This week, I am no longer concerned with the cirrus clouds - I now have both hind legs firmly planted on the ground.

From Jan. 6, 1949 "Crescent":

A part of the extensive program of trapping and transplanting antelope from Northeastern Colorado where most of the state’s 7000 head of these magnificent game animals have been concentrated, to various other sections of the state, sixteen antelope were planted at the mouth of Hoaglund Gulch on Jack’s Creek one day last week. The herd consists of 8 bucks, 4 does and 4 fawns.

Bob Elliott, Antelope Biologist for the State Game & Fish Dept. and Geo. W. Jones brought the animals to Saguache in a covered truck.

During the summer of 1947, a preliminary survey was conducted throughout the state to locate prospective transplant sites for antelope. The primary requisite of each area was that it must be public land, and summarily, that it must contain the proper vegetative types, topography, protection and other factors necessary for successful propagation of antelope. Six sites were chosen. Saguache was one of these.

The antelope are captured by hazing them with airplanes into one half mile long wings which lead to a rope net trap. After they are corralled in the trap, they are caught by hand and loaded into trucks.

Follow up inspections of the transplant will be made in order to determine which sites are the best for the development of one of our most enjoyable natural resources.

Before we moved from Saguache in 1955 (we lived in the old Fred Burch house on Denver Avenue). Our neighbor across the street to the north was Tino Salaz. Tino was probably as good a hunter as you could ever expect to tramp the hills with. The old saying that practice makes perfect probably applied in his case. Tino didn’t pay too much attention to the seasons -  he just hunted whenever he felt like it.

He invited me to go hunting with him and a few other guys one Sunday morning. Said he knew where we could get into a bunch of elk up toward Bonanza.

We met at his place about four a.m. and headed for the hills. When we got to our destination, Tino could tell by the tracks that we were too late. Someone had been there the evening before and scattered our elk. It was good deer country, so we went ahead with our plans to hunt.

Tino planned the drive and lin-ed all of us out, and told us how to hunt and where to meet.  Quite a few of the fellows got to shooting at bucks and when the drive was over, they had taken seven nice bucks. None of them were less than a three point, and a couple of them were big old lunkers. The only thing I saw was a coyote and I didn’t shoot at him.

When we all got together at lunch time, I counted noses. There were twenty-one of us sitting there on the ground. I was the only gringo in the bunch.

If you are serious about getting game, I am convinced that is the way to go about it. Get a big bunch of hunters who will work together and make drives.

P.S. After we moved back home in 1975, Manual Samora and I had fun remembering this trip! I’ll bet that most of those guys are hunting in the big “Happy Hunting Grounds” now!