The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1921-07-22

let US be good sports"-which is to say, let Us
be spOrtSmen and live up to IA sportsman's ideals!
And what is Il sportsman? 1t is easy to say this
The sportsman is the gentleman Of The out-of-
doors. But that does not comDrehensively de-
fine the sportsman because it is still more ditti-
cult TO define the gentleman.
Anyway, whatever else he may be, the sports
man is the man who plays fair-with nature, with
wild animal life, with his companions. with him.
self. lie never wantonly defaceS the fair face OF
nature. He never pollutes stream or lake. He
never cuts down q tree that he does not need.
He buries or burns his camp rubbish. He cleans
up his camping place. And he is very sure that he
sets no forest fire.
The sportsman plays fair with wild animal life.
He will not hunt out Of season. He will not kill
q female deer or elk. He will not shoot a bird
except when flying. In angling he uses light
tackle to give the fish a fair chance. He will
use the fly rather than the worm for trout. He
will put back the small rout-and handle it with
a wet hand. He will use the single hook rather
than the gang hooks. He never takes from for
est, field, lake and stream more than he can use.
And always he obeys the local game laws.
The sportsman is a delight in camp and on the
trail. He takes pride in keeping up his end, in
doing his full share efficiently, willingly and
cheerfully. In emergencies he is a volunteer.
He helps the tenderfoot. Poor luck cannot rufle
his temper or spoil his outing. He gets fun out
Of trouble and can take a joke on himself. He
is a good loser he srins and bears it when defeat
is his. He is a good winner-which is harder
and wears his laurels modestly.
And the sportsman plays fair with himself,
which is perhaps the hardest thing of all. He
is not too proud to learn from his betters. If he
catches fish with a silver spoon" he owns up
to it. He does not blame his own mistakes on
others or on his tackle. He does not exhibit his
musky trophy and tell of his skill while all the
while his inner self is saying: You know per-
fectly we'll the guide rugged your rod and tackle,
padded you 10 the place, showed you the exact
spot to cast, told you how to handle the fish.
netted it and landed it," In short, possibly the
browning ideal of true craftsmanship is indie
pendent achievement in sport or woodcraft.
Speaking of muskellunge, please recall those
immortal lines in Sir Izaak WaltOn's Compleat
Angler:
eve may say Of angling, as DR.. Boteler said
Of str awberries, Doubtless God could have made
a better berry, but doubtless God never did and
so, If [ might be judge, God never did make n
more calm, quiet, innocent recreation than
angling"
Possibly DR.. Boteler was right about straw
berries. And probably Sir IZaak was right about
the innocence of angling. In spite of fish yarns
which do most amazingly smack Of rank perjury.
But when the model and pattern of all good
anglers doth speak of angling as calm. and
quiet" here is one disciple who rises up to say
that Sir Izaak is no Compleat Angler"-and il
this be treason, make the most of it.
For he rises to inquire: How can anyone use
the words calm" and quiet in connection with
a thirty-pound musky? And how can any angler
be "compIeat' who has not been fast to this tiger
Of the inland seas?
Calm. Quiet! Oh, would that Sir Izaak were
back on earth. This is what would happen to
him. He'd be taken to a certain lake and given
a hand split-bamboO casting rod, with null
tiplying reel. braided silk line and spoon hook
with pork rind. Along toward evening he'd be
rowed past a certain rushy point where the pick.
erel weed and lilies grow. and there is deep
water on either side. And with good tuck Sir
Izaak would thereupon nnd himself fast to q