FROM THE GAME FIELDS. 



219 



scarce, but big game was plentiful. We 

 would have had no difficulty in killing all 

 we wanted, had it not been for the rain, 

 which fell almost incessantly. In fact, we 

 had but 5 hours of sunshine during the en- 

 tire 10 days in the woods. Every time 

 there was a lull in the rain, some of us 

 would go out, but we were certain to re- 

 turn drenched to the skin. 



The guides were, to some extent, at sea; 

 for the gates of Moxie pond had been 

 closed, for the benefit of the lumbermen; 

 and this, with the heavy rains, caused the 

 water to rise, and large game was obliged 

 to seek new feeding grounds. 



Our accommodations were good and, 

 notwithstanding the rain, we managed to 

 pass the time pleasantly. Hackett, at 

 whose camp we stayed one night, had 

 promised to send us a shoulder of caribou. 

 On Saturday it arrived. I saw at once, that, 

 instead of caribou, he had sent veal. When- 

 ever we saw anyone from Hackett's neigh- 

 borhood, after that, he would invariably 

 ask how we liked our caribou. At every 

 opportunity, we sent Hackett word to give 

 us some more veal, like the last. He 

 thought he had played us a good joke, but 

 some of our party had been in the Maine 

 woods before. 



i Bragdon and Allen were obliged to leave 

 at the end of the first week. Allen, by 

 means of a persuasive tongue and the 

 wherewithal, managed to get a buck, to 

 take back with him. 



On breaking camp, we tried to follow a 

 blazed trail, to a " tote-road," which would 

 take us to Chamberlain hill, where we were 

 to spend a few days, at a farm-house. We 

 followed the trail until we reached a clear- 

 ing; there we lost it completely. This was 

 at 11 o'clock, and it was nearing dusk when 

 we finally found a wood-road that led to 

 Chamberlain hill. 



In the morning, in the field near the 

 farm house, we saw the footprints of sev- 

 eral deer and plans were laid for that 

 night. 



In the evening we selected positions and 

 waited. When tired and disgusted, we re- 

 treated to the house and went to bed. The 

 next morning there was not a track of a 

 deer in the field. It seemed we were des- 

 tined to meet with disappointment, as far 

 as big game' was concerned, so we gave it 

 up and went back to Bingham. 



Will and I, taking a stroll along the prin- 

 cipal street, saw an old trapper who had 

 just brought in a black bear that he had 

 killed. He knew the animal was worth 

 $25, and so did we; but he finally agreed 

 to part with it for $20. 



The day we left Bingham, the game on 

 the train consisted of 7 deer, 2 black bear, 2 

 caribou and a moose, all killed at the fork 

 of the Dead and Kennebec rivers. 



F. M. G. 



COONS IN THE WATER. 



Last spring, 3 of us, Barney, Dan and I, 

 went to Lake Addie, near our town, for a 

 duck hunt. It was so foggy objects could 

 be seen only a few rods away, and the wind 

 blew so hard there was no flight of ducks. 



After a time the sun came through the 

 fog; then, looking out on the water, Dan 

 noticed 3 small objects moving toward us. 

 Thinking they were muskrats, we opened 

 fire, but could not hit them. 



On they came, and when they were with- 

 in 2 rods of shore I saw they were 'coons. 

 We had been shooting at their tails, for 

 nothing else but their noses showed above 

 the water. 



On seeing us, the 'coons turned and 

 started back across the lake. We kept 

 shooting until they were out of range, then 

 Dan got a boat that was near by, and 

 pushed off in pursuit, using a fence-rail for 

 a paddle. He left his gun, but took our 2 

 dogs. 



The 'coons were nearly across the lake 

 when Dan caught up with them. The dogs 

 jumped into the water, half filling the boat 

 as they did so. Dan used the rail on the 

 'coons, but it took him nearly 30 minutes 

 to kill the first. 



The dogs were after the other 'coons, 

 but whenever a dog approached near 

 enough, the 'coon would reach out with a 

 front paw and hit a canine nose so hard its 

 owner would swim away again. 



Dan began on another 'coon as soon as 

 he secured his first. While he was pound- 

 ing it, the third swam ashore and got away. 

 Dan's second victim was finally hauled in. 

 The 'coons weighed 18 and 21 pounds, re- 

 spectively. 



For game, in this vicinity, we have nearly 

 all of the different kinds of ducks, geese, 

 prairie chickens, snipe, jack-rabbits and 

 cottontails; also red foxes, badgers and 

 woodchucks. For the angler, there are 

 pickerel, black bass, rock bass, perch, sun- 

 fish, suckers and buffalo fish. 



Louis A. Ahlbrecht, Brownton, Minn. 



GOOD AND BAD GUIDES. 



St. Anthony, Fremont Co., Idaho. 



Editor Recreation: I had a small ad- 

 vertisement in the June number of Rec- 

 reation, and received a number of letters 

 dated prior to June 2; the writers saying 

 they saw my advertisement in Recreation. 

 I have been asked how to get a good guide. 

 In answering I will tell how not to get a 

 poor one. 



One man who claims to be a guide had 

 a party out last summer, in the Jackson 

 Hole country. After he had taken his party 

 to the railroad, I asked him if he had had 



