Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1914-01-27

splendid youth who smokes cigarettes while he
apes the manners and costume of his predeces-
sors. but who is often too idle to throw rope, or
totally incapable OF riding a bad bukiumper OF
using effectively the revolver which he proudly
displays. In fact, If most of these modern cow
boys attempted to draw h gun at an old-fash-
toned saloon gathering in II ''wide-open' town OF
the west, before he could touch the trigger he
would have been rs full o. lead as a plum pud-
ding is full of raisins. For alas the glory and
glamour of the wild west has departed forever.
First came the numbering OK wagons with their
hardy owners, emigrants and hunters of
men, SCARED and weather beaten, fighting their
way grimly. inch by inch, 20 open the new Edo
RADIO Foot by foot they drove the Indians and
game before them, and for years barely held their
own in these unknown lands. Then came that
mighty factor. steam, and the steel roads with
their highpowered locomotives, today conveying
the settlers tourists in few hours across those
desoate prairies, to traverse which once took
the old pioneer many weeks TO accomplish.
In consequence, he who today sets out in quest
of sport through such country as Wyoming
must be prepared for series of rude shocks if he
hopes to find anything approaching the state OF
affairs there about which he has read in the books
of his youth
The splendid buffalo is extinct: but few de-
cayed bones relics of skull the last traces OF
an animal which roamed il countess thousands
over the prairies, and were Vantosly exterminateo
partly by hunters for their hides, and partly by
settlers to make way for their cattle. The curious
prong-horn antelope also has almost been wiped
out in these district. But the saddest Of all, per-
laps, is to the present state to which the
finest deer on earth the American wapti, has
been reduced This noble beast. which for,
nerly denizen of the oren country, has been
driven to seek refuge in the densest forests Here
II is hard indeed for any number of them to OBJ
tain sufficient food, and in consequence the type
and size OF their antlers shows marked depre-
citation in modern years. As every knows
harbor of refuge has been found for them by tho
United States government in the Yellowstone
park and here the tourist may see, face to face,
grazing in bands, the semi-tame remnants of the
once vast herds of wapiti. Outside this sanctuary,
on every side, as soon as the season opens, each
valley or pass which leads from the Yellowstone
TO the surrounding country is peopied with so
called sportmen, or meathunters all camped and
waiting for those unwary animals which may
beyond the confines Of their reservation.
In these outlying districts, where few cum
ming bands of wapiti still survive, they have
tirely changed their habits during the early part
of the season Formerly the herds would be
found grazing or roaming through the low~lying,
open parks. while throughout the day and night
the forests would echo 10 that melodous whistling
call of the bulls. But today if a hunter seeks the
sc-caIled American elk" ne must perfOrce look in
different places to those frequented by the old
time hunters Far up. on the very edge of the
tinberline, feeding and climbing almost like
mountain sheep among steep erags. and on the
verge of snow-iine, now ind the few survivors
of the splendid animals. And terrified they
hy the constant presence of their natural enemy
man. with his innumerable camp fires and at
PENDANT noises that the bulls seldom dare give
utterance to their challenging calls So true is
this that the writer after spending many weeks
during the past season in the wilds of Wyoming
only heard wapl1 whistling on two occasions.
and moreover. Throughout this period only
one head worth shouting at says c. z. Radcliffe
IN Country Life. II is true this noble head
and one Of the finest brought out of that country
for some time past but the capture of this head
entailed many weeks Of hard work many scores
of miles travelling. and MANY thousands of feet
hard climbing in country which a few years ago
was teemng with good hesds
In the same way the bears and bighorn sheep
OF the Rocky mountains have almost become
II ing CT the past Even the very numerous mule