STILL-HUNTING THE ANTELOPE. 



325 



The claim put forth by many small-bore advocates, that 

 a large bullet tears and mutilates the game, is so absurd 

 and far-fetched that it ought not to come into considera- 

 tion, for the loss of one wounded animal, shot with a small- 

 bore rifle, will incur a greater loss of meat than will the 

 killing of a dozen animals with a large bore. The man who 

 can plant his bullet within a couple of inches of the desired 

 spot, over unknown ranges extending through woods, over 

 prairies or mountains, up hill and down, say up to two 

 hundred and fifty yards, at either stationary or moving ani- 

 mals, may shoot a thirty-two-caliber rifle a whole season 

 and not lose much game. The question is. Does such a man 

 exist ? He often claims that he does, but I doubt it. 



For Antelope-shooting, as a specialty, a forty-flve or fifty 

 caliber rifle, fitted with the Lyman sights, is, in my judg- 

 ment, the very best. It need not perforce be a repeater — 

 though that is always a decided advantage. One may get 

 into a band, and by being cool, a good marksman, and a 

 good judge of distance, he may, with a repeater, bowl over 

 several before they get out of range, though I must confess 

 that to hit an Antelope, running, at anything over one 

 hundred and fifty yards, is either proof iDOsitive of superb 

 shooting, or, much more generally, proof of a lucky scratch. 



I once saw an Indian scout, young War Eagle, creep 

 up to within fifty yards of a band of five Antelope, and kill 

 them all in seven shots. As this j)erformance w^as wit- 

 nessed by the whole column of the Seventh Cavalry, I don't 

 hesitate to relate it; while had I, unobserved, j)erfornied a 

 similar feat a dozen times, I doubt if I could muster up the 

 audacity to assert it. As a matter of fact, I have several 

 times worked my way, on hands and knees, to within a 

 short distance of bands of Antelope, but never have I suc- 

 ceeded in killing more than three at one time, though I 

 always had a much better rifle than the one War Eagle 

 used, to say nothing of vastly superior ammunition. The 

 fact is, I could not make my bullets connect with the game 

 80 often, for an Antelope will scamper over a long stretch 

 of country in a short time, and, as they are not generally 



