Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1885-08-28
Antelope Hunting in Wyoming
TerritOry.-A Single Days
Snort.
Special to The Iowa Co. Democracy

LAkAMlEt "yOHlIbI aug IOthI iooJ
1t was my first experience in hunt
ing antelopes in the Rocky Mountains
and the circumstances connected will
this hunt were quiet different from
those usually attending hunting eXcur
sonS.
In order to give the reader definite
ideas | must first briefly describe TIT
country out here. Laramie is city Of
some three thousand five hundred PEG.
pie, situated on the broad. Laramie
plains, which stretch from the BLACK
Hills range on the east to the Medicine
Bow range on the west. The former be
ing about ten miles distant and the lat
ter about 30. giving the plain width OF
about 40 miles These so called plains
are virtually plateau in the Rocky
Mountains, having an altitude of over
seven thousand feet. Close to the city
on the west flows the Big Laramie
River, and into this the Little Laramie
flows thirteen miles below. Along the
foot or base of the mountains are the
foot hills which are mounds or small
mountains. Among these foot hills
quantities of antelopes spend the sum.
mer generally in small punches, say
| from two to dozen. In the fall they
get together in large bands of hundreds
and even thousands, and come out on
the plains. They are at all times very
wild and hard to get at except hy ex-
pert hunters. They will often scent or
sight a man at Il long distance, per
hlps mile OF more, and as he APP
proaches they will run to the top of the
next ridge and stand and look. If he
follows they will 80 to the next ridge
and SO on. When in small punches the
hunter has to make a sneak on them
as they call it here; but in the winter
when they are i'll large bands and on
plains II quite different method is adop
ted. Some hunters go out with IA team
and look about till they see large
band. Then they take out good run
ming horse and armed with Win
chester "a magazine gum an expert
shot approaches the band. When tiey
begin to run he puts his horse down to
| his best, gets as close as he can. jumps
off begins firing rs fast us possible. By
this method he often kills half dozen
or more. He keeps on until he gets all
he can haul with four horse team
have told you OF the usual way of
hunting antelope in the foot hills and
on the plains and now will tell you the
experience OF hunting party that
went out the second Of July. On the
25th of June was called to Carbon, SO
miles west to attend a lady with a
broken arm. On the way saw a good
many antelopes. In pasture some
eleven miles from Laramie 4 noticed
| five or six which seemed quite tame
and at home, and the conductor in
formed me that they had been there
nearly all the spring. Itoccurl ed to me
that here might be an opportunity to
shoot an antelope. After my return L
told some of my friends how easy it
would be to bag few antelope and we
forthwith formed party consisting of
four, Morg. Charlie, Ed, and your
humble servant, all tender foots," as
the western expression goes. The
night watchman was to wake Charlie
at O'Clock Il. m, and he was to wake
| two of the others and hitch up and
then drive to my sleeping apartments.
a lunch for which we paid four dol
lars, Il small bag of sugar, another of
ground coffee. a can of condensed milk
and the necessary dishes, constituted
our camping outfit. Ten minutes be-
| fore two found us on our way. The
night was beautiful. clear and light, and
in this high altitude we found good
thick winter overcoatS aud wolf robes
not at all burdensome. We drove II
miles directly down the main line OF
the Union Pacific Il. r., arriving at the
| hunting grounds just rs day light was
making its appearance. We strained
our eyes tor game. 1t was not in vain
for ut no great distance. perhaps &C
rods, We could see in the dim light
some object walking leisurely south
and toward the corner of the fence
Some said it was an antelope while 9th
erS said it was coyote else it would
not be alone. 1t proved very soon
however. to be buck antelope, and q
fine specimen too. This field il
which the antelopes were known to bt
living is a triangular enclosure OF
about thousand acres bounded oil
two sides 10y barbed wire fence and or
the third by the big Laramie River
which is, ut this season of the year
about 100 feet wide. We stopped oul
team by the fence about sixty rod.
from the corner and the antelope con
tinued his morning walk apparentl,
unbalanced. BY waiting Is or 20 min
utes for it to get lighter SO we coull
see the sights on our trusty repeatin,
rifles with which we were all armed
Que of us might easily have made
sneak on him and killed him, but nc
we were out for some fun whether w
got an antelope or not. Morg" on
captain cleo who by the way hat
served term in the regular army, said
Let us form i skirmish line from
fence to fence and charge on him, h
can't get through the wire fence.
, Agreed. Ed. took the extreme left
Morg. next. then Charlie. while the ex
treme right was occupied by your col
respondent. We made Harvard march
} The stars were yet shining. Wit
: this formidable array how could he es
cape becoming "our meat" From A