The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1947-03-06
6. EdStrOnn Has
Many Licenses

Very few of our citizens can dig
up six old hunting and fishing Ii
censes which they have used in past
years. 1t will be a much smaller
number that can resurrect 10 or a
dozen outdated licenses; and many
folk if interested enough, would be
willing to gamble that nobody in
the state could find 25 of the old
permits made out in their name.
However The Western News has
one reader who has not only taken
out Is licenses and saved them, but
has 80 hunting and fishing licenses
issued to him by the state of Mon
tana This reader is Gus F. Edstrom
of Libby
When Mr. Edstrom took out his
first hunting and fishing license,
or at least the first of the 80 which
he brought to The Western News
office, he was pretty much of lad,
for this license is dated June IL.
1910. He was a miner at that time
and lived in Butte. The license
only cost Sl00 and in addition to
fishing. permitted the hcensee to
kill three deer, one elk one each of
Mountain Goat and Mountain Sheep, (
as well as bear which are not men (
toned and the various game birds
found in the state Buffalo, Ante 1
lope, Moose and Caribou were on (
the protected list
Only one doe could be legally
killed in 1918 out of the legal 3
deer and in 1915 the limit on deer
was reduced to two of either sex.
At this time the season was closed
on Sheep and Goats An extra 10c
was added to the cost of the resi-
dent license. A nonresident license 4
cost SIS.
Licenses for three years are mis- !
sing and when Mr. Edstrom took
out his 1919 hunting and fishing
permit it cost him $l.50, while the
general license for non-residents
was up to $50 This license only
permitted the legal killing of one
deer, making no reference to sex. +.
Elk were still hunted legally in Lin
,oln county at that time Incidently
IN 10 Edstrom was farming near
Whitefish. r
There is no license for 1920 but
The next year the Buck Law had :
gone into effect and Lincoln county
along with many other areas, was !
closed to elk hunting. The per-
nit was again raised, this time to
p. There are no licenses for the
lext three years, and by 1925 the : :
license was $50 with I
over costs for special permits for
fishing etc BY this time GU. sports
nan was again engaged in mining !
With his home back at Butte.
1t was in 1881 that the license /
arries the information that its
lolder is more interested in fishing
md maybe bird shooting, than in
zig game hunting; for this year
Montana for the first time issued
operate resident licenses for Game
Birds & Fishing costing $500, and
big game license, the cost of which il
loes not show on the Bird & Fish il
license. but doubtless was S100 In n
943 a Duck Stamp points to some 1
.Ood waterfowl shooting in Silver J
Bow county
All the licenses are present from 4
925 to 1916. inclusive, the issue of a
945 being the first to carry a In Il
DIN county address. iii
There is little doubt but as Ed
from meditatively thumbs through b
he 30 worn license sheets, his mind v
urns back to many days of thrilling
port and satisfaction, a satisfaction +
which doubtless in a more or less q
Iostalgic manner will remain with Il
i'm while memory lasts And of
curse, it is altogether possible he
nay add 30 more permits to the $
ollectionl v