CARIBOU-HUNTING 



to the cause of the disturbance — a large cross-patch fox sitting 

 on its haunches about one hundred yards ahead and sorrowfully 

 gazing at a flushed evening meal. As we walked toward the 

 fox we were surprised to notice that beyond casually looking 

 over its shoulder at us several times, it kept its attention riveted 

 on a clump of stunted, bush-like spruces a few yards beyond. 

 When we had approached to within twenty feet of this indif- 

 ferent fox we discovered that its attention was directed to a 

 large Canada lynx, which at the moment reluctantly retired 

 into the midst of the trees, showing its teeth in a snarl as it 

 disappeared. I walked up to within six feet, and stretched the 

 lynx out with a shot through the shoulders as it crouched in 

 the midst of the thick branches, hissing and snarling at every 

 motion we made. At the report of the carbine the fox loped 

 over the next rise and the ptarmigan soared across the valley. 

 Mac opined that this particular fox was insane or it would not 

 have allowed us to approach so close. My idea was that both 

 animals were stalking the ptarmigan from different directions, 

 and when the birds were alarmed by one of the two stalkers 

 fox and lynx had been so peeved with each other at seeing a 

 prospective meal flutter away that their animosity got the best 

 of them, and they could do nothing but glare at each other. 

 The presence of human beings, whom probably neither animal 

 had seen before, was a mere trifle compared with a lost meal 

 on this barren mountain-side. 



Half an hour later we crawled out of the bed of a small 

 stream, cautiously parted the bushes which lined its banks, 

 and gazed at a scattered band of caribou nosing about in the 

 moss near by. The band was composed entirely of small bulls," 

 ranging from spike-horns to twent^^-pointers, with the excep- 

 tion of an old bull with a set of antlers fairly bristling with 

 points. This caribou faced us with its nose buried in the white 

 moss fifty yards away. At the first shot it lurched forward, 

 whirled sideways, and, staggering at each report of the carbine, 



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