STILL-HUNTING 105 



end of the platform to see what was causing the 

 excitement, and looking around the corner of 

 the cabin saw a large moose facing me twenty- 

 five yards away. At that instant Lovitt's rifle 

 cracked, and two or three seconds later he was 

 on the ground outside. After firing, seeing the 

 moose retreat, he stepped from a chair to the top 

 of the dining table, and then plunged through the 

 window, his shoulders breaking the casing above 

 the opening as he threw himself in great excite- 

 ment into the open air. Two more shots were 

 fired and the moose fell dead sixty-eight yards 

 from the cabin. 



The moose was old and battle-scarred. He 

 bore antlers spreading 49 inches, and having 11 + 7 

 points. This moose had approached the camp 

 from the leeward — perhaps in flight before a 

 younger and more vigorous antagonist. The 

 odors of the oxen and the smoke from the camp 

 stove had had no deterring effect. It was Lovitt's 

 first moose. In a lifetime of hunting he may 

 never get another with so little effort. 



A windy or rainy day is favorable for still- 

 hunting moose, because the sound of a stick 

 breaking under the hunter's foot will then be less 

 noticeable. Wet leaves, furthermore, will not 



