and a .22-calibre for pot shooting is always useful. 

 It often happens that ptarmigan, grouse, or ducks, are 

 plentiful in big game country. When armed with 

 heavy guns, the hunters pass them by, as they are 

 afraid that big game may be frightened from the 

 vicinity by the loud reports of the large-bore guns. 

 In a case of this kind the .22-calibre will come in 

 handy, as its report will carry only a short distance. 

 The writer used a .22-calibre Stevens in the Cassiare 

 Mountains of British Columbia. On this trip we 

 killed all the ptarmigan and grouse we wanted, and 

 the gun made practically no noise. 



Besides keeping the larder full, it keeps a man in 

 practice. In big -game shooting, the hunter goes for 

 long periods without firing a shot. Even if successful 

 he may only fire one or two shots a week, and the 

 constant practice with the camp gun is of some benefit. 



The killing of big game with the .22 rifle Is 

 usually due to chance. There are many cases, 

 however, where big -game animals have been killed 

 by this small arm. Even Mr. Moose, the largest 

 wild animal found in North America, with the 

 exception of the Alaska brown bear, has frequently 

 been the victim. A prospector killed a moose 

 near the Alaska boundary line. I was in the 

 country at the time, and near the place where the 

 moose was killed. The prospector came out of 

 his cabin early one morning, and saw the moose — 

 a young bull — at a distance. A .22-calibre rifle 

 was the only gun he had, but after a short stalk, he 

 placed a bullet behind the moose's ear and killed it. 



30 



