ELK IN JACKSON'S HOLE. 



S. N. LEEK. 



I have just got back from among the elk 

 on their winter range. I left the ranch on 

 the morn of January 8th with the camera, 

 and traveling on snow shoes, went as far as 

 Frank Peterson's, about 10 miles, where I 

 stopped over night. Frank was out, but 

 soon returned from visiting some traps in 

 the foot hills near Flat creek. He brought 

 in 2 martin and 2 foxes, one a red and the 

 other a fine cross. Frank's ranch is about 5 

 miles from the foot hills of the Gros Ventre 

 mountains where the elk winter. I started 

 out early in the morning, and going up 

 Flat creek nearly to the hills, bore off to 

 the left, intending to strike the hills about 2 

 miles North of the creek, and then work 

 South to the creek, and spend the night 

 with Mr. Davis, a trapper, stopping at a 

 cabin in the Flat creek canyon. 



The first elk I saw was a sentinel on a high 



pairs of ears over a small ridge. I must work 

 along under the ridge, and that way was 

 blocked by a spike bull and 2 calves paw- 

 ing for grass right on top of the end of the 

 ridge. By waiting about 15 minutes I was 

 relieved to see these quit their pawing and 

 walk out of sight. I was quickly in their 

 place, and now saw a pair of spikes about 

 40 feet distant. I was studying how to get 

 the camera high enough when Mr. Spike got 

 up, with several more that were lying down 

 near him. I was in plain sight of them and 

 couldn't back down, but had to make the 

 most of it. Crawling forward with the cam- 

 era in front of me nearly to the top of the 

 ridge, more elk came in sight all the time till 

 finally a solid wall of elk were in sight, any- 

 where from 25 feet to 50 yards, but before 

 I got position they ran. Rising quickly I 

 snapped the shutter, and quickly reloading 



point. Next there was a ridge spotted with 

 them. There I started to work toward a 

 point and saw another bunch much nearer. 

 By count there were 80 in sight, and, from 

 the lay of the ground, I knew there were 

 many more a little farther over. Tak- 

 ing a run on my shoes down in the hol- 

 low I worked up on them and in doing so 

 ran on 2 more in a small patch of timber 

 there. I had to work around and cut 

 them off from the main bunch, which I suc- 

 ceeded in doing, then left my shoes, and 

 taking an elk trail, got within 75 yards of 

 the bunch, when I was warned not to go any 

 farther in that direction by seeing several 



took another shot. The last shot they were 

 about 50 yards distant, part of the bunch 

 stopped, the others joining them from 

 the right, then they all went. I got out of 

 sight and before they were 200 yards away 

 they were walking on the road over to join 

 the others on the next ridge above. My only 

 show was to go to the next higher ridge and 

 get above them, which I did. Finding good 

 walking in the heavy elk trails I was soon 

 on the ridge, when I ran slam into a bunch 

 of bulls lying in the edge of some timber. 

 I had to mount my snow shoes quickly and 

 make a run down a small pitch to head 

 them from the main bunch. I now thought 



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