Douglas Island news., 1918-07-05
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 During thc past few weeks thC Stroller has received several letters from parties residing, mostly. In thC
 east relative Co the best season oi Che year for hunting big game In
 Alaska.
 The Stroller has answered an these letters and has given the in- | formation sought; also he has In- formed Che writers of the letters that actual hunting Is good In Alaska all ! Ithc year round, but that Che best time Co get game. and at Che same | time avoid being run In by game wardcus. is during the open season.
 The Stroller has frequently nos uccd that some men enjoy hunting more in Che closed season than at |any other time and this applies Go | hunters either ot mouarchs of Che forest or blind pigs.
 It alI depends. Some people enjoy one kind of hunting and somc an- other. Riding Go hounds is popular !. in some places and an that is ncccs- sary is bag of anisc seed, a few hounds. some horses and a half a dozen farmers fields Co gallop over. On Che morning of a hunt ot this kind "wcc bit of a bright boy. don't you know" turns out early and drags bag of anisc seed over che selected route Hc returns by % round-about-way and hangs up Che bag where it has been hanging down through several generations. for a bag of auisc seed will wear out scv- araI supplies Of hounds, horses and riders About 70 o'clock in Che fore noon me Iuds and ladies. mounted on horses with sawcd-oG tails. arc ready for Che chase, The hounds are
 turned loose. first having their noses rubbed on the ground where the anisc bag was dragged in order that they win take Che trail without waste of time. Away they go over thc fcz and through farmers crops much Go Che disgust Of Che latter. whose remarks arc never reported
 u thc account of the meet which latter appears In the borough papers.
 Usually some sQire or luds horse stops and thc squire or me lud goes en. but be don't go far until he comes iu violent contact with thc
 ground. when there is a dull thud. Uc is bombardcd with pocket Tasks and finally rccoycrs consciousness but che accident has spoiled the sport for that day. Thus are foxes hunted n a country where there have been no foxes for a hundred years or thercabouts.
 The Stroller never hunted foxes ou horseback. but he has hunted deer iu swomps contiguous Co thc Su- vance river in Florida. That Is. he has sat ou logs with a gun iu his hand waiting for deer to como along and be shot. There Is probably less physical cycrtion about hunting in Florida than anywhere else on earth. 10 is tbis way. A hunting party in Florida may consist Of from five Co a dozen people. each oi whom is os- scssrI five dollars. the amount thus accumulated being turned over Co man of Judgment and discretion iu such matters and who invests it judiciously For example. if there is twenty dollars to cXpcud. one dol- lar goes for eats and nineteen for drinks. Il there should bc forty dol- lars collected. two ol that amount ls invested In eats.
 Thus equipped the party usually journeys by comfortable carriage to within a short distance of some dense swamp Of perhaps several thousand acres In extent. Iucidou- ully. a dozen or more dcop-voiccd hounds are taken along. When the hunting grounds arc reached each man. armed with a gun and bot uc thc latter to have in case of snake bites stations himself on ,hc edge of Che swamp. the stations be- mr probably 300 yards apart, when Che hounds are turned loose to beat through Che swamp Usually Che
 watcher gets a deer between thc second and third drink. but if later. Inc deer is apt to escape. 10 is quite unusual for a watcher Co kin a deer after being on a station longer than two hours About sundown the sta- tions orc deserted for the central camp where the hunter lie far into Che night.
 Beyond doubt thc best hunting ou Che American continent is found fright here in Alaska, where almost ! any one who has the "pep" to walk
 out a few miles can shoot a moose
 mountain. sheep or bear. to say uoth- inr of many kinds Of small game