ArC4. 2o, 1892.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



189 



A HUNT IN THE ROCKIES. 



IN THREE PAB.TS— PART III, 



Oct. 19, Camp on Eobinson's Fork.— After leaving 

 our iorely camp on Warm River, en route for this point, 

 we were obliged to work our way through gorges, scale 

 mountains and cut trails through thickets. This stream 

 is about half the size of Warm River, and its bed is com- 

 posed of boulders, some of which are quite large and 

 furnish ideal pockets for myriads of trout. The water is 

 several degrees cooler than Warm River, but strange to 

 eay, not more than 6l)ft. from our camp boils up a spring, 

 the water of which is as cold as ice water. We are about 

 fifty miles from the nearest habitation. 



On Thursday, the 17fch, and the day after arriving 

 here, Rea and the writer left with two days' rations to 

 look up ganie piQ;n8, returning yesterday morning, the 

 iRr.h. "We traveled over a large extent of country, ascend- 

 ing one of the highest ranges composing the continental 

 divide, and in our ascent we went up places so steep that 

 small rocks, starting to roll, would gain such velocity 

 that they would jMrap from 20 to 60ft, at a bound before 

 reaching the bottom of the cafions. Our trusted cay uses 

 never missed a, step. Warrior would nip bunch grass 

 when descending places so steep that he seemed to be 

 standing on his head. Our camp is within about fifteen 

 miles of the Park line, and while on our scout yesterday 

 and day before we were 

 not more than eight 

 miles from the Park 

 line. Up to yesterday 

 afternoon the weather 

 was of the same char- 

 acter, heavy frosts at 

 night and quite warm 

 during the day. In 

 the afternoon about 3 

 o'clock it began snow- 

 ing, which was fol- 

 lowed in half an hour 

 by rain, 



During our absence 

 of two days Bush and 

 Weber have been amus- 

 ing themselves fishing 

 and shooting small 

 game in the neighbor- 

 hood of the camp, and 

 they have been quite 

 successful, as is evi- 

 denced by a supply of 

 fresh meat and several 

 pelts on stretchers and 

 tacked against trees 

 near by. Yesterday 

 evening on our return 

 toward camp we struck 

 a fresh elk trail, and 

 this morning Rea, Bush 

 and Weber started in 

 pursuit, I concluding 

 to remain in camp to 

 write up my .iournal, 

 repair some tents in my 

 wardrobe, and arrange 

 for an early march. 



Fall River, Wyoming, 

 Th n r sda y Morning, 

 Oct. .S'f.— Saturday aft- 

 ernoon about 4 o'clock 

 Rea and Weber re- 

 turned to camp and reported having found a fresh- 

 washed wat^r hole by ellr and moose, and we at once 

 started for the vicinity, with blankets and provisions for 

 two days. The game did not materialize, though we 

 remained io ambush until long after dark. Weber and 

 I were at the blind before daybreak and on the lookout, 

 Rea scoured the hills and saw an elk, but he was too far 

 of? to get a shot. He killed a pine martin and shot a 

 lynx, but too far back, and he was lost. We returned 

 to camp about noon, empty-handed, solely on account of 

 having no snow by which we could track the game. 

 Daring the night a bull elk came within TSyds, of our 

 bivouac, and kept us awake by disturbing the stillness of 

 the night with his peculiar whistle, well known to hunters 

 where the wapiti abounds. Tiie only water we could get 

 had to be taken from the water hole which we had come 

 to watch, and it was so saturated with the excrement of 

 the animyls visiting it that when our coffee was ready 

 our friend of O 3rman descent could not drink it, neither 

 could R^a and I without tasting more of the animal than 

 the coffee flavor. 



We spent all of Sunday afternoon getting ready to 

 move early on Monday morning. I set two traps along 

 the fork, and in the morning I had a fine specimen of 

 the pine martin, which I carefully skinned for setting 

 up, and it now adorns a secluded spot in my sanctum. 

 Monday morning we were astir early, and made this 

 camp about 4 P. M, We are camped in a beautiful 

 canon through which Fall River flows, '^'esterday even- 

 ing we caught in a short time all the trout we wished, 

 and some of them weighed as much as 21bs. They are of 

 the salmon viriety. Yesterday it rained all day and was 

 somewhat unpleasant, until aboiit 8 P. M. it cleared up, 

 and to-day the sun is shining bright and warm. Six of 

 the fifteen miles we traveled yesterday was through a 

 burned district, and no signs of game were to be seen ex- 

 cept what was made before the fire. 



We are heading for Jackson's Hole on L^ke Wyoming, 

 and as we will get an early start and have but about 

 twenty miles, we hope to make it to-day. Bash, the 

 mighty angler, is out whipping the stream, and by the 

 time the packers are ready to start I expect him in with 

 as many trout as he can take care of, 



Tuesday Eveniirg, Oct. 'i2 — ^As I expected. Bush came 

 in with a fine string, and they tasted good for supper. 

 We had gome rain to-day, but it cleared oft' during the 

 afternoon. To-day we passed over what is known as the 

 Continental Divide, which puts us east of the grand old 

 Tetons, which still loom up into the clouds, looking as 

 grand and majestic as they did thousands of years ago, 

 no doubt. On our march to day we passed through 

 what is known as the Teton Range, and at one point one 

 of the spurs seems to have been cut abruptly ofi', leaving 

 a beautiful meadow of say a hundred acres where the 

 base of the mountain would have been. Imagine a spur 

 of mountains ending in a perpendicular wall a thousand 



feet high, with here and there a stunted jack pine cling- 

 ing to the rocks, its rootlets sucking an existence out of 

 the interstices. Along the base meanders a small stream 

 alive with trout, and soaring above its rocky svimmit 

 wei*e a dozen eagles, keeping watch over their favorite 

 hatching places. 



We are cimped on the right bank of the Snake River, 

 Wyoming, about six miles west of Jackson's Hole, cele- 

 brated for the size of the trout caught in it and the seem- 

 ing) v inexhaustible supply. 



Wedruisday Morning, Oct. iV/. — We had intended to 

 take up our line of march for the lake this morning, but 

 after a consultation Rga and myself concluded to take a 

 hunt, the other boys, Rush and Weber, electing to re- 

 main in camp and fish at leisure. 



Fniday Morning, Oct. So —Here I am in camp alone- 

 no, not altogether alone, for within 10ft, of where I sit 

 are two members of that peculiar bird family well known 

 to hunters a?id prospectors as camp robbers, picking up 

 bits of meat, and just at this moment they are quarreling 

 about a choice morsel. Although these birds are called 

 robbers, no true hunter will harm them. More than 

 one 5 have I sat on a log or stone'eating my lunch in the 

 wilderness, not conscious of any living thing near me, 

 when— as if by magic—one or a pair would appear, and 

 frequently within a few feet of me. 



As I was the sole occupant of our camp last night and 



of necessity my own cook and chief "bottle washer,'' I 

 have ja?t finished a royal breakfast— good coffee, hot 

 biscuit, and elk steak of my own killing. The history of 

 this hunt in the Rockies, marred by the presence of 

 almost universal forest fires, and the' absence of snow, 

 which was due over a month ago, only proves again that 

 perseverance is always crowned with a certain degree of 

 success, even under the most unfavorable circumstances. 



Now to Wednesday's hunt, which will explain why I 

 am alone in camp. But before I proceed further it might 

 be well to call attention to the locality in which we were 

 encamped, TJintah county, Wyoming, 



Jackson's Hole, in Lake county, is a continuation of 

 that region beginning with the Washburn Range in the 

 Yellowstone National Park, and continuing south and 

 southeast, embracing the Teton Range, Y/yoming Moun- 

 tains and Wind River Range, for a distance of about 180 

 miles to the Sweet Water Mountains in southwestern 

 Wyoming, I am fully convinced that there are more 

 mountains, mountain gorges, deep canons, high snow- 

 clad peaks, beautiful lakes and less park land here than 

 any other section in which we have traveled. Directly 

 east and across the Snake from our camp ran a range 

 north and south, cut through with a deep canon. We 

 determined to make the summit, which could be seen 

 covered with snow from the little valley below— the snow 

 line being about midway between the summit and the 

 foothills at the base, through which the Snake rippled 

 over the pebbly bottom toward the lake. 



An early start and a fearful ride through thickets, over 

 high rocks and around caiions in an unbroken wilder- 

 ness, brought us to the highest point of the range by 11 

 A. M. Here we dismounted, dropped our reins, and 

 gently moved in the direction of the blufi' or point where 

 we were in a position to get a view of the country below 

 us. We did not advance more than 50 ft. until we were 

 enabled to see over the whole top of the range— a country 

 on top of the mountains. Below us was a scoop-out or 

 basin, as near as we could calculate about two and a half 

 by three miles in diameter, with a ridge or hog-back 

 running through it from northeast to southwest. This 

 basin was composed of small hills, open parks and 

 clumps of stunted pines, with here and there a boulder, 

 the general elevation being between 8,000 and 9,000ft. 

 From our location we could see into nearly every nook 

 of the territory composing the peculiar cup-shaped 

 cavity. 



For several minutes we scanned every part of the 

 picture with our natural eyes, and just as I was about re- 

 moving my field glass from its holster I thought I caught 

 sight of four small objects which seemed to move, though 

 they seemed not larger to the eye than a half-grown 

 sheep, but dark in color. I said, "George, I've found 

 them; look just this side of the divide, emerging from 

 that clump of pines— what are theyf and handed him 

 the gla?8. His practiced eye was not long in solving my 



enigma. "Elk! Game at last! See, they are still com," 

 ing out of the clump of lines— 5, 6, 7, 8. i}, 10, 11, 12, IS^ 

 14, 15, 16, 17, 18! Now for business!'" Oae fine old bul 

 with magnificent antlers, thirteen cows and four spring 

 calves; they are our meat: we are entitled to it, and we 

 need it. .Keep cool and your powder dry, we will out- 

 general them sure, if we can get down off this mountain 

 and into the basin on the other side of the little divide. 

 There we will leave our horses and slip on to them, and 

 the battle will begin. They will get rattled and we may 

 be able to drive them into the rocks beneath our feet, 

 and bag the whole band. No time is to be lost! The top 

 of the range was bald, that is to say without trees along 

 the edge of the preciioice, and for a distance varying 

 from oO to 200yds. to the timber line, tolerably well 

 covered with bunch grass, and that with about 6in, of 

 snow. 



We were soon mounted, and after a brisk ride of about 

 two miles, all the while on the lookout for a place to 

 descend, we came upon the tracks of two elk. After 

 following their trail for some 300yds., we were not sur- 

 prised to find them good guides, as we suspected they 

 had business in the basin, and they knew well where 

 they could descend. Though very steep, we knew where 

 elk could get down a cayuse could also. 



Dismounting, we landed safely in the basin, and on 

 the east side of the divide, after which we soon found a 



clump of trees in which 

 to leave our horses. 

 They were soon secured 

 with the picket ropes. 

 "Now," says George, 

 "we will take ofl! our 

 coats, but all the am- 

 munition we have must 

 go along, for if we 

 came up to that band 

 of elk there will be a 

 regular old - fashioned 

 serenade, and that is 

 what we want— follow 

 me." 



Stealthily, though as 

 rapidly as was prudent, 

 we descended the west 

 side of the divide, slip- 

 ping from one clump 

 of trees to another and 

 pick over one little 

 gulch to the top of 'an- 

 other, tintil we came to 

 their trail, which indi- 

 cated that though be- 

 ing pursued they knew 

 it. 



Soon they turned to 

 our left, toward the 

 rocky range from the 

 top of which we dis- 

 covered them, "That 

 is what we want," 

 whispered George, "we 

 will bear oft" to the west 

 and head them oft'." 

 To our right was a 

 gulch riraning in the 

 right direction. Hurry- 

 ing down it lOOyds. 

 we crept up to where 

 we could get a view of 

 the situation. The 

 guide was some 20 tt. in advance of me, and creeping on 

 his stomach; suddenly he dropped his head and came 

 running back, "1 got sight of them just above us, and 

 about 200yds. distant, and from the way they act I am 

 convinced that they have winded us, but they are unable 

 to locate us, as the currents of air in these basins have 

 no regular course, one moment the elk would get a whiff 

 of air from us, the next would be as like as not vice 

 versa. Now we will follow this depression and get 

 nearer, as we must make sure work." 



In a few minutes more we had by crawling on hands 

 and knees gained our place of attack, and joeering over 

 the rise, our whole band was in full view at about 

 100yds., bunched or huddled together as closely as they 

 could get. What a picture for a hunter! Eighteen of 

 the noblest game in the Rockies, each one trying to see, 

 hear or smell danger, which they felt was present, but no 

 one of them being able to solve' the mysterious disturb- 

 ance of the atmosphere, and to complete the picture and 

 make it still more interesting, on the opposite side of the 

 herd from us towered the antlers of the only bull, who 

 stood in a cowardly position, protected by the presence 

 of the band of cows between him and our unerring rifles. 



"Have you got your wind yet," asked the guide as I 

 lay flat in the snow on his right: "when j-ou.have, make 

 sure work of that big cow in front. I'll take care of the 

 big one in front of me: perhaps my .45-90 will go through 

 her and kill or wound another. When you are ready say 

 fu-e. and oft' she goes.'' 



"Fire," and the two cows fall. Still the herd stand, 

 and quickly two more shots go into the band, both hits, 

 and now they scamper up the mountain, which I omitted 

 to mention was thinly wooded up to within about 200yds. 

 of the rocky ledge, the point from which we first sighted 

 them. 



"Now come on, we will drive them to the rocks," and 

 oft' goes the giant, sixty years of age and six feet tall, 

 bounding up the steep mountain like an antelope in pur- 

 suit. Were it to save my life I could not have followed 

 him at his pace. In time I, too, got there, and I shall 

 never forget the spectacle that met my gaze. Under two 

 immense boulders as large as a 12ft. wall tent, at the very 

 top of the mountain and some 200yds. from the timber 

 line where we were, stood half of what was left of the 

 band, including the bull. Some 50yds, lower down were 

 the remaining half. We opened fire again, and it was 

 not long before all save the four spring calves had shared 

 a common fate. 



Just as we had finished, a trapper named Joe Kemp, at- 

 tracted by the firing, came to us and rendered valuable 

 assistance in removing the entrails from the fourteen elk. 

 It was 2 P. M. when we began, and at 5 P. M . we had 

 succeeded in getting the bodies out from among the rocks 

 and slid down to the foot of the range. By 5:^0 we were 

 ready to start down the mountain, a task which we feared 

 would be not only dangerous but impraoticable in the 



HIDES AND HORNS, 

 Drawn from an amateur photograpb. 



