38 



RECREATION. 



These 3 heads measured 14 to 15 inches 

 around the base of the horns and now 

 hang on the walls of our home. 



YOUNG-MAN-AFRAID-OF-THE- WOODS. 



One afternoon I started with a boy about 

 13 years old, whom I will call George, for 

 a small lake 8 miles from Lake George, 

 N. . Y. George told me he had often 

 camped out over night. After going 

 about 3 miles George wanted to rest, 

 so we stopped, and ate some apples. 

 We soon started again, however, and did 

 not stop until we reached the top of the 

 mountain. Then we had trouble in finding 

 a road that went in the right direction. 

 Not being able to find one we started 

 through the woods, but soon had to stop 

 and rest because George was tired again. 

 I finally left him and my gun and walked 

 alone to find a road. Presently I heard 

 him call and I could tell from his tone 

 that he was frightened, so I went back to 

 him. I found him crying. He said he was 

 sick and wanted to go home, but it was 

 then 7 o'clock and nearly dark. I told 

 him it would be impossible to go home 

 that night and that we might better build 

 a shelter and stay over night. After a 

 while he became quiet and helped me build 

 a small hut. We then ate our supper and 

 went to bed, as we expected to be up at 

 daybreak to start for the pond, in order to 

 fish early in the morning, when the black 

 bass bite, and the flies don't. 



We had not been asleep long when 

 George wakened me, saying something was 

 trying to break in -and he wanted me to 

 shoot it quick. He was much frightened, 

 but I convinced him the noise was made 

 by a wood rabbit, not a bear. He evidently 

 did not go to sleep for he woke me again 

 and said there was something terrible in a 

 tree near. It proved to be a large screech 

 owl. This frightened him so he could 

 hardly speak. 



By that time it had grown cold, so I 

 suggested that we go outside and build 

 ■ a fire. George was afraid to do that. I 

 told him to stay inside and I would go 

 out, but he did not want me to leave him. 

 At last he came out and as there was no 

 moon it was very dark. I had him stay by 

 the camp while I found some wood and 

 made a fire. I was almost frozen stiff and 

 so was he. Every time there was a sound 

 near us he would be frightened to death 

 and want me to shoot off my gun to scare 

 the animal away. 



After a long night, day began to break 

 and we started home instead of for the 

 lake. I decided I shall never again take 

 a boy out to stay over night. 



Ralph S. Willis, Brooklyn. 



SOUND LOGIC ON GAME PROTECTION. 



Hon. W. B. Mershon, a prominent Michi- 

 gan sportsman, writing to a friend in an- 

 other part of that state, says : 



I am glad to learn of the interest ta- 

 ken in your locality in game protection. 

 Every migratory game bird should be pro- 

 tected from the time it leaves the South on 

 its way to its breeding ground. It is all 

 right to have a reasonable season in the 

 fall in which to shoot game birds, but the 

 number killed should be limited and the 

 time in which they may be killed should 

 be made sufficiently short so that the sup- 

 ply would be maintained. In short, no 

 more should be killed than can be repro- 

 duced each year. I am decidedly opposed 

 to spring shooting and to the late winter 

 shooting allowed in the South. If shoot- 

 ing is allowed all through the winter, some 

 restriction as to the number that may be 

 killed and the shooting should be limited 

 to a certain 2 or 3 days in each week. The 

 sale of game should be stopped everywhere. 



Thousands of birds are wasted by being 

 served at hotels for banquets. They are' 

 never properly cooked and rarely are they 

 eaten, but mussed over and pushed aside. 

 I attended a banquet given to about 400 

 lumbermen in Washington, in March, and a 

 quail was served to each guest. That 

 meant about 400 birds for that one ban- 

 quet and I do not believe half a dozen of 

 them were eaten. There are probably 2 or 

 3 banquets in Washington every night in 

 the winter, so it is easy to figure out what 

 an enormous quantity of game is wasted 

 in this way. 



The writer of that letter should be in 

 Congress. — Editor. 



THE OREGON COAST RANGE. 



The Western slope of the Coast range 

 is strictly a dairy country, with a climate 

 so mild that cattle can browse all winter 

 on the dense underbrush. In this under- 

 brush elk^ deer and bear have a safe re- 

 treat from the stalking hunter, as he may 

 pass within 5 yards of a deer and not know 

 it. Only the keen scented dog will tell him 

 there is game at hand, and after the dog 

 has jumped the deer the hunter must be 

 quick and sure with his rifle, as a few 

 bounds will take the quarry out of sight. 

 Should a wounded deer get 100 yards away 

 it is lost to the hunter unless he has a well- 

 trained dog. It is thus with all game from 

 elk to pheasants. One rarely gets 2 good 

 shots with a rifle. 



All our lakes, rivers and streams teem 

 with trout. The principal rivers are the 

 Coos, Coquille and Umpqua. There is no 

 season of the year but what there is sport 



