The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1915-01-22
BY THE PUBLIC
COMMUNICATIONS, ETC.

the law is made a blanket clause
for Selling the gun of any one who
carries one out of season it becomes
just plain stealing. 1t does not be-
get feeling of respect for the law,
but rather feeling of resentment
and serves to bring the whole
system of game protectirn into con-
tempt. The over Jealous limbs of
the law who have been amusing
themselves by this indiscriminate
stealing of guns and other prop
erty are the ones responsible for
our game laws having fallen into a
disrepute that is nigh unto cursing.
They lack the honor of the high
wayman even, for he is liable to
arrest and punishment while the
gun-thief hides his crimes behind
the sanctum of the civil law. There
are plenty of legitimate reasons for
carrying gun at any time of the
year if one is in the woods, and
there is lots of room for the game
wardens to work along rational
lines.
Another thing that has helped to
make game protection a joke and
byword among outdoor men was
the setting aside of a million acre
breeding ground and maintaining
it as the Superior Wolf Preserve.
The state pays bounty on wolves
and then protects them on their
choicest breeding grounds. 1t is to
laugh.
Now if it is the intention to real
ly make game preserve out of the
territory mentioned, it would be in
the line of reason to allow respon-
sible persons to go in on the
grounds and trap. not only wolves
but all carnivorous animals as we'll.
In order to get up very much en-
thusiasn over the catching of
wolves, the trapper should be sure
of at least twenty dollars for each
scalp. and then be permitted to
trap mink and other fur bearer lex
cept beavers) to round out his in
come. He should have anyhow
one full township of territory that
other trappers did not encroach
upon, and should be permitted to
go to his grounds before the season
and fix up his shack and make his
1 trails, so that whea the time came
to trap he would be ready. Then
in season he should be allowed to
kill his deer and moose right where
he was, and it would not hurt the
game supply if he were allowed to
shoot cartridges all winter when
he wanted them. You may say
that would be queer sort of a
game preserve. Well it would be
game preservation with little
common sense inserted in the place
of the damphulery that has pre-
vailed in such matters during late
years. 1t is not meet to muzzle
the OK that treadeth out the corn,
and it is no more sensible to refuse
the trapper his dues. A good
trapper does more to preserve the
game supply than half dozen
wardens. If the trapper saw that
the state meant to do the fair thing
by him the game laws would be
much more effective than thev now
are. And in Judging ones eff
cheney as wolfer it should be
borne in mind that under present
methods a trapper necessarily loses
half or two-thirds of the wolves he
kills.
There exists lot of prejudice
against trappers that is entirely
unfair. Many think that trapping
is lazy mans job but if they
would try it once they would find
that in order to make living it is
a little the most like work of any,
thing mortal man ever tackled.
When the trapper has foundered
along thru the snow till he is SO
utterly weary he cannot walk
without staggering and then, with
heavy pack on his back, must
keep throwing one foot ahead of
the other for several miles farther
before reaching camp, he some
times wonders how many of the
horny handed sons of toll ever
know what the word tired really
means. We speak of the settler as
being pioneer, but in almost
every part of the Union the trap
pers and prospectors have pioneer
ed the way before the settlers.
While it is no doubt true that the
handy men who shack it in the
woods are bit uncouth in town,
it is also surprising how the urbans
lose their urbanity when they step
into a trappers shanty. 1t too
often happens that they think any
thing is good enough at shack
ers.
1t is a mystery to me who is
responsible for the date of the trap
ping season as now given by law
in this state. 1t prohibits trapping
for some time after fur gets good
| in the fall but permits it for nearly