FROM THE GAME FIELDS. 



3*3 



panion. On my turning around to ascer- 

 tain the cause, he pointed to my left, where 

 I saw a mule deer, not more than 50 yards 

 distant. The gloom was so great I thought 

 the animal was standing quartering from 

 me, but instead, he was quartering toward 

 me. 



I fired where I thought his heart was. 

 At the crack of the rifle, he gave 2 or 3 

 jumps. On going to the place, we saw 

 where he had plowed the ground as he 

 jumped, and that was all we could find of 

 him. 



I was certain he had been hit, so we lo- 

 cated the spot and went to camp. The next 

 morning we returned and took up the trail, 

 which was sprinkled with blood. About 150 

 yards from the spot where he had stood, 

 we found him. In his flight he had made 

 20-foot jumps, and had cleared one ob- 

 struction of fallen trees 5 feet high. The 

 bullet had entered his breast and "literally 

 torn his heart in two, lengthwise, passing 

 out at the flank. 



Last year, in the same locality, I shot a 

 mule deer, at a distance of 150 yards. The 

 shot went directly through his heart, yet he 

 ran 75 yards. I have known a number of 

 other cases, from personal observation; 

 but have never known a deer to drop dead 

 in his tracks, unless shot through the brain 

 or the backbone. Quaker City. 



avoided and soon I was in camp, tired and 

 worn out. When I again go after grouse 

 in the Montana mountains, I will take a 

 rifle. R R. J. 



Missoula, Mont. 



Editor Recreation: Starting from a 

 mining camp in Montana, for grouse, one 

 morning, the trip took me into some of 

 the wildest country in the mountains. It 

 was not long till my dog had a covey of 

 grouse raised, and I bagged 6. Pushing 

 my way farther on, I was suddenly brought 

 up standing to see, in front of me, about 40 

 or 50 feet away, a brown bear. 



I had no ammunition for this kind of 

 game. My senses were gone and for a 

 time I did not know what to do. The bear 

 sat on his haunches and looked at me. 

 Then turning like a flash, he wheeled, as 

 my dog came through the brush, and dis- 

 appeared into the timber. 



My first thought was to make a straight 

 line for camp. After a lively walk of about 

 an hour, I recovered a little and concluded 

 to finish my hunt. I traveled over hills, 

 gulches and mountains, and was getting a 

 little discouraged, when my dog let me 

 know there were grouse around. Present- 

 ly he started up a covey and I killed 8 be- 

 fore they got out of reach. 



As it was now past noon, I started for 

 camp, after resting and eating my lunch. 

 Not over 250 yards from where I sat, just 

 across a small ravine, was another bear. 

 This one looked like a grizzly. Away I 

 went for home again. It was a good day 

 for bear. Not long after my scare, lo, still 

 another one came into view. He was easily 



In past years, it has unfortunately been 

 the custom of a few game hogs, who think 

 themselves sportsmen, to start about Au- 

 gust 1st for the game fields and shoot 

 grouse, in unreasonable numbers, for the 

 Helena market, or, as they term it, for 

 sport. Grouse have been left to rot, 111 

 heaps of 20 or more, on Canyon creek, 

 Sheep creek and the Dearborn, to my own 

 knowledge. I have often driven from 20 

 to 30 miles, to enjoy a few days with rod 

 and reel, only to find some of my favorite 

 pools depopulated by giant powder. Paid 

 game wardens have not stopped it. 



In view of these facts, the Marysville 

 Fish and Game Protective Association has 

 been organized. Among us are miners, 

 prospectors, ranchers, and professional 

 men. Our membership is scattered over 

 the best part of our game country. The 

 sole object of the Association is the en- 

 forcement of the game laws. 



We have at present about 30 members, 

 and expect as many more within 2 weeks. 

 Although this is not a secret organization, 

 we do not publish the names of the mem- 

 bers, and not a little quiet detective work 

 will be done. 



We would be glad to see this idea spread, 

 until all true sportsmen belong to similar 

 organizations. I do not think a game hog 

 would be left unpunished in this land. One 

 of our by-laws reads: " Any member found 

 guilty of violating the game laws shall be 

 expelled from the association and prose- 

 cuted to the extent of the law." 



J. V. C, Marysville, Mont. 



There has been so much said of late 

 about game hogs that I would like to know 

 just what constitutes one. 



In the July number of Recreation a 

 party of 6 gunners, who killed only 240 

 ducks, were so called. 



Now, 40 ducks to the gun does not by 

 any means seem out of the way, provided, 

 of course, the birds were used. Almost 

 everyone who has done much duck shoot- 

 ing has killed more than that in a good 

 day.* 



< We had rather a good flight of shore 

 birds here last month and fairly good sport, 

 on 2 days, killing plover, curlew and yel- 

 low-legs. A friend and I killed 93 the first 

 day and 130 the second. We could have 

 killed more, but shot all our shells away 

 in about i J A hours, each time. 



We used no stool, but simply squatted in 

 the grass and whistled. 



* See page 133 of August Recreation. 



