Forest and Stream 
452 
CHICKEN HUNT IN DAKOTA 
Dear Forest and Stream : 
I HAVE been an ardent reader of your 
A instructive and interesting outdoor 
magazine for some time, and because I 
hope my tale will also be of interest to 
your readers, I am going to relate my 
boyhood chicken-hunting experiences and 
the lessons I learned from them. 
In this state there are plenty of prairie 
chickens, and I still enjoy a day with 
this splendid game-bird. But I owe a 
great deal to my father who taught the 
meaning of true sportsmanship on our 
hunting trips when we lads could hardly 
hold our guns to our immature shoulders. 
My father, a pioneer physician of Da- 
kota, would harness his bay driving team 
to the double-seated rig, and we would 
set out for a glorious day afield, with 
“Chick” and “Ranger” nestled on the 
floor of the buggy. 
The drive to the fields was not the 
smallest item of the hunt; for in those 
two hours with Dad we gained many 
lessons in sportsmanship which remained 
with us after we had outgrown our knee 
trousers. The time passed quickly while 
we were under Dad’s spell. Arriving at 
the hay meadows, we unlimbered our 
guns and loosed the dogs ; Dad always 
stayed in the rig to direct operations. 
He would send us boys into the wind, 
the dogs ranging laterally in front of 
us, while our father followed behind us 
in the rig. Then began the fun ; but 
there was no hurry, no excitement, for 
Dad was in control of the situation. If 
the dogs spotted a single. Dad called the 
shot, and whoever was designated would 
shoot. Or, if the dogs found a covey. 
Dad was quickly on the spot to steady 
the dogs and to give the word. Through- 
out the day it was father who chose the 
field to hunt in, who steadied the dogs 
and us. There was no waste of amuni- 
tion, no random shots ; everything was 
calm and preconceived. Furthermore, 
there was no undue slaughter, and we al- 
ways called it a day before sunset ; and 
although we could easily have gathered 
in half a hundred chickens, we never 
once took the limit. We shot just enough 
and we knew when it was time to stop. 
Then came the long drive home in the 
still of tKe evening, with two happy boys 
in the rear scat, and two contented dogs 
at our feet — as we recalled the incidents 
of the hunt. Little did we lads realize 
the noble ideals that those hunts with 
Dad were instilling in our hearts, nor 
did we realize the lasting value of the 
discussions that always occurred in the 
long drive to and from the chicken coun- 
try. For they built the foundation of 
good sportsmanship in our souls— and 
Dad was the Chief Engineer. That foun- 
dation was to weather the years, for it 
was sealed with the cement of fatherly 
comradeship in our impressionistic age. 
The man who taught his boys these 
grand lessons has passed to the Happy 
Hunting Ground ; but those boys will 
carry on his noble ideals ! How I wish 
that every lad had such a father; then 
game laws would be a superfluity, and 
our wild game would last forever. 
Frank J. Duggan^ N. Dak. 
AMERICAN CANOE ASS’N 
A t the meeting of the American 
Canoe Association to be held in 
October, the following changes in classi- 
fication will be considered by the Racing 
Board : 
1. For increased length double the 
penalty of sail area for sailing-canoes. 
— Rule V, Sec. 4. 
2. In calculating the sail areas for cruis- 
ing-canoes, reduce the increase of sail 
area from 2 sq. ft. to sq. ft. for each 
inch of increased beam, and for each 
inch of increased length increase the re- 
duction of sail area from sq. ft. to 2/9 
sq. ft. — Rule VI, Sec. 4. 
3. For canvas-covered canoes reduce 
the increase of sail area from 7l4% to 
5%._Rule V, See. 5. Rule VI, Sec. 5. 
4. Modify the regulations for decks 
on cruising-canoes to comply with pro- 
posal in Forest and Stream for May, 
1920.— Rule VI, Sec. 6. 
5. Section 4, Rule X : Provide for 
Gold Medals to be given the winners of 
the Paddling, Sailing and Cruising 
Trophies and the Record in addition to 
what is already provided. Silver Medals 
to winners in other major events. Silver 
and Bronze Medals to be given as second 
prizes, respectively. 
6. Rule IX. Insert the word “law- 
ful” before the word “directions.” 
7. On page 20 strike out the caption, 
“GENERAL RACES.” 
8. Rule V. Instead of limiting the 
beam to }4 of length, limit the increase 
of sail area to a beam not greater than 
Fa of length. 
The Executive Committee will con- 
sider the following changes in the By- 
laws : 
Page 15, Chapter IX, to read: 
(6) “They shall post the names of 
the referee, judges and starter and the 
course and conditions of each race, etc.” 
Hilding Froling. 
PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO 
RACING REGULATIONS 
DULE XL Regular Races — 11 Record 
Combined Race (added). General 
Races (eliminate Record Combined 
Race, Record Sailing Race and Record 
Paddling Race). 
Rule XII. The Record — Section 1 to 
be eliminated. Section 1 to read as fol- 
lows; Record Combined Race on tri- 
angular course, distance 3 miles, time 
limit lj /2 hours, open to Decked and 
Cruising Sailing Canoes. All canoes in 
this race shall carry a practicable lower- 
ing and hoisting rig. Sections 2, 3, 4 
and 5 of this Rule to be eliminated. 
Rule XIII. Section 1. The sailing- 
canoe trophy and the cruising canoe 
trophy shall be won by points and 
counted in the three respective races for 
the respective trophies. 
Section 2. Points How Scored — -The 
first canoe to finish shall receive as mq.ny 
points as there are starters in the first 
race contested, the second canoe one 
less and so on, and in addition the first 
shall receive a premium of 25 per cent 
of the number of starters in the first 
race, the second a premium of 15 per 
cent, and the third a premium of 7 per 
cent of the same number. 
RULE VH. Section 5. Classification 
Novices. Entire rule to be eliminated. 
RULE XXIV. Section 1. Eouling 
Marks. A canoe or its equipment shall 
not touch any of the designated marks 
unless wrongfully compelled to do so by 
another canoe. (The remainder of this 
section to be eliminated.) 
RULE VIII. Entries. There shall be 
at least two bona fide entries in any race. 
All cruising sailing canoes and sailing 
canoes shall carry a 9-inch number as a 
distinguishing mark in all races. (Pres- 
ent rule to be eliminated.) 
RULE XVIII. Section 3. A contest- 
ant may be disqualified for accepting 
pilotage or direction from officials or 
others, except from a mate in a team 
race. (Present section 3 to be elim- 
inated.) Thomas Zuk. 
MICHIGAN GAME PRESERVES 
Dear Forest and Stream: 
1 HAVE read with amazement the 
article by Mr. Albert Stoll, Jr., in a 
recent issue of your magazine, copied 
from the Detroit Evening Nezos. Mr. 
Stoll is secretary of the Michigan 
Sportsman’s Association and is generally 
well informed on matters relating to field 
sports, but he is a young man, while my 
shooting days are practically over, and 
my experience with American wild life 
and sport has been far wider and more 
varied than any young man has had or 
ever can enjoy. I am thankful to have 
lived during a portion of the golden age 
of American sport. I have known field 
sport in all its phases, from the Atlantic 
to the Great Divide ; have met all 
sorts and conditions of men from 
preachers to man-killers, from million- 
aires to paupers, but I have collected no 
evidence that w'ould permit me to meas- 
ure the gentleman, the sportsman, the 
citizen or the game butcher by the size 
of hi.s bank balance. I have found 
gentlemen and swine on both sides of 
the line and in equal proportions. There 
is no relationship between the golden 
ore of manhood and the golden coin of 
commerce. 
Mr. Stoll has had opportunities of 
meeting with a great many people of all 
sorts at gatherings of IMichigan sports- 
men and public meetings of the 
Michigan Conservatipiv. Commission. He 
has undoubtedly had opportunities of 
hearing some very inelegantly and forc- 
ibly expressed complaints from the 
“mob.” 
I daily hear the matter of private 
shooting preserves discussed, but as yet 
this is confined almost solely to wild- 
fowl preserves. A vast majority of these 
complaints come from men of means, 
w’hose incomes place them far beyond 
the possibility of want. Lhitil I read 
Mr. Stoll’s article I had never seen the 
phrase: “The uncared-for poor.” 
I have heard no one attack the legal 
status of those private and club pre- 
serves, owning their lands in fee simple, 
or protecting them by land leases. 
(Continued on page 473) 
