The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1919-06-22
lcnn,lnued from page %

"ucks", which meant that no elk would
stay long In the neighborhood.
As Il was six or seven miles from our
main camp to the Buffalo Fork when
necessltated some little time In going
10 and coming from the hunting couh
try. Ned decided To move a sid" pack
for two hunters over there and TO leave
one to hunt from the main camp, II
was decided that Coe and | would go
20 the Buffalo Fork. Everything being
ready the morning of the End, We We're
off early, Coc and ! going ahead be
cause we thought We might iind some
elk near the "lcks" We had not gone
more than a mile from camp before we
came upon two moose, a bun ana
COW, the bull having a very fine head'
free of the velvet We watched theih
from our horses for several minutes not
more than one hundred feet distant
We rode on and left them and had not
rome more than a half mile when co"
shounted "There goes a bear quickly
ne dismounted and started after NM
or course. | followed suit. / ran down
the trail which led thru willow tlht
for some three hundred yards, for nav
ing been over the trail before, | knew
where I could cut him off, provided my
wind held out | succeeded in reaching
+be place I'm time. hut instead of rs he
tho a hear IL was a COW moose and calf
Well. shall not repeat here what
said after I got my wind hack. ! had
hearty laugh and by that time Coe came
up leading my saddle horse ana reIu''
antly remarked that we LET that one
get away" I assured him that We ana
and that he had better thank his stars
that we did for if We had not il might
have been the Cody jail for us. When !
told him it was a moose he looked
"neeved" and said. well. I thought II
vos n bear. | could only see his back
above the willows" Believing his lnten.
tions were good. We let it go at that;
but | assured him that before TOOK
another sprint ] would take a look Tor
myself
We reached our camp site and had
the tents up before noon. Immediately
after lunch we set out for the elk coun'
try. Ned and I were to hunt up the
creek from camp, while Coe and Crouch
hunted below. We found some reason
ably fresh elk tracks and a lot of bear
signs. hut did not get glimpse or an
elk. We did however find very large
bun moose, in which we were not at all
Interested. Returning to camp that
night about dark, we found Coe ana
Crouch had not returned. Naturally
We thought they had made Kill ana
were late dressing him out, etc. About
Q o'clock they came drifting in with
another hard luck story. They had
seen one small band of elk, but there
was only one stag with them, and, as
he was a small five point, they passed
him up 1t was hard for Ned to be
lieve that we could find no elk, because
he had had fine luck over these same
grounds in years past.
Having been in there at the same
season of the year 1917, and finding
plenty of fine bulls, it was ineXplain'
able. with a firm belief that our luck
would change for the better soon, the
morning of the 3rd found us ready for
any emergency, and as none of us had
shot anything we We're working all the
harder to see who would be the first to
make a kill The clouds were hanging
low, and looked as though it might
snow, which would have been welcome
indeed. But such was not the case, as
il cleared up about noon and we had
beautiful day. Ned and | hunted hard |
stumbling upon two moose, ana about
10 o'clock found a small band of elk /
with one small bull, and returned TO
camp, tired but happy. Coc and Crouch .
had no better lucl, than the day before, .
having seen nothing but the same five
point bull.
We could plainly see that Ned was
very much disappointed in not FINDING
elk. as they had always been so plen-
tiful heretofore. As there was another
party camped below and one above on .
the same creek. and no one finding any |
thing Ned said that the next morning |
the 4th. we would move back to our
Two Ocean Pass camp. and if Goddard .
had found nothing we would move camp .
and hunt for "Greener fields Accord .
ingly the next morning camp broke
early. Coe and his guide returned Iii. /
rect to main camp with the outfit while .
Ned and ! went up the Buffalo Fork to
the headwaters ana climbed out on top
of the divide We followed the divide .
for several miles looking for a short cut |
over to the Yellowstone River, and then .
dropped down into the headwaters OF
Atlantic Creek and headed for camp. /
Hunting Above Timberlne.
We had been above timberline for sew
eral hours and had only seen eight COWS
and calves in the distance on the oppo-
site mountain. We had abandoned all
hopes of finding bull that afternoon, |.
as it was now getting late, when just
before sundown we located about sixty
or seventy elk feeding out of the timber
in a meadow on the opposite side Of
the creek from US. There were two
bulls among them. one of which proved
to be Il very fine siX-point. We left the
horses in thick patch OF timber ana
the stalk was on. We found the stalk
very difficult as there was very little
timber and the ground fairly level BY
this time the sun had set and we were
about 300 yards from them Look as
hard as we might thru our glasses. we
could not tell which bull had the best
head Ned asked me if | could make
a run and get closer, as we had no cover
10 protect us, and in that way we
might get close enough TO tell as they
ran which had the best head. I told him
I could not on account of my knee which
I had hurt on a rock while crawling,
and he told me to try for the one on the
right and take a chance. 1t was so
dark by this time that | could hardly
see my rear sight at all, and hence
shot over him. BY this time he was
among the cows and they had headed up
the mountainside. About the only way