460 



RECREATION. 



was greatly excited. He would shoot up 

 out of the tall bottom grass, his nose, body 

 and tail in a straight line, his legs rigidly 

 set and every muscle at highest tension. 

 When his highest point of flight was 

 reached, in a frantic effort to see all 

 around him, he would do an act that would 

 make an acrobat pale with envy. 



When the game appeared on the scene 

 I scored a clean miss, but the dog held the 

 animal until I could reload. I got it with 

 the second shot and carried it home in 

 triumph to be named. It was pronounced a 

 ground hog, the Southern name for wood- 

 chuck. Its weight was 12 pounds. Later 

 I caught 6 by p 1 icing a covered steel trap 

 in tront of their holes, but none of them 

 were much over 6 pounds. I think the 

 Southern variety are smaller than the 

 Northern, and that they do not take so 

 kindly to civilization, as I have never seen 

 one near a dwelling or barnyard. 



Can some reader of Recreation inform 

 me if they are found farther South than the 

 Carolinas? 



C. D. K., Newport, Ky. 



A GOOSE HUNT. 



Two years ago my friend George visited 

 me. It was in April. Geese and ducks 

 were on their Northward flight and we de- 

 termined to go wild fowling. 



We had marked a field in which we had 

 seen many flocks alight. About 4 o'clock 

 one morning we reached the field. While 

 George built a blind of corn stalks I set 

 out the decoys. We were soon concealed 

 and ready for our game. Presently we 

 heard the honking geese and saw a large 

 flock coming in our direction. As they 

 circled close over our decoys we gave 

 them 4 shots, dropping 2 birds. For 2 

 hours we waited in vain for another shot, 

 and then went home to breakfast. 



Later in the day we noticed geese alight- 

 ing in a barley field, East of the house. 

 We went there and saw a flock sitting in 

 the field close to a shallow ditch. We 

 agreed that George should try to crawl up 

 on them while I went around to the far- 

 ther side of the field. I started and George 

 began crawling through mud and water 

 in the ditch toward the geese. When 

 within 300 yards he looked up and could 

 see their large bodies standing erect in the 

 thick stubble. He crawled again until 

 within 100 yards. Then he decided to 

 jump up, run in and perhaps get one be- 

 fore they could get out of range. When 

 the moment came he sprang up and ran 

 for the geese; on nearing them he fired, 

 but they did not fly. They were only de- 

 coys. 



J. A. F., St. Anthony's Park, Minn. ^ 



CONFIRMS THE REPORT. 



COLUMBUS, O. — Auditor of State Guilbert, Attorney 

 General Monnett and Treasurer of State Campbell return- 

 ed from Texas to-day with 500 ducks, bagged in 3 days' 

 shooting at Aransas Pass. 



I wrote Attorney General Monnett ask- 

 ing if this was true and he replied as fol- 

 lows: 



I had the honor to receive a commu- 

 nication from you subsequent to my re- 

 turn from a hunting trip at Aransas Pass. 

 State Auditor W. D. Guilbert and State 

 Treasurer G. B. Campbell, W. O. Johnson, 

 of Chicago, and Walter Bebee, of this city, 

 formed a hunting party and were extended 

 the courtesy of the Sinton ranch, near 

 Aransas Pass, between Rockport and 

 Portland, Tex. The Norther that was then 

 raging drove in a great many ducks, and 

 we were so favorably situated that our 

 party, in 3 days, killed over 500. It was 

 not a remarkable killing when you con- 

 sider the great number that came in at 

 that time. However, we felt much grati- 

 fied in being told it was one of the best 

 records that had been made there in some 

 time. 



F. S. Monnett, Attorney-General. 



You should not have felt in the least 

 "gratified" when complimented on your 

 slaughter. You should have felt ashamed 

 of it. Big bags and big records are a 

 disgrace to any man, and the Attorney 

 General of a great State should set an ex- 

 ample for decent men to follow instead 

 of one they should avoid. — Editor. 



JACK'S BEAVER TRACKS. 



Early in the spring of 1883, Jack Fos- 

 ter, John Dunkin and I went over from 

 Dillon to trap at Red Rock lake. We 

 reached the lakes shortly after the ice had 

 broken up. Dunkin went up one creek 

 and I another, looking for signs; while 

 Jack was to go around the lake. When I 

 returned to camp late in the afternoon I 

 was surprised to find everything in great 

 confusion. Dunk and Jack were overhaul- 

 ing traps and making extra drowning sacks 

 out of a piece of stuff we had been using 

 for a pack cover. 



Jack explained that he had found the 

 shores of the lake all tracked up with 

 beaver. "There are hundreds of them," 

 he said. The next morning, after a break- 

 fast cooked and eaten in a hurry, we 

 shouldered all the traps. Then, with 

 ax, auger, and some rope, we started for 

 the nearest timber to build a raft that 

 would hold up at least a ton. If the beav- 

 er could have seen us cutting, slashing, 

 and carrying logs to make that raft they 

 would have taken shame to themselves as 

 workers. We got the raft done at last, and 

 pushed off. "Right up there is where I 

 saw the first sign," said Jack, indicating 



