The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1911-04-21

In a secluded spot toward the END OF
the second days march they discover
ed the cache OF q poacher. They were
much surprised at this, as they had
had no idea that there was any one in
the Park killing game. The cache con-
sisted of a canvas tepee, sleeping bag.
provisions and tobogGan. and they
found six buffalo heads suspended in q
tree nearby. A trace OF Are in tho
tepee led the scouts to believe that the
poacher was not far away. To capture
him was the next move. It had been
showing constantly all the morning.
and all the snowshoe tracks leading
from the camp were entirely obliterat-
ed. The scouts separated and went In
different directions.
When fve miles from the camp one
of them heard a half dozen rife shots
in rapid succession. Fastening through
the timber in that direction. he came
upon an opening in tho forest and saw
the poacher. He had driven six of the
buffalo into the deep snow and had
slaughtered the entire band. The scout
was alone and armed only with a re-
volver. Poachers of this kind are des-
perate men. They know that the arm
of the Federal Government Is long and
its grip sure once II seizes them.
Therefore they fight to the last. No
desperate is more reckless Of his life.
The scout knew all this. but did not
hesitate for a moment. 1t was still
showing hard. and neither the poacher
nor his dog noticed the scouts APP
proach- The scout was within twenty
feet of the poacher and had him COW
cred with his revolver before he told
him to throw up his hands. A moment
more, and he was disarmed. Then he
was handcuffed and taken to the
guardhouse at Fort Yellowstone. He
had killed about one-eighth of all the
buffalo in the Park
EIks and Bears Very Comfortable In
the "5ig Cold"
There are about $50 buffalo in the
Park now. To protect them more eff
fectually against poachers about 200
are kept in an Enclosure and have be-
come partly domesticated. The re-
mainder run wild in the country to the
east Of Yellowstone Lake.
Fully 5000 elk winter in the foothills
of Mount Washburn. on Specimen
Ridge, along the east fork OF the yell
iowstone and along the main stream of
that river clear to the base of Mount
Evarts. During the winter the elk live
| in yards places 500 to 1000 feet in
diameter. where they keep the snow
| trodden down. The bull elks patrol
| these yards" at night so as to keep
away the mountain lions and other
animals that prey upon them.
The elks shed their horns about the
first OF March, and until they grow out
again lead a quiet life SO that their
sprouting horns will not be injured
At the time when they shed their horns
they are still herded together. and now
and then a scout will run across some
secluded spot in the primeval wilder
ness where the around Is covered with
| two or three score OF these great an
| tiers. some of them six or seven feet
long. They are allowed to remain
| where they are, for it is not permitted
, to take them from the Park or even to
use them for decorative purposes there
| But before the end of the next winter
they disappear: The field mice and
other small rodents eat them.
The bears that are seen around the
| hotels in the summer time, stealing
garbage or fighting the searchlight
| when 1t is turned on them at night go
into winter quarters in November OF
December and sleep until spring. There
are hundreds of them, black. brown
and grizzly. They go into caves or
hollow logs or under the roots of trees
that the snow will cover. There are
many natural caves in the Park Some
times four or Ave bears will snuggle