The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1896-12-21
! STALKING CARIBOU.
SPORTSMAN WHO FAMcIes TIC
SPORT TELLS ALL ABOUT iI.

= ossa.a Asinal with . 1a,es xrsu
HsrsAsrn Maine to Lands ef Psrpetus
Whess = The Csribous Three Gait,
Hunkang On the Barrens.
"H you've never hunted caribou" sal
. travelled New York sportsman, 'yo,
have fived pretty much In vain. used d
90 altar them In Maine, but found tha
tho sport there was q little tame after
had made a trip or two into New Bruins
wick and neighboring British provinces
There 10 q surprising and deplorable igno
rance among sportsmen about caribou, even
among those who talk pretty loud and fas,
shout where they boon and what they w
bagged. I know men who have lived all
their livcs In the woods, you might say,
who have q dim recollection of hearing
something about elk and buffalo, but who
Look q little incredulous when you men-
tion caribou. met an old hunter In
Michigan once who had q record of over
$500 deer, but who gave me suspicious
Orin when l asked him whether he had
bver hunted caribou.
"'Caribou'' said he, with his grin.
IOu mean DuRaDOo, gueba
I'D just like to see that old mossback
once with wounded bull caribou reach
ing out for him. He'd think 1t was the
fastest and widest eyed bugaboo he ever
had any idea Of
between our caribou and the reindeer of
Iapland or Greenland. The northern
ranges of Maine are as far south as this
or nd ha rli ta
but believe it would like 1t first rate up
around the north pole, for, all anybody
Knows, its range extends to that undiscov-
cred country. No weather has yet been
found In the very uttermoss parts of Labra-
dor that IS too cold for the caribou, and it
cant be great deal colder up In the far
polar seas than Ii is In those boreal regions.
There are good many caribou In
northern Maine and on the wild, cold bar
rens OF New Brunswick and Nova Scotia
they are still abundant. In the very north
ern parts Of New Brunswick and New
foundland and In Labrador they still roam
almost uDdisturbed by the hunter. The
settlers themselves hunt them rarely, be-
cause their hide Is of little value, and, be-
sides that, few Of the settlers know how to
hunt them. 1t would be we'll with the
great, hulking moose II IL were more like
the caribou. These hugo animals cannot
travel IN deep snow, and during the winter
they fall easy victims to the hunter on his
snowshoes.
"But the caribou, because of It's lesser
weight and the peculiar formation of It's
hoofs, which IL can spread to great width
or close mt will, making regular snowshoes
Of them, moves readily over the top of the
snow and can rarely be run down. Il re-
quires q good stalker and favorable oondi-
tions Of wind and snow to approach within
range Of caribou. Unlike moose, these
animals are sociable, though wanderers,
and travel in herds. Their favorite resorts
are spruce and juniper woods and barren
grounds. They feed on MOSES which hang
IN profusion, like tufts of hair, from the
stems and branches of the black spruce and
juniper trees. The lichens that grow abun-
dainty on the barren grounds are also IA
vorite food for the caribou. These latter
they dig for with their fore feet down
through the deep snow.
Tho caribou has three gaits-a walk, q
trot and gailop. With whatever gait
caribous arc travelling, they always move
IN single flo, keeping to q marvellous de-
gree In each Others tracks, so that no one
Gan judge by the trail how big herd is
leading MIN on. The trot Of the caribou is
not unlike the trot Of the domestic cow.
but IT Is much moro rapid 1t would take
the fastest walking horse to keep up with
the caribou In q walking match. But it is
the gnllop of this animal that is wonder
among the gaits Of wild beasts. Tho carl
bou never gallops unless 1t is frightened,
and then Its leaps are 80 and even 35 feet
In the clear.
|. Althoppi. shy and wary animal, the
caribou is sometimes n very stupid une
and seems 30 puzzled Mt the report of a
3un that II VIII rs lik..y as not run Direct
j toward thI sound instead of away from
f. II q concealed hunter shoots one carl
ibou out Of herd, 90 that Il drops dead in
fts tracks, he will stand q good chance Of
getting the whole herd, II no should be 30
greedy, for the remainder instantly loso
their heads, become ratified and run aim
lessly hero and there, always within range
The sight Of a dead companion seems
TO entirely craze all the rest Of the herd.
But X tho caribou winds hunter, he
might as well give up all hope Of getting
q shot ut Il that day.
Tho finding Of fresh caribou tracks by
native hunters Is a very important event
The Indian hunters follow these with
magical skill, and the circumstances must
DO moro than ordinarily unfavorable II
they return without caribou. The fol-
lowing Of fresh caribou track is matter
that requires great tact. A heard of carl
bou when feeding Is continually on the
move and makes vast amount Of tracks,
backward and forward, round and round.
The animals are Obliged to do so from the
nature Of their food, which they obtain In
small quantities here and there.
The most enjoyable hunting Of the cari
bou 10 the lover OF the sport for the sport
itself is when the game 10 found on the
barrens-great plains. dotted with spruce
trees and jumpers The huge deer may be
seen far away, like boats on a broad ex-
panse Of water, and as they can sec "a good
way themselves and smell a great deal
farther the stalking Of them under these
circumstances is not only precarious, but
extremely exciting. Success depends al.
most entirely on the state Of the snow. A
thaw succeeded by n sharp frost forms q
crust through which the snowshoes break,
making 20 much noiee as 10 make stalk