884 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[April 98, 1894. 



RAMBLING IN WYOMING. 



Visaua, Cal.— Editor Forest and Stream: On July 2, 

 1893, Ernest Britten, of Three Rivers, John Broder, W. T. 

 Cooper and myself left here for a pleasure trip through 

 Wyoming and the Yellowstone National Park. We took 

 passage for Casper, Wyoming, the terminus of the Fre- 

 mont, Elk Horn & Missouri Valley railroad, distant 220 

 miles from Cheyenne, located upon the south bank of the 

 famous Platte River, and built upon the site of old Fort 

 Oasper. Carey Bros. , one of whose ranches is near Casper, 

 are among the largest cattle growers in the State. From 

 them we secured nine head of horses at the reasonable 

 figure of $20 per head. They were the regular Wyoming 

 cow ponies, averaging 900 to l,0001bs,, and proved most 

 excellent animals for both riding and packing; their en- 

 durance was astonishing. 



All offers of a guide were rejected, and on the morning 

 of July 10 we left Casper for the southern spur of the Big 

 Horn Mountains, distant 85 miles. The whole of this 

 distance lies across Casper desert, where, save an occa- 

 sional sage brush, nothing green is seen; it is 20 and 25 

 miles between watering places, and so strongly is the 

 water impregnated with alkali that one must be very 

 thirsty to drink it. This difficulty was greatly overcome 

 by carrying drinking water in a large keg lashed on a 

 pack-horse, and also in canteens. 



The first camp was pitched 25 miles in the desert, 

 where we found some springs of water. Antelope 

 abounded and the camp was well supplied with meat. The 

 sage brush was literally alive with prairie chickens, the 

 young of which, being about two-thirds grown, were 

 delicious eating. Next morning while breakfasting we 

 could see a hundred antelope curiously surveying the 

 camp from the neighboring hilltops. 



Four days' travel brought us to Oakey post office, on 

 Bad Water, and within a few miles 

 of the southern spur of the Big 

 Horns. Bad Water seemed a mis- 

 nomer, for the water was pure and 

 cold; the Indians so named the 

 stream on account of its rising 

 rapidly after a rain and doing great 

 damage along its course. 



On July 14 camp was pitched in 

 the spur of the Big Horns, a series of 

 low, gently rolling hills about 30 

 miles wide by 100 miles long. This 

 country presented an unbroken 

 carpet of luxuriant green grass; pure 

 water was everywhere abundant, 

 and an occasional copse of pine or 

 spruce timber dotted these beautiful 

 hills, upon whose gentle slopes any- 

 where a wagon could be driven. 

 Deer, elk, antelope and prairie 

 chickens abounded. The apparent 

 excellence of this country for a stock 

 range was frequently remarked, but 

 only a few bands of sheep were seen 

 and they were there but temporarily, 

 the herders using tented wagons to 

 enable them to move easily from 

 place to place. This beautiful do- 

 main is unsurveyed, and why it 

 should remain unsettled can be ex- 

 plained only upon the probability of 

 very severe winters. Seven days' 

 travel brought us to the snow- 

 capped peaks of the famous Big Horns, whose range is 

 200 miles long by 40 miles wide. Camp was pitched on 

 Little Ten Sleep Creek, a stream vieing with any of those 

 on Kern River in the number, beauty and quality of its 

 speckled trout; its waters literally teem with these pretty 

 fish, all eager to see which can get into your frying-pan 

 first. Prior to this, other trout streams were found, out 

 none compared favorably with this. Before the day 

 closed four deer and two elk were slaughtered, Mr. Broder 

 bringing in the finest deer— a four-point buck. Camp 

 was now well supplied with meat, and for a time hunting 

 gave way to fishing. At this point, unfortunately, the 

 ranks of our little party were broken by the departure of 

 Mr. Britten, who accepted the position of packer with a 

 party of soldiers, out on a pleasure trip from Buffalo, 

 Wyoming, 



The Big Horn range is heavily timbered with pine and 

 spruce of small diameter; rarely is a tree seen measuring 

 more than l^ft. in diameter. In times gone by extensive 

 forest fires have prevailed, killing a great deal of timber; 

 in many places one can walk for miles on fallen dead 

 timber. 



Big Ten Sleep Creek, twenty miles further north, 

 proved a most attractive place. Camp was pitched on 

 the lake of same name, a body of water one-fourth mile 

 wide by one mile long, surrounded by snow-capped 

 mountains and beautiful woodlands, its mirror-like sur- 

 face reflecting a splendid picture of the gorgeous scenery 

 about it. The quiet loveliness of this pretty place stirs 

 the soul and kindles feelings of the keenest pleasure. 

 The fishing here was equal to that of the former camp, 

 and elk and deer abounded. 



Were the game laws of Wyoming strictly enforced the 

 non-resident hunter would be shut out entirely. Under 

 the law non-residents are allowed to kill nothing. Hides, 

 horns and meat of wild game are not allowed to be 

 shipped out of the State by any one. But like the game 

 laws of California, they are not strongly enforced, and 

 the non-resident hunter usually finds little difficulty in 

 shipping his hides and horns. 



Two days' travel northward brought us to the banks of 

 one of the largest and most interesting streams in the Big 

 Horns— South Paint Rock Creek. Some difficulty was 

 encountered in reaching this camp, we being compelled 

 to cut our way for a distance of five miles through what 

 is termed in Wyoming a "wind fall," or fallen dead 

 timber. Once through this we had plain sailing. Travel- 

 ing in the Big Horns, even without a trail, is usually 

 good; there is always mpre or less open country. 



The reader may be puzzled to know how we avoided 

 being lost, being in a strange country and having no 

 guide. This was obviated by good maps and compasses. 

 By means of these, and a scale of miles provided with the 

 map, and by keeping a record of the distance traveled 

 daily, our locality could always be determined with 

 tolerable accuracy. Locality was a matter of little con- 

 cern. If plenty of wood) water, grass and wild game 

 were f ound, it was a royal residence^ 



South Paint Rock is a rushing stream similar in size to 

 Little Kern River, and one of the most famous trout 

 streams in Wyoming. 



When the excellent fishing and hunting afforded by 

 this locality had been well enjoyed, we determined to turn 

 westward, cross the Big Horn Basin, and explore the 

 Shoshone range of •mountains for game and fish. From 

 our camp on Paint Rock there extends toward the basin 

 a gently sloping tableland, through which, for a distance 

 of fifteen miles, the creek had cut its remarkable canon, 

 2,000ft. deep and less than a quarter of a mile wide. 

 Everywhere could be seen the skeletons of numerous elk 

 and mountain sheep that had perished there during severe 

 winters. For miles this canon presented an unbroken 

 surface of gigantic wall and a magnificent display of 

 colors. In many places the precipices were blood red 

 from summit to base, relieved by horizontal strata of 

 yellow, purple, brown and gray. Red predominated, and 

 hence the name Paint Rock Creek, the beautiful and 

 tumultuous stream that traverses the canon. To the 

 lover of the beautiful and grand this is a most glorious 

 place. 



Big Horn Basin is 150 miles long by 75 miles wide, much 

 lower than the surrounding country, and formed of low 

 hills and tablelands poorly watered. The basin is bounded 

 on the east by the Big Horn Mountains and its southern 

 spur, and on the west by the Shoshone and Owl Creek 

 ranges. The Big Horn River flows a northerly course 

 through the center of the basin and empties into the 

 Yellowstone. 



Pickerel, catfish and grayling are caught in the waters 

 of Big Horn River, the pickerel and cat frequently weigh- 

 ing 10 to 151bs. The borders of the river are well tim- 

 bered and the adjacent country abounds in wild game- 

 antelope, deer, elk and bear. Little time was spent here 

 after game, our destination being the picturesque Sho- 



A STUDY OF ELK. By J. B, Burnhait. 



shones. For three days the course was up the river, at 

 the end of which time the Owl Creek range was sighted 

 and camp was pitched at the mouth of the creek of the 

 same name, one of the largest tributaries of the Big Horn 

 having its source in the Owl Creek and Shoshone ranges. 



Here we left Big Horn River, and for three or four 

 days traveled up Owl Creek, along whose little valley we 

 saw a few ranches, nearly all of which were devoted to 

 alfalfa, cattle and horses. The absence of wheat and 

 barley was remarkable, not a field of these cereals having 

 been seen in the State. During the third day's travel up 

 the creek two of the largest cattle ranches in Wyoming 

 were passed. The first of these was the Keystone, whose 

 herd numbers vO.OOO head, and superintended by Mr. Mc- 

 Coy, of Denver, Colorado. A few miles distant was the 

 Embar ranch, their brand being the letter M and a bar 

 beside it, hence the name; their herd numbers 100,000. 

 Embar post office was soon reached, where we waited two 

 days for our mail. 



Our first camp in the Shoshones was upon the head- 

 waters of Big and Little Grass creeks, twenty-five miles 

 to the northwest. This proved a fine elk country, every 

 canon containing a band of them. Not well understand- 

 ing the habits of the elk and his ability to elude the 

 hunter, several fruitless attempts were made before any 

 were killed; on the third day's hunt a bull elk was killed, 

 dressing 5001bs. Do not make the mistake most hunters 

 do who are unused to hunting this royal game — that 

 because he is as laTge as a cow he can be as easily cap- 

 tured. At this season of the year they are to be found in 

 the highest timber at the heads of canons; rarely does he 

 feed during the day, but ventures forth on moonlight 

 nights. During the dark of the moon he takes his food 

 during the earliest hours of the morning, retreating to 

 heavy timber on the approach of sunrise. They are ever 

 on the alert for their enemies, and their fleetness of foot 

 and keenness of eyesight, hearing and smell, make them 

 among the most difficult game to capture. The elk does 

 not bound like the deer or gallop like the horse, but he is 

 a most excellent trotter; during his flight the nose is ele- 

 vated and the huge antlers rest on the back; it is truly 

 astonishing what headway they can make through tim- 

 ber. On first seeing a frightened elk speeding over the 

 mountain, it was strongly suggested to the writer that 

 could one be harnessed to a sulky the world's trotting 

 record could be easily lowered and the famous Maud S. 

 would not be in the race at all. The elk of to-day is a 

 much smarter animal than the elk of twenty years ago; 

 he is no longer stupid enough to venture upon the open 

 plain to fall an easy target for the hunter's rifle, but 

 makes his home in dense forests, from which he seldom 

 ventures save for food and water. The- deer soon re- 

 covers from his fright, and you find him waiting for you 

 in the neighboring gulch; but the elk, once alarmed, does 

 not halt till he is ten or fifteen miles from his pursuer. 

 The experienced hunter chooses his feeding time in which 

 to hunt him, taking great care to keep the wind in his 

 favor and well knowing that to hunt with the wind is the 



utmost folly. Unless those vast forests are destroyed and 

 since the Indians are growing less numerous, it is certain 

 that they will gradually increase in numbers. The sleek, 

 plump body, graceful head, lars-e lustrous eyes, gigantic 

 antlers and majestic carriage combine to make the elk the 

 most royal game of the forest. 



Fifty miles to the northwest we encountered Wood 

 River and its grand canon twenty miles long, up which 

 we passed. The beauty and sublimity of this canon is 

 worthy of remark. Snow-capped summits 4,000 to 5,000ft. 

 high rise precipitously and almost continuously through- 

 out the length of the canon. The canon was headed and 

 the dividing ridge crossed, bringing us to the headwaters 

 of the east fork of Wind River, down which we passed 

 toward the main stream. 



The head of Wood River carion is a noted place for 

 mountain sheep and goats, and a day was spent in search 

 of these wary animals, but a snowstorm cut short what 

 might have been a successful hunt. It was suggested by 

 a member of the party that a pair of wings would prove 

 of great service in the pursuit of mountain sheep. I 

 quite agree. 



Three days' travel gained "Two-ow-tee Pass," the divid- 

 ing ridge between the headwaters of the Wind River and 

 Buffalo fork of Snake River. "Two-ow-tee" is not the 

 famed Two-Ocean Pass, from which the waters upon one 

 side flow into the Atlantic and those upon the other into 

 the Pacific Ocean. How impressive and almost incom- 

 prehensible must be the sight of two streams, whose sources 

 are only a few yards apart, but whose destinations are 

 separated by thousands and thousands of miles. 



The Pass is about 10,000ft. high, on reaching the sum- 

 mit of which a grand sight was presented. A few miles 

 to the northeast lay an immense terraced mountain 

 several miles long and around which the Almighty had 

 placed a splendid inclosure. The vertical walls of the 

 principal terrace was a magnificent palisade hundreds of 

 feet high and rivaling the famous palisades along the 

 Hudson River, New York, while sixty miles westward 

 and shooting high into the heavens, were the clear cut 

 spires of the unique and beautiful Teton range. They 

 lie just west of Snake River and along the eastern 

 boundary of Idaho, and are among the most strangely 

 picturesque and beautiful mountains in America. Unlike 

 our Sierra Nevadas, they have no foothills, but resemble 

 a series of cathedral spires rising from a level plain to 

 the sublime height of 14,000ft. The picture they present 

 amid the glories of a summer sunset, once seen is never 

 forgotten. 



Vast numbers of elk, antelope, deer, bear and many 

 moose and caribou are found in the range, but so rugged 

 are they and so dense the timber that the hunter finds 

 pursuit of game almost impossible. 



We traveled down Black Rock Creek, one of the tribu- 

 taries of the Buffalo fork, passing through lovely valleys 

 and much pretty, sparsely-timbered country untenanted 

 by man and. untrodden by anything save the deer and the 

 elk. We soon reached Snake River, up which we traveled 

 on the Sheridan trail toward the National Park, the 

 second day's travel bringing us just within its southern 

 confines, and at a point called Snake River Station, where 

 a few soldiers were guarding the Park. 



T. J. Patterson, 

 [to be concluded next week.] 



IN NEZ PERCES TIMES. 



During the Nez Perces Indian war I drove a small 

 band of horses down in to what is called the Cove, a nice 

 range for horses in between a small hollow that put down 

 from Mount Idaho and the Clearwater. Here I could 

 look after them occasionally and could prevent the Indians 

 from driving them off. One day I went down and as I 

 was not feeling very nervous I took nothing but a Colt's 

 .45 revolver. I had got along down nearly half way from 

 the summit to the river when I saw my band of horses 

 not more than half a mile distant. They were all in a 

 bunch, and from then appearance I knew that they had 

 seen something in a small thicket between me and them 

 which I could overlook. I jumped off from my horse 

 and led him back a little so I could see without being- 

 seen, and about the first thing I thought of was Indians. 

 Then I began to wish that I had brought my Remington. 

 I had but a few minutes to complete all my wishes whpn 

 out from the brush walked a good-sized brown bear. He 

 was going quartering up the mountain. I had quite a 

 rocky place to go down. I started and kept my eyes on 

 the bear, for I did not want him to get alarmed and bolt 

 for the Clearwater Canon. He soon stopped and so did 

 I, when he started I led on as fast as I could; when he 

 would stop so would I, In this way I reached the bot- 

 tom, where I had fair going, just as he passed over a 

 small rise into some buck brush. 



I soon galloped up on to the rise when I saw him disap- 

 pear and was looking too far to my right, when my horse 

 threw up his head and looked quartering to my left. I 

 turned my head just in time to see the bear get down from 

 his haunches and start down the ridge through the open 

 timber and buck brush. I gave chase and my horse be- 

 came excited, and it was hard for me to hold him down 

 to a gait I considered safe. I soon ran up to within 10yds. 

 of the bear, but he would not take to a tree. He crossed 

 the hollow and started up a very steep bank which was 

 about 50yds. high. I stopped at the foot of it and took a 

 running shot at him. At the crack of the revolver he 

 rolled back down the bank not 20ft. from my horse. He 

 struck the bottom at the foot of a big, leaning fir tree, and 

 before I had time to make a good shot he jumped up and 

 started to climb the fir. I shot at the back of his head and 

 he rolled out dead. After he quit kicking, I rode my 

 horse up to him and he did not care at all, but went to 

 nibbling grass unconcernedly right by the side of the dead 

 bear. 



I went back to Mount Idaho, got a good pack horse, and 

 my brother-in-law and me went back and got the bear, 

 which I think would have weighed 3001bs. We took him 

 to town, hung him up and skinned him in the main street 

 and told every one to help themselves. Col. Green was 

 there with a company of cavalry. He examined the bear, 

 congratulated me on my luck and said he considered him- 

 self well posted on the efficiency of the army revolver, yet 

 he had had no idea that it would make such a wound as 

 was shown in this bear. I got $4 for the gall; the hide 

 being a summer skin was not good. Lew Wilmot, 

 Oroviiak, Wash. 



