Remember When?

105 YEARS AGO

NOVEMBER 20, 1919

NEWS FROM THOMPSON RIVER COUNTRY

Denver Laughlin, formerly county surveyor of this county, came to town last week to spend the winter after having been employed by the Cabinet Forest in laying out trails, building telephone lines and acting as lookout at Richard Peak at the head of Fishtrap and near Big Thompson River. Superintendent Baker had over 40 miles of telephone lines constructed besides 12 miles of new trail was built and over 30 miles of old trail cleared and widened.

At the head of Big Thompson the Sales boys are the oldest settlers, having lived there for over 25 years. The Sales are among the most successful big game hunters in the state, having collected during their time of residence in that district the bounty on 312 mountain lions alone. All the settlers on Upper Thompson are stockraisers and the unsurpassed summer range even during the dry season of the last three years has given them excellent feed for their cattle.

A large band of sheep grazed in these parts last summer but the loss through predatory animals was quite large, 150 sheep being killed by coyotes alone.

30 YEARS AGO • NOVEMBER 3, 1994

BIG GAME RULE VIOLATORS ANTE UP BONDS OVER $6,000

Acting on a tip brought to the big game check station west of Thompson Falls, game wardens Mark Soderlind of Thompson Falls and Doug Dryden of Superior arrested two suspects in Mineral County and eventually secured bonds totalling $6,305 for hunting violations.

Soderlind said Biologist Bruce Sterling received the tip opening weekend that two Washington residents were hunting in the area with resident Montana licenses. When the two were apprehended near Superior they had one elk and two deer in their possession.

Soderlind said one of the suspects was charged with three counts of making false statements to obtain a resident hunting license and the other received one charge. They were also charged with three counts of hunting without a valid license.

The pair was arrested Friday.

POST $1,075 BOND

A pair of Pennsylvania hunters posted bonds totalling $1,075 after they were charged with tagging elk they didn’t kill.

Game Warden Mark Soderlind said Warden Ron Jendro of Libby received information of a transfer of tags in the West Fork of Dry Creek near Thompson Falls. The wardens investigated the tip and found the hunters with two elk. They also cited a Kalispell hunter with one count of failure to tag and two counts of using someone else’s license to tag an elk.

The trio are scheduled to make an appearance before Justice of the Peace Robert L. Beitz this week.

WISCONSIN HUNTERS CITED

A pair of Wisconsin hunters found that honesty is certainly the best policy in dealing with a mistaken big game kill.

Game Warden Mark Soderlind said the two hunters turned themselves and a cow moose in to the check station after they reached Thompson Falls.

One of the hunters reported that he shot the moose thinking it was a cow elk. When they realized the mistake they immediately gathered it up and packed it into town and went straight to authorities. For their honesty, Soderlind said the shooter was fined only $65 for violation of a commission rule, hunting without a valid license.

Soderlind said if the hunter hadn't turned himself in he could have faced penalties in excess of $1,800 and loss of hunting privileges for 24 months.

WARDEN CITES ACTIVITY

It was a busy week for Game Warden Mark Soderlind. In addition to the citations reported in accompanying stories, he issued ten notices to appear for violations ranging from transferring hunting tags, failure to wear the required area of hunter orange, hunting on private land without permission, failure to tag and failure to attach tag.

Eight animals were seized and were to be sold at auction early this week. Those included five deer, two elk and a moose.

Soderlind said a hunter reported killing a bighorn ram in the area that aged at 9 to 10 years which is exceptionally old for a ram. Soderlind estimated the sheep would score 182-183 Boone & Crockett points but the tips of the horns were quite broomed off.