Vereen St ee regy Pk 
b 

na omelet noe 
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ep ee ee lone 
ee ae 
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, ; . 
36 RECREATION. 
shot, and the distance was 176 yards. The 
doe dressed 110 pounds. 
Wm. Blake, Palmyra, Ia., requests some 
one to tell him which is the best gun for 
large and small game. I have a .38-72 Win- 
chester which I can cheerfully recommend 
and think it would suit your purrs. 

MAINE’S NEEDS. 
Dover, Me., December 30, 1808. 
Editor RECREATION: The season for large 
game has just closed. So far as shipments 
of game go it has been the most successful 
one in the history of the state. Last year 
the railroads shipped from this part of the 
state a few less than 2,000 deer; this year it 
has exceeded that number about 200. Hun- 
ters believe that deer are on the increase. 
Of this there can be no doubt. 
The opinion as to moose is not so unani- 
mous. In the vicinity of Moosehead lake, 
however, it is probable there is some in- 
crease. It may not be great, but hunters 
generaliy agree that there are more young 
bulls than in former years. Very large 
moose seem scarce. 
As to caribou, it is the same old story 
of 2 or 3 years just passed. To find a cari- 
bou, even in the deepest woods, and best 
hunting grounds, is nearly impossible. A 
trip of 3 weeks last summer, in the best 
hunting grounds in the vicinity of Moose- 
head lake, did not disclose even a track. 
Still there are a few caribou, and some have 
been shot this season. At the present rate 
of decrease there will soon be none left. It 
is singular there is no reasonable theory 
for this. The only probable explanation 
seems to be migration. 
Ruffed grouse were much more plentiful 
in ’98 than in ’97. At least that is true here, 
and in the great woods 50 miles from here. 
The legislature has just met, and judging 
from the past, there will be some tinkering 
of laws. How much improvement they will 
make, is yet to be seen. Some changes seem 
to be called for by the general sporting pub- 
lic. Were I to echo public opinion I should 
say: The bounty should be taken from 
bears. They are scarce. They do little or 
no harm to game. Occasionally some farmer 
in the back woods loses a sheep. But that 
is small. Most of those who hunt bears do 
so incidentally, or for the bear himself. 
That seems to be sufficient inducement. 
From a sportsman’s standpoint there is no 
call for a bounty on bears. 
The common opinion is that black bass 
should not be protected. They are pro- 
tected now. It would seem that he who 
kills the most black bass is the greatest 
friend to the fishing public. One considera- 
tion makes this evident. They are destruc- 
tive to all the better kinds of fish. The only 
good quality they have is that they are 
fighters. But they are very destructive to 

trout. In this part of the world they are not 
generally esteemed as a food fish. Sebec 
lake, which has been famous as land locked 
salmon fishing grounds, would be greatly 
improved if every bass and pickerel could 
be taken out. The bass are tolerated only 
where there are no better fish. 
There seems to be a call for a bounty on 
foxes. In the Southern and Western por- 
tion of the state, where there is little or no 
large game, this proposition is stoutly op- 
posed. But the interests of that part of the 
state in game laws are very inconsiderable, 
as compared with the remainder of the state. 
However, the population is much greater; 
hence they have more votes in the legisla- 
ture. The result, therefore, is in doubt. 
Some of the lynx-eyed ones think a very 
large bounty should be put on wolves. 
Residents of the woods say that a few 
years ago, when there were many wolves in 
the woods, deer were exceedingly scarce. 
For some unaccountable reason the wolves 
left; then the deer increased, and have con- 
tinued to increase ever since. Usually 
wolves follow an abundance of large game. 
They are in abundance just across the 
Canadian line. Why not take time by the 
forelock? Put such a bounty on wolves 
as to make it profitable for a hunter to spend 
a week to get a single one; then the stable 
door wil! be locked before the horse is 
stolen. If no wolves were killed, the state 
would have no bounty to pay. If wolves 
were killed, it could well afford to pay a 
good sum. 
There is considerable discontent with the 
guide license law. In some respects it has 
worked better than many predicted. But one 
very serious objection still holds against it. 
Possession of a license as guide is no proof 
of qualification. Probably hunters complain 
of this more than is generally known. There 
have been some pointed illustrations of what 
rascally tricks guides can play on sports- 
men. Of course, this kind of guide is rare, 
but it is hard to see how the present law will 
improve matters. Let each applicant pass a 
careful examination in order to obtain his 
license. Box Magazine. 
OREGON GAME HOGS. 
Fort Klamath, Ore. 
Editor RECREATION: I am in entire sym- 
‘pathy with your movement to protect the 
game, which I see getting scarcer every 
“year. 
When I first came to this country there 
were sO many geese and ducks that one 
could scarcely sleep for the noise they made 
at night in their semi-annual migrations, 
and in the day-time the sky would be full 
of them, like swarms of gnats. They were 
killed by the hundreds, just for their 
feathers. And now? Well a decent man 
can get a fair bag, but the hog isn’t in it, as 
he could not get enough for his pouch. 
