436 
FOREST AND STREAM 
April 6, 1912 
An Efficient Warden. 
St. Louis County, Alinn., ]\Iarch 25.— Editor 
Forest and Stream: Perhaps a little news from 
Northern Minnesota with reference to the wil¬ 
ful slaughter of big game may interest some 
of your readers, particularly those who count 
on an outing each year, not merely for the 
privilege of the kill, but for the manly sport 
and the benefit derived from the exercise neces¬ 
sary in the shooting and the packing of the 
game after it has been bagged. 
For many years before the last season, the 
attempt at preventing the needless killing of 
big game in this district has been a farce. Poli¬ 
tics has dominated the appointment of most 
of the game wardens, and the salaries in the 
shape of fees or commissions, were not com¬ 
mensurate, for many reasons, one beings if a 
game warden was about to- pull over some big 
fellow, he would be called off for cause. But 
at last a game warden has been appointed that 
is not afraid, and with whom politics does not 
interfere. He has done more to halt the pot¬ 
hunting and hunting for profit in this region 
than all the game wardens since I have been lo¬ 
cated in this county, about twenty years. 
I love the sport and am pleased to see one 
warden guarding it without fear or favor. 
Many are trying to injure him by plotting and 
scheming to get him out of the way, but he 
moves right along attending to business, and 
there is no way that he can be incriminated. 
Most of the wardens are long on platitudes 
and short on performances. If anything is 
needed in this neck-o'-th’-woods, it is a man 
that can make good with performances. A 
square deal is needed for the warden who is 
trying to preserve the game and fish. Nothing 
causes so much disregard for the law as weak- 
kneed enforcement and to know that a law is 
being violated with impunity by some, but that 
its violation, by others brings upon them the 
severest punishment. 
The greatest danger to the game does not 
come from without, but from within. Many 
of the violators are loggers and boarding house 
keepers; in fact, many lumber camps pay 
hunters so much per carcass. The loyalty of 
the wardens to the game and the laws is the 
only way that those from within will ever be 
brought into check. We need the confidence 
of the game wardens, and we should give them 
ours. Nothing else will protect the big game 
of this district from the pot-hunter and those 
who follow hunting for a living. It is not un¬ 
usual in this country for the game to be killed 
and left to rot, and this is a condition that we 
should prevent. Greater respect is due our 
present warden. In my opinion the State Game 
and Fish Commission made no mistake in its 
appointment of George E. Wood game warden 
at large of this county. He has been maligned 
and despised because he has punished many of 
those in high places, most of whom have 
pleaded guilty without a trial. Since the open¬ 
ing of the last season he has probably had one 
hundred convictions. Lumber camps and board¬ 
ing houses have been feeding their patrons and 
employes on wild meat killed out of season. 
Using dynamite jn the lakes for fish has been 
carried on for many years with none to say 
them nay. Woods has gone after these dyna¬ 
miters in earnest, as well as after the netters 
who have almost ruined the fishing. Hundreds 
of feet of nets have been taken out of our in¬ 
land lakes by him. 
Notwithstanding the fact that many have lam¬ 
basted him with mean language and endeavored 
to have him removed by the commission, his 
salary has been increased, which is a vindica¬ 
tion of the man and his work, and certainly 
exhibits the commission’s appreciation of its ap¬ 
pointee. I hope he may be continued in his 
present capacity until the ruthless destruction 
of the big game is stopped. Nomlas. 
Ducks Abundant. 
Bloomington, Ill., March 30. — Editor Forest 
and Stream: The Illinois River and contiguous 
lakes have been thronged with duck hunters this 
week. The ice has been going out of the bot¬ 
toms and bayous, and the birds are congregating 
in the clear waters. Although the season will 
be brief this spring, due to the cold weather 
with the resultant delayed flight, the sportsmen 
are assured of three weeks of shooting while 
the birds are on their way to the breeding 
grounds of the north. Natural blinds are miss¬ 
ing with the disappearance of the wild rice, 
smart weed and buck brush. There are numer¬ 
ous theories explaining the disappearance of the 
swamp growths, and whatever may be the cor¬ 
rect one, the fact remains that the cover has dis¬ 
appeared, while the flight of the birds appears 
as great as ever. 
Young Hungarian partridges are being dis¬ 
tributed to various sections by J. A. Wheeler, 
State game commissioner. These birds were 
hatched on the State game farm at Auburn. 
The English ting-necked pheasants with which 
the department has been experimenting for a 
number of years do not appear to thrive in this 
State, due to lack of cover. 
The supervisors of Stark county have can¬ 
celled the bounty on wolf scalps. It was asserted 
that wolves have been killed in Peoria and other 
counties wdiere there is no bounty, and the scalps 
brought to Stark county to be redeemed. As 
there was little chance of guarding against this 
deception, it was decided to suspend payment. 
E. E. Pierson. 
New York Legislature. 
The Senate passed the bill of Assemblyman 
Jones, amending the town law relative to pre¬ 
venting and fighting forest fires, so as to make 
the provisions conform to the conservation law 
in making certain other changes. 
The Senate passed the bill of Senator Bussey, 
providing that fish may be speared through the 
ice ■ in Silver Lake, Wyoming county, during 
January and February, and that bullheads may 
be speared or taken with set lines during May. 
The Assembly passed Mr. Jones’ bill, amend¬ 
ing the town law relative to the prevention and 
fighting of forest fires; Assemblyman Penlble- 
ton’s, providing that suckers, bullheads, etc., may 
be speared in the Susquehanna River, in Tioga 
county, from April i to Sept. 30; Senator Emer¬ 
son’s, appropriating $20,000 for establishing a 
fish hatchery in Warren county. 
Vigorous efforts w'ere made to push the water 
grab bills through, but they were defeated by a 
small margin. 
Big'Game Hunting in East Africa. 
The sportsman planning a hunting trip in 
East Africa has the choice of five steamer routes 
from Europe to Mombasa, the port of Pro¬ 
tectorate, as follows: The Union Castle Steam¬ 
ship Line, direct; the Peninsular & Oriental 
Steamship Line, with trans-shipment at Aden 
to the British India Line; the Messageries 
Maritimes, direct; the German East Africa 
Line, and the Italian East Africa Line. First- 
class return fare from London amounts to 
about $350, while the cost from Marseilles and 
Naples is somewhat lower. 
The first-class round-trip fare from Mombasa 
to Nairobi, the starting point for shooting 
parties, is $28.55. Practically everything ex¬ 
cept clothing is liable to an import duty of 10 
per cent., but one camera, one pair of field 
glasses, and one telescope are admitted duty 
free. Original invoices should be produced for 
goods whenever possible. 
The licenses required by a traveler may be 
any one of four, namely, a sportsman’s license, 
costing 750 rupees ($243), a resident’s license, 
at $49, a traveler’s license, at $5, or a land¬ 
holder’s license, at $15. Each of these licenses 
is good for one year, except the traveler’s, which 
is valid for only one month. If a person holds 
a sportsman’s or a resident’s license and de¬ 
sires to kill one elephant, $49 extra must be 
paid, and to kill two elephants $146, but if the 
second elephant is not obtained a refund of 
$97 is made. As lions and leopards are classed 
vermin no license to kill them is required. 
The sportsihan may bring his own battery; 
if not, rifles and guns can generally be hired 
or purchased in Nairobi. If hired, the expense 
is $6 to $10 per week according to the value of 
the gun. Heavy and light cordite rifles, both 
new and used, can be bought, together with 
ammunition. 
Consul Alexander W. Weddell, of Zanzibar, 
says that practically any time of year will do 
for shooting in East Africa, but on account of 
the big rains it is preferable to plan trips for 
periods between May and February. 
A white guide, familiar with the language and 
customs, can usually be secured, the wages 
varying from $195 to $365 per month, with food, 
equipment, etc., furnished by the head of the 
expedition. Ponies or mules are usually taken, 
and they can be either hired or bought out¬ 
right. Roughly speaking, a good mule can be 
obtained for $80 and a pony for $160 up. 
The expenses in the field, which include the 
hire of tents, necessary camp furniture, the cost 
of food, wages, outfit, and rations of the neces¬ 
sary attendants, is reckoned at about $486 per 
month for each member of the expedition— 
that is to say, each sportsman. This sum does 
not include liquors, and it may easily be ex¬ 
ceeded if luxuries are required. The expenses 
of a safari vary with the nature of the district 
visited, and if a foodless, waterless, or other¬ 
wise difficult territory is chosen, the cost is in¬ 
creased to a considerable extent. The fore¬ 
going figures have reference to a safari start¬ 
ing from Nairobi. The average number of 
porters, per man, on a two months’ trip is about 
30. Travelers are advised to bring their own 
personal kit, boots, etc., battery and ammuni¬ 
tion, and a good pair of field glasses; every¬ 
thing else can be purchased locally if desired. 
