FROM THE GAME FIELDS. 



445 



stroked him with a small stick. The boys 

 told me after I got back that I should have 

 shot him, but I do not kill everything I 

 see in the woods. I am glad I let him go ; 

 I may want to play with him some other 

 morning, for we had a good time, and he 

 seemed to enjoy it as much as I. 



Not being able to find Jacko, I started 

 for home, with one bird out of 4 flushed, 

 and was in the office at 8 a. m. doing busi- 

 ness. W. G. Fanning, D. D. S. 



A TURKEY HUNT AT RUM POINT. 



Bunk's branch and Josh's branch meet 

 at Rum Point and empty into the St. John's 

 river through a thick swamp of cabbage 

 palmetto and cypress trees. It is just the 

 place for an old gobbler to show you what 

 he knows. 



Dan, Tanner and I left home on horse- 

 back about 9 a. m., and arrived at the hunt- 

 ing ground by noon. After we had selected 

 a place for camp we started out in different 

 directions. Dan went West ; Tanner, East ; 

 and I went down by Bunk's branch. I 

 found plenty of fresh signs and sat down 

 to try my skill at calling. If you think 

 sucking on a pipe stem or turkey bone in 

 any key you may happen to strike is all 

 that is required you will find yourself 

 mistaken when you come to try it on a 2 or 

 3-year-old gobbler. At every false note you 

 make you will see his neck stretched, and 

 saying "tuck, tuck," he will take a few 

 steps in the other direction. 



While I was seated on a log, waiting and 

 watching, I heard the report of a gun just 

 above me, and, thinking it might drive 

 something my way, I remained quiet. Then 

 I heard a second, third and fourth report. 

 Wondering what it could mean, and know- 

 ing this was Dan's first turkey hunt, I 

 started for the place where the last report 

 sounded. Reaching there I found Dan 

 greatly excited. 



"Where was I?" he shouted. "Where 

 was I sitting?" Just then a hen flew from 

 a tree she had pitched in during the bom- 

 bardment, and bang ! went Dan's gun into 

 the ground. 



"There goes another !" he cried. "Take 

 me to the place where I was sitting. There 

 were 5 or 6 walked right up to me." 



All the damage he had done by his fusil- 

 lade was to cut off a branch of palmetto 

 3 inches in diameter. Tanner came to camp 

 at sundown with 2 gobblers. My only shot 

 was at a bird at long range that Dan had 

 scared half to death. 



Next morning we started at daybreak to 

 catch the birds on the roost. As before, we 

 went in different directions. I managed 

 to get a hen within gunshot and killed her, 

 and Tanner shot another. But Dan looked 

 blue. He said; 



'•I was lying flat on my stomach with my 

 gun standing against a tree about 6 feet 

 away, when 4 turkeys, with their heads to- 

 gether, looked over the blind at me, not 10 

 feet away. And I lay there afraid to 

 breathe and watched them walk off." 



I asked him why he did not jump up 

 quickly and fire before they could get out 

 of range. 



"Thunder!" said he, "I never thought of 

 that !" H. B. Beidler, Chuluota, Fla. 



STATUS OF THE ALLARD HERD OF 

 BUFFALO. 



Missoula, Mont. 

 Editor Recreation : 



I have had a long talk with one of the 

 Allards, relative to the buffalo herd. 



Charles Allard, Sr., died some years ago, 

 and his estate was in court for settlement, 

 a decision having been rendered about a 

 year and a half ago. The family con- 

 sisted of a widow, 2 sons, now both of age, 

 and a daughter who is yet a minor. The 

 widow has since married again. The buf- 

 falo herd was owned conjointly by Allard, 

 Sr., and Michael Pablo. Shortly after the 

 decision of the court, making division of 

 the property, Joseph Allard sold to C. E. 

 Conrad, of Kalispell, 38 head of buffalo, 

 which have been placed on Conrad's ranch. 

 Last week Joseph Allard delivered 5 .cows 

 and 3 bulls to parties in Iowa He told me 

 he had 9 mere sold, and, I believe, not yet 

 delivered. New York parties have taken 2. 

 This makes a total of 57 I know of sold by 

 Joe. The share of Charles, has, I am told, 

 been sold to the Northwestern Live Stock 

 Association, and, I understand, will remain 

 on the reservation, except as taken out for 

 exhibition purposes. The daughter's share 

 is not yet sold. 



Deducting all the animals sold, there will 

 yet remain in the herd 220 full-blooded ani- 

 mals and 65 head of graded stock. The 

 larger portion of these belong to Michael 

 Pablo, who had a half interest with Allard. 

 Pablo holds a high valuation on his ani- 

 mals; perhaps high enough to permit 

 heavy sales. Last year there were 65 calves. 

 About half the cows have calves each 

 year. The fertility of the herd does not 

 seem to be on the decrease, and the pro- 

 portion of calves is as great as in past 

 years, as nearly as I can find out. Mortality 

 among calves is about the same as for do- 

 mestic animals. The cows that are half- 

 breeds are fertile with either buffalo or 

 domestic bulls, but I am unable to find that 

 the same is true with graded bulls with 

 buffalo or domestic cows. 



While the herd is being broken into 

 badly, it would appear that many years 

 must elapse before it is entirely dispersed. 

 Fifty or more may be sold annually with no 



