182 THE OREGON SPORTSMAN 



THE DUTIES OF A GAME WARDEN. 



By Warden L. L. Jewell. 



The duties of a game warden are various. We have the disagree- 

 able duties to perform as well as the pleasant, and we sometimes see 

 the comical side of life. One thing quite certain, is the fact that it is 

 the unexpected that happens, and usually there is something doing all 

 the time. If a man phones you about game violations in his section 

 of the country it might be wise to go in the opposite direction if you 

 want to catch the violator. Of course, this does not always happen, as 

 there are many honest people who want to see the game laws enforced 

 and will assist in every way possible. This brings to my mind a little 

 incident that happened not long ago in my territory. 



About noon one day the phone rang long and loud and I felt that 

 something unusual was about to happen, so I was not surprised, as I 

 took down the receiver, to hear the following: "Is this the game 

 warden?" "Yes." "Well, this is Mr. VanDusen of the Tenderfoot Ranch 

 at the foot of Rattlesnake Mountain, and I want you to come over 

 here and shoot a pack of dogs that are running deer every night and 

 morning on the east side of the mountain." "Have you seen them?" 

 "No." "Do you hear any shooting?" "No, but the dogs do lots of bark- 

 ing and you can hear the big yelps when they catch one." "All right, 

 I'll be over tonight." 



Now, I knew this honest German, and I was satisfied he was in 

 earnest about it, so I took my sixteen-year-old boy, two guns, enough 

 grub for a day, and about four p. m. got into my auto and made the 

 thirty miles in about two hours. Rattlesnake Mountain is a favorite 

 place for great big old bucks to sun their horns in the fall, and in 

 years gone by I had helped to get many a big fellow from the rocky 

 mountain side. There is an old Indian legend as to the reason it came 

 to be called by that name. It was said that two young Indian bucks 

 fell in love with the same Indian lassie, and the father of the girl 

 told them that the one who would bring in the biggest buck before 

 the next full moon should have his daughter for a wife. So these 

 young hunters started out with their bows and arrows to prove which 

 was the mightiest hunter. At the end of a week each had bagged an 

 eight-point buck; but had not gained the girl. Finally Fire-Eater 

 decided to go to this big mountain twenty miles away to get his buck, 

 as he knew it was the home of the big ones. As he started up the 

 rocky steep he spied the track of a monster. It was so big that he 

 stopped and rubbed his eyes twice to make sure he was not dreaming. 

 Then he selected his choicest arrow and slowly and cautiously crawled 

 up among the rocks, till he spied the noble beast a hundred yards 

 away, and as he looked at its great antlers his heart swelled with 

 pride to think what good fortune was in store for him; but he must get 

 nearer, so he crawled up behind a big rock, got his arrow ready to 

 shoot, bent his bow and raised up and shot over the rock. True was 

 his aim, and the arrow pierced the vitals of his game; but as he shot 

 a monster rattlesnake, laying on top of the rock, also made a true shot 

 and fastened on the Indian's cheek. He never flinched, but killed the 

 snake, took the buck, which had fifteen points, and started for home. 

 It took him two days to get there, and when he arrived he could not 

 talk, but just pointed to the buck, and dropped down dead. He won his 

 bride, but it cost him his life. 



After my arrival at Tenderfoot ranch ' I got all the particulars 

 obtainable from our old friend, the German, and then took my auto up 

 an old wood road as far as possible, made our beds with fir boughs 



