ground was soft, showed clearly to be 
those of a big fellow. We were able to 
follow easily and at a good pace, until, 
reaching a low ridge where the ground 
was hard and stony, the track faded to 
a mere scrape here and there, and dis- 
appeared entirely on reaching a stretch 
of loose shingle rock. 
UCK was still with us, however, for 
casting forward to where the 
ground again was soft, we spied some 
freshly broken, barked and _ twisted 
bushes where our friend had evidently 
been “hooking” and slashing about with 
his antlers, a very common habit both 
of elk and moose during the rut. Asa 
rule elk will use the small lodge pole 
pines on which to rub their horns, 
whereas deer more often scrape theirs 
on the alder bushes. Not far beyond 
this, in a sheltered spot, though on 
slightly rising ground, giving a 
good view of his back track, was 
the broad and flattened impres- 
sion of where the bull had bedded 
down for the night; but, 
whether warned of our stealthy 
approach or startled earlier, 
through some other cause, he 
had evidently left this spot hur- 
riedly, as was evidenced by the 
deeper impressions of the points 
of the hoofs and the greater dis- 
tance between the tracks. We 
were soon at fault again, though, 
as some dry rocky surface held 
no tell-tale impressions, and as, at this 
point, a high wooded ridge split the val- 
ley in two, we decided to separate. 
Hartley following up a branch of the 
stream to the westward and I heading 
up a broad gorge to the northeast. 
E agreed to hunt up and across 
our respective valleys until near 
noon, and then to swing back and down 
our stream so as to get back to camp 
before dark. Shortly after separating 
I came upon several blue grouse in the 
edge of some timber. They were very 
tame and sat about on some low spruce 
branches, cocking their heads foolishly 
at me, and offering the easiest of shots. 
I, however, left them in peace, fearing 
to chance disturbing some larger game. 
Climbing up a steep side-hill, I came 
out on some high ledges of rim rock, 
from where a wonderful view was un- 
ea i 
Photo courtesy Dominion Atlantic Ry. 
winter meat. 
folded, of mountain and valley. To the 
east rose the scarred and rocky sum- 
mit of a towering peak, its lower sides 
softened by timbered slopes, while the 
gorge beneath was interspersed with 
heavily wooded stretches and open, 
park-like glades and meadows. After 
smoking a pipe and having carefully 
scanned each of these for the fiftieth 
time, without sighting anything, I was 
just about to move on when I noticed a 
lightish brown object moving slowly 
across an open hillside, slightly up the 
valley but on a level somewhat lower 
than my outlook. 
ROM the edge of the timber, it was 
shortly followed by an another, then 
another, then four, five, six, eight, ten 
elk in all, moved along at a swinging 
walk, stopping now and then to crop a 
few mouthfuls. 
It was impossible to tell at that dis- 
tance whether there was a big bull in 
the band, but what wind there was be- 
ing down the gorge, and thus in my 
favor, I slipped rapidly down-hill 
through some low, open timber in the 
hope of cutting them off. Coming to 
the edge of a flat, open sheaf, of con- 
siderable extent, interspersed here and 
there with low fir trees offering good 
cover from which to view one’s sur- 
roundings, I peered carefully in the 
direction from which the band had been 
approaching, and was just beginning to 
fear that the game had already gone 
by, or had turned off in another direc- 
tion, when a slight movement off to the 
left caught my eye. 
About a hundred yards off, the land 
dipped slightly into a small meadow and 
the back and upper parts of an elk had 
been visible for a moment and had then 
disappeared behind a rise in the 
ground. Moving quietly forward a 
few yards to another clump of low firs, 
with rifle cocked and ready, the whole 
band came suddenly into view, not more 
than 75 yards beyond. 
HERE were more than I had at first 
seen, but, alas, they seemed to have 
no bull with them. So, selecting a fat 
cow, I brought my sights to bear just 
over her heart; but a movement from 
ANNIVIVUUTUOTTTEU 
A typical trip after elk when it was still . 
permissible for the ranchman to depend 
upon the game of the mountains for his 
Conditions of hunting are 
still similar, though now necessarily more 
limited as to bag and available territory. 
QITIIUTIUTIAUTETOTTUUTIUUTUTU UTE 
‘some bushes just behind her momen- 
tarily. arrested my attention, as, with 
nose ‘forward and massive’ antlers 
sweeping back over his shoulders, a 
splendid bull stepped into the open. 
My heart skipped a ‘beat, so nearly had 
I fired at the cow, but taking a long, 
steadying breath, while shifting my aim 
to the bull, I pressed the trigger. The 
bull went to his knees, but immediately 
got up again, going on several 
paces before a second shot rolled 
him over for good. The rest of 
the band huddled together for a 
moment, then dashed madly into 
the timber and disappeared with- 
out drawing any more fire. 
Here was meat enough and 
probably of the best, as it was 
still too early in the rut for 
the bull’s meat to get strong 
and rank, as it does later on. 
What a magnificent animal he 
looked as he lay there just as 
he’d fallen, at the edge of the 
little meadow, his massive antlers of 
twelve points, dark head and neck, and 
lighter, tawny body contrasting with the 
deep green of moss and fern! 
Ih 
FIRST cutting his throat in order 
that he might bleed freely, the head 
was then removed, skinning well back 
on the neck; and the disagreeable oper- 
ation of cleaning completed the hind- 
quarters were taken off separately, and 
with considerable heaving and prying 
were hung pretty well up so as to be 
less likely to be torn or mussed about 
by some old bear looking for a free 
supper. The head I left suspended by 
hooking the horns over a stout bough 
of a low-branching tree; then, taking 
tongue and liver with me, I started 
down hill to the stream, and with my 
knife conspicuously blazed a line of 
(Continued on page 570) 
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