Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1892-11-10
THE KILLING OF THE ELK.
An Adventure of Hunter at the Two
Ocean Pass.

manu. hhu lcu our STOUT norses up the
mountain side by elk trails SO bad that
they had to climb like goats. All these
elk trails have one striking popularity:
they lead through thick timber, but
every now and then send off short,
well-worn branches 70 some cliff-edge
or jutting crag, commanding a view
far and wide over the country be-
meath. Elk love TO stand on these
lookout points, and scan the valleys
and mountains round about.
Blue grouse rose from beside our
path; Clarlte'a crows few past us, with
hollow, tapping sound, or lighted in
the pine-tops, calling and flirting their
tails; the gray-clad whisky jacks, with
multitudinous cries, hoped and fiut-
tered near us Snow-shos rabbits scut-
tied away, the great furry feet which
give them their name already turning
white. At last we came out on the
great plateau, scanned with deep, mar
row ravines Reaches OF pasture al
ternated with groves and open forests
OF varying size. Almost Immediately
we heard the buglo 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 baffi ing, and
spoiled iour stalk, so we returned to
our horses, mounted them, and rode
a mile farther, toward a large open
wood on a hillside. When within two
hundred yards we heard directly ahead
the bugle Of n bull, and pulled UP
short In moment l saw him walk
ing through an open glade; he had not
seen u.s. The slight breeze brought us
his scent. Elk have a strong charac-
teristic smell; IL is usually sweet. like
that OF herd Of Alderney cows, but In
old bulls, while running, II Is rank,
pungcnt, and lasting We stood mo-
tiouless till the bull was out OF sight,
then stole TO the wood, tied our horses,
and trotted after him. He was travel
ing fast, occasionally calling, where
upon others In the neighborhood would
answer. 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 to over
take him we heard another very loud
and sonorous challenge TO our left II
came from ridge-crest at the edge Of
the woods, among some scattered
clumps Of tho northern nut-pine, or
pinon, a queer confer, growing very
high on the mountains, its multiforlted
trunk and wide-spreading branches
giving II the rounded top and, Mt dis
lance, the general look OF an oak
rather than a pine. We at once walked
toward the ridge, up-wind. In min
ute or two, TO our chagrin, we STUN
bled on an outlying spilSe-bull, evil
IDENTIFY kept on the outskirts of the
herd by the master bull. | thought II
would alarm all the rest; but, as we
stood motionless, IL could not see
clearly what we were. 1t stood, ran,
stood again, gazed at us, and trotted
slowly off. We hurried forward as fast
us we dared, and with too little care,
for we suddenly came in view
Of two cows. As they raised
their heads to look, Woody squatted
down where he was, TO keep their at
tcntion fixed, while I cautiously tried
To slip off to one side unobserved. Fa-
vored by the neutral tint of my buck
skin huntlnR-shirt, with which my
shoes, lcggings, and soft hat matched,
! succeeded. As soon as | was out Of
sight, ran hard and came up TO a bull
lock crested with pinions, behind
which | judged ! should find the herd
As approached the crest, their strong,
sweet smell smote my nostrils. In
another moment ! saw the tips OF
pair OF mighty antlers, and | peered
over the crest with my rife at the
ready. Thirty yards of, behind a
clump Of pinions, stood huge bull,
his head thrown back as he rubbed his
shoulders with his horns. There were
several cows around him. and one saw
me Immediately and took alarm. /
fired into the bulls shoulder, intiicting
mortal wound; but he went off, and /
raced after him at top speed, firing
twice into his flank, then he stopped,
very sick, and broke his neck with
fourth bullet An elk often hesitates
in the first moments OF surprise and
fright, and does not get really under
way for two or three hundred yards;
but when once fairly started, he may
go several miles, even though MORALLY
wounded; therefore, the hunter, after
his first shot, should run forward rs
fast as he can, and shoot again and
again until the quarry drops, In this
way many animals that would other
wise be lost arc obtained, especially by
the man who has u repeating-rife.
Nevertheless the hunter should beware
Of being led astray by the ease with
which he can fire half dozen shots
from his repeater; and he should aim
as carefully with each shot as II II were
his last No possible rapidly Of fire
can atone for habitual csrelessness Of
aim with the first shot-Hon. Theodore
Roosevelt, In Century,
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