FROM THE GAME FIELDS. 



3ii 



a little coop and put it aboard the boat. We 

 shifted that chicken from place to place, 

 whither we went, 75 miles and half way 

 back before we found a likely place for wild- 

 cats. Now mind you, the ornary cuss 

 wouldn't feed that poor chicken a thing, 

 excusing himself by saying : "What's the 

 use? The wildcat will get it anyway." 



Of course we fed the hen regularly. 



Finally Heckcrt smelt wildcat, so we 

 hove to: he with his chicken, trap, axe and 

 lantern went ashore in the rowboat. After 

 prospecting in the scrub and sawgrass until 

 it got dark he set his trap, drove a stake, 

 tied the chicken to it by one leg, hung the 

 lantern on the stake and came aboard again. 

 When we asked him if he hadn't forgotten 

 the lantern he looked at us pityingly and 

 asked : 



"How the devil is the wildcat 'going 

 to see the chicken unless I leave the light?" 



Would you or would you not cut such a 

 hunter's acquaintance. Is he or is he not a 

 crsckcr • ' 



Dr. J. E. Miller, West Palm Beach, Fla. 



after this lapse of time. With Mr. Todd's 

 confession on record it should be an easy 

 matter to convict him, if guilty. — Editor. 



CONFESSION OR DREAM? 



In December Recreation is an article by 

 A. C. Todd, entitled "A White Rabbit 

 Hunt." After carefully reading it I am un- 

 able to decide whether it is an account of 

 an actual hunting trip, or only a story writ- 

 ten to amuse the readers of Recreation. If 

 the latter, it accomplishes its object, for it 

 is sufficiently entertaining ; if the former, 

 the author is certainly inexcusable ; and I 

 am surprised that he would venture to 

 place in the hands of an editor who so fear- 

 lessly and unmercifully roasts game hogs, 

 an article in which he frankly confesses 

 himself a violator of the game laws of 

 Pennsvlvania. 



It is generally admitted that Christmas 

 comes on December 25th, even in Pennsyl- 

 vania, where the season for killing game 

 closes December 15th. Yet Mr. Todd tells 

 us that 2 years ago last Christmas he and 

 his companion started on a hunting trip to 

 Pike county, Pa., and that the next day 

 they killed 6 rabbits, and on the 27th 8 

 rabbits. Also, that after lunch, they "pene- 

 trated deeper into the swamp in the hope of 

 meeting larger game." What kind of larger 

 game* he does not say, but I infer that 

 had they found deer, turkey, grouse or 

 quail, these would have met the fate of the 

 white rabbits. 



Had these hunters been detected by Dr. 

 Joseph Kalbfus or some active game war- 

 den $140 fine and the costs ot prosecution 

 would have been the penalty for this de- 

 lightful week spent in Pike county, Pa. 



W. H. Butler, Marietta, Pa. 



I trust Dr. Kalbfus may yet look into the 

 Todd case and if Todd violated the law, as 

 appears, he should be punished for it, even 



CAMPING IN WASHINGTON. 

 A trip to Mt. Stewart, in Washington, 

 had been .planned long before September 

 7, '02, when H. C. Ackley, Geo. F. Davis, 

 W. F. Luff, W. M. Pearson, T. J. Collier 

 and W. J. Moore left Ellensburg equipped 

 for a week's stay in the mountains. We 

 had a jolly time. If grouse were scarce,' 

 plenty of trout made up the deficiency. 

 During the week we killed only 4 grouse. 

 Did not see a track of a deer and saw 

 but one bear track. Some of the trout were 

 2 feet long and ready to eat all the grass- 

 hoppers in the country. I broke my bamboo 

 rod on one big fellow, so borrowed Davis' 

 Bristol. From that day I made up my mind 

 that I would own a steel rod before the 

 next season. Tuesday we climbed the moun- 

 tain 14 miles for bear and huckleberries and 

 were rewarded by getting one quart of the 

 latter, just enough to make one lonesome 

 pie. I happen to be an expert cook, and the 

 boys pronounced that pie the best ever. 

 Wednesday, mountain fires drove us down 

 the Tearaway river to safer grounds. A 

 long hunt and no game was our day's work. 

 The summer game hogs had killed every- 

 thing, so the lumbermen said, but a better 

 looking game country never grew out of 

 doors. The last day we camped on First 

 creek in the swamp country, when we all 

 took a stroll of 12 miles and got 2 grouse. 

 Radical measures must be taken or in less 

 than 5 years there will not be a grouse left 

 in Kittitas county. When we broke camp 

 we made a direct shot for home, disgusted 

 with our hunt, but more than pleased with 

 our fish and our good time. 



W. J. Moore, Ellensburg, Wash. 



GAME NOTES. 

 There are a lot of skunks here who have 

 no regard for the law. Game , is being 

 slaughtered daily and nightly. There have 

 been 3 nights in 2 weeks, that I know of, 

 in which some of these beasts have been in 

 my own pasture and woods. I should not 

 have known it but for the shots. Last 

 evening i took my 44 revolver and searched 

 the side hill thoroughly, where I judged 

 the shots were fired, but found nothing. 

 The reprobates either made exceedingly 

 quick tracks or kept wisely quiet. What 

 would have transpired had I found them I 

 did not stop to consider. I would at least 

 have -booted them off my premises. I know 

 of places where bums, and even supposedly 

 respectable neighbors, lie in wait at night 

 and slaughter deer when they come out to 

 feed ; but being only a private citizen and a 

 neighbor I am almost powerless to do any- 



