Bismarck weekly tribune., 1889-11-22
AFTER BLACK TAIL DEER.
E<HlLARATlNo SPORT IN THE NOUN
TAlNs OF WYOMING.

u
i;eautifuI Creatures Brought to Earth By
Leaden Observation-Disclosures from the
East Meet with Remarkable Success q.
the Hunt.
On our arrival at the Crystal Spring ranch
my friend F., Of New York, and myself,
learned that deer were plentiful in the noun
tiiins to the east of the ranch, consequently
we determined to try our luck on the follow
E,g day, the Messrs. T., the proprietors of the
ranch, agreeing to accompany us.
The searching eye of heaven" was just fir
ing "the proud tops of the eastern pines" as
we set out, each mounted on stout little
broncho and armed with COOS rifle and
large hunting knife. We were also provided
with lunches, in order to enable us to be alb
sent the whole day if necessary.
After fording the river several times, which
runs through the ranch in a winding courss,
We crossed a comparatively level expanse Of
grassy land well irrigated by system Of
bitches, and before long commenced to ascend
the foothills of the mountains. The keen,
bracing mountain air, so different from that
of the sseffete" east, seemed to inspire us with
fresh energy and spirits, as in single file we
trotted briskly along the trail
THE BEAUTIFUL ANTELOPE.
On reaching the summit of rather steep
hill we saw group of antelope quietly graz
ing in the bottom of broad valley about
quarter of a mile from us. f. and myself
dismounted and attempted to get nearer to
them, but they soon spied us and made of
with such speed that s'they seemed in rum
ming to devour the way" We sent couple
of flying shots after them, but to no effect.
These animals are very shy, and as they are
usually found in the open country, it is very
difficult to get within range of them Their
curiosity, however, is easily excited, as they
are as inquisitive as Mother Eve, and this fact
is often taken advantage of by hunters, who,
by lying fiat on the ground and gently wav-
ing handkerchief or some other conspicu-
Gus object, can often entice them within
shooting range. They are beautifully formed
creatures, about the size of sucking calf,
cheir coats being of fawn color and their
tails white and bushy. Their heads are shape
ly, and in the case of the bucks are surmount-
ed by pair of slender pointed horns, hence
their name of the prong horned antelope.
Their eyes are of exquisite beauty, being
large, dark and languid looking, and hence
have often served as images to poets.
We again mounted and rode on for several
miles, when the nature of the country altered
as we approached the highest part of the
range, being composed of high hills covered
with pine trees and separated by deep "draws"
with precipitous banks In some places they
looked almost perpendicular, and it seemed
almost an impossibility to descend them, but
the sure footed little bronchos, now cautious
ly picking out the spots affording the best
footing, again putting their feet together and
allowing themselves to slide, would carry us
safely to the bottom. Occasionally, on reach
ing particularly bad place, we would dis
mount and lead our animals, and, on one oc-
casion, we were surprised to see one of our
companions give his horse shove and allow
him to partly roll and partly slide down the
bank, while he himself followed leisurely on
foot, the broncho recovering his feet and pa
tiently waiting for his rider at the foot of the
hill
We now determined to divide our party.
having first agreed upon place Of meeting,
R. and myself taking one ''draw" and our
companions riding some distance further sstc
work" another.
sPOL1NG A PRETTY PICTURE.
After drawing lots for first shot, the choice
falling to R., we rode slowly along the sides
of the draw, keeping our eyes wide open for
deer. We rode on for several miles when, to
our delight, band of seven bucks appeared
on the divide opposite to us, who, on catch
ing sight of us, suddenly stopped, threw up
their antlered heads and shifted the air, form
ing a picture that would cause any hunts
mans heart to beat more rapidly. We hasti-
ly dismounted and opened fire upon them,
but seemingly to no effect, as they disap-
peared into the next draw. The failure Of
my shot was probably due to "buck fever;;"
but this could not have been the case with
R., who had killed numbers of them before
Leaving our horses, we followed them on
foot as fast as the nature of the ground would
permit, and on reaching the top of the divide
we noticed that the next draw was walled in
on the opposite side by steep bluff, render
ing escape in this direction impossible, and
the deer had halted in the bottom, uncertain
which way to run. We again fred and evil
IDENTIFY had both aimed at the same animal,
as the largest one of the group fell to the
ground The echo of our shots from the op-
posite bluff seemed still further to confuse
the rest, and they hesitated long enough to
enable us to get several more shots at them,
and three more bowed their proud, antlered
heads and bit the dust. The other three then
started up the draw with lightning speed and
were soon beyond range. We were highly
elated however, at killing four out of the
seven; the thrill of satisfaction and delight
which passes through mans breast as he
sees one of these noble creatures fall beneath
his well directed shot needs to be felt to be
fully appreciated
We had each killed two, although we could
not determine with certainty who had shot
the large buck, as there were three shots in
him, any of which would have proved fatal.
He was indeed beauty, as large as year.
ling steer, sleek and fat, with magnificent
head, finely shaped and adorned with a pair
Of large, spreading antlers which we were
very careful to preserve with a view to hav-
ing it mounted on our return to civilization,
and hung at the head Of the ancestral hall
amid other trophies of the chase. We now
whipped out our knives and proceeded to re-
lieve him of his hide and to cut off the most
edible portions, viz: the hams, which we tied
behind our saddles. The rest we we're
obliged to leave upon the ground as we were
long distance from the ranch and could not
carry very large load. W. Lynn Wilson
in Detroit Free Press.