Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1886-12-15
MOUNTAIN SHEEP.
How They Elude Sportsmen By
Jumping Great Heights.
a Game Animal which ARords Rare Sport
to Montana Huntsrs-HOw It Uses
Its MOnstrous Horns-Capt-
ure OF n Live Eve.

the most sport to huntsmeu- Chasing the
buffalo across the plains on horseback,
anil killing them with q revolver, which
was at one time the favorite method Of
hunting the big bison, used 20 be the ne
plus ultra Of Nimrodic amusements In
Montana, but since the buffalo have dis
appeared hunters have drifted back into
the mountains, where the COWS Mon tana"
are 10 be found during late years In the
greatest abundance. There may be lots OF
fun scamporing over the prairie after O
ono thousand ave hundred pound bull, but
there IL the heat and violent exercise, not
90 speak OF the danger OF your horse
plunging into q prairie dog hole and send
ing you downward TO grass at an angle OF
fifteen or twenty degrees. The mountain
sheep Is always nd among the peaks
or cliffs In cool attitudes and pretty near
the timber or perpetual snow line. The
lig-horn sheep Of the Rocky mount aims r.
. most difficult animal TO bag. They are
usually found in pairs, often In foeks Of
from four to forty, and sometimes In
bands OF one hundred or more. One old
sheep-huDter living on Pryor's fork, near
hore, relates that he saw not long ago o
flock Of eighty-one sheep In the Bitter
Root range, and about five years ago,
while scouting through the Teton basin In
Northern Wyoming, near the Southern
boundary OF the Yellowstone National
Park, he ran upon q band that must have
numbered over three hundred.
These animals range all the way from
the Rio Grande 70 the Mackenzie, but at the
limits named they are exceedingly scarce
and most difficult to kill. They abound in
the Big Horn mountains, whence they are
named.
Very little Il known Of the habits of this
rare game animal, even by those who have
written on the subject. They range, win
ter and summer alike, In the same lati-
tudes and attitudes, only In summer they
wander farther away than In the opposite
season. During the cold months they stay
on the southern slopes Of the noun tains 80
~ TO catch the sun. In the summer they
are generally found on the higher benches,
where the bunch grass and mountain
clover are abundant.
The 40 yis Montana" Is adorned with the
most remarkable head-gear in the shape
OF mons'rous horns. These nre used by
them for various purposes, but principally
as q means OF defense. Astonishing as Il
may seem, they also use their immense
horns 70 assist them In descending from
one lofty eminence TO a lower. II In
skipping from crag to crag and ridge TO
ridge should IL become necessary to make
q jump downwards, no matter what
the height, they roll themselves up
into a kind OF ball, vault out
into the air and turning q succession Of
somersaults, keep the ball rolling, so to
speak, until they strike on their powerful
horns below. The shock would kill an
ordinary animal, but these wary deniEens
OF the mountains don't seem 10 mind 1t
much, for they spring to their feet and
20 bounding over impossible chnsms and
Jagged rocks until 1t becomes necessary to
make another descent, when the same
tactics are repeated.
w. b. Dow, Of the Green Mountain Cat
tie Company, relates that he saw near his
ranch on Powder river, not long ago, n
hand OF three hundred mountain sheep.
They were browsing on lofty cliff, wben,
for some unaccountable reason, the flock
became stamped ed and rushed away like
a whirlwind. On they came pell-mell TO
the edge of the cliff, which was cut sharp
into n perpendicular decline OF fully if
teen hundred feet.
The leaders paused, but there was no
help for IL; the rear guard crowded them
over, and the entire flock went neck over
heels dc Tn into space. IL was, no doubt,
q curious sight TO see three hundred
mountain sheep doubled up into
balls and falling over such
lofty prccipice. Down they came, one
one after another, until the whole band
had made the awful jump. As this was
such n frightful leap for any breathing
creature to make and live, II Is not sur
prising to know that thirteen out of the
three hundred were killed by the concus-
sion. The cowboys OF the ranch Sc cured
the meat, which they declared supe rior to
their choice Montana steers.
The following story OF the capture Of a
big horn by r. r. Baker, a PennsyIv ala
gentleman, who has a ranch near Bould or,
In the western part OF the Territory, will
seem most strange and surprising. The
story comes we'll authenticated, and there
can be no question about its veracity. Mr..
Baker actually accomplished the sin gular
feat OF catching and holding by HIS un :
aided strength n wild Rocky Mountain
sheep-a eve. He came upon her at the
foot Of q sloping bank which led up to a
steep but not very high cliff Of rimrock.
His dog, Of the shepherd breed, trained
for bunting. was following, and when Il
saw the sheep pursued IL up the bank Of
the eliR, whore IL stood at bay, makina
demonstrations at the dog, which wal
prompt In returning them.
Mr.. Baker sent a man, who accompanied
them back to the house. quarter OF mil,
away, for q gun. While he was away
Baker "made q sneak" on the sheep and
came around on top Of the cliR above tn,
animal, whose attention was still occu
pied with the dog. From this vantag,
point he dropped astride OF its back, and
grasping IL around the neck with his arm
held 10 firmly; but the wild denizen o
the mountains was not to be conquered u
easily, and a struggle began, In which Mr.
Baker and the sheep rolled over and Owe
down the bank, but were not separated
just rs they reached the ground where 1
was level the man with the gun arrived OF
horseback, trailing behind long, sinewy
lariat. Happy thoughti By the aid o
the rope the mountain eve was bound anC
taken to the house. But Il refused to eat
and from straining on the rope requir q
constant watching 10 prevent it from
choking 10 death.
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