212 THE OREGON SPORTSMAN 



PORCUPINE DESTROYS ORCHARD 



By Warden Ed Walker 



An interesting incident occurred in Jackson county some weeks 

 before the deer season opened that will no doubt amuse the readers of 

 the Sportsman. Mr. Connor, an orchardist of the Rogue River Valley, 

 discovered one day that a number of the young shoots on the lately 

 grafted pear trees in his orchard had been broken off and the tender 

 ends eaten up. In looking for the cause, Mr. Connor discovered a 

 number of deer tracks in the orchard and at once decided that the 

 deer were doing the damage. He immediately notified a local game 

 warden, who, after an investigation, came to the same conclusion that 

 Mr. Connor had — that deer were responsible for the damage to the 

 orchard. Accordingly, application was made to the State Game Depart- 

 ment for permission to kill the deer which were apparently using 

 the orchard. The permit was granted, directing Deputy Game Warden 

 L. C. Applegate and the writer to kill the troublesome deer. 



Armed with the permit and their trusty rifles, the wardens pro- 

 ceeded to Mr. Connor's orchard to carry: out the orders of the Game 

 Department, when it was discovered by the wardens that a small quan- 

 tity of hair had been left by the animal sticking to the waxed ends of 

 the grafted limbs of the trees. It could be plainly seen that the hair 

 was not that of deer, and it was finally determined that the hair came 

 from a porcupine. The wardens stationed themselves in the orchard 

 and waited until about midnight, when a large porcupine came out of 

 the brush and entering the orchard, climbed a tree and began breaking 

 down the limbs and eating the ends. The animal would break down a 

 number of limbs and then go to another tree and repeat the operation. 

 One porcupine, working at the rate this one did, could easily ruin eight 

 or ten trees in a single night. Had the wardens not discovered that 

 the porcupines were doing the damage they might have killed the three 

 or four does which lived and reared their fawns in the timbered strip 

 along the Rogue River adjoining the orchard. The wardens, however, 

 proceeded to kill the porcupine and the skin is mounted and in graceful 

 form now graces the collection of wild animals in the State Game 

 Department museum at Portland. 



FUN WITH A TILLAMOOK CUB BEAR 



By Warden G. E. Leach. 



Upon complaint of a farmer at Fairview that bear were breaking 

 down his apple trees and eating the apples, C. S. Wells and myself 

 started out with five dogs to catch the offenders. After making an 

 investigation of the orchard we come to the conclusion that an old bear 

 and two cubs were doing the mischief. We then set about to find 



