The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1900-04-21
THE CARIBoU's TRAITS
ly Swift of Foot and sharp
Hoofess

''Hc is not q wise beast, the carl
bou, though he can outfoot any other
animal that travels the north woods"
said Bert Packard TO n New York
man, staying for 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
mouthful of moss or lichens from
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 n .3S-caliber
rifle bullet hump itself 10 oyertake
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 circle, and giving the hunt
err an easy chance to drop them one
by one till the last caribou is down.
Again, you can trap n caribou, or
snare him with moose hung above
his runway in black-growth swamp,
where he comes in winter TO feed on
the moss of fir trees. Try this on
with n deer or moose and see how
near he will ever come to your con
traption. You couldn't toll him there
with salt.
at is when you try TO stalk n carl
bou or TO walk him down that you re-
alize where his strong hold is. He is
shy beast, his sight and scent are
keen, and you earn your way If you
make out to steal upon him within
rifle shot. If he sees you and starts
to run you had better give him up
and go on looking for another, for
when he passes out of sight you will
have had your last look at him, for
"a hours at least, and IL you start him
second time you may as well bid
him farewell forever. The caribou's
gait is n long, pacing stride, and he
never seems 10 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 10
go, 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. For the facility with which he
can travel at full speed over all kinds
of ground he is good deal indebted
TO the shape of his feet, which are
large and spreading, and conceived at
the bottom. so that they have n sure
hold wherever they strike. In run
ming upon deep snow they make as
little impression as would the snow
shoes that bear n man; they uphold
the caribou in quaking Dogs where a
man would sink, and they carry him
without 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 pack, may
trail his steps until he is worn down.
When worst comes to worst the carl
bou to escape the pursuit of wolves
will come into an open country among
the farms and even into villages. An
other place of refuge for a caribou
hunted by wolves or dogs is stretch
OF glare ice. On this with his con-
caved hoofs, he travels as securely
as if on the ground while his fiye-toed
pursuers slip and slide in their efforts
TO overtake him. IL is then that the
caribou gets in his fine work of de-
Tense. He doesn't rush them with his
antlers or try to trample them with
his forefeet as moose or deer show
ing fight might do. His hind feet
are his strong cards and his tactics
in bringing them into use are mas
terly. AS the wolf or dog comes on
behind him, gathering speed SO long
as il keeps n straight course, the Carl
bou slows up his gait until he seems
on the point OF being overtalen. Then
suddenly he whirls half round in his
tracks and ms his pursuer, unable 10
turn quickly, slips helplessly by him,
he launches n kick that would make
an ordinary mules best effort seem
like love tap. The hard edges Of
the conceived hoof cut like a knife
and the force with which IL strikes
sends the unhappy dog or wolf spin
ming over the ice as il il would never
stop. Many valuable dog has been
killed through this maneuver, and
dead or disabled wolves have been
found on Tee Maine lakes or their
shores that owed their disaster TO the