March 8, 1888.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



128 



The Protection of the Yellowstone National Park. 



Whereas, In March, 1872, a tract of the public domain on the headwaters of the Yellowstone River 

 was, by the wisdom of Congress, set aside as a National Park for the benefit and enjoyment of the whole 

 people, and 



Whereas, Sixteen years have elapsed without the enactment of any laws for the preservation of this 

 Yellowstone Park from injury at the hands of trespassers, or for the protection of those visiting it from 

 lawless and criminal acts, and 



Whereas, The forests of this Yellowstone National Park protect and keep ever full the sources of 

 streams which irrigate and render fertile a territory covering more than 600,000 square miles — a region 

 as large as the Thirteen Original States with Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and Iowa 

 added, and 



Whereas, The development of this territory and its adaptability to agricultural pursuits depend 

 altogether on the continuance of this water supply, which would be endangered by injury to these 

 forests, and 



Whereas, This Yellowstone Park is the last refuge for many species of American large game which 

 have elsewhere nearly become extinct, and contains natural wonders which ought to be cared for and 

 protected, Therefore be it 



Resolved, That we, the undersigned citizens of view with grave 



misgivings the unprotected condition of this National Reservation, and see with anxiety the dangers 

 to which its forests, its great game and its natural wonders are exposed, and 



Resolved, That all the members of Congress from this State are respectfully but earnestly urged to 

 use every possible effort to secure for the Yellowstone Park proper protection and an adequate form of 

 government by the immediate passage of the Bill recently favorably reported from the Committee on 

 Territories, known as Senate Bill 283, ''A Bill to amend sections twenty- four hundred and seventy- 

 four and twenty-four hundred and seventy-five of the Revised Statutes of the United States, setting 

 apart a certain tract of land lying near the headwaters of the Yellowstone River as a public park." 



Secretaries of clubs and associations, and all others interested, are urged to secure signatures to the above petition 

 and forward to the representatives at Washington. Copies of the petition on blank forms will be furnished by us and 

 sent to any address. See instructions in editorial columns. 



MOUNTAIN SHEEP AND GOATS. 



CHICAGO, Jan. 30.— Editor Forest and Stream: I 

 spent three days in the early part of November on 

 Mount Ki-icht-hvitl, in the Cascade Range, hunting 

 Rocky Mountain sheep, and fouud them more plentiful 

 thaJi I supposed it possible to find them anywhere on the 

 continent. We could frequently see four or five bands 

 at once within a radius of a mile, numbering ten to thirty 

 each and in one band we counted over fifty. We saw 

 about twenty different bands while there. Two of us 

 killed eight and could have killed fifty in the same time 

 if we had been disposed to slaughter. 



They were in a much more accessible country than I 

 have ever known sheep to inhabit elsewhere. This 

 mountain, like several others in the vicinity, is a series 

 of open grassy parks, separated by beautiful groves of 

 fir and pine from its base to its summit, so that one may 

 easily ride all over it. Several mountians in the vicinity 

 are said to furnish as good sheep hunting as this, and 

 goats are also very plentiful on some of the higher and 

 more rocky peaks. Mule deer are abundant everywhere 

 in this region; so numerous in fact as to interfere seri- 

 ously with the sheep hunting. We counted seventy-two 

 in one day without hunting for them in the least. 



These mountains are drained by Ashanola Creek, a 

 tributary of the Sirail-Kimeen River, and lie near the 

 boundary line between Washington Territory and British 

 Columbia. They are most conveniently reached from the 

 States by way of the Northern Pacific Railway to Spo- 

 kane Falls. ' Thence a wagon or horseback ride of 185 

 miles through a picturesque and interesting country, and 

 over a good road, will land the hunter at Loomis & War- 

 ing's ranch, where headquarters may be made and all 

 baggage and supplies not absolutely necessary for imme- 

 diate use should be left behind. A good pack trail ex- 

 tends from there to the hunting ground, about 45 miles 

 further. A guide, extra saddle or pack animals, tent, 

 cooking utensils, and all necessary camp supplies may 

 also be had there at reasonable prices. Any business 

 man in Spokane Falls will instruct strangers as to the 

 route to Loomis & Waring's ranch, and I will cheerfully 

 give any further information desired by any brother 

 sportsman as to this the great game range. 



SlMLIHICON, 



FLORIDA QUAIL COVERS. 



ROME, Ga.— Editor Forest and Stream: I note in your 

 issue of Feb. 23 that Mr. Pepper, who is spending 

 the winter at San Mateo, Fia., says that it is the worst 

 hunting country that he ever saw. Now, how men's 

 ideas do differ. I have shot over fifteen or sixteen of the 

 States, and some four of the Territories, and for quail, as 

 he calls them, Florida affords the best limiting ground 

 that I have ever seen. I have hunted considerably over 

 the State during two never-to-be-forgotten winters, and 

 unless I shall have the good fortune to again go there I 

 never expect to run on such good quail shooting. It is 

 true that in the ''flat woods" the bb'ds will generally 

 pitch into the nearest "bay head," but I have sometimes 

 hunted for days without a single mishap of that kind. 



Seated in a buckboard, with a quiet horse that will 

 stand wherever he is left, a small camp outfit in the buck- 

 board behind the seat, a good companion and a couple of 

 wide ranging dogs (for most of the shooting in Florida no 

 others are of the slightest account), with plenty of am- 

 munition, you are fixed for fun. Equipped in this fashion 

 it was my custom to take frequent trips of three or four 

 days' duration, and every one of them is marked with a 

 white stone. With such a conveyance you can go almost 

 anywhere, but it is rarely necessary to learn the beaten 

 road. The dogs ranging ahead and on either side for a 

 distance of 200yds. are in plain sight. Directly one of 

 them slows up." walks very carefully for a few steps, and 

 then stiffens: turn off from the road, drive to within 

 40yds. of the dogs — for by this time the other has prob- 

 ably come up and is backing the first— leave the horse 

 standing; all ready! up go the birds, and if some of them 

 are not grassed it Is clearly the fault of the shooter. But 

 the birds have been carefully marked down and are fol- 

 lowed up, and fine sport is had as they get up singly or 

 in twos or threes, until no more can be found, when 

 you retrace your steps to the wagon and drive on to re- 

 neat the same experience with variation all day. Fre- 

 quently in working up the scattered birds a second covey 

 will be found, or even a third, and in this way I have 

 frequently been absent from the wagon for two or three 

 hours. 



Pleasant camping places, with plenty of wood and 

 water — those indispensable adjuncts of camp life— are 

 numerous, and for pure and unadulterated enjoyment 

 without too great fatigue, let me commend the sports- 

 man to Florida. Ef Se. 



NORTH CAROLINA LARGE GAME. 



A CORRESPONDENT from Washington, who has read 

 "Hallock's Gazetteer," makes inquiry in regard to 

 game in this State. 1 beg to say that there are more deer 

 in the county of Onslow, which is situated on the coast, 

 than in all the counties west of the Blue Ridge. There 

 are bears also, besides ducks, geese and— oysters. If your 

 correspondent wishes to make bis visit in September or 

 October, he will find the climate in the mountain far 

 better than on the coast. But if he has borne up under 

 the malaria, which the Potomac Fiats and the sewers of 

 his city can breed, he need not fear the swamps or the 

 mosquitoes. 



A good location for him would be the base of the Hog 

 Back Mountain, in Transylvania county, near the head 

 of the Toxaway River, a tributary of the Savannah. 

 That is cis-montane. Or he may go near- the head of the 

 French Broad and try the Balsam Range. In either case, 

 he should go to Hendersonville and get transportation 

 from that point. The former is about forty miles and the 

 latter thirty from the railroad. At either place he can 

 get good air and good water, besides, if so disposed, can 

 take a few mountain trout. He might also get a deer 

 occasionally, and possibly a bear. 



Onslow county can be reached either from New Berne, 

 Beaufort or Wilmington. My advice would be to wait 

 until a heavy frost before trying that section. 



Some correspondent of a sporting paper writes that he 

 hunts grouse with a gun charged with No. 12 shot. I am 

 a skeptic as to the killing power of any weapon with 

 projectiles so small that at 35yds. there will be any 

 momentum sufficient for game of the size which he 



names. At Bob White I find that No. 8 is small enough 

 after the middle of November, though if the bird is not 

 more than 25yds. off No. 10 will be effective. But I can- 

 not be made to believe that a ruffed grouse or a pinnated 

 grouse can be stopped by No. 12 when they get off so far 

 as 40yds., even if lOdrs. of powder are used. At all 

 events, I never owned a gun which would do that sort of 

 work. Wells. 

 Rockingham, N. C. 



Hunting on Sunday.— Beebe, Ark.— When we lived 

 on Bull Creek we got our drinking water from a spring 

 that gushed out of the creek bank. We had the chills 

 that fall, and sometimes we had our chills the same day, 

 and as we lived alone then, it was a lonesome time for us. 

 Anybody who has had the real old ague chills knows how 

 hungry they get on the well days — hungry for something- 

 new to eat. One Sunday morning I took the water 

 bucket and started for the spring. When I got to the 

 creek bank I saw a green-headed duck sailing about. I 

 forgot that it was Sunday, and, dropping the bucket, 

 went back to the house for my shotgun. When I got 

 back my duck was still there. There was also a big fox 

 squirrel barking at me from a stub on the other side of 

 the creek. I thought, "A squirrel will be better than a 

 duck to make us some broth;" so I crossed over on a log, 

 scaring away the duck as I went. The squirrel was 

 rather shy and kept dodging around the stub. At length 

 I got behind a little bush and threw a sod over into the 

 brush beyond the stub. The squirrel dodged around on 

 my side and in another minute he was my meat. I 

 picked him up, and, recrossing the log, filled my bucket 

 with water and went to the house. There I found Mr. 

 Burns, one of our neighbors. As I dropped the squirrel 

 on the floor, Mr. Burns said, "Well, I won't tell of it, if 

 you did shoot it on Sunday." Not till then did I remem- 

 ber the day and realize that I had laid myself liable to 

 the law. However, it was too late to undo the deed. — 

 A Lady Contributor. 



Mr. George S. Marsh, formerly of the Northern 

 Pacific, is now general passenger and ticket agent of the 

 Milwaukee, Lake Shore & We&tern Railway, with head- 

 quarters at Milwaukee, where he will post his friends as 

 to shooting and fishing resorts. 



MAINE'S GAME INTERESTS. 



Editor Forest and Stream ; 



"Special" has hit them; they flutter, those Maine newspapers. 

 The Industrial Journal is badly hit. It takes a whole column to 

 reply and to define its position. It calls "Special" some pretty 

 hard names, all of which is not worth replying to. The Journal 

 says: "We sincerely desire that the fish and game interest of 

 Maine shall be fostered, protected and developed, notfor the bene- 

 fit of a favored few, but for the good of all. We want to see a 

 system of real protection in operation, even at the expense of less 

 law. The policy of the past has been worse than useless, and a 

 better one ought to he adopted before it is too late. We believe 

 that an efficient system could easily be devised and maintained, 

 but never till its promoters recognize the defects of existing 

 methods, and cease to attribute their failure to the ignorant, law- 

 less and vicious character of the people." In this paragraph is a 

 plain confession of all that "Special" has asserted concerning 

 that paper; that the Industrial Journal is avowedly hostile to the 

 enforcement of the existing fish and game laws of Maine. It 

 declares that the policy of the past has proved worse than useless. 

 In anothor oaragraph it also declares that these laws should be 

 "elastic;" that they must be enforced in a "liberal spirit." Other- 

 wise they "will prove tyrannical." Laws elastic and liberal! That 

 is the style of law desired by the IndmtriaL Journal. How elastic 

 and how liberal? Elastic laws are good. They will stretch a 

 good way, and iu the hands of a putty-faced officer they could 

 manage to cover almost any case of poaching that might come 

 under his observation. With "elastic" and "liberal" laws the 

 fish and game of Maine could be fostered, protected and 

 developed, fostered just as the hawk fosters the brood of chickens, 

 against the time of another meal. As to protection and develop- 

 ment, it would be just as the wolf protects the flock of sheep, 

 finally developing them all into its own belly. 



At the top of the column, the Industrial Journal says that it 

 was "the first to urge the importance of wise and stringent laws," 

 but a little way further down in the same article it declares that 

 it is now in for "elastic" and "liberal" laws. It would have the 

 game laws wise and stringent aud at the same time elastic and 

 liberal. They should be lull of "policy," and allow of tue getting 

 of t he game to the sportsman's home after he has killed it. In fact 

 the nature of the crime should be decided entirely by the nature 

 of the case. The length of the sportsman's pocket should have a 

 good deal to do with the elasticity; it should then and there stretch 

 to its utmost capacity, it wants a law that shall be in repute with, 

 those who break it, and a law that shall "lead" aud not "drive" 

 the class of people that it is designed to affect. Well, commend 

 the Journal to the lawmakers of the land. They all along have 

 been making a grand mistake. It is elasticity that is wanted, not 

 force. 1 he law should be at the thief forever. The murderer snould 

 be hung with an elastic rope that will stretch to the ground, 

 and then let him go home and about his business, after the fuss is 

 all over. An elastic law in the woods of Maine would be exceed- 

 ingly desirable. In fact it is just wkat all the breakers of the 

 game laws have been so clamerous for during the past five or 

 six years; or at least since the enforement of stringent laws have 

 been attempted in that State. 



But the Journal says that the enforcement, of the existing game 

 laws has been a failure. Such is not the truth. Under the present 

 laws there has been an increase of the more valuable game fishes 

 in that State, as witness the inci ease of salmon in the JnurnaVs 

 own city, Bangor. Under the same laws there has also been a 

 most wonderful increase of deer in the forests; an increase in 

 caribou, and something of an increase in moose. The present- 

 system of law in that State has stopped the shipment of game to 

 the Boston market; whereas, during the November, December 

 and January of the winter of its enactment, over 800 deer tound 

 their way to that market from Maine. For such reasons the law 

 which prevents the sportsman from out of the State from getting 

 his deer home, was enacted. The Maine game laws are not all 

 that could be desired, but they do not need elasticity. Their en- 

 forcement may not have heen as perfect as could be asked for, but 

 it has been because the gingerly policy of the State in the matter 

 of money has not permitted of suca enforcement. The Industrial 

 Journal says that the Legislature quietly "repeated" a little ob- 

 scure clause in the law. It means, though it does not say so, that 

 the force of the enactment was to deprive the Fish and Oame 

 Commission of about all means— money— for the enf , rcement of 

 the law. It might have said in so many words, that the Legisla- 

 lature quietly took the fines from the wardens, who work to en- 

 force the game laws, and gave the money to the county where the 

 poaching is done. Hence, the wardens are doing little or nothing. 



Special. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



In looking over your issue of Jan. 12 I was particularly inter- 

 ested in an article written by "Special" on Maine large ga.ne, but 

 I do not think he was severe enough ou pot-hunters, law-breakers, 

 and the inefficiency of game commissioners to execute the laws in 

 and out of season. I went on a six-weeks' hunt up ou the Kenne- 

 bec last fall. I went to Maine because I wanted to kill a moose, 

 hut last fall was poor for hunting large game, owing to dry 

 weather, absence of snow, and scarcity of game. Even with one 

 of the most experienced guides and hunters on the Kennebec to 

 assist me iu finding game, I failed to get the moose, and only suc- 

 ceeded in killing and trapping a limited amount of smaller game. 

 My hunt was rather tame, but I enjoyed it all through, as I met 

 with very kind people and made some very warm friends. I also 

 learned much of the true inwardness of hunting in Maine in the 

 open season and heard a good deal about hunting big game out of 

 season. 



Yes, gentlemen, the number of moose legitimately killed in 

 Maine last fall was rather small, and no doubt the record given 

 as "ten or twelve" by "Special" is nearly correct. But who is to 

 keep the record of the pot-hunters and game stealers out of sea- 

 son? This talk about game being on the increase and Maine be- 

 coming a "paradise" for game and sportsmen is all bosh as long 

 as the pot-hunter is allowed to kill with impunity both in and 

 out of season. "Special's" record of moose killed out of season 

 last year is entirely too low if one-tenth part of what I heard on 

 the Kennebec and in the vicinity of Spencer and Pierce ponds is 

 true. I was informed by several reliable men that they knew of 

 one man in that vicinity who had boasted of killing over a dozen 

 moose himself last year and had sold tiie meat to lumbermen 

 and boarding houses, as beef. He went after them on snowshoes 

 and killed most of them in February and March, 1887, when the 

 snow was so deep in the woods that the poor creatures could not 

 go out of their yards, it was further alleged that this same 

 notorious pot-hunter would spot all the moose in season he could, 

 so that he would know where to find them when the snow should 

 be deep in the spring; he even went so far as to start ihem out 

 of their yards and drive them into localities cantingent to lumber 

 camps for his illegal slaughter in the spring; and then he made 

 his brags about it to more modest hunters. 



I heard a great deal about running moose down on snowshoes, 

 and at first I thought it must be a great feat and I almost 

 trembled for fear that if a snow should come I might get left; 

 and as I count considerably on my running Qualities and endur- 

 ance I felt some anxiety about the mortification I might have to 



