154 Deer and Antelope of North America 



and exposure must be shown by the successful 

 hunter. My own wapiti hunting has been done 

 in September and early October during the 

 height of the rut, and therefore at a time when 

 the conditions were most favorable for the hunter. 

 I have hunted them in many places throughout 

 the Rockies, from the Big Horn in western 

 Wyoming to the Big Hole Basin in western Mon- 

 tana, close to the Idaho line. Where I hunted, 

 the wapiti were always very noisy both by day 

 and by night, and at least half of the bulls that 

 I killed attracted my attention by their calling 

 before I saw either them or their tracks. At 

 night they frequently passed close to camp, or 

 came nearly up to the picketed horses, challeng- 

 ing all the time; more than once I slipped out, 

 hoping to kill one by moonlight, but I never 

 succeeded. Occasionally, when they were plenti- 

 ful, and were restless and always roving about, 

 I simply sat still on a log, until one gave me a 

 chance. Sometimes I came across them while 

 hunting through likely localities, going up or 

 across wind, keeping the sharpest lookout, 

 and moving with great care and caution, until 

 I happened to strike the animals I was after. 

 More than once I took the trail of a band, when 

 out with some first-class woodsman, and after 

 much running, dodging, and slipping through 

 the timber, overtook the animals — though usu- 



