The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-11-30
HUNTING ELKSIN COLORADO
TWELVE DAYS OF EXCITING SPORT
 FOR THE HUNTsMEN.
From Near and Far They Flock to tho Big Game Country ry--Regulations That May Save tho Elk From Extno- ton.

The elk season. briefest and most glo-
 hunter, is on in the Rockies and hun
 dreds of Nimrods from every section of
 the United States are now in Colorado
 seeking coveted antlers.
 For the open season lasts only twelve
 days, from October 25 to November 5,
 and all the rest of the year the elk is
 under the protection of laws that are
 rigidly enforced Naturally, with such
 a brief time limit, the elk hunter must
 harvest his crop of antlers while the
 sun shines-and that crop is limited at
 the best, for the law says that the kill
 shall be but one elk per man, even in
 the open season. Such an array of legal
 difficulties to be overcome, in addition
 to the skill required to stalk and bring
 down an elk at this season only results
 in whetting the elk appetite of sports
 men. Men from New York, from San
 Francisco, and even from England,
 flock into Colorado every year and are
 in the big game country promtply at
 Inidnight of October "A, when the season
 opens. They do not come out until the
 last hour and many of them return
 empty handed, but others bear the
 magnificent spreading antlers that tell
 of success the value of which cannot be
 measured in cold dollars and cents.
 Colorado is the natural home of the
 elk in the United States. In no other
 state are the magnificent animals to be
 found in such numbers The hunting
 country in which President Roosevelt
 sought mountain lions and bobcats
 early in the year Is their favorite graz
 ing ground. This is the heart of the
 big game region, where railroads have
 never penetrated, where stage drivers
 often wrap their reins around the brake
 and take shot at a bear or deer, and
 where bands of elk have roamed for
 generations
 A few years ago the elk was threat ened with extinction. Hunters killed indiscriminately, until the State of Col orado stepped in and limited the open season to twelve days. This gave the elk chance for his life. The dwind- ling bands began to increase, until now it Is estimated that there are more elk in Colorado than there were five years ago. Such limitation of the elk sea- son was necessary owing to the habits of the elk-habits which made the ami nal an easy prey. The elk feeds as high up in the mountains as he can, only coming down into the valleys as he is forced down by the deepening snows. Hunters knew that a heavy snowstorm would invariably catch lot of elk near the timber line. An active man on snowshoes could catch up with band ,h4 axyn Nv,n If mi a fore they could founder out of the deep snow into better footing. In conse- quence the season is now closed before the heavy snows of winter set in. This makes it necessary for the hunter to stalk the elk through forests that are carpeted with dry twigs and rustling leaves. Inasmuch as the elk's sense of hearing is equalled only by his acute eyesight or sense of smell, the hunters chances are indeed narrowed, and he earns every pair of antlers that he brings out of the Rockies to grace a dining room or an eastern hunting lodge.
 There is one band of elk in Routt county, Col. that numbers nearly five l hundred Late in the fall this band | comes down and feeds in the head waters of the White River in Rio Blan- co county There is a smaller herd in ! the same section of the state, and scat tering herds are to be found all along | the Great Divide. A few seasons ago | two "tenderfeet" came near extermin- ! ating a band of elk near Steamboat [ Springs in Routt county. At the same time the hunters nearly signed their | own death warrants. They had just ar rived in Steamboat Springs and had loudly announced that they intended to have some big game hunting. On the night of their arrival a heavy snow fell. A band of elk was caught near the town. and the citizens of Steamboat Springs made arrangements to feed the animals until they could make their way to a lower level. The "tenderfeet' came upon the band however, and were delighted. The hunters approached on snowshoes and killed the struggling animals with clubbed rifles. Half the hand had been killed when moun taineer arrived on the scene and in- formed the "tenderfeet' that they had made a mistake that was likely to prove fatal Being fairly skilled in the art of using snowshoes, and having l. their feet winged with fear, the hunts men managed to win the race to the Wyoming line and thereby escaped the their indignant pursuers were prepared to wreak.
 The fallen timber tracts in the Rock les are the favorite grazing places of the elk owing to the abundance of grass that grows between the down trees. These fallen trees afford the elk excellent protection. The animals seem to be able to run as swiftly in the tam yled mass of timber as in the open, and snapping twigs almost invariably give , warning of the approach of the stalker. During the last two years there has , ,een large increase in the number and extent of crest fires in the Rocky Mountain states, and this has increased he feeding ground of the elk in pro- portion It is only by much riding and dose watching of trails that the hunter , s enabled to locate Q band of elk in October or November. Even when he ,as managed successfully to stalk his \ luarry his talk is not done. for his first : ,hot must be an accurate one If the ,lk is only slightly wounded he is off ' ike an arrow, but if he has received a :, hurt and if there are any ,oung in the band, he turns like lion f. bay. Fortunate the bunter in such m instance who has an available tree