The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1923-12-19
JOHN H. DAWES WRITES
INTERESTING LETTER

INO LEI len
After r~ehearsing my several trips
to and from Los Angeles a little side
trip out of this city covering some
700 miles would somewhat detract
from the usual course, and l expect
to outline a trip of this kind and
give you readers the bumps and the
smooth spots that we encountered.
We started out to hunt, the willy
quail in the desert sands of Imper-
ial Valley and the elusive ducks in
the Salton sea. A dollar bill secured
our license, together with $50 rounds
of shot was evidence enough to war
rant US at least the limit, 20 quail a
day and as many ducks. This was
counting chickens before the old hen
had deposited the eggs. My gun
barrel never suffered from rapid
fire. In fact I returned home after
six days hunting with the same num-
Der of shells / purchased.
We left Los Angeles Wednesday
morning, Oct. 31st, made Riverside
65 miles for lunch. Here we travelled
southeast over the Jack Rabbit trail
to Indio, then to Chicola valley,
where we saw the Mexicans picking
cotton, making hay and curing dates.
Here we camped for the night, and
pitched our tent in mat of Bermuda
grass, very prevalent here. I have
camped in the mountains of Montana
with no fear of bear and mountain
lions, but my fear registered high
when informed of the poisonous rep
tiles that habitate this region, taran-
tulas, ~centapedes and scorpions. Here
poisonous creatures have a liking to
carouse at night and are frequently
known to share your bed. A bite
| or sting from one of these is more
: deadly than a RATHER. The first
night found me pretty tired after a
160-mile iaunt, hence it was not long
, before l was doing my best to while
away the hours that are allotted man
" to forget the things of life, and
awoke next morning without any
marks of violence being perpetrated
on my being.
! was out bright and early after
quail. They live in the mesquite
brush, bordering on the small farms
The brush is very thick and some is
higher than a mans head, and these
quail can pick up and make a get.
away about as quick as a bullet from
a gattling gun. The blame thing,
don't wait for you to salt their tails
but just dust. They only fly a few
rods and you run to get in a sho
where you saw them light. Their,
are no birds there. This was tn,
opening day of the season and M
game bag did not sag in the center
After two days of this kind O
4. going without results, net evel
enough to eat, we pulled out for tn
SaltOn Sea, in the Imperial vale,
and expected, from reports, to slaugh
ter our limits of ducks but what
disappointment.
The ducks live in the marshes Dor
dering the sea and it means tha
you r compelled to wade some O
the time waist deep to get in a shoi
6. then another wade to get them on
z. It looked too treacherous for me. a
l was afraid of quicksand so / lei
the water fowls to the other fellow
There are probably few people !
the GaIlatin valley that have but
near conception of the Salton Sc,
The Imperial valley proper is som
300 feet below sea level. Some year
? back the great Colorado river brok
thru its banks and for months poure
:: this great volume Of water into thee
. low lands forming a sea ON 8
miles long by probably several wild,