Mountain Home bulletin. (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1888-1889, 1889-05-11
A WILDCAT FIGHT.
Ouel Between Two Toms In the Presence
of an Appiauding Female.

Duel Between Two Toms In the Presencs
of an Appiauding Female.
Levi Smalling, Spring Brook
hunter. recently witnessed a remark |
able fight between two male wildcats
in the woods of that section. 81 was
still hunting for squirrels and rabbits,
said Mr.. Smalling, "when | heard a
terrific yowling and snarling down in
the ravine from where | was tramping
through the woods. | knew at once
that the noise was made by wildcats,
many time, and my first thought was
that wildcat had been caught in a
trap and was yelling from pain.
listened for minute, and then heard
two distinct voices. | hurried to the
brink of a ledge to look down in the
ravine, and on my way it seemed as
though could hear three wildcats
screaming, and | was not mistaken in
this, as soon found out
"When l got where l could look
down ! saw what all the fuss was
about. Ia an open space two male wild
CulS WtEC lil'ifluS uIlC oIh ohC
anothers bodies, yelling, scratching
and biting, and every now and then
tumbling over each other and tearing
up the leaves. On limb close by to
them sat female with her back
bumped up, and she was splitting a2d
sissing and urging the others on. |
made up my mind right away that the
| two toms wore fighting over her. and
| ] enjoyed the row more than any thing
| had ever seen in the woods. When
the toms got tired Of clawing one
another they crouched on the ground
and howled. while the one on this limb
kept up a continual noise and dashed
her tail, too.
after each resting spell the toms
rushed at one another again. and while
they Were ripping, and tearing. and
the ledge. stopping every time they
stopped for fear they might hear me and
either run away or make for me. /,
seemed to be nip and tuck between them,
for they were both big and strong, and
each appeared bent on killing the
other before he would give up.
wanted to kill them both and get their
hides and the bounty money, and so
waited for good shot at them. had
a charge of buckshot in my right bar
rel and bullet in the left, and my in
tention was to send the buckshot "a
them when mixed up in the next bout
Then they flew at one another
again but before | could reach the spo
that wanted to get before blazet
away the toms separated once more
BY this time they were pretty wei
fought out, and for II few minutes al
they did was to glare at one another
swing their tails back, and howl. tn,
she cat then sprang from her limb t.
another branch, giving a scream rs sh,
leaped, and in less than ten seconds tn,
toms dashed at each other ant
fought more furiously than ever, fill
ing the woods with their yowls.
Then | banged away at the heal
with the charge of buckshot. One o
the wild cats leaped into the air ant
fell down dead. and the other wen
bowling into the bushes out of m,
sight. | saw that there was no use o
trying to get another shot at him, an,
l sent the bullet at the female an,
knocked her off the limb. | didn'
stir from the spot until had chucke,
charge into each barrel. and then
hurried down to see if had killed tn,
she one. She was dead enough, l wa
glad TO find out, and then | thought
would search for the live tom, think
ing that he might have been wounded
by one of the buckshot l found hin
after little, and | guess he woul,
have given me a pretty lively time o
it if two of his legs hadn't been broken
As it was he showed fight and tried t.
tear my bootleg off, but l had the ad
vantage of him and shot him through
the head "-Scsanton Pa.) Cor. N. Y
Sun.