The daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Ind. Ter. [Okla.]) 1898-1902, 1900-04-26
THE cARIBoU's TRAITS
Tie Is Not Wise Beast, hut Extreme
ly swift of Foot and sharp
HOOfed.

"He is not wise beast, the carl
bou, though he can outfoot any other
animal that travels the north woods"
said Bert Packard to New York
man. staying for a day or two at his
house at the head of Sebec lake.
"One proof, to my mind, of his lack
of good sense is the trouble he will
take to burrow down through the
snow with his nose. and antlers to get
a mouthful of moss or lichens from
a rock, instead of feeding on bark or
twigs up in the air, as the moose and
deer do. Another evidence is the way
a herd of caribou behave after their
leader has been shot. A caribou can
go at a speed that makes a .3S-caliber
rifle bullet hump itself to overtalSe
him. but instead of using their legs
to get away from the place when the
leader falls, the silly beasts stay
where they are, running round and
round in a circle, and giving the hunt
er an easy chance to drop them one
bv one till the last caribou is down.
Again, you can trap caribou, or
snare him with a moose hung above
his runway in a blac1-growth swamp,
where he comes an winter to feed on
the moss of fir trees Try this on
with 6eer or moose and see how
near he will ever come to your con-
traption. You couldn't toll him there
with salt
"It is when you try to stalk carl
bou or to walk him down that you re-
alize where his strong hold is. He is
g shy beast, his sight and scent are
keen, and YOU earn your way Il you
make ort to steal upon him within
rifle shot. II he sees you and starts
to run You had better give him up
and 60 on looking for another, for
when he passes ort OF sight you will
have had your last look at him, for
"a hours at least and II you start him
a second time you may as well bid
him farewell forever. The caribou's
gait is a long, pacing stride, and he
never seems to be letting himself out
to any great degree; but his pace is
always fast enough to take him on
time to any place where he wants to
90. and to distance anything that
tries to follow him. The kind of coun-
try he is in whatever the time OF
year makes little difference to the
caribou so far as his getting over it
goes. Fo- the facility with which he
car travel at full speed over all kinds
of ground ne is good deal Indebted
to the shape of his feet, which are
large and spreading, and conceived at
the bottom, SO that they have sure
hold wherever they strike. In rum
ming upon deep snow they make as
little impression as would the snow
shoes that bear man; they npnold
the caribou in quaking bcgs where
man would sink, and they carry him
without a slip over smooth rocks and
glare ice.
''if the caribou is not always wise
he is canny in his way, and he knows
his strong points for defense, which
he puts to use when for any reason
he cannot do better by running
straight away. His most dangerous
enemy, next to man, is the wolf,
which singly or as one of a pack may
trail his steps until he is worn down.
When worst comes to worst the Carl
bor tc escape the pursuit. of wolves
will come into an open country among
the farms and even into villages. An
other place OF refuge for q caribou
hunted by wolves or dogs is a stretch
of glare ice. On this with his con-
caved hoofs. he travels as securely
as Il on the ground, while his five-toed
pursue-s slip and side in their efforts
10 overtske him. It is then that tke
caribou gets il MS fine work Of de
fense. Ee doesn't rush them wish his
antlers OF try to trample them with
his forefeet as a moose or dee show
ing fight might do. F;s hind feet
are his strong cards and his tactics
in bringing them into use are mas
te-iy. As the wolf or dog comes on
behind him. gathering speed 80 long
as II keeps a straight course. the carr
ieou slows Up his gait until he seems
on the point Of beir.g overtaken. Then
suddenly he whi-ls half round in his
tracks and as his pursuer. unable TO
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