are the hunters who pack in by horse or snowshoe to
the back country. These are the men who look on a
big game animal as a worthy adversary, who treat it
with respect and who match wits with it in its own
back yard.

All these hunters bring home some kind of meat.
In each case, the quality of the meat is a reflection
of the quality of the hunter. Big game hunting is
no sport for the man who wants an easy kill and
then back to camp for a drink. It’s an undertaking
that requires adequate preparation, considerable en-
durance and skill and enough self discipline to not
cheat even though the opportunity presents itself.

GAME BIRDS

Bird hunting, particularly waterfowling, is a tra-
dition-laden sport that dates back to man’s earliest
beginnings. The true hunter is hard put to explain
just why he braves mud, sleet, icy winds and cold
mornings. But somewhere in his explanation will be
the feeling expressed by Madsen and Clarke in Water-
fowl Tomorrow: “He invests his quarry with char-
acter and worth.”

It is this realization of the quarry’s worth that
makes the true hunter look after his game after he
shoots it. The man who disregards the worth of the
game and who mishandles the dead quarry cannot be
called a true hunter.

Prompt action in handling game birds, particularly

upland birds, is essential. Let’s look at upland birds
first.

Pluck or Skin

Right off the bat there is some controversy about

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