

AuG. 24, 1907.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 






| GAMME RAG ANID GUIN 



Game in Wyoming. 
In his annual report for 1906, just issued, 
State Game Warden D. C. Nowlin, of Wyo- 
ming, says that annual outings, with hunting as 
a pleasant incident, continue to grow in popu- 
larity. More Wyoming people were “in the 
hills’ this year than ever before. Many went 
out early for the mere pleasure of camping and 
fishing; many more procured licenses and 
braved the fall storms to hunt deer, elk and 
antelopes. Nonresident hunters were numerous, 
especially in the elk country. With but few ex- 
ceptions the hunters showed the true qualities 
of sportsmen, evincing no desire to exceed the 
lawiul number of game animals, or to evade 
the law by subterfuges common to poachers. 
Our State is well supplied with small game 
and is a far better hunting ground for big 
game than any other State of the Union. No- 
where else can large bands of elk still be 
found. With our present liberal laws and long 
open season our big game would be speedily 
exterminated if the hunting fields were easily 
accessible by rail. All nonresidents hunt for 
trophies and pay liberally to secure them, 
Formerly all residents hunted primarily for 
meat, but the recent unparalled demand for game 
specimens—raw and mounted—has wrought a 
very great and harmful change. Many, if not 
an actual majority, of resident hunters, during 
the past season, were intent upon killing the males 
(especially elk) and naturally selected the largest 
heads. The result of this sort of hunting can be 
easily foreseen. Already a shortage of bulls among 
the elk has been remarked by nearly all hunters. 
The killing off of the prime bulls will not only 
lessen the annual calf crop but will show gen- 
eral deterioration in a comparatively short time. 
While in most States the killing of big game 
is restricted by requiring hunters to kill males 
only (generally one), in Wyoming we are con- 
fronted with the problem of how best to pro- 
tect our male elk. The time has passed when 
hunters can safely be allowed two bull elk each 
and given sixty days in which to secure them. 
O. D. Marx, assistant warden, of Valley, Big 
Horn county, writes: ‘People generally in this 
section commend game protection, and, I be- 
lieve, honestly appreciate the efforts that are 
being made toward this end. Not only is this 
the case with the residents of this portion of 
Big Horn county, but such are the sentiments 
of the nonresident hunters who frequent these 
mountains.” 
C. C. Hickok, assistant warden, of Saratoga, 
writes: “We have had no trouble this season 
with unlawful hunters. People seem anxious 
to help protect the game. Deer show a marked 
increase and the few elk I noticed a year ago 
seem to have increased. 
“We have’a few mountain sheep left, but I 
have seen none. More antelope this season 
than we have had for years, and but few were 
killed this season. We have one band of about 
200 antelope within twenty miles of Saratoga. 
I think a closed season of five years would be 
a fine thing for the antelope, as he has less 
natural protection and is the most hunted of 
any of our game animals. Game generally in 
fine condition.” 
Special Assistant John B. Duncan, - of 
Sheridan, says: “Deer are holding their own 
—possibly increasing. Elk, antelope and sheep 
are so scarce that it is hard to tell how they 
are doing. Mr. Howard Eaton imported 100 
Mexican quail last spring and they have scat- 
tered over the country, raising a few broods. 
Whether or not the winters here are too severe 
for them remains to be seen. Resident hunt- 
ing here about the same as last year. Non- 
resident hunting increased 50 per cent.” 
J. D. Ferrin, special assistant, of Jackson, 
writes: “About the usual amount of hunting 
this season, but not one elk killed illegally, 
where there used to be twenty. I believe we 
have the support of the people more than ever 
before.” 
Special Assistant P. H. Karns, of Jackson, 
says: “Rumor has exaggerated the number of 
elk killed for tusks, but many bulls were so 
slaughtered. Nevertheless, the elk are not de- 
creasing rapidly. Nearly all hunters go after 
male elk, I believe that the killing of males 
should be limited to one, or else prohibited 
entirely.” 
B. D. Seffield, the well-known guide and 
tourist outfitter, of Moran, says: “It seems to 
me that it would be a good plan for the State 
to offer a reward for anyone killing game 
illegally. A reward of $100 would justify a 
man in scouting for offenders and then any one 
could make an arest. I consider every bull elk 
worth $100 to some one in the State, and they 
should be protected accordingly.” 
Of all our big-game animals, only deer have 
increased—slightly—since 1903. This may be 
attributed to two causes, a more general ob- 
servance of the laws, and the killing of many 
mountain lions by hunters and trappers. In 
the Jackson Hole section there has been a gen- 
eral crusade against lions, resulting in a great 
saving of game. 
There seems to be no appreciable decrease in 
mountain sheep, taking the State as a whole, 
during the past three years, but certainly no 
noticeable increase. The sheep are in a healthy 
condition and fairly well protected, except from 
predatory animals. 
Antelope have decreased at an alarming rate. 
The Green River band, ranging in the counties 
of Uinta, Fremont and Sweetwater, was esti- 
mated three years ago at six thousand; to-day 
the most liberal estimate would place the num- 
ber below two thousand head. Hundreds 
perished during the terrible snow storm last 
March, and coyotes, wolves and_ hunters are re- 
sponsible for other losses. In Carbon, Natrona, 
Converse, Weston and Crook counties many 
antelope were slaughtered by the Ute Indians. 
The State Game Preserve is a veritable boon 
to the elk, affording a much needed refuge and 
breeding ground during the open season. If a 
winter preserve and breeding ground could be 
set aside along the Gros Ventre River, and east, 
to include the “Big Bend” of Green River, for 
the use of the elk, it would remove the ever- 
present dread of “winter-killing,” and abso- 
lutely insure the perpetuity of the largest band 
of elk in the world. 
“Hunting with the camera” is a commendable 
recreation, much better for all concerned than 
hunting with the rifle. The consequent exer- 
cise and outdoor life are conservators of health, 
the results are harmless to the subjects and 
intensely interesting to the operator. The in- 
terest in this sort of outdoor pastime is rapidly 
growing. 
In my 1905 report I called attention to the 
shameful work of a few lawless vagabonds who 
were killing elk for their tusks, in the Jackson’s 
Hole country. About the close of that year 
one of the most disreputable members of the 
gang—one Charles Gobel—was sentenced to a 
six months’ term in the Uinta county jail. The 
three other members of the gang, Wm. Binkley, 
Chas. Purdy and one Adams, kept at their work 
of killing bull elk, in a desultory manner, until 
the return of Gobel, in the early summer, when 
all four of them began a systematic campaign 
against the elk. Provisions were cached at 
various points in the mountains and the men 
worked separately or by twos, shifting their lo- 
cations frequently and leaving no trace of their 
movements except the festering bodies of bull 
elk. shot down for their tusks and scalps. Many 
bulls were found with nothing gone from the 
carcass but the tusks. Operating over a 

timbered, mountainous territory as large as the 
State of Connecticut and hunting mostly on 
foot, it is small wonder that wardens tried in 
vain, week after week, to locate and capture 
these outlaws. No man is debarred from travel- 
ing through the hills armed. To convict a man 
of killing game illegally he must be caught in 
the act, or found with some portion of the game 
in his possession, or circumstantial evidence 
must be strong, as the testimony of an eye-wit- 
ness. Even when caught red-handed the penalty 
imposed for wanton destruction of game is dis- 
couragingly light. Take the case of Gobel as 
an example. He was guilty of killing five elk 
wantonly for their tusks. A justice of the peace 
sent him to jail for six months. There he 
passed the winter comfortably, to return in 
good weather, when there was no tell-tale snow 
to record his movements and begin anew his 
work of slaughter. ‘ 
These tusk hunters caused several wardens to 
be kept constantly in the field and still man- 
aged to do much damage to the game. Sur- 
feited with such destructive lawlessness, many 
good citizens of Jackson’s Hole organized and 
warned the tusk hunters to leave the State be- 
fore a certain date. 
In this connection I wish to quote from my 
1905 report: “The penalty for this kind of law- 
lessness is wholly inadequate; it ought to be 
made a felony. One or two head and tusk 
hunters serving a term at Rawlins would have 
more effect than a dozen misdemeanor con- 
victions.”’ 
The senseless lust for elk tusks, now so pre- 
valent, is directly responsible for the slaughter 
of so many bulls. Many men of prominence 
inadvertently encourage the tusk hunter in his 
bloody business by offering an unreasonable 
price for the small bits of ivory that have in 
reality only a fictitious value. If the craze for 
animal products as emblems, trophies and orna- 
ments could be turned toward the skulls or 
skins of prairie dogs and gophers, or the fangs 
of coyotes and wolves, it might be made to 
serve a useful purpose. This demand for elk 
tusks must be taken into consideration and 
offset by more drastic legislation. 

Wild Rice in England. 
Lonpon. Aug. 3.—Editor Forest and Stream: 
The perusal of the following paragraph in the 
Shooting Times has interested me. It says: 
“From time to time inquiries are made about 
wild rice and if it can be propagated in this 
country. There seems no reason why it should 
not be successfully grown here, but it probably 
would not ripen. The seed, too, would have to 
be obtained from the States or Canada in a 
fresh, moist state; that is to say, undried; but 
this could be easily done. Wild rice forms 
splendid cover for wildfowl, and they are very 
fond of the seed. Another plant they are very 
partial to is wild celery, which, we think, could 
also be grown here. This is the water plant on 
which the famous canvasback ducks feed, and 
which, it is said, gives a peculiar and excellent 
flavor to the flesh of these fowl.” 
In view of the testimony on the subject, found 
from time to time in Forest AND STREAM, it 
seems to me these plants are not unknown to 
my countrymen. Perhaps other readers will 
state whether or not wild rice and celery propa- 
gation has been tried here, and if so, the re- 
sults attained. GG. W: 

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