34 
the big game laws and that many of the of¬ 
fenders are among the most prominent citizens 
of the town. 
“Minnesota will never receive the best work 
from its game wardens until the game protec¬ 
tion service is taken out of politics and placed 
on a civil service basis,’’ declared E. A. Cleasby, 
Federal inspector of migratory birds, at the 
state capitol to-day. “Game wardenship should 
be a profession and not a job. Under the Min¬ 
nesota system a game warden likely as not may 
be displaced just about the time he has master¬ 
ed the duties of his office and come to be of 
real value to the state. 
Civil Service Proposed. 
“Six states already have civil service for state 
employes and in the departments with which I 
am familiar, as in the game protection and for- 
FOREST AND STREAM 
ing is not allowed in Michigan, but the deer are 
steadily decreasing in number. 
How does he know that “City Feller” hires the 
best shots to shoot everything they see until they 
get a good buck for him? These best shots must 
be local men, friends of Peter Flint’s Farmer; 
and they must tell him their experiences. Who 
is breakng the law, and who is accessory after 
the fact? Why are there so many does in evi¬ 
dence with all this slaughter? How did Peter 
Flint’s Farmer et al get those fine bucks he men¬ 
tions so quickly and easily? Why were those 
bucks so fat? With the rut and the pestering of 
hunters the “few” bucks should have been lean. 
Peter Flint’s Farmer’s buck was running when 
he first saw him, and Farmer pumped lead as 
fast as he could through the brush, yet he knew 
it was a buck, all right. 
nate them, but efficient wardens can keep them 
in check. 
Set aside a few sanctuaries where no deer of 
any kind shall be killed at any time. We cannot 
eat our cake and have it, too. 
Would not “City Feller” and “Best Shots” and 
“Peter Flint’s Farmer” kill several deer to get a 
good one just the same if there were no “Buck 
Law?” Would a change of law change their na¬ 
tures? “Can a leopard change his spots?” 
H. S. WINTER. 
BACK TO THE OLD TIME. 
Williamsport, Pa., Dec. 26, 1914. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
In renewing my subscription for Forest and 
Stream, I want to tell you how much I appre- 
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est service, I know that better results are ob¬ 
tainable than under the old system.” 
Mr. Cleasby is inspector in charge of the lake 
district, comprising the states of Michigan, Wis¬ 
consin, Minnesota and Iowa, and devotes most 
of his time to supplementing the work of the 
state authorities, by instruction and device. 
REFERRED TO PETER FLINT. 
Mohawk, Mich., Dec. 22, 1914. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
In a recent issue of your paper you print a 
supposed interview which Peter Flint 'has with a 
farmer. In this interview the farmer objects to 
the “Buck Law.” 
He starts by saying he hasn’t seen so many 
deer before in forty years as this year. Hound- 
Winter in the Woods. 
Three-fourths of the hunters in Michigan try 
to live up to the game laws. I believe this is 
true in New York also. “City Feller” and “Best 
Shots” that he hires belong to the other fourth. 
They are the answer to the question, “Why is a 
game warden?” Are there no wardens in New 
York? 
Does do not all breed every year anywhere. A 
farmer owned a tame doe in a part of Michigan 
where there had been no wild deer for many 
years. In the fall she disappeared. He gave her 
up for lost, but in December she returned. In 
the spring she had a fawn. The nearest wild 
deer known were thirty or forty miles away. 
There will always be game law violators, and 
game hogs who shoot everything they can with¬ 
out regard to size or sex. No law can elimi- 
ciate it. I have been a reader of it ever since it 
was published, and have always felt the spirit of 
its writers touched a responsive chord in my 
heart. The writings of the old timers are par¬ 
ticularly pleasing, especially “Nesmuk” as he 
hunted and fished over the part of Pennsylvania 
most familiar to me. The Black Forest Club, 
located in the mountains of Lycoming County, 
dose to the borders of his old home, Tioga coun¬ 
ty, Pa., and also adjacent to Potter county, and 
Clinton county, Pa., has members who remember 
•him and many times is he spoken of as the best 
writer who ever hunted and fished in this section 
when trout, grouse, deer and bear, yet furnish the 
finest sport to those who love the Allegheny 
mountains best of all. 
C. W. YOUNGMAN. 
