East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1912-03-04
COUGAR SLAIN WITH
.22 CALDER RIFLE
Deputy Game Warden Brings
Brute Down After
Chase

There is one less cougar in Una
tilla county today to decimate the
herds of deer and the flocks of sheep
as result of Special Hunter S. W.
Purdy and Game Warden E. F. Aver
ills first sally into the mountains in
the war of determination which the
state has declared on predatory ami
mails. After trailing the big female
for fifteen hours, the hunters three
dogs freed the animal and it was
brought to earth by Averiil with a 20
calibre rifle.
Though he made the kill. the game
warden gives full credit for the ach-
ievement to Purdy and his dogs, de-
claring without them the feat would
have been impossible. ".All other
hunters with whom have gone into
the mountains are amateurs compared
with Purdy and ! never would have
believed it possible for dogs to do
what his did had / not have seen IT
with my own eyes
Take Old Track.
The two men and the dogs left here
Friday and at 8 o'clock struck the
three days old trail of a cougar near
Duncan. Though the trail was COW
cred with two and half inches of
snow, the dogs took it at once and
all day long followed it as it wound
and circled about the mountains.
Night catching them still on the trail
the hunters camped at the ranch Of
Ben +. Brown and early next morn
ing again put the dogs on the TRAIL
now four days old. AS the chase con-
tinued through the morning, the
scent became stronger and the hunt
ers knew by the action of the
hounds that the quarry was close.
The spirit of the chase so seized
the deputy game warden that he
pressed close on the heels of the
dogs and soon left far behind him
Purdy and Brown, who had Joined
the party. The snow was waist deep
and the underbrush thick, making
pi iogress very difficult but dogs and
men struggled on and just at noon
had the big cat up tree.
Averill was armed only with .22
rifle but taking careful aim, he
caught the cougar in the ear with the
! first shot and three more bullets in
the head brought it to earth where
one to the heart ended its struggles.
The animal proved to be an unus-
ually large female, measuring seven
feet from tip to tip and weighing $50
pounds. 1t was carried out of the
mountains by Purdy and brought to
the city on the train and today has
been attracting considerable atten-
ton in the show windows of La Dow
&c Peterson's store. Being his first
cougar, Mr.. Averill will have the
hide, which is splendid one, made
into rug.
Sheepmcn VIII Pay Hunter.
Sheepmen of the county are re-
joicing over the employment tof Pur-
dy to hunt predatory animals as they
suffer greatly yearly losses through
the depredations of these animals
Dan P. Smythe and J. E. Smith
whose ranges are adjoining, ann
ed this morning that they would du-
plicate the bounty which the state
pays on cougar, bob cat and lyn,
scalps and would also pay five dol.
lars TO reach bear brought down
These sheepmen believe other flock
masters will make like offers to en-
courage the hunter to systematic eff
, forts
} Purdy declared this morning tina
he will devote the next few weeks t.
, hunting cougar and would then star
) after coyotes. IT always keep my dog
, after one species at time" he said
, In few days he and Mr.. Averill will
} leave again for the Wenaha Spring
} country as the mate of the dead ami
} NAL and the big one which has be
come known for Its ravages, are still
in that mountain.