38 



RECREATION. 



tance from the house i came on a whitetail 

 standing on a steep hillside, some 30 yards 

 away. At the crack of the gun the deer 

 came rolling over almost to where I stood. 

 Regaining its feet, it seemed bewildered 

 a few moments. Then and there I was 

 struck with the buck ague. I shook like a 

 person with the every-other-day chills. I 

 spilled half the powder trying to pour it 

 into the gun. I could not find any patching, 

 so I tore out a piece of my shirt. I drove 

 the bullet home and threw down the ram- 

 rod. My hand trembled so I could scarce- 

 ly cap the tube. In the meantime the ani- 

 mal came to and bounded off. I went 

 home again without meat. 



There were 2 hunters camped 15 miles 

 below, at the mouth of a small creek that 

 entered the John Day. To them I went, 

 riding one horse and leading a pack. The 

 next morning after my arrival, in com- 

 pany with one of the hunters and carrying 

 a heavy muzzle loader, borrowed from his 

 partner, I went out after meat. The reser- 

 vation Indians were making a drive toward 

 us; but we did not then know what made 

 game so plentiful. At short distances we 

 could see bands of deer on the rimrocks 

 that jutted out from the hill sides. When 

 any came within range our muzzle loaders 

 would speak. 



My companion was a dead shot and a 

 brutal man. A cruel gleam would light his 

 eye (he had but one) when he saw his 

 victim fall, and he would spring upon and 

 stamp the helpless thing if it struggled 

 while he put the knife to its throat. No 

 matter how many he killed; I was not re- 

 sponsible for his actions, and besides I am 

 not writing his story. 



I brought down 3 deer, and the next 

 morning loaded my pack for home. Don't 

 put me down as a game hog, for we dried 

 the 6 hams for summer use and were not 

 long in getting away with the corresponding 

 sides and shoulders. 



E. O'Flyng, Salem, Oregon, 



MONTANA ABOLISHES SPRING SHOOTING 

 I enclose newspaper clipping showing 

 what has been accomplished by our late 

 Legislature for the protection of our game. 

 You will be pleased to learn that turtle 

 doves are now protected at all times. There 

 are a few small bands of antelope near 

 here which have grown less wild since 

 they were put on the protected list. I can 

 see 15 any day within a mile or 2 of the 

 house, and last fall they watered in the 

 meadow within sight of the house, every 

 day or 2. While the new game law, which 

 closes the season for deer December 1, in- 

 stead of January 1, as heretofore, will be 

 of great benefit to the deer by shortening 

 the season and protecting them when the 

 snow is deep in some localities, yet in the 



Little Snowy mountains, where I hunt, it 

 will not be an unmixed blessing, as we 

 often have no tracking snow until Decem- 

 ber, so that hunting will have to be done 

 on bare ground, which will allow many 

 wounded deer to get away. 



I have been here 20 years, and although 

 in the sheep business myself, I speak with- 

 out prejudice when I say that, while the 

 mountains are heavily pastured by sheep 

 every summer, I see little diminution in the 

 number of deer to be found every fall. Of 

 course existing conditions must be taken 

 into consideration. It was always the cus- 

 tom of the deer, which, by the way, are of 

 the whitetail and mule species, to go into 

 the higher ranges in the summer, where 

 sheep are unable to range, and to come 

 down when the snow gets deep; few re- 

 maining to have their fawns on the winter 

 range. As our snowfall is generally light, 

 deer seem able to winter in fair condition 

 in spite of the sheep. I have only twice in 

 20 years seen over a foot of snow in the 

 foothills. 



The abolition of the spring shooting of 

 ducks and geese, although few nest here, 

 was advocated by all true sportsmen. I wish 

 all States would follow Montana's example 

 in that respect. 



Joseph L. Asbridge, Highfield, Mont. 



The clipping to which Mr. Asbridge re- 

 fers is as follows : 



Under the new game laws of the State turtle 1 

 doves are protected at all times. One may kill 

 one mountain sheep a season. The open season 

 on elk is the same as heretofore and the new law 

 allows the killing of 2 bull elk during that season. 



The open season on deer and Rocky mountain 

 goat is established in the new bill as September 

 1 to December 1. The season on mountain sheep 

 is the same. The new act permits the killing of 

 3 deer and one goat; but it prohibits the hunting 

 or chasing of any big game with dogs. 



The open season for grouse, prairie chickens, 

 fool hens, sage hens and pheasants begins August 

 15 and ends December 1. 



The bill abolishes the spring shooting of aquat- 

 ic fowl and makes the open season for geese, 

 ducks, brant and swans September 1 to January 1. 



The new law fixes the non-resident license at 

 $25 for big game and $15 for small game. It 

 makes provisions also in regard to the exporting 

 of protected game or any part thereof from the 

 State. 



The new act further provides that every person 

 who is engaged in the business of guiding must 

 procure a guide's license. 



Further, the act provides that all taxidermists 

 must secure license. 



I am glad to know that your Legislature 

 has passed so good a game law, and that 

 antelope and deer still have so good a show 

 for a permanent existence. As you doubt- 

 less know, I have been, for 5 years past, 

 working diligently to secure the enactment 

 of laws providing long close seasons on 

 antelope in the various Western States, 

 and it is indeed gratifying to know that 

 so many of these States have complied 

 with the wishes of all Nature lovers in 



