THE OREGON SPORTSMAN 183 



under a big oak tree, and camped for the night. Along about three or 

 four o'clock in the morning we were awakened by the most unearthly 

 noise I ever heard, and before I was aware of it we were both standing 

 up with gun in hand, expecting to be swallowed alive any minute. As 

 soon as my scattered senses came back to me, and I had pinched myself 

 to see that it was really I, I burst out laughing, for there in the brush, 

 not two hundred feet from us, was a large pack of coyotes, who had 

 scented us and set up a yell that would rival the Apache Indians. It 

 seemed as if there were fifty of them by the variation of their voices; 

 but probably ten or twelve was all. After we had listened long enough 

 to satisfy our curiosity, two well directed shots in the darkness silenced 

 the pack, and we had rest till morning. As I listened to the far-away 

 yelp of an occasional coyote, I said to myself, "There are the dogs that 

 our friend has heard running deer." 



When daylight came we ate our breakfast and started out to 

 climb Rattlesnake Mountain, as I was anxious to see what the deer 

 sign was, as the open season was now on. As we climbed up the 

 brushy hillside I could occasionally hear the yelp of coyotes, and I 

 even took a far-away running shot at one of them, but only cut off a 

 little hair from his back. A little later I struck one of those big buck 

 tracks, with two smaller ones, and I sent my boy around on top of the 

 ridge, while I came up through the brush. After waiting the proper 

 time for him to get located, I proceeded up through the brush. When 

 about half way up I started the quarry and could hear him going up 

 the mountain, and it was not long before a rifle shot rang out clear 

 and loud, and a cheery "I got' him!" from the boy met my ear. It took 

 me twenty minutes of hard work to get through the brush to see, as I 

 supposed, a big seven or eight-point buck, but I was disappointed to 

 find it was only a small three-pointer. It was evident that the small 

 deer was ahead and at the crack of the gun the big one sneaked off 

 through the brush in another way. All I said was, "Good boy, but we 

 will get the big one in early October, when he is a little fatter." 



When we returned to the ranch and inquired of our German friend 

 if he had heard the dogs after the deer that morning, he said, "Yes, 

 did you find them?" I told him we had, but did not get them, as they 

 were coyotes, and he could shoot them and get $3.00 apiece for them 

 at the County Clerk's office. I gave him a piece of venison and 

 instructed him how best to get those "deer dogs," and left him figuring 

 up how much money he could make on a dozen coyotes at $3.00 each. 



BREEDING OF MINKS IN CAPTIVITY 



Mr. Ned Dearborn, of the Biological Survey of the Department of 

 Agriculture, has given considerable attention to the breeding of minks 

 and other fur bearers in captivity. At a recent meeting of the Biolog- 

 ical Society in Washington, Mr. Dearborn read a paper on the breeding 

 of minks, in which he brought out a number of interesting points. He 

 stated that the period of gestation was found to be forty-two days. 

 The number of young was from one to eight. The eyes of the young 

 remain closed for one month after birth. The young may be weaned 

 at six weeks. Minks breed when a year old. Their fur is. suitable 

 for market at a year and a half. Experiments show that different types 

 of diet have no effect on the quality of fur. The character of food is 

 about the same as one would feed a cat. Minks are polygamous in 

 nature. Mr. Dearborn is satisfied that minks may be raised to good 

 advantage for commercial purposes. 



