from The game fields. 



457 



When we tried again after dinner, we 

 became separated. Wells saw several 

 deer, but got no shots. I followed tracks 

 through dense willows for several hours 

 without finding game. At 4 p. m. I was 

 returning to the house, and as I entered 

 a small opening in the timber a big buck 

 jumped up and ran for the thick willows* 

 I fired 2 shots, but missed with both. 



As I again turned toward the house an- 

 other buck jumped up. I fired twice as he 

 ran directly from me, and once as he 

 turned into the brush. I noticed his tail 

 was down, and hurried to the spot where 

 he disappeared. I found blood on the 

 snow and followed the trail a mile. When 

 I came up to him he was lying down, but 

 his hair was turned toward his horns ; so, 

 to save trouble, I put a ball in his neck. 

 It was nearly dark, and I was too tired to 

 dress him. Next morning we brought 

 him in. 



We got 3 deer on the trip, and hope to 

 do as well at the same place in '99. 



M. L. Shover, French Lick, Ind. 



THE PASSING OF THE WILD FOWL. 



Here is another chapter in the sad 

 story: 



Mr. Daniel Webster, Meredosia, 111. 



Dear Sir: Your letter containing sub- 

 scription to Recreation reminds me 

 forcibly of some good times I had shoot- 

 ing ducks on the marshes about the mouth 

 of the Meredosia, away back in the 6o's 

 and early 70's. I camped on the banks of 

 the river, 4 or 5 miles up from the Missis- 

 sippi, several times, and had good sport 

 there. 



I have often wondered whether the 

 ducks and geese still stop there; whether 

 the flat lands along the Meredosia still 

 overflow in the spring and fall, and 

 whether there are enough ducks left of the 

 thousands that formerly migrated up and 

 down the Mississippi, to make it pay a 

 man to wait in that country for an occa- 

 sional shot. Yours truly, 



G. O. Shields. 



ANSWER. 



Replying to your letter: Ducks are very 

 scarce here as compared with the times you 

 speak of. We still have good shooting 

 every spring and fall, but there are not 

 more than % so many ducks as when you 

 were here. There are 10 shooters to one 

 when you were here; so the birds do not 

 get much rest. They are kept on the 

 wing so steadily they are unable to feed 

 here and soon move on. 



Many hunters come here from Spring- 

 field, Decatur and Chicago, and camp on 

 the Meredosia for weeks in spring and fall. 



Daniel Webster, P. M., Meredosia, 111. 



DEFENDS DR. KALBFUS. 



In October Recreation, Mr. A. R. Will- 

 iams, of First Fork, Pa., makes the state- 

 ment, "Our game laws have never been en- 

 forced." I take exception to this remark. 

 Never having hunted in Potter county, I 

 know nothing of the work being done 

 there to enforce the game laws. I assure 

 Mr. Williams, however, that he is misin- 

 formed if he thinks no work is done to that 

 end in the Eastern part of the State. If 

 the sportsmen of his county would form an 

 association and work in conjunction with 

 the Board of Game Commissioners and 

 such men as Dr. Joseph Kalbfus, of Harris- 

 burg, there would be little cause for com- 

 plaint. Unfortunately the representatives 

 of this great commonwealth of Pennsyl- 

 vania are so short sighted that the Board 

 of Game Commissioners has been unable to 

 obtain an appropriation ; in consequence of 

 which many violations of the game laws 

 have to go unpunished for want of funds 

 to arrest and convict the offenders. 



A liberal appropriation is what we want 

 in this State, and what we must have. 

 You, Brother Williams, can aid the cause 

 materially. Get the boys together, even if 

 there are only 4 or 5 of you, form a club, 

 and join the L. A. S. Then go to your 

 Representative and your Senator and say to 

 them, "We helped put you in office. In 

 return we ask that you aid us to get a 

 liberal appropriation for the enforcement 

 of the game laws." You will find they will 

 treat you well, particularly before election, 

 and do everything in their power to help 

 the cause along. I believe the day is not 

 far distant when the man who violates the 

 game law will be called to account more 

 speedily than for almost any other crime. 

 Dr. H. M. Beck, Wilkes-Barre, Pa. 



HE WALKS UP TO THE PEN TO BE BRANDED. 



John Kirchner arrived home yesterday from the Lewis- 

 ton reservoir after a several days' sojourn spent in hunting 

 and fishing. He brought with him 150 ducks and 80 

 pounds of fish, which he generously divided among his 

 court house acquaintances. — Dayton, O., Evening Press. 



I wrote John asking if the report was 

 correct and here is his reply: 



Yours of the 6th inst. at hand. The 

 duck story is all right, but the fish was 

 115 pounds of bass. By the time I was 

 done dividing among my friends I had 

 none left for myself, so I went back, April 

 3rd, and staid till April 8th, and that time 

 got but 93 ducks and 75 pounds of bass, 

 some of which I kept for myself. 



John Kirchner, Dayton, O. 



But how about leaving some alive to 

 breed? Are you trying to exterminate 

 the ducks, John? If not, why kill them in 

 spring, when on their way to their nest- 

 ing grounds? If you must kill in spring 

 why not be satisfied with a reasonable 

 bag? Why slaughter to such an extent a§ 





