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RECREATION 



business and could be made to point, that is all 

 that is necessary — he has the right stuff in him, 

 and it is up to you to see that it is properly 

 developed. If, on the other hand, he simply 

 races and shows no nose or disposition to find 

 birds by means of his scenting powers, chases 

 when he happens by luck to run onto birds, or 

 when he scents them creeps and crawls and noses 

 the ground for foot scent, it is not worth while 

 to invest much in him. 



Having made a good selection, and, to sum 

 up, this means one with plenty of courage, 

 speed and nose, and showing evidence of bird 

 sense, judgment must be used in steadying him 

 and forcing him to point and hold his birds. 

 In some cases there may be but little trouble in 

 getting the desired result, but in others, especially 

 where the young dog has been given his head too 

 long, great care should be taken not to discour- 

 age him from doing fast, snappy work on his 

 game. Too much insistence on his doing an old 

 dog's work at the start may result in his becom- 

 ing*© vercautious, and in some cases lead to bird- 

 shyness. Give him his head as much as pos- 

 sible, only checking or punishing him when he 

 has committed an intentional misdemeanor. 

 Do not restrict him in his range, nor try to make 

 him work out every corner. He will soon, if he 

 has not already done so, learn to look in the 

 likely places, and will do it better and quicker 

 than if he depends on your judgment, and is 

 continually looking to you for instructions. 



A Gun-Shy Dog 



Editor Recreation: 



I have an Irish setter dog about a year old 

 that is gun-shy. If I shoot a gun or revolver of 

 any kind off within his hearing, he will try to 

 get into the barn out of sight, or in fact he will 

 sneak and lie down any place he can find 

 where he thinks he has protection from the 

 noise. I have tied a light rope to his collar ring 

 and fired off a gun alongside of him and of all 

 the attempts you ever saw he made to get away. 

 I would leave him go to the end of the rope and 

 then call him by name, at the same time giving 

 him a vigorous yank, then pet him and shoot 

 off the gun again. I am at a loss to know what 

 to do, as he is an excellent dog, well-bred, etc. 

 His full sister could not be bought for $200, and 

 is at present owned by Dr. Gratiot, in Dubuque, 

 la. His dam and sire are good dogs broken to 

 hunt and do hunt, but poor Tramp is gun-shy. 

 Please let me know through the columns of 

 Recreation what I can do to rid him of his 

 fears. L. F. Barrett. 



Cascade, la. 



The course you have adopted with your dog 



is about the worst you could have chosen. It is 

 no good tying a string to him and yanking him 

 around with the idea of curing him from being 

 gun-shy. The dog is probably, by this time, 

 incurable, but you can try the following and 

 may possibly succeed with him: 



Allow the dog to become very hungry, keeping 

 him in a barn or cellar, and fire a very light 

 charge of powder some distance away from the 

 dog; then run in and make a lot of him and feed 

 him. Keep this up until the dog associates the 

 sound of firing with food ; gradually increase the 

 charge and use good judgment in trying to 

 decrease his fear. Cavalry horses are trained to 

 associate a pistol shot with their feeding time, 

 and by this means in a few months the horses 

 become accustomed to the discharge and ever 

 afterward are indifferent to the report of a 

 firearm. — Editor. 



About Wolves 

 We now have absolute proof of the damage 

 the wolf does to game. A few weeks ago it 

 was found that big game was being killed on 

 Grand Island, Lake Superior, a preserve of the 

 Cleveland Cliff Iron Company. A great battue 

 was organized and as a result a large female 

 wolf was shot, there was none other on the 

 island. This wolf in thirty days had killed 

 thirteen deer and one caribou. At this rate 

 she w^ould have killed ninety-six deer and 

 twelve caribou in one year. As many deer 

 ranges are better stocked with wolves than 

 with deer, it is easy to see how important it is 

 that high rewards be offered for the destruction 

 of wolves. 



The first to receive a Minnesota wolf bounty 

 fee for 1906 was Silas Puller, of Solon Springs, 

 who took in five wolves, three of which he 

 killed in the town of Nebagamon and two in 

 the town of Gordon. 



The killing of wolves in Minnesota this 

 year is a lucrative business; for each wolf killed 

 the successful hunter is rewarded to the extent 

 of $20. Of that amount half is paid by the 

 county and half by the State. In a great many 

 cases the settlers during the winter take out 

 pulp wood or cedar ties and at the same time 

 set traps and poison for the wolves. 



Why don't they make the wolves wear muz- 

 zles in Texas? A dispatch from Austin says 

 that Samuel Thomas, a rancher of Erie County 

 arrived there on January 21 to be treated fo 

 rabies at the State Hydrophobia Institute. He 

 was working on his ranch a few days ago when 

 he was attacked by a mad wolf. He had a 

 desperate fight with the animal before he killed 

 it and was bitten several times. 



