American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1908-12-05
HUNTERS GET
FIVE fine DEER
Game Encountered Near Flat
Top Butte.
Story Of the Hunt Told With Variations
and the Truth May Not Yet Be
Known W. Atwood as
Broncho Buster.


William Gish went deer hunting Tues
day of last week. They took Fred
Bechler along as body guard, and re-
turned in two squads with five fine
bucks. To whom the credit belongs is
somewhat of mystery, as each of them
claims to have done about all the execu-
ton worth speaking about.
Mr.. Atwood and Mr.. Bechler returned
Saturday evening. They had a fine
3 antlered buck, real prize winner,
4 which Mr. Atwood claims to have killed.
To the Press he said:
We were hunting on fiat top butte,
south of Big butte, and about thirty
miles from American Falls. Saturday
morning Strong, Gish and me started
after game, leaving Bechler in camp to
Z feed the horses. | had a good deal of
trouble with the boys to keep them
from following jackrabbit tracks. About
q ten O'Clock we jumped up whole flock
of bucks. "Sboot, yelled, intending
81 to give them first honors, but they
& couldn't hit mountain. Strong tried
Il to shoot two at once which were run
ming in opposite directions, and Gish
shot straight up. Finally, as the last
Y one was disappearing over hill about
a mile away l took steady aim and
& brought him down. l didn't care to be
associated with such amatuer sports
man and decided to come home. By
N this time Gish was trying to run fine
buck down; while Strong had the
chuck ague'' until he could hardly move.
| threw the deer across the saddle but
it hung down so far that | had to cut its
head off to keep it from entangleing II
sagebrush. | then mounted. Strong
handed me the head and my gun. Just
as was starting for the wagon my
horse concluded to jump over Big butte
He didn't exactly succeed, but every
time he inmped | could see the top Of
# the butte. About the fourth attemp
he made dropped the head and my gu:
and got off in front of the horse as
was afraid he might kick. lit on m.
hands and knees and when | got u
u Strong was having a fit. He was wal
81 lowing around in the snow and yelling
He seemed to have bad attack and TO
a time l feared he would not recover
IS The snow finally revived him, and W
caught my horse and / started for tn
s wagon and came home. The last l say
@ of the boys they were trying to sun tn
Of
All were on the road it sounded like bat
@ tie was in progress back in the sag
s brush. The boys were evidently tryin
u to shoot the deer They may accidentl
hit one and wouldn't be surprised
NJ they come in tomorrow or next day wit
a trophy brought down by chanc
s shot.
Monday afternoon Strong and Gis
came in with four fine deer, looking {
pleasant as boy with new pair {
# red topped boots. Neither Of the
seemed disposed to talk about the hun
N while together, but when separate
NJ each claimed the credit not only of XII
Es the four, but Atwood's deer a we
sS Strong was the most willing to talk ar
s said:
1--WE got the first deer Saturdi
ssss morning. Atwood started him from
as aa clump of sagebrush, but was so excite
.A# A he couldn't shoot Gish wasn't excite
Z but he couldnt hit barn unless by a
I cident. Gish emptied his magazine b.
sSs didn't touch hair and was compell'
~ to shoot the animal to keep it from ge
M ss9 ting away, and tell you made fiji
ss long range shot. Gish and were bo
aH hoping Atwood would get the first de
& so he would go home. He wouldn
E build fires, cook or wash dishes, so
M decided to give him the deer and sci
B8 him home. | was paid for my part
1 this generosity by seeing Atwood
horse throw him off. He went abo
as high as Bannock peak and car
down like a flying squirrel. I'll
W thought he was some strange bird a
+ took a shot at him and because he
has been blowing about killing som
thing ever since
After Atwood left, Gish and jump
up a bunch of deer. Gish thoug
there were about 100, but there we
only five. l shot four of them, b
let Gish have credit for two in order
escape an unpleasant interview WI
the game warden. | had notion
Kill the other one and lay it to Atwo
but | knew that his shooting wol