In this opaque watercolor, Russell effectively portrayed the below-zero chill of a Montana winter and the hard life of those who lived in it. The watercolor was reproduced by half-tone photolithography in a double-page spread for the December 14, 1905, issue of Leslie’s Weekly, along with the following caption: “While the pack-train is crossing the bleak and snow-clad Rockies the guide shoots a stag, which makes a welcome addition to the mountaineers’ larder.” The men depicted actually seem to be cowhands moving supplies, possibly to a winter line camp. Russell’s depiction of the dead animal, with its thick coat of winter fur, is wonderfully accurate. Note the way in which the lead rider’s horse looks at the fallen quarry with a mixture of curiosity and alertness. Russell’s mastery of opaque watercolor, especially the use of pale pinks and icy blues and wispy strings of Chinese white set swirling across the figures, helps convey a real feeling of the chill, windblown landscape. The use of opaque watercolor—or gouache, as it is sometimes called—increased in Russell’s output after his initial trips to New York City in 1903 and 1904. It is likely he received some encouragement in this medium from his artist friends, who themselves were accomplished illustrators.