288 



RECREATION. 



copse, will put their heads together and do 

 all in their power to have the July season 

 abolished. These magnificent game birds 

 breed in April and May. When the sea- 

 son opens in July, numbers of hall grown 

 birds, that are scarcely able to fly, fall be- 

 fore the hunter's gun. The old birds are 

 not in good condition, and are poor 

 flyers at that time of the year. In the fall 

 they are large and plump and are swift 

 flyers, affording excellent sport. There is 

 not the least doubt that woodcock would 

 become much more plentiful if the open 

 summer season were abolished, as the 

 young birds would then be allowed to 

 reach a mature growth. 



I earnestly hope, Coquina, that you are 

 in favor of such a change in the woodcock 

 season, and will give it your hearty sup- 

 port. 



Harry P. Hays, Hollidaysburg, Pa. 



I am most emphatically opposed to all 

 spring and summer shooting.^ The open 

 season for all kinds of game should be only 

 in the autumn, and then the shorter the 

 better. — Editor. 



GOOD WORK OF IOWA GAME WARDEN. 



Iowa has a most efficient game warden, 

 George E. Delavan, of Estherville. He 

 is making a strong effort to enforce the 

 game and fish laws and has secured many 

 convictions this season. He had a num- 

 ber of duck and chicken preserves patrolled 

 during August, so the shooting would be 

 first class for the legitimate sportsmen who 

 go to these places when the legal season 

 opens. September ist. One of these is 

 Twin lakes, on the C. M. & St. P. R'y., 

 near Jolley, Iowa, about ioo miles North- 

 west of Des Moines. These lakes are 

 large and shallow and are near a large 

 marsh. It is probably the best duck pre- 

 serve in Northwestern Iowa. The past 

 season was favorable for nesting, as the 

 spring was dry, with a great deal of water 

 left in lakes and sloughs, and there were 

 heavy rains during the latter part of July. 

 From all over the State come reports that 

 the chicken and duck shooting this fall 

 is better than ever. Both the chicken and 

 duck shooting opened the ist of Septem- 

 ber. The opening of the season is the 

 best time for chickens in this State, but. 

 while there will be plenty of young and 

 tender ducks, the best of the shooting is 

 in October and early November. Iowa 

 feels proud of Major Lacey, author of the 

 bird law. Enclosed find a small contribu- 

 tion to the watch fund. Every right 

 minded man is in sympathy with you in 

 your fighl against the game hog whether or 

 not he takes the trouble to say so. 



F. W. Bicknell, Des Moines, la. 



BIG GAME IN QUEBEC. 



Being a constant reader and admirer of 

 your magazine, I venture to ask for some 

 information regarding big game, especially 

 bear, near Lake St. John, Quebec. I 

 should also like to know the game laws 

 of Quebec. 



Bill Montrose, Baldwinsville, N. Y. 



ANSWER. 



There is good bear country at Lake 

 Jim, a short distance from Lake St John. 

 Hunting would have to be done by canoes 

 and camping out. Good guides may be 

 obtained. I recommend Symon Rafael and 

 Tomas Larouche; Rafael, especially, be- 

 ing a first class bear hunter and knowing 

 all the country. The chances for caribou 

 there are good, and for moose, if one is 

 lucky and gives sufficient time. 



The close season for caribou and moose 

 is from the ist of January to the ist of 

 September. There is no close season on 

 bear. The best time to start for bear 

 hunting would be shortly after the middle 

 of August. Persons not domiciled in the 

 Province of Quebec must get a general 

 permit for hunting and shooting all ani- 

 mals, to be issued by the Commissioner of 

 Lands, Forests and Fisheries, Hon. S. N. 

 Parent. A fee of not less than $5 nor more 

 than $25 is to be determined by the Com- 

 missioner upon the permit being applied 

 for. — Editor. 



A MERITED CONVICTION. 



The more I see of Recreation the bet- 

 ter I like it. A sportsman who can find 

 anything in its pages to criticize must be 

 hard to please, or else his sportsmanship 

 is only pinckbeck. This is, I am sorry to 

 say. a lawless region; we have more than 

 our share of rooters. One lately came to 

 grief through shipping a lot of deer hides, 

 some in the red coat, to Detroit. A game 

 warden there seized the pelts and, with 

 the help of our local warden, ran the ship- 

 per down and into the pen, where he is 

 likely to remain some time. A benign 

 Providence got his work in, also, in the 

 case of 2 fellows who caught 20 dozen 

 trout, took them to town and sold them. 

 Going home they got drunk on the pro- 

 ceeds, fell out of the wagon, and were 

 run over and severely injured. Another 

 curly tail killed 32 rabbits and cut off 

 their hind legs, leaving the rest for the 

 foxes and wildcats. At this rate we will 

 not much longer be able to boast of an 

 abundance of game in this vicinity. 



Will C. Donalson. Mud Lake, Mich. 



DESTRUCTION OF QUAIL. 

 In some parts of California a single pair 

 of quails will often raise 2 broods in one 

 season, aggregating 25 to 30, This takes. 



