CanÌƒon City record. [volume] (CanÌƒon City, Colo.) 1883-192?, 1898-11-03
Dali DeWeese Tells His Experiences While Searching
for Historical Data for the Government.
SOME PLEASURE WITH HIS HARDSHIPS
Animal Specimens Will Make Handsome Addition the National
Museum. Among Them Four Mammoth Moose and
Ten White Sheep Peculiar to the Country

walk out of camp. had left good
man land plenty of supplies) to care
for him. and we did everything possi-
Bile for his comfort The poor fellow
suffered terribly and his condition can
be imagined under such circumstances.
This was greatly against my trip, for
! not only missed his willing spirit in
daring TO venture with me, that he SO
plainly showed on my trip last year,
but his stout physique would have
many times helped me over hard
places. Again, it left me two men
short OF my plans. and in consequence
made my work much harder. 1t also
made it necessary for me to keep one
of my other men constantly on the
trail taking down fresh meat and to
report his condition, as ! feared it
might become necessary to go out
with Mr.. Berg ut any time. However,
he recovered rapidly after his remov-
al to Lower Moose camp, and on Sep
tember 18th he went out and killed a
moose.
had made two branch camps in
the moose country. about ten miles
apart. and by September 23rd ! had
killed four fine moose, the last one
being the best specimen. could
have killed several others, but they
had small and imperfect sntlers.
While the museum authorities did not
require any certain size moose SIM
ply four specimens yet was very
anxious TO get good ones or none. l
feel confident they win be pleased
when they look upon these magnifi-
cent antlers, which have spread of
62, 81 and 65 inches respectively
They are all perfect and have no
broken points. After killing them |
took measurements carefully, and
they will be grand collection when
properly mounted and placed in our
national museum.
All this is easy TO write, but no per-
49,. .,,-a Az hurtar x.yhn hoe txnpa
through it can form the remotest idea
Of the hard work necessary to get
picked specimens of moose from the
wilds Of Alaska. Think of the days
We spent in getting up that rapid
river with mosquitoes sapping our very
fife blood day and night, the nights
without sleep. hastily prepared food
with no chance to eat it; yet all this
is easy, for after you have done this
and made your camps in the moose
country you rave not yet got your
moose. 1t must be remembered that
moose are scarce, even where they
are plentiful. as compared with
other large game, and his wary ma
ture and instincts are pitted against
you If you stalk them, and ] killed all
these by the ''still hunt" without CALI
or tracking snow. ! killed one the
first day but it took me over two
weeks to get the other three. These
were days Of continuous rain that
soak you through no matter what
your clothing may be. The grass is
waist high through which you drag
yourself. then over a murkage, sink
ing in half way to your knees, then
over broken hill of down timber to
the slopes of spruce and brentwood
where you expect to find his moose-
ship, he may not be there; then on to
another favorable looking place and
noiselessly you pick your way taking
care not to break twig; that not the
slightest sound escapes your ear or
any object or motion passes your sight
and that your route is such that you
are on the leeward side Of your quarry,
for, once you are on the weather side,
he will soon put miles between you.
and you zee nothing but fresh tracks.
You have now wandered far from
camp and circle for . return route.
|yUu have had no dinner, and reach
camp sftsr dark, find everything wet
/ tnd cold, and alone for the night.
Bat I'll this b sport and easy. for to-
morrow ron may have the same ex-
|pslleaGs oaly that you have stalked
y6ur uoose snd axter liking him up"
tlrssGh ys1r ~ elanses you ind his
avNu \ en61ler ~ ~ want y
lk. xSu ~ ~ q ~ slsht ~
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