The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1900-08-06
IN CAMP OKLAHOMA
General Janfison Writes Interestingly of
Hunting in Idaho wsIds


Camp Oklahoma, Kanilsu or Priest
Lake, Idaho, July %, 1900.
Correspondence to the Leader.
Owing to mail facilities have grea
doubts Of this reaching its destination.
There is no postoffice near here, the
nearest being at Coolin at the lower
or south end of this lake and from
there to Spokane the mail goes only
once and awhile and then mors by
chance than regularity. My last let
ter to the Leader lay in this camp
four days after it was written before
an opportunity offered to send it out,
and then it was sent by the gas steam
launch and may never have reached
postoffice where it could be mailed |
forgot in my last to tell yon that this
camp was honored with the digni6ed
title Of Camp Oklahoma" without
any connivance of any Of the !Oklaho-
ma party and now what mail we get
comes to the camp and is brought up
by the steam launch. There are on
both sides of this lake something like
twenty or thirty camps, some engaged
others are prospecting in the surrouu-
ding mountains for minerals. The
waters of the lake are now too warm
for much sport trolling for trout. and
most of those who enjoy trout fishing
follow the ssreams up into the noun
talns for brook trout where the water
remains cold all the snmmer and the
sport is fine all the time. Hunting for
mountain game is fine in every direc-
tion from our camp. We have seen no
antelope mere yet, and although some
insist that they can be found in cer-
tain localities in these mountains | do
not believe it, Three and -four deer a
day is no unusual sight to see strung
up in camp, while we literally feast on
fat, juicy young pheasant and noun
tain grouse. Talk about your quail
on toast, young halfsgrown noun tain
grouse is so far ahead of them as a
tender, juicy, palatable bird anyway
it may be prepared for the table that
it is unfair to the grouse to mention
them together. They are. in my
judgment, superior to the young
pheasant, both of which are served at
every meal in this far-away camp, yet
like the miser in his greed for gold we
never tire of them but cry for more,
While in this mountainous camp, whose
tall pines and cedars almost touch the
starry dome and with the siivery lake
sparkling at our feet as the gentle
breeze fans the crystal waters into
ripples of endless diamond jets that
fash over the smooth surface, 1 have
often thought of my friend, Judge Sam
Harris, of Perry, and wished that he
were here to view the strange scene
and enjoy the sport. Cougars or
mountain lions and bears are quite
abundant, and every morning we have
evidence that there have been noctur-
nal visitors about camp.
Our camp got the laugh on Jesse
Owens yesterday. Early in the morn
ing Tom Harper and myself and Jesse
Owens and James Cransey and their
wives in another pulled down the lake
about three miles below where Tom
and l landed. In little while Toms
dog started bear and it struck out in
the direction of the Owens party.
Both ladies were equipped with rifles
and soon Mr.. Bruin appeared doing
his level best to get away and as he
passed within thirty yards of them
each with Mr.. Cramsey drew a bead
on him and was in the act Of pull
ing the triggers when Mr.. Owens
sang out don't shoot, don't shoot, for
Gods sake. for if you only cripple him
he will tear us to pieces" and the
bear was allowed to escape without a
shot being fred at him. Both ladies
assure me thatthey could have killed
him had they been allowed to shoot.
Since the episode Mr.. Owens has been
the subject of many camp jokes and it
it is due to him to say that he declares
that it was not due to any fear of the
bear that controlled him, but 1t looked
barbarous for so many, among which
were too women, to shoot at one lone
bear, and that to when IL was doing
iti level best to get away. However,
this explanation is not accepted with
that confidence whice impl es abso-
Lutte reliance, and Mr. Owens refcains
from insisting upon forcing it upon
the doubling Thomases of the camp.
Yesterday Mrs. Lee White Jones with
a rifle shot a large porcupine through
the shead from his perch in tall
pine tree near the camp. The shot
was from the shoulder and without a
rest, and the lady has been the sub
ject of many compliments on her ex-
pertness with the rifle as we'll as the
shotgun. This porcupine weighed
about forty pounds and was rugged
sort of an animal to look at. Their
hair is at least five inches long, which
when the animal is not angered or
is alarmed partially cover the sharp
quills which stick out nearly all over
its body and contribute its weapons
of defense. These quills are black at
the outer point aud sharp as cam
hric neadle while the lower part out