FOREST AND STREAM 
621 
Notes From The Field 
Live 
Uniontown, Pa., May 2.—Commissioners in 
the various counties of Pennsylvania must recog¬ 
nize and pay all bounties for the killing of ani¬ 
mals or birds clased as “vermin,” when the 
hunter presents the proper certificate, according 
to a statement received by Game Warden Ralph 
Ross here from Joseph Kalbfus, secretary of the 
State Game Commission. Since the last legisla¬ 
ture failed to make an appropriation for pay¬ 
ment of bounties, commissioners in many of the 
counties have refused to pay the demands. Sec¬ 
retary Kalbfus cites a decision of Attorney Gen¬ 
eral Bell in which county commissioners are ad¬ 
vised to pay the demands and look to subsequent 
legislation for reimbursement. 
One-half of the revenue derived from the 
hunters’ license fees is to be used for the pay¬ 
ment of bounties, but that amount must be ap¬ 
propriated by the State legislature. About $6,752 
was collected from hunters’ licenses during the 
last season. 
Secretary Kalbfus advises hunters to sue 
county commissioners for bounties, in the state¬ 
ment sent Game Warden Ross. The decision 
given by Attorney Bell, which was at the request 
of Mr. Kalbfus, according to the statement is as 
follows: 
“You are accordingly advised that the several 
counties of the Commonwealth are legally liable 
to the persons presenting the proper certificates 
for the payment of bounties, prescribed by the 
said act of 1913, and that the counties thus pay¬ 
ing said bounties must look to subsequent legis¬ 
lative action for their reimbursement.” 
Centralia, Ill., April 30.—The fishing season for 
1914 opened with a number of excellent catches 
of black bass, channel cat, and sunperch. The 
fish are biting nicely and scores line the banks 
of Crooked creek and Lake Centralia daily, while 
the Okaw river is visited by lone fishermen, 
camping parties and miscellaneous crowds. The 
nearest fishing ground is Cripple creek, the 
principal catch there being bass and channel cat. 
Picnic parties are already visiting the shady 
dells surrounding Crooked creek, and boating, 
fishing and outdoor sports generally are enjoyed. 
Many stories are told as to the manner in which 
the fish have already begun to bite, and, accord¬ 
ing to reports, there is little difficulty in landing 
a nice string of cat, bass, croppy or perch. As 
usual, startling and impressive stories ae told of 
the big fish which “got away.” 
The season at the Okaw River starts with ex¬ 
cellent prospects, and the Queen City Hunting 
and Fishing club are now occupying the commo¬ 
dious new club house they recently completed. 
This club has a membership of about fifty, num¬ 
bering some of the most prominent and success¬ 
ful sports in Marioin county among its members. 
Mayor Fred Pullen, Supervisor B. H. Pitts, 
Water Supt. Fred Reinhardt, R. H. Robertson, 
Lyman H. Haussler, Dr. Rice, Dr. Dixon, Fred 
Pfeiffer, Chris Pfeiffer, J. O. Knight, Harry 
Vassal, and many other prominent business and 
professional men visit the Okaw during the sea¬ 
son, and the club is the meeting place of many 
expert shots and anglers. Several other clubs 
have headquarters at the Okaw. 
By reason of a supposed conflict in the Federal 
and state laws concerning hunting waterfowl, 
sportsmen have done a great deal of guessing in 
Illinois the past few months. Under the laws of 
Illinois the killing of wild geese, duck and other 
waterfowl was permitted until April 15, but under 
the rules of the Federal Government they were 
prohibited. As a result a few violations of the 
game laws followed, attorneys in some instances 
advising their clients that they might hunt water- 
fowl, because authorized by the Illinois laws. 
Sportsmen as a rule, however, took no chances, 
and refrained from hunting the game in question. 
It is no doubt true that there were some viola¬ 
tions of the law, but it is understood the Federal 
Government will not prosecute because of the un¬ 
certainty which existed, due to the apparent con¬ 
flict in the laws of the state and nation. 
A meeting was held here on February 10, at 
which an organization was effected and Mayor 
H. C. Norcross of Carlyle, Clinton county, was 
elected president. The sports sought the right to 
hunt waterfowl until April 15. The organization 
was a success as far as enlisting sportsmen in 
the cause, but failed of practical results. 
Wild duck are said to be nesting on the Miss¬ 
issippi river this season, probably for the first 
time in the remembrance of living hunters. This 
is said to be due to the fact that they are not 
disturbed by sportsmen because of respect for 
the Federal game rules. Wood duck have been 
known to nest in this section, but mallard and 
other varieties nest elsewhere. Wild geese were 
heard flying north last night about 8 o’clock, and 
this is late for them to make the return trip 
from the South. 
North Adams, Mass., May 4.—The trout fishing 
season in Northern Berkshire has been miser¬ 
able up to the present time. The weather has 
been cold and wet and the streams have been 
out of their banks the greater part of the time 
during April. Very few good catches have been 
reported. The streams are all well stocked with 
trout, but the weather has been so cold as to pre¬ 
clude any good fishing. In Hancock, where there 
is almost always good fishing, there has been but 
one good day. Former Mayor John H. Water- 
house and a party of friends went to their camp 
and brought back a twelve pound basket well 
filled. 
William Gardner, a clerk in the Williamstown 
postoffice, caught “Big Ben” out of the Doctor’s 
brook in the west end of Williamstown on Wed¬ 
nesday afternoon. “Big Ben,” who has broken 
more poles than any other trout in this section, 
measured exactly nineteen inches and weighed 
two pounds and six ounces. That “Big Ben” 
was an old times was shown by the fact that there 
were no less than nine hook scars around his 
mouth. 
Up to the present there have been no prose¬ 
cutions for the catching of short trout, Northern 
Berkshire men being good sports and anxious to 
promote fair play by strict observance of the law. 
Among those who have made good catches 
during the past few days are Frank L. Hicks, 
Captain Frank J. Jones of the North Adams 
police force, and William Hurlbut. 
Bridgeport, May 1—Sportsmen of Fairfield 
county were deeply grieved on Monday to learn 
of the sudden death of James William Dean, 
known to his many friends as “Billy.” Appear¬ 
ing in his usual health and spirits on Saturday, 
he went home in the evening feeling ill, and on 
Monday morning passed away. Uremic poison¬ 
ing caused his death. Dean was connected with 
the Smith sporting goods headquarters here for 
eighteen years. In this rendezvous of huntsmen 
and fishermen he became a familiar figure. He 
was an expert on guns and rods and picked many 
a rod and line that are now considered assets by 
the purchasers. The funeral was held from his 
home here on Monday. 
Attorney John C. Chamberlain, one of the 
senior members of the Fairfield county bar, is an 
enthusiastic rodman. He has just returned from 
two weeks in the Catskills, where he says he 
landed several fine trout. 
Competition at the range of the Park Rifle- 
Club closed on Tuesday, when the team headed 
by H. P. Camp defeated that piloted by F. R. 
Banks by thirteen points, nosing out in a series 
of five matches. Both teams had a chance to 
win until the last three men on Banks’ team 
shouldered their guns. Arthur Wilson, Lacy 
Burgess, and Byron Lindley were the hopes, and 
through the work of the last-named Camp’s crew 
won. The score for the five matches was 2,874 
to 2,861. Each man on the winning team re¬ 
ceived a $3 prize. The club’s regular team has 
entered the Short Range league and commence 
shooting the first week in May, to continue for 
ten weeks. The ranges will be 50 yards sitting 
and 100 yards prone. 
WITH ’LIGE AND THE SWEDES. 
(Continued from page 613.) 
rapid sweep with his hand, and then spluttering 
something that sounded like “got damp,” he up¬ 
set table and all and rushed out, saying he had 
been shot. About all the ironware crockery we 
had left went by the board when the Swede 
tackled the business end of that insect paper- 
maker ! 
Now while we are on the subject of foreign 
relations, just a line on what happened to the 
portable saw-mill. One morning there was a big 
bunch of poplar to square. The Swedes wanted 
steam up, and wanted it aplenty. They fired up 
with slabs, cones and other steam-raising produce, 
tied down the safety valve, and came to break¬ 
fast. Came a roar like the sixteen incher at 
Panama, and they tell me that hunters down 
there are still finding boiler-iron scattered over 
the landscape. Fortunately no one was hurt, but 
the saw mill business was put on the blink. 
I hated to leave ’Lige, dear old fellow. I hope 
he has a full tribe of little ’Liges and ’Ligesses 
down there, and that he is still as simple and 
kindly as when he “sot stakes an’ sighted” to 
prove the theory of the system of the entire 
heavens to be at fault! 
