Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1906-09-07

"
enough big game in the West to tempt
q hunter to take down his rihe-pro-
vided the present rate Of slaughter is
maintained.
From the Western States that have
long been famed as the haunts of big
game of all descriptions come stories of
fragrant disregard of laws. Hunting is
carried on out of season by ranchmen,
ard, If a game warden makes an ar
rest, it Is almost impossible to lind a
Jury that will convict. An occasional
outsider Is fined, but the native" gen
orally gets off scot-free, even If he has
been caught with a wagon load Of ille-
gally slaughtered game In his posses
sion.
In the last haunt of the elk, south OF
Yellowstone Park, in the Jackson Hole
country, those noble animals are fast
disappearing. Even the game Of Vel
lCwstone National Park is not exempt,
If stories from Wyoming and Montana
arc correct, as it is claimed that poach-
e:S carry ON campaign Of wholesale
slaughter in the long winter months,
when the park is snowbound and when
it is practically impossible for soldiers
to guard the great game preserve of
the nation.
In the Northwest little or no atten-
ton is paid to laws protecting those
rare animals, mountain goats; while In
Colorado and other Rocky Mountain
States, whose peaks are the grazing
ground of the mountain sheep, those
beautiful animals are being killed off
in spite Of farcical perpetual closed
season"
Less than a decade ago man could
get all kinds Of deer hunting in Colo
RADIO; and a score of years ago the buff
falo were still rooming the plains east
Of the Rockies. But to-day the deer is
getting almost as rare as the buffalo.
The elk long ago left Colorado's noun
tains and drifted north into Wyoming,
where bands of them are still to be
found in JacksOn's Hole. But the laws
OF Wyoming, while making it hot" for
any outsider who kills elk out of sea-
alton against the native hunter 1t is
the Western ranchman who is doing
most of the illegal killing. 1t is i'm
possible to convince the average ranch
Ell that he is not privileged to go out
anC get "fresh meat" whenever he
deer or elk come down to his very
fences In winter, and there is little
Glance Of discovery if one Of the ami
mails is killed. Even If stray game
warden happens along and puts him I'M
der arrest, there is little to fear. as a
ranchmen who are all tarred with the
same stick. So the game hog gets Off
free and goes ON with his work Of
slaughter in season and out.
Even the setting aside of government
forest reserves and parks has done lit
tie to stop the slaughter Of game. III
the summer, when the reserves are pa
troled by rangers, and when Yellow.
stone Park is guarded by soldiers, there
Is little or no illegal killing done. But
in the winter, when there are no ran
gers in the reserves, and when the
snowbound roads make it impossible
fol the soldiers to patrol the big park
thoroughly, the work Of slaughter goes
on There are two big forest reserves
adjoining Yellowstone Park-the Teton
reserve and tho Yellowstone reserve.
Roth are alive with game, as is the
&oI 90
can be killed in the reserves, in season,
in conformity with the game laws of
Wyoming, but the season in the park
is always closed. No firearms are ad
n.itted into the park, save those ear,
ried by the soldiers. If one insists on
have it sealed.
But all these rules and regulations
cut little figure in the eyes of the skill
Cd and experienced poachers who live
in the vicinity of the park. These men
do no killing in summer or autumn.
They make their So a day as guides for
hunting parties of Fasteners. But in
the winter, when the SHOWS are deep
and the tremendous winter Of the Vel
lcwstone country has set in, they get
very busy. On snowshoes these poach-
ers find it easy to enter the forest re-
serves and the park, and to kill all the
game they want. Magnificent elk, deer
and other game fall before their rifles.
If lonely soldier sights the poachers
mt work, the chances are he pays no at
tcption. for the reason that it would
only result in his own death.
| IN addition to the work OF the white
game hog, many Of the Western States
have troubles with wandering bands of
Indians, that carry on indiscriminate
slaughter of game These Indians have
no business off their reservations, but