Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1868-04-10
VOLUME Il; NO. IS.
GAME AND rIsn IN MONTANA.

a correspondent OF the st Louis ReDablt-
can writes: The disciple of Izaak Walton
need not look for more delightful paradise
than he can find in Montana The huge
catfish and these who swim with him the
turbulent waters of the larger streams
abound IN the large rivers of the eastern
part OF the Territory, while every mountain
brook and stream swarms with the beauti-
| iul, spnghtly and delicious speckled trout
/ These streams.contain numerous other va.
rleties of fish. but all are passed without
notice. where the best mountain trout can
be caught with so much ease. 0nly imag-
ine yourself on the bank of one of those
sparkling streams, rushing clear and cool
| from the everlasting SHOWS above, with one
OF 'Dlmlck best tackles. Your fly
/ swings cautiously towards some promising
/ eddy; but before il strikes the water speck-
/ LED beauty snaps it up and darts beneath the
| shady bank. Can you imagine better sport
4 than bagging some fifty or hundred Of
1 such game fellows in a single hour
But while enjoying such glorious sport,
would You think Of grizzly, or 'bruin, ,
/ who delIghtsinthew willow thickets along those
streamst Ii not, he might suddenly make
you forget your tuteler saint, Sir Izaak and
all his speckled fry, and invoke the protec-
! ton OF grim old Nimrod, and VOW eternal
| ieaIty and neverfailing attachment to
| trusty Henry, with its sixteen leaden
| pledges Of safety.
| The huntsman, whether Caucasian or In
| dian, need never dream of a more "beauti-
! tul hunting ground in which to make trial
OF his skill in the chase of the antelope and
| the deer, or Of his more sturdy qualities in
the hazardous encounter with the grizzly
monarch of the American forest.
There IS great variety Of game in these
mountains and valleys and plains-three
species OF bear, the grizzly, the cinnamon
and the black. The grizzly bear is too well
known to need any description 1t is suffi-
cIent to say that he is as large, as ferocious,
as ready for an encounter and quite as dan
gerOus as he is further south and west in
California. He is the undisputed monarch
Of these mountain regions. Larger and
stronger than the lion of Asia or Africa, he
Is much braver and far more dangerous.
The cinnamon bear is smaller, than the
grizzly, and Is usually deemed less danger
Gus, but is quite as willing to encounter a
foe
The black bear is the same as we have in
the. States He is deemed rather small
game as compared with the two preceding
| species.
Lewis and Clarke parties saw and killed
| several white bears at and near the falls Of
/ the Missouri, but could find no mountain
/ man or Indian who had seen one in Mon
| tana. 1t IS singular that they should have
been seen by none Of the present popula-
| ton.
There are several species of the feline
race: TIE panther, the lynx, the wild cat
and perhaps others. But these are not
common.
OF the canine races, there are the common
and prairie wolf, the gray and red foxes.
The nraiTiP wnlfiS by far the most abundant
and troublesome OF this class. They are
the genuine guerTillas of all the prairie coun-
tTy-the hyena OF America on diminutive
scale.
The badger, woodchuck, porcupine. and
polecat are common animals, and there are
several species related to the prairie-dog
and gopher, one small striped squirrel, one
weasel, one rat, and several species of
mice
The beaver, otter musk-rat and mink IN
habit the streams. The beaver is most
abundant He often interferes with the
water rights of the miners by his dams and
dykes In one instance the miners were
compelled to set 4 watch to prevent one in
dustriOus family of these animals from turn
ing The water out of their bitches and inter
rupting their mining operations.
Buffalo, elk, three species of deer, and
antelope, range in large numbers over the
prairie portions of the Territory. Another
variety ofbufalo, smallerand darker, moose
deer, elk, big horn and mountain sheep,
abound in the mountain regions.
Birds are not so abundant as in the West
ern States. There are however, several |
species Of eagles, hawks, crows, jays and
magpies. The smaller birds are more rare. /
Several species of duck are exceedingly
abundant The ''prairie chicken" the
'sage-hen, " the fool hen and pheasant,
or grouse, and the common pigeon are often
seen. The fool hens" are quite needless
of danger and will permit one to approach |
near enough to kill them with sticks and |
clubs. Snipes, curleWs, and sea-birds, |
cranes and king-fshers are very numerous.
From this list of game animals and birds, |
the huntsman need not fear a lack of sport !
among the smaller animals and birds; nor
will he hunt long before be will have need |
of steady hand and trusty rife to stop the |
stately moose, The huge buffalo, or elk, and
disable the ferocious bear or the skulking |
panther. G. G. SWALLOW