AMEF 





Game in the Adirondacks 



Adirondack guides believe that both the deer 

 and the jnoose liberated in the North Woods 

 have passed the winter in good condition. So 

 far as is known none of the moose have died. 

 Then last winter was unusally mild; at no time 

 was there more than two or three feet of snow. 



About February 8 therewas a fall of 20 inches, 

 which did not last — rain melted nearly all the 

 snow. The hillsides generally were bare all 

 winter, which is something very unusual. 



Moose, like deer, feed principally on twigs 

 of trees and on bark during the winter. In the 

 region about the Fulton Chain, where the herd 

 was released, good-sized birch trees have been 

 stripped of bark and bent over by the animals. 

 The question whether the Adirondacks forest 

 is big enough for the moose to roam in is still 

 to be settled. Compared to the woods of 

 Maine or Canada the Adirondacks are thickly 

 settled. This does not apply only to the sum- 

 mer resorts, such as Lake Placid, the Saranacs, 

 or the St. Regis Chain, which contain com- 

 paratively large villages, but also to the densely 

 wooded region of the Fulton Chain. There are 

 those who believe that the moose will get along 

 as well under these conditions as in the wilds 

 of Canada or Maine, but look for a change in 

 the habits of the animal brought about by 

 proximity to civilization. A type of moose 

 peculiar to the Adirondacks is looked for by 

 these observers in the course of years. 



The deer in the upper Adirondacks are in- 

 creasing at a great rate, notwithstanding the 

 immense number of hunters who spend part or 

 the whole of the open season there, and one 

 reason advanced for this increase is the great 

 falling off in the number of lumber camps, as 

 the timber has been cut away. Formerly the 

 men in these camps lived practically on venison, 

 in and out of season, and thousands of deer 

 were killed each year to supply their wants. 

 The camps being fewer, the slaughter has been 

 greatly decreased. Adirondacks hunters say 

 that the smaller fur-bearing animals in this 

 State are growing scarce, and the buyers for the 

 large fur houses are complaining that they can 

 get few skins. Our laws governing trapping 

 are not strict, although for many years the 



slaughter of the little fur-bearing animals was 

 allowed to go on unimpeded, and now a large 

 proportion of them have gone the way of the 

 beaver. The latter were nearly exterminated, 

 and a closed season was declared to save a few, 

 if possible, and the results have been rather 

 satisfactory. The passing of the smaller ani- 

 mals should serve as a lesson and demonstrate 

 that it is necessary to protect our big game 

 more closely. J. P. Fletcher. 



Gloversville, N. Y. 



State Game Preserve 



Illinois has a State game preserve, the State 

 Game Warden having recently leased a 150-acre 

 farm in Sangamon County. To this tract it is 

 proposed to add as rapidly as possible until a 

 really sizable preserve is secured. The pre- 

 serve has already been heavily stocked with 

 quail and English pheasants and wild turkeys 

 will be added. Illinois hopes to breed her own 

 birds for stocking purposes, in which she is to be 

 commended. 



Adding Insult to Injury 

 The Santa Cruz (Cal.) Surf is righteously 

 incensed over the application of the California 

 Anglers' Association for 100,000 trout fry from 

 the county hatchery to stock their preserve 

 on Waddell Creek. There is a grain of truth 

 in what this newspaper has to say on the sub- 

 ject of sportsmen's clubs and private preserves, 

 and we quote from the editorial: 



Sportsmen familiar with our up-coast country 

 are aware that the Waddell is, next to San Lorenzo, 

 the largest stream in this county. It is a natural 

 trout stream, with beautiful riffles and shaded 

 pools. 



The State, by the reservation of the Big Basin 

 forest, has preserved the head waters of the Wad- 

 dell for all time. The Ocean Shore Railway will 

 make it easy of access. In addition to the pic- 

 turesque canyon and steady flow of water which 

 makes this one of the finest fishing streams on the 

 coast, it empties into a lagoon, which is a favorite 

 fishing ground for striped bass. 



This is the stream on which the California 

 Anglers' Association claim to have secured abso- 

 lute fishing rights from its mouth up to the falls, 



