Volume VII. 



RECREATION 



NOVEMBER, J897. 

 G. 0. SHIELDS (COGUINA), Editor and Manager 



Number 5. 



HUNTING MOUNTAIN SHEEP IN A SNOW-STORM. 



CAPT. S. A. LAWSON, 



A majority of the travelers who 

 daily pass over the Union Pacific 

 Road, through Laramie, Wyo., do not 

 imagine that within 25 miles of that 

 place are some of the most perfect 

 specimens of the mountain sheep that 

 can be found anywhere. Such, how- 

 ever, is the case; and it was in the 

 range of mountains that seem to rise 

 abruptly from the prairies, to the West 

 of Laramie, that I decided to seek 

 them. 



It was in the winter of 1891 that I 

 packed my traps and took the stage 

 to a point where I felt confident I 

 would find rams without having to 

 spend too much time hunting their 

 feeding grounds. After a 4 hours 

 ride, in a heavy snow storm, we 

 reached the station where I was to put 

 up for the night, and there found an 

 excellent meal awaiting us. Such a 

 ride, in such a storm, was enough to 

 whet the appetite of even a confirmed 

 dyspeptic. 



I knew it would not pay to start out 

 so late in the day, so I watched the 

 Stage pull out for the Keystone mines, 

 20 miles away, straight across the 

 mountains, and after having waved 

 the passengers a bon voyage I pro- 

 ceeded to make myself as comfortable 

 as possible for the rest of the day. I 

 was entertained during the greater 

 part of the afternoon by a bunch of 

 cow boys who were at the station, 

 and who took the whole afternoon to 

 get drunk, from a jug of " 40 rod " as 

 they called it. It seemed to me the 

 drinks were not more than 10 min- 



utes apart, and each time a new round 

 was ordered a weird figure of an old 

 woman appeared and each glass was 

 filled to the brim. As I did not drink 

 with them I was considered a curios- 

 ity and the old woman took quite a 

 liking to me. 



The next morning I started, at 9 

 o'clock, for the sheep grounds, and 

 made camp at 2 p.m. without having 

 seen anything but 2 deer, which I did 

 not fire at. The next day I was out at 

 8; and as I knew where the ewes and 

 lambs were feeding, I thought the 

 rams might be with them. Soon after 

 having left the ranch I saw a herd of 

 20 antelope ; but as I wanted the more 

 stately game paid no attention to 

 these. The wind blew almost a gale 

 and the snow was whirled so that 1 

 could see no signs of either ewes or 

 lambs. Finally there was a lull, when 

 I looked down the mountain side and 

 saw about 15 sheep feeding — among 

 them a magnificent old ram. As the 

 rifle I carried was new to me, and as I 

 had never shot it I tried to get as close 

 as I could to the bunch. Whenever a 

 lull came I would drop and lie as close 

 to the snow as possible. Then when 

 the wind began to blow again I would 

 sit down and slide, in the snow. In 

 this way I moved fast and soon found 

 myself within 100 yards of the ram, 

 when I took a careful aim and fired at 

 him. At the report of my rifle he 

 started to run. I fired again and he 

 fell. Then I knew I had him. 



I took another look at the herd, and 

 picked out the next largest ram. He 



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