FROM THE GAME FIELDS. 



The man who quits when he gets enough, with plenty of game still in sight, is a real sportsman. 



A SPORTSMAN'S OBSERVATIONS. 



E. E. LEMIEUX. 



I laugh heartily when I read my notes 

 of September, 1877, when I was yet in 

 happy boyhood. With a little money and 

 no experience, a friend and I went on a 

 20 mile canoe trip, with provisions enough 

 to last 4 men a month. How and where 

 we camped, how hard our beds were, how 

 we struggled in culinary art ; all was care- 

 fully recorded. What little experience I 

 then had of camp life and the possible 

 comforts thereof ! Quite naturally, we 

 came back with more experience than cash. 



Who can forget one's first achievements? 

 I yet remember the first little fish 1 caught 

 with thread and bended pin ; the first up- 

 setting from my birch bark; the first In- 

 dian who got paralyzed at my camp, after 

 stealing the medicine jug; the first duck 

 that fell a victim to my Greener ; the first 

 trout, a 2 pounder, whose efforts to regain 

 liberty, though brave and desperate, proved 

 unavailing. These first triumphs are fresh- 

 ened in my mind when I peruse during lei- 

 sure hours the opening chapter of my 

 records. 



There is no limit to the variety of in- 

 cidents connected with a camper's experi- 

 ence. Often, when on pleasure bound, 

 expecting only fun and merriment, have 

 I come face to face with pathetic in- 

 cidents. The sight is still fresh to my 

 eyes of that crape on the door of a lonely 

 log cabin, in a distant and almost unin- 

 habited region which I happened to cross; 

 and how can I forget the abandoned grave 

 in that unsettled Northland, which met 

 my gaze on a chilly November afternoon? 



While hunting I accidentally discovered 

 this grave, and on my return to camp a 

 trapper with whom I became acquainted 

 explained to me the mystery. In a lake 

 quite near, 2 men while fishing had met a 

 tragic death through their raft breaking 

 away under them. Owing to inadequate 

 means of communication during the first 

 stages of the Canadian Pacific railway con- 

 struction, these unfortunate laborers had to 

 be buried in the solitude of the wilder- 

 ness. A mound, a wooden cross, a cedar 

 fence, roughly made, told the sorrowful 

 tale ! I have been sadly impressed by such 

 sights on some of my visits to the bush. 



At other times, I have made excursions 

 unclouded by scenes of grief, and in which 

 agreeable of even joyful incidents alone 

 happened. 



A sportsman may or may not anticipate 

 returning in future seasons to a locality he 



has once visited; yet there is no harm in 

 his carefully observing the topography of 

 the country, the roads and distances, modes 

 of communication, postal facilities, and 

 other details connected with the trip. 

 Some day his notes may prove useful in 

 throwing light on a disputed point of an 

 argument, or may even help some friend 

 in quest of information concerning a place 

 to which they propose to make an expedi- 

 tion. 



An excellent resource is always to have 

 ready for reference a list of articles that 

 may be required in the line of provisions, 

 clothing, fishing tackle, arms and ammuni- 

 tion. This list may be as minutely de- 

 scriptive as you see fit to have it ; the main 

 object is to be able to make a prompt and 

 judicious selection of what is needed, or 

 likely to be needed, for the contemplated 

 trip. Keep an account of every cent of 

 expenditure, quantities and prices of 

 goods, and whether they were taken 

 from home or obtained at or near the camp 

 location. When ready to go, jot down a 

 few lines in your book which will suffice 

 to prevent errors and save useless work, 

 stating the number of parcels, large or 

 small, in your outfit, and what each parcel 

 contains. It may be that on the way out 

 you will want some special article in your 

 outfit, and having this record you will 

 know where to look for what you require. 

 If this precaution be not taken, perhaps 

 half a dozen bundles will be unpacked be- 

 fore you put your hands on the object of 

 search, the result being confusion and loss 

 of time. 



Some campers are more or less em- 

 barrassed in deciding what they should 

 take with them on a trip. They are afraid 

 of forgetting some useful accessories, and 

 in consequence take too much of this or 

 of that, thus overburdening themselves 

 with useless stuff and finding themselves 

 minus what is really wanted. This is an 

 important point to consider when long 

 portages are before one. With a little ex- 

 perience and such a list as I have described, 

 it is an easy matter, occupying only a few 

 minutes, to select suitably for the require- 

 ments and circumstances of the trip in 

 view. Necessarily, the size of the party, 

 the length of the vacation, the mode of 

 transport and other conditions must be 

 considered. Especially does a prepared 

 list of things necessary come in handy to 

 him who is to see after the provisions. 



A good practice also is to note carefully 

 the periods and 'durations of your trips, 



i97 



