66 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[July 23, 1898. 
side of the mountains by that time, but there was plenty 
of snow in the heavy timber and on the north side of 
the mountains. We were traveling north and the bear 
was headed west. It was night by the time we reached 
the camping ground and made camp. Next morning 
at break of day Bert started for the ranch for more 
grub and some things that were left behind, while I 
mounted a saddle horse and went to look after our 
bear. I was headed for a dense forest, where there was 
good tracking snow, and purposed making a detour 
westward, thinking to strike the track several miles west 
of where we had seen it. After climbing a very high 
mountain to the top, and starting into the timber on the 
western slope, I found a very fresh trail of half a dozen 
elk going in my direction. As there was a wagon 
road leading from the settlements into our present 
camp, and it was not more than ten miles distant, we 
had determined to get all the meat we could from that 
camp. So I dismissed bruin from my mind for that 
time, and dismounting, left my horse to graze on the 
rich feed in the bare patches where the snow was 
melted off, and went ahead cautiously. When only a few 
rods away from my horse, I saw in a low basin ahead 
a cow elk, which saw me at the same time; taking a hur- 
ried shot as it turned, I hit it hard. They were all off 
in a rush, except a calf, which seemed slow to get 
started, and as these make fine meat, and weigh at that 
season of the year about isolbs., I shot it and killed it on 
the spot. After the band had run to a considerable dis- 
tance a bull stopped and turned broadside. I fired three 
shots at him and cut not a hair, and have never been 
able to give a good excuse for such a clean miss. 
Hurriedly dressing the calf, I went after the horse, un- 
saddled and picketed him, and went on after the wound- 
ed elk. After going with the bunch a short distance, it 
left them, and accompanied by a bull, started straight 
down the mountain side. Following a short distance, I 
found where the wounded one had been lying down, but 
had gone before I came in sight. The bull had gone 
up on the side of the mountain to keep watch, and he 
started running up ,the side of the mountain when I 
came in sight. Taking a shot at long range as he went 
between two trees, I hardly expected to hit. and he ran 
on out of sight. I followed on down the hill after the 
wounded one, and every few rods found where it had 
lain down; but the snow had thawed the day before and 
had frozen hard that night, making a hard crust, which 
could not be gone through without a great noise. Seeing 
it was useless to try to get in sight of it with the snow 
in that condition, I retraced my steps and decided to 
wait till the sun got high enough to soften the snow. 
Going back to the place from where I had fired at the 
bull, I went up to see what had been done. On finding 
his tracks I saw plenty of blood on both sides of his 
trail where he had run, and found him 50yds. away 
dead. After getting him in shape to save the meat I 
went on to look after my bear. Making the entire 
circuit of several miles through the. woods to the west, 
where I supposed it would go, and not finding its trail, I 
came to the place where we had crossed its trail the day 
before, and followed it up^a ravine and found there the 
carcass of an elk, on which it had been feeding for per- 
haps a week; and instead of going west, as its track had 
indicated, it had gone back where it came from, only up 
on the south side of the mountain, where the snow was 
all gone. Having satisfied myself that it was "living" 
round there, I started back to find the wounded elk. 
Striking the trail where I had left it, I followed it about 
two miles down the side of a very steep mountain, and 
on coming up with it found it very much alive, and 
keeping a sharp lookout for danger. Expecting to find 
it that way, I was moving with caution and got a good 
shot, and after crashing down the side of the mountain 
for 50yds. it fell to rise no more. By the time I got it 
in shape to preserve the meat, and reached my horse, 
which fortunately was directly on my way to camp, and 
then into camp, the shades of night had shut off from 
view the splendid surroundings. The park ;n which 
we were camped contained perhaps 400 acres, and was 
a most beautiful spot; it was surrounded by heavily- 
timbered mountains, and was one of my ideal camp 
grounds. After attending to the wants of my horses, and 
preparing and eating my supper by the light of the 
camp-fire, I rolled into my "feather bed," being alone 
that night. 
The next morning I was up and ready for action at 
break of day, having bear on the brain. Packing the 
bear trap on one horse and riding the other, I proceeded 
to bruin's headquarters for supplies. The carcass which 
it was working at was in a ravine, which was at that 
spot barren of timber, consequently I had to pack timber 
several rods to build a pen, and by the time I had it all 
completed and the trap set and had returned to camp, the 
sun had again disappeared behind Old Baldy, one of 
the prominent landmarks of that section. I found Bert 
in camp with a fresh supply of grub, and ready to listen 
to my report for the; past two days. 
Means had to be secured for taking out the meat we 
had on hand, I therefore directed Bert where to find the 
bear trap, to see if it was all right, and I hit the trail for 
the ranch, about ten miles distant, to arrange with a 
neighbor to come in with a wagon and take out the 
meat. On my return' to camp about noon I learned from 
Bert that the trap had been undisturbed. After dinner 
we went to the place where the meat was, and skinned 
and prepared it for packing, and set two traps at the 
entrails for foxes. Next morning we took the four 
horses and went by way of the bear trap; we found, by 
fresh tracks, that the bear had been near there, but had 
not disturbed anything. Going on to our meat we found 
a fox in each of our traps. In packing our horses, one 
of them, a stubborn old brute, lay down after we had 
him packed with half an elk, all ready ,to start, and we 
had to unpack him to get him up. Of course all that 
goes in with the business, and after some extra hard 
lifting and work, intermingled with pack ropes, it was 
all forgotten, to be remembered against the horse no 
more. 
When we came in sight of camp that evening, about 4 
o'clock, we saw old Elick Hilton there with his wagon 
ready for the meat, and after supper he started for a 
night drive to the ranch. 
• Next morning the weather looked threatening; it was 
very dark and a few snowflakes were falling. We 
started on horseback to visit our bear trap. Bert was 
riding ahead when he reached a rise of ground which 
overlooked the bear pen, at a distance of 80 rods, he 
stopped his horse, and shading his eyes with his hand 
.from the now fast-falling snow, said: "I believe he's 
been there!" Riding up quickly, I saw at a glance that 
the pen was demolished. We left our horses and went 
down through the woods and across the ravine, as if the 
bear was behind us instead of ahead; for by this time 
it was snowing very fast, and we were afraid the trail 
would get covered and we would lose it. When we came out 
of the timber near the pen we saw that the clog was 
gone. We struck the trail of the clog before we reached 
the pen, and took the trail at a good gait, with visions 
of bear in every object in sight. The chase was too 
short, for we only followed about 75yds. when we came 
up with it fastened among some trees, quite gentle, much 
to our regret. It is said, and I believe truly, that when a 
bear is trapped by a hindfoot, as was this one, they are 
not nearly so full of fight as when caught by a front 
foot. There it was, a fine specimen of, bear — a female 
Rocky Mountain grizzly, weighing 40olbs., and with a 
good hide, which netted us $25. The game was dis- 
patched by a bullet in the head. Oh! how it did snow. 
We built a fire, for we had something of a job before us, 
as any one knows who has properly skinned a bear. 
We both worked at it a while, and then Bert went to 
look after the fox traps, which had been set at the same 
place again, while I finished it. When he came back he 
had another fine fox hide to add to our day's catch. 
Then the fun commenced — packing the meat and hide of 
that bear on the horses. Nearly all horses are afraid of 
bear, and the scent of one will create a general panic 
among horses. Ours were no exception, and "there was 
a hot time on the hillside that day"; but we succeeded. 
By the time we reached camp, about 3 o'clock that even- 
ing, there was fully 6in. of fresh snow on the ground. 
The next two days we spent in scouring the surround- 
ing country for many miles in search of bear tracks. 
The second day, about 10 o'clock, I struck the trail of 
an old she and two cubs, and as they traveled mostly 
on the south side of the mountains, where the ground 
was bare, I followed them with great difficulty. They 
were not more than two or three hours ahead of me at 
most, as they" crossed my tracks at one place, where I 
had passed before finding their tracks. I followed them 
till sundown, when they went entirely out of the snow, 
and all that was left for me to do was to turn my weary 
steps toward camp, fully ten miles distant, without a 
trail of any kind. But the night was a beautiful moon- 
light one, so that I traveled as easily as by day, and 
reached camp by about 10 o'clock. I had a fine marten 
skin for my day's work, having treed and shot it be- 
fore finding the bear trail. Bert had not found anything 
of interest. 
As the snow Avas gone to a great extent, we set about 
preparing to move camp about ten miles further west, to 
Hog Park. We arrived there in due time, and after 
making camp we each went out to take a survey of our 
surroundings before dark. I came in after dark, having 
gone about two miles north to learn the prospects for 
game, as we hadn't brought any meat with us. I found 
Bert feeling good, for he had gone out about 100yds. 
from camp and found fresh beaver sign, and we had hard- 
ly hoped to find any of them there. He had set a trap, 
and when we were ready for bed I suggested that we 
go and see if everything was right at the trap. On 
coming near we heard a great commotion in the water, 
which was about 4ft. deep, and soon saw a head come up 
out of the water; we had him, and he was so large and 
powerful that he could raise the bag of stones which 
was fastened to the trap to drag him down and drown 
him, and he would hold it up while he would get his head 
above the surface and breathe. That was the largest 
beaver I ever saw, and it would have weighed fully 5olbs. 
We went to bed feeling hilarious over our good luck. 
As that was a day for moving we had not counted on 
any profit, and the hide brought us $9 when we sold our 
bunch of fur. 
Bert was an enthusiastic beaver trapper and under- 
stood it thoroughly, while I had no hankering for work- 
ing about the water; so he followed his inclination next 
morning by going to some beaver dams several miles 
southeast of camp, while I went north to look for meat. 
Soon in the morning snow began to fall, and it snowed 
hard. The ground was bare when I left camp, and bv 
9 o'clock there was no less than 5111. of snow, and 
still snowing. About that time I had given up looking 
for game until the snow stopped. There was a small 
park about four miles north of our camp, which was bet- 
ter located for a camp than where we were, and I decided 
to go up there, while it was snowing, and see if anyone 
had camped there, with a view to making our next camp 
there providing no one had been there with horses to 
eat off the feed. 
While making my way leisurely up the side of a very 
steep mountain through the blinding snow, I saw an 
object ahead of me which I thought looked like the 
head of an elk lying down. I looked at it so long and it 
remained so perfectly still that I began to doubt. It 
appeared to me as having its ears set forward and 
looking intently at me. I moved on a few steps and 
looked again as well as the fast falling snow would 
allow, still thinking it must be an elk lying down and 
covered with snow. While thinking hard what to do, 
the object, along with about a dozen of its kind, sudden- 
ly rose to its feet, and I saw, mingled with snowflakes, a 
fine bunch of elk. Hurriedly bringing my gun up, I 
discovered to my chagrin that the sights were full of 
snow, and by the time I had that cleaned out the chances 
were slim, but I took a snap shot and hit, but not hard 
enough to do any good. Their trail led through the 
small pafk to which I was going. When I got there, 
knowing the advantage of delaying pursuit until they 
would be off their guard, I stopped and took a survey 
of the park and surroundings, and found that there had 
been no campers in the vicinity. Then I sat down and 
ate my lunch, and after spending an hour started after 
my elk, determined to "get meat" or "get tired"; the 
latter I was quite sure of, for they were going directly 
away from camp. It had stopped snowing and the sun 
was shining; I followed them about two miles, and found 
where they had stopped, on coming into the edge of 
heavy timber, after passing through a long stretch of 
open country, where they had every advantage of a I 
hunter in pursuit. Some had lain down; and everything! 
indicated that they had spent at least an hour there, I 
showing the advisability of not following them at once. I 
They had gone leisurely up along the side of the moun-I 
tain and I followed cautiously for about 80 rods, when! 
I spied the hindquarters of one about 75yds. ahead. 1 
Waiting a moment to learn of its movements, I saw a fine! 
pair of antlers move at the other end of the hindquarters,! i 
and then there stepped into partial view a magnificent' I 
bull, all unconscious of any danger, and affording a fine IF 
shot, and the .45-90 belched forth death to another oil I 
the noblest of American animals. 
The others had been lying down? and jumped up in I 
confusion and afforded some more good shots, but III 
was too far away from the ranch then to take any meat™ 
home, and I just held the old gun down tight so it! 
wouldn't shoot, while the band passed safely out of* 
sight. This was an ideal spot for bear, and after skin- 
ning the animal and taking off all four quarters, and 
trimming off such meat as I could, I left the carcass; 
there without taking the entrails out, making a tempting 1 
bait for a wandering bear. I got back to camp about 
dark to find Bert feeling at peace with all the world; 
he had found some beaver sign a few miles from) 
camp and had some traps out. 
The next morning dawned bright and clear. I started 
on horseback toward the scene of action of the day be- 
fore, hoping to find a bear trail, as there was a goodi 
tracking snow i'n the morning. When within 300yds. of: 
the carcass I struck the largest bear track I have ever 
seen in any place. It was coming up from toward the 
carcass, and I at once supposed it had been at the 
meat, in which event I was nearly sure of finding it, fori 
usually they do not travel far after filling themselves; 
with fresh meat. Leaving the horse, I followed the backi 
track to within 50yds. of the carcass, and there found an 
end to the trail. It had come so far and then turned! 
about and stepped in its tracks, going back so exactly 
that it looked as if it had passed but once. Why it had 
not found the carcass when so near to it I never could 
tell. I went back, got my horse and started in pursuit. 
By 11 o'clock I found the tracks heading down the side! 
of a very deep canon, where the morning sun had sc 
bared the ground that I was unable to trail it. By walk- 
ing and leading the horse, and picking my way down thd 
steep, rocky side of the canon. I was able, after a tedious 
and in some places dangerous passage, to reach the bot- 
tom of the canon, in which flowed the Grand Encamp- 
ment Creek, a few miles above the present site of th« 
Grand Encampment mining town, which is now enjoy- 
ing a boom. There I found a small space where I could 
tie my horse with a few feet of rope, enabling him tc 
reach a few bunches of grass. Leaving the horse there' 
I hastened on across the creek, and climbed the canots 
on the other side until I reached tracking snow, and aftei 
considerable searching found the trail, as I had hoped 
to, and pushed on with a zeal which only a bear traclf 
of such dimensions could give. I followed it on at 
my best pace for three hours, only taking my eyes ofl 
the tracks, and the vicinity in which they were leading; 
occasionally to note the too rapidly declining sun, 
Never did I so much wish to be alone in the moun- 
tains, without a horse to care for, in which event 1 
could have followed till dark and then camped on the 
trail; but the horse must come out of that canon before 
dark. The last half-hour I trailed on a good smart 
trot, and there was the trail still leading on, on, on, back 
tracking all the way, and the sun sinking low in thi 
west. With a last look in the direction of the coveted 
prize, I turned about and made a long home run foi 
the bottom of the canon — the distance I would not try 
to calculate — reaching it just as the sun had ceased tc 
shine on the mountain tops, and dusk was fast gathering 
down in the canon. I found the horse shivering with 
the chill of the frosty evening. 
I knew there was a hard task ahead of me — to get th<i 
horse out of the canon before dark. Taking the picket 
rope in hand, I would climb up the steep slope the fuli 
length of the rope, or until I would come to a spot which 
oifered footing sufficient for a horse to stand, then I; 
would bid him come; and he would come, climbing, 
scrambling, plunging, sometimes on his knees and some-; 
times on his feet, but always coming, till he would land 
at» the place selected, puffing and ready to stop. In this 
way we worked until darkness was fairly settled around 
us, when we reached the top. Then commenced a long 
plod to camp; riding where it was good footing, and 
walking over rough country, and guided through the 
wilderness by the bright moon. I came in sight of om 
camp-fire at about half-past nine. Tired and hungry? 
Well, yes. middling. Bert had had better success ana 
had added to our stock of beaver hides. 
The bright sun had spoiled the tracking snow and we 
agreed to move camp to the place before mentioned, 
about four miles north, and to turn our attention to trap- 
ping. Having established a good permanent camp ir; 
what was then a paradise for hunter and trapper, Ji 
started out to string a line of traps for marten, while 
Bert devoted his time to looking after beaver, havingl 
a long distance to go, since our last move was directly! 
away from his beaver dams. We were taking a goodly I 
number of marten, getting one or two every night at thtl 
elk carcass, which was on my line of traps, as I was 
visiting it every day to discover the first appaearance o!| 
any bear that might find it. 
Grub began to run low, and Bert agreed to go for a; 
new supply, while I should tend the traps and take care 
of the furs. He was to be gone three days, going and 
coming by way of his beaver traps, which were about} 
two miles "off the trail leading to the settlements. On. thd 
morning of the third day that he was gone I went or. 
horseback to the carcass which I was watching, and 1 
which was over two miles from camp. After looking 
at some traps along the route it was 10 o'clock when 1 
got there, and found the carcass torn to pieces and! 
dragged about, and my marten traps scattered around I 
On leaving the camp where we had last used the beaij 
trap, we had had our horses heavily packed, and hado 
left the bear trap behind. I was determined on getting 
the trap to camp that night; so rode back to camp, pui 
the pack saddle on the other horse, and started in a hurqij 
for our old camp ground. It was nearly noon when j 
started, but as there was nothing cooked to eat fos 
