The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1920-02-09
Noted Archer
Stays Cougar
a la Indian.
Some Excitement Says Dr..
Pope; Killed Cat With
Bow and Arrow
BY DIR. SAXTON POPE.
(America's Most Expert
BoW-Man)

Bow-Man)
To meet an enraged noun
tain lion with a rifle is bad
enough.
But to face him in the
wilds with bow and arrow, at
20 yards distance, as Arthur
II. Young, my hunting COM
panion, and / recently did in
the California forest, is as
thrilling an adventure as
comes to the American
sportsman.
1t is a sheer test of fight
ing wits between man and
beast.
1t was oaly after much ex-
perience in hunting with the
bow, and after careful coach
ing by Ishi, noted Yana3
Indian archer and last of his
race, now dead, that Young
and l set out to try conclu-
sions with the mountain lion. /,
panther or cougar-meanestl
and wariest of our big game.
With two dogs for crackers, We
entered the forests Of Tuolumne
county. California. in the Rose creek
district. armed only with our power
full homemade bows of Oregon yew
and a dozen steel-pointed arrows.
The mountain lion Is wary and
wise. and II was not until after sew
eral days hunting that the dogs
picked up the trail OF one. Then
followed a heart-breaking run thru
a half-mile OF brush and timber
the big cat. hotly pursued by our
hounds. making short-winded dash
to keep out OF danger.
DRIVES CAT
no Ray A
At last, however. the dogs bayed
the brute In the dry brush at the
base Of q great oak. Young en1
I. coming up breathless and excited,
drew our clothyard shafts from
their quivers and approached eau
tiously, with every nerve alert.
Twenty yards from the brush heap
we caught our first sight OF him
a tawny. crouching mass, with .
great tail tvitchins nervouely from
side to side. and two yellow vindic-
tive eyes glaring at us.
Together Young and I hooked our
arrows, raised our bows and drew
to the head.
''shoot~ whispered Young. and
we let fly.
There was a thud Of strflkine~
shafts. an enraged snarl and the
great beast turned fun upon w.
We saw his wicked. cleaning teeth.
his quivering body with one arrow
buried in his jaw. the other deep
In his shoulder. For q moment he
crouched and was about to spring,
when our dogs rushed upon him.
Then he turned. bounding upon
low limb OF the oak.
SHOOT ARROWS
AS CAT JUMPS
As he did this and gathered him
self to leap. his big 1.-the body
flashed as living target before us.
We drew again our deadly shafts
and with all the strength OF our
great yew bows we drove two sing.
ing arrows clear thru his chest.
With a mighty bound he flew out
over our heads and landed ON his
feet. He staggered and fell.
The dogs were upon him in an in
stant-there was a short, fierce
struggle In which snarling Hon,
yelping dogs and two bowmen were
mixed in the brush. But with one
arrow In his heart and another in
his lungs. the beast stood no chance.
In less than half a minute he lay
dead at our feets.
Thrills? There were more Of them
crowded into that mornings hunt
than you could get out of a barrel
Of gun powder.
We had matched our wits ana In.
telligence, our woodcraft and our
strength against those OF the beast
The mountain lion proved to be
a strong young male. Weighing
about 100 pounds--and we believe !
he was tn first North American
panther to fall victim to a bow
and arrow in the hands of a white