Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1892-10-23
KILLING A BULL ELK.
AN ExHlLARATlNG ADVENTURE AT
TWO OCEAN PASS.

Wounded Buli-Creeping Upon a Doz-
ing Herd-A Caution About Firing.
From an interesting article on "An
Elk Hunt at Two Ocean Pass" by the
Hon. Theodore Roosevelt, in The Cen
fury, the following quotation is made
Next morning dawned clear and cold.
the sky a glorious blue. Woody and
started to hunt over the great tableland
and led our stout horses up the noun
tain side by elk trails SO bad that they
had to climb like goats. All these elk
trails have one striking peculiarity-they
lead through thick timber, but every
now and then send off short, well worn
branches to some cliff edge or jutting
crag commanding view far and wide
over the country beneath. Elk love to
stand on these lookout points and scan
the valleys and mountains round about.
Blue grouse rose from beside our path;
Clarkes crows few past MS, with hol-
low, Tapping sound, or lighted in the
pine tops, calling and flirting their tails;
the gray clad whisky jacks, with multi
tudinous cries, hoped and fiuttered
near us. Snowshoe rabbits scuttled
away, the great furry feet which give
them their name already turning white.
At last we came out ON the great pla-
teau, scanned with deep, narrow ravines.
Reaches of pasture alternated with
groves and open forests of varying size
Almost Immediately we heard the bugle
of bull elk and saw a big band of cows
and calves on the other side of valley
There were three bulls with them, one
very large, and we tried TO creep up on
them, but the wind was battling and
| spoiled our stalk, SO we returned to our
horses, mounted them and rode mile
farther, toward large open wood on a
hillside
When within 200 yards we heard di-
rectly ahead the bugle Of a bull and
pulled up short. In a moment saw
him walking through an open glade; he
had not seen us. The slight breeze
brought us his scent. Elk have a strong
characteristic smell; it is usually sweet
like that of herd of Attorney cows,
but in old bulls while rutting it is rank,
pungent and lasting. We stood motion
less till the bull was out of sight, then
stole to the wood, tied our horses and
trotted after him. He was travelling
fast, occasionally calling, whereupon
others in the neighborhood would an
swer. Evidently he had been driven
out of some herd by the master bull.
He went faster than we did, and while
we were vainly trying 10 Oyertake him
we heard another very loud and sonor-
GUS challenge to our left. 1t came from
a ridge crest at the edge of the woods,
among some scattered clumps of the
northern nut pine, or pinon, a queer conf
fer growing very high on the noun
tains, its multiforked trunk and wide
spreading branches giving it the round
ed top and at distance the general
look of an oak rather than pine. We
at once walked toward the ridge-uI
wind. In minute or two, to our cha
grin, we stumbled on an outlying spike
bull, evidently kept on the outskirts OF
the herd by the master bull. | thought
it would alarm ali the rest, but as we
stood motionless it could not see clearly
what we were. II stood, ran, stood
|
We hurried forward as fast as W,
dared, and with too little care, for W.
suddenly came in view of two cows. Al
they raised their heads to look, Woody
squatted down where he was, to keel
their attention fixed, while | cautiously
tried TO slip off TO one side unobserved
Favored by the neutral tint of my buck
skin hunting shirt, with which my
shoes, leggings and soft hat matched,
succeeded. AS soon as | was out o.
sight l ran hard and came up TO 1
hillock crested with pinons, behind
which l judged | should find the herd
As l approached the crest, their strong
sweet smell smote my nostrils. In an
other moment | saw the tips of pair Of
mighty antlers, and | peered over tn,
crest with my rife at the ready. Thirty
, yards off, behind clump of pinons
, stood huge bull, his head thrown bacl
as he rubbed his shoulders with hi
horns. There were several cows arounC
him, and one saw me Immediately ant
took alarm.
| fired into the bulls shoulder, infiict
ing mortal wound; but he went off
and raced after himsat top speed, FIRM
into his flank; then he stopped, yer,
sick, and broke his neck with fourtl
I bullet. An elk often hesitates in tn
|, first moments Of surprise and fright
and does not get really under way 70
200 or 300 yards; but when once fairl.
, started he may go several miles, evei
|, though MORALLY wounded. therefore tn
! hunter, after his first shot, should rui
! forward as fast as he can, and shoe
again and again until the quarry drops
In this way many animals that woul
: otherwise be lost are obtained, especiall
by the man who has a repeating rife
Nevertheless the hunter should bewar
Z Of being led astray by the ease wit
J which he can fire half dozen shot
: : from his repeater, and he should aim a
! carefully with each shot as If 1t wer
u his last No possible rapidity Of fire ca