n8 



RECREATION. 



sportsman, may kill 80 ducks in a day. 

 That when the 2 men come in from the 

 shooting grounds with guns and with 80 

 ducks in their boat, you do hot deem it 

 proper to ascertain or have your deputies 

 ascertain, whether each of the men killed 

 40 of these birds or whether the employer 

 killed all of them. I beg to inquire 

 whether this report is correct. 



It is alleged by several earnest friends of 

 game protection in your State that non-res- 

 idents who go to Utah to shoot ducks make 

 a practice of employing guides, of allowing 

 them to carry their guns with them on the 

 boat, and then of doing all the shooting, 

 forbidding the guides to use their guns at 

 all. One man in Colorado writes me di- 

 rect that he took 4 men with him in a boat 

 one day, and that as he did not allow them 

 to do any shooting he killed 200 birds him- 

 self. I do not credit this story, but should 

 like to know how you construe the law 

 which limits each man to 40 ducks. 



G. O. Shields. 



Salt Lake, Utah. 

 Mr. G. O. Shields, New York: 



Reports similar to those you mention 

 have reached me, and I have no doubt 

 they are true to a considerable extent ; but 

 as last season was the first in which we have 

 had a limit law, I did not construe it one 

 way or the other, thinking that true sports- 

 men would not try to evade the clear 

 meaning of the law the first season. It 

 seems, however, there are few true sports- 

 men to be found in an out-of-the-way 

 place like Duckville, Utah. I construe the 

 law just as it reads, and shall hereafter en- 

 force it to the best of my ability. It will 

 be difficult to enforce, as there is nothing 

 in the law to prevent a boatman, or push- 

 er, from taking his gun with him, unless 

 the gun club makes a rule to that effect, 

 and if the would-be sportsman allows his 

 guide, or pusher, take his gun along, it 

 will be difficult to say whether both or one 

 does the shooting. They might be put un- 

 der oath when they come in at night, but I 

 have observed that men who are perfectly 

 honest and upright in everything else will 

 unhesitatingly steal and lie about fish and 

 game. In the future this limit law will be 

 enforced as far as possible, and each man, 

 whether he be resident or non-resident, 

 will be confined to his 40 bird limit. If it 

 can be proven that any man takes the lib- 

 erty of shooting the score of his guide, or 

 pusher, the employer will be prosecuted. I 

 can hardly believe the story of your 4-ply 

 Colorado hog, but it is possible, and the 

 deed might have been done without my 

 hearing ©f it. With all the reported eva- 

 sions and violations for the first season of 

 the bag limit, I am pleased to say that the 

 barbarous slaughter was reduced about 300 



per cent over former seasons, and I trust 

 we shall be able to lessen it still more here- 

 after. John Sharp, Commissioner. 



NOT SO BLACK AS PAINTED. 

 The State of Durango has many American resi- 

 dents. One of the most prominent is Dr. L. H. 

 Barry. Dr. Barry, who is a most enthusiastic 

 sportsman, has sent to friends here a number of 

 photographs which show with what success his 

 last expedition into the Sierra Madre country 

 was crowned. The doctor and his family spent 8 

 days in camp, during which time the doctor alone 

 shot 19 deer, in addition to a great number of 

 turkeys, grouse, and other fowl. This camp was 

 pitched in the heart of the mountains, 85 miles 

 from Durango, and was reached with a pack train 

 of 12 Mexican burros. Included in the journey 

 were the passage of a barren plateau and a stiff 

 mountain climb. — Exchange. 



Regarding the statements contained in 

 above clipping, Dr. Barry writes as fol- 

 lows : 



In reply to your letter would say that 

 your information is far from correct. We 

 did kill 19 deer, but only 3 turkeys. Grouse 

 are unknown in Mexico. There were 14 

 in the party, and we were out 3 weeks. 

 Twelve of the deer we ate, and sent the 

 others to friends in town who kindly 

 equipped us with horses, tents, etc. We 

 could have killed 100 deer if we had cared 

 to. It is common to see 30 or 40 deer a 

 day in that country, which is 3 days' travel 

 from here. 



I should like to take issue with some of 

 the old-timers as to the sense of smell in 

 deer. I wear moose hide moccasins and 

 have walked up within 30 feet of deer lying 

 down. They paid no attention until they 

 saw me. Have had deer pass within 20 

 feet of me. Of course that was when I 

 was standing perfectly still ; the slightest 

 movement would send them flying. If their 

 sense of smell is so keen, how do you ac- 

 count for my getting so near them? 



I have found them feeding at all hours. 

 I have found them lying down at all hours. 

 After 6 years' hunting here I know prac- 

 tically nothing of their habits. My early 

 ideas as to habits of deer have been ex- 

 ploded. I believe they have the most acute 

 ears of any animal extant. When lying 

 down the ears are working back and forth 

 all the time. Deer can see a leaf move 

 40 rods away. I believe they depend almost 

 entirely on hearing and sight for the detec- 

 tion of an enemy. In getting away they 

 will jump anything. I saw 2 go over a 

 bank 40 feet high, and keep on going. 



C. H. Barry, M. D., Durango, Mex. 



GAME COMMISSION PROTECTS LAW 

 BREAKERS. 



If W. B. W., of Schuylerville, N. Y., 

 will furnish the correspondence he refers 

 to as having passed between him and the 

 Game Commission I will take charge of 



