834 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



Jacksons Hole — all the result of a safe 

 refuge — making- possible the restoration 

 of this splendid animal in the adjoining 

 States, provided they are adequately pro- 

 tected. 



the; camera in the conservation of 

 wild i,iee 



The feeling which I have so strongly 

 expressed for the camera as the better 

 medium for testing one's skill in the pur- 

 suit of wild animals and birds, in ac- 

 quiring a knowledge of their habits, and 

 finally in getting a sufficiently satisfac- 

 tory and enduring trophy, may create the 

 impression that the author looks with 

 considerable disfavor upon those who 

 hunt with a deaalier weapon. Very 

 much to the contrary is the case when- 

 ever the sportsman shoots in moderation 

 and is willing to cooperate in the efforts 

 to conserve the game supply by shorter 

 seasons, by the establishment of game 

 refuges, and in the elimination of the 

 market hunter. 



For it must be kept in mind that were 

 all wild game given continuous protec- 

 tion and their predaceous enemies de- 

 stroyed the world would soon be over- 

 run and a menace arise threatening not 

 only the comfort, but in many cases the 

 existence of man himself, while in the 

 end the rigid protection of all the sup- 

 posedly harmless wild creatures would 

 result in the eventual starvation of many. 



An example which may be cited is the 

 great and steadily increasing elk herd of 

 Yellowstone Park, where the original 

 and timely preservation of this animal 

 has saved a species permanently for the 

 Rocky Mountain States. Yet so abun- 

 dunt has the elk become, under continu- 

 ous protection in its refuge, that during 

 severe winters thousands die of starva- 

 tion in the foothills, and many pictures 

 Iiave been taken of the animals gazing 



wistfully at the well-guarded haystacks 

 of the Jackson Hole settlers, and finally 

 dying within a few feet of food neces- 

 sarily reserved for the domestic stock of 

 such settlers. 



The sentimentalist who decries the 

 killing of all game birds and animals is 

 not infrequently one who grumbles when 

 a joint is tough because, forsooth, the 

 lamb was not killed earlier in its gam- 

 bols. Such sympathy is inconsistent and 

 such reasoning purely selfish. 



For the explorer, trapper, miner, 

 homesteader, forest rangers, and all who 

 love to dwell for a few months in the 

 wilderness, the utilization of fish, birds, 

 and animals is, of course, wholly justifi- 

 able. 



On the other hand, the market hunter, 

 who converts the products of his gun 

 into dollars, is not one who can be ex- 

 pected to change his methods, and 

 therefore the present appeal is intended 

 for a large class of sportsmen, who do 

 not depend upon game for a food sup- 

 ply and make their excursions into the 

 wilderness or upon the waters under the 

 influence of another incentive, and whose 

 efforts are misdirected in the means em- 

 ployed. 



The successful wing-shot, who enjoys 

 plucking from the air a bird on its me- 

 teoric flight across the sky, can, if he 

 tries, capture one, a dozen, or lOO within 

 the confines of a sensitive plate, while a 

 marsh scene or the rolling breakers give 

 a life view in striking contrast to the 

 pathetic heap of bloodstained, rumpled 

 feathers marking at the close of day the 

 accuracy of his aim. So, too, the big- 

 game hunter, rewarded in his quest for 

 an antlered head, may continue on dur- 

 ing the remainder of his woodland visit 

 taking many more, but in a way that 

 neither lessens life nor the enjoyment of 

 the hunter. 



