The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-11-07

Hunting tho Noble Game-The Austrian
Crown Prince in the Field.

Vienna Letter to London Daily News.
The Crown Prince of Austria is having some
very rare sport-elk hunting in eastern Prussia
1t may interest your readers TO hear something
of the country aud the sport in question. In the
Memel delta. between the mouths Of the rivers
Russ and Gilge, is situated the royal domain and
hunting station of Ibenh0rst. 1t is a low coun-
try, the plain interrupted in some parts by broad
wooded hills, which were formerly artificial
dikes In winter, when the rivel Memel is frozen
and the waters rise, only the sandy hills and the
great moor OF lbenhorst are visible above the
vast plain OF water This district is the so-caled
water steppe," with its rich vegetation of water
and moor plants, where the postman at certain
seasons makes his rounds in a boat, and where
in mild winters when the waters OF the flood are
not turned to ice, and the soft ground does not
bear either hoof or wheel, no communication be-
tween the isolated farms and villages is possible.
The peasants of the Litthau call this period of
the year the 'Schalktarn,'
The hunting district of Iberhorst consists of
extensive woods the moor, and large meadows.
The woods contain frs in the higher parts, will
lows and alder trees in the lower parts, with
birch trees interspersed everywhere. The for
ests do not pay in this part of the country, and
the government has therefore devoted them to
the elk. which is fast dying out in Europe, and
is interesting enough to the sportsman to be en-
titled to a special place of refuge. In olden
times when Germany was almost exclusively
foresU and moor, the elk abounded everywhere
and Siegfried killed large numbers Of what the
"Nibeungen Lied calls the grim Schalk."
But its deficient ear and eye it's tameness and
its clumsness in the chase, especially frozen
mOoFs, soon caused it to become scarce, and it is
at present found nowhere except in Eastern
Prussia, the coasts of the Baltic in Russia, in
some parts of Sweden and Norway, in Northern
Siberia, in Canada, Alaska, and New Bruins
wick. A century and a half ago the woods of
Eastern Prussia still contained great numbers
of the elk; for manuscript chronicles tell that
ip us no less than forty and in 1871 more than
fifty were killed in one single day. The extirpation
of this rare animal has progressed rapidly since
then and in 1913 the number of elk deer in the
forests OF IbenhOrst was reduced to eleven. King
Frederic William " of Prussia, happily pub
lished special law protecting this kind of game,
and it has gradually increased again, so that in
1882 there no less than 149 deer in the
woods of Ibenhorst and Tawellningken. OF
course, the limited number of the deer enable
very few sportsmen to take part in this kind of
chase, and the imperial family of Germany re-
serve them for their most cherished guests.
Ibenhorst cannot be reached without some diff
Guilty The railway takes the Emperors guests
as far as Tilsit The rest of the road, leading
through water, forest, field and moor, must be
travelled in carriages The woods are in very
bad condition, because the elk is fond of eating
the young buds and leaves, and breaks all the
branches within its reach. The hunter accus-
toned to the graceful forms and movements of
the red deer will be somewhat disappointed at
the first sight of the elk, which is more impos-
ing, but far more clumsy and coarse. Its
NAAN
covered with a thick name, is short
and close set, like that of the bull, and it's
movements resemble those of half bred horse.
1t is not shy, and does not fly very fast before
the hunter, so that it is net difficult to aim at.
Its powerful antlers are, however, a splendid
trophy, to be valued by every true sportsman.
There is one original figure on the domain of
Ibenhorst-Ramouat, the 'tFather of the Elk y
as the people call him. The only language he
speaks is "Litthauisch" the only places he has
seen are the vast forests in which he provides
for the elk as if it were his family He is fond
of showing place where he helped the German
Crown Princess out of ditch into which she
had fallen from her pony carriage, overturned
by her horses, who had SHE'D at the sudden APP
pearance of a herd of elks Ramouat is very
proud of having been able to help the Prieess in
her dilemma, but he makes no difference between
the sportsmen intrusted to his care, and treats
them all with equal frankness. Thus he said to
Prince Frederick Charles of Prussia the great
soldier and sportsman, to whom he showed the
way through the forests of lbenhorst: "Oh, yes,
you may smoke as long as you like, but if you
want to see elks, then your Royal Highness, for
Gods sake, hold your tongue" The forests Of
Ibenhorst, wood and moor elk and man, com
bine to form a strange picture as interesting as
it is rare.