The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1892-03-04
HUNTING THE ELK.
Inc Largest American Deer Furnishes
Grand Sport for the Hunter.

Grand Sport for the Hunter.
To my mind one of the most attrac-
tive sports of the west is elk hunting.
The elk used to be found over almost
the entire United States, but it now ex-
| lists, in any mum hcrs, 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
to the moose. Nothing can surpass the
grand beauty of an old bull elk bearing
his twelve-tined 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 firing 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 than each
OF the master bulls begins to COLLECT n
harem of cows, from five or sE to
twenty or thirty in number. He keeps
all the small bulls afar from this herd
rival OF the same size and antler growth
as himself AT this season the bull has
a very extraordinary and peculiar note
The fronticrsmen call IL whistling. but
it is not like whistle at all; IL Is more
like buglc, consisting OF bar or two
of music on 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. was
travelling with a pack train in the
mountains, riding at the head. 1t was
dark, lowering, rainy morning, and
we were going up a 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 rival
further up the mountain. | and my
companion, tall, silent old mountain
hunter, instantly slipped off our horses
and began to steal through the woods
toward the sound. 1t was a great tam
arack forest, and the ground at our feet
was covered with water-logged moss. so
that it was easy to walk without maxi
ing a 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 k 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 a 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 evergreens 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
on either side of tree trunk. | was in
my buckskin hunting shirt, which har-
monies so well with the tree trunks
that it is difficult for even the sharpest
eve to distinguish it For a moment or
two evidently the elk could not quite
see what was. Stepping to one side of
the tree he walked 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.
Round he wheeled and started off, and
with the second bullet hit him in the
flank. Either of the shots was fatal,
and after thirty-yard run the lordly
beast staggered, stopped, fell over on his
side and was in the death struggle rs
drew near. In a minute afterward the
| old hunter and l were standing admir-
ing his huge body and beautifully
formed, clean brown legs
Once ] shot two bulls while they
were engaged in deadly combat with
each other. had been lying out in high
alpine valley over night with - com
panion. We had no blankets with us,
nothing but our jackets, in which we
had slept by the side of the fire all
night Before dawn we were off,
threading our way through the cool,
dim archways of the pine forest, and
just at sunrise we heard. half mile in
our front, the clatter OF horns and the
savage squealing which marks an elk
fight Stealing up softly, we were soon
within l25 yards of the combatants. two
powerful and evenly matched bulls
They fought by charging each other
like rams, the shock being tremendous
as the great beasts, with bristlin1 hair,