FROM THE GAME FIELDS. 



I2J 



body in sight. Reaching over carefully I 

 set the trap on the ground and got off the 

 horse. I pulled my rifle from the scabbard, 

 took careful aim over the horse's back and 

 fired. The bear never moved. I thought 

 I would investigate before shooting any 

 more. I found I had shot at the trunk of 

 a tree, and hit it, too. The tree had been 

 bent over while small, and was just the 

 right height, size and color for a bear. 



S. N. Leek, Jackson, Wyo. 



ELK IN TWO-OCEAN PASS. 



We had traveled 18 days by rail, wagon 

 and pack train and for 8 days had hunted 

 unsuccessfully. One of our party had, it 

 is true, missed an easy shot at a bull elk, 

 but that had been the extent of our luck. 

 We had moved camp to Enos lake and, this 

 particular morning, I was routed out of my 

 comfortable spruce bough bed long before 

 dawn, in order that we might be far from 

 camp when daylight appeared. 



We set out in a Southerly direction and 

 after tramping a mile or so came on fresh 

 tracks of a band of elk. We were about 

 to follow them when the guide, Jimmie, 

 saw, in the direction from whence the 

 tracks came, one of those little parks so 

 numerous in that country. He led the way 

 to it. While we were ascending a slight- 

 elevation he whispered, "There he stands, 

 head on. Take him where the light and 

 dark colors meet." I could see only what 

 seemed a dead bush, taller than its green 

 neighbors, but was presently able to distin- 

 guish the head and shoulders of an elk 

 standing 200 yards away. It was my first 

 sight of big game and I took a good look 

 at it along the barrel of my rifle. When 

 satisfied with my observations I touched 

 the trigger and became owner of a beauti- 

 ful pair of antlers. The following day I 

 killed another bull elk and saw others. 



In the Two Ocean Pass country elk are 

 exceedingly wild from constant persecution, 

 thousands having been slaughtered in recent 

 years merely for their teeth. 



A. H. Nelson, Pittsburg, Pa. 



HUNTING DEER IN THE SOUTH. 



Day broke with a clear sky, calling all 

 up for, preparation. Guns were taken 

 from their cases and hurriedly inspected, 

 and every one rushed to the kitchen at the 

 call of "Breakfast!" 



Breakfast over, we started out for a 

 buck. A mile and a half from camp we 

 struck a trail in the thick swamp to the 

 right of the road and the hunters scattered 

 as the dogs gave tongue. In 10 minutes 

 the baying of the pack in the distance told 

 us that the game was roused and every 

 one was on the alert. Every one covered 

 his stand except one, who, being on his 

 first visit, did not know where to find a 



stand. After many fruitless endeavors to 

 find one, he finally threw himself down, 

 in utter disgust, and waited to hear some 

 hunter's gun. 



Suddenly looking up he saw a 4 pronged 

 buck standing only 30 yards from him. 

 Bang ! into the face of the flyin' jib ; but 

 he scored a miss, shooting high. Four 

 buckshot cut streaks down the astonished 

 buck's back, *and he halted directly across 

 the road, offering a splendid broadside 

 shot at 35 yards. This time the aim was 

 better and the game dropped without a 

 struggle. 



A blast of the horn brought everybody 

 hurriedly to the scene ; the usual congrat- 

 ulations were extended. 



J. S. Estill, Savannah, Ga. 



CAME AFTER THE HOUNDS. 



I left here October 18 for Animus river, 

 where I joined Jim St. Claire and Bill 

 Shute. We went to the Hermosa creek 

 country after deer. Brice Patterson, of 

 Silverton, got there first, with his hounds, 

 and we found no deer, but most abundant 

 signs of their recent presence. We also 

 found signs of elk, but they, too, had gone. 

 Hermosa creek is famous for - f rout, but 

 we could find none. Whether or not Brice 

 Patterson had chased them out of the 

 water with his hounds, I can not say. 

 _ In despair we returned to the Animus 

 river, and hunted deer, without success. 

 They were too highly educated, and the 

 ground was dry. I got 2 shots at a big 

 timber-line buck; one running, the other 

 standing, at about 400 yards. Both went 

 high. I made too much allowance for dis- 

 tance, and not enough for the great carry- 

 ing power of my rifle. Two cow- 

 boys roped a large black bear near us, 

 strung it out, and killed it by pounding 

 its head with a rock. They estimated its 

 weight at 450 pounds. 



Two large mountain lions crossed the 

 main road within a mile of this city, and 

 within 200 yards of the village of San 

 Maguel, in the middle of the day. They 

 were seen by many, but no one had a gun. 

 Eight or 10 deer, and several bear were 

 killed near here last fall. Grouse were 

 rather scarce. 



C. M. Coleman, Telluride, Colo. 



THANKSGIVING QUAILS. 



Last Thanksgiving day I started out with 

 my gun and 3 setters for an afternoon's 

 sport. A friend and his little boy went 

 along. In this locality we are not blessed 

 with an abundance of game, but we wished 

 to try our luck; so we harnessed a horse 

 to a spring wagon and drove 3 miles to 

 Brookville, tied the horse and set out. We 



