The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-08-21
Tagging Antelope.

In the fall of 1881 I was riding down
the Yellowstone River in company with
my friends, Huffman and CoHley, Oh
/ our return from hunting eXpe
dition to the Big Horn Mountains.
While passing over Il piece of high table
| land overlooking a portion of the val
! leyS Of the Yellowstone River and Big
| POrcupinc Creek, we met Il couple OF
hunters, who told us that a large herd
of buhaloes were grazing on the Big
! POrcapine about fifteen miles from US;
and knowing that antelope are nearly
| always found hanging on the outskirts
of every herd of bu1aloes, we at once
| began to scan the country with our
glasses in search of them. We were
soon rewarded by seeing a number of
small white specks on the dead grass
away up the POrcupine that seemed to
| be moving. We rode toward them at
a lively gait for perhaps mile, and
stopped to look again. From this point
we could easily identify them, although
they still seemed to be about the size of
| jack-rabbitS. We again put spurs to
our horses and rode rapidly to within 4
mile of them, when we picketed our
animals in low swale, took out our
antelope fag''-a piece of scarlet
colored calico about half a yard square
attached it to the end of my wiping
stick and were ready to interview tho
antelopes.
l erawled to the topo ridge within
plain view of the game and planted the
flag. The breeze spread it out, kept it
| tluttering, and it soon attracted their
attention. This bit of colored rag ex-
cited their curiosity to degree tn at
rendered them restive, anxious, uneasy,
and they seemed at once to be seized
with an Unsuitable desire to find out
what it was Huffman went to the top
of another ridge to my right and some
| distance in advance, and COnley
crawled into hollow on the left, so
that we three formed q half-circle, into
which we intended, if possible, to decOy
the game
/ When they first discovered our flag
they moved rapidly toward it, some
times breaking into trot. But when
! they had covered about half the
| distance between us and their starting
point they began to grow suspicious,
and stopped. They cireied around,
turned back, and walked few steps,
then paused and looked back at the, to
them, mysterious apparitiOn. But they
could not resist its magic influence.
Again they turned and came toward us,
stopped, and gazed curiously st it.
The old buck that led the herd stamped
impatiently, as if annoyed at his in
ability to solFe the mystery. They
walked cautiously toward us again
down an incliue into valley which
TOOK them out OF sight of the flag.
This, OF course, rendered them still
more impatient, and when they reached
the top of the next ridge they were
running. But as soon as the lealer
caught sight of the flag again ne stopped,
rs did the others in turn when
they came in sight of it. They were
not more than II hundred yards from
ne. and were still nearer to my friends.
There were seven in the band-two
! bucks. three does, and two kids. Their
| position was everything we could wish,
and though we might possibly have
brought them few yards nearer, there
was possibility of their scenting W.
] even dCIOS> Ilt NiLtly HHiCn, VI COiASCr
we had arranged to have in orr favor,
and decided that rather than run the
| risk of this and the consequent stam-
pede, | would open on them where they
| were 1t had been arranged that was
! TO begin the entertainment, and draw
inc fine bead on the white breast OF
the old buck, 1 pulled Huffman's and
Conley's rifles paid their compliments
to the pretty visitors st almost the same
| instant. and for about thirty seconds
thereafter we famed them about as
vigorously as ever q herd was famed
| under similar circumstances. The air
WAS full of leaden missiles, and the dry
dust raised under and around the flee
| inc quarry. Clouds of smoke hung over
US. and the distant hills echoed the
music of our artillery until the last
white rump disappeared among the
cottonwoods on the river bank. When
the smoke of battle cleared away and
we looked over the field, we efOund that
we had not burned our powder in vain.
/ i've of the little fellows, two bucks and
three does, had fallen victims to their
curiosity. The two fawns had, strange
" enough, escaped, probably because
they, being so much smaller than their
parents, were less exposed.-G. q.
Shields, in HGrper's MQgazine-