376 



RECREATION. 



Our party of 3 was out one week, and we 

 could have killed 500 birds. We however 

 confined our shooting to morning and early 

 evening flight, and in no way did we violate 

 the sportsman's code. I am in sympathy 

 with your efforts to prevent the wholesale 

 slaughter of game, and am not seeking a 

 game hog reputation. I am not a ground 

 skinner, and love the sport in the right way. 

 I can say the same for the other members 

 of our party. Am glad of opportunity to go 

 on record as being a sportsman of the de- 

 cent type. The report you received prob- 

 ably was sent you by some person desiring 

 to hand our party a roast ; or may be he 

 thought us wrong in killing the number of 

 ducks reported in our morning paper. 



Our club, the Seattle Rod and Gun Club, 

 is always ready to co-operate with any one 

 for the proper protection of game and fish. 



J. Schlumpf. 



I am glad to know Mr. Schlumpf is not 

 guilty of the charge laid at his door by the 

 newspaper reporter. It is also gratifying to 

 note that so many hundreds of shooters 

 have learned, within the past 2 years, that 

 the old custom of killing everything in 

 sight is becoming unpopular. The leaven is 

 working and the campaign of education 

 which this magazine is conducting, is sav- 

 ing thousands of birds every year. — Editor. 



A CRITICISM OF KRITICK. 



Lander, Wyo. 



Editor Recreation: I desire to say a 

 few words in reply to an article in October 

 Recreation, headed " A Center Shot," 

 and signed " Kritick," Leadville, Col. 



The article he refers to was written on the 

 merits of the .25-35 Winchester, and not as 

 a treatise on dressing elk and curing meat 

 in warm weather. I am sorry I did not en- 

 ter more fully into the details of the trip 

 and thereby save " Kritick " such an effort 

 to become known as a protectionist. We 

 were not afoot on this trip, but had with 

 us 10 good horses and a complete pack out- 

 fit. The elk referred to were killed on the 

 18th and 19th of September. Each animal 

 was carefully dressed and the meat, hide 

 and head packed to camp, where the meat 

 was partly cured and cared for. The hides 

 were stretched and the heads prepared for 

 shipment, and I had chipped elk on my 

 table all winter, not continuously, but oc- 

 casionally. 



" Kritick " you are barking up the wrong 

 tree. I have been in the mountains of Col- 

 orado, Utah and Wyoming 18 years and 

 never left any game to rot on the ground 

 but once, and then I had but one horse and 

 could not pack all of it. Like some other 

 people I could not find the same mountain 

 the next day. I would suggest that before 

 you attempt another " Center Shot " you 

 lower your rear sight about 2 notches. 



W. F. Chalmers. 



HE REPUDIATES THE ALLEGED " INTER- 

 VIEW." 



Milwaukee, Wis. 



Editor Recreation: My attention has 

 been called to an article on pages 200-1 ot 

 March Recreation in which my name ap- 

 pears as the hero (?) of a slaughtering ex- 

 pedition among elk. 



I presume the article in question was in- 

 cited by a column in the Milwaukee Sen- 

 tinel that was published without my knowl- 

 edge or consent and which could under no 

 consideration be obtained. 



I desire to make the following specific 

 denials: 1. I have not been elk hunting 

 for a number of years. 2. I have never 

 killed or said I killed a cow elk. 3. I have 

 never " shined " or said I have " shined " 

 for elk, and from the habits of this animal, 

 I know this method of hunting is almost 

 impossible. 4. I am not responsible for the 

 statements made in the newspaper article 

 and it has but a small basis of truth. 



As regards the number of animals men- 

 tioned as being killed in the newspaper ar- 

 ticle and in your columns, it has grown 

 like the story of the 3 black crows. By a 

 party of 5 persons, 3 deer and 2 moose were 

 killed in 7 weeks. 



H. V. Wurdemann. 



MAY SPORTSMEN USE DOGS? 



Armington, Mont. 



Editor Recreation: In November Rec- 

 reation you say you " pity the man who 

 has to go in partnership with a dog to get 

 venison." So do I. But how about the 

 men who hunt quails, prairie chickens and 

 grouse with dogs? Is it not just as fair to 

 use a dog in hunting one kind of game as 

 another? Do you not think a deer has 

 more chance of escaping from man, rifle 

 and dogs than birds would have from man, 

 dogs and shot gun? I have noticed in Rec- 

 reation many photos of sportsmen with 

 bird-dogs and shotguns, yet no pity was 

 expressed for the human members of the 

 firms. If you took the same view of the 

 case as I do, you would condemn the shot- 

 gun and setter man, as well as the rifle and 

 hound map. 



A man who uses a shotgun to kill game 

 of any kind gives the game but little chance 

 at escape; but when, in addition, he uses 

 a dog he certainly has little confidence in 

 his ability as a hunter or else he has the 

 ear marks of a game-hog. If I could have 

 my way I would prohibit the use of shot- 

 guns in hunting. Let the man who cannot 

 secure all the game he needs with a rifle go 

 without A. A. Haines. 



I do not agree with Mr. Haines by any 

 means. While dogs are not needed in 

 hunting deer, they are needed in hunting 

 small birds. The deer is a big animal and 

 can be easily found and killed by any good 

 hunter without a dog; while hunting for a 



