Vol. XCII 
MAY, 1922 
No. 5 
A BIG GAME HUNT IN OREGON 
THE COAST RANGE IN CURRY COUNTY COMPRISES ONE OF 
THE FINEST TERRITORIES FOR BEAR AND DEER IN THE WEST 
URRY COUNTY in Southwestern 
Oregon has the name of being 
one of the best counties in Ore- 
gon for game and fish. There 
are a number of streams that are liter- 
ally full of fish, both large and small, 
some of which I will name so that if it 
should happen that any of the readers of 
Forest and Stream should ever wish to 
take a trip there they will know where 
to go and the best way to get there. 
One of my favorite streams is the 
North Fork of Smith River and is 
reached by ' taking an auto at Grants 
Pass in Josephine County and following 
the Crescent City Road to the summit 
of what is called Oregon Mountain. 
Just about two hundred yards after 
crossing the summit the road forks, here 
take the right hand road for about 10 
miles. There the road forks again ; take 
the right hand road again and it will 
lead you to Smith River, where you will 
find a beautiful camping ground, with 
clear, cold water to drink and as pretty 
a stream for fish as can be found any- 
where. This road was built only last 
summer and before that it could only be 
reached by using pack horses and over 
a very rough trail. 
Other streams that are noted for fish 
and game are the Checto, Sixes River, 
Winchuck and several others that can 
be reached by going to Crescent City in 
Delnorte County, California, and then 
going north up the coast. Deer are 
plentiful in the hills and by getting some- 
one who has pack horses to go along, it 
is only a short distance to where deer 
range by the hundreds and anyone who 
can shoot would be able to kill a splendid 
trophy without any trouble. 
There are also bear and elk, but as the 
law in Oregon does not allow the killing 
of elk, that part of the hunt would have 
to be dispensed with. But it is worth a 
great deal to a sportsman to see one of 
the monarchs of the forest, with his 
huge antlers, in his native haunts. They 
are certainly far more beautiful than 
those to be seen in captivity. 
By JOHN B. GRIFFIN 
EADERS of Forest and Stream 
will be interested in this story 
of a real bear hunt by the author 
of “The Trail of the Club-foot 
Bear” and “Old Brownie of Antelope 
Creek.” 
Although the trip was made some 
years ago the country Mr. Griffin 
describes is still well stocked with 
game and fish. — [Editors.] 
Bear can be secured by getting some- 
one to go along as guide who has dogs. 
John B. Griffin 
as bear are very plentiful in the coast 
country and have a way of discovering 
a hunter’s presence and keeping out of 
sight that will surprise the natives, but 
for all of that, every now and then a 
hunter will see one when still-hunting. 
I used to hunt a great deal in the 
Coast Range and the hunt I am going to 
tell the readers of Forest and Stream 
about this time took place away up on 
the North Fork of Smith River. 
We had to use pack animals in those 
days over a very rough trail but at the 
same time we could get a wagon to 
within ten miles of our camping ground. 
On this trip I had with me a man named 
Frank Coates and we had several extra 
horses with us as we were after meat and 
went prepared to pack it. Frank had 
been raised in Portland, Oregon, and al- 
though he had killed a number of deer 
since coming to southern Oregon, he had 
never seen a bear in his life, outside of a 
park. But he was destined to see one 
this time, and then some. 
Frank was a splendid shot. I have 
seen him kill deer that were so far away 
that I would not even attempt to shoot 
at them. 
"THE first day we went out after we 
had made cami) was very warm and 
the deer were not stirring at all. We 
tramped around until along in the after- 
noon without even seeing one. so wc 
turned around and started toward camp. 
We sat down to re.*;t on a hillside and 
were looking across the canyon in front 
of us when all at once Frank said to 
me: “I think I see one.” I got up and 
looked over where he pointed and sure 
enough there lay a big buck with his 
head stuck out and his big horns looming 
up in plain sight. It was all of two hun- 
dred and fifty yards, too far for my gun 
by long odds and a long shot for Frank. 
In fact, I did not believe he could hit 
him but he thought he could, so I told 
him to try. He always shot oflf-hand 
and he said to me as he pulled up to 
shoot: “Watch him.” I did watch him 
