116 THE OREGON SPORTSMAN 
snow where apparently a deer or part of a deer had been laying or 
where a dog might have torn up a fresh piece of the hide. I then 
took up some of the tracks leading in various directions from the 
camp and found where a pheasant had been picked about two hundred 
yards from camp; and in another direction a sack hung in a tree but 
the meat had been removed though plenty of hair lay on top of the 
snow. 
The snow had been falling since I reached the camp and after 
tracing out all tracks for a distance of from one-fourth to one-half a 
mile it grew too dark for any further work. I then confronted the 
hunters with the evidence, but they would not ‘‘come across,’’ so IL 
rode out a ridge three or four miles to where I had been told there 
was a house, and stopped for the night. Had placed the hunters 
under arrest before leaving camp. 
The next morning, (Monday), I returned, and, while having a 
sociable smoke with the boys, one of their dogs sniffed at something 
on the floor and picked up the fresh foot of a pheasant. Of course I 
lost no time in getting my hands on it and remarked that it would 
match pretty well with the feathers found in the hunters’ tracks 
near camp on the previous day. Their only reply was that the dog 
would be a pretty good one for me to have in my business. 
The snow was not deep enough to hide the old tracks, so I 
renewed my trail work as I felt sure that some of the tracks would 
lead to the scene of a killing. Following a trail where it appeared 
that at least three men had returned to the camp together, I found 
the remains of three-quarters of a deer hanging in a tree in a small 
canyon or draw, at least one and a half miles from camp. The mag- 
pies had eaten it badly but I took the best quarter and returned to 
camp. 
The four hunters, who seemed to be awaiting my return, said that 
they knew ‘‘it was all off’? when they saw me take their trail up the 
creek. They said that they would not mind having to pay for their 
fun if they had had any meat to eat, but that, after allowing the rest 
of the herd to run off, they found that this deer had several boils on 
it and was therefore unfit to eat. The evidence that I found near 
camp on the previous day was what the dogs had left from the 
quarter that was carried to camp for their food. 
The hunters asked that the charge be made against one of their 
number only, but I explained to them that all were equally guilty 
and that it would be necessary to place a charge of unlawful hunting 
against all of them. They agreed that I was right about it, and 
promised to leave for home on the following morning with the excep- 
tion of , who could not stand the walk, but must stay and care 
for the camp and wait for a team to come in and move their outfit. 
‘He wrote his check and gave to one of the other men to take to the 
justice. They were, a very jolly bunch and treated me royally. A 
better bunch of fellows I never met—if we except their violation of 
the game law. 
I rode to Mill that night and on to the next 
morning. There I filed a complaint before the justice. The three 
hunters arrived late in the afternoon and the hearing was-set for the 
following morning, February 14. I stopped that night »t the. hotel, 
which is the home of one of the hunters. The latter and two of his 
brothers, who compose an orchestra, celebrated the homecoming by 
giving some good live musie in the parlor of the hotel that evening 
and I enjoyed it immensely. 
There was a great amount of fun poked at the unfortunte hunters 



