The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1900-08-25
ANTELoPEs HARD TO GET.


From the Chicago Chronicle the fol-
lowing is taken:
1t does not take the amateur ante
lope hunter very long to find out the
acutepess of that animals eyesight.
The deer is simply nowhere in this
respect, and some hunters of expert
ence declare that the pronghorn ante
lope possesses even a keener eyesight
than the ostrich or giraffe, both of
which are famous for their keenness
of eyes. And he is almost equally as
keen of scent as of hearing. For
these reasons the antelope hunter
must be persistent, tireless horse
man and a good shot. AS civiliza-
tion encroaches upon the animal S ter
ritory his senses become keener and
his suspicion of human beings inten-
sihed.
1t is exceedingly difficult to ap-
proach within five hundred yards of
a herd of antelope unless one is fav-
ored by the character of the country
and observes all the nicer rules of in
telligent still hunting 1t is better to
select rolling, broken bit of country,
where one can take advantage of the
natural rise and fall of the land,
though the game, preferring the fat
ter prairie, may not be so plentiful
there.
The approved method of hunting
the pronghorn is from the saddle, and
the most important point to be OBJ
served is to keep out of sight, with
the wind we'll in your face, if posi-
bic. The antelope seems to be able
to feel the vibration impaired to the
ground by your horses hoofs, and to
be particularly shy of a horses neigh
or the sound of his shoe striking
piece of stone, so it is we'll to leave
your horse picketed in the bottom Of
the draws and make your way hat
less to the top of the ridges, and take
a careful look over. The greatest
caution is here necessary, for these
little fellows are not so often caught
off their guard and take alarm at the
slightest suspicion of danger, starting
off with the speed of a railroad train
to safer locality. After that it is
like following whirlwind to attempt
to overtake them.
He likes the tender grass in the bot
tom of some swale, where there has
been the slightest suspicion of mois-
ture earlier in the summer, and it is
well to approach such places with the
greatest care. Remember, the fail
ing is to overshoot, so hold we'll down
on his shoulder and we'll ahead if he
is on the run. He is possessed of re-
markable vitality, and is almost GER
tain, unless hit in a vital part, to get
away from even the best mounted
hunter.
Flagging the antelope, of which
hunters, is now no longer resorted to,
nor do experienced hunters believe
the game can longer be successfully
decoyed in this way, constant harrass-
ment having made the animals ex-
tremely cautious of approaching with
in range of the lure. There are still
many instances, however, of the ami
mails acute curiosity being the means
of getting him into trouble. A story
is told of how a fine buck approached
within one hundred and fifty yards of
where hunter was concealed and so
surprised him by suddenly stepping
out over the crest of knoll where
the antelope was not expected that
the hunter missed him point blank
with the first cartridge and allowed
him to scamper off unmolested until
he was out of shooting distance before
trying second.
Coursing the antelope with hounds
is possible only from the fact that the
animal is not long of wind, for at his
own distance he will easily hold his
own with the feetest dogs and fairly
distance any ordinary pack,