Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1891-06-25
BATTLE WITH AN ELK.
A Hunters PeriIous Encounter with
Buck Which He Had Wounded.

A Hunters PeriIous Encounter with
Buck Which He Had Wounded.
Mr.. D. c. Dexereaux. nimrod of the
neigh borhood of Boise City, Idaho, re-
ports an exciting time with a wounded
elk. while on a recent hunt along the
Snake river. These noble creatures
have grown exceedingly rare of late
years, owing to the assiduity with
which they have been hunted,
and when seen at all in remote
districts are so shy that it is with
difficulty hunters obtain shot at
them. The party of which Mr.. Dever-
eaux was a member had contented
themselves with smaller game, and it
was with some surprise that they ran
into small herd of elk moving along
Rock creek, a small tributary of the
Snake. No opportunity was afforded
for surrounding the animals, which Il
the only successful way of hunting
them. but coming upon them suddenly.
a wild scattering fire only served
to disperse them, when they were
off like the wind. Mr.. Dever-
eaux, who happened, however. tc
be some distance ahead of the others,
managed to wound buck, though
without bringing him to the ground.
The animal. apparently maddened with
pain, plunged into the Rock, and.
swimming it, was soon on the other
side and running as fast as the wound
in his hind quarter would allow. The
party. seeing it impossible to overtake
the herd, set off in pursuit of the
wounded elk. but by the time they sue
ceeded in finding ford and had crossed
the creek the animal was out of sight,
though his trail. which was marked by
a stream of blood, was followed with
out difficulty. After a mile and a
half of rapid riding indications
unmistakable to a hunters eye were
noticed that told of the elk's exhaustion.
and short distance further on they
caught sight of the laboring, suffering
creature as he attempted to mount a
small hillock some hundred yards
away. Mr. Devereaux, claiming the
elk as his game, rode forward at full
speed, reaching the foot of the ridge
just as the elk paused. exhausted, on
the summit, when he fred. The ami
NAL staggered little and then rolled
out of sight over the sharp brow of the
hillock, crashing through the under
growth. Circlining the ridge, Mr.
Devereaux rode to its foot, where
he found the deer lying motionless,
and thinking him dead. he dismounted
and advanced toward him. But, evil
IDENTIFY only stunned, the elk rose like a
fash and was in the act of bounding
away when the hunter fred, wounding
him in the breast by a glancing shot
which laid bare the bone and seemed to
distract the animal. He ran at his pur-
suer with lowered head, his great horns
fixed like bayonets, and only to be
avoided by Mr.. Deveraaux's hasty spring
to one side. He fired several shots,
each, as was afterward ascertained,
taking effect in the body, but without
staying the elk, which again struck at
its tormentor.
The situation was one Of extreme
peril, for an elk's horns are formidable
weapons, and have been known to lay
open horses side when the animal is
at bay. Mr.. Devereaux met the new
stroke by a tremendous blow with his
gun, which was now empty, but, though
the weapon was broken into dozen
pieces. it evidently did not affect the
furious animal, which returned to the
attack at once, stamping and lunging
forward with his horns. By this time
the rest of the hunters had ridden up,
and at every opportunity when it was
| thought safe to fire at the elk, with
| out danger of hitting their companion,
| peppered the creature, which now fell
on his knees, wounded to death. See
ing this, Mr.. Devereaux sprang upon
him from behind, and kept him from
struggling to his feet, at the same time
plunging his stout knife into his neck.
He fell over with such force that it was
all the hunter could do to escape having
his right leg crushed beneath the great
weight The elk was found to be
wounded in seventeen places--Chicago