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RECREA TIOJV: 



worked out until he could peer over the 

 edge. Imagine his surprise to see the fox 

 10 feet below him, contentedly seated on 

 a projecting shelf, to which he had de- 

 scended by way of 2 smaller shelves. 



From a point of rock 3 rods down the 

 mountain the fox could be plainly seen, 

 and a charge of double B's sent him tum- 

 bling into the brush 60 feet below. There 

 Dime, in his usual way, made sure the old 

 fellow was not shamming. Mr. R. thinks 

 the same fox got away from his dog in 

 the same manner, a week before. 



To some this will seem an improbable 

 story, but those who have made sly Rey- 

 nard a study, and know him best, will not 

 find it hard to believe. 



A. M. Rosebrook. 



A YOUNG SPORTSMAN IN MANITOBA. 



St. James College, Winnipeg, Man. 



Editor Recreation: I have been all 

 through the Peace river country. I went 

 up first in 1886, when I was 5 years old. 

 We traveled in wagons, from Calgary to 

 Athabasca landing, a distance of 300 miles. 

 I remember quite well seeing rabbit skele- 

 tons all along the road. There had been 

 a bush fire and the rabbits could not get 

 away from it. I wasn't old enough then to 

 take part in much sport, but when I was 

 9 years old I had killed my first beaver and 

 any number of ducks; though I couldn't 

 play hog with them because I was unable 

 to carry a hog's bag home. And that taught 

 me a good lesson, " Never to play hog." 

 I came back after spending 5 years out 

 there, went to school 5 years and returned 

 to the West last winter, when 15. 



I did not get much sport going out as I 

 was out of practice with my gun, but I 

 shot a skunk over 3 feet long. It was the 

 largest I, or any of our party, ever saw. 



My gun is a 16 gauge. I saw an article 

 in Recreation headed " 16 vs. 12 gauge." 

 I do not agree with the writer. For all- 

 round shooting I like the 16. I have had a 

 lot of experience with both. 



During t he winter I set a line of traps. I 

 could have made a lot more money than I 

 did, but I went for sport, not money. The 

 'most exciting of my trapping adventures 

 was with a lynx. I was walking along in 

 deep pine woods, nearing a trap, and was 

 watching my snowshoes so as not to trip 

 on the sticks lying across my path. Sud- 

 denly I heard a deep growl. I looked up 

 and saw 2 great cat-like eyes staring at me. 

 It was a lynx fast in the trap and I won- 

 dered how it was that he still lived. The 

 tossing pole was set to string up a martin, 

 and the lynx had managed to push the pole 

 back and he sat on the crutch. I at once 

 took off my snowshoes and began the at- 

 tack. The snow was packed about where 

 I stood, by my having, gone over before 

 with snowshoes, but as soon as I stepped 



on it without snowshoes I went down. 

 That threw me against the tree on which 

 the lynx was. He struck at me with his 

 paw and knocked off my cap. I fell flat to 

 save myself and crawled away out of his 

 reach. I had not taken my gun with me, as 

 it was so much trouble to carry, but I got 

 up and finished him with a little hunting 

 ax. The lynx was a big fellow, weighing 

 about 60 pounds. To get him home I car- 

 ried him 12 miles on my back, together with 

 a fisher, 2 martens, a mink, and 6 rabbits. 



Recreation is the best magazine of the 

 sort I ever saw, and I know a little about 

 hunting and trapping if I am only 16. 



S. Osborne. 



HUNTING IN VARMINT CANYON, 

 j. w. 



On the 1st of December, 1882, Jeff Per- 

 kins and I started for a hunting trip, up 

 Varmint canyon, about 25 miles back in the 

 mountains from Missoula, Mont. We had 

 been told it was a good game country, and 

 that we could find a cabin there to stay in. 



We struck out before daylight, and after 

 some. hard climbing, reached the canyon 

 about 4 p:m. There we struck a trail and 

 following it, were delighted to find the 

 cabin. It contained an old stove, a table, 

 and a bunk. 



Near the cabin I discovered a stable, and 

 after watering and feeding the horses, I 

 locked them in it. After supper we sat 

 around the fire and smoked, and told how 

 v/e would fix the deer the next day. I had 

 killed but one deer and was anxious to get 

 another. 



A light snow was falling and everything 

 looked favorable for a hunt in the morning, 

 so we turned in early. 



We started early on the following day, 

 and climbing to the top of a little ridge, we 

 separated; Jeff going down the other side 

 of the ridge, and I following it around. 



By 2 o'clock I reached the end of the 

 ridge without having seen signs of deer. 

 When Jeff came up he said he had seen 3 

 deer, but could not get a shot at them. It 

 seems they had winded Jeff, and hurried 

 down the canyon. We followed, and be- 

 fore long struck their trail and knew they 

 were not far ahead. Jeff was in the lead, 

 when he whispered back to me, " There 

 they are." They were feeding, unconscious 

 of danger, in a little clearing, not more 

 than 100 yards off. Each picking out a 

 deer, we fired simultaneously. Down came 

 Jeff's deer, but mine did not fall. He 

 jumped about 4 feet and stood looking, 

 evidently bewildered. Throwing in an- 

 other cartridge, I fired again, and this time 

 I got him." 



We had several more good days of hunt- 

 ing, and returned home greatly pleased 

 with our trip. 



