142 THE OREGON SPORTSMAN 
YAMHILL COUNTY NOTES 
McMinnville, Oregon, March 14, 1916. 
Carl D. Shoemaker, State Game Warden, Portland, Oregon— 
Dear Sir: Knowing that the readers of the Sportsman are more 
or less interested in the preservation of deer, I will give them a little 
story told me by Chas. Gilman, of Willamina, a hunter and a trapper 
who is residing this winter with Mr. Stewart on the latter’s homestead, 
between Mt. Hebo and the Nestucca river in Tillamook County. He 
informed me on February 8th, while on his way to Willamina from the 
mountains, he found near the Southerland cabin on Kennedy Creek, a 
spike buck, injured by some wild animal so badly that he could not 
stand. The back of its neck and head was bitten and nearly all of the 
flesh chewed off of one shoulder. He cut some brush and made a bed 
for it, gathered some moss and placed it where it could get it to eat, 
then left it, thinking that when he returned he would take it to a more 
sheltered place. He then decided to follow its tracks and try to dis- 
cover what kind of an animal had attacked it. He found where the 
deer had come down to the creek to drink and passed along the side of 
a large log, from which a bobcat had jumped onto its back. He could 
see where they had been struggling in the snow, as there was consider- 
able blood and hair scattered about. The struggle finally ended by 
their getting into the creek, which was very deep at this point, and 
the deer succeeded in getting away from the cat, then went up the 
creek about 400 yards to where it was found by Mr. Gilam. 
I questioned Mr. Gilam upon the probability of it being a panther 
which injured the deer, but he said that he knew it was a bob-cat by 
the tracks found in the snow. Wpen his return from Willamina, he 
found that the deer had died. 
Mr. Gilam stated that on the same trip he saw a band of eight. 
deer and the tracks of 26 others which had been driven down from Mt. 
Hebo by the deep snow. He says there are a great many deer ranging 
between the Nestucca and the Willamina rivers, especially along Ken- 
nedy creek, and that they are doing very well, although the snow has 
been eight or nine feet deep in that section most of the winter. There 
are places where the snow has been swept away by the wind, and the 
deer are getting considerable moss and brush to eat. 
During the year of 1915 and up to the present date this year, there 
has been paid by the County Clerk of Yamhill County bounties on the 
following predatory animals: Forty-one bob-cat, wild-cat and lynx com- | 
bined; ten coyotes and one cougar. 
In January and February the snow storms were very severe for 
this locality. I spent almost all of my time feeding song and game 
birds. I was assisted by W. E. Martin, a member of our Rod and Gun 
Club, who is very much interested in the welfare. of the game birds. 
After the first few days, wheat was furnished us by the Rod and Gun 
Club of McMinnville. The work was carried on by the sportsmen of 
the other towns in the county. Many of the farmers came to the res- 
cue of the birds and fed both song and game birds in their respective 
localities. 
I have not heard of any game birds perishing in this county on 
account of the storm except a few Bob-white quail in several different 
localities. If we have favorable weather during the brooding season 
this year, we will have a Jarge. STOP of birds. O. B. PARKER 
‘Deputy Game Warden. 
