Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1885-08-28

4 eItu anu vel lEuSu iilShlciiCu' Tx
now made an effort to get by us. u
he came along the fence. He appeared
to come as if shot out of a gun. How
beautiful he did look. It seemed &
pity to shoot at him. Five shots were
fired. Each shot, / think, increased
his speed till he was well by US. Then
he bounded more leisurely out into the
pasture among the sage, and we could
see him join four of his companions
Some of our boys thought he was hit
and / believe he was from the way he
acted the next two or three hours
He staid by himself good deal. We
now hitched up our team found a part
of the fence which was easily laid
down and replaced. Thus we got into
the pasture. We all got into the wag-
on and followed the antelopes. The
| foolish things run on circle, where
turned by the river and ran within 200
yards of us. There were four of them.
The one whose acquaintance we first
made moved around by himself evil
IDENTIFY preferring to view the battle al
distance. Three of us jumped out and
fired shot or two each, and each man
silently exclaimed, "All down but
four" Some of my friends may think
we are, very poor marksmen. Perhaps
we are, but when you consider how
very fast these feet animals can run
and the fact they can be shot through
AID through, their entrails even made
to drag under their feet, and they still
run for hours, you will realize some
thing of the task we had undertaken.
Two or three times more we drove
them around and as they would run by
us we would give them five or six
shots, occasionally wounding one.
Then we changed our tactics. Three
of us hid behind sage brush while the
fourth drove around with the team to
direct the game toward the hiding
places. But this was not very success
full. They were finally urged so hard
that one got through the wire fence
and escaped while two more in their
desperation swan the river. Then we
unhitched the team, picketed them out
and proceeded to prepare our break
fast. Sufficient drift wood was soon
gathered and fire started. Morg. got
a pail of river water from which he
made our coffee, and it did taste good, /
tell YOU, as did all our breakfast. 1t
vas o'clock and the long ride and the
vigorous chase had very much sharp
ened our appetite. After breakfast we
again spread out as at first, and adyan-
ced toward the angle of the fence
whittier the two remaining antelopeS
had gone The foolish things attempt
ed to escape as before 10y running right
along the fence. They tried it one at a
time and of course all the batteries
were turned upon them. Then we fol-
lowed them to the river when one was
killed and the fine large buck. badly
wounded, succeeded in crossing the
river at a shallow place. He went
slowly across the bottom and we
watched him go over the hill beyond.
1t was now half past ten and we hitch
ed up our team, loaded the doe into the
wagon and resolved to get the buck too
before noon. A bridge was soon found
and ere long we were near the spot
when We lost sight of him as lie went
over the hill Three of us got out
while Charlie remained in the wagon.
We crept softly up over the hill and
out few hundred yards on the plain
beyond. Laramie peak doomed up in
the distance directly ahead of us. y
sign from one of us indicated to the
others that the game was not far off.
We crawled on our han DIS and knees
and even got closer TO the ground. Oc-
caSionally Il dried cactus would almost
make us cry out with pain. ! wanted
to see where he was and how he looked
for this was new thing to me-so
up my head would go every few mo-
ments as weneared the wounded buck.
He was lying down but his head was
up and his eyes open. We were with
in 200 yards. He saw us and in an in
slant was on his feet and on the run.
Three shots were fired, one at least of
which was well directed. and he fell.
He was dressed and loaded into the
wagon before noon. He was full
grown animal and had beautiful head
and pair of horns, which was going to
have mounted and sent to my father
in Wisconsin, but the old hair had not
all been shed on the neck and | was
told that it would not be a good speci-
men. The home journey was varied
by halt for dinner, chats with ranch
men and cow boys and an occasional
shot at more antelope in the foot hills.
This ended my first hunt In Wyoming
Territory. \ party just starting out
for a long hunt in the Shirley Basin
country, a region where game of all
kinds is particularly abundant, have
given me an urgent invitation to
join them and think l shall do so in
side of month. and spend two or
three weeks there. Then if l have
anything of interest to relate might
write again. l shall go mostly to look
up desirable ranch.
Before close l lnust say that there
are many places among the mountains
in Wyoming beautiful valleys we'll sup
piled with living water and abundance
of timber close at hand where cattle
and horses can be protitably raised.
The young men of Wisconsin. with
capital and enterprise can easily get
possession of a valuable ranch here,
and make money and know it.
DIR. II. l.. STEVENS