Sept. 28, tgoij 
FOHEST AND STREAM. 
24B 
In the Rockies. 
Efhfot bores! and Strea-ni- 
During the summer and fall o{ (88g t Mias empl(>yc<.I 
in a timber camp in southern W.voming, getting out 
fencing and building timber for the Big Creek Live 
Stock Company, or, as it was more commonly called, the 
Hunter Ranch. 
< )ne afternoon in early autumn I was about the camp, 
and my employer, Mr. P., had gone out to hunt for 
his oxen, which had strayed away — the oxen being the 
favorite power for "snaking" the timber ont to the 
wagon roads. He came rushing into camp about 3 
o'clock, saying he had scared up a monstrous bull elk 
about eighty rods from camp. We were in need of meat 
at that time, and the old man was very desirous, of getting 
that elk, as he declai-ed it was a "whoppei-." 
I took my rifle and went with him to the place he had 
seen it, and there were the tracks, which showed him 
to be big sure enough. I knew of a point about a mile 
away where I thought he would pass, from the direction 
he had started. I therefore told Mr. P, to wait there 
about ten minutes and then trail it through, while I 
would watch for him. 
After getting to my stand and waiting fifteen minutes, 
J knew my scheme wasn't working. I went back where 
J had left the trail, and found it had only gone a few 
rods imtil it turned and went in the opposite direction. 
1 coi'ld see where Mr. P. had followed it a very short 
distance to where it had gone down into a swale or draw, 
\Ji,s they are called there, which was covered with grass 
•and weeds, so that it left no trail. By investigating 
1 found that it had turned and followed up the draw, 
Tknowing by instinct that it could not be trailed there. 
I knew that Mr. P.'s inexperience in trailing would land 
him out of the chase, and I started in to finish it m\'self, 
rightly judging that he had gone back to his work. 
Crossing to the further side of the draAv, I foUowed xip 
to its head about sixty I'ods, and in going around above 
it 1 found just what I expected, the track of the elk 
coming up out of the draw. I followed on through the 
heavy timber, then out into the jack pines, which grew 
about 10 feet high and very thick. Being uncertain as 
to how far he would go, I was ready to receive him at 
any time. 
Suddenly he was up and off through the jack pines like 
n runaway locomotive. I fired the instant he started; 
then he swung around and went quartering away from 
me, giving nie four more shots before he got out of 
sight. 
After having seen the animal, I did not wonder that the 
old man was so excited about it, for it looked a monster 
indeed, with immense antlers. I examined the magazine 
of my rifle and found I had just one cartridge left. 
I soon found drops of blood along its trail, and knew 
by its actions that it was badly wounded. It took to 
the heavy timber, and just before I entered the Avoods I 
saw a fine buck deer about 100 yards away, standing 
looking at me. How I did want to take a shot at bun. 
Init I was compelled to save my last shot for the elk, or 
give him up. I went reluctantly on, leaA'ing the buck 
standing there offering a shot which was tempting in- 
in<ieed. Shortly after coming into the woods I met Mr. 
P., who had been at work near by, and judging from past 
experiences, he supposed of course when he heard me 
.shooting that I had killed the elk, and instead of bringing 
]iis gim, as I had hoped he would, he brought the axe 
to help cut it up. 
f told him it wasn't ready to cu,t up yet, and for him to 
engage himself industriously in keeping dark till I should 
get in my last shot. I hadn't gone far, when I saw 
through some alder bushes a bulk of some sort on the 
bank across a little creek, and thought it looked like an 
elk. I got on my hands and knees and crawled about 
25 yards nearer, when he turned his head, and I saAv it 
was him. And as I had a plain view of his great black 
neck I took careful aim at the center of that and fired. 
His head dropped back on the ground, and I knew the 
shot had broken his neck, and he was ours. 
Never before or since have I seen such a magnificent 
specimen of a big game animal. ' It was before the rut- 
ling season: he was sleek, with his new winter coat of 
hair, with all the fat he could carry and a magnificent set 
111 antlers, which were perfect in sj-mmetry. As he lay 
I here I almost repented having killed such a noble-Iook- 
,ing animal. 
In speaking of weights of game, that was a very large 
elk. and as fat as they can possibly get. and altei the 
fure(|uarters were trimmed very closely aiid dried for 
m arly forty-eight hours they weighed exactly 500 pounds, 
wiiich of course is much above the average weight of elk. 
1 killed one larger elk, but it Avas in poor flesh, and 
111 course was not nearly so heavj^ 
Several years later I. with niA' father, traveling in the ' 
West, visited the old deserted timber camp. I found this 
si)ot and the tree on which we had hung the meat, but 
1 went away feeling sorrowful rather than gratified. .A.11 
liie familiar places Avhich had been so dear to me, AA'herc 
the axe had never defaced nature's arrangement, and 
where the wooded mountain sides had been furrowed 
■with the solid-beaten trails of elk and deer, were now 
.'Stripped of all serviceable tiiiiber and checkered Avith 
Itimbcr roads, so that nothing looked natural or in- 
>viting. The open mountain sides, which had been abun— 
idrmtly covered Avith tall, rich grass, on which our stock 
Ihad kept sleek and fat while we were workin.g them, 
without the use of grain or hay, Avere now bare and 
brown, and overrun with cattle. When wc sec such 
chiinges Ave feel melancholy, and inclined to blame some- 
body. 
Who is to blame? Did I not swing the axe to help de- 
face this be.^.utiful spot? Did I not help to himt and kill 
: the game and to herd and care for the cattle, which in- 
creased and multiplied until all accessible range was neces- 
sary for their sustenance? But why lament for that Avhich 
is inevitable; that Avhich must come in the natural order 
of things? As civilization and culttA'ation advance into the 
remote regions, the wild animal life vA'hich required. the 
food, as Avell as the solitude, for their well being, must 
give place to the ncAV order of things. The tAvo con- 
ditions cam^)t exist together. 
When I beheld for the first time the almost boundless 
expanse of uninhabited territory of the Rocky Moun- 
tains, from the lofty peaks, and considered that this was 
all ideal .game countr.v, well Avooded and watered, with 
abundance of feed, and that a greater portion of it would 
always remain uninhabited, . I thought, "The game supply 
t an never be cxhau.stcd here!" A few years of observa- 
tion made plain the truth to mc. All the game that was 
iumtcd and killed during the hunting season in the 
mountains would never have depleted that country of its 
game, but it was the occupation and settlement of the 
lower valleys, to Avhich the game was compelled to 
migrate in Avinter, that reduced its mmibers so fast. Elk 
and deer Avere compelled to go into the loAver vallsys 
during Avinter or starve. In doing so they congregated 
in great bands and thus became an easy prey to all their 
persecutors, being for the most part in open country; 
then, as if to hasten their extermination, cattle and 
sheep were put on their Avinter range, cleaning up every 
particle of feed, Avhich left nothing but starvation for the 
game. No doubt the passing aAvay of the elk in the past 
fifteen j^ears has been as rapid, or nearly so, as that of 
the buffalo during any fift^een years of their history; not 
of course in numbers, but a relative proportion of their 
original numbers. 
Were it not for the deep snoAvs necessitating the big 
game abandoning the higher altitudes in Avinter, their 
condition might remain unchanged for a long time. In 
this, the great game regions of Maine and Ncav Bruns- 
Avick have a great advantage OA'cr the hunting grounds of 
the Rocky Mountain.s, for Avhere the Eastern game live 
there they get their Avinter food; where they cannot be 
disturbed by the inroads of settlers; and long after all 
public hunting grounds of the Rocky Mountains are de- 
pleted of their game, the Eastern hunting grounds, where 
hunting was done many years before the great West AA^as 
settled. Avill still be the hunting grounds of our land. 
Emerson Carney. 
MOKGANTOWN, W Va. 
A spring Shooting Demonstration. 
Editor Forest- and Stream: 
Last Avinter the sportsmen of Jefferson county secured 
the passage of the folio Aving law: 
.Section 20a. Web-footed wild fowl .shall not be taken in the 
county of Jefferson from February 1st to August olst, both in- 
clusive; or taken in the night from sunset until sunri.se. 
This law Avas signed by Governor Odell April 6, and. by 
energetic efifort on our part, was extensively advertised, 
and went into effect immediately, Avith the result that the 
birds driven through the rest of the State by the spring 
shooters, foimd a safe refuge in our county, and, in a 
-short time, our Avaters Avere alive with all species of Avild- 
foAvl, from the great, gray goose of Canada to the little 
blue-Aving teal. All through the months of April and May 
they rested and fed and enjoyed themselves, and became 
as tame as domesticated foAvl. 
, Imagine j'ourself in an open boat drifting through an 
immense flock of that most wary of bkds. the Canada 
goose, the birds simply swimming out of the Avay of 
the boat, and so near that you could see their eyes, and 
not one of them taking refuge in flight. This Avas a com- 
TOon occurrence on Black River Bay. In all our open 
Avaters— the St. LaAvrenco River, Lake Ontario and our 
large bays — there Avere not only large flocks, but acres of 
Avildfowl. 
These birds stayed here until June, gradually diminish- 
ing in numbers as they left for their nesting places. We 
have claimed as an argument for the passage of this bill 
that if the fall ducks or divers Avere utmiolested in our 
Avaters in the spring, they would find choice feeding 
spots, and avouUI return earlier and in larger numbers 
and stay longer in the fall — a fact Avhich yet remains to be 
proven. We also claimed that if the sunmier ducks, the 
black duck, the mallard, the wood duck, and the teal. Avere 
unmolested, they would remain with us and nest and rear 
their young. That they have done so this j'car is an im- 
disputed fact, as ncA^er within the memory of the oldest 
sportsman have there been so ntany of these ducks in this 
county on the opcm'ng day. 
On Black River Bay is a marsh consi.stlng of hundreds 
of acres of wild rice, interspersed with patches of flag 
quill Aveed. podalders and bullrushes. Avith plenty of AA'ater 
to push a sharpie, and it is one of the best feeding spots 
on Lake Ontario for the black duck and mallard^ One 
nrile aboA^', on the Black RiAer, is the village of Dexter. tAvo 
miles further up the village of BroAvnville, and four miles 
ntore brings one to WatertOAvn. the county seat, a thriving 
city of 25.000. These three places are connected by trol- 
ley. This marsh, being so easy of access, is the faA-orite 
hunting ground for this section of the county, and on - 
opening day. Sept. 2, Avas crowded with shooters, from 
the small boy Avith the Zulu and the tAventy-rod gun man. 
to the city shooter Avith Iris 400 Greener. The small boy 
shot blackbirds, the tAventy-rod man, Avhen he failed to ' 
reach ducks so high in the air that they looked like black- ■ 
birds, blamed the load and Avent to soaking mudhcns. 
Everybody had a good time, and fired his gtm at some- 
thin,g. and this same fusilade has prevailed cA-er since the 
openiitg day. 
Those sportsmen Avho know the habits of the black 
duck and its extreme wariness can judge of the number 
Ave have. Avhen I say that duriitg this first week over 150 
black ducks Avere killed, and all A\'ere killed in broad daj'- ' 
light, as shooting after sunset is prohibited in this coun- 
ty, A fcAv AA^ood duck and mallard and a large number of 
!)lue-wing teal Avere also brought to bag. 
•Nine miles north of Watertown is Perch Lake, a small 
hike with an extensive marsh on its northern border. 
This marsh is not accessible by boat. Its .south side is 
quite heavily timbered. The outlet of this lake is Perch 
River, a very crooked stream Avhich empties into Black 
River Bay. nine or ten miles distant. The river winding 
its way through AVoods and low, marshy flats, its banks 
lined Avith almost impenetrable buck brush, alders and 
Avillovv's. Avith immense patches of smartAveed along its 
entire length, has always been a favorite resort for the 
black duck, mallard, Avood duck and teal. TJpon the 
south shore, of the lake IIa'cs Dan Arnold, Avho. for years, 
has earned a precarious living by hunting and trapping. 
His noiseless paddle has guided the silent sharpie doAvn 
the Avinding river for three generations of sportsmen, and 
his most valued possession is an old lifter-action Parker, 
given him by ex-Governor Roswell P. Flower many years 
agp. Uncle Dan says that the black duck, mallard, Avood 
duck and teal have nested along the river and lake by 
hundreds, and that never in his life has he seen such an 
abundance of ducks at this time of the year. 
Dr. Gleu Coc, of this, city, formerly a resident of 
Theresa, N. Y., tells me that the same condition pre- 
vails along the Indian River and the many lakes in th6 
vicinity of Theresa and Redwood. From all parts Of 
the- county where there are suitable vvater arid riestirig 
places comes the same report of an abundance of ducks. 
We have settled for all time the question (in this coiirl- 
ty, at lea5t). Will the wild duck breed in this State? We 
can furnish any amount of proof that they wilL 
There are a few shooters here who contend that night 
is the proper time to shoot black ducks — that they are 
night feeders and can only be shot successfully at that 
time. 
My experience has been that in no w^ay can the black 
duck be driven^-from a favorite feeding place quicker than 
by night shooting, and I believe that if night shooting 
were allowed in this county a large part of the birds 
Avhich Ave noAv have Avould be driven away from here. 
This is a question of interest to every sportsman, and I 
should like to have some of the many readers of Forest 
AND Stre.\m give their experience and their opinion on 
this subject. On Black River Bay, the black ducks come 
in every night by the hundreds, at sundown or shortly 
after, while it is y^t daylight. Suppose we shot a half 
hour later, would they continue to come as they do noAv? 
Sitppose Ave shot an houi^ later, as permitted by law in 
the rest of the State, Avonld they still continue to come 
in at sundoAvn, or shortly after? Suppose we should do 
as AA'C always have done until this year; Have a shooter 
in every bunch of quilhveed, or rushes, and bang away 
as long as he could see a black blur in the sky, would 
these ducks still continue to come? Suppose this same 
condition of things existed all through this country; how 
long Avould these birds stay here? Could avc shoot day 
and night, and still retain these birds Avhich our self- 
denial last spring has given us? 
There is another buv Avhich has been a dead letter in 
this county CA^er since it was enacted, viz., the laAv which 
lorbids the shooting of wild fowl from any boat propelled 
otherwise than by band. We A^ish to give due notice 
that we shall use every efifort to secure the enforcement 
of this law in the waters of this county ino the future. 
This letter is not written for the purpose of inducing 
the rest of the State to stop the spring shooting of wild 
fowl. It is a matter of indifference to us. If you do not 
AVant the birds, drive them up here. We know a good 
thing when Ave have it. W. H. Tallett, 
President Jefferson County Sportsmen's Association. 
Watertowm, SepL 9, " 
West Virginia. 
RoMNEY, W. Ya., Sept. ig. — Editor Forest and Stream: 
Two gentlemen living near Pleasant Dale, in this county, 
Avere killing AA'ild turkeys before the season commenced, - 
They AA'ere arrested, and brought before Justice Ma- 
loney,, Avho promptly fined them $25 and costs, which 
made their turkeys expensive eating. Another man was 
indicted by the grand jury on last Tuesday for the same 
offense. On Wednesday last a warrant Avas SAVorn out 
for a man from Mt, Pleasant, Pa,, for hunting Avithout 
a license. He was taken before 'Squire Maloney, who 
fined him $2.5 and costs, and as he only had killed one 
squirrel, it Avas surely an expensive one. 
These laws are on our statute books, enacted by our 
Legislature, and should be enforced or repealed. The 
Legislature gave our game warden power to appoint 
deputies, but he has failed to do so. A deputy Avho Avould 
enforce the game and fish law in Hampshire and Hardy 
counties is sorely needed. 
The fishing in the South Branch has been very poor 
this season. The river has been muddy a greater part of 
the time, but fhe fish are not here any more, and it is 
not surprising, Avhen one thinks of the number fishing 
and practically no protection or restocking of this once 
fine black bass stream. The tanneries on the Capon 
River destroyed it for fishing purposes, and there is one 
in operation at Petersburg. Grant county, on this stream 
now, and it is discharging its refuse into a small creek 
which leads to the river a half mile away. One is being 
built at Moorefield ' Avhich Avill be in operation in the 
near future; and if they arc both alloAved to pollute this 
stream, bass fishing in the South Branch is doomed. 
Our wild turkey season opened on last Monday, and 
RcA^ Gibbons killed four at one shot, from a blind, on 
that day. Several others haA'C- been killed since then. 
The turkey season in this State commences two weeks 
too early, as the turkeys are entirely too small to shoot. 
Partridges are plentiful, but sc[uirrels are scarce. The 
selling of game here causes lots of it to be destroyed. 
We hope the day Avill so'^n come AAdien it aa'iII be unlaAV- 
fyl to sell g:ame", J. B. Brady. 
The Old Shotg'on* 
NoAV comes the season when the brown quail's call 
■pipes in the early morning fresh and cool; 
When red and gold the leaves <?£ autumn fall. 
And children loiter on their way to school. 
T heard a fox squirrel barking before the sun arose. 
Out yonder where the woods are ."sere and brown; 
T think he's in that burr-oak free; no mattei", tho', here goes, 
I'll take the old shotgun doAvh. 
fJow come.s the sportsman from the city's din, 
With dog and gun to wander o'er the hills; 
To loiter in the meadows where the flowers have been, 
To drink the pure ozone that nature here distills. 
.\nd the fever is upon me to mingle in the ehase. 
With Uie fellows vho have come out from the town; 
I in fancy see Dame Nature Avith a. smilejiflOTO her face, 
As I take the old shotgun down- 
The old .shotgun my' father gave to me! 
I've kept it hanging there ujjon the wall ■ 
Through all the summer months, biit noV I see 
That autumn's brought again the Bob White's ca;ll.^ 
I heard a fox squirrel barking before the sun arose. 
Out yonder where the woods are sere and brown; 
I think he's in that burr-oak tree; no matter, tho^ here goes, 
I'll take the old shotgun down. ' - ■ 
Mound City, Kansas. Ww. Feltek. 
