American Big Game in its Haunts 



The summer temperatures are never excessive in 

 this section, and the winters are mild, although at 

 times reaching from 15 to 20 degrees below zero. 

 Above 7,500 feet, except on sheltered south slopes, 

 snow ordinarily remains on the ground from four to 

 five months in sufficient quantity to practically close 

 this area from winter grazing. Cattle, and the an- 

 telope which once frequented the "Big Mesa" in con- 

 siderable numbers, appeared to have premonitions of 

 the coming of the first snow in fall. On one occasion, 

 while stopping at a ranch on the plains of the Little 

 Colorado, just below the border of the Big Mesa 

 country, in November, I was surprised to see hun- 

 dreds of cattle in an almost endless line coming down 

 from the Mesa, intermingled with occasional bands of 

 antelope. They were following one of the main trails 

 leading from the mountain out on the plains of the 

 Little Colorado. Although the sun was shining at 

 the time, there was a slight haziness in the atmos- 

 phere, and the ranchmen assured me that this move- 

 ment of the stock always foretold the approach of a 

 snowstorm. The following morning the plains 

 around the ranch where I was stopping were covered 

 with six inches of snow, while over a foot of snow 

 covered the mountains. Bands of half-wild horses 

 ranging on the Big Mesa show more indifference 

 to snow, as they can dig down to the grass ; but the 

 depth of snow sometimes increases so rapidly that 

 the horses become "yarded," and their owners have 

 much difficulty in extricating them. 



The southerly slopes leading down from the divide 

 to the lower altitudes along the Black River and the 



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