Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-08-19
vAnDERsiLr's plseAn FOREST.
FISH AND GAME AND GUARDIAN
RANGERS IN NORTH
CAROLINA
(From Nore-s and stream.)

The Pisgah forest has cost Wander
bilt something like a quarter of mil
lion of dollars. or about $3.50 per acre
He has bought it in great or small
tracts as rapidly as possible, and now
his rangers are the only denizens
There are five of them, all picked men
OF the mountains. OF fine physique,
good riedrs and dead shots. One of
them comes to meet the pilgrims and
looks at their permit which is q very
important piece of paper. This fores-
ter, whose name is Kcarns, is Il type
of the rangers, goodhumored, tall and
strong, well mounted. with repeating
rifle slung at his back. saddle bags and
poncho. 70 him these mountain wilds
are like an open book, and upon him
and his associates great and inces-
SAINT responsibility devolves. They
must keep open the roads and the
trails, see that the boundary fence, 800
miles in length, is all right; keep out
poachers. look after the game and the
trout. and always be on the alert for
timber stealcrs. The poachers would
come from near and far to catch the
trout. or rather to kill them by cX-
ploding dynamite cartridges in the
deep pools where the big fellows Turk
or to kill the deer, the grouse Cor phea-
SAINTS, as they are known popularity
or the wild turkeys. At an incredible
distance the trained car OF the ranger
will hear the explosion of dynamite.
and he tracks the offender uncrringly.
even into other counties, and once into
Tennessee
There are 265 miles of trail in this
forest, the trails leading alongside each
trout stream. There arc 30 miles of
road. passable for wagon. Trail and
roads. When deer are driven they
against Mr.. Vanderbilt's coming. He
Is, as the rangers say. "liable to come
at any time" There are miles OF shoot
ing paths. the latter 10 feet in width
roads. When derr are driven they
must cross these paths. ana by means
of the latter alone can the hunter see
them in time to get n shot.
The absence of noises other than
those made by the streams is one OF
the most noticed things Rarely is u
note of bird heard and schooner still
Is any feathered thing seen. So per-
feet and so dense Is the cover that q
deer can lie unseen only n few feet
away. Numerous as the turkeys are,
only one was flushed. and only a very
few phcasants were seen. The sharp
footmarks of the deer are constantly
visible in the trails, and alongside the
streams are the footprints of the wild
cat. High overhead the golden eagle
is seen soaring, and Ranger Kearns
shows mounted specimen which he
killed with a revolver as it sat in n
tree top so yards away.
Though MIR. Vanderbilt is not n
sportsman, but student, yet as
stated, all things are kept ready for
him. His pleasure is the pleasure of
others. On his last visit he only
caught one trout, nor did he fire a gun.
His wife was with him. She is a good
horsewoman. and rode n pony up and
down the steepest trails. Under pro-
lection native trout are rapidly re-
stocking the streams. without artif-
cial propagation. In some OF the
streams rainbow trout from California
have been placed, but these are not so
satisfactory a fish. They rapidly lose
their rich colors and have to be quick
ly eaten to be palatabie. while the
trout of tho locality. properly dressed,
keep we'll