The Wapiti or Round-homed Elk 157 



Once I spent the better part of a day in following 

 a wapiti bull before I finally got him. Generally 

 when hunting wapiti I have been with either one 

 of my men from the ranch or a hunter like 

 Tazewell Woody, or John Willis. On this par- 

 ticular occasion, however, I happened to be alone ; 

 and though I have rarely been as successful 

 alone as when in the company of some thoroughly 

 trained and experienced plainsman or mountain- 

 man, yet when success does come under such 

 circumstances, it is always a matter of peculiar 

 pride. 



At the time, I was camped in a very beautiful 

 valley high among the mountains which divide 

 southwestern Montana from Idaho. The weather 

 was cold, and there were a couple of inches of 

 snow on the ground, so that the conditions were 

 very favorable for tracking and stalking. The 

 country was well wooded, but the forest was not 

 dense, and there were many open glades. Early 

 one morning, just about dawn, the cook, who had 

 been up for a few minutes, waked me, to say that 

 a bull wapiti was calling not far off. I rolled out 

 of my bed and was dressed in short order. 

 The bull had by this time passed the camp, and 

 was travelling toward a range of mountains on 

 the other side of the stream which ran down the 

 valley bottom. He was evidently not alarmed, for 

 he was still challenging. I gulped down a cup of 



