The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-03-08
SOME SMART HUNTING.
Eight Elk Shot in a Row-Humptulips
Pete's Superstition.
ION he So Franclsc3 Eramlner.


Roseburg and Eastern railroad, and T. s.
Minott, hardware merchant of Marshfeld,
Ore, the center of the elk bear and cougar
country, have arrived here and are at the
/ Palace hotol.
Mr. Minott, though business man, is at
the same time one Of the most noted sports
. men of the wild mountains Of Western
/ Oregon.
He had just been on a hunting expedition
10 the Humptulips river before he LEFT, dur
ing which he and some associates made
great killing OF elk. The elk heads he
brought to san Francisco. There we're
eight of them and all are big and handsome
/ Notwithstanding he got 80 many, he says
the elk are generally speaking, not 80 nj
merous as they have been.
Hunters have been after them in larger
/ numbers than usual, and they have been
/ driven up Ia the mountains, away from the
ocean. The best time to hunt them is in
August, but sometimes, II the snow is not
deep, they can be got good deal later than
/ that.
Il went up on the Humptulips," be said,
with Ben Fuss, who is a noted hunter Of
! Marshdeld. l suppose he is the best all
| around hunter in the Coast mountains. The
! brush was very thick, but we managed to
/ get through six or eight miles of 1t and
1 strike some OF the runs or trails OF the elk.
! They make paths in the woods, the same as
cattle or buffalo do on the praries. Deer
also have their runs there, and they will
never get Off them unless hoty pursued.
There are two WAYS Of hunting elk and
deer there By a still hunt, that is by
walking alone carefully with your gun,
and the other with hounds. We chose the
former. We followed the trail which We
had found and soon came in tight of quite
a band. Then we just shot. That's all.
and brought down an elk apiece. 1t was
something like killing a cow in a barnyard,
no frills TO it, nothing dramatic, but easily
one
sUPERSTITIOUs INDIAN PETE.
About this time along came an old Indian
known as Humptulips Pete, who lives at the
mouth of the Humptulips. He saw the band
OF elk and began blazing away. The elk
we're rounding ridge, and as one got to the
top in the clearing be would fire. He kept
this up till he had fired eight shots, aud he
didn't stop one. They all ran on and dis
appeared.
THE Indian looked at his rifle, sighted it
again, and then examined it all over care
fully. Mr. Foss and l. who had by this
time come up, saw that be was much dis
Rusted and told him be had better go on over
the hill, for we believed he had killed some
of the elk, and he would do well to 60 and
see anyway.
"He shook bis head appeared more put
out than ever, aud finally left us and went
toward his cabin on the Humptulips. We
were busy skinning the two elk we had
killed, ohopptng of their heads and saving
some meat, 80 that we didn't think of him
again for some time. When we got through
we went down to the Indians cabin.
''As we approached we heard an awful
shrieking and sounds Of somebody beating
somebody else. We rushed in and there
Indian Pete was hammerinR the life out OF
al Ia
hauled him Off, and finally got from him
story that she had bewtched his gun. He
said that was the reason be hadn't killed
the elk.
1--WE explained to the superstitious Indian
that there was nothing in that, and that he
had probably shot some OF them, and if be
would go over there we would 60 with him.
We finally got him to consent 10 it. All OF
us went back and just below the hill we
found eight elk lying dead. He had hit one
every time-shot it in the paunch-
and they had run long way before drop
ping. They'll do that when they are shot
that way.
HAD SHOT THE ENTIRE EIGHT.
well, 1t was such killing as never saw
before. There the elk were, all scattered
out In row in distance of an eighth OF a
mile. The Indian had more meat than be
knew what TO do with, and 80 had we. Only
a httll of it was saved.
~ he heads he gave to me- and Mr.. Foss
took the hides. | brought the heads down
here, and, as anybody can see, are as line as
could be wished. So much for this expert
ence in elk hunting.
The country up there is full of all kinds
Of game. One OF the most exciting expert
ences ! ever had was with a cougar at a
point near Ten Mile lake. ten miles from
Marshtield. A party Of US went up there
camping, to hunt and fish. In the party
besides myself were E. e. Hinchman. John
A. Gray, e. D. Flanagan and other oiti-
zens OF Marshfield, besides several ladies,
most of whom were the wives of these
parties.
II had my two hounds with me. One of
them is part bloodhound and part foxhouud
and the other part bull and part fox. They
began to bay, off In the woods, and
thought they had bear. Several of US
set out after them, and had a hard time,
because Of the dense growth Of trees and
underbrush, to get near them.
"Finally we did so, and just as we did so
there was flRring and Pickering of the
leaves It tall pine and gigantic cougar
leaped down. He must have been forty
feet high. He could see US coming, and we
couldn't see him, and jumped to another
tree and then down and off.
THE hounds took after him again and
ran him about half a mile, and got him up
tree again. We came on as before through
the thick tsngle. 1t was very hard work
and took us a long time. When we came
up he did the very same thing, and got
away. This was repeated over and over,
five times, and he finally got away, and we
never did get him.
1--WE we're out nearly a whole day, and
were worn out and exhausted. The cougar
was one of the biggest have ever seen.
A BATTLE WITH THREE BEARS.
ION that same trip we had very excit-
ing bsnr hunt. The boys were out one
morning ahead of me, and the dogs got a
big fat cub up tree. The brush was thick,
and while they were after it another cub
showed up. and finally the old bear.
THE dogs were skurrying around every
where, and the cub up the tree was so con-
cealed, and Kept moving around so, that a
shot could not be got at him. The hounds
attacked the cub on the ground and were
in turn attacked by the old bear.
Then ensued vicious fight. The dogs
would run up aud bite the bears from be-
hind. and in turn get knocked heels over
head by the old bear. At length we got in
a shot aud the young bear came tumbliug
out OF the tree, but by this time such con-
fusion reigned that the other cub and the
grown bear got away. One Of the dogs
was badly cut and torn. We skinned the
cub and gave the fur to Mrs. Hinchman,
who uses 1t for mat. 1t is OF very fine
black fur. The skins are better IL taken
young This is very thick ana glossy.
a lOpO reSfdanra MarahfiaId I ha