[Feb, 4, tB&l 



GAME NOTES. 



LYKENS, Pa., Jan. 18.— Field shooting in tbis(Lykene) 

 vaih y has never been better than the past season. 

 Quail in abundance and plenty laft for seed. I know of 

 one farm on which there are at least 100 old birds, and 

 so far we have had open weather. Stiould we have no 

 severe winter there will ba thousands for next fall. 

 Myself and a brother-in-law killed fifty-three quail on 

 the first of November last over a pointer which I bought 

 two years ago through the advertising columns of your 

 valuable paper. Rabbits have also been plentiful, and as 

 we had no snow to track them in season there are lots of 

 them left. Of ruffed grouse there have not been so 

 many as heretofore, but notwithstanding their scarcity I 

 succeeded in bagging 126; they are my particular game. 



On Nov. 23 my friend Dan Hawk and myself started 

 for a ten days' hunt in Clinton county for deer and bear. 

 We arrived at North Band (Youngwoman's town), a 

 ?mall station on the P. & E. R. R. three miles east of 

 Renova. at 5:80 P. M. Alter spending the night with 

 landlord Fox, of the Thompson House, we took passage 

 on a train of timber cars for our d stination, the head- 

 waters of the left hand branch of Youngwoman's Creek, 

 where we arrived at noon. After a good dinner at the 

 loggers' camp, where we secured board (25 cents per 

 meal), we concluded that with the assistance of Sport, 

 my Irish setter, we would try to kill a deer. In one hour 

 after leaving camp 1, who did the driving, drove out 

 four deer, but as there was but one man on the watch we 

 sa w none of them. The next day we had the same luck, 

 but on Thanksgiving Day Din killed a forked buck and 

 we had him hanging up by 10:30 A. M. In the afternoon 

 I drove out a five-prong buck and Danny artistically 

 broke his neck. 



Friday was our red-letter day. While making a drive 

 for deer Sport got on the heels of an old she bear, which 

 also fell to the unerring aim of my friend. When I came 

 up to him he said: "You are a good fellow to go to drive 

 deer and then send me a bear, but he is stopped all safe 

 up the hill there." With the close of that day our suc- 

 cess came to a end, the snow melted and it rained, and 

 although we saw plenty of sign both of deer and bear, 

 we did not get another shot. So on the following Thurs- 

 day we packed up our trsp=t andwent home resolved if we 

 both live to see the fall ot '02 to have another go at the 

 game of Clinton county. W.V. B. 



_ Last week while the ice was twelve inches thick on the 

 river and everything was covered with snow, several 

 hunters out south of town noticed that there were geese 

 in some of the cornfields. By judicious creeping they 

 managed to get a shot into a flock and killed six. The 

 weather has been so warm for several days that the 

 streams are clear of ice in the swifter places and I 

 hear that there are some ducks along the river. Rab- 

 bits are very plentiful. I saw seven'drawn rabbits sold 

 for fifteen cents yesterday, and figures tell better than 

 words. They seem to be abundant in all parts of east- 

 ern Kansas. 



Wildcats and coyotes are more numerous than usual, 

 though I have not heard of any being killed this win- 

 ter. The wildcats keep themselves hid during the, day 

 but one was recently seen quite close to town. The 

 coyotes are not as shy and may be seen in the day- 

 time, but no one seems able to kill them. In a round 

 hunt at Silver Lake, six miles west of here, there were 

 three wolves in the circle but they all got away, while 

 the men were shooting at rabbits. One jack rabbit ran 

 down the line with a dog at his heels and every man 

 he passed would shoot at him. About the twentieth 

 shot the dog was killed ,but the rabbit lived till shot 

 No. 35 struck him. As soon as the crowd saw the rab- 

 bit was killed they looked around for their wolves but 

 couldn't find them. They got tired waiting and went 

 home, I think. F. B. 



Ottawa, Kans., Jan. 28. 



THE PROMISE AND ITS FULFILLMENT. 



if something is not done this winter and next summer I don't 

 think it will be of much use to hang back any longer. 



I will next quote part of an article written by Henry 

 Hall, of the New York Tribune, who has been on the 

 ground, knows the situation, and is one of the very few 

 who dare tell the truth : 



But the worst sinners of all are the summer visitors. They do 

 nor. kill the most, but their example is trie most p-.werful. I can 

 speak of this heme mvself a summer visitor. In the comments 

 by writeTs on this subject, the summer visitor has heretofore been 

 gently treated. Eveiy one of them who goes into the woods 

 spends fmm $150 to S300 on his trip. Many of them spend more. 

 YV ilbfaitt Z-egltr, of Brooklyn, a groat admirer of this munificent 

 region, aLd a constant visitor took out one party of thim -riv* 

 friends and fourteen guides fo Cauenmgorano L'ike la=t summer, 

 and ar other of twenty-five friends and fourteen guides to Ripo- 

 frenus Lake, and spent, it is estimated, marly $5,000 ir this princt-iy 

 h : aiily. These are laive disbursements, and rite aggregat e in 

 the S'ate is immense. Tne State authorities seem to feel that 

 this profitable business ougtit not to be discouraged. It employs 

 the guides, helps the railroads and hotels, stimulates trade, and is 

 a great benefic to the State. And the opinion seems to be that if 

 a summer visitor kills a few wild animals out of season, perhaps 

 notning ought to be said about it, so as not to drive the visitors 

 away. But, as a summer visitor mvself, and one who has t»3kt d 

 with others equally anxious for antlers, I >hiuk I am .iustifbd in 

 sajiDg that the State authorities take a wrong view of tins matter. 

 The law ought, to be enforced peremptorily against the summer 

 visitor?; and, if an honest attempt be made to do so, against all 

 classes alike, these very visitors will he its most cordial upholders. 

 If, however, one man from outside the State is allowed, because 

 he is a good fellow and tr<-e with his mmev, to kill a moose out of 

 season without, paying the f 100 fine, every of er free and indepen- 

 dent American in the State wtio has the chance will do the same 

 and expect to go free also; and half the unlawful killing by 

 bunteis and residents of the State is inspired by the example of 

 the summer visitors. The poor man in Maine, who either wants 

 meat for his table or can smuggle a haunch to Boston, or who 

 wants a hide for trade, will not submit to seeing the laws sus- 

 pended for the benefit of the rieh and enforced against himself. 

 He will (<md often does.) kill out of season merely f rem reverse 

 for the injustice infected upon him, and as an assertion of his 

 manhood equality with persons of wealth. It is useless to say the 

 laws cannot be enforced. 



While there is abundance of evidence from reliable 

 parties that the summer killing has been as large as 

 uswal, I have been unable, after diligent inquiries, to 

 find a single case where any attempt has been made to 

 prevent ot puni9h it. I asked one of the most prominent 

 wardens why he never went into the woods in summer, 

 and received the reply that "'be was not going into the 

 woods when the flies were so plenty." I hear that a 

 warden who never goes into the woods is on the track of 

 a Boston man who in October last killed a cow moose 

 while nursing its calf. While I sincerely hope he will 

 be able to convict him, I will say that the case was 

 undertaken only when it had become a matter of public 

 talk in Bangor; and if the offender, whose name is well 

 known here, should have to pay a fine, we phall probably 

 not see his name in the papers. There seems tobea great 

 difference in the way cases are treated. A short time 

 ago many papers had notices of the arrest of a Mr. Glid- 

 den for killing more deer than the law allows, for the 

 purpose of selling them. Five different wardens, all in 

 the eastern part of the State, near where he was arrested, 

 have been mentioned to me as doing the same thing for 

 a business this fall, but I have yet to hear of any of them 

 being arrested. A writer in Shooting and Fishing for 

 Dec. 17, who signs himself "A C«mper Out," gives four 

 cases of wardens who either killed illegally or allowed 

 things illegal to be done, and gives the names of several. 

 He, however, says: "There is evidence enough to show 

 that the fault does not lie with the Came Commission- 

 ers." I used to be of the same opinion till I was forced, 

 by what one of the Commissioners himself told me 

 repeatedly ab^ut his wardens and why he kept such men, 

 to believe differently. When a Commissioner says tbat 

 certain wardens have kept all the fines they have taken, 

 when half belonged to the State, and still has them 

 appointed to office, is it not his fault? Either he knows 

 of the actions of his wardens or else he does not know. 

 If he does not know, after being repeatedly told in print 

 and in private, he has not the capacity needed for the 

 office. If he does know, and does not remove them, he is 

 bimself as guilty as they. I charge the fault home where 

 it belongs. M. Hardy, 



Bheweb, Me., December, 1891. 



were a great many bobcat (lynx) tracks. They returned 

 to the springs on snowshoes, having been out twenty 

 days. Such trips soon make expert snowshoers and good 

 scouts. 



Not long after the above trip was made Bure-ess was out 

 again; this time with Private Saxton and Bjork. of the 

 Hospital Corps, They started from the Mammoth Hot- 

 Springs on snowshoes for the buff jIo country, going by 

 way of Norris and the Grand Can in. This was the most 

 successful trip ever made after buffalo. From the C 0 n m 

 Hotel they make a ecout through the Hayden Valley and 

 all that section known under the name "of Alum Creek 

 Country. In the upper end of the valley, on waters of 

 Alum and Trout Creeks, they found three large bands of 

 buff ilo; one of 78, and not far from these another of 50. 

 These were all lying down. The p^rty passed within 

 50yds. without disturbing them. A little over a mile 

 further on they found a band of 105. At anotbf r place in 

 the Upper Valey they saw a band of 15, three of these 

 were calvas. Burgess says that he is sate in saying that 

 of all he saw in bands, one in every six was a calf. 

 Besides the bands, they saw quite a number scattered 

 about the vall«y, one, two and four in a place, mostly old 

 bulls. One old bull was mouse colored. Most of them 

 were very dark. 



At one time when the party rounded a hill on Trout 

 Creek they suddenly came upon a large bull feeding in 

 the deep snow. He was knocking the snow sideways 

 with his head, clearing a place to root for grass under 

 the snow. They calk d out to him, "Hallo, old fallow, 

 what are you doing here?" He raised his head and 

 looked at them for a moment without moving. They 

 could see the snow matted in the hair around his nose 

 and face, ice was in the longhair over his eyes and he 

 looked like a frost king. He turned and walked away, 

 running when he came to deep snow and going through 

 it like a snowplow, pometimes almost out of sight. Bur- 

 gess says all the buffalo he saw moving would run when 

 they- came to deep enow and walk when on ground blown 

 bare. They saw and counted 280 buffalo. 



There were very few elk in the section of the valley 

 whf re the buffalo were, but at the lower end there were 

 2 000 in three bands. These were south of the Sulpuer 

 Mountain. 



On their way home they saw a fresh trail crossing the 

 road at the old hot spring beds on the Norris road. Bur- 

 gees followed it, and saw a large buffalo full going 

 toward Hayden Valley— he had come from Mt. Wash- 

 burn. Later I hope to give the Forest and Stream 

 more news about these buffalo. 



The elk, antelope and mountain sheep are quite numer- 

 ous on Mt. Everts and in the Gardiner Cation. The val- 

 ley ot Lamar River is full of elk, and the stage driver 

 says the Blacktail couniry is covered with them. 



Swan L ike Basin and the ridges leading up to Electric 

 Peak are alive with game. If some of the tourists who 

 want to see large game, and miss it in summer, would 

 come here in winter, they would be satisfied, H. 



CHICAGO AND THE WEST. 



[From a Staff Cotrespondentl 



CHICAGO, 111., Jan. 30.— Another Forest and Srream 

 project will materialize next Wednesdav evening in 

 the meeting of the Chicago Fly-Casting Club,at which time 

 a constitution and by-laws will be adopted, and the 

 scheme of action fully outlined. The rough draft of the 

 constitution left in my hands by Mr. Antoine specifies 

 objects and purposes, makes the officers president, vice- 

 president, secretary and an executive committee of three, 

 sets the initiation f»»e at $5, with yearly dues of $2, ana 

 outlines duties of officers, placing the main cares as 

 to practicing grounds, etc., upon the executive commit- 

 tee. The membership is not yet determined. It may be 

 left unlimited, but this is an unwise step in any club, and 

 means, of course, no club at all. I should think fifty an 

 ample membership, and half that would mean a more 

 active and practical body and better and more systematic 

 work. 



The following is received at headquarters of the Kan- 

 kakee Association in the matter of the S^ate league 

 organization : 



Beivtdere, 111.— Kankakee River Fish ami Game Association: I 

 see by tne papers * our plans for forming a, Sta e association, and 

 wish to say that while our organisation is small we are anxious 

 to help anything alone that will funber thi interest, and wish io 

 combine with all the rest. List j ear was our first, hut we accom- 

 plished more than enough to satisfy the most erecdy. Ynnrs 

 very truly. Boon County Fish and Game PnoTBfjarvn associa- 

 tion, Li. M. Eidiedge, Pies. 



The above speaks very well in the right way. If this 

 State league is to be a success, it must be made so by 

 support outside of Chicago. Tne country below Chicago 

 must wake up, stay awake. The meeting at the Sher- 

 man House on Jan. 13 did not establish the success of the 

 league by any means. It only established its beginning. 

 T think I can tell just what Cnicago will do in this matter. 

 She will hold back and see what the lower couniry will 

 do. Chicago will give just $200, $100 each for the Fox 

 and Kankakee Associations. She will not give lhat until, 

 say, $800 has been raised by the other clubs and associ- 

 ations outside of town. Tbat would make $1 ,000. To 

 his Dr. Bartlett will add $500. The total of $1,500 will 

 be plenty small enough for a year's work, certainly, since 

 out of that must come at least $600 for a secretary. 

 Gentlemen proposing to further this beneficial work 

 shouid first push it among the lowrr clubs, and push it 

 definitely with a definite object. In view of this, Mr. 

 Eldredge's letter is very opportune. 



We are again betwixt and between on shooting out 

 here, and little activity in such matters is shown at pres- 

 ent, as the old season is gone and the new one not yet on. 

 The middle of February has seen good duck shooting in 

 this region before now, and eyes are now set forward 

 rather than backward. The weather now is milder, 

 much the better for the quail crop, though the snow has 

 by no means disappeared in this region. 



Much sickness continues among our shooters. The 

 gup is still with us. 



From the dispatches I take the following: "Columbus, 

 Ind., Jan. 27.— At his home six miles east of Nashville, 

 in Brown county, early this morning, Henry Hover, a 

 well-to-do farmer, and his son George while attempting 

 to remove a ball from a rifle were accidentally shot, the 

 father fatally. The ball passed through the son's hand, 

 striking the father in the stomach, from the effects of 

 which he died a few hours later," 



It is not usually considered very good technique to take 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



Under date of July 26, 1891, "Special" wrote in Forest 

 and Stream: 



The reports of deer are numerous in Ma'ne. They are fre- 

 quently seen by the fishermen wn<i go into the woods.' Already 

 illegal shooting has begun. I have now one amhemic report of a 

 detr killed by a, well-known ttuide and camp keeper, and another 

 by bis guest, a Boston poacher. This dastardly work has begun 

 early, but the endirgmay not be as easy tor Ihe law breakers as a 

 year ago, wtien illeeal snoo'irg was bv far too common, as already 

 exp'ained in the fr on est and Stream. But this year the case is 

 liable to be differ* nu Tne Commissioners are neither dead or 

 asleep, and a warden is likely to drop in wben least expected. 

 Tne able and conscientious Commission has some means to work 

 with tois year, and I am sure io will be used in just such a way as, 

 the Commissioners ttieov elves relieve to be tor merest. Nei'ber 

 the opinion nor the consent of certain individuals, ihemselv es 

 poachtrs, will be asked. These indivir uals will be allowed to 

 falsify and malign ihe Commission m such of the public prints as 

 Will give ihem space, and no notice of their defence of murderers 

 and ouilaws will be taken except possibly they may be invited to 

 answer to libel suits later on. 



The close season closed Oct. 1, and to show how the 

 promise given above was kept, I quote from a letter by 

 one of our best guides, dated Kmeo, Oct. 25, 1891: 



I am going to try and start a move tr> have Jock Darling sent tip 

 here July 1 and kept, till Ocd. 1, 1B9J. Do you think we could gei 

 enough interested to dob? anu woulo h« want to eome do jou 

 ihini? I have not talked wiih Mr. O. A. Denren yet, nut think he 

 will woik haid for anything that will htlp stop some of this sum- 

 mer slaughter. As tor myself, I am on the fence at present. 

 There seems to be two thinscs a man c m do. One is io work heart 

 and toul to protect the game, and the other is to wade in with the 

 rest and get all 1 can. The sportsmen sre doing it. Tue Canada 

 Indians and. French hunters are doing all they can to wipe out the 

 moose, and cur lumbfimen are not slow, One good thine; Miss 

 Hard} 's wr-tings of fast winter did was to Fcare Jock Rut sell out 

 of ihe State. He has gone bag and bagaage riowD the Allagash, 

 ard is hunting somewhere In New Brunswick. The Sr.r>te gave 

 $7 500 last winter to enforce the game laws with, I cannot see 

 ■where $1 of it has t-een spent in this part of the State, whu-e, in 

 my opinion, it is tbe most needed, all hough Mr, Haw] tine, of 

 Belfast, told me there would be a gcod mm here sure. There 

 may have betn a rami here, but he was a long way from being a 

 good one, or he would have repor'ed some cf the game killing 

 parties. Perhaps you will say that I have forgotten that Stilwll 

 sent two wardens up here to investigate ihe iru r h of Ed. Harlow's 

 letter, but I have not. 'They came up heTe and went straight 

 dov,n the West Branch, and did tot visit one of the places which 

 were mentioned (and it is Thought here that they could not have 

 lound them if thej had warned tc y at d then went, heme to report 

 that letter a false labiication, only written to mislead tbe 

 ward* ns. Now. it is well for them I did not write that btter. ior 

 lean biing men to prove that some of it is true, and it was all 

 g- thered licm guides. Now, if Stilwell is to lay back on that 

 %1 600 and do no'hirg, what is the use for a hunter to bold back 

 ai d try to save the game when every moose hide means from $15 

 to $25? 1 have killed very little game in the last four yeare, but 



GAME IN THE NATIONAL PARK. 



YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Jan. 18.= 

 Editor Forest and Stream: We are having a gocd 

 old-fashioned winter— if hard winters are old-fashioned- 

 plenty of snow and the thermometer registering way 

 down below zero. So far tbe gentle Chinook has not 

 paid the Park a visit, although it is long past due. The 

 snow is dry and loose, making rather hard snow-shoeing. 

 As soon as the first Chinook comes it will settle the snow 

 a little, so that one can get over it more comfortably, and 

 not have to go through it as now. 



On Dec. 2 scout Burgess with Corporal Boyce and priv- 

 ates Nemo and Bronson were sent on a snow-shoe trip to 

 the southern boundary of the Park. They went on horse- 

 back as far as the Upper Geyser Basin, an escort eoing 

 with them to bring the horses back. From the Upper 

 Basin they took their outfit of sleeping bags and provis- 

 ions on their backs. Only one of the party knew any- 

 thing about snow-shoeing; that was Corporal William 

 Boj ce, who has had several winters' i xperience in tbe 

 Park. He was- a member of the troop stationed here 

 when Ed Willson was scout, and made several trips on 

 snowshoes with him, looking up buff ilo and other game. 

 Accounts of these trips have appealed in the Forest and 

 Stream. On this pcout Corp. Boyce had to go ahead all 

 the time and "beaketrail" for the' others, quite a task and 

 a severe test of a man's endurance. 



The party was driven back from Lewis Lake by severe 

 snowstorms and left their sleeping bags thpre, picking 

 them up on tbe return trip later. At the Upper Basin 

 Hotel they waited until the storm was over, and having 

 obtained an additional supply of provisions they struck 

 out once more, making Shoshone Lake the first day, the 

 outlet of Lewis Lske the second and the boundary line 

 the third. They crossed Lewis Elver on a narrow strip 

 of ice, the only place where they found it frozen over. 

 They did remarkably well to travel so far in three days. 

 They scouted out of the Park to Snake River, up Pole 

 Cat Creek a few miles, then back to Lewis Lake the same 

 day, reaching it at 9 at night. The next day they picked 

 up their sleeping bags and made the journey back to the 

 hotel in two days. The snow from Shoshone down was 

 4 to 5ft. deep. Both Shos-hone and Lewis lakes were 

 partially fr< z n over, and the ice was strong enough to 

 let them walk along on the edge of the lake. They saw 

 only an old bull elk on the whole trip south, but there 



