Show t 7 00 IV W 6 Z am IN zu N X a big game hunter bunter will deny I 1 think the difficulties that attend the shooting of mountain sheep to the so bo called sports tuan oman who ga gauges his success by the number of heads secured irrespective of their value it cannot of course appeal but to the hunt hunter ern er n naturalist atura list who can enjoy and appreciate the wild and imposing count country in which his quarry lives and finds his greatest pleasure in pitting his bis own skill and cunning against those of a worthy toe foe this form of shooting yields a most exciting if arduous sport but today the number of mountain sheep to la fast diminishing and it is exceedingly difficult in america to flud find and obtain a good or even moderate head without an extraordinary amount of traveling and hunting bunting even then success Is not assured while the short open season for sheep presents an added obstacle nor Is bucha buch a trip by any means inexpensive tor for american guides have a way of charging for their services which is altogether out of proportion of their value mountain sheep however can be found in the very northwest of mexico around the head of the gulf of california in lower california and rarely in chihuahua further south they cannot go for the torrid beat and waterless water lesa desert of the tierra caliento hot country prevent their further progress therefore this ye re ablon lorana washing points ol of tuoi genus ovis in america and the study of these sheep is all the more interesting on that account writes 1 I N Draco poll in country life Lifo of the mountain sheep found in mexico there are four species or subspecies ope cies the ovis anus choso whoso type locality Is the lake santa maria district in chihuahua the 0 vis cana bensis ga gaillardy illardi of the cato mountains in sonora and the ovis nelsonl and ovis cervina of lower california the first named of these is now almost extinct for they used to inhabit a country which was plentifully supplied with water and easily accessible and they were soon almost exterminated by so called sportsmen they are distinguished by the largo large size of their ears earo and molar teeth while their forehead Is noticeably jess less concave than that of the typical ovis canadensis these sheep have been rightly I 1 think described as a new species but the other three subspecies sub species or local varieties of the true ovis canadensis ty cuB it would be tedious therefore to go fully into the minute peculiarities that differentiate them from the well known rocky mountain sheep ets as they are of interest only to the r and not to the big game hunter there Is one point however that makes the ovla ovis canadensis gall bardl particularly fine trophy and that is A the remarkable of the horns which are much bigger and more massive in comparison with ith the wily bodily size of the animal than those of the sheep in wyoming and the north not wild or shy at present in the pinacate mountains and in the sierra del pozo in sonora bonora there Is a large number of them and they are not very wild or any aby as they have not been much molested by tho the indians anil and not at all by the white roan man tor for the country Is unknown and has a bad name owing to its extreme aridity in the iho daytime and during hot weather the sheep are always found high up in the mountains they come flown dawn to teed feed during the night but invariably return to the rocky ledges and precipitous cliffs which are their favorite haunts soon after dawn here they bed down in the niches of the lava or under some overhanging boulder for the rest of tho the day and 00 0 well does their coloring harmonize with their surroundings that not even tho the trained eyesight of tho the indian can detect them the hunter must there lore ore be early in tho the field ho he should U I 1 possible camp high up the moun laljia in tho the sheep country for this will give him the jhb tesi bes chance of suo success V when these ani animal aro are moving about they are not dil alfi cult to see for their white rump pat i la is most conspicuous and can b bo detected at a great distance the 0 ret of success Is not to be in a burd mm like nearly all other animals the y 64 save ve iwa a sentinel on the look ou when they are feeding generally a ive 0 and the hunters hunter lp chief aim fib id be to spot this animal and avoid being seen by it I 1 lie ho should then tak a careful note of tho the country and by y proceeding slowly and cautiously nd d by keeping in the shadows if poss pos lie e lie be should be able to approach them easily enough and select the b st t head there to is another point that sh eh uld he be kemem bared and that Is that i ie sheep when frightened nearly alwa try to escape down the mountain sid so BO that they should he be approached chenever frh enever the wind allows of it from below elow owing to the of all other food the ants of this I 1 country h have a V e to d depend e pend a almost into S t on the caeti cacti and the young sh shoats s and green bark of the mosquito mesquite d paloverde tre trees es for sustenance mey ey are tilso also very partial to the Fouquier a and when th tb latter begin to flower late in april th sheep come down from the mountain to the edge of the plains and feed argost entirely on them this diet 0 sjma ms to agree with them hem excellently for tor they are always in tho the best of rqn at ehla time of year I 1 do no PW of any animals elahi either er in AM fj rr pr america whose meat la Is so BO bellef s to eat and it Is far nicer than that of the prong much prized d by the mexicans tho the dryness ot of the climate alimate in the sonora desert is large kagg y responsible for the way of oti tie he horns are split at the ends i often spoils an otherwise perfect he i d and reduces its length by two to ii ic ur r inches it has the sa same me effe effect C t 0 01 ones fingernails become v very brittle and split or break at the I 1 lightest lili test pr provocation ovo c the horns horna of the old bid rams are arc especially dry and re ire often of ten much worn and scarred on air upper surface as can be seen in a the photograph of the biggest ra b we shot but this to Is due to the blot bl s they receive when fighting among I 1 em ems olvea selves head to head bead mountain sheep ar not the only trophy that can be sei secured ared in this intel to estling resting coun country tryo for its fauna Is ill al most as remarkable es a its flora and many species are con ined to this locality and are not f ti und elsewhere among game animals animal are e the puma fells and a little known species of jaguar tl th tagre a of the mexicans tho bay I 1 uc x L ruffa a local variety of the texas texa collared peccary D angeld angular g s the black and the w V ito tailed door deer and the pronghorn pro an ain elope 0 one of the princ al charms ot of hunting bunting in this count coun y Is the variety of scenery met witla wit for the deer dear are found li in abunda bund ice ce in tho the santa catalina Cata llna mountains niong the pines and silver birches 0 the beautiful canada del or oro 0 in t ie foothills foot loot hills bills lynx puma and the blace talle deer can generally be found 1 b it t arre the scene is quite different a an 1 tho thi vegetation becomes more aar cnare te hunting is difficult as thero there 3 but little cover and days pass often ofte without a chance tor for a shot it would be impo impoco ablo in a short article to describe I 1 i detail the various animals that 11 ie 0 in the sonora desert or to bentli 0 the best hunt ing grounds it la is undoubtedly the fenest game country in the southwest today as it has bet be n untouched and therefore unspoiled by the ordinary traveler but alth ugh h big game la Is plentiful good tro trophies bles ore are not secured without har bar work and much patience the hei he t la is intense ind and water to la very scar aca eln ein e ln in parts abao cutely nonexistent non existent so ao that no one should contemplate a hunting bunting trip to the sonora bonora desert unless he is pro pared to face disco fort and probably actual hardship |