342 



RECREA TION. 



Full grown males, which I killed, were 

 so fat as to be a burden to themselves. I 

 had no means of weighing them, and esti- 

 mating the weight of such animals from 

 their dead carcasses is difficult and doubt- 

 ful. A conservative guess would place the 

 weight at 700 pounds. 



Like the sheep, the caribou strives when 

 frightened to pass above the cause of alarm. 

 This is evidence that they consider the 

 heights their home. 



Let a hunt close this chapter: Scanning 

 the country carefully with our glasses we 

 discover a bunch of animals feeding, al- 

 most on our level, but far away. Several 

 high ridges and canyons intervene, some 

 to be crossed, others to be skirted. The 

 wind up here frequently makes surprising 

 changes and is very unreliable. It is a 2 

 hours' job to reach them over all sorts of 

 obstacles, but at last we suddenly come in 

 view of them lying down about 600 or 700 

 yards away. The wind seems in our favor. 

 We hide among the rocks and scan them 

 closely. There are several bulls. 2 or 3 of 

 them carrying immense antlers, several 

 cows with their calves and some year- 

 lings. 



A good many fine rifle shots of whom 

 we have read would lie here and pick them 

 all off, " beginning with the largest," be- 

 fore they could get beyond range, but we 

 are not in that class, and since we can ap- 

 proach no nearer without being discovered, 

 we must wait until they move. Are they 

 nailed to the earth that they lie so long? 

 The wind is cold and it is tedious waiting. 

 At last the cows and calves rise and slowly 

 file away, but the bulls are fat and do not 

 hurry. Suddenly a slight flurry in the wind 

 probably conveys a hint of danger in the 

 air. One of the bulls rises, sniffs the air 

 and manifests uneasiness; the others follow 

 suit, and all start off — first in a walk, which 

 quickly becomes a trot, and this increases 

 to quite a speed, each one in turn glanc- 



ing with alarm in our direction. That flaw 

 of wind did it. Now for the summit of the 

 ridge, full speed ahead! 



Just reaching the tops our hearts fairly 

 leap out of our mouths, for there go the 

 bulls, in easy range. John's rifle speaks 

 and one goes down, a clean kill. Mine 

 answers and another falls. We do not fol- 

 low the herd. We are satisfied. We have 

 stalked and killed our game like hunters, 

 we have sent no wounded to suffer and die 

 in the mountains; we wonder at the size of 

 our victims, admire their antlers, note 

 their sleek coats, and are happy! We 

 measure them and find them over 80 inches 

 in total length, and over 50 high. 



Carrying the heads, skins, and such 

 bones as we require, with a few tenderloin 

 steaks we wend once more to camp, where 

 we arrive late in the night, tired and hun- 

 gry, but supremely happy. Late though it 

 is we enjoy a good supper and a good 

 " talk " before going to rest. 



I cannot say that these animals are 

 graceful; indeed their movements seemed 

 clumsy. Their trot reminds one of the 

 motion of a horse which carries a pack; 

 but they are noble, beautiful. Their limbs 

 are as trim and shapely as those of a 

 roadster, but strong and supported by 

 broad, round hoofs. The head is borne 

 straight in front as though it were immov- 

 able, slightly drooping, the nose extended, 

 the antlers almost perfectly erect. The 

 long white hair of the throat and lower 

 neck gleams like silver. The hind feet are 

 brought well forward in trotting, with a 

 motion I see in no other animal. 



The meat is lighter colored than that of 

 the moose, finer grained, tenderer, juicier, 

 and more delicate in flavor, though, I 

 think, not so nutritious. 



I hope to be able to describe this animal 

 more in detail from another field of obser- 

 vation, and to extend my own experience 

 of them in future. 



RETURNING FROM A HUNTING TRIP IN 

 L<)>T PARK, COLORADO. 



