The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-01-23
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: HUNOR|SI OF THE PLAINS 5:
IDAHO MAN SAYS 1T Is THE
ANTELOPE.
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OF all sports the nimrod can engage
in, perhaps none is more exciting than
chasing the antelope over the plain
Those of my readers who have in
dulged in this neck-risking pastime
Will corroborate this statement with
unanimous assent. The antelope is
the ''humorist of the palms. and de-
/ lights in playing practical jokes upon
the unsuspecting hunter. Instances are
numerous where he has led his sharp
7 shootered friend for an entire day to
| believe that he would presently stand
still within range, only to disappear
completely at evening, leaving his pur-
suer alone on the desert hungry, weary
and thoroughly Disguised. In June OF
sc, l, in company with three or four
/ other would be hunters, repaired to an
old cabin situated near what was once
a great antelope range, to rest up and
recruit our horses as the grass was
most excellent there.
a few antelope were still there play
! ing hide and seek among the low hills
and coulees skirting the banks of the
Morias-a tributary of the Missouri
but at the sight of a human being
would dart away into some raVine only
to appear a few moments later on top
of a hill with their danger signals
| spread 4 to the breeze, but always out
of range.
One day a premonitory something
seemed to impel me to try my luck
i as a sportsman. So taking a 17-pound
! sharpshooter and u cartridges, L
started out on horseback remarking to
the other boys that l would be back
in an hour or so.
1 did not care to let them know my
intention for while 1 had a reasonable
amount of conceit in my ability TO skin
and carry to camp full grown ante
| lope alone ! had no idea where L would
rank as a marksman. On leaving camp
! l started north, but once out of sight,
steered my course direct for a high
| butte about eight miles to the west.
Arriving at its base, along which
tiny stream of water ran. / stopped
my horse on top of a little hill from
which l surveyed the narrow strips of
bottom land that lay before me. l had
been there but moment when an an
telope leaped out of the creek, where it
had been hidden from view by the high
| banks, and turning broad sides, en-
phasized its attitude with loud snort
! In a moment / was on the ground
! endeavoring to get a bead on him but
! Immediately there arose, or seemed to,
mirage which danced him up and
down until he appeared as tall as
! giraffe, then jerking him out till he
]
would contract until he could have
easily hidden behind jack rabbit. But
! the strangeSt part connected with his
supple contortions was that he con-
stantly evaded my aim although [ was
| conscious that / was holding my gun
perfectly still.
Presently. disparing of being able to
remove all doubt as to just where my
! ball would strike him. l closed my
| eyes and pulled the trigger; there was
a tremendous roar-frOm the gun, for
| it carried a ball in. proportion to its
size-away went The antelope up the
hill, while l was promptly jerked over
/ as I was still holding to the holster
1 gave him another shot or two with
the same effect, which to all appear
ances was only to increase his speed,
| then mounting my horse, followed him
slowly up the butte. He was soon out
of sight over the hill and I allowed my
horse to take his time in making the
! ascent. Arriving at the top / saw
dozen or more of the animals, in a
shallow basin, about half mile away
! leisurely cropping the grass evincing
not by the slightest intimation that
they were aware of the terrible peril
/ they were in. After indulging in all
the warfare maneuvering l had so for
| tunately learned in my boyhood days
by the perusal of the pure yellow
| DdCh. QSClucQ uDOli IL DOIIlI VI dp-
proach and Immediately began to carry
out my plan. Picketing my horse. l
crept cautiously and noiselessly to-
ward the game, scarcely breathing lest
they would discover me. 1t was an
ideal place for stealing up to Them
/ and | doubt whether the red man, with
all his stealth and native intuition
could have performed that part of it
any better than / did.
J Reaching the brow of the hill-and
/ it was merely a slight rise in the
! ground-circumscrib the little basin
| the antelope were in, l slowly raised
to an erect posture, but was still on
my knees, and saw not more that 80
feet away six or eight of the animals
lying down chewing their cuds. They
saw me and in an instant were dash
| ing away with the speed of the spar
row.
I gave myself the order to fire, and
while they We're running 600 or 700
yards, emptied my last shell, with ap-
parently no other effect than to thor
oughly alarm them. | started for camp
! convinced beyond doubt that l had not
in the remotest way descended from
that ancient sportsman of Bible lore.
| Scarcely had ] gone a mile when those
same antelopes, or some just like them,
would suddenly appear in my path and
| then disappear as abruptly as they
came, OllenllIneS WlInln easy redcn or
my rife, though entirely out of range
of my Workmanship.
On reaching the cabin I was per-
suaded against my will to tell of my
days exploits, and when I said ante
| lope were hard to hit, one of the boys,
who's experience III hunting the ami
mails antedated my own. made the re-
mark that there was a h of lot of
room around them. F. F.
| Franklin, Ida.