Motion Picture Classic (Jul-Dec 1930)

sports Of The Stars VII As Told BjK Ken M. a y n a r d TO C E D R I C BELFRAGE WELL, you sure picked on the wrong party to talk 'bout huntin'. Huntin' is a pretty tame proposition anyhow, the way I figure it. I've hunted pretty near every thing on two legs or four, and after all's done there's only one thine as gives me a real thrill: that's shootin' at coyotes from my airplane. When I want a real thrill, I go out toward the desert a ways, crack the 'plane up to 'bout 140 miles an hour, spot coyotes and dive to 'bout ten feet from the ground to take shots at 'em. They run and then stop to look back at you, I never hit one yet. Prob'ly have to go after 'em with a machine-gun to make a kiilin'. And then the one you'd kill 'd be yourself, tryin' to look after the gun and the controls at the same time. I still go out huntin' bear, sometimes. But it ain't for any thrill there is in it. I go because I like the trip, the campin', the companionship and the open air. Also because I like bear meat. There's some fight in a bear, but nothin' much. The only thing that makes it sport is the brush country, where he has a chance of gettin' away. The grizzly is one of the very few animals that actually will charge you — but even ne will always run if he can. I haven't seen one that won't run unless perhaps he's mighty hungry. Hardly "Sport" BUT the poor little brown bear! Anybody can kill 'em — it's not heroic. And to kill 'em for "sport" I can't see. Now if they had a gun, I'd think it was sport. The man has a high-powered rifle; the bear has nothin' but his legs. But I'm crazy about bear meat, and when I want some, I sometimes go out after 'em. If there's any sense in killin' something just to pose alongside of your car with it — well, you can't jnake me see it. The same thine goes for every other animal you can hunt, the way I figure. There isn't nothin' goin' to attack Huntin' Big Game, Ken Maynard Prefers Huntin' To Shootin a man unless he's hungry, you bcl. Buffalo.^ You simply ride alongside with a .30-. 30 and let 'em have it. Deer.' Now there's a pathetic little thing. You know where they are and go and get 'em. Bear and deer — you always know just where to find em at any particular time. They're not quick gettin' away; they look you over first. You just sight 'em and there you are. Anybody but a blind man could kill 'em. Seems to me it's more sportin' by long chalks to shoot quail or something that has a better chance. There's a certain amount of risk to huntin' mountain-lion in New Mexico, of course, but I still put it in the category of simple sports. There's more sport trappin' wild horses than there is in any big game huntin'. Ropin' Is Real Sport THE real sport is ropin*, not shootin*. I've heard all about the big game huntin* in Africa, and Td imagine it's much exaggerated. I've all the intention in the world of goin' to Africa myself. It won't be long before I'll be lightin' out for there — I've a standin' invitation from Colonel Rice to visit him at his hunting-lodge in Uganda. But I don't intend to spend my time killin* poor little lions with a gun. Vm goin' after *em with a rope — everything up to the rhinoceros. Maybe it hasn't ever been done oefore, but it's my idea of sport with a real thrill. We'll flush 'em out of the brush, and away we'll go after 'em. Rhino! Now, he's a tough baby — he'd fight you. My idea is to have five good cowboys all rope nim at once, then keep fettin' bigger and bigger ropes on him and hold him. le'll duck and dodge and twist, but five good cowboys could hold him. But rope him.' Easy! And lion'd be even easier. The thrill comes when he starts goin' and you've got to hang on. I've roped mountain-lion myself, so I know somethin' {Continued on page Qi) 33