45 6 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[March 23, 1907. 
turned up, Mr. Lea rode down to where I was 
and after consultation we decided to return to 
our rig, make camp for the night, return next 
day* and look after these campers. Just as we 
were crossing Rice Creek we saw our man, 
rifife in hand, coming up the creek on horse¬ 
back with a deer tied on the saddle behind him. 
Upon seeing us he turned into the wood and 
as we rode toward him he started his horse on 
the run. “Hold oh there—we want you,” 
shouted Lea, putting spurs to his horse. Up 
the mountain road they went as fast as horse¬ 
flesh could carry them. I wheeled my horse 
and started back up the creek to reach a point 
where I knew our man could come down the 
mountain side, cross the creek and reach his 
camp. After a rough and fast ride of about 
a mile and a half I halted my horse in the 
bottom of the creek behind a bunch of willows 
to listen. I heard a crash in the brush on the 
mountain side above me, and looking up saw 
our man coming down the steep side of the 
mountain through the brush and over the rocks, 
making a terrible racket. He had thrown away 
his rifle and deer (a doe) and lost his hat, his 
clothes were torn into threads and his face and 
hands were cut and bleeding from contact with 
the brush and dry manzanita, his horse was 
compelled to slide on its haunches in order to 
reach the creek, so steep was the mountain side 
down which they came. As horse and rider 
landed in the creek within fifty feet of me I 
rode out from behind my place of concealment 
and informed him that he was under arrest, to 
which he made no reply. We then started for 
the road, and about the time we reached it were 
overtaken by Mr. Lea. Our prisoner then turn¬ 
ed to us and said; “Where are you fellows go¬ 
ing to take me?” 
We informed him that he would be taken 
to Upper Lake, forty miles distant. “Well,” 
said he, “you have got me and got me good. 
I tried to get away but you got me, and I am 
going to plead guilty. That was the second doe 
I have killed in my life, and I felt like a cur 
when I killed her. That’s all there is to it; I 
plead guilty.” 
We went up the road and found the rifle and 
doe. 
Next morning Mr. Lea took him to Upper 
Lake, where he pleaded guilty before the Justice 
of the Peace and was fined $25. 
During Mr. Lea’s absence I remained in camp 
on the top of Elk Mountain, giving the horses 
a chance to rest up, for we had used them very 
hard for the past three days. In the afternoon 
I took a stroll out along the top of the moun¬ 
tain, killing a rattlesnake and locating a couple 
of camps. It took Mr. Lea from early morn¬ 
ing until midnight to make the trip to Upper 
Lake and return. 
Next morning after investigating the camps 
located the evening before, all of which we found 
“clean,” we pulled out for Gravelly Valley and 
late in the afternoon went into camp on Eel 
River about three miles from Hullville. Early 
next morning we rode to the top of Snore 
Mountain, where we found a camp occupied by 
three men who had had good luck, having 
•eight good bucks hanging in camp. They were 
making “jerky” of their meat, and did not seem 
to appreciate their good luck, the privileges 
granted them by the law or the value of the 
meat, as there was about as much meat in 
their bone pile as there was on the scaffold. 
They said they had one more deef to kill and 
would then pull out. 
They had heard that Lea and Welch were 
in the mountains somewhere, and they hoped 
they would pull into their camp. They would 
show them that they were not doe punchers and 
would tell them what they thought of game 
wardens anyhow. Mr. Lea informed them 
that we were the gentlemen they were 
so anxious to meet, at which they were sur¬ 
prised and apologized for some of their pre¬ 
vious remarks. 
We then went along the top of the mountain 
and down through a number of small glades 
to camp, which we reached about ten o’clock 
P. M. During the day we saw many fine deer, 
mountain cpiail and grouse and the tracks of 
a large bear and cub. This is a beautiful coun¬ 
try from a sportsman’s point of view. Eel 
River passes through Gravelly Valley and is full 
of fine trout, and the hills will satisfy the de¬ 
mands of any sportsman. 
The next day we started for San Hedrin 
Mountain by way of Patten and Eden valleys. 
It took us the best part of two days to make 
the trip and we arrived in Eden Valley on the 
afternoon of August 1st and went into camp 
near a deserted saw mill. During the after¬ 
noon we went up the mountain as far as the 
Impassable Rocks but could find no camp. 
Next morning we rode to Monkey Rock on 
the top of Hull- Mountain, calculating to remain 
that night at the ranch of a Mr. Squires, but 
found it deserted, Mr.Squires havingmoved to his 
summer range. We had been traveling through 
the mountains all day and neither our horses 
nor ourselves had had anything to eat. It was 
now dark and as it was fifteen miles over a 
rough trail to camp, and as there was plenty 
of hay in the barn, we decided to remain. The 
latch string of the house was on the outside, 
a little flour in a barrel and some blankets in 
a bunk. “That’s good enough for any game 
warden” said Lea. “Amen” said I, and while 
Lea took care of the horses I mixed some of 
the flour with water. It did not make very 
good cakes, but they had to answer for our 
supper and breakfast. Upon going to the 
spring in the morning I found it alive with 
wigglers, consequently our morning meal of 
cakes was much lighter than the evening meal, 
for as it was da r k when I mixed the cakes I 
could not tell how many thousand wigglers 
I had placed in them, and neither Mr. Lea nor 
myself had any particular fancy for wiggler 
fritters. 
Not being able to locate any camps that day. 
we returned to camp. 
During those two days in the mountains we 
saw many deer, and much other game, the 
tracks of several panther and bear, and in Elk 
Creek we saw many fine trout. We spent the 
next day in camp, resting our horses and our¬ 
selves. 
Next day we went to Willits by way of Round 
Valley, Covelo and Laytonville. It took us 
two days to make the trip. At Willits we sep¬ 
arated, I going to San Francisco, Mr. Lea 
continuing on with the team to Highland 
Springs. While we were at Hullville we se¬ 
cured evidence that resulted in the arrest and 
conviction of a man from San Francisco, who 
had killed deer out of season, more deer than 
the limit, and a doe in open season. This little 
fun cost him $75 in fines, besides the costs of a 
trip from San Francisco to Kelseyville, Lake 
county, and return. 
All the territory mentioned in this article is, 
from a sportsman’s point of view, a perfect para¬ 
dise. Game of every description can be found 
in abundance, including deer, bear and panther. 
All the streams, and there are many, are alive 
with fine trout. The country is easy of access, 
the scenery grand, and the climate and water 
unexcelled. Mineral springs are found in near¬ 
ly every canon. I know of no place where a 
sportsman could pass his vacation to better ad¬ 
vantage. 
While on this trip I could plainly see the 
necessity and importance of a hunting license 
with deer tags attached. The amount of pro¬ 
tection this system would give the game is 
beyond estimation, and it could be so arranged 
as to be of little inconvenience or expense to 
the sportsman but of great importance to the 
State. I found Mr. Lea a gentleman, an officer 
of ability, a man thoroughly versed in wood¬ 
craft, a true sportsman and one of the most 
companionable men it has ever been my pleasure 
to be with in the mountains. 
Walter R. Welch. 
Capitola, Cal. 
THE CAMPER’S FRIEND. 
Pure Milk is desirable wherever you camp, one or one 
thousand miles from civilization. Borden’s Eagle Brand 
Condensed Milk always opens up perfectly fresh, pure 
and satisfactory. It is the first item thought of by the 
veteran camper.— Adv. 
The Adirondack Animals. 
The following extracts from the report of 
Commissioner Whipple recently submitted to the 
New York Legislature, explain themselves: 
Although the hunters were far from satisfied 
with the conditions which prevailed in 1906, they 
secured a much larger number of deer than they 
did during the season of 1905, although the 
hunting season of 1906 was a month shorter 
than that of the previous year. An increase of 
217 deer shipped out of the Adirondacks by the 
express companies during the past season is 
what the record actually shows when compared 
with the figures of 1905. 
It may be noticed that the figures given 
officially show some slight decrease in the 
weight of heavy deer shipped out, but there is 
nothing in this that should cause alarm or in¬ 
dicate anything wrong with the deer of the 
Adirondacks. The heaviest deer shipped in 1905 
weighed 265 pounds; the heaviest deer shipped 
during the past season weighed 246 pounds. 
Year. Carcases. Saddles. Heads. 
1900 . 1,020 89 95 
1901 . 1,062 103 121 
1902 . 1,354 113 193 
1903 . 1,961 145 188 
1904 . 1,618 124 152 
1905 . 2,196 108 180 
1906 . 2,413 108 102 
It will readily be seen from these figures, 
which represent actual shipments, accurately 
recorded by the express companies, that the 
increase in the number of deer killed has kept 
step with the increase of protection, and with 
the better understanding of the law and its 
better observance by the hunters themselves. 
SHIPMENTS. 
Railroads. 
Carcasses. 
Saddles. Heads. 
Mohawk & Malone. 
. 918 
46 
45 
New York & Ottawa. 
. 206 
4 
10 
Utica & Black River. 
. 430 
14 
4 
Rome, Watert’n & Ogdensburg 72 
6 
Fonda, lohnst’n & Gloversville 201 
7 
12 
Little halls & Dolgeville. 
. 24 
1 
5 
N. Y. Central & Hudson River 7 
Cranberry Lake . 
. 33 
7 
Gouverneur & Edwards .. 
. 6 
2 
Lowville & Beaver River.. 
. 35 
1 
Raquette Lake . 
. 43 
7 
Delaware & Hudson. 
. 438 
21 
18 
2,413 
108 
102 
The largest number 
from, any 
one point 
was 
shipped from North Creek, 225; from North- 
ville, 181; from Stony Creek, 134. 
The largest specimens were: A 16-point buck 
weighing 255 pounds dressed, shot by Madison 
Tooley; J. Birkett, a 240-pounder; A. H. Felter, 
237 pounds; B. F. Kathan, 227. 
During the past season several reports have 
been received of the killing of white deer. 
John Soper, of Malone, killed a yearling buck 
weighing 90 pounds near Ragged Mountain that 
was all white except a few brown spots on the 
head and back. This specimen was peculiar, 
in that its under jaw was fully an inch shorter 
than the upper, and its feet were as large as 
those of an old deer, showing it to be a freak 
in other respects as well as in color. It had 
no horns. 
E. C. Manzer, of Warrensburg, killed a buck 
near West Stony Creek which had a white 
coat containing a few brown and black spots. 
It had a good set of horns, and was remark¬ 
able for its short legs, short neck and stubby 
nose, which resembled that of a sheep. It 
weighed 225 pounds. This animal had been 
seen for some time in the Harrisburg country, 
and bore the marks of rifle bullets. 
Early in December Chief Protector John B. 
Burnham was advised that several reliable men 
had seen a black deer in the northern part of 
Essex county. The animal was seen at various 
times during the hunting seasons of 1903, 1904 
and 1905. Prof. C. Hart Merriam, Chief of the 
Biological Survey, when asked about the matter, 
wrote: “I do not remember any reference in 
the books to a black deer. At the same time 
melanism is common among mammals, and black 
individuals are likely to crop out now and then in 
any species.” Col. Fox, the Superintendent of 
Forests, is of the opinion that the “black deer” 
may have been an elk. 1 he hunters, however, 
