142 
FOREST AND STREAM, 
[Aug. 20, 1898. 
% Mpwtstq&n Sound. 
Death Gulch. 
Gardiner, Mont., June 7. — Editor Forest and Stream: 
About ten days ago one of the Government scouting 
parties reported eleven dead bears in Death Gulch, on 
Cache Creek in the Yellowstone Park. As I was in want 
of fresh air, I thought I'd make a trip to the gulch, and 
if possible get a few pictures. Arthur Barron and I, with 
our saddle and two pack horses, started one Sunday 
morning, the first pleasant day for over two weeks. 
Our ride of twenty-five miles to Yancey's was inter- 
esting, but we saw very little game, nothing worth 
mentioning. Most of the game had moved away back 
from their winter range. We camped one night at 
"Uncle John's," the next day started for Soda Butte 
station — twenty miles. On the way we saw our first 
young elk calf" on Specimen Divide; it crossed our road 
just in front of us. There were hundreds of elk in 
sight lying down and feeding. While we were passing 
one large band near Big Specimen, we heard a bull 
whistle. There was no mistake. I Turned to Arthur 
and remarked, "Who says bulls never whistle except dur- 
ing the running season?" It is very seldom one does 
hear one whistle out of season, but they can if they wish 
to. We saw a very few antelope, all but one were very 
wild; this one buck watched us pass at 150yds. without 
moving; the others ran as soon as we came in sight. 
They said, "There come some pi those Gardiner fel- 
lows who shot at us last winter," and "lit out." only 
"touching the high points." I did not see any young 
ones, and had no time to hunt them. 
We camped Monday night at Soda Butte, where we 
enjoyed one of our mountain snowstorms. In the morn- 
ing the whole country was white, the snow covering the 
ground to a depth of ij^in., the larkspurs, violets, small 
yellow lilies and other flowers sticking up through the 
snow, and frozen. There was a skim of ice over puddles 
in the road. We got an early start from the Butte, and 
crossed Soda Butte Creek by a ford before the snow began 
to melt much. On the. bench where the old game-keep- 
to the edge of Death Gulch. We walked up about 100ft. 
further, then went down into it. We had no fear of 
poisonous gases, as there was a strong wind blowing. 
True, the sulphur fumes were not very pleasant to 
smell, and the carbonic acid gas made our heads ache 
a bit; but it was not strong enough to be dangerous. 
I found quite a stream of water running down the 
gulch from the melting snow above and the recent rains. 
The wash from the water was so great that it had car- 
ried off all the small things like flies, birds and some 
parts of the bears. There were parts of eleven bears in 
the gulch; but the stock has been many years getting 
up to that number. A cub had been carried off by a 
large bear, whose tracks I saw all around the edge of 
DEATH GULCH. 
Photo by Mr. E. Hofer. 
er's cabin is we saw our first game, an antelope, that 
ran as soon as it caught sight of us. We* saw a large 
band of elk across Lamar River, but too far to count. A 
mile further, as we climbed to another bench, turning up 
Lamar toAvard Cache Creek, we began to get close to 
elk. First were three bulls, their horns just beginning 
to branch out; one, a spike, had only one horn; we could 
not see even a lump where the other ought to have been; 
the one horn was about iSin. long. They did not see us 
until we got quite close, although they would raise their 
heads and look our way. We were riding up a little 
gulch almost under them. We counted twenty-eight elk 
in the band. We saw other bands, some to our right 
below us, others just ahead in the trail, and some up on 
the mountain side. As we came in sight they moved on 
all in one direction, until there were a few over 200. At 
one time they Avere in one long string along the trail 
climbing- the open mountain side. They all stopped to 
have a look at us and the soldiers with Scout Morrison, 
who were overtaking us on the trail. Arthur and I were 
sitting' on our horses counting the elk, when one old 
cow suddenly started off down hill toward the mouth of 
Cache Creek, and away from the other elk; soon others 
began to follow until about half of the herd went with 
her. I counted tio in this part of the band. Some of 
the others hesitated which way to go, because the head 
of the band was going out of sight up over the high 
ridge. One or two more went down, and about thirty 
kept along the hillside, while others went on up. Just 
before Ave reached Cache Creek we saw other bands of 
elk, and quite large bands. Even at our camping place 
Ave found a few on the creek bottom; in all there were 
not less than 400 between Soda Butte and Cache Creek. 
A large proportion Avere last year's calves — yearlings. 
Morrison and the soldiers threw off their nacks in the 
pine timber above the trail, while Arthur and I left our 
packs in the open by some willows. Picketing our 
horses, the soldiers let their two pack animals — Mike 
and Butte, two mules — folloAV, and we all started for the 
gulch, about tAvo miles up the creek. We rode up the 
left bank to a small park just opposite the mouth of the 
gulch, and in this Ave saw a few elk at a lick. We crossed 
Cache Creek by a rough ford, tied our horses in some 
timber. One of the mules, Butte, refused to follow, pre- 
ferring to camp in the park, Avhere the feed was good, at 
the same time having the other horses in sight. We all 
climbed the steep mountain side away from the gulch 
Until we were about gopft, -above the creek, when we came 
f' POSED FOR THE CAMERA, 
the gulch, and going into it, and whose bed I saw 
under a pine tree; but the bear itself I did not Avish to 
see, unarmed as I was. Judging from its tracks it was a 
huge felloAV. and Avould tip the beam between 600 and 
7oolbs. I would have liked to have his picture. There 
was a dead red fox in the gulch that Avas in a very good 
state of preservation. The last bear to have lost his 
life there had been skinned by the soldiers, but the skin 
proved Avorthless. I took shots at the fox and three of 
the bears with a small camera. The fox. may show up, 
but there was so little contrast betAveen the color of 
the dead bears and the dirt in which they lav that I 
can't expect much of a picture. The water had car- 
ried sediment over the bears, and the sun and Avater had 
bleached their already grizzly hair until they were of a 
color of the bottom of the gulch. Arthur and the 
soldiers gathered a few claws, which showed that the 
bears were all grizzlies. 
I climbed the other side of the gulch to get a general 
view. The gulch is a very narrow V-shaped canon-like 
cut in the mountain side, the sides are very steep, and in 
some places almost perpendicular. The whole country 
is like much of that to be found in the Yellowstone 
Park — the formation having been altered by the gases 
working up through. At the time of my former visits 
to the gulch there was no water running out of it, but 
that Avas during the dry season. Then there were noted 
as victims to the gas flies, butterflies, small birds, a rabbit 
and five bears. Often porcupines are overcome by the 
gases. All these small things are carried off by the 
water during the spring, Avhcn the snow above is melt- 
ing. I think there is little danger to visitors if they 
will not stoop too low. The poisonous gas cannot be 
Mr. Walter Harvey Weed, of the U. S. Geological Sur- 
vey, in 1888, when the remains of five bears, one elk 
and several small things were found. 
After I had climbed out of the gulch I took a few 
vieAVS and started for the horses. Looking across the 
creek, I saw the mule Butte and two elk feeding in the 
little park where the lick was. I hurried down to the 
horses and forded with mine, ran along under the bank 
to a good position, and made some exposures on the 
mule and elk feeding together. Soon the others came 
and we returned to our baggage. We put up tents and 
got lunch. As the day Avas clear I did not attempt to 
change spools in the "daylight camera" until dusk; then 
I found that the film had not run smoothly on the 
winding spool, but had run -to one side. I don't know 
how many pictures are spoilt; but I ptit in a new car- 
tridge and in the morning made another trip to the gulch 
for pictures; but I lost the mule and elk picture. There 
is no danger of dead bears running off, but mules and elk 
are not feeding together every day where they can be 
photographed. 
After making the second trio to the gulch, we packed 
Up and drove to Big Specimen, Avhere we camped in the 
rain. During the night it blew a gale, and as the tent 
was in a very exposed place, we thought it would go 
doAvn; but it stood the storm Avell. It is what I call a 
teepee tent, being more like a lodge than a tent, and it 
stands all kinds of blows. In the morning I took a shot 
at the beautiful little falls of Amethyst Creek. I tried 
to get a shot at a grouse, but the plaguey thing would 
not stop a second in the sunshine, but only in the shade. 
I was close enough to get a good picture, but there Avas | 
no use snapping at the bird in the shade. 
About 10 o'clock we packed up and started over 
Specimen Divide by the old trail, my intention being to 
get a shot at a young elk. I found a band where I 
expected to. ancl where I had captured several for 
the National Zoo. The elk were quite a way from 
timber, and by hurrying we made one of the coavs cache 
her calf out in the grass; another left hers in the edge 
of the timber — quaking asp and spruce. I made expo- 
sures on the first calf as it lay; and then Avent to the other, 
but it would not pose. It was a very unwilling subject 
Arthur had to hold it up so that I could get a shot 
or two. Then it started to follow me until I pushed it 
doAvn. When Ave left we saw the mother elk watching 
us at a distance. She found her young all right. I was 
1£I DEA'IH GULCH. 
ShoAving Bear Skull and Bear. 
deep at any time, for the fall of the gulch is very rapid. 
It is possible for just the right kind of a breeze to dam 
up the gas for a short time, or a snow bank may act 
as a dam, since the ground is not what is knoAvn in the 
park as "hot country," though very much like it. There 
was a circular boiling spring close to Avhere we left our 
horses; it looked like thousands of hot springs in the 
Park, but the Avater was cold. On Cache Creek and in 
the bottom of the creek is lots of old geyser forma- 
tion, and gases are coming up through the water con- 
tinuously. The gulch was first described, I believe, by 
KABY ELK. 
surprised to find so feAV calves. Two years ago at this 
time I had seen over a hundred in the same section, and 
noAV there are more elk. I judge Irom this that the 
calves are not dropped so early some years, this depend- 
ing on conditions of food and climate during the autumn 
or running season. 
Bears and mountain lions have been making some! 
trouble this spring. The mail contractor. Avhose home 
is at Soda Butte, complains of losing one calf and twoj 
yearlings by a lion: and he has a bull whose neck has 
some ugly cuts in it, and whose flank shows the marks of 
a lion's hind claws. Mr. H. E. Klamer has lost several 
sheep by bears, and I have mentioned in a former letter 
the loss of a horse at Norris by a bear. 
At Yancey's a bear has been around so often that Uncle 
John dare not keep his calves penned, so we had to use 
condensed milk there, while the cows were running otit 
with their calves. 
We saw considerable beaver sign while on our trip 
but it rained so often and was so cloudy I did not ge( 
any photographs of the dams and houses, as I intended 
I got home Sunday in a rainstorm, but very Avell satis- 
fied Avith my trip if I only get a picture out of it. 
E. HOFER. 
We append Mr. Weed's description of Death Gulch, aj 
contributed to the NeAV York Evening Post: 
The writer, who has spent the past six summers study ! 
ing the geological phenomena of that region, discovereq 
the now famous Death Gulch last year, and submits the, 
following description of the same as the result of per*] 
sonal obserA'ation: 
It is situated in the eastern portion of the Park, in ari 
extremely rugged mountainous region; a country seldom 
visited save by occasional travelers to the mining cam] 
of Cooke, or hunting parties en route to the weird 
scenery of the "Hoodoo" country. The mountains art 
from 10,000 to 11,000ft. high, and the streams flow 
through narrow valleys and canons, Avith precipitou;, 
Avails 2,000 to 3,000ft. high, that often sIioav great num- 
bers of upright fossil tree trunks, standing where the: 
once flourished on the flanks of some ancient mountah 
before they were covered by the ashes and stones ol 
volcanic eruptions. The Lamar River is the larges/ 
stream draining this region, and it is on a considerable 
branch of this that our American upas valley Avas found 
As usual in this, the home of the Avapiti or elk, a Avell 
marked trail leads up the creek, affording easy traveling 
on horseback through open meadows and, thick grove; 
