"Fire on the Mountain" has been a creative challenge for Jack and a piece that was interesting to research. Jack has captured, with his paintbrush, a group of Native Hunters as they wait in the cover of the trees. They have set a fire within the depths of the woods to move a herd of elk in the direction of an unexpected ambush. It is now up to their instinctive skills to make the right shot. Setting fires for the purpose of hunting was called the “ring hunt.”
A variety of other animals can also be seen retreating from the blaze. A bow fire starter lies on the ground close to feet of one of the hunters. Fire was used to drive large game such as deer, elk, and bison into an area that made harvesting the game easier to the advantage of these indigenous hunters. After the fire, potash was an essential fertilizer for new growth of saplings and bush that supplied food for the ample wildlife.