Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-10-01
NEW HUNTING GROUNDS
old Mexico Offers a Tempting Field
to American Sportsmen.

Il wish to bring to the attention OF
sportsmen large, new and practical
ly unvisited region where game in
great variety is still plentiful as in
the old pioneer days" writes Dillon
Wallace in Outing. 1T is a region
too as quickly and easily reached as
the overhunted districts of our own
Rocky Mountains or the Canadian will.
derness. In this country, as former
y in the West, there are no game
laws and no restrictions upon the
chase save aim and conscience.
THE region referred to is in ed
Mexico 1t may be said that o}e~y
species of game animal found on the
North American continent south OF
the fittieth parallel Of north latitude
except moose, caribou and elk is found
in western Mexico. The silvertip
bear ranges all through the high Ser
ra Madres wherever there are good
feeding grounds, and wherever there
are grizzlies you may expect also the
huge cinnamon bear, the griz2ly's
close neighbor.
The common brown bear is not so
numerous, but the black bear is quite
plentiful The white faced bear is
more rare. though it is sometimes
found in the coast mountains. ] could
not learn that this species had ever
been seen in the Sierra Madres.
The higher mountains at all eleva-
lions and even the lower foothills
abound with Whitehall deer. On the
Pacific side they are numerous almost
TO the coast. and | can youch from
personal experience for the quality OF
their yenison.
THE mule. burro or blacktail in.
habits portions of the States Of Chi.
huahua, Coahulia and Sonora and in
this section are also found mountain
sheep Perhaps the best section for
bighorn in Mexico, however, is in low
err California. but to hunt there you
must have leisure. The game is too
remote to be reached on an ordinary
expedition.
"The mountain lion turks in all the
high country, and along with him is
sometimes found but seldom killed
the American panther. All the Amer.
lean great cats in fact inhabit both
the Pacific and Gulf coasts and the
foothills. The small American leo.
pard is very numerous all along the
hot country coasts and the Mexican
jaguar, known locally by foreigners
as the tiger, preys upon cattle and
ranch animals to such degree as to
be very much OF nuisance.
Ascending the valley of the San
itaeo Rio huge alligators were seen
baskins in the sun on every sandy
reach along the river bank. Coveys
OF quail rose before us. Deer scamp
cred away as We approached their
feeding trysts by the brooksides
Pheasants and wild turkeys fed in the
foothills and in mountain and jungle
lurked big game animals, Is was evil
denced by numerous signs.
Il was also impressed by the fact
that our sportsmen are rarely il ever
seen in this part of Mexico. Why this
is so cannot say. One reason pos.
sibly il lack OF information as to OK.
listing conditions, and many doubtless
hesitate on the erroneous assumption
that all Mexico is an unhealthful
country, swelterng under the tropi.
cal sun and infested with venomous
insects and reptiles In the month
OF November my guide and were
lost in the snow in Mexico for two
days, and during this period and in
fact during my stay In the noun.
tains, the heat was not so assertive as
to be noticeable, OF snakes and in.
sects there was none---not even mos
auito.'
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