36 



RECREATION. 



a hunter. Why, I heard him tell old man 

 Pierce he could guarantee to show him 20 

 mountain lions a week, and when they got 

 to where the lions ought to have been he 

 couldn't find one. All they killed was 

 a cotton tail rabbit, 'cept the cook killed 

 a black-tail deer." 



And I says to the old woman, and old 

 Dunham, says I, "Grizzly Pete are a 

 game hog." and says I to myself, "I'm re- 

 forming, and the same ain't no lie." 



Mr. Roaster Man, what do you think of 

 Dunham? 



Grizzly Pete. 



HE DECLINES TO ANSWER. 



A hunting party composed of E. S. Babcock, Henry 

 Seybold, George and Fred Garretson, Nate Nichols and 

 Dr. Barnes passed through Otay en route to the Otay 

 dam. The sport began at 6 a. m. the next morning 

 when the hunters entered boats on the reservoir and 

 pulled trom one end of the lake to the other. On the 

 first trip over the water they brought down 700 birds, 

 the trip occupying one hour and a quarter. Each man 

 had 2 iepeating shot guns, and wasthus able to shoot 12 

 shots without reloading. Two more trips over the lake 

 were made, and the total was brought up to 1,50c birds. 

 — El Cajon (Cat.) Valley News. 



Here is another explanation of the 

 rapid disappearance of game birds 

 throughout the country. It will be re- 

 membered that a year ago Mr. Babcock 

 wrote me, confessing to having been one 

 of a party which slaughtered several hun- 

 dred ducks, in the same way, at the same 

 place as described above. I hoped the cau- 

 tion given him and his friends at that time 

 would deter them from engaging in such 

 slaughter again, but it seems they are 

 hardened brutes, utterly shameless; that 

 they care nothing for the rights of others 

 so long as they can satisfy their own taste 

 for butchery. It is strange that the Cali- 

 fornia legislature does not pass a law pro- 

 hibiting such work. 



I wrote Mr. Babcock, asking him if the 

 report was true and he replied as follows: 



Your postal card received, in which you 

 say you have been advised that I and some 

 friends recently killed 700 ducks. You 

 have been advised wrongly, nor do I in- 

 tend to be caught by giving you any 

 further information in regard to it and 

 then have you twist whatever I say to suit 

 your own ideas. We have phenomenal 

 duck shooting here, and while we may not 

 know what true sport is, our consciences 

 are not troubling us any. 



E. S. Babcock, Coronado, Cal. 



ANSWER. 



There is no question as to your know- 

 ing what true sport is. You have doubt- 

 less lived long enough and have mingled 

 sufficiently with true sportsmen to know 

 one when you meet and talk with him, 

 and it is unfortunate you should not 

 have absorbed some of the good qualities 

 of these men from your association with 



them. On the other hand, it is gratifying 

 to know I am not alone in branding 

 you and your kind as game hogs. I note 

 that the press of your State has taken up 

 the matter, and the fact that 50 to 100 clip- 

 pings of each of these articles condemning 

 you are sent me by people in your State, 

 with the request that I give you another 

 dose, is proof of the fact that decent men 

 everywhere approve my course. 



Here is a sample of the way the local 

 press is treating these butchers: 



Coronado, Oct. 24, 'gg. — Another murderous raid on 

 the ducks at Otay Dam was made last Saturday. The 

 party left San Diego Friday evening, and spent the 

 night at E. S. Babcock's residence, at Otay. A start 

 was made at 6 o'clock Saturday morning, and at 8 

 o'clock 500 dead ducks were counted as the result for 

 2 hours of shooting. A few more rounds over the 

 reservoir followed, and at 1 o'clock there were 1,835 

 ducks ready for the return trip to town. 



During the second round E. A. Hornbeck providen- 

 tially received a full charge of shot intended tor the 

 ducks, that peppered his face and neck pretty thor- 

 oughly. Last Saturday's hunters included A. Rey- 

 nolds, president of the Cuyamacaclub, E. A. Hornbeck, 

 N. Nichols, F. C. Ecker, J. E. O'Brien, C. W. Morgan, 

 Mr. Noyes, C. B. Daggett, Henry Seyboldt and E. S. 

 Babcock. The club's weekly slaughter is set to take 

 place next Saturday. — Los Angeles (Cal.) Times. 



I wish every one of these men might 

 have gotten a charge of shot in the neck, 

 even as Hornbeck did. — Editor. 



FOR WINTER MEAT. 



In the middle of October, 1893, I was in 

 Jackson's Hole, hunting my winter sup- 

 ply of meat. Starting out early one morn- 

 ing from Dead Man's gulch, 10 miles 

 from the foot of Jackson's lake, I crossed 

 the prairie, intending to round the lake 

 into the timber of the Southwest. This 

 was a good place for game. 



I saw a number of antelope as I crossed 

 the valley, and killed one large buck, 

 dressed it and packed it to a tree, where 

 I hung it up to await my return. In the 

 timber I saw abundant signs of elk, and 

 soon I heard a bull whistle. Dismounting, 

 I started out to find him, and while ad- 

 vancing toward the spot whence the whis- 

 tle had come, I heard a noise behind me. 

 Turning, I found about 25 elk coming 

 right to me, as if to run me down. I drew 

 trigger on the leader, a large cow, which 

 "tumbled to my racket." Another shot 

 laid her calf by her side. The rest of the 

 band ran back into the timber. I fired 

 twice as they ran, but missed. 



Presently I saw the band again, 75 yards 

 away, standing still, watching me. With 

 them were 2 large bulls, one in the 

 lead, the other behind. I aimed at the 

 leader's neck, and he dropped out of sight. 

 Reloading, I fired at the bull in the rear, 

 which also dropped. The others ran away. 



I could have killed more, but having 

 all I wanted I stopped. When I 

 reached my first bull he lay dead enough, 

 and I walked by, within 10 feet, intending 



