The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-11-24
AN ARIZONA LION HUNTER.
why Packard Uses Rife of Only Twenty
two Calibre.
fErom the Globe-T

(From the Globe-Times.
Florence Packard, who lives in Green
back Valley. Gia county, A. l., has a
remarkable record ss hunter OF noun
tain lions He has killed scores of them
and last year alone his record was thirty
three scalps The mountain lions of
Arizona are most destructive to herds OF
horses and cattle. The risk of life and
difficulties attending the il. destruction
have caused the lions to be more numerous
than one would suppose. and If 1T were
not for the bounty paid by the county.
the stock men would be short on their cat
tie and horses Much of the country sur
rounding Packard's ranch is made up Of
irregular ranges of broken mountains.
Packard was in Globe few days since
and related some of his adventures. In
the last twelve months Mr.. Packard has
brought to Globe besides thirty three
lions few bears, wild cats, coons and
foxes. He does not consider it worth
while to count the small game. The
dogs for this work are cross between
the fox and bloodhound. Usually four
dogs are in the pack. The two youngest
are yoked together, another is trained as
scout, whose work is to go ahead and
around for the scent of lion or bear, a nd
when the scent is found, the Oldest dog
is put on the track, and to his credit, 1t
is said, never fails to find the animal.
Packard says he has frequently followed
this dog over fifteen miles before the lion
was found. Up to this date seventy-one
lion scalps are to the credit of this dog.
The dog is not fast trailer, but very
careful, and, considering the roughness
of tbs country, the dog is remark able.
Most of the animals are found IN the
rocky cliffs, but when hard pressed seldom
enter the many openings but will back
against the bluff or rocks and fight the
dogs The lion prefers trees, but their
scarcity affords little protection in this
locality.
it was last August that Packard s
methodical mode Of hunting WAS change
a little. The dogs came up to where q
lion had killed deer. The dogs took
the trail, followed it for some five miles
and ran Ii up q tree. This animal was
q large tomb lion, whose scalp was soon
secured. Packard started for homo, but
on the way the dogs scented another ami
NAL and followed 1t for several mi es,
leading to high, rocky bluff following
the edge some 500 feet to where it brose
off. led down and under, and here the
dogs had the lion coruered. Packard
could not get sight of his game, and had
to work around among the rocks, and in
doing so came up to where the dogs were,
and faced the lion, which was just under
a ledge OF rock, although this opening
ran in and afforded the lion safety. The
l;<,,, 4 tn for ha with
a mighty bound. it went over Mr. Pack
ards head and landed all of twenty five
feet below. The dogs were after him,
forcing the lion again on the bluff, where
he was surrounded and compelled to back
toward the bluff, over hich he went,
tail first, for twenty five feet, holding on
the almost perpendicular sides with
his claws, until the remaining distance
Of some twenty five feet he ha to let go,
and fell near the hole he was freed in.
This hole did not go In very far, but it
iorked few fset from he entrance,
where the lion was Packard said 1t was
nonsense to go in, ss the lion would see
him first, and that there was no way that
he could use his gun or knife after crawl
ing in, the hole being 80 small This
lion was abandoned until next day, but
q heavy rain came up and obliterated the
trail. This is the only lion Packard has
lost
At mother time Packard WAS equally
surprised. His dogs hau lion under
rock some six feet hiah, and believing the
BEST place for him was on top of this rock.
be mounted. but no sooner had he reached
it than the lion came from under and
landed within two feet OF the first occu-
pant. The lion had no sooner landed
than ball from Packsrd's gun struck
him In the neck and rolled him of.
Packard was asked if he was scared,
and replied, no, but little surprised.
He said If a man will keep cool and not
lose his head there is 10 danger,
Packard says lion will eat coons and
Wildcats when very hungry. The male
lions generally run by themselves and
are very vicious Female lions have been
found that were literally cut to pieces ~
the tom lions
The bears are the shyest of all game.
Having poor eyes and good ears, the least
noiss drives them of a good ways. 1t
may surprise some hunters to know
that twenty two rifle is used by Pack
ard for killing these animals If heavy
gun Is used the force of the shot would
knock the animal out of trees or of rocks
before dead and likely cause the death of
-ome of the dogs. The lion Is easily
killed by small ball when well aimed
.Hr1 nn.1 ntN-rIItkiN