April, 1921 
FOREST AND STREAM 
157 
ally worth to get it to market. These 
poor people, how I do pity them when 
they can’t buy any game! 
I T was through the recommendations of 
some of the fellows in the country 
here that market hunting on this pen- 
insula was made illegal. There were 
men here and still are who took the 
stand that they were allowed to kill 
and sell two moose and then kill two 
more for their own use. These men 
could make more money and make it 
easier by working for wages. The law 
regulation as it stands today ean be 
and is evaded and the warden we have 
had here for the past six years encour- 
ages evasion of the law. 
The Governor’s idea about a sports- 
man is a queer one. It seems that he 
thinks a sportsman kills only for the 
sake of killing. I wish he could have 
been a member of our hunting party this 
fall. A man can be a sportsman and still 
not be a millionaire. Any man should 
be glad to be found worthy to be called 
by that name. These men surely enjoy 
eating meat as much as the Govern- 
or. He further states that the 
sportsman really does this country no 
good. I believe that outside hunters 
have spent not less than $100,000 in 
Alaska this year (1920) and many of 
them have confined their hunting to the 
brown bear which the Governor would 
have exterminated. 
Many prospectors and others make a 
grubstake working for these hunters. 
Many men will quit other work to go 
with a hunting party. Some of these 
same sportsmen have spent many thou- 
sands of dollars in the development of 
Alaska. I would like to see them come 
in greater numbers. 
He also says that the people of Alas- 
ka are very jealous of their game. It 
is the people who are so busy making 
money that they can’t get out and get 
their game that are jealous. He thinks 
that if it were left to Alaskans they 
would devise laws and regulations that 
would meet all the existing conditions. 
I wonder if the Governor realizes what 
a big job that is and I wonder if he 
knows of all the existing conditions. I 
think not. 
Now let me illustrate to you what 
may be expected of Alaskans in the way 
of making laws that we might have 
meat to eat. The Territorial Legisla- 
ture passed a law authorizing the de- 
struction of all tubercular cattle. I am 
in favor of this. But they made the 
individual stand all the loss. What in- 
centive is there for a man to try farm- 
ing in Alaska? Govenor Riggs com- 
plains that he only has ten wardens to 
patrol this vast country. Well, if they 
are all like the one he has had in Sew- 
ard for the past six years very little 
country has been patrolled. It is safe 
to say that this one has not spent one- 
tenth of his time in the game country. 
Over seventy-five per cent, of his time 
has been spent in the town of Seward. 
If he went far into the hunting country 
without a guide he would get lost! 
Wardens should be required to do a lot 
of things besides sit around. They 
should cut trails, build shelter cabins, 
build foot bridges and hunt out pred- 
atory animals and birds. In other 
words they should earn their money, 
help the people and enforce the law. I 
realize that the number of wardens 
that have been and are now employed 
is insufficient. It is also true that a 
warden who spends the greater part of 
his time in town does not have much 
chance to know what is going on in 
the country. The warden draws a sal- 
ary and is supposed to perform certain 
duties, vaguely specified. 
I DO not believe that Alaskans would 
willingly be taxed for the sum nec- 
essary to protect and develop the 
game in Alaska. As all the people in 
the States are interested in Alaska, I 
think it is their duty to furnish the 
funds necessary. It remains to be seen 
whether they will do this. 
The Secretary of Agriculture and the 
Secretary of Commerce have the au- 
thority to issue all regulations neces- 
ary to protect the game and fur. 
tags should be attached to the animals 
when shipped and also a report should 
be made of every animal killed and the 
reason given for killing it. I think a 
man might be allowed to kill and sell 
one moose, but not to kill any more than 
one if he sells it, or part of it, but if 
he does not kill any for market he may 
be allowed two for his own use and that 
of his family if he needs them. 
Trophy hunters pay well for what 
they get and surely anyone is welcome 
to the meat who is willing to pack it 
out. The Governor’s statement that the 
brown bear is only protected for the 
benefit of outside sportsmen is entirely 
wrong. The brown bear is a part of 
man’s God-given Dominion and should 
have a place in it. How many people 
interested in the protection of Alaska 
game know that within the memory of 
white men living here on the Kenai 
Peninsula there used to be hundreds of 
caribou and very few moose? Now 
there are no caribou but thousands of 
Getting into the sheep country at the head of Killy River on the Kenai 
I have lived a number of years in 
Alaska and quite a lot of my time has 
been spent among the game and men 
in the hills, and I often find it neces- 
sary to forget the laws supposed to be 
in force in this country and let my 
actions be governed by certain passages 
in the 50th Psalm. Take game protec- 
tion out of politics or the generations 
to come will not enjoy the supply of 
game that should be their due. 
Under the present system wardens are 
paid a salary, but guides are charged 
$25.00 for a license and required to 
accomplish what the game warden is 
paid for doing. The warden sometimes 
speaks of the guides as “my men.” 
The citizen who may know of a vio- 
lation of the law will think twice be- 
fore he spends his time and money to 
do what the warden should do and be- 
sides he only makes an enemy. 
I believe that every hunter and trap- 
per should be charged a small fee for a 
license and tags should be issued 
for the number of game and fur-bearing 
animals he is allowed to take. These 
moose. What has brought about the 
change? There is another part of 
Alaska that was once a great moose 
country; now they are very scarce there. 
Here is something for game protection- 
ists to think about. 
Here on the Kenai, sheep are pro- 
tected (?) from being killed by men in 
the eastern part, yet there are doz- 
ens of wolverines and eagles preying 
on them all the time. A friend of mine 
from the Tanana told me of an old man 
over there who boasts of killing and 
marketing ninety-five sheep. He is an 
old man now and his just dues are not 
far off. It is rumored around here that 
one man claims to have killed eight or 
nine moose last winter. Now, an offend- 
er like that ought to refer to the 
last passage in the 50th Psalm. Some 
of our law makers ought to read it too. 
I WAS talking recently to an Alaskan 
hunter about these problems. He is 
very much interested in the matter 
as he has lived here for many years 
(continued on page 188) 
