The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1914-01-23

deer have disappeared from their former haunts,
and in muchhunted localities only to be
found on the highest points where timber grows.
Late in the season. when heavy snow falls, bands
OF wapit and mule deer are driven from their
refuge in the Yellowstone park and move down
TO lower grounds in such places 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 armed bodies OF
meathunters who shoot on sight old young,
male female, regardless of age. sex. every
deer that is seen. More shame is Il 10 the au-
thorites 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. IL is
uncommon event for kindhearted farmers to feed
numbers of wapiti from their stores of hay But
the expense of this is more than these hard-work
ing individuals stand, and something surely
should be done by the United States authorities 10
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 operand OF making a trip after
wapit is too we'll known to need description. II
undertaken early in the season by a sportsman
who is well equipped with and pack-horses,
the expedition is rather in the nature OF pleas
ant picnic. The climatic conditions in September
and early October are generally perfect while the
these regions appear a Paradise TO one who has
done much bg-game hunting further northwest in
the real wilds of North America, which are only
now to be found in northern British Columbia
and Alaska. But II a sportsman delays his trip
until late in the fall and then camps as the
writer has done at an altitude OF over ten thou
sand feet, he will find the early frosts and snow
make life in a tent, even IN Wyoming. rather cold
er than is necessary for personal comfort
The way in which American pack-horse can
thread its way through dense timber, follow
narrow, snake-like trail across dangerous rock
Slides is little short OF marvellous. II is an inter
esting sight TO long line OF these sr-e-footed
animals threading their way in single file along
the face of a dangerous precipice. often treadlng
in loose, rolling rocks. in places where false
step means a sheer drop OF two thousand or three
thousand feet into empty space. Yet II is seldom
that 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 wapiu
have developed unwonted cunning In seeking
their living and feeding grounds the are st1 com
paratively stupid animals TO stalk. Especially so
this the case with trevelng bulls when they are
running In search Of COWS. Then. by means OF
whistling IN a very poor initiative style OF the
bulls challenge. solitary bull often be called
up TO within a few yards OF the hunter. The
writer and his guide have thus been enabled TO
follow a bull for two miles through the forest
answering his repeated call at intervals. until
fpally they have come lace TO face few yards