186 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Sept. 4, 1897. 
in the propagation of the pheasants, -were summoned to Bal- 
timore and a consultation was held. A determined effort 
will be made to save the birds in the Seneca farm pens, and 
prowlers around these pens at night or at any time will have 
a warm welcome prepared for them. 
The members of the club are at a loss to iind a motive for 
the crime. It is believed the poisoning is done by some one 
who has a personal spite against the club or some membsr of 
it. Wlien Butler was arrested last year this absence of mo- 
tive was also noted. 
The value of the pheasant-brpeding industry to the farmers 
in the vieinity of the Bowley's Quarter Club is acknowledged 
by all of the latter. The operations of the club are said to 
have given a large aumbfr of men emoloyment all the year 
round in improviog the premises of the club. Hundreds of 
birds have fscaptd'to the neighboring farms, and prior to the 
poisoning the pheasants wpre believed to be as numerous as 
partridges in the vicinity, and many pheasants have been 
furnished free bv the club for others to use in breeding. 
Mr. Brehm's flock was started by a few birds obtained 
early this year from ]\lr. McVicar's stock There were 400 
fine birds in the pen when the poisoner bfgan his work. 
A number of turkeys and chickens belonging to Mr. 
Davi-on were also poisoned, and Messrs. McVicar and Dw- 
ison fear that members of their families may get the dreaded 
arsenic through the fowls and sutfer death. They fear that 
the poisoner may directly try to make pfrsons instead of 
fowls his victims. The loss will exceed $8j000.—-BaUmore 
Stin. 
THOSE JACKSON HOLE ELK. 
EvANSTOK, Wyo. Aug. 18 — Editor Forest and Stream: 
Some time early in July, last, you published an article rela- 
tive to a certain lot of elk then — and now — in the possession 
of J. A. Adams, a resident of Jackson Hole, in this county,/ 
which article was largely commented upon by the press of 
our S'ate and adjoining 'States. As County Attorney, I took 
th.- matter up wi'lh a vievr of prosecuting any person violat- 
ing our game laws. To this end I asked the game warden 
ot the said Hole lo furnish me the facts; I also requested Mr. 
J. A Adams to do likewise. Adams forwarded such facts 
to the press for publication, while Mr. Manning sent in an 
affidavit, both of which I herewith inclose, and, as you have 
taken this question up, I trust you will publish such state- 
menls, that the facts may be known by the readers of your 
valuable journal. 
You wi!l greatly oblige me and all friends of the game by 
giving space to the inclosures. J. W. Sammok. 
Statement of Game Warden Mannin/E?. 
Jacksok, Wyo., July 16.— rZ TT Sammon, E»q , County 
Attorney, Evanston, WyO. —Deati Sih: Herewith the affi- 
davit, as suggested in your recent letter. I trust it covers 
all 1hepoint.s"desired. It is to be hoped that, should this 
game question ever come bafore the court, it may develop 
enoue;h to get our legislative body to see it in its proper light. 
I have been a close student of this question, and am satis- 
fied the proper way ia only to grant permits for the capture 
of elk iu the manner in which Mr. Adams has captured tliote 
he now holds. Heretofore those captured under permits 
have been taken when it was necessary to run them down 
either wi^h horses or on snowsh' es, and one way was as bad 
as is the other, as more would be killed than were caught. 
In this way — the way Adams caught his — it was a positive 
benefit to the elk, to the country, and to the individual, as it 
was like making something out of nothing, as undoubtedly 
nine out of ten would have died if they had not baen taken. 
A property right should accrue to the individual m game 
taken in this way, and mch taking could not be abused, as it 
would always be a matter of notoriety when such conditions 
existed. I ihink taking game under any other circumstances 
should be absolutely prohibited. / 
The elk did much damage here during the past winter, as 
starvation made them fearless, and many people had to both 
night and day herd their haystacks and drive them away lo 
certain death, when had they felt certain of acquiring own- 
ership, perhaps hundreds might have been taken up by our 
citizens Undersiand, thai all haypen frames here are from 
6 to 8ft, high and strong, but against the combined attack of 
a herd of elk, such fences, even, a.ie as nothing. 
W>i. F. Manning. 
Affidavit of Game Warden Manning, 
STATE OF WTOMXSG, | 
COTJNTy OP COOK, 
WilijIAM F. MankVng, being duly sworn, deposes and 
says that during the winder of 1895-7 be was Deputy Game 
Warden for the Jack^^on Hole region: that he is well ac- 
quainted with Mr. J. A. A lams, and with the circumstances 
under which the siid J. A Adams captured or tooR posses- 
sion of the elk now in his possession. That the facts are; 
that the .'aid Adams mentioned the fact to affiant about 
Feb. 1, 1897, that he should like to take up some elk for do- 
mestication and Rsktd afflaui's opinion upon the point of a 
violation of the game laws of Wyoming ; that, considering 
the fart that elk were then dying in great numbrirs', it was 
affiant's opinion that it would not only be no violation of the 
game laws, but a positive benefit to the elk and the country 
if they should be taken up and cared for, and that he then 
expressed such opinion to said Adatrs; that thereafter, prob- 
> biy between Feb. 1 and 15 following, said Adam's did take 
up a number of said elk, many of which were too far re- 
duced by starviition to bii saved, but by careful feeding on 
the part of Adams, the greater portion of those taken were 
saved. Affiant further says that there is np ranch in this 
region known or having a reputation as the "Moose Head 
Ranch." though affiant has understood that it was the inten- 
tion of B. R. A iams, deceased, to so name his rancti, but 
such name had never been used here, and the ranch of said 
B. R. Adams, deceased, adjoins the ranch of J A Adams 
That all of the. elk taken by the said J. A. Adams, that 
livi d, are still held and kept by him. Further, affiant says 
that the game laws are bi-ing well observed in this region, 
and bul one violation has come to affiant's knowledge for 
the present season; that the instruction of county attorufy 
and btaie game warden to punish violators i^ being strictly 
followed ■ Wm F. Manning. 
SuDscribed and sworn to- bafore 
me this loth day nf July, A D. 
Mohes W. Pettiguew, 
United States Commissioner. 
Published Statement of Mr. Adams. 
In view of the far t that the Sun-Leader in an article of 
date July 8, 1897, relating to elk says many things which 
unjust and untrue, not only in its own version, but in 
publishing the copy of the Foeest and Stream article, 
which is in every respect false. I shall express my own opin- 
ion as a layman of the rights involved in the controversy 
now going on between the State authorities upon one side 
and County Attorney Sammon and others on the other, and 
nf which i am the main issue involvtd. If, therefore, as I 
intend to make myself understood, 1 am guilty of a crime 
against the Slate laws, I should be prosecuted: otherwise I 
should be entitled to consideration in the premises Being a 
resident of the State, who upholds the intent and spirit of 
the law, and wh) refuses tc recognize, either by attempt'^d 
persuasion or threats of prosecution the opinion of any per- 
son except that given by a judge of one of the honorable 
courls of Wyoming, I reply to the article mentioned as fol- 
lows: 
That during the winter season of 1896-97 the yearling elk 
died in large numbers in this valley and in the immediate 
vicinity of my home. All of the yearling elk died except 
those expressly provided for. Hundreds of elk of all classes 
forced into my hay corrals for sufficient substance to keep 
them from starvation, and in a spirit of sorrow and pity that 
those animals .should die, when by an act of kindness their 
lives could be saved, I took advice from my neighbors and a 
deputy game warden, and with a full belief and with an un- 
derstandins from my neighbors that I was doing what was 
right and just and what they would do were they situated as 
1 was, I allowed many hundreds of the animals to come into 
my corrals and inclosures. When spring came 1 retained 
twenty seven head of yearling elk for the express and only 
purpose of domestication after the winter was over. After 
the spring was on. I was confronted with a demand to turn 
the elk out or suffer the consequences of my alleged unlaw- 
ful capture of the elk in question. Investieation disclosed 
the fact that the deputy game warden, Mr. White, had 
represented to the State officials that 1 had unlawfully m- 
ciosed 177 head of dk. I refused to turn the elk out upon 
the mere demand of the game warden. Then followed the 
-opinions of Attorney- General Fowler, the replies of County 
Attorney Sammon. Then followed a second demand of 
deputy game warden for the release of the elk. I told him 
to take them, as I would not resist any lawful process of a 
court for the elks' release. So far the deputy has not turned 
out the elk. These are in main the facts up to the present 
time, and it too plainly shows that the article in the Sun- 
Leader, having as it does the ear-marks of the powers that 
be, is maliciously false, uncalled for; and to the mind of any 
one versed in the ins and outs of this question, was for the 
purpose of "jumping on" the county attorney of Uinta 
cjunty. Whether or not this is good politics, I am not will- 
ine to admit. 
So far as I am concerned, I have at no time shipped or in- 
tended to ship any of the elk now in my possession. 1 have 
never applied for a permit for such purpose nor do I intend 
to. 1 have no interest in the Moosehead ranch, and the 
game in question is not retained in gross violation and con- 
tempt ot law, as is broadly asserted in the article mentioned. 
There is not now nor has "(here been any collusion between 
the Hon. County Attorney of Uinta county and myself 
with reference to these elk, and this bold subterfuge indi- 
cates the depths to which the correspondent would go to 
gratify the ambition of his Wyoming employers. 
I do claim for myself that the elk in question were saved 
from the sure and certain fate of starvation; that at no time 
did 1 violate any law in retaining them, and that, outside of 
the Attorney General's opinion (and he is not the court), 
there is no opinion in Wyoming courts establishing a prece- 
dent as to whether I am the worst game poacher or destroyer 
in the State. I stand ready now as I have in the past to 
obey the law. When it n ay be decided by the courts 1 have 
no rights, 'hen it setms to me will be the time for the irre- 
sponsible FoKEST AND StkeAm correspondent and his con- 
temporaries to make their kick. 1 have read many articles 
upon the capture of these elk, and this is the only one 
authorized by me, and in all deference to those who have 
gone before "l can only request a careful perusal of the 
same. 
And it may be stated here that when it may he necessary 
to live and enjoy property rights without first recognizing 
and obeying demands arising out of the smokes of other bat- 
tles, then 1 am willing to .sacrifice what interests I may have 
in combating these inferences of a speculative nature 
engrafted into the controversy of the elk. 
JosHU-4. A. Adams. 
SHOOTING CANADA GEESE. 
One bright Octobrr afternoon, as 1 was siting outside my 
little tent in North Dakota, gazing over the great plains, my 
eye was suddenly attracted by a black line moving along the 
western horizon. 
It look but a minute to distinguish what I was looking at 
to be a flock of Canada treese, and after following them 
along for a short time, I discovered they were heading 
toward a little sheet of water which lay not a great way from 
where I sat „ , . ^ , -r 
Although I did not count on kilhng any of this flock, I 
thought 1 would try my luck at it anyhow; so picking up 
my gun and a few BBs I started with my dog down a ravine 
which led to a slough IflOyds. or so away. As this was the 
only water within several miles around, I thought it was 
very likely that the birds would swing up to it, and if I was 
within gun range at the time I might happen to drop 
one or two, as their big. white breasts offer a splendid 
target. 
Slaking my way rapidly through the dry grass, I managed 
to reach the water before the birds were very near, and 
placed myself amid the thick rushes, which formed a good 
blind; then cautiously gazing in the direction of the birds, I 
saw that they were then coming toward me. Whether they 
saw me at thai minute I do not know, but they swung off lo 
the side, and when I saw their big breasts turn up and their 
wings tip to the side, I thought, greatly to my sorrow, that 
they Avere surely gone; but quickly thinking of the call in my 
pocket, which had attracted these birds before, 1 lost no time 
in ^ ringing it to my lios, and soon had their familiar call — 
Honkf liwonlc! Bonk! kwonk! —tingrng through the air to 
perfection. 
I continued blowing the call for several minutes until I 
finally heard the echo of it from the birds, which the whole 
flock seemed to be answering. Then quickly locking my 
gun I pee])ed over the reeds, and saw once more to my great 
delight that they again were heading toward me, and I 
watched them grow larger and larger, nearer and nearer, until 
I finally had the pleasure of seeing the whole flock lioyering 
above my head. 
^'It's a magnificent shot," I thought to myself, as 1 singled 
one of the bii'ds out and traced it along over my gun rib, and 
when at last the report rang out I saw a few feathers drop 
out, but the loads did not seem to hit square enough to bring 
it down. As the flight of these fiirds is not so swift as some 
we have to deal with, I managed to get another shell in my 
barrel before they got out. of range, and as the tail-ender of 
the flock sailed very saucily away. I drew a line on it. When 
the shell exoloded 1 heard the shot beat on the bird's side, 
and- in two or three seconds it lost its position in the "V" with 
its mates, soon hitting thp ground with a loud bounce, which 
brought the expression of "Gee whizz!" which any shooter 
seeing one of these big birds fall will utter, or its fquivalent, 
for it seemed as if it shook the earth. After locating my 
bird I looked at the remainder, and saw to my delight that 
the bird 1 had picked the feathers out of was lowering from 
the rest, and watching it with anxious eyes I finally had the 
satisfaction of seeing it safely in the grass, upon a little hill 
a few rods away. My dpg and I were soon busy hunt- 
ing up the bird 1 had first seen fall, and in a 
short time were in opposite directions tracing for 
the stain of blood on the clear yellow reeds. We spent a 
long time eagerly searching, until finally I heard a whine 
from my dog, and looking toward him, I saw he was work- 
ing lively in the grass, with bis tail waving as fast as it could 
go. I knew what this meant, and following him up a few 
paces he at last led me to my bird, which 1 found to be an 
extra large one, and gazing upon it I came to the conclusion 
that my long search was amply rewarded. It is not such a 
light thing as one might imagine to have one of these mon- 
archs of the Canada prairies on your back, and after I had 
shouldered the big bird I thought I would go back to my 
tent, and leaving it there, resume search for the other one, 
which I had marked down upon the hill; but thinking that 
the second one might on !y be winged, 1 decided to hunt it 
up then, and if I could find it I would return to the camp 
better satisfied with the two. My dog, knowing what I was 
after, was oil before I knf w it to find the second one, and all 
the whistling 1 could produce had no effect on him; so I 
started back for the place where I had seen it fall. 
I made a thorough search upon the summit of the hill 
where I had marked it down, and after tracing the same 
ground over a number of times without seeing a spot of blood 
or a ugn, I got disgusted and took a seat upon the grass to 
await my dog's return. As 1 suddenly looked to my right I 
spied three mallards coming directly for me, and quickly 
slipping a pair of No. 4 shells into my gun, I buried myself 
in the grass to wait for them to swing over. They were fly- 
ing down wind, and soon came whizzing by in single file and 
offering me an excellent shot. 
Throwing my gun a few feet ahead of them, I followed 
them along a second, and opened up with both barrels iu 
quick succession ; at the moment the gun cracked two doubled 
up as if they had a sudden cramp, and fell in a lump upon 
the ground. 1 kept my eye upon the lone bird left, which, 
after flying some distance off, gradually swung around and 
started back in search of its mates, which so suddenly had 
disappeared. Keeping well under cover, and letting out a 
few squacks similar to its call, I managed to draw the bird 
within good gunshot; and when the report of my gun rang 
out, the shot seemed to strike it in the right place, for it sud- 
denly changed frora-its quick flight and came down through 
the air heels over head, until it finally struck the ground. 
At the report of the gun my dog appeared, and after spend- 
ing a few minutes working in the grass, he delivered up the 
three birds I had so successfully brought to bag. My dog 
and I spent a long time after this in searching for the second 
goose where I had seen it fall, and when I was making up 
my mind to give up the chase, I noticed that the dog was 
following up a trail toward the rushes of the slough, where 
we had found the first bird. At first sight I thought he was 
only going over the tracks of the bird which I had over my 
shoulder; but after watching him a minute or so, I saw he 
was really in earnest on the trail, so I hurried over to him 
and backed him up in the tracks he pursued. 
As we grew nearer the water, I heard a rustling of the 
weeds ahead, which I at once starteel for, and after I had 
taken a few lively steps through the soft mud near the water's 
edge, I at last laid hands upon the bird 1 had so long been 
hunting for. 
When I had my string tied together, I found I had quite a 
load, and as the sun was now sinking behind the western 
hills, I threw gun over shculder and started for noy tent, 
which I reached before dark, tired and hungry, but well 
satisfied with the contents of my string, P. C. Heabd. 
UPS AND DOWNS OF HUNTING. 
A TiETTER recently received from A. J, Spearen, who 
has camps at and near Spider Lake, Me^ may be of some 
interest to sportsmen planning a trip to Maine the coming 
season. 
Spearen writes that his camps are well fitted, and that 
sportsmen will find plenty of room, and that he is in the 
best moose region of Maine. Caribou are quite plenty, and 
a great many deer. Trout fishing is first class. I inclose a 
photograph he sent, which shows the result of five succes- 
sive casts, the total catch, eleven in number, averaging over 
lib. each. Much larger trout are easily caught, but the 
photo represents what he says. He proposes taking parties 
in by way of Moosehead Lake, giving them a fine trip 
through a chain of lakes, and to go out via Oxbow. A 
number of gjod heads of both moose and caribou were killed 
last season on his grounds. 
Personally, I have known Spearen for a number of years, 
and he is a first-class guide. His camps are quite a distance 
back in the wilderness, and it takes some tune to reach 
them. 
On my hunting trip^ after such game as moose, caribou, 
bears and deer l have been quite successful. On eight trips 
I shot eighteen head of game— three moose, five caribou, 
four bears and four deer. One trip of the eight after caribou 
was a failure, owing to a very noisy crusty snow during the 
whole time, which spoiled all chances of still-hunting. 
ISTearlv all my game, except some'of the caribou, was killed 
on grounds hard to reach, and I have always preferred such 
places to hunt in, as giving belter chances than more acces- ' 
sible grounds. Many of my trips were made late in the sea- 
son, as I always preferred still-hunting on the early snow, 
also for the reason that any large game killed then can be 
saved. Of course, to get to out-of-the-way hunting grounds 
after the lakes and streams freeze, entails long and hard 
tramps. . a. • i 
There are a great many disappointments m hunting large 
game by any method, and still hunting has its full share A 
party may arrive at camp just as the first snow of the season 
is falling and everything indicate8.a successful trip. A slight 
thaw or a few moments of rain will be followed by a noisy 
crust, entirely spoiling what otherwise would be first-ratQ 
