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RECREATION. 



driven from this vicinity. There is a law 

 against this method of shooting and we pro- 

 test regularly every season, but apparently 

 to no purpose. The game and fish com- 

 mission should have a fast launch and a war- 

 den patrolling this part of the Sound during 

 the entire ducking season. One or two ar- 

 rests and some heavy fines would break up 

 this business and legitimate shooters would 

 have a chance. Nothing that I know of will 

 run ducks so quickly as to chase them on 

 the feeding grounds with boats. The birds 

 get no chance to rest and soon leave. 



A. S. Doane, Dosoris, L. I. 



You will oblige a number of sportsmen 

 by writing a personal letter to S. S. Lock- 

 lin, of Livermore Falls, Me., concerning 

 side hunts. Game was plenty around here 

 until the hunts, of which Mr. Locklin is the 

 ringleader, were organized. Now game is 

 growing scarce. I think with him it will 

 help stop the killing and I know it will be 

 considered by all of the local sportsmen as a 

 great favor. 



P. D. Q., East Livermore, Me. 



I did not take time to write Mr. Locklin 

 a personal letter, but I did send him several 

 marked copies of Recreation, containing 

 comments on side hunts that have occurred 

 in 2 different places within the past 2 years. 

 Also marked copies of other issues, con- 

 taining letters from readers approving my 

 criticisms on these side hunting game hogs. 

 From these Mr. Locklin has already learned 

 what decent sportsmen think of this relic of 

 savagery, known as the side hunt. It is to 

 be hoped he has passed these copies of Rec- 

 reation around among his friends who 

 were to participate with him in the game 

 drives. If so, we may also hope the hunt 

 was declared off. — Editor. 



I would like to echo what W. S. Mead of 

 Woodstock, N. Y., says in June Recrea- 

 tion in regard to foxes as game destroyers. 

 He hits the nail square on the head. I be- 

 lieve foxes kill more grouse in this town 

 every year than all of our guns together. A 

 friend of mine told me last winter that in a 

 Yz day's hunt he saw where foxes had killed 

 2 grouse and one rabbit that morning and 

 this is going on every day in the year. One 

 of our most successful hunters said to me 

 not long ago that unless the State paid a 

 bounty on foxes, or something was done, 

 our bird shooting would be ruined entirely 

 in 5 years. I was very sorry to see the law 

 amended to admit killing rabbits with fer- 

 rets, for when the rabbits get scarce again 

 the foxes will kill more birds. Last week I 

 heard where there was a litter of fo>p.s and 

 soon a party of 4 were after them with a 

 crowbar, hoe and 2 shovels; also a pound 

 can of black powder and about 6 feet of 

 fuse. When we reached the hole it was un- 



der a large tree so we could not dig them 

 out. We shoved in the can of powder with 

 the fuse attached. Then we plugged up 

 the holes with dirt and lit the fuse. The 

 explosion lifted the dirt a little but most of 

 the smoke stayed in and I think killed the 

 foxes. We found the bones of a lamb and 

 enough feathers to stuff a pillow. 



E. S. Billings, Smyrna, N. Y. 



Inclosed is clipping from a state paper, 

 showing that the misguided sportsman still 

 exists: 



BAY ClTV, Mich., Nov. 28. — Ray county sportsmen will 

 endeavor to induce the next legislature to change some of 

 the game laws. They ask that the prohibition of spring 

 shooting of ducks be withdrawn and that the open season 

 for quail and ruffed grouse be changed from Oct. i to Dec. 

 1 to Oct. 15 to Dec. 15. The sportsmen say the prohibi- 

 tion of spring shooting has not increased the number of 

 ducks as expected ; but claim that ducks have been fewer 

 this fall than in 15 years. With regard to the other change, 

 they say Oct. 1 is too early for quail inasmuch as the birds 

 are not then full grown. 



Discouraged in their efforts to secure the 

 enactment of uniform game laws in the sur- 

 rounding states and envious of their neigh- 

 bors " across the line," the Michigan sports- 

 men seek to amend the laws, so that they 

 too, may kill the duck that is Northward 

 bound in springtime, to lay the golden egg. 

 It seems a shame that men who class them- 

 selves as sportsmen will persist in this 

 " penny wise, pound foolish " policy. 



The clause quoted in regard to amending 

 the quail law, is in line with the views of the 

 majority of sportsmen in this vicinity, and 

 meets with general approval. 



M. E. Denison, Benton Harbor, Mich. 



The shooting season closed here Decem- 

 ber 15th. Because of scarcity of work in 

 this vicinity there was more than the usual 

 amount of shooting clone; still a liberal 

 amount of game is left for breeding. Since 

 the snow fell I have been hunting foxes, and 

 find there are many rabbits left, notwith- 

 standing hundreds were killed. Ruffed 

 grouse are more plentiful than usual. They 

 are too wary and swift of wing for the ma- 

 jority of our shooters. Quail were not 

 bothered this year, consequently, with an- 

 other good season for breeding, they will be 

 abundant. Last week while tracking a red 

 fox I saw it jump from a large tree where it 

 had been sleeping, curled up on a limb. The 

 tree leaned a little, just enough to catch the 

 snow on the North side. Reynard had been 

 nearly to the topmost branches. He will not 

 climb another tree, nor destroy more game, 

 for a charge of shot from my new Baker, 

 caught him at 40 yards. 



J. T. M., Rose Farm, O. 



One day last summer I came upon a large 

 flock of grouse in a thicket at the edge of a 

 field. Two birds flew away, and the rest ran 

 into the thicket, " puttering." I took a little 

 detour and got right in among them. I 

 could hear them on all sides chattering and 



