Wild Kingdom

Journal 2006 08 02
Wild Kingdom

“…nothing remarkable took place today. we are all extreemly anxious to reach the entrance of the Yellowstone river where we expect to join Capt. Clark and party.” Anxious. Meriwether Lewis has been separated from his friend William Clark for one full month now. He had been in a skirmish, killed two Indians and I’m sure was aware that everyday that passed kept his friend in potential peril from any large war party of braves. Lewis had camped last night after a long wet day on the river to allow his goods to dry. The day proved to be good for that purpose and by the end of the day all the cargo was sufficiently dry to proceed. Lewis was especially concerned about his antelope skins that could not be replaced at this point. Little did he know that Clark’s men were in a virtual shooting gallery of wild game floating down the Yellowstone and had procured several antelopes themselves.

Both parties gained the attention of bears who were afraid of nothing. I believe you could compare the grizzly bear of North America to the lion of Africa. They were at the top of their food chains. Over the last two days both parties encountered bears intent on pursuing the men or, more likely, the scent of fresh meat and skins carried on the canoes. “…at 9 A. M. we saw a large brown bear swiming from an island to the main shore we pursued him and as he landed Drewyer and myself shot and killed him; we took him on board the perogue and continued our rout. Lewis (1806 08 01) “…shortly after we landed the rain ceased…a white bear came withint 50 paces of our camp before we perceived it; it stood erect on it's hinder feet and looked at us with much apparent unconsern, we seized our guns which are always by us and several of us fired at it and killed it. it was a female in fine order, we fleesed it and extracted several gallons of oil. this speceis of bar are rearly as poor at this season of the year as the common black bear nor are they ever as fat as the black bear is found in winter; as they feed principally on flesh, like the wolf, they are most fatt when they can procure a sufficiency of food without rispect to the season of the year. the oil of this bear is much harder than that of the black bear being nearly as much so as the lard of a hog. the flesh is by no means as agreeable as that of the black bear, or Yahkah or partycoloured bear of the West side of the rocky mountains.” Lewis (1806 08 01).

Clark and his party record the following bear encounters for this day two hundred years ago.”… about 8 A. M this morning a Bear of the large vicious Species being on a Sand bar raised himself up on his hind feet and looked at us as we passed down near the middle of the river. he plunged into the water and Swam towards us, either from a disposition to attack't or from the Cent of the meat which was in the Canoes. we Shot him with three balls and he returned to Shore badly wounded. in the evening I saw a very large Bear take the water above us. I ordered the boat to land on the opposit Side with a view to attack't him when he Came within Shot of the Shore. <I let swim> when the bear was in a fiew paces of the Shore I Shot it in the head. the men hauled her on Shore and proved to be an old Shee which was so old that her tuskes had worn Smooth, and Much the largest feemale bear I ever Saw.”

Clark’s party waited twice during the day for over an hour as huge “gangues” of bison crossed the river in front of them. Clark observed wolves chase a cow elk into a grove of trees of which neither emerged. He makes the fair assumption that the wolves overtook the elk. Both Captain’s observe bull elk antlers are fully developed and note the bull elk are gathered in what we today call “bachelor herds” of up to a dozen each. The cow elk are gathered into large herds with their young cows and young bulls.

Clark mentions big horn sheep of which they see but can’t get close enough to shoot. Beaver and deer are taken by each party.

What would a guide charge for a float fishing and hunting trip through Yellowstone National Park today? You would have to hold a tag from the President of the United States for any game animal, fish or fowl that came within range of any weapon you carried. Most of us would say,“Impossible!” But it was common two hundred years ago. Didn’t have to spend hours and hundreds of dollars attempting to draw coveted big game tags in the states where these great animals reside. Unrestricted choice of weapons to hunt with. Lewis had spent a fair amount of time with his armorers before outfitting his men with the best rifles of his time.

A debate could go on for a long time about the weapons that this crew would carry today. I would contend it would look much like a military expedition that must meet a variety of targets and needs. Hunters/snipers carry long range bolt action rifles in .30 caliber. I contend that the .223 of the M16 would be replaced by a similar rifle in the same .30 caliber as the hunting/sniper rifles. The bow gun of the keel boat and perogue would be an M60 .30 caliber machine gun. Some men would have .22 caliber rimfire rifles and pistols for harvesting small game. Benelli semi auto shotguns would be found as would a variety of sidearms in .45ACP, 9mm, 44 Magnum and .22 rimfire.

For those hunters reading these postings we can only imagine the abundance and the freedom enjoyed by these men. They opened a land unknown in its riches. It is still rich in wild game today despite the changes.

And as John Eldredge ( http://www.ransomedheart.com ) points out so well in his book, “Wild at Heart,” God planted a need deep in the heart of man that draws men to answer the deep calling within their heart to operate in, experience and conquer that which is wild. “Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul. A Battle to fight. An Adventure to live. A Beauty to rescue. This is what a man longs for. This is what makes him come alive. Look at the films men love. For that matter, look at the dreams of little boys, the games they play. There is something fierce, passionate, and wild in the heart of every man. That is how he bears the image of God. And the reason that most men "live lives of quiet desperation" (Thoreau) is because men have been told that the reason God put them on earth is to be a good boy. To be nice.
God designed men to be dangerous. Simply look at the dreams and desires written in the heart of every boy: To be a hero, to be a warrior, to live a life of adventure and risk. Sadly, most men abandon those dreams and desires— aided by a Christianity that feels like nothing more than pressure to be a nice guy. It is no wonder that many men avoid church, and those who go are often passive and bored to death.
Now, in all your boyhood dreams growing up, did you ever dream of becoming a nice guy? Ladies, was the Prince of your dreams dashing . . . or merely nice? "We've taken away the dreams of a man's heart and told him to play the man." As C.S. Lewis said, 'We castrate the gelding and bid him be fruitful."
This is a message about the recovery and release of a man's heart, his passions, which he has been given by God.
You’ve been far more than forgiven. God has removed your heart of stone. You’ve been delivered of what held you back from what you were meant to be. You’ve been rescued from the part of you that sabotages even your best intentions. Your heart has been circumcised to God. Your heart has been set free.” Eldredge

Proceed on.