THE GUN AT HOME AND ABROAD 
mended him to take Grondalen and Lassimoen, where I had had good sport 
in 1899, and he wrote me the following letter: 
“ Geoffrey and I had a wonderful time up in Namdalen. We had 
eleven rights and killed eight bulls between us. I got three and he killed 
five, including a right and left at big bulls. But I never dreamt of 
seeing so many elk. In the eighteen days or so that we hunted I saw 
sixty -two or sixty -three and Geoffrey saw fifty. Of course the majority 
were cows and calves, and proportionately there were very few big 
bulls, but it was a delightful experience to watch their habits.” 
This proves that the farmers of Namdalen are alive to the value of the 
great deer and efficiently protect them in that district. 
In 1891 the number of elk killed in Norway was 850, of which North 
Trondhjem contributed 303.* 
The number of elk killed in Sweden was 1,782 in 1891 and 2,097 and 
2,178 in the two preceding years. The practice of killing elk with the 
“loose-hound” has meant a constant drain on the stock of these animals 
in Sweden, for cows and calves are slaughtered indiscriminately so as to 
give encouragement to the dogs. In 1898 1,577 elk were killed in Sweden, 
and in the following year 1,782, made up of the following districts, which 
are the best in that country: Yesterbottenslan, 274; in Jemtlandslan, 356; 
in Vesternorrlandslan, 92; in Gefleborgslan, 58; in Kopparbergslan, 195; 
in Karlstadslan, 125; Arebrolan, 201; Vesteraslan, 143; Upsalalan, 62; 
Stockholmslan, 45; Nykopingslan, 64; Ostergotlandslan, 74; Elfsborgslan, 
41; Skaraborgslan, 43; Jonkopingslan, 9. One of the best districts is in 
Swedish Lapmark (Narbottenslan), where 219 elk were killed in 1898, 
and bulls from this part of Sweden are said to carry the best heads, but 
they are more numerous in Jemptland than elsewhere. In some districts 
the shooting season lasts a fortnight, and in others only eight days, so the 
prospective hunter must ascertain the correct times of hunting before 
proceeding to his ground. Elk are now decreasing in Sweden owing to 
inefficiency of protection. 
A large bull elk stands from 6 ft. 6 in. to 7 ft. at the withers, weighs 
from 1,000 to 1,200 lb., say seventy to eighty stone clean, and usually 
carries a somewhat massive palmated head. When living in high open 
*The average of elk killed in Norway for four quinquennial periods are: 1889-93, 1,122 elk; 1894-98, 999; 
1899-1903, 839; and 1904-08, 1,225. In 1909, 1,337 elk were killed, the numbers for the different districts being: 
Smaalenene, 25; Akershus, 76; Hedemark, 264; Christians, 157; Buskerud, 109; Jarlsberg and Larvick, 48; 
Bratsberg, 115; Nedenes, 21; Lister and Mandal, 4; South Trondhjem, 149; North Trondhjem, which always 
shows the greatest number, 339; and Nordland, 30. 
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