The Mentor: Game Animals of America, Vol. 4, Num. 13, Serial No. 113, August 15, 1916

In Short

This survey of North American game animals charts the alarming collapse of native wildlife populations under relentless commercial and sporting slaughter. Moving from the vanished bison and vanishing antelope to resilient mountain goats and towering moose, the text combines natural history with an urgent call for legislative protection and wildlife sanctuaries. It endures as a vital historical milestone in American conservation literature, documenting both the fragility of pristine ecosystems and the early, hard-fought victories of organized game preservation.

The Story

The text opens with a sweeping historical overview lamenting the rapidity with which North American big game has vanished since backwoods hunters first crossed the Alleghanies. From boundless herds of bison, elk, and deer, the continent's wildlife has suffered a continuous, largely unchecked shrinkage. Theodore Roosevelt contributes an introductory reflection emphasizing that manly sport and a love of nature require active partnership with conservationists to arrest wanton destruction. Following this stark assessment, the narrative introduces individual species personalities, detailing their physical traits, habits, and specific vulnerabilities across diverse American landscapes.

The prong-horned antelope takes center stage as an emblem of extreme fragility, utterly unequipped for modern pressures, highly susceptible to disease, and now extinct as a rifle sport. Mountain sheep follow as gallant mountaineers whose numbers dwindled before protective laws in states like Colorado successfully brought them back from a dangerous remnant. In contrast, the Rocky Mountain goat is portrayed as a creature of immense stamina and steady temperament, well-insulated by its rugged alpine habitat and phlegmatic nature from immediate extermination.

The narrative expands northward to the Barren Grounds, where countless millions of caribou still execute majestic seasonal migrations, though shadowed by the impending threat of northern railways. The moose, described as a forest colossus, presents an odd and picturesque combination of immense bulk, sprawling antlers, and specialized browsing habits that allow it to thrive in burned-over timberlands where laws are strictly enforced. Similarly, the musk-ox forms defensive corporate circles of shoulder-to-shoulder adults against arctic wolves, serving explorers like Peary as a vital subsistence base while its historic range shrinks dramatically.

The progression culminates in detailed monographs on the elk and the American bison. The elk is celebrated for its stately majesty and adaptability to private preserves and national parks, while the bison serves as the ultimate cautionary tale of catastrophic slaughter. Once numbering in millions and blocking railway trains across the western plains, the bison was driven to near-extinction within a single decade before national preserves and game laws stepped in. The work concludes by framing these surviving animals not merely as hunting trophies, but as essential intellectual and moral resources whose preservation enriches human life, urging that we know them by name rather than simply relegating them to the discard.

How It Unfolds

The opening lament The work opens by confronting the stark and melancholy truth that North American big game has vanished with terrifying rapidity since the eighteenth century. It traces this decline from the early backwoods hunters of the Revolutionary era through decades of unchecked shrinkage. It warns that unless sensible people act to arrest this extinction, remaining wildlife will follow past herds into total oblivion.

The fragile prong-horn The narrative turns to the prong-horned antelope, describing it as an exclusively American species that completely lacks staying power against modern adversity. It notes that the animal wilts at the first breath of trouble, refuses to breed in confinement, and carries invisible disease germs. Consequently, legitimate rifle hunting of the prong-horn is declared entirely extinct.

The triumph of the big-horn Detailing the status of mountain sheep, the text highlights how twenty-six years of strict legal protection in Colorado successfully revived a dying remnant into thriving herds. It dispels common folklore about sheep jumping safely onto their horns and underscores the necessity of strict conservation across the remaining western states.

The steadfast mountain goat The white mountain goat is presented as a remarkably phlegmatic creature with supreme rock-climbing skills and a complete immunity to panic. Because it inhabits remote, dangerous summits and avoids high commercial demand, the author predicts it will outlive many of its mountainous peers.

The northern migrations The account explores the immense, staggering throngs of Barren Ground caribou that still migrate across northern Canada in the millions. It cautions that this natural abundance is entirely dependent on distance and frost, remaining vulnerable to future industrial expansion like railways pushed toward the Arctic coast.

The forest colossus and the bison The progression concludes by examining the giant moose of the northern woods and the tragic history of the American bison. It records how millions of bison, once numbering in the millions and blocking railway trains, were annihilated within a single decade. It emphasizes that national game preserves are now their primary refuge.

The People

Though presented as a natural history study, the work features several key historical and contemporary figures whose actions shape the American conservation landscape. Theodore Roosevelt appears as an authoritative voice, partnering with far-sighted preservationists to urge the defense of forests and wild creatures against wanton destruction. Daniel Boone is invoked as an early pioneer whose archetype initiated the centuries-long exploitation and extermination of native bison, elk, and deer across the frontier.

Field researchers and explorers like Warburton Pike and C. J. Jones are referenced for witnessing the staggering, imagination-defying migrations of Barren Ground caribou across northern territories. In the realm of wildlife artistry and management, sculptor A. P. Proctor is noted as a lucky hunter who secured record-breaking big-horn sheep horns, while State Game Commissioner John M. Phillips risks his life to photograph a steady mountain goat at close range.

Colonel R. I. Dodge enters the narrative as a direct observer of the massive southern bison herd, famously driving through a continuous expanse of half a million animals along the Arkansas River in 1871. Finally, explorer Robert E. Peary figures prominently through his reliance on the musk-ox, successfully utilizing northern herds as a vital subsistence base to attain the North Pole. Together, these figures represent a spectrum of American engagement with wildlife—ranging from pioneer exterminators and practical explorers to dedicated conservationists, artists, and naturalists striving to protect what remains.

In Its Own Voice

Reflecting on the profound historical decline of native fauna, the author opens with a stark question about the fate of once-flourishing wildlife.

Does anyone doubt that in North America the hunting of big game,--once marvelously abundant,--is fast becoming an extinct pastime?

Contrasting the calm demeanor of alpine dwellers with more hysterical animals, the text highlights the unique psychological composure of the white goat.

Under no circumstances does a goat lose its head--until it has been shot.

Advocating for a modern ethical standard that transcends lethal sport, the author defines true sportsmanship through non-destructive wildlife photography.

The highest type of big-game hunting is the finding of fine animals in their haunts, photographing them movably and unmovably, and then bidding them go in peace.

What It's Really About

Beneath its detailed natural history monographs, the work presents a passionate argument for wildlife preservation and ethical stewardship. It interrogates the historical American habit of treating natural resources as infinite commodities to be exploited and discarded without regard for the future. By examining the psychology, habits, and distinct personalities of native mammals, the author argues that wild creatures possess an intrinsic value that directly enriches our mental and moral resources. The underlying theme asserts that a civilized nation's character is measured by its willingness to protect majestic wilderness creatures from wanton destruction, ultimately shifting the definition of true sport from lethal slaughter to respectful observation and robust legal protection.

Why Read It Today

Readers passionate about conservation history, wildlife ecology, and early twentieth-century natural science will find this work deeply rewarding. Reading it feels like stepping into a vintage archival portfolio, blending rigorous anatomical descriptions with romantic, firsthand admiration for the American wilderness. The prose is direct, earnest, and occasionally laced with a sharp, uncompromising candor regarding human destructiveness. Modern readers must navigate period terminology and the early 1910s sporting ethos, which still treats some animals through the lens of the hunter's bag, even while advocating for their protection. Yet, its core message remains strikingly relevant: a profound plea to recognize wild animals not as mere targets or trophies, but as intelligent fellow citizens of the continent whose survival defines our own moral standing. What stays with you long after reading is the vivid contrast between the staggering, lost abundance of the frontier and the fragile, hard-won sanctuaries that saved these magnificent species from oblivion.