The Coolidge examiner., 1933-05-19
RECORD
MULEDEER

their time and scruples against nature fax
ing. The horns were affixed to carved wooden
replica of "Cervus elaphus," the European red
deer, the game animal with which the English
wood-carvers OF the day were most familiar.
Another American trophy owned by British
royalty is magnificent pair Of moose horns
which presented TO the prince Of Wales
(later King Edward vID during his visit TO Amer
lea In the Seventies. The weight OF the dried
skull and horns is said TO have been SO pounds
and the antlers had a spread Of 20 inches. In
1898 an American Trophy exhibition was held
in London and among the exhibits there was an
elk head, shown by A. L. Tullock, Esq, which
had been killed In Montana In 1888. or this
trophy II has been written, Most judges give
the palm in beauty to this superb 20-point head.
Its size and points have been exceeded, but its
massive beams, perfect symmetry and wonder
full pearlngs are far unrivalled"
AS early as 1850 titled Englishmen were COM
ing to this country for big game hunting and
in an article which appeared in the June, 1894,
issue OF the old Cosmopolitan magazine, under
the title of Famous Hunting Parties of the
Plains" Col w. +. Cody ("Buffalo BilrO tells
Of some Of them as follows:
1.-THE first great hunter who came to this coun-
try in search of big game, of whom have knOwl-
edge, was Sir George Gore. was boy at Fort
Leavenworth In 1853 when he arrived there from
London and fitted out his expedition. At that
time buffalo, elk deer and antelope were so
numerous upon the plains and all through the
Rocky mountain region that we frontiersmen
were naturally somewhat surprised to find that
an English gentleman would come all the way
across the ocean and make the tedious journey
from the seaboard to the frontier, with no other
end in view than the chase.
"Sir John Watts Garland was another great
English huntsman He came over here about
1869. At different points on the plains and in
the mountains he established camps and built
cabins to which he would return regularly about
once every two years. In his absence, his horses
and dogs were left at these camps in charge Of
men employed for that purpose
1.-THE third of the great hunters whom have
known was Lord Adair who is now the earl Of
Dunraven, owner of the famous Valkyrie He
came with Doctor Kingsley, brother Of Charles
Kingsley, the well-known author, and arrived at
Fort Mcpherson, on the Platte river, about
eighteen miles from the town of North Platte
Lord Adar was the first of these visiting
sportsmen that I remember to have had mill
tary escort Garland and Gore provided their
own Later he purchased hunting park of his
own
Being interested only in sport, such hunters as
Sir George Gore and Sir John Garland were willing
to stay in the field long enough to get really
good heads. They had better chance than the
present-day hunter to find a record head because
the herds of elk had not been so badly shot up
or their winter range restricted that it was
necessary to winter feed them. Good heads
were common, as the animals were stronger
and more rugged.
The Engshnan knew the value Of record
heads and he carried back his own trophies plus
the best heads he could purchase for resale at
home Therefore today the collections of game
trophies in England contain the very best ex-
amples of American big game, but, in the
words of sponsors of the present big game
hunt" now being conducted under the auspices
of the New York Geological society, "We want
to return the record of both elk and deer to the
United States and 1t is probable that In some
attic or home in the Rocky Mountain states the
worlds record can be found"
GO by Western Newspaper Union)