The Savannah morning news., 1901-10-24
ROOSEVELT AS A HUNTER.
Staying the Cougar in Colorado.
Habits of the Game.


Habits of the Game.
In the October number of "Scribner's
Magazine" appears the first of two
papers which President Roosevelt has
written, descriptive of the five weeks
cougar hunt which he enjoyed in
Northwest Colorado in January, 1901.
with the Cougar Hounds" is the title
of this contribution to sporting litera-
ture. The authors companions were
Mr.. Philip X. Stewart and DIR. Gerald
Webb. of Colorado Springs. Mr.. Stew
art, he reminds us, was the captain of
the victorious Yale nine of 'S6. They
reached Meeker, where they were to
meet the hunter John B. Golf, after
forty mile drive from the railroad
in bitter winter weather. Messrs. Stew
art and Webb remained a fortnight in
the region Colonel Roosevelt and
Golf stayed out three weeks longer.
He thus describes how they were clad
to bear the brunt of the season and
the character of the country in which
they hunted:
In midwinter hunting on horseback
in the Rockies is apt to be cold work,
but we were too warmly clad to mind
the weather. We wore heavy fiannels,
which drew down entirely over our
ears and on our feet heavy ordinary
seeks. German socks and overshoes
Galloping through the brush and among
the spikes of the dead cedars meant
that now and then one got snagged:
found tough overalls better than
trousers, and most of the time I did
not need the jacket, wearing my old
huckskin shirt, which is, to my mind,
II frr h Il
garment.
1T is a high, dry country, where the
winters are usually very cold, but the
snow not under ordinary circumstances
very deep. 1t is wild and broken in
character, the hills and low mountains
rising in sheer slopes. broken by cliffs
and riven by deeply cut and gloomy
gorges and ravines. The sagebrush
grows everywhere upon the flats and
hillsldes Large open groves of pinyon
and cedar are scattered over the peaks
ridges and table lands. Tall spruces
cluster in the cold ravines. Cotton
woods grow along the stream courses
ana there are occasional patches of
scrub oak and quaking asp. The en-
tire country is taken up with cattle
ranges wherever it is possible to get
sufflcient water supply, natural or
artiflcialt Some thirty miles to the
higher, the evergreen forest becomes
continuous, the snow lies deep all
through the winter and such North
eFn animals as the wolverine lucivee
and snowshoe rabbit are found. This
high country is the summer home of
the Colorado elk. which are now rapid
ly becoming extinct. and of the Colo
rado blacktail deer, which are still very
plentiful, but which, unless better pro-
JectG0. he al in he
decade or So
Colonel Roosevelt notes that "in
cougar hunting the success of the
hunter depends absolutely upon his
hounds" and he devotes considerabl
space to celebrating the heroes of the
pack with which he hunted. Much de-
pends' of course, upon the training OF
the animals, and he begins with a
tribute to his companion:
Golf was one of the best hunters
with whom I have ever been out, and
he had trained his pack to a point of
perfection for its special work which
nave never known another such
pack to reach. With the exception OF
one new hound. which he had lust
purchased, and of a puppy. which was
oelng trained, not one OF the pack
would look at deer, even when they
were all as keen as mustard, were
not on trail and when the deer got
up fifty yards or so from them BY
the end of the hunt both the new
hound and the puppy were entirely
trustworthy; of course, Goff can only
keep up his pack by continually in
Guiding new or young dogs with the
veterans. AS cougar are only plentiful
where deer are infinitely more plenti-
ful. the first requisite for a good cougar
hound is that it shall leave its natural
prey, the deer, entirely alone Goff's
pack ran only bear, cougar and bob.
cat. Under no circumstances were they
ever permitted TO follow elk, deer OF
antelope, or of course, rabbit MOI
were they allowed to follow wolf un.
less It was wounded, for in such a
rough country they would at once rur
out Of sight and hearing, and. more.
over. If they did overtkae the wolf
they would be so scattered as to come
up singly, and probably be overcome
one after another. Being bold dogs
they were always especially eager after
wolf and coyote and when they came
across the trail Of either though they
would not follow H. they would usual,
ly challenge loudly
LAS the dogs did all the work we
naturally became extremely interested
in them, and rapidly grew to know the
voice, peculiarities and special abilities
Of each. They were eight hounds and
four fighting dogs. The hounds were OF
the ordinary Eastern type, used from
the Adirondacks 70 the Mississippi In
the chase Of deer and fox Six Of then
were black and tan. and two wer,
notified. They differed widely In slz,
and voice. The biggest, and. on IN,
whole, the most useful was jim
very fast powerful and true dog. will
great voice. When the animal wal
freed o. bayed, Jim was especially use