July 23, 1898.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
67 
ltinch t Concluded not to take time to cook dinner, but 
to trUst to lttck to ttiefet Bert oil the to&d, as T knew 
he would have a supply of bread with him. It was about 
a mile from where he would leave the main trail in going 
to his traps to where he would come back to it again, 
and I hoped to reach the point where he would leave it 
ahead, of him, and then I would be sure of meeting 
lim. Covering that distance as rapidly as possible, I 
reached the spot only to find the trail of his horses where 
he had massed. There was no time to lament over hav- 
ing nothing to eat, and I went on, arriving at the old 
camp ground, where the trap was cached, about 4 o'clock 
in the evening. My own hunger reminded me that the 
horses might be hungry, and I turned them loose and al- 
lowed them a half-hour of the precious time to feed, then 
packed the trap and started for a fourteen-mile ride over 
a very mountainous trail. By the time half of the dis- 
tance was covered it was so dark in the pine woods that 
I could not see my hand before my face, but trusted en- 
tirely to the saddle horse to keep the trail, letting go the. 
■eins, and covering my face with my arms for protection 
against underbrush. In this way we plodded on, and 
setween 9 and 10 o'clock the welcome camp-fire showed 
among the trees in the distance and Bert rolled out 
of bed wondering what I was celebrating, as I had 
left no clue behind to give him a chance to even con- 
jecture where I was. 
The next morning we went to set the trap; we did so 
by building a Fig. 4 pen about 4ft. high. The second 
morning after this we found that the bear had been 
:here, and reached over the side of the pen and dragged 
1 piece of the carcass which would weigh ioolbs. over 
the side of the pen, tearing it partly down; had then 
dragged the meat away a few feet and eaten a small 
juantity and goiie on its way rejoicing, I hope, for there 
ivas no rejoicing on the other side. We built the pen 
up 6ft. high and left the trap two Weeks without his re- 
ippearing. During this time the Weather was waYm 
luring the day, and very dry; we were successfully trap- 
oing for marten, and in the meantime Bert killed a fine, 
fat, calf elk, which made a grateful change in our meat 
diet from old bull meat. 
It was our intention to go trapping in January on 
mowshoes with trail sleds, and as the big game all 
eaves that locality as soon as the snow begins to get 
ieep, we had been caching some meat at the different 
points where we had been killing for our winter supply, 
and we were in need of at least one more elk to complete 
our supplies; but day after day we visited our traps and 
traversed woods abounding in game, yet were not find- 
ing any, hence we were anxiously looking for snow, 
One morning toward the middle of November we got 
up and found severat inches of snow, with every indica- 
tion of more from the way it was coming down. I 
started out over the line of traps early to give myself 
time to hunt for meat, and after going about two miles 
from camp found where a fine bunch of elk had crossed 
in the fresh snow evidently not more than fifteen 
minutes before. I went on and finished looking at my 
traps, taking two marten, then returned to the elk trail 
and proceeded to follow them with care. They were going 
straight down the side of the mountain, which was 
very steep and rocky, and in a dense growth of large 
spruce timber. The snow was piling down in great 
chunks, making it difficult to see. I had gone perhaps 
a half-mile from where I struck the trail when I saw 
the head of a cow, which was lying down, and she saw 
me at the same time and got up; then I heard more stir- 
ring in the bushes, and then a huge pair of antlers rose 
up from behind a large log, about half way between 
where I stood and where I had seen the first one; he hai 
been lying down and was hidden from view as T ap- 
proached. He got up facing me, with his entire body 
hidden by a log and some rocks, and with only his head 
and horns visible, at about 50yds. away. As I already 
had gun to shoulder when he got up, I had only 
to switch it a few inches to one side to have a bead 
between his eyes, and when the gun cracked the hea*' 
went out of sight, and then such a crashing down the 
side of the mountain. One not having heard a band of 
elk go at full speed down a steep, rough mountain 
side would have declared there were hundreds of them. 
I think, from the tracks, there were about twenty. I 
went down and found lying where he had fallen truly 
the "monarch of the forest." It was the largest elk 
with the largest antlers that ever fell to my gun. The 
horns now decorate the walls of my father's dining room 
at the old homestead in Pennsylvania, where they are 
admired by many. By the next day the snow was too 
deep to hunt, and we went out and packed in the hind- 
quarters and hide and head, caching the remainder of 
the meat there. 
Grub was running low, and as it looked as if it was , 
going to clear up the next day, Bert started for the 
ranch again for a two weeks' supply of provisions, while 
I kept on trapping. The snow commenced again soon 
after he left, and by the third day, when he was to be 
back, I had determined that we would be obliged to get 
out, as the snow was getting too deep for the horses 
to find feed and also too deep for travel. The morning 
of the third day I started out to lift my traps, as the snow 
was at least 15m. deep and still falling. The first trap was 
about a mile and a half from camp. I concluded to 
leave my gun there till I came back. When coming 
back and within half a mile of my gun, I saw a marten 
.and chased it up a tree. Then I felt that I owed myself 
;an apology .for not bringing my gun. I threw clubs at 
the marten, thinking if I could get it down in the deep 
snow I might catch it. Finally it jumped and landed well 
out from the tree, and I chased it just about one-quarter 
of a minute, when I realized I had underestimated its 
running qualities in deep snow. It went directly the way 
I wanted to go, and I followed it about 80 rods and 
tracked it up a dead tree. I saw its head sticking out of 
a hole, looking down at me; and right there before its 
eyes, in broad daylight, I took two traps out of my 
haversack, set them both at the root of the tree, baited 
them and went away, leaving it still watching me. I 
found Bert in camp with our supplies, and he agreed with, 
me that we would have to get out, as the time of year 
had come when we might expect to be snowed up any 
time. However, we had previously decided to pack the 
hindquarters of the two bull elk that had been killed 
at that camp over to the top of the- Continental Divide, 
about ten miles further west, so that we could sled it over 
on the western slope, if we wanted to trap that far west 
later in the season. The next morning I packed two 
of the horses with elk meat and started out to cache it. 
while Bert following my directions went out to get the 
traps I had set for the marten. Owing to the depth 
of snow I had a hard day's work, and got back at dusk, 
finding Bert there with the hide of the marten that had 
watched me set the traps. Still the snow kept piling 
down, and it was with feelings of remorse that we tied 
our horses out on picket that night, for by that time the 
snow actually touched their bellies when they walked; 
yet it was rather light, and they managed to paw out: 
some grass. 
We were up three hours before daylight, brought in 
our horses and gave them a feast of hay, which was 
under our bed, for we had cut and dried it when first 
making camp. By daylight we were ready to start for 
home; and by steady plodding, without a stop for lunch 
or anything else, reached the ranch at 4 o'clock that 
evening; glad enough to have a comfortable stable for 
the horses, with plenty of feed, and a roof under which 
we could eat and sleep after living outdoors two months. 
After summing up our expenses, which were only what 
we had eaten, and counting our ingathering of furs, to 
say nothing of the store of hard-frozen meat laid up for 
winter use, we found we had netted a nice profit, besides 
enjoying to its full extent the pleasures attendant upon 
such occupation. Thus' ended our fall hunting and trap- 
ping expedition. 
I will give an account later of our winter trapping 
expedition, which began two months later, and was con- 
ducted on snowshoes with trail sleds. 
Emerson Carnev. 
West Virginia. 
Arkansas Non-Residents. 
Little Rock, Ark., July 4. — There is no exception 
whatever in the non-resident law. The fact that a 
man owns land or is a member of the club does not ex- 
empt him from the non-resident tax. I think the Mem- 
phis Club members stand in with the county officers of 
Crittenden county and thereby evade the tax. 
I am not much in favor of the non-resident tax. What 
we have to contend with is the St. Louis and Chicago 
market hunters. The tax and non-export law were aimed 
at them. They had been coming into our woods and 
staying the year round and shipping game and fish in 
closed packages, and we had to do something. The re- 
sult is that we have reached some people we did not 
want to reach, and we do not exactfy know what to do 
with the visiting sportsmen. Like Nanki Poo, the 
market hunter does not carry his name on his pocket 
handkerchief, and we cannot tell him from a pot-hunter. 
I am chairman of the committee on game laws ap- 
pointed by the last session of the Stafe Sportsmen's As- 
sociation, and I am going to try and get at some reason- 
able solution of this matter, if the rest of the committee 
will have it so. My idea is to tighten up the non-export 
law. If we can stop that, the visiting sportsmen will 
not hurt matters. I want to put a penalty on the carrier 
so heavy that it will not be profitable to carry the game. 
No railroad will carry it unless there is money in it, and 
when you take that inducement away the non-export 
law is a success. The trouble with the present one is 
that the railroads are willing to pay a fine now and 
then to keep the business. We have got clear sailing 
under the provisions of the decision of the United States 
and State Supreme Courts, and I believe in using it. 
At present there is no law protecting ducks and geese, 
and they are exported to St. Louis and Chicago by the 
thousand, and with them other game in the center of 
the package. I am going to prepare a statute that will 
protect all the game and make it unprofitable to ship 
them, and leave out the license clause. 
That may not suit the rest of the committee, and 
then our statute may not go through the Legislature, but 
we will at least make an effort to get a consistent and 
reasonable game law that will protect the game and not 
be unjust to any one. 
The market hunters are the disturbing element. They 
come in and camp in some secluded spot and arrange 
with a railroad company to stop at some flag station and 
take on their game and fish; and they keep that up all 
the year round. If the railroad is indicted it pays the $25 
fine and keeps up the business. If the fine was $500, the 
jury would put it on just as quick, and the business 
would not pay. A jury will not put a heavy fine on an 
individual, but that reason does not apply to a railroad, 
whom they consider a fair subject for slaughter any- 
how. J- M. R. 
North Carolina Bears and Deer. 
A Hertford, N. C, correspondent writes in reply to 
an inquiry: "We have plenty of bears, but no dogs upon 
which to rely. Our packs of bear dogs have all been 
killed out. Rabies broke out among them, and the 
whole pack had to be killed, as they were all bitten. 
If your friend who desires bear territory has a good bear 
dog or two, I can give him points on good grounds for 
the sport, and if he has. one or two good sticking and 
striking dogs can supply plenty of young inexperienced 
hounds to help in the running; but I hate nothing to 
be depended upon when the game comes to a stand and 
shows fight. Young hounds always have business else- 
where at such times. We have excellent deer hunting 
about 1st of September or October, and plenty of good 
deer dogs. I had some excellent sport the past fall, in 
company with some gentlemen from Atlantic City and 
Philadelphia, hunting deer. 
Big Yellowlegs and Dowitchers. 
Inner Beach, L. I., July 16.— A flight of big yellow- 
leg and dowitchers is reported. The birds have come 
into the creeks and salt ponds, along the north side of 
Long Beach, and have been killed along Wreck Lead 
and on the sand bars in the bay near Broad Channel. 
Some very good bags have been obtained bv the market 
gunners, and there is an opportunity for some excel- 
lent sport in this vicinity. Surf snipe are still very 
scarce. 
The Game Laws, 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
To sportsmen and politicians in the British Islands 
it appears at first sight very remarkable that of fate 
years many States in America (the earliest home of 
modern democracy) have made laws to protect game 
from extermination. In this country one of the avowed 
and indeed foremost objects of the democratic or radical 
party has always been to obtain the complete abolition 
of all game laws. 
The fact, however, of similar laws having been estab- 
lished in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South 
Africa, proves that the most democratic countries are 
giving up old prejudices and practically acknowledging 
that the preservation of game is beneficial to the whole 
community. 
Reports published from time to time in Forest and 
Stream and other American sporting publications ap- 
pear to show that in some of the States there is still either 
a great repugnance to the institution of game laws or 
a great practical difficulty in enforcing them; and the 
results are most deplorable, large districts being almost 
entirely denuded of game. 
I have never read any details of the arguments used 
against such laws in America, but in the British Islands 
the chief objections urged are: 
t. That they arc remnants of feudalism, conferring 
privileges upon some classes of the community which 
are denied to others; all exclusive privileges being con- 
trary to democratic ideas of justice. 
2. That the protection of game causes fighting between 
game-keepers ami poachers, sometimes even resulting in 
murder. It also frequently causes the homes of the poor 
to be broken up, through men being sent to prison for 
taking game illegally. 
3. That the preservation of game is a hardship, to 
agriculturists, in consequence of large quantities of grain, 
roots and green crops being eaten. 
4. That the destruction by game-keepers of birds and 
beasts of prey causes a degree of increase among insects, 
rats, mice and granivorous birds, which is most injurious 
to agriculture. 
5. That killing wild animals for amusement causes 
great and unnecessary suffering. It is therefore cruel 
and should be prevented, like cock fighting, dog fighting, 
bull fighting, etc. 
6. That the fondness for hunting is only an inheritance 
of a habit acquired of necessity by our savage ancestors. 
To indulge in it at our present stage of evolution de- 
moralizes and tends to brutalize us. 
7. That wild animals may be on one man's land at 
one time and on that of another shortly afterward. Con- 
sequently they belong to no individual owner, and there- 
fore everyone has a right to capture or kill them. 
It is doubtful ,if any of these statements will bear 
the test of impartial examination; and the amount of 
truth in some of them merely exemplifies the old adage 
that "the abuse of a thing is no argument against its 
use." Let us therefore take them as numbered: 
1. It is perfectly true that the game laws of Europe 
were first enacted in the feudal ages, but surely that 
fact in itself is no argument against them. Many other 
laws' then originated which are still maintained and give 
general satisfaction. It is also true that when political 
power was exclusively in the hands of kings, nobles and 
the prelates of the Christian church thev reserved to 
themselves the right of killing game. Although they 
acted selfishly and frequently abused their power such 
facts can hardly be urged against the preservation of 
game in the present day, because plenty of men of very 
moderate means and in all stations of life now have 
the pleasure of shooting, hunting or fishing, and far 
greater numbers could have such enjoyment if game were 
preserved more extensively. Of course in thickly popu- 
lated countries first-class sport is usually very expensive, 
but it is no more the exclusive' privilege of the rich 
than that of living in large, gorgeously furnished houses, 
keeping large yachts, or having other kinds of amuse- 
ment which cost much money. 
Tyrannical as the game laws were in feudal times, their 
results were practically beneficial. If all men had been 
permitted to kill game there would soon have been none 
left, and thus a large amount of the food supply of the 
nations would have failed. The serfs doubtless cultivated 
as much land and raised as many pigs, cattle and sheep 
as the backward state of agriculture permitted, yet they 
were by no means too well fed. and at times there were 
severe famines. The nobles, with their armed retainers, 
by living to a large extent upon game, left all the more 
food of other kinds for the dwellers in towns and the 
serfs. " „ 
2. The assertion that protecting game by law causes 
crime is equally true if applied to laws for the defense 
of every kind of property. A man who keeps jewels, 
plate or valuable pictures in his house tempts burglars 
to break into it and sometimes to shoot those who inter- 
fere with them; and the burglar's family often loses its 
home through the husband being imprisoned for robbery. 
In the British Islands those who wish to abolish the 
game laws make a distinction between poachers and 
other robbers, sometimes describing the former as poor 
fellows who capture game merely for the purpose of 
saving their families from starvation. Men who write 
_ like this are usually inhabitants of the large cities, and 
are personally unacquainted with poachers. The latter 
in nineteen cases out of twenty are in reality lazy, drink- 
ing scoundrels, who will not work when work is offered 
them, and who are as ready to steal farmyard poultry 
as game if they can do so without being discovered. 
Farmers have more than once told me that it is useless 
to offer work to a poacher. 
3. Game is injurious to agriculture only when kept 
in excess. Even hares and rabbits in moderate num- 
bers repay for the damage they commit; and winged 
game, while taking only a small quantity of grain, 
benefit the farmer by eating largely of the various insects 
and the seeds of noxious weeds. Pheasants especially 
consume incalculable numbers of the worst enemies with 
which the farmer has to contend. Mr. Tegetmeier, natural 
history editor of the London Field, mentions that in 
the crop of one pheasant were found more than 700 
wire worms, and in that of another more than 400 grubs 
of the crane fly. ... * 
