Los Angeles herald., 1910-07-03
THE FIGHTING BUCK
OF BLUE MOUNTAIN

runs border made from trophies of
the-hunt About each one of these and
as many more that got away" there
is story, and Randall is the man to
tell it. None of his many experiences
Is more entertaining or more filled with
peril than that of his encounter with
Fighting buck on Blue mountain. The
story In his own words is as follows:
'The biggest buck ever saw in
these mountains got away from me-
or you might say that 1 got away from
him.
Il was out of venison; 1t was a misty
morning, with the fog rolling in from
over toward the Pacific. / knew it
was a good day for a still hunt, so /
slipped some shells into the magazine
of my rifle and started out along the
Hogs Back ridge. There's a pass up
there where the deer cross to go down
into the umbered canyon after water.
For an hour / worked along the
ridge without a sound, except some
times when piece of brush swished
across my overalls. The fog was pretty
thick and 1 knew that 1 might jump
a buck at close range any minute. 1
had reached shelf of rock that
sheered off into a sort of precipice,
and was watching the pass little way
ahead and listening, when, without a
sound the brush parted slowly twenty
yards away, and the antlers of buck
appeared, moving straight toward me.
1T looked like an easy shot, and l
shot too quick After / pulled the
trigger / thought 1 saw the buck drop.
/ was STOPPING over, laying down my
gun and reaching for my knife when
there was a crash of something COM
ing through the brush, and before l
knew it the buck was almost on me-
IT dropped behind a bunch of chap
arral. He seemed little dazed and
didn't see me. He was so close 1 could
have touched him with my foot. He
held his head high, and was tossing II
from side to side. paving up the ground
with his sharp front hoofs and blowing
hs breath out through his nostrils saw
agely. My shot had evidently grazed
him and made him fighting mad.
could see that he meant trouble.
II know that if / made motion or
noise he would see me, and then l
would be in for 1t. A savage buck will
fight as long as he can stand. l could
see that he wasn't hurt much, and from
his size and aetionsI knew he must be
the buck that L had heard so much
about.
blue mountain is twenty miles south
of here, and is wilder than this coun-
try This old buck was a ranger. but 1t
was in his own stamping ground that
he had done most damage and was
known best. He had killed five dogs,
and one of them was Pritchard's bell
voiced Ben, known as the most power
full hunting dog in the state.
'Pritchard had told me that the buck
was dangerous.
''.Be sure to get him with the first
shot if you ever run across him. he had
said, warningiy, and don't run any
risks about it. He'll get you If you
give him half chance He's a bad
one
From where lay. cramped on my
side looking up at him, could see the
strength in his shoulders and his neck
as he threw the dirt up with his sharp
hoofs and tossed his head. The muscles
on his haunch stood out in bunches
His hair was bristling along his back
His long. sharp antlers We're worn
smooth from his travels through the
deep brush 1 moved my gun by inches
up to an angle that / thought would
get him in the shoulder. / couldn't
sight along the barrel without chang
ing my position and attracting his at
tention, so l made a guess, and let go
at him.
Il must have missed him by an inch
or two. Things began to happen in
hurry. With a snort he jumped straight
up and seemed to turn round toward
ME In the air. He came at me with his
horns down and with his sharp-edged
hoofs punched like so many knife
blades. / had just time to roll quickly
to one side to escape the full force OF
the collision, when his horns plowed the
ground where 1 had lain.
But my respite was short. In an
other moment he caught me with his
antlers, tipping me over on my back
and almost tearing my clothes from
my body. My breath was knocked out
and there was dull pain in my side,
where one of the prongs had scored the
flesh l could hear the bucks horns
grinding in the dirt on each side. l
was pinned down tightly. Before ne
could recover for another charge, how
ever, managed to get one hand on
each of his horns, and when he drew
back he dragged me to my feet.
II could see where my first shot had
creased his back. 1t was the sting
from<this that had angered him. We
began to go round and round, tearing
the brush and breaking up the ground
in a ten-foot circle. With myY feet on
the ground l was able to keep my
Ao1., OF on anglia from him so that