288 



RECREATION. 



few hunters threw away the chance to get 

 what they could. It is estimated that 

 6,000 deer were brought out of the woods, 

 to say nothing about those that were not 

 brought out. I hope our law makers will 

 look into this matter and change the law. 

 W. T. Crill, Westernville. N. Y. 



STRAY BULLET OR STRONG BEVERAGE? 



Wisconsin papers have been publishing 

 accounts of the killing or wounding of 

 deer hunters by stray bullets in the woods. 

 Excited by those reports some novices are 

 trying to persuade the Legislature to pro- 

 hibit the use of high-power rifles in this 

 State. I doubt if a man has ever been 

 hit by a stray bullet in our deer country. 

 It is everywhere heavily timbered, and a 

 bullet could go but a short distance before 

 striking a tree. The unfortunates who 

 were shot received their injuries at the 

 hands of hunters too muddled to know a 

 deer from a man, or a swaying bush from 

 a bear. If high-power whisky could be 

 kept out of the woods, high-power rifles 

 would do no harm. In but few cases is 

 the hunter who shoots another manly and 

 humane enough to assist his victim. Gen- 

 erally he sneaks away, leaving the sufferer 

 to die or recover as best he may. Then 

 the papers tell of another hunter hit by a 

 "stray bullet." 



Andrew J. Ellis, Waukesa, Wis. 



STOCK PUBLIC LANDS. 



In March Recreation I saw an article 

 concerning the Cardeza party in which 

 they were scored for the destruction of 

 game. You say they took out licenses to 

 kill 3, 5 or 8 caribou. I think a man who 

 takes out a license to kin 5 or 8 caribou is 

 as much a game hog as his unlicensed 

 brother, who probably would also legalize 

 his brutality if he could afford it. More- 

 over, I think the fact that a man owns a 

 private preserve is no excuse for his killing 

 100 birds a day on that preserve. If game 

 is so plentiful with him he should put 

 some on the public lands, and give less 

 fortunate men a chance. Our Legislature 

 has just passed a law permitting owners 

 and lessees of lands to kill hare and rab- 

 bits at all seasons. That is a great mis- 

 taken. In effect it permits the killing of 

 anything at any time. 



J. R Jones, Dunmore, Pa. 



ADIEU WOOD BUFFALO. 



Th<= wood buffalo, the noblest and one of the sole 

 -remaining remnants of the bison familv not in captiv- 

 ity, are becoming rapidly extinct according to a welt 

 known Northern trader now in Edmonton. The 

 haunts of the wood buffalo lie 2 days' travel from 

 Fort Smith. For a nwber of years these animals 

 have been protected by a law which prohibits the 

 killing of them, but 1h° 1st of January, roo2, 

 this protection expired. Notwithstanding this at- 

 tempt by the government to prevent the extermina- 



tion of the animals, the trader referred to was of the 

 opinion they would be extinct in a few years. ' ' There 

 is not an animal in the herd," he said, "that is 

 under 3 years of age. The reason of this is that the 

 wolves follow the bands day and night and kill the 

 calves. There are only about 300 buffalo left and 

 their range is in a country of about 200 miles square. 

 —Edmonton (Alberta, N. W. T.), Bulletin. 



The Canadian government should de- 

 tail a company of its Northwestern 

 mounted police to patrol the buffalo coun- 

 try to keep hunters out of it, and to trap 

 and kill off the wolves. — Editor. 



GAME NOTES. 

 Will you kindly inform me when the sea- 

 son closes on antelope in this State ? 



C. C. Keeler, Jr., Luella, Nebr. 



I regret to say that the open season for 

 antelope in your State is August 15th to 

 November 15th, but I trust that neither 

 you nor any other decent sportsmen will 

 kill an antelope in Nebraska or elsewhere at 

 any time within the next 10 years. You 

 and all the other good men in your State 

 should unite in an effort to induce your 

 State Legislature to pass a law prohibiting 

 the killing of any antelope or elk before 

 191 2. Nearly all the other States hav- 

 ing any antelope have passed such laws and 

 Nebraska should have been one of the first 

 instead of one of the last to adopt this im- 

 portant measure. — Editor. 



We have had a great ducking season; 

 batteries the first week sold, on an aver- 

 age, for $100, and blinds did proportion- 

 ately well. The Swan Island club, about 

 the most prominent club on the sound, 

 has placed a limit — 25, I think — on the 

 number of ducks a member may kill in a 

 day. This is in strong contrast to the 

 Currituck club, where all records were 

 broken, all guns averaging 100 ducks 

 the opening day. Such large bags were 

 possible because the Currituck marshes 

 were baited long before the season opened. 

 Though there has been a notable increase 

 in all varieties of water fowl, it would be 

 well if all our clubs would follow the ex- 

 ample of the Swan Island club and limit 

 the slaughter. 



A.S. Doane, Waterlily, N. C. 



Out on one of the little fly ways north of Cozad on 

 Friday afternoon last, George A. Hoagland bagged 

 47 mixed ducks, but Mr. Hoagland can kill ducks 

 where other men wouldn't even think of looking for 

 them. — Omaha WorH . 



1 wrote Mr. Hoagland, asking if this 

 report was correct. Here is his replv : 



The report that I killed 47 ducks in one 

 afternoon is not true. The only duck 

 shoot 1 had last fall was about the last of 



