Western news and the Libby times. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1920-1933, 1930-01-09

Damfino County, Montana, was one
of the best hunting regions in the
whole world. (Of course you must
know that there is no such county in
Montana. This is just story.)
The scattered grass and brush on
the mountain sides made ideal pasture
for the deer. Small creeks and springs
furnished an ideal water supply, WIN
ter and summer. The timber protected
deer against adverse elements. The
clear cold streams were full of fish.
To man up tree it looked like
an ideal hunting ground and a para
disc for real sports. Real sports came
from the four winds of the earth to
hunt and fish. The scenery was beau
tiful. The residents were making
money out of the hunters. In fact,
looking after the nonresident hunters
and fishers was leading occupation.
But this grand playground could
not continue the paradise for hunters,
forever, that it promised at first.
Enters the would-be sport, who does
not know fair play from foul. Hunt
ing out Of season, fishing with dyna-
mite, fishing through the ice, the use
OF spot lights hunting deer and other
foul methods become the order Of
the day, until game and fish became
so scarce that the honest sportsman
gave up in despair. Don't understand
that these violators of all the laws
of man and fair play came into exist
ence at the drop Of the hat Their
coming was slow development.
Some men pied economic necessity
and killed deer out of season, or more
than their lawful number, on the
grounds that hungry wife and chill
dren at home had to have the meat
or starve. A few were just such good
shots that they couldn't pass up
deer at any time of the year They
would even kill deer and give the
meat away or leave it for the wolves
and birds. Some others just liked to
have the name Of being able to vio-
late the law with impunity, and "get
away with it." Others used the fact
that everybody else is doing it," as
an excuse. They must also do it tn be
in style. We often heard it said,
None Of the nice people pay any
attention to the game laws"
Now, we are ready to introduce
the commercial game hog, who flag
rantly violated the game laws purely
for what he could get out of it. Spot
lights were attached to automobile
batteries, and many animals were
caught in one night. Carcasses were
sold by the wholesale. Another class
Of commercial hunters were profess
sional guides" whose business it
was, theoretically, to lead strangers
among the mountains and see that
they got back home again; help, them
find good hunting grounds and in
struct them in the wiles Of hunting,
but in reality, some of these guides
did the actual shooting of the deer.
for the hunter who couldn't hit one
for himself. This killing deer and pre-
tending that the other fellow did it
became profitable occupation for
number OF men. VI course, laW-abld-
ing citizens didn't like that but they
took it for reasons to be enumerated
in future article.
Of course you are asking whether
this wanton destruction of game and
fish was in accordance with the laws
Of the state, and if not, why some
thing wasn't done about it. There was
abundance of law to protect the game
against wholesale destruction; but
having laws is one thing and enforc-
ing them is another. Some Of the rea-
sons why the law was mot enforced
will be given in future article.
Suppose you hold on to your paper
till you get the rest of this story.
You may want to refer to it later.
CONTRIBUTED.