Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1906-09-12


ylded the present rate of slaughter IL
maintained.
From the Western States that have
long been famed as the haunts of big
game of all descriptions come stories of
dGgrant disregard of laws. Hunting is
carried ON out of season by ranchmen,
ard, IL game warden makes an ar
rest, 1t is almost impossible to find 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 lille
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 poacl-
ess carry on a campaign of wholesale
slaughter in the long winter months,
when the park is snowbound and when
1t is practically impossible for soldiers
to guard the great game preserve Of
tile nation.
| In the Northwest little or no ntten-
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 ara being killed off
In spite Of a farclcal perpetual closed
season."
Less than decade ago man could
get all kinds of deer hunting In Colo.
RADIO; and score of years ago the buff
falo We're still roomlng the plains east
of the Rockies. But to-day the deer is
getting almost MS 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-
son, are inadequate when put in oper-
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
er that he is not privileged to go out
aDG get fresh meat" whenever he
wants it, regardless of game laws. The
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 un-
der arrest, there is little to fear, as a
Jury is pretty sure to lie made up Of
rGnchmen 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. In
the summer, when the reserves are pa.
t1oled 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 the Yellowstone reserve,
Roth are alive with game, as is the
park itself. A limited amount of game
| can be killed in the reserves, In season.
In conformity with the game laws of
1 Wyoming, but the season in the park
is always closed. No firearms are adj
n.itted into the park, save those car
ried by the soldiers. If one insists on
carrying a gun into the park he must
have 1t sealed.
But all these rules and regulations
cnt little figure in the eyes of the skill
ed 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 Customers. 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 poacll-
ers find 1t 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
4 If n lonely soldier sights the poachers
at work, the chances are he pays no at
IGNITION. for the reason that it would
only result in his own death.
4 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
many of the agents find 1t impossible
to keep their wards within the boun
daries prescribed by the government
The uintah Ute Indians, who have {
reservation in Utah, make pilgrimage:
to the deer country in Northwestern
Colorado, and they spare nothing II
their long hunt. Bucks does and fawn!
NIL fall before the rifles of the red men
and by the time the State authoritie.
Of Colorado arrive on the scene, the In
dams are back In Utah, with theil
"jerked meat" and their loads of buck
skin.
Apparently. the forest reserves are
the only hope for partial preservation
Of wild game. With the reserves I'm
der heavy patrol, winter as we'll a!
summer, and with stringent govern
nicnt laws for the punishment of of
Tenders, there would be some hope o
saving Americas wild game heritag,
from the game hog. But as matters
stand to-day the outlook is discourag
Ing, and the hunting country that wa
once regarded as the finest in the worlt
promises to hold nothing but memore
fol the huntsman.-St. Louis Globe
Democrat.
Humor as study.
Can the sense Of humor be cultivai
J eai think II boy with the literal d