Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1908-09-25

plain as possible In the grass. and car
then be followed readily: and In any
place where the ground is at all damn
they will usually be plain enough to
be made out without difficulty. When
the ground is hard or dry the work is
very much less easy. and soon becomes
80 difficult as not to be worth while
following up. Indeed. at all times, even
In the snow. tracks are chiefly OF use
to show the probable locality In which
n deer may be found and the still
hunter instead OF laboriously walking
along trail will do far better to mere
ly follow 1t until. from its freshness
and direction, he feels confident that
the deer is in some particular space OF
ground. and then hunt through 1t. guild
ing himself by his knowledge Of the
deer's habits and by the character OF
the land. Tracks are Of most use in
showing whether deer are plenty OF
scarce. whether they have been In the
place recently or not Generally, signs
Of deer are infinitely more plentiful
than the animals themselves-although
In regions where tracking is especially
difficult deer are often jumped with
out any sign having been seen Mt all.
Although stlll-hunting on foot is on
the whole the best way to get deer
yet there are many places where from
the nature OF the land the sport can be
followed quite as well on horseback.
than which there is no more pleasant
kind OF hunting. The best shot ! ever
made In my life-a shot into which.
however, am afraid the element OF
chance entered much more largely
than the element OF skill-was made
while hunting black-tail on horseback.
We were at that time making quite
long trip with the wagon, and were
going up the fork of plains river In
Western Montana. As we were out
OF food, those two of our number who
usually undertook to keep the camp
supplied with game determined TO
make hunt Off back of the river after
black tail; for though there were some
Whitehall in the more densely tlmbered
river bottoms. we had been unable to
get any. II was arranged that the
wagon should go on few mills, and
then halt for the night, as II was al
ready the middle OF the afternoon
when we started out. The country
mbled In character other parts Of
the cattle plains, but II was absolutely
bare OF trees except along the bed Of
steeply OF into long valleys and deep
ravlnes. They were sparsely covered
with coarse grass. and also with an
irregular growth OF tall age-brush,
dense thickets A beginner would
have thought the country entirely too
barren OF cover to hold deer, but a
very little experience teaches one that
deer will be found in thickets OF such
short aud sparse growth that 1t seems
as II they could hide nothing; and.
what is more, that they will often
skulk round In such .thickets without
being discovered And black-tail is
Il bold, free animal, liking to 20 out in
comparatively open country, where he
must trust 10 his own powers, and not
to any concealment. TO protect him
from danger
Where the hilly country Joined the
alluvial river bottom. IL broke of short
into steep bluffs. up which none but
Western pony could have climbed. II
is really wonderful 10 see what places
a pony can get over. and the indiGer
ence with which 1t regards tumbeS
In getting mp from the bottom We went
into wash-out, and then led our DO.
MES along clay ledge, from which we
turned of aud went straight up very
steep sandy biud My companion was
ahead, just as he turned OF the ledge
and as | was right underneath him. his
horse In pluugng 10 try TO get up the
sand blum, oycrbaAuced itself. and,
after standing erect on it's hind legs for
q second, came over backward. The
second $ pause while it stood bolt up-
right gave me time To make a frantic
leap out OF the way with my pony.
which scrambled after mo and vg,