RECREATION. 



Volume VIE. JANUARY, 1898, Number J. 



G. 0. SHIELDS (CQQUINA), Editor and Manager. 



A CARIBOU RIDE. 



GEORGE GILLARD. 



Recreation finds its way into I selected an old stag- for my mark, 

 Newfoundland and is eagerly read and just as they landed I fired. The 

 by many of our people. It is cer- shot entered the side of his head 

 tainly a^ meritorious work. The il- and he ran about a, mile before fall- 

 lustrations are remarkably true to ing. I followed and found him ap- 

 nature, and the stories are instruc- parently dead, stretched out on a 

 tive and entertaining, in a high de- marsh. As I straddled him to cut 

 gree. his throat, the knife having passed 



Some changes have been made in entirely through it without him 



our game laws. The close time on moving, he bounded up, with me 



caribou is now February istto July on his back, and away he went like 



15th, and October 7th to 20th. This the wind. He ran about 200 yards, 



gives sportsmen 5 or 6 weeks' hunt- dropping the knife out of his throat 



ing before rutting time. Then 13 in his mad career. I held on to him 



days in which to preserve skins, until I found a favorable opportu- 



antlers, etc. Then the sport can nity to drop off, when I returned for 



begin again, for a few weeks. Part my rifle. Then I followed him up 



of the rutting time may also be until I s:ot a second shot. This time 



spent in hunting bear, beaver, otter I made sure work, securing a lot of 



or sea fowl, and in fishing. meat and a fine pair of antlers. 



There is now a fine steamer cross- It was an exciting ride yet I was 



ing the gulf, to and from Cape Bre- not in the least frightened, for I 



ton, and at the West end of the Isi- knew I could go wherever the cari- 



and. This will be a great benefit bou could. 



to tourists and sportsmen coming Another time we were on the 



here, from your side of the water. same ground, early in September, 



The caribou begin to cross our and caught 2 fawns. In 3 weeks we 



hunting grounds early in Septem- had them so tame they would follow 



ber, from North to South, swim- us wherever we went, not even of- 



ming whatever ponds or rivers fering to run away when bands of 



come in their way, in herds of 20 to caribou were in sight. 



120, and sometimes more. I counted Lynx are plentiful but to get 



one herd, last September, with 130 them one must resort to trapping, 



in it. We have some good salmon and 



Six years ago 1 was hunting in trout fishing, at the foot of Hall's 



the vicinity of Indian lake when I bay, at the entrance of the rivers, 



noticed 5 caribou crossing the lake, about the middle of July. 



