FROM THE GAME FIELDS. 



THE WYOMING LICENSE LAW. 



Jackson, Wyo. 

 Editor Recreation: 



On page 361 of May Recreation there 

 is an article, "A Sovereign Hold Up," 

 signed "Quaker," that I should like to 

 say a few words about. 



Wyoming contains practically all the 

 elk there are, and we are doing what we 

 can to protect them from extermination. 

 Our old game laws required a non-resi- 

 dent to pay a license fee of $20 to hunt big 

 game in Wyoming, but did not restrict him 

 as to number killed further than exact- 

 ing that he should not waste meat or kill 

 wantonly. Visiting sportsmen would hire 

 a non-resident guide, cook and outfit, and 

 come in here to hunt. No one in the party 

 had any interest in the protection of the 

 game or in the future of Wyoming. 

 Some such parties are known to have killed 

 everything in sight; even the p-uide help- 

 ing to do the killing. Hundreds of elk 

 were killed and the carcasses never touched 

 afterward. In some instances whole 

 bunches of elk were exterminated. 



As a guide I was out on the mountains 

 every fall. Knowing that such work was 

 going on I restrained all my parties from 

 killing more than 2 elk for each hunter 

 and talked it with other guides until it 

 became the custom. One fall a party of 9 

 hunters went hunting from the ranch, with 

 as many guides, and only 19 bull elk were 

 killed. The man who killed 3 bulls 

 apologized to me for doing so, stating 

 that he had wounded an elk, but did 

 not know it until after killing another. He 

 had, later, found the wounded one dead. 

 In this way the limit of 2 head of elk 

 started. I talked with the framers of our 

 present game law, and asked that much. 

 We prohibited non-resident guides because 

 they have no interest in game protection 

 here. We make ex-officio game wardens 

 of all Wyoming guides, not to watch 

 sportsmen, as they don't need it and don't 

 object to being watched; but to watch 

 game hogs, and they squeal about being 

 watched. 



A $40 license fee may seem high to some, 

 but it and the $10 guide license are all the 

 money we get for game protection to pay 

 the State game warden and his deputies. 



Wyoming guides do not ask a dude to 

 pay their license, besides $5 a day, nor do 

 they ask whiskey and tobacco furnished 

 them. Neither do they refuse to work 

 Sunday and then ask $5 for the day. They 

 will generally be found temperate, gentle- 

 manly and obliging, aiming to give full 



value for all money paid them and to see 

 that visiting sportsmen get a fair and rea- 

 sonable amount of game consistent with 

 the game law. They have an interest in 

 making the trip successful, so the sports- 

 man may report favorably of his trip on his 

 return home, and they have an interest in 

 game protection. It shall be my earnest 

 endeavor to get all Wyoming guides to 

 join the L. A. S. That will give them a 

 double interest in game protection. If a 

 man does not intend to abide by the laws 

 of the State we do not want him to come 

 here. To all true soortsmen we extend 

 an invitation to come and we will try to 

 give them a pleasant and successful trip. 



S. N. Leek, 

 Secretary Teton Guides Association and 

 local warden L. A. S. 



Great Falls, Mont. 

 Editor Recreation: 



A recent issue of Recreation contained 

 an article entitled "A Sovereign Hold Up," 

 referring to the game laws of Wyoming, 

 and showing how a sportsman who hunts 

 in that State is required to pay $40 for 

 the privilege; also how he must hire a 

 Wyoming guide, pay $10 for his license 

 and $5 a day to have the guide watch him, 

 and report and arrest him if he exceeds 

 the proper number. 



The writer of that article states the situa- 

 tion correctly; but he might go farther and 

 say where much of this Wyoming game 

 came from. I have been on the ground 

 and know that the State of Montana is 

 constantly being robbed of its best game. 

 The National Park takes in about 2 miles 

 of Montana's best game region, which is 

 thus subject also to the laws of Wyoming. 

 When the park officials hear of a bunch of 

 elk or antelope outside and near the boun- 

 dary of the park they order out a detach- 

 ment of soldiers, or dog robbers as they 

 are called, to round up the game and drive 

 it into the park. Later this same game is 

 allowed to go South and out of the park 

 into Wyoming. Then if a Montanian 

 wishes to hunt this game, that was raised 

 in Montana, he has to go into Wyoming 

 and pay those exorbitant fees. If this is 

 not a double robbery what is it? 



One scout told me that during the win- 

 ter of '98 1,500 elk died in the park. Would 

 they let us have the dead ones? Would 

 they tax us the same as for live ones? I 

 believe in a license that allows the poor as 

 well as the rich to enjoy the sport of hunt- 

 ing; not one which forces the poor to buy 

 a small piece of venison or go without be- 

 cause they are not able to pay the license 

 fees, creating thereby a market for game 



