| Show THOUSANDS 1 HO USA OF F ELK BEING SLAUGHTERED Pot Huters Hunters Lay Ly in Wait Wat for the Elk and Kill Ki Te Them When Sn Snow w Drives Them Tem Out Ot of Yellowstone Park for Food Fod By Peter P P. Carney Garney elk question queston Is one that Is causIng causing caus cans T TIE THE ing the United States department of ot agriculture no end of thought and considerable worry orry It I Is estimated that there are elk in the tho United States Slates at this time but lack of proper winter feeding grounds due to encroaching encroach encroach- ing ranches and illegal hunting deI de- de I the number by thousands anI annually an an- nual For the past five years the government I has done its Is utmost to check chok this slaughter ter tel of elk especially In the Yellowstone park r section t where e In the h neighborhood orn of 9 elk n have been e spending p their summers These elk drift to the northern northern north north- ern cnn part of the park and to nearby larby forests forests for for- ests eats wih with the coming of ot winter It I is while the elk is changing his home seeking f e grass eI and amid herbage that tat i the d slaughter takes place lac We h have liae r read much touch about the elk elle dying by the thousands thousands thousands thou thou- sands outside of Yellowstone park but hut a aletter aletter aletter letter from Captain W. W H. H I. I Richard Ichard the theother theother theother other day rought brought the tho thing right home ARE NOT SPORTSMEN No sportsmen are engaged In the slaughter slaughter Those who hunt the elk when he lie is Ia seeking winter quarters are pot pothunters hunters hunters- an I individual that should be lt IRIC banished t from m every sport r Captain p r Richard Rich Rich- ard artt Is f one of or the greatest rifle shots in inthe he tho world the winner o of the Leech cup this year ear and on two other occasions since 1900 the winner o of tho Nevada trophy at Sea Girt Gir and also a member of the tho small smal bore team that represented America and defeated England this summer sum sum- mer Therefore this letter from Captain Captain Richard which we append is worthy of your Our consideration for he speaks from personal observation Here It Is The heavy and almost unprecedented early fall tal of ot snow at Yellowstone park parle has ms caused the elk to leave the tho park in large numbers On the Livingston Mont side alone alono it f ta Is estimated that elk ene have ha come out of which 2000 h have ve been leen killed by hunters up to this time November 14 I Livingston has 1 been thronged with wih hunters of ot all al ages and description bound for the hills his above the cl city to Gardner at the entrance to the park and are singly and in bunches Reports tell I of parties e of hunters e JY I lying In wait fn npr behind h rocks and n b brush and firing promiscuously promiscuously prom prom- In Into to bunches of elk containing all all' numbers lumbers up to as high as In a drove THE THE EXCUSE The main excuse for tOI the slaughter Is that the elk will starve anyway before spring pring and that Ule they should be killed kie before the starving period However the bad feature of the situation lies lie in il the larg number of animals that sustain wounds and escape only to die later Unsecured unsecured unsecured un un- secured by bv by the hunters One chap had an experience rather unique and one which he will wi probably remember the remainder of hi his life no how willing he lie will wi be to lo forget torget This Thia matr nimrod arrived with all al the latest Improved equipment power high-power rifle an au automatic pistol knife and hatchet BeIng Being Be lIe- ing somewhat averse to hill hi climbing he ho the rented a saddle horse and rode to hills his after his elk Reaching a Ikel likely spot he he- tied up his steed and proceeded up the gulch on foot Crossing a bridge some sonio distance up he ho scouted around for some time and at last located meat Carefully Carefully Care Care- fully stalking the game gante he lie wormed his lila way Into position and opened fire Ire sending sending send send- In ing five shots into what he thought was an elkS elk After Ater the commotion in the bru brush h elt subsided the hunter went down to finish butchering and much to his surprise he lie found not an elk ell but the remains of o his histed tied up horse The saddle was fairly ted well preserved preservEd having but one bullet bulet hole through It I so he lie salvaged that and tramped back to Livingston paid the damages and departed without leaving his name or forwarding address address |
