The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-11-10
Harry Cannon Writes a Hunt
ing" Story for Sports Af1eld.
ABOUT THE BIG BLACKFOOT
MIR. Cannon Tells of Its Popularity Among
Montana Campers-It Abounds in Blue
Grouse-Party Had Trouble With
the Cook and the Dog.

ing party in the Big Blackfoot, which
he sent to Sports Afield of Chicago. The
story and beautiful half-tone picture
n of Mr.. Cannon and Fred Smith were
published In the November issue The
letter, under the head of IA Day
Among the Blue Grouse is as follows:
I'VE had been two weeks in camp on
the banks of the Big Blackfoot, four
miles north Of the little town of Helm
Vile, Mont, in as beautiful a section
of country as could be found. The we
referred to included Dan Roach and
wife and two young lady friends-Miss
T.. and Miss E.-and Fred Smith and
myself. all from Anaconda, and cook
named Frank from U. S. A. To be
strictly accurate, the party did not in
clude the cook this particular morning,
for the reason that his supply OF hop
having given out the day previous and
the neighboring country store having
failed to lay in a supply, he had quit
our bed and board with malice afore-
thought and had hit the trail for
more fully appointed commissary-
thereby giving all Of us a chance to
satisfy an aching desire to try our hand
at cooking and bossing. Every day OF
the IA had been filed to overlooking
with the pleasures OF camp life. We
had had game and fish to give, away
ITO the neighboring ranchers. We had
made several al1-day trips up and down
the river and across the country with
saddle horses and carriage to points of
interest and had never come back
empty handed, finding each day some
new delight in mountain scenery. And
what appetites we had had! Return
ing Manila volunteers could not have
discounted our work in that line. And
the things we had to eat! Fried or
baked grouse, fried trout, new potatoes
in new cream. fresh eggs and butter
n from the neighboring ranches and
canned goods galore No wonder we
got fat. And the evenings about the
camp fire with cigars or pipes and with
song and story (for it is a well-estab
lished fact that everybody can sing and
tell stories when out camping). But
now it was nearly over, for on the NOR
row we must pull our freight for
home. So to-day we must. get birds to
take home as proof of our luck. else all
our stories would go for naught
'.The evening before Lynch, the cham
pion camp historiographer and all
around good fellow of the neighbor-
hood had told us of place five miles
distant in the mountains where We
could shoot two bushel sack full Of
blue grouse in a day and not half try.
This same Lynch had had an Ananias-
like set-to with Dan, our own champion
fabulist the evening before and had
come out far in the lead of our man
by springing a mountain lion story at
the conclusion of a lot of bear stories;
but, as KiRling would say, that is an
ether story
after breakfast Fred and I saddled
our ponies apd set out. We took along
a $500 ca Lfewellyn setter named Shot
that we had borrowed in Anaconda be-
fore leaving, but where he got his rat
ing we never could tell Though we We're
all willing to admit that shot he ought
n 1oN To nod nf hI1r, tiyofp
all his own. which sought to dispense
with guns and men; though I cannot
say that it was success, for of the
million or fewer birds that he flushed
and chased while we were out, I never
knew him to catch one after it had got
ten a good start on the wing. He had
as great q power of scent as any dog
/ ever saw and was a superb ranger
never failing to work a field out clean.
He was now too old and deaf however,
to train down. The first thing Shot
flushed that morning was coyote, and
while he was chasing him over into the
next county and we were galloping
along at a rafting pace, we ran into
fine covey of willow grouse. They got
up in twos and threes with a fiutter of
wings that frightened my horse beyond
control and I had my hands full taking
care of him. Fred tumbled off and
banged away right and left-making
two neat doubles and killing four birds
with as many shots before they all got
away. Shot came in at this point
without the coyote. and he and I looked
equally disguised to think we had had
no hand in the late killing.
I'VE now put out again for our OBJ
ject point Of the day-a place in the
from the valley to the top Of the range.
with open prairie on the left and heavy
growth OF pine on the right Arriving
at the foot OF the draw, we dismounted
and started up the hill. leading our
ponies-the writer being in the lead
When perhaps halfway up on the open
side of the draw ! saw a grouse sitting
on the ground ahead, Just out of range.
I surmised there were more there and
stopped to wait for Fred, but seeing
the dog coming into the field on the
left, let my horse go and hurried up
the hill, knowing what the result would
be If he struck the covey first. I hur-
ried along, so out of breath and nervous
sthat could hardly hold my gun to my
shoulder; flushed part of the covey as
straightaway) and killed my second "a
difficult cross shot-the bird partly
falling and flying like a bullet straight
down the hill for 300 yards, where it
fell dead. AS I was loading l saw a
grouse sitting on the ground just ahead
of the dog and in his line of approach.
/ took long-range pot shot at the bird
as she sat, missed her the first shot, but
knocked her over with the second barrel
almost under the dogs nose. Fred came
In at the center of the field and to my
left at this time. flushed two birds, got
his first but missed his second-the bird
coming straight towards me. I gave
her the right barrel point blank in the
face, but missed and as she passed not
10 feet over my head on her wild flight
for cover, I turned and sent another
charge after her to no effect and would
not be surprised if she were going yet:
You may talk about the difficulty oil
hitting quail and woodcock on the wing,
but a stout blue grouse flying down.
hill and perhaps down the wind and
flashing in and out among the pines
makes about as hard shot as any.
While I was loading two more sol up
Almost under nv feet. Fred killed
- Sacand ha rrel