Sierra County advocate. [volume] (Kingston, N.M.) 1884-1960, 1891-01-16
ELK VERSUS COYOTE.
Strange Fight Witnessed In a San
Francisco Park.
How Old Pete Rescued n Doe from the
jaws of Marauder-Hard Battiing
Between Unlike Victory
ON tho Right Side.


I
Pete the big elk OUT in the park, says
the San Francisco Examiner, distin-
guished himself the other night. Not
withstanding Pete's long residence
among civilization, he is always savage
at this period OF the year
For week or more he has been as
full OF fight as candidate is of promises,
Nor is Pete particular as to the oharac-
ter or quality of his combat. As long as
1t is fight he is satisfied. Ho has tried
to stir up a muss with some Of the deer
that share the inclosure with him and
his family, but though they have some
lively battles among themselves they
evidently consider that Pete is the John
l.. Sullivan of the crowd and pay no at
tention to his challenges. Nor can he
force them to fight. Whenever he
charges on them the bucks dodge him in
the brush, and, owing to their lesser
bulk, easily avoid him. Pete's long
legged offspring, born some months ago,
has rather hard time of it these days,
but he hides himself among the bushes
and so evades his parents irritation.
Up TO night before last the best fight
that Pete could get up was with one of
the fence posts. lie butted and paved
away at this until 1t looked as II he'd
smash the fence. Fortunately the big
black-tail buck showed up and took
Pete's attention from the post, and by
the time he had chased the buck three
or four times around the paddock Pete
haH oil hn
But night before last Pete got chance
and showed what was in him. Though
he is out of temper with his family, and
indeed all the other tenants of the
deer paddock, he nevertheless considers
himself their guardian and viii always
savagely resent an attack on even his
long-legged son.
Pete was standing in the moonlight at
the eastern end Of the paddock when
litrle doe away off at the other end of
the inclosure gave a loud bleat OF
alarm. One of the park policemen saw
her spring out OF the brush and to his
astonishment observed that coyote was
cl.nging to her throat He started to her
as fast as he could but Pete was ahead
OF him.
The elk gave one loud answering call,
sound between the roar OF n bull and
the baa OF a goat, with more of the roar
than the baa in it, and then tore of
to the rescue of the doe. According to
the one spectator, Pete laid his horns
over against his back and hardly
seemed to touch the ground after the
first jump. The coyote held on to the
does throat until Pete was within
dozen yards of him. Then he let go and
started for the fence. He reached the
palings, but could not get through, and
the now thoroughly enraged elk over.
took him. Lifting his front legs with
amazing swiftness, Pete brought his
sharp hoofs down squarely on the in.
truder's back. 1t must have broken the
coyotes spine, for he made no further
attempt TO escape, but lay there strug-
Cling, yelping and swapping. He got one
hold on Petes fore leg, but the elk got
his big horns to reinforce his hoof, and
after some very lively thrashing around
he broke the coyotes hold. Then Pete
went in to finish his adversary. Hoofs
and horns worked SO quickly that the
policeman's eyes could not follow them.
Once Pete raised the prowler clean of
the ground with his antlers and tossed
him ten feet in the air. But the crippled
coyote was no coward, for wonder.
He lighted lighting, and somehow got a
grip on Pete's haunch
Then there was lively work. The
coyote was safe from Pete's antlers, but
the big elk had his kicking apparatus
very handy, and it was no time at all
before he had knocked the coyote of
him and sent him rolling down the
slope to tho middle of tho paddock.
Then the fight was finished.
Peter gave two bounds down the slope
and landed, all four feet together, on
the hapless coyote.
That probably killed the marauder,
but Pete by no means let up. lie paved
and kicked and gored the body until II
was cut to pieces. 1t was half an hour
before the big elk quit mauling the
carcass.
When he did he simply sounded an
other challenge, OF which there were, OF
no takers, and then stalked
around the paddock making
bluffs at the bucks.
How the coyote got into the paddock
is mystery. No break was to be found
In the fence, and 1t was evident that ho
could not get out when the big elk
charged him.
There has occasionally been seen
about the park an old weather-beaten
coyote, that ordinarily kept well away
from the more travelled localities,
though he has been seen at night drink
ing from the water-trough, This is
supposed TO be the victim of Petes hoofs
and horns The doc that was attacked
IS small, weakly creature, the feeblest
IN the paddock. The coyote doubtless
made snap for its throat but only
:aught the skin. These animals kill
sheep by cutting the arteries in the
neck and drinking the blood until tho
sheep is dead, and the coyote thought
hat in the absence of mutton venison
would not bo bad,