44o 



RECREATION. 



handle a grizzly, and few packs exist that 

 can do it. We have been working for years 

 to build up such a pack, and are beginning 

 to succeed. 



We use foxhounds to get the bear up, 

 and a mixed strain of foxhound, blood- 

 hound, mastiff, and plain dog to do the 

 righting. These dogs are large, with good 

 feet and legs, a fair nose, and plenty of 

 speed and endurance. They are savage, 

 right hard and take lots of punishment, yet 

 are cunning and know which is the busi- 

 ness end of a bear. Six of them will kill a 

 full grown mountain lion in fair fight, 

 hardly getting a scratch themselves. 



As for the coyote question, while coyotes 

 kill some game, and a few calves, they do an 

 equal amount of good by keeping down rab- 

 bits, moles, and other pests. 



Still, if wolves are to be made the subject 

 of a bounty, a small bounty on coyotes 

 would do no harm. 



The annual loss of stock from wolves is 

 at least 2 per cent., perhaps 4 or 5 in some 

 districts. The States interested could well 

 afford to pay bounties to the amount of 

 $250,000 yearly, if by so doing the wolves 

 could be kept down. 



Wm. Wells, Cora, Wyo. 



A STRANGE PROPOSITION. 



New Whatcom, Wash. 



Editor Recreation: Replying to your 

 favor of the 26th ult, inquiring if members 

 of Sportsmen's Clubs or Leagues are re- 

 quired to pay a license fee of $5 in order to 

 hunt in this State: 



Our legislature in 1897, passed an act pro- 

 viding for the protection of certain animals 

 and birds, section 25 of which provides that: 

 " All professional sportsmen, or members of 

 a sportsmen's club who desire to hunt un- 

 der the provisions of this act, shall first ob- 

 tain an annual license from the Auditor of 

 the county in which he proposes to hunt, 

 and shall pay for the same the sum of $5." 

 ' This act was presented to the Governor 

 for his approval, and he made thereon the 

 following endorsement: " Section twenty- 

 five (25) of this bill is objected to for the 

 reason that it appears to be an attempt to fine 

 members of sporting clubs for belonging to 

 the same. With this exception the bill is ap- 

 proved this nth day of March, 1897." 



Under section 12 of article 3 of the Con- 

 stitution of this State the Governor may veto 

 one or more sections or items, and approve 

 the other portions of a bill. 



The legislature, at its next session, may 

 take up this act and pass the section over the 

 Governor's veto by a 2-3 vote of the mem- 

 bers present in each house. 



It follows, from the foregoing, that until 

 the veto of section 25 is set aside no license 

 fee of the character indicated in section 25 

 is required by law in this State. 



J. S. Stangroom, 

 Chief Warden L. A. S., State of Wash. 



RESTRICT THE SHOOTING. 



We are pleased to see you hammer the 

 game hogs. Years ago we had good deer 

 hunting in Pennsylvania, but deer were not 

 protected until almost, the last one was 

 hounded out of the woods. You are doing 

 the same thing in New York. I have just 

 returned from a trip to the Adirondacks, 

 where I went to fish, and finding the deer 

 hunting season opened on August 15th I 

 waited a few days longer to take a hunt. I 

 started into the woods alone, on the morning 

 of the 15th, and by 9 o'clock a.m. had killed 

 and hung up 2 deer. Great sport, of course, 

 but it's all wrong to kill deer at this season 

 of the year while they are yet in the red 

 coat and rather thin. It is like knocking 

 the green fruit off the fruit trees. 



An open season of 3 months for deer hunt- 

 ing, with lamp hunting and hounding will 

 soon exterminate the deer in the Adiron- 

 dacks as they did in Pennsylvania. There 

 is only one way for a true sportsman to hunt 

 deer and that is to stalk them. Night hunt- 

 ing is a foul way to take them and hounding 

 them is barbarous at this age. 



I would go a step farther and say birds 

 should never be hunted with dogs. Give the 

 birds a chance and the true sportsman will 

 always have a chance to hunt and find birds. 

 For my part I am too fond of shooting to 

 divide the sport with a dog. I am not a dog 

 hater by any means. I soon become at- 

 tached to a faithful dog, but it is not neces- 

 sary to cultivate the attachment. 



J. L. H., Williamsport, Pa. 



KILLING THE MOT^R TO GET THE CALF. 



Several moose calves have been brought 

 to this city recently. Report says permits 

 have been given to some parties to capture 

 and keep Yz dozen young moose. Now 

 while I approve of private parks, I cannot 

 approve of the method of catching the calves 

 which prevails here. It is done mostly by 

 half breeds and worthless white men. The 

 mother moose drops her young near some 

 marshy stream, keeping them hidden near- 

 by while she feeds in the stream. At the first 

 warning of danger she will take her young 

 back into some almost impregnable swamp. 

 The hunter goes up and down the stream 

 carefully in his canoe until he spies the 

 mother moose. Then if possible he creeps 

 up to within shooting distance and kills her. 

 Then the calf or calves (there are often 2 of 

 these Jatter), will not leave the neighborhood 

 where their mother left them. The Indian 

 calf hunter goes along the stream, and man- 

 ages to drive the calf into the water, when he 

 will swim across to the opposite shore. 

 Some one is in the river in a canoe waiting 

 for him, paddles up to him and catches him 

 in the water. Or if he fails at first, he then 

 crosses to the other side and drives him 

 back. You can no more catch a young 

 moose on land than you can a full grown 



