FROM THE GAME FIELDS. 



459 



THE GOOD WORK GOES ON. 



A sportsman's club having for its object 

 the preservation of game and the enforce- 

 ment of game laws has been organized in 

 this city, with Frank C. Oschever as secre- 

 tary. The club has successfully prose- 

 cuted one person for fishing out of season, 

 with fine of $20. Last Sunday the club 

 turned out en masse on a hunt for blue 

 jays and it was a blue day for the jays; 

 some 400 being killed. It has been fully 

 determined that these birds have no re- 

 deeming traits, are destructive of quail 

 eggs and in other ways are a nuisance. 



Trout fishing engaged the attention of 

 sportsmen here last season, with only fair 

 success reported. The streams have been 

 restocked, and with an abundance of rain 

 again this winter fishing will be good. 

 Later, we will have dove, quail and deer 

 shooting in the mountains hemming in 

 Santa Clara valley. Duck shooting is also 

 good here in the season. 



We do not have much complaint to 

 make concerning game hogs. Yet some 

 missionary work can be done. Sportsmen 

 here do not kill or catch to sell and usu- 

 ally are satisfied with reasonable numbers. 

 We had fastened on us here for years a 

 political pest who fattened on a salary of 

 $100 a month as game warden, who 

 never had a rod or a gun in his hand and 

 who rendered no service in return; but 

 having got rid of him the club will try to 

 look after the interests of the community 

 in this regard, it being conceded that game 

 and fish are the source of much profit to 

 a country in the way of bringing tourists 

 into the valley. 



C. L., San Jose,, Cal. 



OPPOSES NON-RESIDENT LICENSE. 

 I read Recreation each month with great 

 interest, and am especially pleased with 

 many of the articles in regard to the pro- 

 tection of game ; but are there not different 

 sorts of game hogs ? For instance, the laws 

 of many States prohibit non-residents from 

 shooting. There are hundreds of sports- 

 men who would not break the game laws 

 under any consideration, yet these men hap- 

 pen to live where there is no game. 

 By going 30 -or 40 miles they might enjoy 

 a few days' shooting, but they can't go into 

 another State without paying $10 to $25. 

 Take this community, for instance. Here 

 we have hardly anything but deer. By go- 

 ing down Green bay a few miles we could 

 get fairly good duck shooting, but it will 

 cost us $25. Even then we only stay one 

 day. When I was South a man could not 

 shoot in Virginia if he owned a million 

 dollars' worth of property there, unless he 

 was a resident of that State one full year 

 previous. That certainly is not according 

 to the Constitution of the United States, 



which says the rights of the citizens of 

 each State shall be equal ; or, "The citizens 

 of each State shall be entitled to all privi- 

 leges of citizens of the several States." I 

 want to see the game preserved, but not to 

 preserve it so we can kill it all ourselves. 

 To show our neighbors that what we want 

 is not to take care of the game except in 

 order to play game hog in our own State, 

 and not let our friends shoot a gun any- 

 where in this great free country, seems to 

 mc mean and selfish. 



Frank F. W. Greene, Escanaba, Mich. 



A VALUABLE GUIDE. 



I am glad to see the name of C. H. 

 Stokes, Mohawk, Lake county, Florida, 

 added to Recreation's list of good guides. 

 Some of the happiest recollections of my 

 life center about the days spent with him 

 in the search of game and health, both of 

 which I found, among the sand hills and 

 crystal lakes surrounding his charming 

 home. Next to the satisfaction of killing 

 game is that of having it well and appro- 

 priately served; and Mrs. Stokes is as de- 

 lightful a cook as her husband is guide 

 and companion in the woods. "Grease 

 and grits," nor any other of the gastro- 

 nomic horrors of the back woods of Florida 

 ever enter into the cuisine of their house- 

 hold, where the comfort and pleasure of 

 guests are carefully studied. 



Mohawk, while easily accessible, is off 

 the beaten line of tourist travel and has 

 never been overhunted. Quails and doves 

 are plentiful everywhere, the lakes are full 

 of big mouth bass, while only 12 miles 

 South is a practically uninhabited country 

 abounding with deer, bear, squirrels, etc.. 

 turkeys, ducks, quails and other game 

 birds. A camp hunt into this country with 

 tents, cots, and all other paraphernalia 

 necessary for comfort is an experience to 

 be treasured as long as memory lasts. 



The devotee of the rod, gun or camera 

 will find in Charlie Stokes a congenial and 

 intelligent companion, a faithful and effi- 

 cient guide, and his home a delightful 

 place in which to sojourn in a climate 

 where it is "summer in the winter time." 

 Ned Lee, Floral Park. N. Y. 



WOODCHUCKS IN VIRGINIA. 



W. A. Bruce has an interesting article 

 about woodchucks in November Recrea- 

 tion. I can not, however, agree with him 

 that there are no woodchucks in Virginia. 

 I vividly remember an experience I had 

 with one when a boy; the place being only 

 40 miles from Richmond. 



During the latter part of a summer, when 

 walking up a dry creek bed. I noticed my 

 cousin's pointer, which had followed me, 



