u8 



RECREA TION. 



such radical reforms must be effected 

 slowly. Game of all kinds is disappearing 

 so rapidly that sportsmen must consent to 

 have their privileges curtailed in many 

 ways, or make up their minds to lay away 

 their guns forever, within a few years. — 

 Editor. 



COON HUNTING ON PUGET SOUND. 



D. \V. ZL'ET. 



Puget sound is probably the best place 

 in the United States for this sport. The 

 whole coast is covered by an immense for- 

 est which abounds with all kinds of game, 

 and especially with coons, deer, bear, cou- 

 gars and game birds. 



Having received an invitation from 

 friends to join them in a coon hunt, I got 

 into my boat and pulled to their place, 

 about 3 miles from where I was stopping, 

 arriving there at 5 p. m. We were 

 each armed with a small revolver, and a 

 club about 4 feet long and i l / 2 inches in 

 diameter, these being the weapons used 

 in coon hunting on the shores of Puget 

 sound. Accompanied by 2 fine dogs we 

 started from home about 7 o'clock, and 

 reached the hunting grounds an hour later. 

 The grounds were an unbroken chain of 

 mussel and clam beds, extending several 

 miles down the beach, where the coons 

 came to feed on shell fish. 



We had gone probably a mile down the 

 beach when the dogs started a coon and 

 treed him just in the edge of the woods. 

 We followed, and being unable to see the 

 coon it was decided I should climb the 

 tree and knock him out. This was no easy 

 job, as he had gone up a tree about 40 

 feet high and with few branches. I had 

 to climb to the top, for he kept going up 

 as I followed him. However, I soon 

 reached him and with one blow from my 

 club sent him whirling to the ground. 

 He had no sooner hit the ground than one 

 of the dogs caught him, and in a few sec- 

 onds we had our first coon for the even- 

 ing. Cutting his tail off as a trophy we 

 proceeded on our way. 



We had gone perhaps half a mile when 

 the dogs started a bunch of 7 or 8. We 

 caught 3 and killed them with our clubs as 

 they were making for the woods. The dogs 

 treed the others about 200 feet up on the 

 bluff, in a small bunch of saplings. The 

 bluff back of the beach at this place was 

 about 300 feet high and almost perpen- 

 dicular, with the bunch of saplings grow- 

 ing about 2/3 of the way up. It was hard 

 to get to them, but after several minutes 

 of climbing we reached the spot, to find 

 the coon up a tree 30 feet high, which 

 stood slanting out over the bluff. It was 

 a dangerous task to climb this tree, for 

 if one should fall he would strike the bench 

 below; so we drew lots to see who should 



attempt it. It fell to my lot to climb the 

 tree. Fastening my club on my back I 

 undertook the task. When 10 feet from the 

 coons I could go no farther, for I was get- 

 ting light-headed, so after emptying my 

 revolver at them and killing one I de- 

 scended. Another of the boys volunteered 

 to try it. He succeeded in getting close 

 enough to knock the coons out of the tree 

 with his club. The bluff was so steep we 

 could not do much, but we succeeded in 

 getting 2 of them. One of the dogs caught 

 another. In the fight dog and coon lost 

 their footing and rolled down the hill, 

 never stopping until they reached the beach 

 below. The dog was somewhat bruised 

 by the fall, and the coon got away. This 

 made 6 coons we had killed that evening. 

 After cutting off their tails we went down 

 the beach several miles, getting 4 more 

 coons. When we finally concluded to 

 turn back we were 12 miles from home. 



ANOTHER FERRET BREEDER HEARD FROM. 



In November Recreation I saw your 

 answer to a man who wanted to adver- 

 tise ferrets. I think you were hasty in 

 your reply. I have raised ferrets the 

 last 10 years, and as yet have never been 

 able to fill all my orders for stock. In 

 looking over letters and inquiries I see that 

 only about one out of every 10 wants them 

 for rabbit hunting. The others bought 

 them to drive out and kill rats, one of the 

 worst enemies a farmer has to contend 

 with. It is no worse for you to advertise 

 ferrets than to advertise dogs that will 

 point birds and so aid the sportsman in 

 killing them; or to advertise a make of 

 firearms, that will kill game half a mile 

 away. 



1 am a lover of all kinds of sport, and 

 heartily approve of your close attention to 

 the game and your exposure of violators 

 of the game laws; but I think you have 

 done me as well as other ferret breeders an 

 injustice. I hope you will correct it in 

 your next issue. Recreation is all right, 

 but its editor is a little off sometimes, 

 about certain things. 



K. F., Warren, Minn. 

 answer. * 



I regret it should have been necessary 

 for me to say anything to injure you or 

 any other honest reader of Recreation. 

 Yet I do find this necessary every day. 

 I have lost many subscribers in the past 2 

 years on account of my crusade against 

 the game hogs, but I shall keep it up until 

 I get them all branded, if I lose every sub- 

 scriber I have. 



It is true some men use ferrets for hunt- 

 ing rats, and if their use could be confined 

 to this I should never say a word against 

 them; but I believe to rabbits are killed 

 by each ferret, to one rat. I know a lot 



