HUNTING FROM THE GOFF CAMPS. 



WARFIELD RYLEY. 



I went to Colorado Springs for health. 

 Having found it, I decided to go after big 

 game, and because Goff was called the 

 most successful hunter in the State I put 

 my case in his hands. 



I left the Springs September i, and after 

 a day of traveling through the grandest 

 scenery I had ever beheld I reached Rifle, 

 whence I took the stage for Meeker. 



Next morning we — there were 3 of us — 

 started for Goff's deer camp, 25 miles dis- 

 tant and 6 miles Southwest of Sleepy Cat 

 mountain. We got there in time for din- 

 ner and had our first taste of venison. The 

 afternoon we spent getting acquainted with 

 Goff and inspecting his camp. He is a 

 great hunter and a good fellow, spending 

 most of his time in the hills, either with 

 tourists or alone. The camp was com- 

 posed of a large tent and several smaller 

 ones, ideally situated in a clump of pines. 

 It was afterward abandoned because of 

 forest fires. 



At 5 p. m. I decided to look up a buck, 

 so a guide saddled horses and we set out. 

 We did not go more than 2 miles from 

 camp, but in the course of the circuit saw 

 13 deer, 4 of which were bucks. I shot 

 at 3 of those but missed every time. I sup- 

 pose I had buck fever. It took me 3 days 

 to recover entirely, but when I did I found 

 it easy to get game. Deer are more abun- 

 dant there than rabbits in Missouri. I was 

 with Goff 2 months, but after killing one 

 deer I confined myself to grouse, which 

 abounded. I loafed a good deal, too, until 

 the time came to hunt with dogs. 



A number of sportsmen visited the camp 

 between September 1 and October 15, and 

 with one exception each carried out a fine 

 pair of antlers. 



On October 11 came a party of 5, 2 from 

 Kansas City, the others from Colorado 

 Springs. They came to hunt with the dogs, 

 but, arriving a few days before the deer 

 season closed, they went for their share of 

 venison. They jumped 4 bucks together 

 and got the whole band, after which they 

 killed no more deer. 



A mile from camp was a deer crossing. 

 After the first snow, when they began to 

 leave for lower levels, great numbers 

 passed there. I believe fully 5,000 crossed 

 at that place. 



During September, because the drought 

 preventing the use of dogs in bear hunting, 

 Goff kept traps set. On the 23d he came 

 into camp and announced that he had a 

 bear fast in one of his traps. All was ex- 

 citement at once. I had been promised 

 the first ibear. Saddling hurriedly we went 



361 



to the scene of action, taking the dogs for 

 exercise and to give them a square meal af- 

 ter the skinning. Our captive proved a 

 grizzly. He was fast in a 5 pound trap, 

 to which was chained a 5 inch log 5 feet 

 long. 



Football is rough sport, but it isn't a cir- 

 cumstance to what we saw there. The dogs 

 had had experience, and attacked cautious- 

 ly from the rear. One feinted from the 

 front to engage the enemy's attention, while 

 the others made a rush. Bruin would 

 swat with right and left swings, but his agile 

 foes always side-stepped in time. At last 

 Turk, the bloodhound, ventured a little too 

 close and was nabbed by the neck; and al- 

 though he had a mouthful of the bear's 

 forehead in his jaws he would have fared 

 badly had not the others made a gallant 

 diversion in his favor. 



The attack was so fierce that old Ephraim 

 was compelled to drop Turk and turn on his 

 more troublesome foes. It was some time 

 before I found a chance to shoot withe ut 

 danger of killing a dog or 2, but at last it 

 came and I planted a shot from the 30-40 

 Winchester, which fixed the bear. The 

 skin is a fine one, being almost white 

 across the shoulders. 



We reset the trap, and 3 days afterward 

 we found a fine cinnamon in it. We did 

 not take the dogs then; just went out and 

 shot him. 



October 16 we had a deep snow, and early 

 the 17th we set out with the dogs. Of 

 these, 5 are foxhounds, for trailing, 2 are 

 Siberian bloodhounds, and 3 are a cross be- 

 tween bull and shepherd. These last do 

 the fighting. 



It was a good day for tracking, and we 

 soon put a lion up a tree. He was shot at 

 once and fell so badly wounded that he 

 put up a very weak fight. Later in the day 

 we got a lynx. The next day we added an- 

 other lynx to our list. These animals are 

 difficult game. They live high in the moun- 

 tains and leave a trail so nearly scentless 

 as to be extremely hard to follow, except 

 through snow. When the snow begins fall- 

 ing it is soon -so deep as to drive the hunt- 

 er to lower altitudes. 



On the 19th it snowed all day. The next 

 day trailing was fine, but we struck nothing 

 until nearly dark, when we put up a lion on 

 a hill. When we reached him we could only 

 make out a dark spot in the top of the tree. 

 Rifle sights were invisible, so we just point- 

 ed the barrels of 2 of our guns at him and 

 fired. The lion snarled and climbed higher. 

 A second round brought him down. The 

 dogs at once bounced him and we had a 



