r— 5*
' HUNT
ma
THEODORE ROOSEVELT ,
——————_—__——————— ——— ■ ■ ■ *—' : ■
[Copyright, 1893, by G. P. Putnam's Sons.
Published under arrangement with G. P.
Putnam's Sons, New York and Londor.. J
y"Y out In the late fall or
jgfl g early spring, It Is often
JJ?! H possible to follow a bear's
trail in the snow; having
come upon It either bj
«3®Vs2o», I chanc# or hard hunting,'
or else having fount!
where It leads from some carcass on
which the beast has been feeding. In
the pursuit one must exercise great
caution, as at such times the hunter
is easily seen a long way off, and game
is always especially watchful for any
foe that may follow its trail.
Once I killed a grisly in this manner.
It was early in the fall, but snow lay
(
A slight whittle brought him to a stand.
on the ground, while the gray weather
boded a storm. My camp was in a
bleak, wind-swept valley, high among
the mountains which form the divide
between the head-waters of the Salmon
and Clarke's Fork of the Columbia.
At dawn I rose and shook myself free
of the buffalo robe, coated with hoar
frost. The ashes of the fire were life
less: in the dim morning the air was
bitter cold. I did not linger a moment,
but snatched up my rifle, pulled on my
fur cap and gloves, and strode off up
a side ravine; as I walked 1 ate some
inouthfuls of venison, left over from
supper.
Two hours of toil up the steep moun
tain brought me to the top of a spur.
The sun bad risen, but was hidden be
hind ri. bank of sullen clouds. On the
divide I halted, and gazed out over a
vast landscape, Inconceivably wild and
dismal. For two hours I walked on
wards across the ridges and valleys.
Then among some scattered spruces,
where the snow lay to the depth of
half a foot, i suddenly came on the
fresh, broad trail of a grisly. The
brute was evidently roaming restlessly
about in search of a winter den, but
willing, in passing, to pick up any
food that lay bandy. At once I took
the trail, travelling above and to one
side, and keeping a sharp look-out
ahead. The bear was going across
wind, and this made my task easy. I
walked rapidly, though cautiously.
At last, peering cautiously over a
ridge crowned with broken rocks, I
saw my quarry, a big, burly bear, with
silvered fur. lie had halted on an
opeti hlll-slde, and was busily digging
up tiie caches of some rock gophers or
squirrels. He seemed absorbed in his
work, and the sta!!. was easy. Slip
ping quietly i nek. Iran towards the
end of the spur. and In ten minutes
struck a : vine, of which one branch
ran past within seventy yards of where
the bear was working. Tn this ravine
Was a rather lose growth of stunted
evergreen. . Hi jxoort cover, al
though in one < r two places I had to
lie down and raw! through the snow.
When I reached the point for which I
was aiming, the bear had just finished
rooting, and was starting off. A slight
whistle brought him to a standstill,
and I drew a bead behind his shoulder
and low down, resting the rifle across
the crooked branch of a dwarf spruce.
At the crack lie ran off at speed, mak
ing no sound, but the thick spatter of
blood splashes, showing clear on the|
white snow, betrayed the mortal na-j
ture of the wound. For some minutes)
I followed the trail; and then, topping
a ridge, I saw the dark bulk lying
motionless In a snow drift at the foot'
of a low rock-wall down which ho had)
tumbled.
One day while camped near the Bit.-)
ter Root Mountains In Montana I found
that a bear had been feeding on the!
carcass of a moose which lay some five]
miles from the little open glade in'
which my tent was pitched, and T'
made up my mind to try to get a shot 1
at it that afternoon. I stayed in camp!
till about three o'clock, lying lazily
back on the bed of sweet-smelling ever
green boughs, watching the pack p
nles as they stood tinder the pines <
the edge of the open, stamping no
and then, and switching their tails
The air was still, the sky a glorious
blue; at that hour in the afternoon
even the September sun was hot.
When the shadows began to length
en, I shouldered my rifle and plunged
Into the woods. At first my route lay
along a mountain side; then for half a
mile over a windfall, the dead timber
piled about in crazy confusion. After
that I went up the bottom of a valley
by a little brook, the ground beint
carpeted with a sponge of soaked
moss.
At the head of this brook was a pone
covered with water lilies; and a scram
ble through a rocky pass took me into
a high, wet valley, where the thick
growth of spruce was broken by occa
sional strips of meadow. In this valley
the moose carcass lay, well at the up
per end.
In moccasined feet 1 trod softly
through the soundless woods. Under
the (lark branches It was already dusk,
and the air had the cool chill of even
ing. As I neared the clump where the
body lay I walked with redoubled cau
tion, watching and listening with
strained alertness. Then I beard a
twig snap; and my blood leaped, for I
knew the bear was at his supper. In
another moment 1 saw his shaggy
brown form. He was working with all
his awkward giant strength, trying ti
bury tlie carcass, twisting it to on<
side and the other with wotiderfu
ease.
One he got angry and suddenly gavt
it a tremendous cuff with his paw; In
his bearing he had something half bit
morous, half devilish. I crept up with
in forty yards; but for several minutes
he would not keep his bead still. Then
something attracted his attention in
the forest, and he stood motionless
looking towards it, broadside to me.
with his fore-paws planted on the car
cass. This gave me my chance. I
drew a very tine bead between his eye
and ear, and pulled trigger. lie drop
ped like a steer when struck with a
pole-axe.
If there is a good hiding-place handy
it Is better to lie In wait at the car
cass. One day on the head-waters of
the Madison. I found that a bear was
coming to an elk I had shot some
days before; and I at once determined
to ambush the beast when he came
back that evening. The carcass lay in
the middle of a valley a quarter of a
mile broad. The bottom of this valley
was covered by an open forest of tall
pines; a thick jungle of smaller ever
greens marked where the mountains
rose on either hand. There were a
number of large rocks scattered here
and there, one, of very convenient
shape, being only some seventy oi
eighty yard., from the carcass. Up
this I clambered. It bid me perfectly,
and on its top was a carpet of soft
pine needles, on which I could lie at
my ease.
Hour after hour passed by. Everj
slight noise made my pulses throb an
1 lay motionless on the rock gazing
intently into the gathering gloom. 1
began to fear that it would grow toe
dark to shoot before the grisly came.
Suddenly and without warning, tin
great bear stepped out of the bushes
and trod across the pine needles with
such swift and silent footsteps that its
bulk seemed unreal. It was very can
tlous, continually halting to peer
around; and once it stood up on its
hind legs and looked long down the
valley towards the red west. As ii
reached the carcass I put a bullet be
tween its shoulders. It rolled over,
while the woods resounded with its
savage roaring. Immediately it strug
gled to its feet and staggered off; and
fell again to the next shot, squalling
and yelling. Twice this was repeated
the brute being one of those bears
whieh greet every wound with a great
outcry, and sometimes seem to lost
their feet when hit—although thej
will occasionally fight as savagely as
their more silent brethren. In tills
ease the wounds were mortal, and the
bear died before reaching the edge ol
the thicket.
I spent much ol' the fall of ISSf
hunting on the head-waters of th<
Salmon and Snake in Idaho and along
the Montana boundary line from tin
I!ig Hole Basin and the head of tIH
Wisdom Itiver to the neighborhood oi
Ued Hock Pass and to the north and
west of Henry's Lake. During the lasi
fortnight my companion was the ole
mountain man, named Griffeth oi
Gritiin—l cannot tell which, as he was
always called either "Hank" oi
"Griff." He was a crabbedly honest
old fellow, and a very skilful hunter;
but he was worn out with age and
rheumatism, and his temper had failed
even faster than his bodily strength.
He showed me a greater variety of
game than I had ever seen before in so
short a time nor did I ever before or
after make so successful a hunt. Isut
he was an exceedingly disagreeable
companion on account of his surly, j
moody ways. I generally had to get i
up first, to kindle the fire and make :
ready breakfast, and be was very quar- j
relsome. Finally, during my absence j
from camp one day, while not very fai ,
from Red Rock ;>ass he found my i
CAMERON COUNTY PRESS, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 1908
whiskey-flask, which I kept purely for
emergencies, and drank all the con
tents.
When 1 came back he wan <j::ic
drunk. This was unbearable, ir.nl
after sonic high words 1 left him, and
struck off homeward through the
woods on my own account. We had
with us four pack and saddle horses;
and of these 1 took a very Intelligent
and gentle little bronco mare, which
possessed the invaluable trait of al
ways staying near camp, even when
not hobbled. I was not hampered
with much of an outfit, having only
my buffalo sleeping-bag, a fur coat,
and my washing kit, with a couple of
spare pairs of socks and some hand
kerchiefs. I walked, while the little
mare followed almost like a dog, often
without my having hold the lariat
which served as halter.
As dnsk was coming on I halted and
camped in a little open spot by the
side of a small, noisy brook, with crys
tal water. I opened the pack, tossed
the bedding on a smooth spot, knee
haltered the little mare, dragged up a
few dry logs, and then strolled off,
rifle on shoulder, through the frosty
gloaming, to see If I could pick up a
grouse for supper.
As I was thinking of turning towards
camp, I stole up to the crest of one of
the ridges, and looked over Into the
valley some sixty yards off. Immedi
ately I caught the loom of some large,
dark object; and another glance show
ed me a big grisly warfcing slowly off
with his head down. He was quarter
ing to me, and I fired into his flank,
the bullet, as I afterwards found,
ranging downward and piercing one
lung.
At the shot he uttered a loud,
moaning grunt and plunged forward at
a heavy gallop, while I raced oblique
ly down the hill to cut him off. After
going a few hundred feet lie reached
n laurel thicket, some thirty yards
broad, and two or three times as long
which lie did not leave. Iran up to
the edge and there halted, not liking
to venture into the mass of twisted,
close-growing steins and glossy foli
age. Moreover, as I halted, I heard
him utter a peculiar, savage kind of
whine from the heart of the brush.
Accordingly, I began to skirt the edge,
standing on tiptoe and gazing earnest
ly to see If I could not catch a glimpse
of his hide. When ! was at the nar
rowest part of the thicket, lie sud
denly left it directly opposite, and then
wheeled and stood broadside to me on
the liill-slde, a little above. lie turned
his head stiffly towards me: scarlet
strings of froth hung from his lips;
his eyes burned like embers in the
gloom.
I held true, aiming behind I lie shoul
der, and my bullet shattered the point
or lower end of his heart, taking out
a big nick. Instantly the great bear
turned with a harsh roar of fury and
challenge, blowing the bloody foam
from his mouth, so that I saw the
gleam of Ills white fangs; and then he
charged straight at me, crashing and
bounding through the laurel bushes,
so that it was hard to aim. I waited
until he came to a fallen tree, raking
him as he topped It with a ball, which
entered his chest, and went through
the cavity of his body, but lie neither
swerved nor flinched, and at the mo
ment I did not know that I had struck
him. lie came steadily on, and in
another second was almost upon me.
I fired for his forehead, but my bul
let went low. entering his open mouth.
\
11c made a vicious aid- h'otv <il mc.
smashing his lower jaw and going intc
the neck. I leaped to one side almost
as I pulled trigger; and through the
hanging smoke the first thing I saw
was his paw as he made a vicious siU«
blow at me. The rush of his charge
carried him past. As he struck he
lurched forward, leaving a pool ol
bright blood where his inuz/.le hit th«
ground; but lie recovered himself and
made two or three jumps onwards
while I hurriedly jammed a couple ol
cartridges into the magazine, my riflt
holding only four, all of which I had
fired. Then he tried to pull up. but
as he did so his muscles seemed sue
denly to give way, his head drooped
and he rolled over and over like a shot
rabbit. Each of my first three bullets
had inflicted a mortal wound.
HUNTING
112 ON
hr) HORSEBACK
THEODORE ROOSEVELT
fCopyrlßht, 1885. by 05. P. Putnam's Hons.
Published under arrangement with G. I*.
Putnam's Si/hs. New York and London.]
kinds of hunting on
Ah(irseback»- and most
hunting on horseback Is
(lone with hounds—tend
to bring out the best and
manliest qualities In the
inon who follow thorn,
and they should be encouraged in
every way. I-ong after the refleman.
as well as the game he hunts, shall
have vanished from the the
•■attic country will afford tine sport in
coursing hares: and both wolves and
deer could be followed and killed with
"'•ks of properly-trained hounds, and
such *sport would be even more excit
ing than still-hunting with the rifle.
It is on the great plains lying west of
tiie Missouri that riding to hounds will
In the end receive its fullest develop
ment as a national pastime.
Hut at present it is almost unknown
in lite cattle country; and the ranch
man who loves sport must try still
hunting—and by still-hunting is meant
pretty much every kind of chase where
a single man, unaided by a dog, and
almost always on foot, outgenerals a
deer and kills it with the rifle. To d<
this successfully, unless deer are very
plenty and tame, implies a certain
knowledge of the country, and a good
knowledge of the habits of the game
The hunter must keep a sharp look-out
for deer sign: for, though a man soon
gets to have a general knowledge o(
the kind of places in which duel* nr.
likely to lie. yet ho will also (i::d t'.:a*
they are either very capricious, or < !. c
that no man h::s more than a parti'l
understanding of their taste* and lik
ings: for many spots apparently jusl
suited to them will lie almost uninhab
ited, while in others they will be found
where It would hardly occur to any
one to suspect their presence. Anj
cause may temporarily drive deer oul
of a given locality. Still-hunting, es
pecially, is sure to send many away
while rendering the others extremelj
wild and shy. and where deer have be
come used to being pursued in only
one way, it is often an excellent plan
to try some entirely different method
A certain knowledge of how to track
deer Is very useful. To become a really
skillful tracker is most difficult; and
there are some kinds of ground, where,
for Instance, it is very hard and dry
or frozen solid, on which almost any
man will be at fault. But any one witi;
a little practice can learn to do a cor
tain amount of tracking. On snow, of
course, it Is easy; but on the othei
hand it is also peculiarly difficult tc
avoid being seen by the deer when the
ground is white. After deer have been
frightened once or twice, or have even
merely been disturbed by man, they
get the habit of keeping a watch back
on their trail; and when snow has fall
en, a man is such a conspicuous objeel
deer see him a long way off, and even
the tamest become wild. A deer wil
often, before lying down, take a ball
circle back to one side and make lb
bed a few yards from its trail, where
it can. itself unseen, watch any person
tracing it up. A man tracking in snow
needs to pay very little heed to the
footprints, which can be followed with
out effort, but requires to keep up tht
closest scrutiny over the ground ahead
of him. and on either side of tla
trail.
In the early morning when there is
a heavy dew the footprints will be a*
The■ hnllct had broken the backs of both
plain as possible in the grass, and can
then lie followed readily; and in any
place where the ground is at all damj
fliey will usually be plain enough tc
lie made out without difficulty. When
tii • ground is hard or dry the work i.-
very much less easy, and soon becomes
so difficult as not to bo worth while
following up. Indeed, at all times, oven
in tin- snow, track.< are chiefly of u.v
to show the probable ]«»■•:>lity in which
a doer may bo found; and tile stll!
hm:t ,v r Instead of laboriously waikinu
along a trail will do far bettor to mew
ly follow it until, from Its freshness
anil direction, he feels confident that
the deer is in some particular space of
ground, and then hunt through it, guid
lug himself l>.v his knowledge of the
deer's habits and by the character o!
the land. Tracks are of most use li
showing whether deer are plenty 01
scarce, whether they have been in th<
place recently or not. Generally, sign*
of deer are infinitely more plentlfu
than the animals themselves—althougl
in regions where tracking Is especialij
difficult deer are often jumped with
out any sign having been seen at all.
Although still-hunting on foot is or
the whole the best way to get deer
yet there are many places where fron
the nature of the land the sport can lx
followed quite as well on horseback
than which there is 110 more pleasani
kind of hunting. The best shot I evei
made in my life—a shot into which
however, I am afraid the element ol
chance entered much more largelj
than the element of skill—was made
while hunting black-tail 011 horseback
We were at that time making quit*
a long trip with the wagon, and wen
going up the fork of a plains river it
Western Montana. As v.e were out
of food, those two of our number wh(
usually undertook to keep the camj
supplied wiili game determined t<
make .1 lutnt off back of the river aftei
black-tail: for though there were some
white-tail in the more densely timbered
river botto,. , v.*» had been unable tf
get any. ii w: -i arranged that ttaf
wagon should goon a few mils, am
then halt for the night, as it was a!
ready the middle of the afternoor
when we started out. The countn
resembled in c! iracter other parts ol
the cattle plains, but it was absolutelj
bare of trees except along the bod ol
the river. The rolling hills slopet
steeply off into lons valleys and deer
ravines. They were sparsely coveret
with coarse grass, and also with ai
irregular growth of tall sage-brush
which In some places gathered intc
dense thickets. A beginner woult
have thought the country entirely tot
barren of cover to hold deer, but t
very little experience teaches one thai
deer will be found in thickets of suel
short and sparse growth that it seems
as if they could hide nothing; and
what is more, that they will often
skulk round in such thickets without
being discovered. And a black-tail Is
a bold, free animal, liking togo out in
comparatively open country, where lie
must trust to his own powers, and nol
to any concealment, to protect him
from danger.
Where the hilly country joined tin
alluvial river bottom, it broke off shorl
into steep bluffs, up which none but :i
Western pony coukl have climbed. II
is really wonderful to see what places
a pony can get over, and the Indiffer
ence with which it regards tumbles,
111 getting up from the bottom we went
Into a wash-out, and tiieu led our po
liies along a clay ledge, from which wc
turned off and went straight up a very
steep sandy bluff. My companion was
ahead; just as h<> turned off the ledge,
and as I was right underneath liim, his
horse, in plunging to try to get tip the
sand bluff, overbalanced itself, and,
after standing erect on its hind legs foi
a second, came over backward. The
second's pause while it stood bolt up
right, gave nie time to make a frantic
leap out of the way with my pony,
which scrambled after me, and we
both clung with bands and hoofs to the
side of the bank, while the other horse
took two as complete somersaults as I
ever saw, and landed with a crash at
the bottom of Ihe wash-out, l'eet upper
most. I thought; it was done for, but
not a bit. After a moment or two it
struggled to its legs, shook itself, and
looked round in rather a shame-faced
way, apparently not In the least the
worse for the fall. We now got my
pony up to the top by vigorous pulling,
and then went down for the other,
which at tirst strongly objected to
making another trial, but, after much
coaxing and a good deal of abuse, took
a start and went up without trouble.
For some time after reaching the top
of the bluffs we rode along without
seeing anything. When it was possi
ble, we kopt one on each side of a
creek, avoiding the tops of the ridges,
because while on them a horseman can
bo seen at a very long distance, and
going with particular caution when
ever we went round a spur or came up
over a crest. The country stretched
away like 1111 endless, billowy sea of
dull-brown soil and barren sage-brush,
the valleys making long parallel fur
rows, and every thing having a look
of dreary sameness.
At length, as wo came out 011 a
rounded ridge, three black-tail bucks
started up from a lot of sage-brush
some two hundred yards away and be
low us, and made off down hill. Ii
was a very long shot, especially to try
running, but. as game seemed scarce
and cartridges were plenty, 1 leaped
off the horse, and. kneeling, tired. The
bullet went low, striking in line at the
feet of the hindmost. 1 was very high
next time, making a wild shot above
and ahead of them, whirh had the ef
fect of turning them, a-.d they went
off r . md a shoulder of a bluff, being
l> t'i'i time down in the valley. II:r -
ing plenty of time I elevated the sights
(a thing I hardly ever do) to four hun
dred yards and waited for their re
appearance. Meanwhile they had evi
dently gotten over their fright, for
pretty soon one walked out from the
other side of the bluff, and came to a
standstill, broadside toward me. Ho
yran too far off for me to see his
horns.
As I was raising the rifle another step
ped out and began to walk towards the
first. I thought I might as well have
Is much of a targpt as possible to shoot
lit, and waited for the second buck to
come out farther, which he did im
mediately and stood still Just along
side of the first. I aimed above his
shoulders and pulled the trigger. Over
went the two bucks! And when I
lushed down to where they lay I found
I had pulled a little to one side, and
the bullet had broken the backs of
both.
While my companion was dress
ing them I went back and paced off
the distance. It was just four hundred
anil thirty-one long paces; over four
hundred yards. Both were large bucks
and very fat, with the velvet hanging
in shreds from their antlers, for it was
late In August. The day was waning
and we had a long ride back to the
wagon, each with a buck behind his
saddle. When we came back to the
river valley It was pitch dark, and It
was rather ticklish work for our heav
ily laden horses to pick their way down
the steep bluffs and over the rapid
stream; nor were we sorry when we
saw ahead under a bluff the gleam of
the camp fire, as it was reflected back
from tlie canvas-topped prairie schoon
(
His IcrjH hardly xn much ax twitched.
er, that for the time being represented
home to lis.
This was much the best shot I ever
made; and it is just such a shot as
any one will occasionally make if lie
takes a good many chances and tires
often at ranges where the odds are
greatly againsr his hitting. I suppose
| I had fired a dozen times at. animals
! four or live hundred yards off, and
i now, by the doctrine of chances, I hap-
I pened to hit: but I would have been
| very foolish it* I had thought for a
| moment that i had learned how to hit
at over four hundred yards. 1 have
yet to see the hunter who can hit
j with any regularity at that distance,
when he has to judge it for himself;
though I have seen plenty who could
make such a long range hit now and
then. And I have noticed that such
a hunter, in talking over his experi
ence. was certain soon to forget the
numerous misses he made, and to say,
and even to actually think, that his oc
casional hits represented his average
shooting.
One of the finest black-tail bucks 1
ever shot was killed by lying out in a
rather unusual place. I was hunting
mountain-sheep, in a stretch of very
high and broken country, and about
mid-day, crept cautiously up to the
edge of a great gorge, whose sheer
walls went straight down several hun
dred feet. Peeping over the brink of
the chasm I saw a buck, lying out 011
a ledge so narrow as to barely hold
him, right on the face of the cliff wall
opposite, some distance below, and
about seventy yards diagonally across
from me. lie lay with his legs half
stretched out, and his head turned so
as to give me an exact center-shot at
his forehead: the bullet going in be
tween his eyes, so that his legs hardly
so much as twitched when he received
it.
It was toilsome and almost dan
gerous work climbing out to where he
lay; I have never known any other
individual, even of this bold and ad
venturous species of deer, to take its
noonday siesta inn place so barren of
all cover and so difficult of access
even to the most sure-footed climber.
This buck was as fat as a prize sheep,
and heavier than any other I have
ever killed: while his antlers also
were, with two exceptions, the best I
ever got.
Three men sat down at a restaurant
table. "I»ri::g me a very rare steak,"
said one. "I want, a rare steak, too,"
said the second man, "but I want it
very rare, .lust have the side soared
a little, and let the blood run out of it."
Then the thjrfd man said. "ltring me'a
rare steak from an animal which h -
!-ot been Killed, bui just crippled."