The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1892-03-05
HUNTING THE ELK.
Fhs Largest American Deer Furnishes
Grand Sport for the Hunter.

The elk used to be found over almost
the entire United States, but II now eN-
lists, in any numbers, only in the great
mountain chains of the Rockies and the
coast ranges in Oregon and Washington.
1t is without exception the lordliest of
the deer kind, and in size is second only
10 the moose. Nothing can surpass the
grand beauty of an old bull elk bearing |
his twelvetined antlers aloft with easy |
grace as he roars out his challenge to |
all rivals. In some parts of the west |
afar from the settlements the elk is still |
plentiful. He offers to the hunter not |
only the grandest of trophies in the
shape of his magnificent head and |
horns, but also an abundant supply of
the best possible meat. There is no
venison upon which one can live SO
long without tiring as elk meat, the
only drawback being that it must be
eaten hot, as the fat turns into regular
tallow as soon as it cools. During the
summer, while their horns are in the
velvet, no true sportsman will shoot
the elk, nor will he shoot cows and
calves at any time save when absolutely
in need of meat; but in September the
velvet drops off his horns, and then each
of the master bulls begins to collect
harem of cows, from five or six to
twenty or thirty in number. He keeps
all the small bulls afar from this herd,
and wages furious war against every
rival of the same size and antler growth
as himself. At this season the bull has
a very extraordinary and peculiar note.
The frontiersmen call it whistling, but
it is not like whistle at all; it is more
like bugle, consisting of a bar or two
of music on a rising scale, and then an
other bar or two on falling scale, fol-
lowed sometimes by three or four flute
like notes. 1t is most exciting to creep
up to bull when he is whistling in this
way.
The first elk shot in the season of
1891 was obtained in this manner. l was
travelling with a pack train in the
mountains, riding at the head. 1t was
n dark, lowering, rainy morning, and
we were going up small valley with
| steep, densely wooded hills on either
hand Suddenly as we came out into
little glade, we heard, half mile to
our right, the challenge of bull elk,
| speedily answered by more distant
note of defiance, evidently from a rival
further up the mountain. / and my
companion, a tall, silent old mountain
hunter, instantly slipped off our horses
and began to steal through the woods
toward the sound. 1t was n great tam
aracs forest, and the ground at our feet
was covered with water-logged moss, so
that it was easy to walk without max
ing noise. As silently as possible we
crept on from tree to tree, in the gloom
of the mighty evergreen forest, every
minute or two stopping to listen for the
challenge, The elk was evidently very
much excited by the presence of his
rival on the distant mountain side, and
he kept repeating his call at short in
tervals When we first went into the
woods and heard it from afar it sounded
most musical. but as we drew nearer
the sound had n harsh ring, which de-
tracted from its melody, but neverthe-
less sert thrill through our veins
Nearer and nearer we crept, and each
minute the roar of the challenge came
booming down through the woods
louder than before. Then we got near
enough to hear the rattle of the great
antlers,as the bull savagely thrashed
the young trees and saplings. Still
nearer we crept, and from particular
ly dense clump of young evcrgrecns the
roar came so near as to make it sound
like the cry of some ferocious wild
beast. The old hunter dropped behind
and raced silently forward toward the
clump In another moment l saw the
tops of the great antlers projecting one
I on OF Gil La Of I -,
my buclisllin hunting shirt, which har-
monies so well with the tree trunks
that it is difficult for even the sharpest
eye to distinguish it. For moment or
two evidently the elk could not quite
see what l was. Stepping to one side of
the tree he walked n couple OF PAGES to-
ward me with the peculiar stately
grace of his kind his shapely head and
= lordly antlers borne aloft by the great
swelling neck. Then, as he halted, my
bullet took him straight in the chest,
t Round he wheeled and started off, anG
) with the second bullet hit him in tho
flank. Either of the shots was fatal
f and after thirty-yard run the lordly
l beast staggered, stopped fell over on his
side and was in the death struggle as
,
old hunter and | were standing admir-
/ ing his huge body and beautifully
formed clean brown legs
Once / shot two bulls while they
We're engaged in deadly combat will
each other had been lying out in higl
alpine valley over night with com
panion. We had no blankets with us
nothing but our jackets, in which W.
had slept by the side of the fire al
: night. Before dawn we were off
threading our way through the cool
dim archways of the pine forest, anc
l our front the clatter of horns and The
savage squealing which marks an ell
I fight. Stealing up softly, we were soot
within 1875 yards of the combatants, TIVE
e powerful and evenly matched bulls
l. They fought by charging each othe
2 like rams, the shock being tremendou
: as the great beasts, with bristling hair
! flashing eyes, and lowered horns
crashed together. Once the antler
| were interloclsed, each strove by shee
S strength and address to force his oppo
5 nent back and they stood for minute
straining with their launches gathere,
+ under them, squcaling fiercely at times
: then they would separate, retire som
S little distance, fronting each other witt
$ giaring eyes, and again come together
Q The great object of each was TO catcl
the other in the flank. The hair an,
Ia 4 1,a CHI 1l,,,, y,ft 81