122 



RECREATION. 



more than they do game wardens. I do 

 not mean to speak disparagingly of our 

 game laws nor of the brave men who are 

 employed to enforce them. Every one of 

 our provisions for the preservation of our 

 game and fish is, as far as it goes, wise 

 and good ; but every man feels that he 

 would rather have the respect of his fel- 

 lows than the mere satisfaction of not 

 being a law breaker. If this feeling is 

 prevalent among ranchers throughout the 

 country, as it certainly exists in the North- 

 western part of Colorado, and is fostered 

 and strengthened, is it not the most likely 

 solution of the future of our game? The 

 slaughter of game can not be laid at the 

 door of the rancher. 



John M. Fairfield, Denver, Colo. 



A GRINGO IN MEXICO. 



Since using the Savage rifle I am more 

 than pleased with it. It shoots well, and 

 with little recoil. There is only one thing 

 I can find fault with. The Savage Arms 

 Co. recommends the miniature bullet for 

 ioo yards, but I find it worthless beyond 

 25 yards. All our miniatures were loaded 

 by the Winchester people for the Savage 

 rifle. It may be they are not the same as 

 the cartridge furnished by the S. A. Co. 

 The soft nose and the full jacketed are all 

 any sportsmen could desire. 



The other morning the Indians who were 

 working in the pit came to my tent, calling 

 "Mucho venado." Grabbing my Savage, I 

 followed their direction and saw 2 deer 

 across the river on a hillside fully 600 yards 

 distant. This was a chance I had been* 

 looking for; and I confess that my respira- 

 tion, temperature and pulse were such that 

 I should have been rejected for insurance if 

 examined at that time. 



My rifle is fitted with an ivory front 

 sight and open rear sight. 



The first deer was dropped with a full 

 jacketed bullet through the shoulder; and 

 the other, with a soft nose through the 

 head. The latter showed its expanding or 

 explosive effect when we found the skull 

 nearly cleared of brains and 4 holes blown 

 through its roof. 



Our deer are small, weighing 100 to 150 

 pounds, and on account of their color are 

 difficult to see at this time of year. They 

 are plentiful and are never shot at except 

 by "Gringos." 



There are also a few wild hogs, which 

 are hard to find, difficult to shoot, and dan- 

 gerous to tackle when brought to bay. 

 They are good eating. The woods and 

 fields are full of Mexican emails, with russet 

 topknots on their heads. Thev are exceed- 

 ingly tame and will often run along a 

 trail in front of my horse 50 yards before 

 rising. 



Enrique, Alamos, Sonora, Mexico. 



OHIO LAW SHOULD BE CHANGED. 

 We are enforcing the game and fish laws 

 out here to the best of our ability with the 

 limited means we have. If our last Legis- 

 lature had given us a gun license law we 

 should have had money enough to pay 2 

 wardens in each county, and then we could 

 have enforced the laws. As it is, our war- 

 dens have to be satisfied with the fees in 

 each case, and the fine if a conviction is 

 secured. The whole system is wrong in 

 principle. Wardens should have a fixed 

 salary in addition to fees and fines collect- 

 ed. We hope to secure the passage of a 

 gun or hunting license law at the next 

 meeting of our Legislature, and then we 

 will not have to seek men to take warden- 

 ships, but good men will seek the position. 

 Our sportsmen wish such a law. The only 

 opposition comes from the farmers, and we 

 think they stand in their own light. They 

 are willing, in fact anxious, for the State 

 to do police duty for them, enforce the 

 trespass law, arrest every person hunting 

 without a written permit, etc. ; but when it 

 comes to paying a gun tax of $1 or a li- 

 cense fee of $1 when they wish to hunt on 

 land other than their own, they have not so 

 far been willing to put up the dollar to aid 

 in securing the enforcement of the laws 

 they so much desire. The game commis- 

 sion and the chief warden are doing every- 

 thing in their power to secure the sympathy 

 and co-operation of our farmer friends in 

 this good cause, and we trust our efforts 

 may not be in vain ; so that when our law 

 makers next meet we can go before them 

 united in our aims and purposes to secure 

 the best fish and game laws possible, with 

 ways and means of enforcing them. Rec- 

 reation has a large circulation in our 

 State, and has done much good in the 

 cause of fish and game protection. We 

 are thankful for your aid in the past, and 

 ask a continuance of it. 



D. W. Greene, Dayton, Ohio. 



SHOW YOUR MONEY. 

 Along our Virginia coast there are 8 or 

 10 Northern shooting clubs which have 

 bought all the beaches, meadows and 

 shooting points. Each of these clubs has 

 15 to 30 members who shoot and hunt, so 

 250 or more shooters come down here everv 

 May and shoot Our shore creek birds. Thev 

 have been at this for the last 10 or 12 

 years, and have so depleted the birds that 

 our game association will, at the next ses- 

 sion of our Legislature, stop spring shoot- 

 ing on these birds. We ask the aid of the 

 L. A. S. to stop this spring shooting in 

 Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey. If 

 this is not done, our curlew, willet, gray- 

 back, robin, snipe, plover, etc., will soon 

 be things of the past. I trust L. A. S. 

 divisions in these States will take up the 

 matter and push it as fast as possible. Our 



