The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1916-12-21
HUNTING Wild COWS
in THE CASCADES

The Glacier feels fortunate in secur-
ing G. b. Compton as correspondent
from the Dee Flat community. MIR.
Com pton is a veteran newspaper man,
having served on the stats of msHils
newspapers for a number of years.
While he is capable of handling the
more serious side of newspaper work,
he also has a well developed nose for
news, and readers of the Dee items in
the Glacier have recently been RAPIDLY
increasing because of the interesting
news stories contained therein.
The following. written by Mr.. Comp
ton. is a true story of cattle hunt Of
recent date in the Cascades of Hood
River county.
Thrills aplenty and spectacular fin.
ish attended the capture last Sunday of
two renegade yearling calves from the
Collins herd at Dee, which, lured away
from the herd by deer and then desert
ed when winter came, were brought in
Sunday evening. One with bullet
through Its heat was lashed to the
back of a pack horse; the other igno-
minoiusy led home with a rope about
its neck.
These yearling Gales one heifer and
a steer-are pure bred Jerseys from
the herd of r. A. Collins. which was
pastured last summer on the north side
of the West Fork. When the herd was
rounded up this fall and brought to the
dairy ranch two yearlings we're miss.
Oh than n
through the foothills of Green Point
with a herd of fleet-footed deer, defy
ing all attempts to capture them. Un-
willing that these animals should re-
main in the woods all winter, at the
first fall of snow in late November
Collins organized all expedition of
neighbors, who, armed with rifles, set
out in quest of the vagabond pair.
Tracks were found and trailed. but upon
sight of the hunters the vagrants fled
wildly through brush and over fallen
logs to higher ground. Falling rain
melted the snow and the trail was lost.
Five separate expeditions were made
by Rancher Collins before success at
tended his efforts, and it is due largely
to his pluck and determination 10 cap
ture them-dead or alive-that the
brutes are now accounted for. So diff.
cult was the task of travelling along
the precipitous slopes of mountainside
that. with exception of Collins, the
personnel of the various expeditions
was different on each trip and only
those members who accompanied him
can appreciate the we'll nigh insur-
Al taa of froiltpn mild flo
in the Cascades at this season of the
year. Accompanied by neiRhboring
rancher and equipped with rs 20 cali
bre rifle Collins set out last Saturday
for the fourth time in quest of the
calves. Late 10 the evening they were
located and after careful maneuvering
Collins got close enough to try shot
at the steer. Aiming at the heart he
let drive-the animal fell. but in an in
slant was up and away, crashing
through the underbrush, but leaving a
trail of blood. Convinced that the
$500 was not powerful enough. he re-
turned home, resolved to procure a
higher powered gun and make one more
trip.
Enlisting the aid of Audubon Winans,
an experienced hunter and crack shot,
Collins and Winans set out Sunday
morning with Winan's Scotch collie for
a final round up, resolved to bring in
the bacon" or stay in the woods, each
carrying 5000 rifles. At high noon the
yesrling Jerseys we're sighted at their
usual feeding grounds. A careful re-
connoiter was made, the hunters cir
cling stealthily. Startled by the
breaking of twig under Collins foot,
the steer started full tilt up the hill
towards Winans, the heifer running
back in the opposite direction. Sud-
denly sighting Winans standing off to
the right of its headlong course. the
maddened steer, infuriated by the re-
collection of the painful bullet of the
preceding day with lowered head and
increased speed, veered toward the
hunter in full charge. At distance of
Is feet Winans let 90 a 5000 bullet
aimed at the animals heart. The gal
Looping steer fell with crash, but in
an instant was up again and lunging
forward. Winans realized that his aim
had been true and that the quarry was
fatally wounded. A second later the
outlaw steer fell dead within few feet
of his slayer.
Attracted by the barking of the
Scotch collie few hundred yards dis
tant, the two huntsmen turned their
steps in that direction. Then followed
the believing of distressed COW and
the two neil rushed forward waist deep
in snow to respond to the dogs call.
Braced against fallen tree the trained
collie had the recreant heifer by the
tail. Struggling and unable to move
forward, the heifer fell. Instantly the
dog rushed forward and grabbed the
apostate calf by the nose and held it
securely until the two men arrived and
placed strong rope about its neck.
MIR. Collins is veteran OF the Rug
by field, having been at one time
member of the crack team of Santa
Clara College. When he thought his
collie dog was not going to be able to
hold the wild COW, who was trying to
regain her feet. he leaped through the
air and tackled her around the fore
legs. The impact of his jump brought
the cow to the snow covered earth
again.
With diamond hitch the steer was
strapped to the back of horse; the
heifer meekly surrendered ard fol-
lowed the triumphant procession back
to the Collins ranch. After an absence
of three months from the herd, the
heifer soon renewed acquaintances. and
although furry coated and fat, seemed
overjoyed to be back with the bunch
and jostled calf away from bucket
of milk placed before it.