Feb. 18, 1911.] 
be no more trails to be found, the two partners 
sat down and counted heads. There were seven 
great big plump fellows. The man pressed his 
thumb nail against the backs of their heads to 
see how many of them were young ones. He 
could dent the back of a young one’s skull, but 
the skulls of the old ones were too hard. He 
found four young ones. 
The two partners took their leisurely way 
through the dead grass toward the house. 
1 here was no need for hurry, and the mellow 
October sunshine made the man a little lazy. 
Possibly he was a bit tired, too, for there had 
been five hours of rather strenuous life. Flora 
wanted to hunt all the way to the house in her 
usual dashing style. She did not really care 
much about finding game, for she knew the 
hunt was over. She just wanted to have one of 
her wild racing spells, and she was finally given 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
Sportsmen and Shooting Fees. 
So much has been said for and against the 
system now generally in vogue throughout the 
L nion, requiring fees to hunt game, that the 
following statement is of interest. Many Legis¬ 
latures are in session, numerous reforms are 
proposed, opinions are various, and more or less 
confusion prevails as to what is or is not wanted 
by the citizens of various States. 
The summary that follows is based on infor¬ 
mation supplied us last year by the fish and 
game commissions of a majority of the States, 
who were asked whether in their opinion sports¬ 
men were contented with existing arrangements 
as to appropriations for fish and game protection 
and propagation or the disbursing of shooting 
license fee funds. Based on their opinions, there- 
foie, satisfaction seems to prevail in twenty- 
255 
game fund, which seems to give general satis¬ 
faction. Last year Chief Deputy B. T. Living¬ 
ston expected that the game fund would amount 
to $50,000. 
Ihe Illinois game fund averages about $150,- 
000 a year. The game commission dispenses 
this, and the Legislature appropriates no moneys 
for its work. The arrangement seems to be 
satisfactory. 
The Indiana Legislature has not appropriated 
any money for the use of its Fish and Game 
Commission for the last seven years. The com¬ 
mission handles the game fund, which is about 
$60,000 per annum. General satisfaction seems 
to prevail. 
Iowa has a game fund. In the year expired 
last April $108,000 was paid into this fund for 
licenses. Prior to the passage of the present 
license law the Legislature appropriated $7,500 
permission to go. A twenty-mile-an-hour 
gallop was nothing for her. She could keep it 
up hour after hour and seemed never to tire. 
There is not a doubt but she enjoyed it just 
for the grand speed she was making. It was 
noon when the partners reached the house and 
a pair of young mallards was on the table. 
.What a great forenoon it had been! Never 
since has just such luck come in one October 
forenoon on that prairie. Had the day been 
cloudy and windy the probabilities are that not 
one prairie chicken would have been bagged, 
for in late October they are too wild to be 
approached at all in such weather, and the 
killing of a dozen mallards at two shots does 
not come more than once in a lifetime. Those 
great days have been over almost forty years. 
Flora s tireless body was laid in its final rest¬ 
ing place many years ago, but the memory of 
the devoted love she gave her partner every 
day of her life is not forgotten by him The 
man still hunts, but as the game is gone and 
his legs are worn out by his years of tramping, 
he does his hunting now with his heels cocked 
on the steam radiator, while the snow whirls 
past his window. O. H. Hampton. 
WAITING FOR THE FLIGHT. 
From a photograph by Louis Hess. 
three States, dissatisfaction in at least six, while 
fi\e others cannot, for different reasons, be 
placed in either column. 
The summary follows: 
Arizona collects only about $100 per annum 
from non-resident shooters, and appropriates 
nothing toward the expenses of the commis¬ 
sioner, who pays part of his expenses from the 
small license fund. 
California s game fund is a separate one. 
When metal tags were carried by licensed gun¬ 
nels, the tags were loaned, cutting down the 
amount of the game fund, it is claimed, but after 
the paper tag, bearing the shooter’s name was 
adopted, the total amount in the fund rose to 
$126,000 or more. That was for 1909. 
Colorado license fees total about $16,000. The 
Legislature appropriates about $30,000 per an¬ 
num for fish and game protection. Sportsmen 
are satisfied. 
The Connecticut Fish and Game Commission 
handles the game fund, which is about $20,000 
per annum. This arrangement has met with 
satisfaction. 
In Idaho no appropriation is made for fish and 
game, but the license fees are placed in the 
per annum for the use of the State warden’s 
office. The sportsmen approve the present 
method of disbursing their money. 
Kansas shooting license fees are paid into the 
State Treasury, there to be he!d as a game fund 
subject to Legislature appropriation. At present 
this fund amounts to $64,750, and the Governor 
has asked the Legislature to turn it over to the 
game commission. 
Louisiana appropriates nothing for game pro¬ 
tection, but allows the game and fish commission 
to expend the moneys collected by it. The re¬ 
ceipts from all sources in 1909 amounted to 
about $85,000. 
There is a game fund in Maine. For the past 
two vears the amount of fees, fines, etc., paid 
into it by shooters and guides averaged $43,000. 
Last year the Legislature appropriated $47,500 
for fish protection and propagation. Resident 
sportsmen approve the system. 
In Maryland the wildfowl shooting license 
fees paid by non-residents are retained by coun¬ 
ties. 
Shooting license fees in Massachusetts are 
paid into the general fund in the treasury. In 
1909 the total was $28,000. During the past ten 
