Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1904-06-21
MOST PRICED OF Big GAME
HUNTING OF MOUNTAIN SHEEP
A THING OF THE PAST.

The Cocopahs Are the Most Sought of
the Mexican Variety, but They Are
Still Good for the LiveIiest Kind of
Sport.
Since the killing OF mountain sheep
has been made unlawful at all seasons
in most of the localities where they
now exist in this country, and so
heiged about with restrictions as to
practically preclude it in others, the
hunting of this rarest and most priced
of all American big game may be
said TO have become thing of the
past in the United States. The sport
would claim many more votaries but
for the fact that money and time en-
tirely beyond the command of the av-
erage hunter are required to reach
the districts in which the killing of
the bighorn is within the law.
To go to the famous sheep sections
of Alaska-the Alsek and White rivers
and the Cooks Inlet country month
may prove too brief and $1,000 may
require outstanding to make both ends
meet.
The sheep mountains of Lower Cal
ifornia offer more practicable and
aluring hunting ground, says the Los
Angeles Times. On climate, accessi-
bility and expense incident to reach
ing it, this section has incomparably
the best of the Alaskan districts, and,
in the matter Of the sheep themselves,
none the worst. The cream of the
Mexican sheep country is in the vi
entity of the 10,000-foot peak of San
Pedro de Martens, almost opposite
San Quentin, in Lower California, and
100 miles south of the head of the
gulf of that name.
The Pinto Mountains lie little to
the north of west of the head of the
Gulf of California, and are the favor
tie sheep hunting ground with the
few who hunt in that section on ac-
count of the comparative ease with
which they are approached and trav-
ersed.
The presence of so many sheep in
the Pintos is an anomaly. There are
no natural springs upon them and
water only exists through the dry sea-
son in natural tanks" in the rock
in the bottoms of deep canons. At
times these tanks" are said to go
dry, but the sheep are never absent.
And in other countries, notably in
Wyoming, sheep are supposed to wa
ter every day, and one of the favorite
methods of hunting them there was
to lie in wait at one of their favorite
spring. Nor is the topography Of
these mountains along the lines that
are supposed to conform to the clas-
sic taste of the sheep; they are too
low, and the great rocks and crags
are missing; in short, it is so much
easier to sight and follow the game
than in the haunts in which one has
been led to expect he will find them
that at first it seems as if all was
not right.
But what the Pintos lack in rough
ness is more than made up by the
around San Pedro. Here
are the real sheep mountains of ira
dition; soaring peak and bottomless
canon; cliff and talus, crag and es-
carpment, ravine and preeipice. The
live sheep has all the chance in the
world to elude you and many dead
one. lies unretrieved in the inaccess-
ible depths of a dark cavern.
Fortunately sheep are plentiful on
San Pedro, else their hunting would
be a matter of the greatest difficulty.
The foreman of one of the cattle
camps on the Colorado delta has shot
several there with revolver, and he
tells of a Mexican family residing
near the east base of the mountains
that depends entirely for its meat up
on the sheep killed by the son of
the family, lad of 16 This young
ster two years ago became possessed
of an old fashioned Martini-Henry
rifle, and though he had had no IRE
vious training with gun, since that
time wild mutton has been the main
stay of the family. The youngster
has preserved the skulls and horns
of the males and has them laid out
in rows upon d great fiat rock near
his house. This rock is fully thirty
five feet square, but those who have
seen it declare that it is covered as
thickly as they can be packed with
a most magnificent collection of
heads and horns. Around the rock
are scattered the smaller horned
heads of the females, and the bones
of the animals are as thick about the
place as those of cattle around a
house. The lad knows moth
ing of the value of his stock of heads
and a few boxes of ammunition or
new gun would undoubtedly purchase
the whole lot. Not bad chance for
a speculation for some one to go in
with a pack train and bring out
or so heads and place them
on the market The returns should
justify Tie expense many llIlCS ONCts
The Cocopahs are probably most
hunted of the Mexican sheep noun
tains, but are still good for the liyeli-
est kind of sport. Here the Yuma
people have hunted for years, and
sheep heads are sometimes used for
rocking chairs in Yuma. These noun
tains are a steec and fairly high
range, rise from below sea level in
places, and run from point on the
international boundary line mile or
two west Of CaleXico to point ten
miles west Of and about even with the
junction of the Colorado and Hardy.
This range which is about fifty miles
long. has two prominent groups Of
peaks of considerable height, those
around Mayor. near the lower end of
the range. and a group of unnamed
SUBMITS some twenty miles south of
the line Sheep are found all through
the range, but mostly in these high
mountains. Last summer band of