Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 59, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 March 1913 — HER FAD IS FOXES [ARTICLE]

HER FAD IS FOXES

Girl Goes Hunting in Order to Save Set of Furs. ; .... _ . Never Known to Miss a Fair Shot, Miss Helen Elcock of Quincy, Mass., Has 25 Kills to Her Credit. Quincy, Mass.—Quincy owns to the youngest and perhaps the most successful woman fox hunter in the country. Her name is Helen B. Elcock. and she Is still a couple of years on the near side of twenty. Last year 25 red and I'black fox fell victims to her skill with the rifle, and she has started out with the avowed intention of bettering this record. It all came about in a curious way. Miss Elcock, like any other girl, longed to be the;? owner of a set of real, sure enough furs. Her father Jokingly suggested'that the easiest and quickest way for her to get the coveted articles would be to go out and collect her own skinß. He also offered to take her along on one of his hunting trips, being an ardent fox hunter himself. Miss Elcock needed no second invitation. Dressed in regulation hunting costume and armed with a repeating rifle, she started off with her father and his pack of hounds. * • The result of her first hunt was two fine pelts, and subsequent trips, some of them made alone, brought the season’s total up to 25. Her. fox skins, which she proudly exhibits, have brought huntsmen from all over the state to view her trophies. After her exceptional success Miss Elcock decided that she would keep her fox skins for exhibition Instead of having them made into garments. Miss Elcock’s skill with rifle is considered remarkable, as she.has never been known to miss a fox when a fair target was offered. She also is a crack shot with a revolver.

She now has her own pack of 14 thoroughbred foxhounds. On one occasion Miss Elcock captured alive a baby fox, which she took home with her. It is now a sturdy little creature, and follows its owner like a dog. It never makes any attempt to escape, although allowed almost complete freedom. In speaking of her hunting trips. Miss Elcock grows enthusiastic. “The outdoor life is simply splendid,” she says. “Getting up at two or three o'clock in the morning and going out after foxes may sound like pretty bard work to some people, but to me It Is so much play. The frejph air and exercise are great health builders. I used to be considered frail, but now I never know what it is to be )lL" Miss Elcock has almost as great a record as a snake killer as a fox hunter. Last year she killed scores of tattlers, the largest being 4 feet 8 inches in length, and bearing 14 rattles.