The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1914-01-22

deer have disappeared from their former haunts,
and in much-hunted localities only to be
found on the highest points where timber grows.
Late in the season, when heavy snow falls, bands
of wapiti and mule deer 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 armed bodies of
meathunters who shoot sight old young,
male or female, regardless Of age, SEX every
deer that is seen. More shame is 1t to the
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 It is no
uncommon event for kind.hearted farmers to feed
numbers OF Wapiti from their stores of hay. But
the expense of this is more than these hardwork-
ing individuals 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 trip after
Wapiti is too we'll known to need description. II
undertaken early in the season by sportsman
who is we'll 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
absence Of mosquitoes and other biting flies make
these regions appear Il Paradise to one who has
done much biggame hunting further northwest in
the real wilds Of North America, which only
to be found in northern British Columbia
and Alaska. But if sportsman delays his trip
until late in the fall and then camps, as the
writer has done, at an altitude of ten thou
sand feet, he will find the early frosts and snow
make life in tent, even in Wyoming, rather cold
er than is necessary for personal comfort
The way in which an American pack-horse can
%I~.oI i+o +i,,Io Fall
narrow, snake-like trail dangerous rock
Sides is little short of marvellous. 1t is an inter
esting sight to long line Of these surefooted
animals threading their way in single file along
the face of dangerous precipice, often treading
in loose, rolling rocks, in places where one false
step means sheer drop of two thousand or three
thousand feet into empty space. Yet 1t is seldom
that one falls off the trail. If this does happen,
the may bid goodby to his horse and all
that he carries since rarely anything but frag-
ments found afterwards searching the
valley below.
Strange to say, although the Wyoming wapiti
have developed unwonted cunning in seeking
their living and feeding grounds, the still COM
paratively stupid animals to stalk. Especially so
is this the case with treveling bulls when they
II ing in search of COWS. Then, by means of
whlstling in & very poor initiative style Of the
bulls challenge, solitary bull can often be called
up to within few yards Of the hunter The
writer and his guide haze thus been enabled to
follow a tv for two II les through the forest,
answering Ills repeated cali at intervals until
finally they nave Come Ice to face few yards