FROM THE GAME FIELDS. 



The Forks, Me. 

 Editor Recreation : 



Last fall I was in the woods with Mr. 

 Robeson, of Springfield, Mass., and Mr. M. H. 

 White, of Vernon, Ct. While they were waiting 

 at the Forks for me to join them, they went out 

 with " Bub" Durgin as guide, and got two deer. 



We started for the Spencer for moose, intend- 

 ing also to kill deer and carribou in case we saw 

 any. On December 3d, as we were crossing the 

 new burnt lands near Spencer stream, we met 

 with an accident that came very near proving 

 fatal. We saw a great many fresh deer signs 

 and thought we would try for a shot. I sent Mr. 

 Robeson on one side of a little clump of green 

 timber, while Mr. White and I took the other 

 side. Just as we were getting around the timber 

 we heard Mr. Robeson's gun crack. At the same 

 time I felt a slight shock at my back. Mr. 

 White said, "Look out, Robeson has started 

 them." 1 said, " No. He has fired at us, and 

 his bullet hit my pack." 



On examination we found that the bullet had 

 gone through the centre of my pack, through 

 frying pan and everthing in the outfit. 



This was the first ill-luck of the trip. Next 

 day we started a big buck carribou, but did not 

 get a shot. Tuesday, December 5th, we reached 

 Tommy Gerrard's camp, at Spencer lake, having 

 traveled some t)o miles without seeing a moose 

 track. Wednesday Mr. White and I started out 

 fcr a deer, Mr. Robeson having sprained his 

 ankle the day previous. We succeeded in getting 

 a large buck, with a fine set of antlers, one of the 

 largest heads that has been taken in this vicinity 

 this year. Thursday we came to The Forks and 

 Friday they started for home. 



On Saturday, December 8th, I started out with 

 Mr. William McKay, of Nova Scotia, on another 

 moose hunt. This time we went to Moxie pond 

 hunting grounds. The first day out we came on 

 the tracks of 12 carribou, which we followed for 

 about 60 miles before we came up to them. Mr. 

 McKay succeeded in bringing down the leader of 

 the band, which was a fine buck. His antlers 

 spread over 2 feet and had 12 prongs on one side 

 and 9 on the other — the finest carribou head 

 taken in this vicinity in a year. 



We next discovered a yard of five moose ; but 

 as it had rained and made the snow crusty, we 

 did not try them that day. 



We started on another trail of four carribou 

 which we came up with in one day, where they 

 had joined another band of ten. They were on a 

 large bog, and were in a fine place to get at. 

 Mr. McKay had but one more to shoot, as the 

 law only allows one person two carribou. I told 

 him I had killed no carribou this year, so we had 

 a right to three more. We opened fire on them 

 and succeeded in getting three, one good buck, 

 but not so large as the first one. 



On this trip we saw 20 carribou and the signs of 

 more than 30 ; also the signs of 9 moose. 



I persuaded Mr. McKay to stay and try for a 

 moose. So we again started for the yard which 

 we reached the first day out. 



" Now," said he, " if there is any science in 

 still-hunting moose, do your best." 



I told him, if he would do just as I told him I 

 would show him a moose. So we began to 

 " work up " the yard. I soon found there were 

 five moose in it. The underbrush were so thick 

 that it was difficult to go fast, but finally I saw a 

 moose. We had found that there was a large 

 bull in the yard, and we knew they had heard or 

 scented us, for we could hear them getting up 

 all around us. Some of them were not more 

 than 150 feet away. I told McKay he would 

 have to shoot at what we could see, as we dare 

 not try to go any closer, to make sure of the old 

 bull. So we opened fire and, on rushing in 

 found two moose badly wounded, one a three- 

 year-old bull — not the old fellow — the other a 

 fine large cow. 



Thus you see that in little more than one week 

 we had killed four caribou and two moose, being 

 all the law allowed us. Still some people claim 

 the large game of Maine is being exterminated. 

 There is more large game in the state to day 

 than ever before 



Geo. C. Jones. 



PROTECT THE GAME. 



Boise City, Idaho. 

 Editor Recreation : 



You deserve the thanks and the patronage of 

 every true sportsman, every lover of the gun and 

 the mountains, in all these Rocky Mountain 

 states for your efforts to have the Indians pre- 

 vented from slaughtering game all over this sec- 

 tion, and particularly in the neighborhood of the 

 Yellowstone Park. 



Every one who has visited the region men- 

 tioned by Hon. B. M. Webster, in his letter 

 published in January Recreation, can corrobo- 

 rate what that gentleman says as to the depreda- 

 tions of Indians on the game. 



In August, 1892, Rev. D. M. McReynolds, 

 Mr. S. D. WestSr and myself, went from here 

 to the Yellowstone Park, and from there to 

 Jackson's lake, where we spent a month hunting 

 and fishing. We crossed the Teton mountains 

 into Jackson's Hole, September 5th, and found 

 that the whole country south of the Park was 

 full of Indians. There were hundreds of them, 

 from both Forts Hall and Lemhi agencies, and 

 the evidences of their slaughter of game could be 

 seen all through the mountains in that section. 



Mr. C. Ellsworth, of this place, and Mr. N. F. 

 Kimball, of Weiser, Idaho, spent last September 

 in that same country, and they report a similar 

 condition as existing at that time. They told 

 me the game had nearly all been killed or driven 

 out of that region by the Indians. Another year 

 or two will finish it up. 



The officials try to make it appear to you that 

 the Indians have permits to visit other tribes and 

 reservations only. It can be proven that hun- 

 dreds of these Indians have had permits to camp 

 and hunt, at certain specified places in the 

 mountains, for months at a time. I have read 

 such permits myself ; and Mr. Ellsworth read 

 one last fall, that stated that the bearer (a chief) 

 and his band were permitted to camp at a certain 



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