March 23, 1907.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
455 
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Game Warden Experiences. 
The morning of the eleventh of July, 1903, I 
took the train for Ukiah, California, to meet 
Field Deputy Fish and Game Commissioner A. 
F. Lea, our object being to make a trip through 
the counties of Sonoma and Mendocino, reports 
having reached the office of the State Board 
of Fish and Game Commissioners that viola¬ 
tions of the deer law were being committed 
in that section, and that several camps had 
already been established, although the deer 
season did not open until July 15. We had 
been detailed for this work. 
Upon my arrival at Ukiah I was met at the 
station by Mr. Lea, and although I had never 
had the pleasure of meeting that gentleman 
before, 1 saw at a glance by his bright eye, his 
quick movements and general appearance that 
in him I had a companion on whom I could de¬ 
pend in any .emergency. We retired to our 
rooms at the hotel and after consultation de¬ 
cided that we would secure our team, stock of 
“grub,” etc., and start early next morning for 
the mountains in the southwestern part of 
Mendocino county. 
At sunrise next morning we were on the road. 
The day was hot, the roads dusty, and it was 
late afternoon before we arrived at Ranchree 
Creek and went into camp. Here we found 
several other camps, and remained several days, 
but neither saw nor heard of any violations of 
the law. 
On the afternoon of the fourteenth of July, 
deer hunting parties commenced to arrive, and 
in conversation with some of them we were 
told that we had “better look out and not kill 
any does or spotted fawns, as Game Wardens 
Lea and Welch were in the hills, and that they 
were looking after game law violations in ear¬ 
nest.” By dark that night at least twenty 
deer hunters, with as many dogs and horses 
had assembled at Ranchree Creek to open the 
season next day, and by three o'clock next 
morning all were off for the hills. None of the 
parties killed any does or fawns, although sever¬ 
al bucks were bagged. By noon, having been 
recognized by one of the parties, and our identi¬ 
ty having become known, we decided to go to 
the Lidford Ranch twenty-five miles south, 
where we had heard there were several camps 
of deer hunters. 
On the morning of the sixteenth at four 
o’clock after a hasty breakfast of coffee, bacon 
and bread, we saddled our horses and shoulder¬ 
ing our rifles started to cross a mountain to 
reach the foot of Barkley Peak where we had 
located several camps the evening before. We 
calculated that we could make these camps and 
return to our own by noon, but after the hard¬ 
est kind of a day’s ride, through heavy brush, 
and over steep hills, with nothing to eat, we 
at last reached these camps, all of which we 
found to be “clean,” and got back to our camp 
at nine o’clock, tired and hungry. 
On the eighteenth at sunrise we were off for 
Hopland, having decided to return to the office 
and report, afterward returning better prepared 
for such work as we were doing, as in our 
hasty departure on this trip neither of us had 
prepared for such rough work in the mountains, 
and our shoes and clothes were all but worn 
out. On our way out we found the tracks of 
two men in the dust along the road. From the 
nail marks in the tracks, these men apparently 
wore hunting shoes, and we decided that there 
must be a hunting camp in that locality, al¬ 
though we had heard no shooting or dogs 
Mr. Lea suggested that I take the tracks and 
see what I could find. I followed the tracks 
up an old road in the bottom of a deep canon 
about a mile and a half to where I 
found a camp with no one at home. Investi¬ 
gation, however, produced evidence sufficient to 
convince me that a doe and spotted fawn had 
been killed. 
I returned to the road where I had left Mr. 
Lea, and hiding our team, we returned to the 
camp and concealed ourselves in the brush. 
We did not have to wait long before three 
men came into camp. Leaving Mr. Lea still 
hidden in the brush I went into the camp and 
inquired if they were the occupants of the 
camp, and upon receiving an affirmative reply 
accused them of killing a doe and spotted fawn, 
and informed them that they were under arrest. 
At first they denied the charge, but when Mr. 
Lea came out of the brush carrying part of 
the fawn in his hand, and when I said to him 
“Go over there and look at that doe,” which 
the men had skinned and concealed in the brush 
under a piece of canvas, they broke down and 
admitted their guilt. We took two of them, 
that admitted the killing of the doe and fawn 
to Flopland, thirty miles distant, where they 
were fined.$50 by Justice Armstrong. 
While on this trip we passed through a most 
beautiful game country, situated in the south¬ 
western part of Mendocino county and the 
northwestern part of Sonoma county. We saw 
many deer, quail and other game, and camped 
on some fine trout streams. 
On the 19th I left Mr. Lea at Ukiah, agree¬ 
ing to meet him on Wednesday at Highland 
Springs, Lake county, from which point it was 
agreed we would continue our crusade against 
“doe punchers.” Early on the 23d we started 
from Highland Springs better prepared for our 
work. That day we drove as far as Upper 
Lake, where we camped all night and early 
next morning started over Elk Mountain for 
Paramour Soda Springs. The road was very 
narrow and steep, and as we had quite a load 
on our wagon, consisting chiefly of hay and 
grain for our horses, it was late in the after¬ 
noon when we arrived at the Springs. There we 
found several camping parties, so we decided to 
remain all night. Next morning we saddled our 
horses and leaving our wagon and camp out¬ 
fit behind started over the chemisal covered 
hills of Lake county for Crabtree Soda and 
Hot Springs. To a sportsman this is a beauti- 
full ride of ten or twelve miles. We crossed 
the Rice Fork of Eel River and took the trail, 
a blind and bushy one, it is true, but neverthe¬ 
less a trail. Deer tracks were to be seen every¬ 
where. Mountain and valley quail and grouse 
were often flushed as we rode along the trail. 
We also jumped many deer. Upon arrival at 
the Springs we found a “clean” camp occupied 
by three gentlemen from San Francisco who had 
come to the springs to benefit their health from 
the medicinal qualities of these waters. After 
a rest and drink of soda, iron, sulphur and 
ofher mineral waters, both hot and cold, we 
resumed our journey back to camp through the 
pine-clad hills west of the Springs. Crabtree 
Springs, if developed and a road built to them 
would become famous as a health and pleasure 
resort. 
Upon our return to camp we went to Rice 
Fork where we knew there was a small cold 
soda spring and would be likely to find a camp. 
Upon arriving we found three camps, one of 
which we did not like the looks of very much, 
and were informed that the “boss” was out deer 
hunting. Driving back in the direction in which 
we had come, we concealed our wagon in the 
brush and saddling our horses, hid in the brush, 
Mr. Lea watching one trail and I another. 
About seven o’clock P. M. nothing having 
A SONG SPARROW. 
The bird was accustomed to sing every morning on the top of a fir bush some five feet high. Mr. 
Charles H. Tolman, by placing his camera in position, and standing some fifty feet distant, was able 
to catch the bird in the very midst of his rollicking melody. The picture is so full of life that it was 
deemed worthy of reproduction. 
