The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-07-12
ELK HUNTING IN COLORADO.
Antics OF Dead-shot Hunter When
Suffering From "Rnck FAvarn

Antics or q DeaQ-5hot Hunter When
Suffering From "Buck Fever"
A letter from Steamboat Springs, Col, to
the Colorado Sun says; "This is perhaps
the greatest game country in the United
States. Situated in tho very heart of the
Rocky mountains the least settled part, the
towering peaks and wooded slopes literally
team with deer, elk and bear. But the on
ward march Of civilization is making great
inroads upon these proud denizens of
the forest, and soon they will
have Joined the buffalo IN the happy
huuting ground. In varied expe-
rience covering several years it has been
my pleasure to study the habits and char.
acteristies OF these animals, and l believe
that of all the large game on this continent
the elk is the noblest, the grandest, the
stateliese. The moose, caribou, deer or
mountain sheep has each its points OF eX-
cellence that endears it to the heart of the
sportsman, but the elk possesses more than
| any of the others. In size, Fagacity, cum
ming and wariness he is the superior OF
| them all. His keen scent, his penetrating
| eye, his acute sense Of hearing, combine in
making him one of the most difficult AMI
mails to kill
He will travel twenty-four hours with
ease, never stopping to eat or drink. His
gait is q swift, swinging trot. He is as
graceful as fawn and moves overthe ground
at an astonishing pace. With his immense
antlers thrown back on his shoulders he
will go through rocks, down timber or
brush with the greatest ease. where horse,
and sometimes a man, would have difficulty
| in following. He is often found above
| timber line, and will traverse narrow de-
| files, climbing over walls of rock and
| through f1ssures where Is would seem inn
| possible for an animal of his size to 20.
az we'll remember the first time | heard
| an elk bugle. / was alone on top of the
| great divide and was walking along the
| bank OF the dizzy canyon at the very head
| of Fish creek. / was a novice in those days
and fully expected to see herd of grizzly
| bears at every step. My nerves were ct q
great tension, as the deep and gloomy can
| yons and craggy cliffs at that point are
| dark and foreboding and have an oppressive
effect on a tenderfoot.
Suddenly there burst upon my ears the
| clear, penetrating bugle Of an elk. 1t was
| a most strange, weird, peculiar sound, baf-
| painter and startling In its suddenness My
| hair stood on end. [ wanted to run, but
did not know which way to go, as the
sound seemed to come rolling IN from every
| direction. | was bewildered, as the sound
echoed from cliff to cliff and went rolling
| away in the distance. Again pealed out
| thas clarion note, and this time espied
hIOUB Cue Canyon Oduh HlONluR ODJeCGs
which soon made out to be an elk.
"He was q noble specimen, with immense
spreading antiers, and was coming directly
toward me. l dropped down behind a rock
and awaited him. Just in front of me was
| a beautiful little park, covered with car
| pct Of green grass, plentlfully sprlnkled
| with flowers, and into this he turned. he
stopped, threw his head back, swelled bis
neck to an enormous size, and once more
emitted that mournful wall. While he was
standing thus took careful aim and fired
| He dropped like a log. The bullet took him
| square between the eyes. His anulers had
nine prongs to the side, and the tip was six
feet from his head.
During the latter part of last November,
| when the soft downy snow had piled up over
| aifoot deep on the valley, ! accompanied a
hunting expedition to The headwaters Of
Elk river. Here the elk congregate in
| large bands preparatory for their winter
trip south. We shoveled off a camping
place and built roaring fire. After supper
we sat around on logs and smoked and told
stories until late and rolled into our beds,
spread on thick layer of spruce bough and
dreamed of elk and bear and all other game
that is dear to the hunter and sporssma
| How one can sleep on a bed of spruce
| boughs! Morning dawned bright and clear,
and long hefore sunrise we were in motion.
| We heard an elk bugle just over little hill
| from our camp, and believing there was a
| band Of them we made In that direction.
"As we came upon the hill and looked
over we saw beautiful sight. There, in a
| little valley, was a bunch Of more than 200
elk. Some were lying, some standing and
others walking back and forth like ssnti-
nels watching over sleeping army. Noise
leSsly we crept back, and, making a wide
detour, we surrounded them. The sun was
| we'll up by this time, and as it shone upon
the frost incrusted boughs of the spruce
| they shOne and sparkled like clusters OF
| diamonds. The peaks are warmed with
| glow of sunlight and are tinged with a
| golden halo. 1t was scene of marvellous
| grandeur and beauty. A signal was given
and we all moved forward. An ever
watchful bull sounds note of alarm and
instantly the herd is in motion. They go
slowly down the gulch, moving in good
| order, el}eough the snow Is three feet deep.
''Tbe leader stalks proudly st the head of
the band. Suddenly from in front there is
q report, ana we see little puff of smoke
ascend upward The leader stops, turns
| around with his noble head lowered to the
| ground, and his noble body trenbles with
new and deathly sensation. The snow
around is colored bright crimson, and this
| magnificent animal, which q few moments
| ago walked proudly at the head Of his band,
summons all his strength for great leap
and falls over dead. The band, thus sud
| denly deprived OF q leaueF, blanub WaVbTltlS
for moment and then breaks apart, ana
one part runs up our hillside while the
others go the other way. Now is the chance
for the hunter, and we, who are above him,
look with eager expectancy to see him ac-
cept it. He rushes forward just as the elk,
seeing that they are separated, turn and
come together again like the wings of a
great army.
"Hels in the very midst of them, and
they, bewildered by the shooting, jump
first one way and then the other, all around
him But this man, who a moment before
could kill an elk the first shot, Is now suffer
ing from a severe attack of buck ague.' 1t
| is too much for his nerves, and he shoots
| fast and wild. He keeps up this fusillade
until his cartridges are gone. Thirty shots
and be has not drawn blood. The elk come
to their senses and sweep off down the gulch
out of range We had lots of fun INVITING
this huuter about his good craftsmanship
but there are lots OF hunters who get
ratified when they are in the midst of a
! band Of elk, some of which could be killed
with butcher knife. The tactics OF the
pot hunter are to kill the leader or a band
Of elk, and then they will often stand until
they are all shot down."
| A School Idyl.
| rxo,,, he RoTffy1ora EernLd