Jan. 14, 1899.1 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
27 
§Hg mid $nn. 
Proprietors of fishing and hunting resorts will find it profitable 
to advertise them in Forest and Stream. 
Elk in the Mountains. 
The montTi of NoA«ember catne around,^ wliich meant 
that the ranchmen of Big Creek Park begin to "rustle" 
for their winter's meat or go without. 
Two of my neighbors — Harford Loucks and Harry 
Baugh — agreed to make up a four-horse team and take 
one heavy wagon and go together, providing I would go 
along and help to hunt, as neither of them had sufficient 
record as hunters to give them any comforting assurance 
of a load of meat to bring home. I had already killed 
enough deer and antelope near the ranch to feed me all 
winter, but I agreed to go for what fun I could get out 
of it, as I was through with my fall work. 
The weather looked threatening the morning we were 
preparing to start, and by the time we had everything 
loaded up, about 9 o'clock, it was raining. Although >ye 
knew by past experience that rain at that time of year in 
that locality meant plenty of discomfort, there was no 
stopping at that stage of the game, and we started. When 
we got to the McAnulty ranch, which was the last ranch 
before entering the woods, we stopped and ate an early 
dinner; then continued our course, heedless of the cold 
and fast-falling rain. 
Just as we were about to enter the woods, and at the 
same time commence a long mountain climb, the wagon 
went over a big rock and dropped into a deep mud-hole. 
Harry, who was perched up on the high seat beside the 
driver, lost his equilibrium and started to earth, head first. 
The driver caught the skirts of his old overcoat, to pre- 
serve as much of him as possible. Harry kept on in his 
downward course, regardless of friendly hands extended 
to help him. and landed squarely in the mud-hole in the 
attitude of a first-class performing clown, while the driver 
retained a goodly portion of his coat. AH persons cannot 
see things alike, and there were only two of us who could 
see the funny part oi the incident, but it aided us greatly 
in the next few miles in keeping up good cheer, which is 
a better preventative against exposure than warm clothes. 
We reached Hog Park late that evening after a twenty- 
mile drive through a cold rain, and set about tnaking 
camp on the thoroughly soaked ground, under circum- 
stances which only well "seasoned" moxintaineers could 
make any pretense of enjoying.- 
Our beds were wet, our clothes, spruce "feathers" and 
firewood were all wet. Nine o'clock found us in bed 
trying to sleep. I had, as I supposed, a fairly good 
night's sleep, and wakened irp, and looking out saw every- 
thing white with snow. That was- to my liking, and as 
the snow made everj'thing appear light, I thought day was 
dawning, and rolled out, started a fire and prepared a 
hasty breakfast, then shouted to the drowsy sleepers to 
hustle out to breakfast, that we might get an early start 
and make good use of the snow while it lasted, for there- 
was only about 2in., 
There was not a time-piece in the crowd. We gulped 
our breakfast dovvh in a hurry and still the daylight was 
not increasing. We commenced to wait; we replenished 
our fire, which we had allowed to burn low. W^e contin- 
ued to wait, until the right of more sleep began to assert 
itself. Conversation almost ceased, and nothing broke the 
painful silence save now and then a remark tending to 
destroy an}'^ aspirations I might have had for reckoning 
time. Daylight came, as all things do to those who wait. 
As nearly as we could tell it was about 2 o'clock when I 
got up. 
Anjrhow, we were ready for an early start, and left camp 
before it was clear daylight. We started out together, but 
in a few minutes I wished them success and struck out for 
mjrself. . Before I was out of their sight, and when it was 
just clearly daylight, I found the fresh trail of seven elk. 
The conditions were all favorable for still-hunting, and 
my anticipations far surpassed their realization. I fol- 
lowed carefully for two hours, when I sighted one of them 
feeding. It was on the brow of a very steep, timbered 
mountain-side, and the others had moved over the brow 
of the mountain and were out of sight. I crawled up 
within easy range and then reasoned with myself thus: 
'Tf I shoot that one through the shoulders it will go tear- 
ing down through thebunch before it falls, and they, know- 
ing by instinct that the trouble must be coming from be- 
hind, will leave at once and- 1 will get no more shots. If 
I can break that one's neck and drop it, I can hasten over 
to the brow of the hill overlooking the bunch and per- 
haps get several shots." Feeling confident I could carry 
this out, I took careful aim at the neck and fired. It fell 
on its knees.,' but recovered immediately and went- tearing 
down through the bunch, which joined in its flight, and 
left me standing there wondering whether a "bird in the 
hand" wouldn't have been worth about six in the bush. 
The one wounded bled freely, and separated from the 
bunch, followed by one other. I followed for miles until 
they crossed the Grand Encampment, which was very 
high and impassable for man. It took all the remainder 
of the day to get back to camp, where I found the others 
already in, and one of them had killed an elk. 
The next day we hunted some, after packing in our meat, 
but the snow was about all gone, and we found nothing. 
The next morning we broke camp and moved about ten 
miles further west to the headwaters of Snake River, and 
camped near where four of our neighbors were camped 
who had gone in while we were in our first camp. We 
hunted the first day without any shccess. I found a trail 
'of elk which must have numbered at least three or four 
hundred, which had been moving westward about three 
days before. I had been unwell for two days, and de- 
cided I would have to give it up and go home. The boys 
insisted that I go with them next morning and show them 
where the large band of elk had passed, so that they might 
follow them, in the hope of finding some stragglers. 
We started out, and when near the place where I had 
seen the trail, as we were going up a ravine, with dea^l 
timber ridges on either side, I saw a , band of eighteen elk 
standing away up on one of the ridges looking at us, per- 
haps 20oyds. away. I called a halt and tried -td show them^ 
to the other fellows, but as the surrotindiugs were all 
covered with dead timber, which was the color of the elk, 
which were standing still, tltey could not see one of them, 
although several were in full view. When they failed to 
see them, I directed that they should get ready, for I 
knew they could see plenty as soon as I would shoot. 
Taking a careful shot at the one standing in the best po- 
sition, I saw it was hit hard. Then the shooting com- 
menced right lively, but owing to the distance and thick 
timber it was not effective. We went up and found the 
one I first shot at lying about 200yds. from where it had 
been shot. I went after it, and after some e? citing chas- 
ing and shooting "bagged" it. They voted unanimously 
to follow the bunch, while I started for camp, thinking to 
go home, as I was feeling ver^^ much "hors de combat." 
When near camp I saw a very fresh deer track, for there 
was still a little snow in the timber and shady places. I 
had to follow it through force of habit; couldn't help it, 
you know. It led me up a very steep mountain about half 
a mile, where the snow was all gone, and with it all chance 
for a shot. 
The sun was shining warm, and I sat down to rest. I 
always had a sort of mania for cutting my name on trees, 
away in some unfrequented haunts of forest. A smooth- 
barked quaking aspen tree stood near me; I took out my 
knife and was in the act of begiiming my autograph, when 
I saw at a long distance what I took to be a deer and just 
supposed it to be the one I was trailing. It was feeding 
along the edge of green timber, and the space between us 
was mostly open country. 
I started directly toward it, keeping under cover of 
alders, willows and such bushes as came in the way, 
Whett half the distance was covered I got sight of ythc 
game again, and saw at a glance it was elk. There were 
then two in sight, I made my way to the green timber 
and crawled up within 50yds. of the two that were in sight 
and made a successful "double,'" killing both with two 
shots. Hearing others on the other side of a rise of 
ground, I ran ahead and saw five more making off at a 
lively gait. I got one shot, but missed. As I had not 
started out to hunt, I did not have my hunting knife with 
me. As I had often done the work with my pocket-knife, 
I set about cutting into the neck of the first one. The hide 
on the neck of the elk is as thick as that of a beef. I gave 
a vigorous slash with the knife and the rivet holding the 
blade and handle together broke, letting the blade and 
handle separate. There I was, quite a long distance from 
camp, with two dead elk, and a small knife blade to do the 
work of dressing them, and I was sick into the bargain. I 
commenced with the knife-blade between my thumb and 
finger to disembovvel those elk, and got through the same 
day. Any one wishing to know how long it takes may 
try it. I reached camp at dark, to find the others there 
empty handed. Of course I was elected to stay another 
day to pilot them to my last kill. 
Going directly there the next morning, we skinned and 
packed the meat, and I continued my search for more 
game, while they went to camp. Next morning there was 
a good fresh snow, and I twisted up my nerves for an- 
other day's hunt, although I was a fit subject for a bed and 
doctor. Out about two and a half miles from camp I 
found a trail of six elk, and followed it less than looj'ds., 
when I saw one at close range and killed it at the first 
shot. I also got a running shot at another, but missed. 
I followed the rest of the bunch till dark without seeing 
them, except to get one glimpse in the thick timber. 
I was many miles from camp when night came on, but 
the night was clear and the moon was full. I scared up 
an elk on my way, which ran off some distance and 
stopped. I could barely make out the outlines of it as it 
stood in an open, fallen-timber space, and took a shot 
just for luck, but there was no luck in it. 
The next morning everything was enveloped in a dense 
fog, and it was snowing. The weather looked treacherous, 
and we concluded to let the meat stay out which I had 
killed the day before, and try to get some more. I started 
out, and only went a short distance when I found a fresh 
trail of a fine bunch of elk, perhaps twenty. I followed 
about a mile, when I found where one of the other fel- 
lows had come in ahead of me. Thinking to overtake him 
before he would come up with them, I hastened on, hop- 
ing by being together we might finish out our load. I 
had not gone far when I heard him shoot about half a 
mile ahead. I went direct to camp and put in one of those 
days which are not pleasant to recall. Harry came in at 
about 3 o'clock, empty handed. Harford did not get in 
till about two hours after dark, and from the rambling 
and confused account of his travels it was very evident he 
had been lost or badly confused most of the day, but it 
was no discredit to any man to get lost such a day. How- 
ever, he had killed one of the elk and had followed the 
rest a long distance. 
That evening about dark two of our neighbors, who 
were camped near us, came by our camp ivith the report 
that they had killed a bear some miles west. 
The next morning there was loin. of snow, and it was 
piling down in great chunks. I wanted to get home that 
day, but I first had to guide the boys out to where I had 
killed my last elk. I started out on horseback as soon as 
I had iDreakfast, saying I would ride to it, and then come 
back and they could follow my trail at their leisure and 
find it. When two-thirds of the way back I met them 
going with a horse in harness to "snake" the elk out 
whole, which was the favorite way of moving them when 
there was plenty of snow. When I got back as far as the 
camp of our neighbors, they insisted that I stop and 
spend the day with them. Since it was getting well along 
in the forenoon, I tarried with them. The boys got in 
about noon with the first elk, and then started oiit for the 
one Harford had killed the day before, as they wanted to 
get started home next day. About dark I went to our 
own camp, attended to the horses and cooked supper to 
have it ready when they came in. I kept up a fire and 
their supper hot till I judged it to be 9 o'clock, when T 
rolled in. After I had been sleeping some lime I was 
awakened by their arrival. 
They were a sorry looking pair. It had been snowing 
hard all day, and they had been wading in snow knee-deep 
since daylight that morning without anything to eat. I 
had surmised the cause of their delay, and my first ques- 
tion was: "Did you find your elk?" The reply was 
"No!" and so decided that I changed the subject to that 
of something, to eat. on which I found them more ap- 
proachable. When Harford had come in the night before 
with his random description of where he had been, I had 
feared he would never find his meat, and so it proved. 
As it was snowing continually, we Were obliged to make 
haste in getting out. Accordingly, the boys set to work 
next morning loading their meat, and I started for home 
on horseback without waiting for them, After a thirty- 
mile ride over very mountainous roads and through deep, 
untrodden snow. I pulled up at my near tieighbor's, Elick 
Hilton's, at 4 o'clock, having my feet frozen some and feel- 
ing generally used up. Instead of going to my bachelor 
quarters at my own ranch I accepted the hospitable invi- 
tation to stop, where I laid up ten days for repairs. 
After two days of very hard work the other boys got 
home with their meat, and the hunting for that year was 
at an end. Emerson Carney. 
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. 
A Deer Hunt in the Adirondacks. 
The first of November seemed very slow coming, but 
it came at last, and then I packed my hunting parapher- 
nalia, and, in company with, a friend, set out for the. 
Adirondack Mouhtains. November 2 we put up at the 
house of a lumberman, in the forest solitudes of Ham- 
ilton county, there to pass the last two weeks of the deer 
season. Fortunately, however, we did not go so much 
for game as we did for a vacation. Like Gen. Harrison, 
wc went for sport, and any game we might get we 
counted as surplus. 
We had several days of unsuccessful hunting for deer, 
it being so dry that the leaves rustled and the twigs 
crackled under foot, making still-hunting next thing to 
impossible. The lumbermen explained to us the futility 
.of trying to hiuit deer under such circumstances. As 
one hunter expres,sed it, the deer had "nothing to do 
but hark," and could not very well be approached when 
we made so much noise walking, We therefore gave up 
deer hunting till we should have rain or snow, and de- 
voted ourselves to hunting small game. One night, after 
we had been there five or six days, the rain came. It was 
one of those few occasions when I was glad to see rain. 
The next morning was ideal in every way for deer stalk- 
ing. The leaves were well soaked, so we could move 
through the woods silently, there was not any wind, and 
it was still cloudy. "This is just the day for still-himt- 
ing," said one of the men, and indeed it was. 
I went out with a son of the lumberman with whom we 
were stopping, and saw many deer tracks, all quite fresh, 
but the deer seemed to be able to prove an alibi. We 
went along very cautiously, expecting to see one any 
minute break from the tops of the fallen trees that were 
lying around. Finally we came to the trail of a large 
buck and started to follow it. Soon we came to some 
fresh sign, and not very much further we came to a little 
brook he had crossed, the water being still muddy where 
he had stepped in it. We knew we were close to our 
game, and moved along with panther-like stealth. The 
nature of the country was such that we could see but a 
little way ahead, and we peered cautiously over every 
knoll before exposing ourselves to open view. Occa- 
sionally a partridge would get up close to us and fly off 
with a noise that was exasperating. Whether a deer will 
heed the flush of a partridge or not I do not know, but 
it seemed as if they were trying to give the alarm. We 
found some places where the buck had pawed the leaves 
under the beech trees, and we tried to guess his weight 
by the size of his htoof-prints. At length \ve came to a 
low ridge, up which the trail led. My guide explained to 
me that the deer was probably on the other side of that 
ridge "harking." We proceeded up the ridge, my heart 
thumping against my ribs with such force I was sure the 
deer would hear it and make off. Before we got to the 
top my guide decided that we had better separate, one to 
swi;ig off to the right and the other to the left, instead 
of going over where the deer had. We therefore went 
in opposite directions for a short distance, then went over 
the crest. Very soon after we went over we started the 
buck. I caught a glimpse of him as he ran quarteringly 
past my guide, and heard his rifle crack. I could not see 
whether the buck fell or not, but the guide held his rifle 
at his shoulder a few seconds, then called to me that it 
was down, and started to run toward it. I hurried to the 
spot, and was much pleased to see a fine six-prong buck 
lying prostrate on the ground. Then came the work of 
dressing it and carrying it out to wherewecould get it with 
a horse. We tied its legs together and put a pole through 
them, and took it on our shoulders. The going was 
rough, and it was after taking many tumbles that we got 
it down to an unoccupied shanty, where we hung it up 
to get next day with a horse. By the time we got it 
to the shanty it seemed to weigh nearly a ton. We sat 
down a little while to smoke and talk it over, then began 
our long walk home. 
Deer are not so plentiful in the Adirondack region as 
they should be, and must ultimately disappear entirely 
unless given proper protection. True, in some localities 
they are fairly numerous, but on whole they are not hold- 
ing their own against the army of hunters. The non- 
hounding law is a step in the right direction, bufshould 
be made permanent, not for five years only. In my judg- 
ment, the open season should be from Oct. i to Dec. i, 
instead of from Aug. 15 to Nov. 15, as it now is. All 
the laws that can be enacted, however, will avail nothing 
if not enforced. Dogs are still used in the Adirondacks 
to run deer, and although many people there are hos- 
tile to it, they do not like to complain, because it is a 
very mean thing to do — at least it is generally consid- 
ered mean, 
I hope the time will soon come when we will have 
game laws that are just and fair to all and that they will 
be enforced to the letter. F. L. Decker. 
Three Turkeys at one Shot* 
The old-time stories of wild' turkey shooting are not 
surpassed by the actual occurrences of to-day in the 
same line. John Gatlin was in the city yesterday with 
three fine wild turkeys, averaging in weight about gYiVos., 
each. These turkeys were shot by Mr. Gatlin at a point 
below the mouth of Swift Creek, and were three of four 
turkeys in a single bunch. The best part of the shooting 
was that these three turkeys were all brought down by a 
single shot by Mr. GatUn. — New Berne (N. C.) Journal. 
