110 MY SPORTING HOLIDAYS 



distinction of sex is recognised ; cows, equally with 

 bulls, are allowed to be killed up to the number limit. 

 One reason for this is stated to be that elk pair ; but 

 I find this difficult to believe, and it is naturally a 

 statement almost impossible of proof. The bull elk, 

 from my short personal acquaintance of his physique, 

 appearance, and habits, does not strike me as an 

 animal likely to be monogamous and a faithful 

 spouse. The theory is also contrary to one's ex- 

 perience of the deer tribe generally. As elk are 

 nowhere too numerous, the cows should, in my 

 opinion, be strictly protected by law, and only bulls 

 allowed to be killed, in order to maintain and increase 

 the stock. 



To come now to some details of the sport. In the 

 year 1901 a combination of lucky circumstances 

 brought me to the Gula Valley, intent on my first 

 elk-hunt. I had long had experience of woodland 

 stalking, particularly with red-deer and wapiti, but 

 had never seen an elk, except in a picture, and 

 naturally looked forward to my first bull with some 

 keenness. 



A word here on woodland big-game stalking. It is 

 sui generis, a sport of its own, and to some extent 

 requires different tactics and equipment, and even a 

 different kind of skill in rifle -shooting to those and 

 that of stalking in the open such as in a Scotch deer- 

 forest, for example, or on a reindeer-fjeld. In the 

 former sport binoculars are generally preferable to a 

 telescope, being handier and with a larger and lighter 

 field. The use of a trained dog is often necessary. 

 The game is usually not seen till well within range. 

 It is more a game of hide-and-seek than of strictly 

 scientific geographical approach, though the power of 



