The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-02-10
B. W. HOWE, HUNTER.
The Author Of 1.-THE Story Of a
Country Town. Goes Shooting.
Rocky Mountain Sheep and Their Ways.
A Popularity Accepted Horn Story Ex-
pioded Some Good Elk Shooting-A
Magnificent Set of Antlers.
special Correspondence

Aiagnitcent Set of Antlers.
Especial Correspondence
ATcrIsoN Kan. Feb. 4.-During re-
cent hunting trip IN the Rocky mountains
went one day with my friend Brooks to
rlslt certain famous canyon. We
were seated on the brink talking about
its beauties when Brooks suggested that
we roll rocks down the gorge to see
them plow their way through the trees
below We pried off a very big one.
and were watching it tearing along
when suddenly Brooks cried out.
Mountain sheepr
We had scared out thirty or forty
which mad gone into the canyon after
water We fired at them as fast as we
could and you can fire very rapidly
with repeating riie-and the firing
created SO many reverberations and
echos in the canyon that it sounded like
battle
Finally Brooks jumped on his horse
and told me to follow. as we might catch
ffie sheep in an open country as they
crossed into their favorite haunts. Then
followed wide ride, in which we be-
came separated, and it happened that l
found the sheep.
They were standing still when l came
up to them. but they ran away when l
went to get off the horse to shoot | had
eleven cartridges in my gun, and made
ten fair misses; with the eleventh bullet
stopped one just before the sheep went
over the side Of the mountain. Brooks
came up few moments later, and said
was jumping up and down. yelling and
waving my hat, when he came in sight.
Mountain sheep are very scarce and
very hard to kill have known old
hunters who have never seen one, and
suppose | was rejoicing over my good
luck.
There is popular impression that
mountain sheep will jump from crag to
rrag and land on his horns, but there
is nothing in the story. The sheep
live in the widest part Of the noun
tains and disappear with great sud-
denness when disturbed il their natural
feeding ground, but if hunter happens
to run upon them in open country they
are apt to stand and look at him for
moment in amaZeinent.
The mountain sheep only resembles
the domestic animal in the particular
that it has horns which distinguish the
ewes as we'll as the bucks, although the
horns of the female are quite small The
hair and color of the mountain sheep are
that of the deer, but the legs are shorter
and the body longer and much heavier.
The flesh is regarded as greater deli
cacy than that Of elk, which outranks
lyenison, and there is nothing of the NUT
ton taste about it. An antelope resem-
bles huge jack rabbit after it has been
skinned, and there is something common
looking about the meat. but the flesh OF
the mountain sheep is of that deep car
mine color which distinguishes all really
good meat. The carcass of the buck
from which the illustration accompany
ing this article was made certainly
weighed 400 pounds. and the meat was
larded with fat.
Amateur hunters are apt to give exag-
gerated accounts of the great distances
their rifles will shoot.
a nuuOFeu ydTuS iS d iouS utStdACo W
shoot accurately. In shooting long dis
tances you are supposed to raise your
sight. but in the presence of game this
is apt to be forgotten. and then you must
aim over your object, and there is SO
much guessing about this that You
might as well not shoot at all have
repeatedly seen deer jump out of the
way OF bullet at 300 or 400 yards. The
smoke from the gun frightens them.
and they jump, the bullet striking
where they stood when the gun was
fired. A deer is curious. and will nearly
always stop and look at the hunter after
short run The hunter knows this
and fixes himself to fire as soon as the
animal stops. Many hunters whistle to
deer as boys do to rabbits.
After the first shot the deer will run
away and usually stop again. but at
very long range. An elk or an antelope
makes bee line for safety when dis
turbed.
A female deer or antelope when
wounded so seriously that it cannot get
away will cry in the most pitiful man.