ELK AND ANTELOPE HUNTING IN WYOMING 



were in full flight before I had dismounted and pulled my rifle 

 from its holster, and the buck of the band topped the rise and 

 disappeared in spite of four hastily fired shots from the .30-. 40 

 Winchester I was carrying. Shortly afterward we heard three 

 distant rifle-shots, and it was not long until Charlie discovered 

 a large band of elk heading in our direction. There were 

 probably one hundred and fifty of these animals, and being 

 several miles distant, and continually disappearing from view 

 in the depressions, the band resembled a long brown serpent 

 writhing toward us. Our interest was centred on the elk — 

 when they should reach the crest of the next parallel ridge a 

 mile distant and separated from the one which we were on by 

 a deep rocky cafion. Here they could either cross to where 

 we were watching, or continue along the ridge they were on to 

 the point where it met our ridge and both died away in the black 

 timber far below us. When the first few elk appeared on the 

 crest they started down toward the timber at a fast trot, and, 

 putting the spurs to our horses, we galloped along the ridge to 

 intercept them. When the slope became too precipitous and 

 the pace too slow we dismounted, and attempted to pull our 

 horses after us. This ended in our finally leaving the animals 

 standing dejectedly on the mountain-side and continuing our 

 course on foot. 



A small, isolated clump of quaking asp stood in the last 

 open slope, and we slipped into these as the first elk were 

 climbing out of the creek-bottom below. About two hun- 

 dred yards distant, at the edge of the timber, both ridges 

 ended in a small meadow. With heads thrown forward, the 

 whole band streamed through this at a fast walk. Steadying 

 the rifle in the fork of a quaking asp, I covered in succession 

 several large bulls whose antlers towered above the moving 

 stream of elk, but Charlie advised waiting for the largest bull, 

 which should bring up the rear of the band. When all of the 

 animals, with the exception of two cows, had disappeared in 

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