296 



RECREATION. 



these men have now had a lesson that will 

 prevent them from ever again killing more 

 than a reasonable quantity of game, even 

 though they find it abundant, in rare in- 

 stances. 



We are in tha{ part of Ohio known as 

 the Black Swamp, where the country is 

 level and the leading industry, outside of 

 the oil business, is farming. Most of the 

 land is under cultivation, hence our out- 

 door sports are decidedly tame, compared 

 with those of more favored sections, where 

 the hunter is monarch of all he surveys. 

 However, rabbits, grouse and quails afford 

 good sport. 



One morning last week I heard my dog 

 barking, back in the woods. Calling Dean, 

 we were quickly on the ground. After dis- 

 covering the tree and circling it several 

 times, we saw among its topmost branches 

 2 little balls of fire, glowing down on us. 

 I steadied the lantern on Dean's head, 

 while he took careful aim and fired. After 

 a moment of suspense a coon fell to the 

 ground, hit squarely between the eyes. We 

 then looked for smaller game, and bagged 

 8 large fox squirrels, on our way home to 

 Drc3.lci3.st 



E! B. White, Rollersville, Ohio. 



Quails are fairly plentiful in some parts 

 of Indiana. The birds seem unusually 

 large and strong. No big bags have been 

 made. A letter to a sportsmen's paper, 

 from a town in this State, tells of the kill- 

 ing, by one man, of 57 quails, in a day. No 

 reasonable man would continue shooting, 

 after he had made a fair bag. No gentle- 

 man would take more than his share of 

 game. And no man with the faintest con- 

 ception of sportsmanship would kill 57 

 birds in a day, when game is as scarce as at 

 present. 



Light guns appear to be taking the place 

 of the 10 bores, so popular a few years ago. 

 The best quail shot in Marion shoots a 5^ 

 pound, 20 gauge gun, using y 2 oz. No. 8 

 shot. 



If game does not increase rapidly, we will 

 soon have to depend for our sport on the 

 festive clay target. I predict that trap 

 shooting will grow in favor as game be- 

 comes scarcer. 



Will F. Jones, Marion, Ind. 



For the benefit of Mr. Homer Raleigh, 

 I will relate my experience in learning to 

 hit moving objects with a rifle. I first sus- 

 pended a square target, by strings, from the 

 upper corners, so it would swing freely. 

 I practiced at this target, at 20 yards, and 

 gradually increased the distance as I be- 

 came proficient. Then I made a deer, of 

 wood, and fitted it with wheels from a toy 

 wagon. This I would put on an inclined 



plane; and by an arrangement of trigger 

 and string, which I pulled with my foot, 

 would suddenly release the target and away 

 it would go down the slope. 



Dr. P. Barron, New York City, asks how 

 heavy a trigger pull to use on a sporting 

 rifle. I recommend a pull of 2 to 3 pounds. 

 That is safe; and after a little practice, will 

 be found as light as any set trigger. Too 

 many jerk, rather than pull, the trigger. 

 Place the trigger finger so that it rests on 

 trigger between the first and second joints, 

 and it will be found to release the mechan- 

 ism easily and gently. 



H. W. M., New Orleans, La. 



After reading numerous articles in Rec- 

 reation regarding our game laws, I want 

 to ask one question. Why is it we can 

 never elect men who will do their duty? 

 We have a law in Missouri prohibiting the 

 shipment of game from one county to an- 

 other, and we have had several prosecu- 

 tions here during the last 2 weeks. John 

 Kreiger was arrested and plead guilty to 

 shipping quails out of the county. He was 

 fined $100 and costs, which was about right; 

 but they gave him a stay of execution on 

 payment of costs, which were light in a 

 justice court. That is the way our game is 

 protected. I say prosecute such men to 

 the full extent of the law. Quails were 

 plentiful here last season and it was easy to 

 buy a few hundred dozen and ship them 

 out. A man could make money by ship- 

 ping them, even after paying the costs of a 

 suit. J. T. Gale, Bethany, Mo. 



Charles Wells, of this place, while out 

 hunting, saw 2 foxes moving toward each 

 other. When they were about to pass, he 

 fired, killing both at one shot. They were 

 about 6 rods from him, and his gun was 

 loaded with No. 6 shot. 



One morning this fall, while out after 

 squirrels and grouse, I noticed a dark 

 bunch near the top of a large pine. After 

 watching a moment, I saw it was a coon; 

 so changing the No. 8 shot in my gun, for 

 No. 5, I let go. Down came the coon. A 

 few moments later, I saw a second coon, 

 a little higher up. Another charge of No. 

 5's killed him also. 



My gun is one received as a premium for 

 a club for Recreation. Neither gun nor 

 magazine can be beaten, and I am proud 

 of both. 



W. R. Sanders, M.D., Derry, N. H. 



I am with Recreation, heart and soul, in 

 its crusade against the game hog. Let me 

 give my experience with one of those ani- 

 mals. While hunting in this vicinity some 

 days ago, I had occasion to pass through 

 the village on my way to a patch of woods 



