SHOOTING IN THE NORTHWEST. 





Our next move took us a long way 

 from our stopping place. We found, 

 on a large cattle ranch, a sociable 

 host and a good and true sportsman. 

 We spent two days and nights with 

 him and using boat and decoys, 

 killed a fine string of canvasbacks, 

 redheads, mallards, pintails and teal, 

 with a few snipe. On our return to 

 our guide's house we concluded to 

 seek a better grouse country in Min- 

 nesota, particularly as a guide there 

 had been highly recommended to 

 us, by a man who had employed 

 him. 



It took us two days and nights to 

 transfer from one hunting country to 

 the other, with all the attending 

 pleasures and difficulties and in as 

 disagreeable weather as you can 

 imagine. We arrived at our new 

 quarters late in the evening, tired 

 and wet, and did not find much com- 

 fort awaiting us; but in a man who 

 is so devoted to his pipe and so fond 

 of killing big game as our new guide 

 proved to be one must not expect 

 much interest in bird shooters. 



Still, we decided to make the best 

 of a bad bargain, and started out 

 next morning to look for grouse. 

 The country had been burned over, 

 and the fires had doubtless driven 

 many of the birds away, but by hard 

 work we picked up some thirty 

 odd birds in two days. Otherwise, 

 we should have been short of meat, 

 for our host had none. Notwith- 

 standing we were in a farming and 

 cattle country, he had no milk and 

 we had to send out and buy it. The 

 farmer and his wife, however, be- 

 lieved in variety. The first day we 

 had beans and butter; the second 

 day beans and bread, and the third 

 day bread and butter. 



We saw, in all, seven deer, during 

 our stay, and it was laughable to see 

 the writer driving on one occasion 

 an ill-matched pair of bronchos, over 

 ditches and through bushes, at a rat- 

 tling gait, in a vain attempt to give 

 our "moose hunter" guide a shot, 

 with a single-barrelled shotgun, at a 

 running deer 150 to 200 yards ahead 

 of us. Needless to say he did not 



A TRIO OF SHARP TAILS. 



BY KIND PERMISSION OF CHAS. S. FEE. C. P. A.. N.P HV. 



get the deer. As I have intention- 

 ally, and for obvious reasons, omitted 

 all names of places and people, I 

 will not here reveal the name of our 

 alleged guide. 



On the third morning we awoke to 

 find about two inches of miow on the 

 ground, and it was still snowing 

 hard. We had determined to start 

 for home that day. at all events, but 

 we came near not doing so. for it 

 ever there were weak-minded people 

 anywhere we found them up th 

 However, by repeated bracings and 

 urging, we got the guide to hook up 

 a team and take us in. 



Halfway to the railway station, 

 and about eighteen miles from our 

 starting place- we stopped, at \\ 

 p. m., for the night. 1 [ere we found 

 the best built and appointed h« ■ 

 we had seen on our trip, presided 

 over by a highly entertaining and 

 energetic lady and her daughter. 

 The district school teacher was 

 boarding with them, making alto- 

 gether, a most delightful family. 



