The Bozeman courier., 1927-10-28

THIS time OF the year, Wnlle
n many Montanans are enjoying the
n thrills Of big game hunting in the
mountains, which is sport that
Montana offers in greater abundance
than many others states, 1t is well 70
recall that it was out here that Theodore
Roosevelt, twice president OF the United
States, found his greatest pleasure In
hunting. He considered the finest hunt
ing ground in America to be in the
mountainous regions Of western Montana
and northwestern wyoming.
Roosevelt was born Oct. 81, 1858, and
was graduated from Harvard university
in 1890 AS a boy he was frail, and even
after his graduation his health was not
considered good. 1t was for this reason
that he bought a ranch in North Dakota,
lust a few miles from the Montana
boundary, where he spent three years,
starting with 1884 He was naturally
fond of the out-of-doors and he took to
stockraising as happily as a duck takes
to water Hunting became an economic
necessity, for meat had to be provided
for the ranch, for he, as we'll as his cow
BOYS, preferred wild game to killing their
own steers. Roosevelt has said that the
hunts he enjoyed most were those made
when he was engaged in getting the
winters stock Of meat or was keeping
some party of cowboys supplied with
game from day to day.
Roosevelt was an author as well as a
statesman, and he has left for the en-
joyment of all who love the life Of the
west some excellent stories Of his expert
ences while hunting in Montana and
Wyoming. These are to be found IN
Hunting Trips of a Ranchman" and
"The Wilderness Hunter" which have
been re-issued this fall by G. P. Put
nam's Sons in one volume under the title
of "Roosevelt's Hunting Adventures in
the West"
Roosevelt Admired Willis
It is of particular interest to Montan-
ans to know that John Willis Of Glas-
gov was an intimate friend of RooSevelt's S
and accompanied him on many Of his
hunting trips. Roosevelt refers to Willis
in many Of his hunting stories. He con-
Sidered Willis "a tried mountain-man."
willis possessed that inexhaustible
fertility of resource and unfailing readi-
ness in an emergency so characteristic
Of the border" Roosevelt said. Through
hard experience he had become master
of plainscraft and Woodcraft, skilled in
all frontier lore"
Vesta o. Robbins of Belt, a friend of
Mr.. Willis, recently wrote a story Of the
Glasgow mans friendship with the great
president. According to Mrs Robbins
Mr.. Willis settled down in Thompson
Falls. in western Montana, in 1886, and it
was shortly after that that he received
a letter signed Theodore Roosevelt" The
letter said:
hardest animal in the Rockies to find
and the most difficult to kill. have
heard also that you are hunter Of note
If I come west and go hunting with you
do you think I could kill wild goat?"
Willis examined the letter carefully
Mrs Robbins says, then turning it over
he wrote across the back: If you can't
shoot any better than you can write,
don't think So" and mailed it back tC
him. This letter is now at the Roosevelt
Memorial hall in New York.
few days later he received a wire
from Roosev 1t, Consider yourself en-.
gagged" it said. "Will arrive July 90"
Roosevelt came as he said he would
and in the latter part Of August he
started with Willis on a trip to the Bis
Hole basin, in western Montana, to hunt
white goats To read ROOsevelt's account
Of this trip in his book is to get liberia
education in mountain lore. He knew
all about trees, flowers, birds, stream!
and rocks. and he could write of them IL
a way that makes the reader see, fee
and hear them as vividly as he did.
Goat Hunting Not Easy
It was no easy thing to find mountain
goats. He put in number OF tedious
days climbing over mountain crags
sleeping on the ground during cold nights
and having but little to eat during tn
day. He tells of killing his first goat il
these words:
sion of low cliffs, and we had to NOV
with the utmost caution. In letting our
selves down from ledge to ledge, on
would hold the guns until the other 60
safe footing, and then pass them down t
him. In many places we had to wor
our way along the cracks in the faces c
the frOst-riven rocks. At last, just a
we reached a little smooth shoulder, m
companion said, pointing down beneat
US: Look at the white goat!'
"a moment or two passed before &C
my eyes one it. We were looking dow
into a basin-like valley, surrounded
high mountain chains. At one end Of tn
basin was a low pass, where the ridg
was cut up with the zigzag trails mad
by the countless herds of game whic
had travelled it for many generation
At the other end was a dark gorg
through which a stream foamed. TIL
floor of the basin was bright emeral
green, dotted with darker bands whel
belts Of fir-trees grew; and in its mtdd
lay a little lake.
"At last I caught sight Of the goa
feeding on a terrace rather over 125 yarC
below I promptly fired, but oversize
The goat merely gavea few jumps an
stopped. My second bullet went throug
its lungs; but fearful lest it might escal
to some inaccessible cleft or ledge I fire
again, missing; and yet again, breakiI
its back. Down it went, and the ne,
moment began to roll over and owe
from ledge to ledge. 1 greatly feared
would break its horn, an annoying al
oft-recurring incident Of white go
shooting, where the nature of the grouI
is such that the dead quarry often fal
hundreds Of feet, its body being to-
to ribbons by the sharp crags. HowevC
in this case the goat speedily lodged u
harmed in little dwarf evergreen.
Goats Run Up Hill .
Hardly had I fired my fourth sh
when my companion again eXclaime
Look at the white goatsl Look at t
white goats! Glancing in the directi'
in which he pointed, I speedily made o
four more goats standing in a bun
rather less than 100 yards away, to o
side of my former line Of fire. They we
all looking up at me. They stood on