472 
FOREST AND STREAM 
—as they still are at the present writing—for the 
last nine or ten years, it is really necessary to 
have one open season to kill off the very old 
bulls, which, in every sense of the word, have be¬ 
come the worst of vermin to their own species. 
To replace these, fresh blood (young bulls) 
should be imported and turned out (Southern 
animals preferred), to improve and invigorate 
the herds. 
(4) Big-horn—Fairly numerous also over 
large area; very few shot in recent years; some 
good heads to be obtained. Big-horn and goat 
may be shot on the same mountain. 
(5) Goat — Most abundant everywhere 
throughout the East Kootenay. 
(6) Black and White-Tailed Deer — Very 
numerous all over. The former carry some 
fine heads. A day’s journey back from settle¬ 
ments. They keep to the mountain sides be¬ 
low timber-line. The white-tail can be met with 
in every valley and creek bottom. 
(7) Mountain Lion, Congar, Panther, etc., but 
all one and the same animal, are to be found 
principally on east side of Kootenay River and 
main range of the Rockies, but distributed more 
or less all over. Several were trapped last 
winter. The bounty at present on this destruc¬ 
tive brute is $15. It should be doubled, when 
trappers would give it more of their attention 
than at present is the case. It is rarely found— 
except in the winter months—at a low altitude. 
I note that some writers consider the Goat im¬ 
mune from attack by this animal. No doubt 
they make this statement from experience and 
observation in the field, hence, they are entitled 
to their opinions. But I would point out that 
Felts Concolor is a long, if low, lithe, powerful 
beast of the cat species, springs from fourteen to 
sixteen feet on its prey with a paralyzing shock 
that no animal in the mountains can stand 
against but the Grizzly. To put it shortly, it is 
better underground. Thirty dollars is not too 
much, ior-its scalp. 
Wolves—Practically non-existent in the East 
Kootenay. 
Fishing—First-class, the principal species being 
charr and “cut-throat.” Why such an outland¬ 
ish, harsh name as “cut-throat” is difficult to un¬ 
derstand, seeing that the under gills must be 
opened before disclosing the red marks, from 
which this true trout takes its peculiar name, I 
presume, can be seen. It is found in all streams 
and tributaries, as well as the main Kootenay 
River. Charr attain large size in deep water. 
The spring is the best time to hunt bear—May 
and June—the former for preference. They are 
then confined to a narrow compass, i. e., on the 
slides only, and with a little patience, evenings 
or early mornings, where “signs” are found, suc¬ 
cess is assured. 
The Selkirk Range, running north and south, 
west of the Columbia and Kootenay Rivers, car¬ 
ries only three species of big game, excluding 
deer, viz: bear, caribou and goat. There is no 
better grizzly bear range on the continent than 
the lofty Selkirks, with their innumerable 
“slides” and snow-clad peaks. 
A day’s journey up one of the many creeks 
that empty into the Columbia River from any 
station on the recently constructed K. C. & R. 
railroad (from Golden or main line of C. P. R. 
to Cranbrook) will place the sportsman in a guar¬ 
anteed grizzly country. Two days will place him 
in the midst of all the various species of game 
mentioned in the East Kootenay. 
The license fee charged aliens for spring 
bear hunting is $25.00. 
In the open season, to cover all big game, the 
fee is $100.00. This latter fee is considered to 
be prohibitive and against the interests of the 
province—as it is. 
Personally, I have always advocated that the 
fee charged aliens should be on a sliding scale, 
viz: Ordinary gun license to cost from $10, to 
not more than $25. Then so much for each 
head of game allowed to be shot, when shot, 
say roughly from $15 to $25 for a grizzly or 
wapiti or big horn, the three principal trophies 
of the sporting world, and from $10 to $15 or 
even $20, as decided, for moose or goat or black 
bear, etc. No thorough going sportsman will ob¬ 
ject or hesitate a moment to pay a liberal fee 
for a magnificent trophy lying at his feet, se¬ 
cured by his own rifle after strenuous exertion 
and at heavy expense! „ 
Moreover, on this system there is no cause 
for irritation or annoyance in case of failure, or 
excuse for writing bitterly on the heavy fee 
charged in advance, as was the case of couple of 
years ago in a sporting magazine. 
On the other hand, should the sportsman se¬ 
cure his full allowance the government receives 
over the $100 charged in a lump sum. Hunting 
big and elusive game of various kinds in heav¬ 
ily-timbered mountains is most uncertain at the 
best of times for the best of men; therefore it 
doesn’t follow that the well-informed sportsman 
of to-day, in paying this heavy fee in advance, is 
in any way deceived that he is going to hunt in 
a well-stocked game preserve; nothing could be 
further from the truth. 
We were told recently by a public speaker, 
Mr. Oscar C. Bass, at the annual dinner of the 
Canadian Camp, New York, that “provincial leg¬ 
islatures looked upon game protection as a 
huge joke.” Certainly when one inquires into 
the matter one finds very few practical sports¬ 
men, naturalists, or lovers of wild life as mem¬ 
bers of legislatures. Nevertheless, I have every 
confidence that our present Provincial govern¬ 
ment will either lower the present fee, or place it 
on the “sliding scale” I have outlined above, if 
properly approached, as they at all events, don’t 
look upon game protection “as a joke.” 
It may be asked, how this money for each head 
of game killed is to be collected if placed on a 
sliding scale. 
By issuing coupons with the gun license, one 
for each head allowed, to be attached to the 
head or skin of each trophy before shipment out 
by any carrying company. A deposit can be 
left in the hands of any government agent, jus¬ 
tice of the peace, or game warden; or the guide, 
who has to take out a license before being al¬ 
lowed to act as such, can be held responsible. 
The trails up the various tributaries are not in 
the best condition possible. But as all streams 
and rivers, though traveling at the rate of from 
six to eight miles per hour, are fordable on horse¬ 
back, the trail is never a necessity in April and 
May, and the fall months of the open season. 
Excepting the game wardens and fire rangers, 
there is no other travel, or very little, over these 
trails, and as the above men work singly it is 
not easy for them to keep the trails open. But 
the true big game hunter, who is not afraid of 
fording streams or swimming them if necessity 
demands it, will not growl, as it keeps the ner¬ 
vous amateur out. 
As I have said, the game wardens work alone. 
Each has a very large territory to look after, 
much too large for one man, and he should not 
be alone in a rugged, heavily-timbered sea of 
mountains, bi-sected with running rivers, full of 
quicksands, continually passing great “slides,” 
full of loose rock, ready to rush down at the 
slightest touch, miles of decayed timber from old 
forest fires that a wind-storm—so prevalent in 
the mountains—uproots by thousands, hurling 
them in all directions and blocking up the trails, 
which means heavy axe-work for the warden, 
after two and three days from the nearest set¬ 
tlement, if he would get either in or out. In 
such a wild region—in fact, just as God left it— 
a warden absolutely alone, threatened with these 
and other unseen dangers, is helpless. They 
never complain, but it seems hardly fair to ask 
them to travel continually alone for weeks in a 
wilderness, and to expect them to keep all hunt¬ 
ing trails open, would be too ridiculous. 
Finally, given patience, a fair amount of time, 
say three weeks or a month, with a good guide, 
there is no reason to be advanced why any 
sportsman who is a fair shot should not take out 
with him his full quota of game. 
The employing of a good scout is suggested, 
especially if only a limited time is at the dis¬ 
posal of the sportsman. 
Taking a flash-light picture of a wild animal is considered the highest art of photography. 
Taking a moving picture film of three thousand feet covering the same subject is a rarer 
achievement. Mr. Frank Merton Buckland, author of “Rhymes of the Stream and Forest," 
the well-known Forest and Stream book, has just returned from the wildest portions of New 
Brunswick, after having photographed on moving picture films some wonderful scenes showing 
moose in their haunts, groups of deer, bears and bear-cubs at play, etc. Mr. Buckland’s pictures 
reveal the Happyland of Animal Life. He will, in an early issue of Forest and Stream, tell about 
his trip. This ought to be the outdoor story of the year. 
