The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-01-14

A SPORTSMAN WHO FANClES THE
SPORT TELLS ALL ABOUT 1T.


Hunting on the Darrens.
"If you've never hunted caribou" said
y travelled New York sportsman, "you
have lived pretty much in vain. l used to
go after them in Maine, but found that
the sport there was little tame after
had made n trip or two into New Bruins
wick and neiRhboring British provinces.
There Is q surprising and deplorable igno-
rance among sportslnen about caribou, even
among those who talk pretty loud and fast
about where they We been and what they We
! bagged. / know men who have lived all
| their lives in the woods, you might say,
who have dim recollection of hearing
something about elk and buffalo, but who
look little incredulous when you men-
ton caribou l met an old hunter in
Michigan once who had record of over
| 1900 deer, but who gave me suspicious
grin when l asked him whether he had
ever hunted caribou.
"'Cariboup said he, with his grin,
You mean bugaboo, guess.
I'D just like to see that old mossbacB
once with a wounded bull caribou reach
ing out for him. He'd think it was the
fastest and widest eyed bugaboo he ever
/ had any idea Of
"Thero isn't great deal of difference
between our caribou and the reindeer of
Lapland or Greenland The northern
ranges of Maine are as far south as this
capricious animal can stand the climate,
but believe it would like it first rate up
around the north pole, for, all anybody
knows, it's range extends to that undiscov-
cred country. No weather has yet been
found in the very uttermost parts of Labra-
dor that Is too cold for the caribou, and it
can't he u great deal colder up i'm tho far
polar seas than it 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 updisturhed by the hunter. Tho
settlers themselves hunt them rarely, he
cause their hide is of little value and, be.
sides that, few of the settlers know how to
hunt them. 1t would be well with the
great, hulking moose if 1t were more like
the caribou. These huge 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 its lesser
hoofs, which it can spread to great width
or close at will, making regular snowshoes
of them, moves readily over the top of the
snow and can rarely be run down. 1t re-
qures good stalker and favorable condi-
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 album
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.
"The caribou has three gaits-a walk, a
trot and gallop. With whatever gait
caribous are travelling, they always move
in single file keeping to marvellous de-
gree in each others tracks, so that no one
can judge By the trail how big herd is
leading him on. The trot of the caribou is
not unlike the trot of the domestic COW,
but it is much more rapid. 1t would take
the fastest walking horse to keep up with
the caribou in a walking match. But it is
the gallop of this animal that is wonder
bou never gallops unless it is frightened,
and then it's leaps are 80 and even 35 feet
in the clear.
Although shy and wary animal, the
caribou Is sometimes very stupid one
and seems so puzzled at the report of q
gun that it will as likely rs not run direct
ly toward the sound instead of away from
it. If concealed hunter shoots one carl
bou out of herd, SO that it drops dead in
its tracks, he will stand good chance OF
getting the whole herd, if he should be SO
greedy, for the remainder instantly lose
their heads, become ratified and run aim
lessly here and there, always within range.
The sight of dead companion seems
to entirely craze all the rest of the herd.
But If the caribou winds hunter, he
might as well give up all hope of getting
a shot at it that day.
"The 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
be more than ordinarily unfavorabe il
they return without a caribou. The fol
! lowing of a 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 carl
bou to the lover of the sport for tho sport
> itself Is when the game Is 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 see good
way themselves and smell 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 u sharp frost forms d
crust through which the snowshoes break,
= making SO much noise as to make stalk.
ing impossible. The only thing to do /:
to take off the snowshoes and walk in the
caribou tracks. No sight can he more in,
] spring or grand to n true sportsman than
= a herd of caribou on the barrens, lie hav
-. Ii. f.. II II.