FROM THE GAME FIELDS. 



3*3 



small, select establishment at the long 

 beach, and could coin money all summer. 

 But our membership law is iron-clad and 

 as yet no one has been able to get an open- 

 ing there. Walter Hoxie. 



DON'T SHOOT THEM TOO SOON. 



Editor Recreation: Mr. David Tice, of 

 Lockport, N. Y., set several small nets in 

 the Erie canal. When the water was drawn 

 off he caught in them 40,000 small mouth 

 bass, which he placed in Red creek. Let 

 other fishermen take this as a lesson and 

 stock all the small streams throughout the 

 middle part of the State. These fine fry 

 go to waste every year, but with little 

 trouble could be saved and put in other 

 waters. 



Mr. Tice is now trying to secure 25 mem- 

 bers for a club, and buy 100 pairs of quail. 

 The birds will be put out in the month of 

 May, and in October we will have a few 

 days' hunt. The farmers are willing to help 

 us protect them. So we intend to have 

 fine hunting and good bass fishing. All 

 this will cost but little, and furnish us with 

 good sport, in season. 



I write this that others may see how 

 Western New York sportsmen are trying 

 to replenish the game supply. Rabbits 

 riave been plentiful this winter. 



J. G. R. Cole, Buffalo, N. Y. 



It would be a mistake to allow the quails 

 to be hunted in the first year after planting. 

 It would be much better to protect them 

 for 2 or 3 years. Then they would have a 

 chance to increase and become thoroughly 

 acclimated. It is probable that a great 

 many of those turned out will die the first 

 season, on account of the radical change 

 in climate and food. Those that survive 

 are not likely to breed liberally, if at all, 

 the first year. If you allow hunting so 

 soon after liberating the birds, there will 

 probably be few left at the end of the sea- 

 son. — Editor. 



A PENNY-WISE BOARD. 



The Montana game law requires the 

 Boards of Commissioners of each county, 

 when petitioned by 100 taxpayers, to ap- 

 point a game and fish warden. The law 

 further gives the Boards power to suspend 

 the office when they see fit. I was game 

 warden of Missoula county until the com- 

 missioners abolished the office. They 

 claim to have done so for the sake of econ- 

 omy. There are 2,800 taxpayers in the 

 county. The warden's salary was $70 a 

 month; with no allowance for expenses. 

 The action of the Board has therefore 

 saved, to each taxpayer, the goodly sum of 

 2 l / 2 cents a year. 



There was no claim made that I had 

 neglected my duty. On the contrary, I re- 



ceived great praise, and was highly com- 

 plimented on the good work I had done. 

 I convicted a fellow last month of dyna- 

 miting fish. He was fined $200 and costs. 

 He had 3 lawyers to defend him, to whom 

 he paid $50 each, costs $50 and other court 

 expenses $30; total $430. He also lost 2 

 weeks' work. All this he paid for 20 fish. 

 I have a case of like nature in the District 

 Court of Philipsburg, Granite county, in 

 which the evidence is conclusive. 



S. J. Booth, Missoula, Mont. 



DOWN IN MAINE. 



My brother and a friend, whom I will call 

 Jimmy Billings, went deer hunting in 

 Maine, last season. They thought if they 

 did not get a deer they could study the 

 haunts, habits, and actions of these animals 

 by their tracks in the snow. Deer in that 

 locality are not very wild as they have been 

 protected for 5 or 10 years. 



My brother had a single breech loading 

 shot gun, and Jimmy had an old muzzle 

 loader, with a slug in it. They struck a 

 track, which they followed with great cau- 

 tion, but they saw no deer. Their hunting 

 blood was up, and they followed him until 

 the sun got so high the snow on the under- 

 brush began to melt. They became so wet 

 my brother's ardor dampened, and he 

 backed out. Jimmy pushed on alone until 

 he got almost out to the main road, where 

 he saw a small clearing. He approached it 

 cautiously. There stood the deer, not more 

 than 40 yards away. Jimmy stood and 

 looked at him. The deer stepped out and 

 stopped, as if inviting death. Jimmy drew 

 a bead, with old reliable, just back of the 

 deer's shoulder, and pulled, but there was 

 no thunderous report, no spasmodic leap 

 into the air. The hammer fell on the cap 

 that had been wet by the snow. The deer 

 heard the noise and started off on a slow- 

 trot, without giving Jimmy a passing 

 glance. Jimmy told my brother if he had 

 not been afraid of getting his brains blown 

 out, he would have wound the old gun 

 around a tree. 



A. F. Chase, Dorchester, Mass. 



IT GOES EVERYWHERE. 



Some weeks ago a copy of Recreation 

 found its way to a detachment of the 

 Northwest Mounted Police, on the St. 

 Mary's river, in Southwestern Alberta. So 

 favorable was the impression it produced 

 that it has since become a regular monthly 

 visitor. 



Alberta is favored with much aquatic 

 feathered game, including gray and white 

 geese. The latter hanging around, for a 

 few days during their migratory flight, in 

 literal clouds. Ducks of several species. 



