The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1914-01-24

deer have disappeared from their former haunts,
and in much-hunted localities only to be
found the highest points where timber grows
Late in the season, when heavy snow falls, bands
OF wapiti and mule deer are driven from their
refuge in the Yellowstone park and move down
to lower grounds in such places as Jackson's
Hole or the valley Of the Soshone river. Woe be-
tide these luckless wanderers If the open season
is still in force for at the head of every pass lead
ing out Of the game reserve are armed bodies OF
meat-hunters, who shoot on sight old or young,
male or female, regardless of age, or SEX every
deer that Is seen. More shame is it to the au
thorities who still permit the sale of deer meat in
the surrounding towns.
Vast herds of deer congregate in the low
grounds during severe winters, and many hun
dreds of them perish for want of food 1t is no
uncommon event for knd-hearted farmers to feed
numbers of wapiti from their stores of hay. But
the expense of this is more than these hardwork-
ing individuals can stand, and something surely
should be done by the United States authorities to
provide for the needs Of these fine animals, which
have been driven from their winter feeding
grounds by the settlers and their cattle.
The modus operandi Of making a trip after
wapiti is too we'll known to need description. II
undertaken early in the by a sportsman
who is we'll equipped with men and packhorses,
the expedition is rather in the nature Of pleas
ant picnic. The climatic conditions in September
and early October generally perfect while the
absence of mosquitoes and other biting flies make
these regions appear a Paradise to one who has
done much big-game hunting further northwest in
the real wilds Of North America, which are only
row to be found In northern British Columbia
and Alaska. But If a sportsman delays his trip
until late in the fall and then camps the
writer has done, at an altitude of over ten thou
sand feet, he will find the early frosts and snow
make 1fe in a tent even in Wyoming, rather cold
er thSn is necessary for personal comfort.
The way in which an American packhorse can
thread its way through dense timber, or follow
narrow, snake-like trail across dangerous rock
slides. is little short of marvellous 1t is inter-
estng sight to long line Of these surefooted
animals threading their way in single file along
the face Of a dangerous precipice, often treading
in loose, rolling rocks in places where one false
step means a sheer drop Of two thousand or three
thousand feet into empty space Yet 1t is seldom
that one falls of the trail II this does happen,
the owner may bid goodby to his horse and all
that he carries, since rarely anything but frag-
ments are found afterwards on searching the
valley below.
Strange to say although the Wyoming wapiti
have developed unwonted cunning in seeking
their living and feeding grounds the are still COM
paratively stupid animals to stalk. Especially SO
is this the with treveling bulls when they
running in search of cows. Then, by means Of
whistng In very poor initiative style Of the
bulls challenge. solitary bull often be called
up to within few yards Of the inter. The
writer and his guide have thus been enabled to
follow bull for two miles through the forest,
answering his repeated call at intervals. until
finally they have come face to face a few yards