JANUAKY, 1919 
FOREST AND STREAM 
5 
Temp killed a five point buck and it took 
all that day to get them in and skin them 
and two days more to get the meat jerked 
so we could handle it. Then we sacked it 
and hung it in trees where it would be 
safe until we came back, for we were on 
the trail of the Club Foot Bear, and were 
bound to give him a round before we quit. 
W E broke camp the next morning 
and landed, at Four Mile Lake at 
noon. There we met with two 
hunters who told us they had just come 
through from the head of Red Blanket 
and had seen elk signs near Summit 
Springs as they came along, but being 
short on provisions, they did not stop to 
hunt them up. This set Temp wild as he 
had never seen an elk, and as this was 
in the vicinity of where the Club Foot 
Bear ranged, it was just what we were 
looking for. So after dinner we set out, 
and after traveling a few hours we came 
to a nice place where the grass was high 
as the backs of our horses, and nice run- 
ning water; an ideal place to camp, under 
a large spreading maple tree. We spent 
the balance of the day fixing up the camp, 
as we did not know how long we would be 
there; for we were in a country where 
big game abounded, and where seldom 
a white man had ever trod. So we in- 
tended to make the most of it while we 
were there. 
I told Temp we would start out in the 
morning and go in diiferent directions to 
size up the country and get an idea of 
how the ground lay; for it might be of 
great benefit to us in case we had to fol- 
low a bear that would not climb. So next 
morning I struck out through the timber 
in a northwest direction and Temp bore 
off about north or northeast. 
I hiked along through a level timbered 
country for perhaps two miles, when sud- 
denly I came to a small prairie of per- 
haps four or five acres, and on the oppo- 
site side the hills showed up and the tim- 
ber was scattering, with thick patches of 
buck horn brush. I had seen a number of 
deer tracks as I came along, but had seen 
no game that was worth shooting at, so I 
made up my mind that I would go across 
the prairie and take up the mountain on 
the other side. So I started out and as 
soon as I got in the open ground I began 
to see elk tracks. Before I got to the 
other side of the opening I saw great 
holes pawed out where they had been ly- 
ing and big trails leading out into the 
timber. I followed one of these trails for 
about two hundred yards, when all at 
once I saw where a big band of elk had 
come in to the trail and gone on up the 
hill. It was no trouble to follow them, so 
I hurried on after them, feeling sure they 
were making for some high ground on ac- 
count of flies, which were very bad in the 
open prairie. I could tell by the tracks 
that they were taking it easy, as now and 
then they would nearly all be out of the 
trail feeding on browse; but it would not 
be long until they were back in the trail, 
and going again. Finally the trail led 
me out of the timber on to a ridge that 
was covered with low buckhorn brush. I 
followed up this ridge for probably a 
mile, then they turned down around the 
side of the hill and crossed a deep gulch 
and on over the next ridge. As I ap- 
proached the top I was very cautious, and 
stood and looked a long time, but there 
was not an elk anywhere t" be seen. 
There stood an immense bull elk 
I NOW went on across this gulch and 
climbed up to the top of the next ridge. 
Here they had scattered around some 
and worked along up the ridge for a short 
distance and turned down again. In 
front of me the brush was high so I 
could not see across on the opposite side, 
so I kept on up for sixty or seventy-five 
yards to where the short buck brush was, 
and, upon looking over, there on the op- 
posite side just above the edge the thick 
brush stood an immense bull elk, not over 
one hundred yards from where I stood, 
and not another elk in sight. 
Say, believe me, that was a sight that 
made my heart leap for joy, for in those 
days I was a dead shot and did not have 
a thought that he could get away. He 
held his head straight up with his big 
horns back astride of his shoulders, and 
they were big ones too. If you will be- 
lieve me, there were seven on one and 
eight on the other. I thought to myself, 
as I thought a great many times when 
my dogs were fighting a bear, how many 
there were who would give a thousand 
dollars to stand where I stood and have 
the chance that I did to kill that elk — 
it would have been worth the money. 
It was a big mark, but I drew my bead 
carefully behind the shoulder and pulled. 
At the crack of the gun he lunged for- 
ward. The Winchester cracked again 
and another bullet went crashing through 
him ; but it was not really necessary. 
The first had done its work, passing 
square through the butt of the heart, and 
he reeled and fell, never to rise again. 
But down below the brush was thrashing 
and crashing, and the whole band was 
tearing down the canyon toward the tim- 
ber at a tremendous rate. 
I ran down a few yards and got sight 
of one of the hind ones, and bringing the 
gun to my shoulder I caught a bead and 
fired. The elk was out of sight in little 
or no time, but when I went down I found 
blood. I followed up and after a while 
it left the bunch and took off to itself, 
and I concluded to go back and take care 
of the one I had. It was a big job to take 
his entrails out and get him in shape, but 
I got through with in due time and start- 
ed to camp. It was a long hike and the 
sun was down before I got half way. I 
was hurrying to get to camp when I 
suddenly heard the long lonesome howl of 
a big gray wolf. I listened a minute and 
not hearing an answering howl I hurried 
on again. In a few minutes I heard him 
again and far back. I was sure now 
that he was following me, as my shoes 
had gotten bloody from the elk. I began 
to study what to do, for I knew if he 
followed along like that others might fall 
in, and it would place me in a dangerous 
position, as the only chance would be 
to climb. I was thinking fast as I hiked 
along when I happened to look out to one 
side and saw a large tree that had fallen, 
and the point lay the way I was going. 
I hurried and went a little past the top, 
then ran back and walked back to the 
butt of the tree, which lay high off from 
the grounded and waited. 
I looked to see that the cartridges were 
in the barrel and, dropping the muzzle of 
the gun, I stood ready with my thumb on 
the lock and my finger on the trigger. I 
did not have to wait long for he soon 
came in sight, a long, lanky fellow, trot- 
ting slowly along, and every few yards 
would stop and stick his nose in the air 
and give a long mournful howl, then he 
would listen, but no answer came. I was 
listening too. Then on he would come. 
I could have shot him, but did not want 
to take any chances on missing him, for 
he had to pass in thirty steps if he stuck 
to my tracks. Closer and closer he came, 
and when within fifty yards I could hard- 
ly resist the temptation to shoot, but 
smothered it and waited. Now he was in 
forty yards and stopped. He did not howl 
this time, but stood a few seconds and 
listened, then came on. Just as he got 
opposite me he stopped and sitting back 
on his haunches gave one of the most dis- 
mal, hair-raising howls I believe I ever 
heard. While his nose was in the air I 
brought the gun up and drew a fine bead 
on his head; and just as he started up, 
while the sound was still reverberating 
through the woods, I pressed the trigger. 
The bullet caught him just at the butt of 
of the ear and over he went with feet 
straight in the air for a few seconds, 
then commenced to kick around lively for 
a while and straightened out dead. 
