FROM THE GAME FIELDS. 



A QUAIL HUNT IN THE INDIAN 

 TERRITORY. 



LEVI LUIGO. 



On December 26th we started on our an- 

 nual quail hunt up in the B. I. T. Our 

 party of 5 consisted of Maj. L. L. Maughs, 

 Dr. W. H. Mills, H. Brooks, Ed. Pollard 

 and me. Our destination was some 20 miles 

 Northeast of this place. We took the M. 

 K. & T. Railway to Cale, I. T., some 16 

 miles North, and then by hack 10 miles 

 East. About the time we arrived at Cale 

 the wind came in from the North and 

 blew great guns. Some one suggested that 

 we had better turn back; but the rest of 

 us did not agree with him. Soon after we 

 left Cale it commenced to snow, but fort- 

 unately for us the wind was to our backs. 



We soon came to a farm house where we 

 expected to stay and were told they could 

 not take care of us, as the man who lived 

 there had left the day before, for Texas, 

 after a wife; that they expected him back 

 that night and would have to celebrate. 

 The Major said he did not want to stop 

 where there was a bride and groom, as it 

 always made him feel sad. They told us 

 they thought a farmer a little farther on 

 would take care of us; so we drove on and 

 soon came to the place. After making 

 known our situation the man said we could 

 stay; so we unloaded our plunder, ate our 

 lunch, got our guns together and started 

 out after quail. Major Maughs and Dr. 

 Mills went together; Pollard and I to- 

 gether, and Brooks alone. The Major 

 wanted to go with me, but I was afraid of 

 his thoroughbred dog. The Major says he 

 (the dog) has a pedigree as long as his 

 arm, and from the looks of him I did not 

 doubt it. He may be pointer, setter, hound 

 or plain cur; you can't tell anything from 

 his looks. 



We all got back to the house a little be- 

 fore dark, with good bags. We rushed for 

 the fire — one of those old-fashioned fire- 

 places at least 6 feet wide. Soon after sup- 

 per was announced and we filed out. All 

 atfc as hungry hunters always do, and then 

 made for the fire-place again. Soon after 

 supper the others of the family commenced 

 dropping in around the fire, and I thought 

 they never would stop coming. There were 

 6 of us, with our driver; the farmer and 

 wife, 2 grown sons, 2 nearly grown daugh- 

 ters and one granddaughter, 13 in all. 



The house had 2 small rooms and one 

 small shed, that was used to cook and eat 

 in. I never knew where they all slept. 



It was getting cold, sure enough, so we 

 piled on the wood and told yarns until 

 nearly 11 o'clock — all dreading to go to bed. 



I think we would have remained up the 

 most of the night if the Major had not got 

 on to his war yarns. Then we all said we 

 believed we preferred going to a cold bed, 

 and off we started. 



Pollard and I and 2 dogs took one bed, 

 and the others in about the same order. 

 The candle was soon put out, but we could 

 see all the stars, on our side of the house, 

 through the cracks in the siding. It had 

 been put on green and had shrunk till you 

 could put your hand through the wall any- 

 where. This makes a fine summer house, 

 but not very good for winter, especially 

 when the mercury is hunting zero. Still 

 we all slept the sleep of the just and got up 

 feeling good. Yet it was cold and we had 

 hard work to get Brooks and Mills to wash 

 their faces before breakfast. After a late 

 breakfast we again started after the quail 

 and hunted until noon. Then we ate dinner 

 and started back to town, hunting all favor- 

 able places on our way in. After getting in 

 town we divided up, and all were well satis- 

 fied with our trip. 



BIG GAME IN MAINE. 



Oldtown, Me. 



Editor Recreation; It is interesting to 

 note the different opinions regarding our 

 big game. Nearly all the guides will tell 

 one game is on the increase; while many 

 outsiders, and some of our own citizens, 

 say game will soon go, with the buffalo. 

 These citizens do not consider the differ- 

 ence between the prairies and our Maine 

 forests. If our game could be turned out 

 on an open prairie, where it could find no 

 cover, it could then be exterminated by 

 hunters, using repeating rifles and fast 

 horses; but the 13,000,000 acres of forest 

 land in this State, or a great portion of it, 

 is jungle. In many places the hunter must 

 pull the bushes apart to get through; and in 

 9 cases out of 10 the game is in such thick 

 cover that it will hear the hunter and flee. 



I believe our caribou are going North. 

 In some localities where I traveled last 

 year, and several years previous, I saw 

 plenty of deer, moose and caribou. In Oc- 

 tober and November, last, I traveled with 

 sportsmen some 50 or 75 miles through the 

 same country, and saw few signs of caribou. 



I do not judge of the condition of game 

 entirely by my own observation; but from 

 information gathered from practical hunters 

 and guides. 



I have no fear of our game being exter- 

 minated. Our fish and game commission- 

 ers, and the legislative committee on fish 

 and game, have worked hard to devise plans 

 for better game protection. They have 



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