ELK HUNTING 
being a typical day’s elk hunting, some details, as gathered from my diary, 
may, I think, be of interest. 
September 9. Just home after the hardest day I ever had in my life. All 
day on high ground amidst rock and birch scrub. Starting at 6 a.m., we 
made our way through a straggling forest of old trees up towards the 
Grondals Lake, to all appearance a perfect ground. Every moment I 
expected to see or spy an elk, as there was a fine amount of fresh spoor. 
When about ten miles from home we sat on a jutting knoll and gave Bis- 
mark the wind of a long rising corrie covered with stunted birch and 
bounded at the far end by high rocks over which a small waterfall cast 
its spray to the sun. After a rest of about five minutes, whilst I spied, 
Bismark became interested and anxious to draw on dead up wind, and 
on getting his wish off he bounded, dragging Kristian along with him in a 
way that we knew meant business. The further we advanced, the more 
keen the dog became, till at last his master wisely counselled prudence, 
and we crawled up to another knoll to spy ahead. Our heads were hardly 
over the top when Elias pointed with his finger, whispering, “ There he is! 
and a bull, too, by his neck.” All was now excitement, for the elk was walk- 
ing quickly down the knoll, and, as I got my telescope fixed, he plunged 
into some thick birch scrub and lay down out of sight. 
Anticipating a long wait, I got out my lunch and began to eat, reflecting 
the while on the marvellous nose -power that had enabled the little dog to 
directly draw and point his game at the distance of one mile. And now the 
following conversation ensued between Kristian and myself — interesting, 
perhaps, as an illustration of the different views of deer -stalkers as to the 
intelligence of their quarry, whether in Norway, or in other parts of the 
world. 
K. “ Now, are you not going to start ? ” 
M. “ No — what for ? ” 
K. “ Why, to shoot him, of course.” 
M. “ Oh, yes, I will do that two or three hours hence, when he gets up. 
We don’t see a bull elk every day, and I am going to make a certainty of 
this one.” 
K. “ Oh, but he will stay there all right, and you will get him for certain, 
as the wind is good.” 
M. “ That would be quite right if he lay in the open. I should then go 
in at once, but no hunter in my country would dream of ploughing through 
all those sticks and bushes, hoping that the elk would be so deaf as not to 
273 
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