Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1909-02-19

a clump Of pinyOns. stood a huge bull,
his head thrown back as he rubbed his
shoulders with mis- horns. There were
several cows around him. and one saw
me Immediately. and took alarm. /
fired in-O the bulls shoulder, indicting
a mortal wound; but he went or, and
| raced after him al top speed. firing
twice into his flank: then he stopped.
very sick. and broke his neck with a
fourth bullet. IN elk often hesitates
in the first moments Of surprise and
fright, and does not get really under
way for two or three hundred yards:
but, when once fairly started. he may
90 several miles. even though MORALLY
wounded; therefore the hunter. after
his first shot, should run forward as
fast as be can, and shoot again and
again until the quarry drops. In this
way many animals that would other
wise be lost are obtained. especially
by the man who has a repeating
rife.
The elk thus slew was a giant
His body was the size Of a steers,
and his antlers. though not unusually
long. were very massive and heavy.
He lay in a glade. on the edge of
great cliff. Standing on its brink we
overlooked a most beautiful country.
the home Of all homes for the elk: a
wilderness Of mountains. the immense
evergreen forest broken by park and
glade. by meadow and pasture. by
bare hillside and barren table-land
Some five miles of lay the sheet Of
water known to the Old hunters as
Spotted Lake: two or three shallow.
sefgy places. and spots of geyser for
nation. made pale green bIotches on
its wind-rippled surface. Far to the
southwest. in daring beauty and maj
esty, the grand domes and lofty spires
of the Tetons shot into the blue
sky.
That night, as on more than one
night afterward. a bull elk came down
whistling to within two or three hun
dred yards of the tents, and tried 10
join the horse herd. The moon had
set, so could not go after it. Elk are
very restless and active throughout
the night in the rutting season: but
where undisturbed they feed freely il
the daytime. resting for two or three
hours about noon.
Next day. which was rainy. we spent
in getting in the antlers and meat Of
the two dead elk; and shot of the
heads of two or three blue grouse on
the way home. The following day
killed another bull elk. following him
by the strong. not unpleasing. smell.
and hitting him twice as he ran. at
about eighty yards So far had had
good luck. killing everything l had
shot at: but now the luck changed.
no fault of mine. rs far as l
could see. ana Ferguson had his In
nings The day after l killed this
bull he shot two fine mountain rams;
and during the remainder of our hunt
he killed FIVE elk-One COW. for meat, .
and four good bulls. The two rams
were with three others. all old and
with fine horns: Ferguson peeped over .
a lofty precipice and saw them COM
ing up it only fifty yards below him
His two first and finest bulls were OBJ
tanned by hard running and good
shooting: the herds were on the move
ut the time. and only his speed of foot
and soundness of wind enabled him
TO get near enough for shot. One
herd started before he got close. and
he killed the master bull by a shot
light through the heart, as it trotted
past. a hundred and fifty yards dis
ant
As for me. during the next ten days
killed nothing save one COW for meat;
md this though l hunted hard every
law from morning till night. no matter
What the weather. Our i'll success was
n mart due to sheer bad luck: but the
hief element therein was the presence
# a great hunting-party OF Shoshone
indians. Split into bands Of eight to
en- each. they secured the whole coun-
~ on their tough. sure-footed ponies.
IS they slew whatever they could, but
" preference cows and calves, and as
lev were very perseverins. but also
err. excitabie and generally poor shots
o that they wasted much powder, they
of only wrought havoc among the elk, 5
ut also scared the survivors out Of all /
be- country over which they hunted
Day in ana day out we piodded on 5
/, hunting trip the days Of long mo I
otony in getting to tbe ground. AMI /
he DAYS Of unreQuited toll after IL has I
cen reached. always far outnumber Z
be red-letter days of success. But it is i
ISL these times of failure That really r
ST the hunter. ID the long run. com /
nonsense ana doCsed perseverance q
vail him more than any other quail O
es. Tie man who does not give up, &
III hunts steadily ava resoiutely q
irouel The spells Of hal ,nck until the q
.ck TURNS. is the man who wins sue q
iss iu the end d
After q week at Two-Ceean Pass. we d
.thsrcl orr rlesaulma's a frosty 9
o-rinc. ana ain SET of across The G
5rnains a two-days iaau look us n
lhe summit az Wolverine l near G.
.arcn Peak. beside ie na.ain <
---,. rr - morn n- $50 .1l JAS sfr D.