272 



RECREA TION. 



and a big expense in buying out the set- 

 tlers. 



2d. The game needs no more protection 

 on their summer range than can be given 

 by game wardens. 



3d. The elk are almost all gone from that 

 part of the country before the beginning of 

 the close season. It is a mountainous 

 region, except as to the ranch country be- 

 fore mentioned. 



I have sent you a map of this country, in 

 which you can see the Jackson's Hole pre- 

 serve as it would be if extended from the 

 National Park. Also the jame preserve on 

 the red desert, and the trail elk and other 

 game take in going to their winter range. 



I have also talked this matter over with 

 Nelson Yarnell, another of the best guides 

 on this side of the divide, and he fully agrees 

 with Mr. Dodge and me. 



I have seen large bands of elk, in Novem- 

 ber, making their pilgrimage to this red 

 desert country. Many of the readers of 

 Recreation will remember reading Mr. 

 Yarnell's story, " 3,000 Elk." That band 



was on its way to the same winter feeding 

 grounds. Mr. Dodge says fully 20,000 elk 

 pass his place every fall, all bound for the 

 same winter range. If the L. A. S. can pull 

 this scheme through Congress, it will be one 

 of the greatest triumphs for game pro- 

 tection yet achieved. Of course it would 

 put all the territory included in these pre- 

 serves under the same protection and man- 

 agement as is now afforded the National 

 Park. We are thoroughly aroused to the 

 necessity of immediate action if we could af- 

 ford adequate protection for our game, and 

 if any interested sportsman desires further 

 light on the subject Mr. Dodge and I will 

 gladly furnish it. 

 Lander, Wyo. 



This is a most excellent proposition, and 

 the officers of the L. A. S. will undoubtedly 

 present a bill to Congress, at its next ses- 

 sion, asking that the Park limits be extend- 

 ed so as to include the portion of the red 

 desert indicated on the above map.-^-ED- 



ITOR. 



THE BLACK DOG PLAYS BEAR. 



J. C. NAHTASS. 



" When I first settled in this country," 

 said an old farmer to me, recently, " I had 

 a man named Ned, helping me. We were 

 going to supper one day from our work, 

 when we saw a big, black bear in a meadow 

 near by. Ned and I both had dogs. One 

 of them was a big, black fellow. We set 

 the dogs on the bear and they went for 

 him with a rush and drove him off. 



" We went on to our shack and were 

 getting supper when we heard a terrible 

 squealing from a hog. We ran out and 

 soon found a bear carrying it off. I picked 

 up my gun (for which there was no am- 

 munition) and Ned had a club. We as- 

 saulted the bear; Ned on one side, I on 

 the other and the dogs everywhere. The 

 bear paid no attention to us for some time, 

 but at last got mad, dropped the hog and 

 came for us. He growled, rose on his 

 hind legs and pawed the air. The dogs kept 



out of his reach. I made a bee-line for 

 a sapling, but when I looked back the bear 

 wasn't coming. He had gone back to the 

 pig, picked it up and was making off with it. 

 I looked around for Ned and saw him 

 going through the woods, yelling at the top 

 of his voice. At his heels was the big 

 black dog. Ned thought it was the bear, 

 and the closer the dog got the harder Ned 

 ran and the louder he shouted. It was 

 laughable, but Ned was in terrible trouble 

 and I began to be afraid he would run out 

 of the country. I called to him, but he 

 could hear nothing. 



" Well, after awhile I lost sight of them 

 and went home. About an hour after, Ned 

 came back; he had discovered his mistake. 



" I never laughed so much in my life. 

 Great Horn spoon! How that Swede did 

 run and holler! " 



Clearbrook, Wash. 



