The Monmouth inquirer. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1865-1933, 1924-01-31
H---- s--
Playing
the Goat


sound a needed warning to those
sportsmen who persist in DOMINIC dis
guiaes whether Of cloth or of skins.
Of the nature or color Of the animals
they hunt 1t is told by my friend,
Murray Grenlet, mountain climber,
camera hunter and expert gunner
In early September Grenlet had his
camp high up in pass ia the Bear
Grass trail. He had located band
Of goats on mountain slope above,
after three weeks Of hunting for this
game. He was prepared for photog-
raphy his outfit consisting Of cam
era with telephoto lenses, a disguise
or decoy suit made Of genuine white
goatskins-a -four legged" suit with
a headpiece comically like that Of a
hornless goat and pair of mocas-
sins with thick, stiff soles Of Indian
tanned elkskin.
Grenlet was afoot early In the
morning. 1t was beautiful day for
stalking, trihe cloudy, with breeze
enough to carry his scent straight
away Before now he had climbed 81
coo feet above the Bear Grass Riv-
er. and was in land Of snow and ice.
He wore no coat or waistcoat, and
the suit Of skins which he now don
ned, although clumsy to travel In,
was rather comfortable. He was now
on the range Of his goats, and he
spent an hour or two in careful ex-
ploration. He had even taken the
precaution to cover the camera, which
was slung under an arm, with dirty
white cloth.
he was looking for-seven Of them
and on a slope below his elevation,
quite where he wanted them, for If
you wish to approach mountain
goat you must, as a rule, descend
upon It, and that with much caution.
Upon second observation, however,
which took in all their surroundings,
Grenlet saw that the animals were in
a position where they would be ex-
ceedingly difficult to come at unless
he should. indeed. play the goat ef-
fectively. The animals were In a
6COOQ-nAd DdrA1lr WALL @ A1AA Gal I'LL
face, which looked like crazy quilt
in black and white" and there were
no hollows or tree growths to screen
an approach
Gren1et had to go nearly straight
down to them. keeping somewhat to
the left to get snap shot across the
bottom of the little basin. He began
the descent in careless and confident
fashion, taking no pains to conceal
his movements or the noise of his
moving. He hitched along down on
all tours In the ierky fashion of an
aged 'billy-goat."
When he was within about two hun
dred yards Of the game, and hitching
gingerly down an icy slope, the goats
suddenly seemed to take notice of
him.
The smaller ones punched together
and raised their heads, while an old
leader raised himself on his hind legs.
after the comical fashion Of his kind.
and apparently took long and criti-
cal survey Of the newcomer.
This was an agonizing moment for
the camera-hunter. If he should fail
to act the goat pretty satisfactorily,
the animals would take to their heels,
and matters would be ended for the
day and perhaps for good. However,
'Billy" seemed satisfied at last, and
the goats resumed their nosing for
stray bits of moss and frozen vegeta-
ton.
Grenlet came within a hundred
yards finally, and was congratulating
himself on at least chance for sue
cess, when, with no warning at all,
the goats took to fight and went up
the opposing slope with a celebrity
that was marvellous. In his disap-
pointment the hunter groaned in spir-
1t, If not aloud.
He sighted a boulder and was
hitching along toward 1t, when, high
up on the left-hand ridge, he heard
the crack Of rife, and Immediately
the peculiar. spiteful whine of soft
nose slug which spatted into the ice
somewhere beyond him.
Was the fellow shooting at those
goats on the opposite ridge, His men
tai question was answered by two
shot, close together, and the whistle
and thud of their bullets convinced
him that he himself had become q tar
get. And he owed this peril to his
disguise!
He got to his feet and waved his
arms In signal, and losing his footing,
slipped, slid and rolled for twenty
five yards or more, till his freezing
fingers clutched the tops of a low
bush.
AS he raised himself to q sitting
posture. faint and laughing cheers
q feeble yet irritating volley came
down the wind to him from the crest
of tho high ride on his left. Again,
as he staggered to his feet, rifles
cracked, three of them. and the fierce
song of their bullets buzzed In his ear.
He knew now the occasion of this
unwelcome targetpractice. A party
of autumn tourists from Massachu-
sets had passed his camp three days
= = -