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forest and stream. 
[Oct. 
1909. 
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In the Turkey Country. 
Doniphan, Mo., Sept. 2 5 .-Editor Forest and 
Stream: One of the greatest disappointments 
to the hunters of Southeast Missouri last fall 
was the turkey shooting. Everything appeared 
favorable for good sport. Good hatchings dur¬ 
ing a dry period produced lots of strong young 
birds and in the bottoms until the last of Sep¬ 
tember every pea field was heavily patronized 
by them. The great crop of white oak, pm 
oak, overcup and cow oak mast promised an 
abundance of food and assurance against the 
birds wandering from this favorite territory of 
theirs. But the drouth, which began in August, 
continued so long that the timber men and cat¬ 
tlemen, seeing an opportunity to get rid of the 
dense underbrush which, by the way, is usual y 
a rare one, began to fire the now dry bottom 
lands, and this process of firing was kept up for 
two months. So incessant was their work that 
for days and days smoke obscured the sun and 
our eyes suffered some from the smoke of burn¬ 
ing leaves and rotten wood. 
With the work of destroying the underbrush, 
etc., came the loss of the food crop of the deer 
and turkeys’ mast. So the big fowls left the 
heavily timbered swamps and traveled north¬ 
west to the open pine and post oak woods of 
the rough country of the Irish wilderness, the 
pigeon roosts of old where the slaughter of the 
millions of these birds was carried on tint, 
none remained—a place still unsettled, beautiful 
tracts of rough uplands, whose green verdure of 
sedge grass and lespedeza furnish ideal nesting 
places for the quail of the timber lands. 
Burning of woods in our section does not 
mean deforestation, but rather a waste of humus 
that could be of great service to the farmer in 
the. next twenty-five years; for when the leaves 
are burned the deposit of ashes is washed off to 
the streams by the fall rains and little of the 
potash is left to become distributed in the soil. 
I believe I am the most unlucky turkey hun¬ 
ter I have ever known, if one’s luck is to be 
measured by the number of birds secured. 
When I go after the bronze fellows I anticipate 
something unusual to turn up, and now it has 
become so frequent with me to fail to get my 
game when almost within grasp of my hands 
that when poor results follow it does not cause 
me any more annoyance. Perhaps my luck will 
change, but so far ill fortune has clung rather 
closely to me, especially where wild turkeys are 
concerned. I have killed my share and should 
not complain, but like the angler whose big 
ones get away, so has it been with my gobblers. 
Last fall while quail shooting in ragweed stub¬ 
ble I came upon a flock of about forty biids at 
the west end of a tract of now wild land, called 
the Pattison place. I drew on the birds so un¬ 
expectedly that they ran huddled together in 
the corner of the old rail fence, then foi a 
moment remained still as if uncertain what to. 
do. I leisurely aimed at one bearded fellow 
who, in his impatience, was trying to squeeze 
through the rail fence. fhe right hammer 
snapped and the left followed in like manner. 
A noisy fluttering of wings mixed with the un- 
melodious sput-sput of the frightened birds as 
they made for the nearby bluff reminded me 
that it would be well hereafter when through 
luncheon to load my gun. 
It has always been my custom when eating 
lunch out of doors to remove shells from the 
gun, for fear of the dogs getting into a rnixup, 
and firing a gun into a fellow, as I saw once 
happen to a party of deer hunters at the head 
of Big Barren, whose camp rules required them 
to stack their guns all together. This badly ad¬ 
vised plan brought a bad accident. Two hounds 
got fighting over a bone, overturned the gun 
rack and one gun that the shells had not been 
withdrawn from went off in the melee and de¬ 
posited the charge in the owner’s foot, which 
accident of course cut short the outing very 
abruptly. Christmas week last year a friend in¬ 
sisted that I use his pump gun for the day. He 
was so enthusiastic over the gun, its killing 
powers, mechanism, etc., that I could not re¬ 
fuse the proffered weapon without hurting his 
feelings. The afternoon found me on an old 
train road near my home, the chamber and 
magazine of this gun containing shells loaded 
with No. 8 shot. Unexpectedly I found myself 
within thirty yards of fourteen nice turkeys. 
The first suggestion coming to me I followed; 
that was to empty the magazine and substitute 
some BBs I always carried with me. But 
the noise of the working parts sent the birds 
running so fast that I was unable to get with¬ 
in shooting range of them. 
This year the birds are again plentiful. I 
have fifteen acres of New Era peas that these 
wily fellows have been frequenting of late, and 
if no ill luck follows, Thanksgiving day will 
be celebrated with an old-fashioned turkey roast. 
Loch Laddie. 
Training Young Foresters. 
Minneapolis, Minn., Sept. 24 .—Editor Forest 
and Stream: Those persons whose hearts are 
where the wind sings in the pines and where 
the sweet exhilarating odor of the forest puts 
iron in the blood will find Itaska Park, the 
State property at the headwaters of the Mis¬ 
sissippi, where the State university is training 
its young men as future guardians of the gieat 
forest wealth of the State and country, an ideal 
place to spend the summer or the red and gold 
days of early fall. Itaska State Park is going 
to become one of the most beautiful State prop¬ 
erties in the United States if plans of the State 
forestry board, of which S. M. Owens, of Min¬ 
neapolis, is president, are carried out. This 
beautiful wooded tract of 21,000 acres, inter¬ 
spersed with streams and dotted by the lakes 
from which the Father of Waters has its source, 
will equal in natural beauty any property in 
the Adirondacks. Nature has done its full 
quota and now men skilled in making the 
beauties of nature still more pleasing are to do 
their share in that line. Many deer that have 
lost the fear of man thrive in the park, and 
colonies of beavers may be seen building their 
homes for winter. Great stands of Norway 
pine, evergreens and various deciduous trees 
cover the larger area of the reservation and 
flora of various kinds abound. Bass, trout and 
pickerel populate the lakes and streams and 
may be fished for subject to the State laws. 
In 1891 the Legislature established the park. 
Congress acting upon the request of the execu¬ 
tive officers of the State contributed on behalf 
of the United States all land situated within 
the limits of the park which had not been 
granted prior to that year. Situated chiefly in 
Clearwater county the park, which was seven 
miles long and five in width, also extends into 
Hubbard and Becker counties. Later a tract 
of 160 acres was added to the original area. 
Several years ago Douglass Lodge was built for 
the entertainment of visitors. It is a big build¬ 
ing with eighteen rooms for the guests and 
a big dining room and hall. In the latter the 
guests congregate in the evening, bringing their 
pipes and sitting before the open fireplace? 
where resinous logs are burned. A wide porch 
extends the entire length of the lodge, which 
is situated in the deep woods. Several smaller 
cottages have been built by visitors within the 
last three or four years, forming a nucleus for 
what will grow into a thriving summer colony 
About 200 visitors were at the park during the 
past summer. 
Lake Itaska is in the park. Elk Lake is con 
nected with Lake Itaska, and thirty years agr 
there were many heated controversies as t< 
which lake really formed the headwaters of th. 
river. The lakes are connected with a channe 
known as Chamber’s Creek, which furnishes ai 
excellent course. 
The Minnesota forest school, where elevei 
young men are learning forestry, is situated ii 
the park. Prof. S. B. Green, of the State Uni 
versity, conducts the actual work, and there i 
a small frame building used as a class roon 
The students, however, live in tents, fitting then 
so Prof. Green says, to live in the surrounding 
for which they are educated. Something her 
may be said regarding the work in forestry don 
at Itaska. With the object in training youn 
men to take care of the forest wealth in th: 
country, the University of Minnesota has estal 
fished a four-year course'in forestry. In th 
course the students spend the soimmers of the 
junior and senior years in Itaska Park, in realil 
a great forest. Eleven university students wei 
to the park May 1, when the lake on the short 
of which they camp was frozen over. They ha\ 
lived in tents throughout the season, and whe 
they get to the point where they cannot mal 
themselves comfortable in a tent, the chances a 
that they are not adapted for forestry work, ai 
it is on this account that no expensive building 
are needed for this summer school work. T[ 
management of the camp is left to the studen 
themselves, even including the boarding hou, 
arrangements, which are managed on a co-oper 
tive plan. Professors Cheyney and Wentlir 
spent the summer with the boys and conduct 
lectures and field w r ork. Ihe park work cc- 
sists of such subjects as land surveying al 
plotting, cruising and estimating timber, t: 
growing of trees from seed by transplants, 
field botany and geology. The students ma- 
tained a rigid system of discipline. When) 
boy would not get up for breakfast he was tab' 
unceremoniously from his bed and thrown i*p 
the lake. This discipline was taken in gd 
part by all of the students. 
Fire breaks have been built through the woo 
and a portion of the money authorized by < 
forestry board some time ago will be spent 1 
building others. The park can be reached fr; 1 
either Park Rapids or Bemidji by road, a ( 
tance of about twenty-four miles. The ro 
now are not good, but with other appropriati' 
work will be done to make them excellent hi) 
• ways and then the park will receive its 
quota of guests. Robert Page Lincoln 
