked had he become in warding off the bullets of 
the hunters that he was termed ‘‘Bull of the Woods.” 
His haunts were in the neighborhood of what is known 
as Wash Out Lake, situated near the present village of 
Falconer. 
Besides the traveling bands of Indian hunters, 
Reynolds, Archie, Diamond the Wolfer, Blanchard, 
Jimmie McBride and other noted hunters of that day 
had tried their gifts and arts invain to make pot of the 
sagacious and much hunted beast. In the finale of this 
animal’s career it was reserved for a little Irish lad who 
had fired the first shot of his life from a rifle to bring 
the antlered monarch to the ground and claim honors 
that brought a feeling of envy from professional nim- 
rods of high reputation. The boy though panic stricken 
at the sight of the vicious looking beast emerging from 
thicket, yet had presence of mind enough to fire toward 
the animal before taking to his heels in affright. He 
was a member of Lawyer Stoyel’s haying party and ran 
into the camp to tell of his adventures. He had shot 
at it he said—but did not wait to see the trend of his 
