FROM THE GAME FIELDS. 



3»7 



cactus or prickly pears, on the least provo- 

 cation. While I am thus deformed I con- 

 gratulate you on your success and will ever 

 be glad to try to increase the interest in 

 your beautiful book by giving reminis- 

 cences of fights, hunting or fishing trips 

 that it has been my fortune to participate in, 

 during my 40 years of travel. 



" Uncle Sam," Ashland, Pa. 



Let us have some of these stories. 



TOR. 



-Edi- 



While Manton is not in the heart of the 

 game fields of Northern Michigan, yet in 

 the course of 2 or 3 hours' tramp from 

 town, one can find all the sport the most 

 enthusiastic lover of r6d or gun would ask. 

 The numerous streams and lakes are well 

 supplied with fish; the former with trout 

 and grayling and the latter with bass, 

 pickerel, pike, perch, etc. 



There are ruffed grouse and ducks in 

 abundance, and a few quails and squirrels; 

 while in the more unsettled parts deer are 

 fairly plentiful; but they are fast disappear- 

 ing. Some bear still remain; often within 

 an hour's walk of town, their sign may be 

 seen. 



The game laws are strict and, in this vi- 

 cinity, I am glad to say, are seldom broken. 

 Should any reader of Recreation find it 

 convenient to stop at this place, for a few 

 days' hunting or fishing, he will receive a 

 warm welcome from the local sportsmen, 

 and plenty of fun only a short distance from 

 town. 



The boys here who take Recreation are 

 delighted with it. 



W. S. B., Manton, Mich. 



With a companion, I have just put in a 

 day riding in the mountains, between 

 Spring coulee and Loop-loop creek. We 

 counted, during the day, 70 old grouse,, 

 with their flocks of young. This I call 

 a good prospect for some shooting later in 

 the season. We saw the track of a large 

 bear, but had no gun, so did not care_ to 

 interview the animal. Later in the evening 

 we jumped 2 fawns. As they skipped down 

 the mountain-side, we contented ourselves 

 with the hope of a shot at them in the fall. 

 On coming down to the creek, we got our 

 tackle into shape and soon had a string of 

 trout; after which we returned to the 

 ranch, feeling the weariness of an all day's 

 jog through the mountains, but without 

 any game. As we glanced at our guns, 

 glistening under heavy coats of oil, we 

 knew they would smoke before long. 



J. B. Liptraps, Clover, Okanogan Co., 

 Wash. 



ers. This is the more surprising since 

 many game hogs have been hunting the 

 birds since July 1st, when they could hard- 

 ly fly, and a certain individual boasted of 

 having killed over 300 chickens before Sep- 

 tember 1st, which is the end of the close 

 season. 



It is unnecessary to say that not the 

 slightest respect is paid to the game laws 

 in Nebraska, as convictions under them are 

 practically unknown. The only remedy is 

 to have a paid game warden provided, who 

 shall prosecute violators. 



Quails are fairly swarming in every 

 thicket, and never were so abundant before. 



M. K. Barnum. 



Your magazine is getting better and bet- 

 ter every month. The hot shot you keep 

 firing at the " swine " who are responsible 

 for the destruction of game, meets with my 

 hearty approval. The " game hog " can be 

 found among all classes, from the very low- 

 ly to the richest clubman from the city. The 

 meanest man I ever met in the field was 

 from the city, with his $100 gun and thor- 

 oughbred dogs. One, a gentle bred ani- 

 mal I believe got so disgusted at his un- 

 sportsmanlike actions she finally refused to 

 work for him. Not another bird would 

 she find, though he beat her unmercifully. 

 (She was a borrowed dog, he told me.) 

 Not one iota of pity could I have felt if 

 some one had filled his anatomy with No. 

 8 shot, at 40- yards. 



J. T. Maris, Portersville, O. 



Mr. Libby, of Idaho City, owner of the 

 " Lucky Boy " Gold Mine, has been camp- 

 ing with me for 4 days past, enjoying the 

 fishing and Hot Spring baths. He is an 

 old '49er, a thoroughbred sportsman, and a 

 man among thousands whom it does one 

 good to meet. He can catch trout with 

 the boys too. I initiated him in fly fishing, 

 and gave him a selection of flies to start 

 him out properly. 



I am getting all the game my neighbors 

 and I can eat. I shoot them with a 22 cali- 

 bre target pistol; but then I could kill the 

 game with a club, if that wasn't such a 

 beastly way of treating a game bird. 



Well, it's a pity we couldn't get a roast 



on every one of the d fools who take 



a shot at every live thing they see when 

 they go in the woods. They are worse 

 than game hogs. 



M. W. Miner, Caldwell, Idaho. 



Prairie chickens are more abundant here 

 than for 3 years past, and bags of 20 to 40 

 birds are made, by parties of 2 to 4 shoot- 



As to hunting and trapping, this past year 

 was the worst I ever had. I only got 4 

 bears in the spring and none last fall; but 

 I have many reasons for expecting a good 

 catch this coming season. Of course, there 

 were plenty of deer and a few elk, at all 

 times; but the bear and other fur animals 



