54 
buffalo, antelope, deer, and numerous 
small game abound. The principal 
stream is Big Spring Creek, which never 
freezes up. It has for its source a mon- 
ster spring in the Judith Mountains 
The Indians call it Spotted Fish Creek 
from the large number of beautiful trout 
found init. No trouble is had in catch- 
ing as many as are wished for, with the 
ordinary tackle, of from one to four 
pounds weight apiece. The Indians 
have long used this place as a favorite 
hunting ground, and are extremely 
jealous of the intruding white man. This 
spice of danger renders the locality 
peculiarly interesting, as the ardent 
sportsman has a chance of having his 
scalp lifted by “ Poor Lo!” It is stated | 
that a few years ago three men, in six 
weeks, killed fifteen hundred deer, in 
the near vicinity of the Judith Basin, 
alone. A successful 
for their hides 
slaughter in reality. 
IN THE PELICAN STATE. 
VARIED AND WELL-STOCKED GAME REGION. 
Opelousas, Louisiana, is a fine game 
country. A few miles east of Opelousas, 
are the lowlands of bayous Teche and 
Courtableau, and in the canebrakes of 
the swampy country betweeu these ba- 
yous and the Atchafalaya River are plen- 
ty of bear, and frequently in November 
(the best time to hunt them) that whole 
region, though subject to overflow in the 
Spring, is so dry that water is scarce for 
man and beast. It is the primitive for- 
est, without human habitation; inhabited 
only by panthers, wild-cats, bears, deer, 
raccoons, opossums, &e., and some mos- 
quitoes in warm W sather. Ata shortdis- | 
tance on the north and west are pine 
woods, with deer and wild turkeys, and 
clear streams, home of the black (green) 
bass. For a hundred miles and over, 
THE SPORTSMANS AND TOURIST’S GUIDE. 
west and southwest, are prairies reach- 
ing to Texas, interspersed with timber 
along the streams, and southward to the 
marshes of the Gulf. In these prairies 
are the pinnated groase, and also snipe, 
ducks, geese, &c., in their season, and 
formerly deer ; and in some Winters, the 
finest woodcock shooting in the world 
can be had in the immediate neighbor- 
hood of Opelousas. Partridges (Bob 
White) are over the whole country, and 
in the prairie fields afford much better 
sport shooting them than in fields sur- 
rounded by woods. In the marshes uear 
the Gulf thousands of geese and ducks 
are killed annually simply for their fea- 
thers. From Opelousas to Grand Lake, 
in Caleasien Parish, is about two days’ 
drive through that land of the prairie 
chicken, and snipe during the season ; 
from there to the mouth of the Calcasien 
River by sailboat is only a fw houis; 
and the gaine there is an abundance of 
red and other fish, oysters, ducks, geese, 
prairie ‘chicken, snipe, and other game. 
More can be combined in such a trip, 
through prairie and woodland, through 
fresh water to salt water, than m any 
other one from this point. ‘lwo weeks 
or three will cover it, and afford sufficient 
time for pleasure. Opelousas is an out 
of the way place, seldom visited by 
Northern tourists, but there is a greater 
variety of game there, than any other 
part of the South. There are two routes 
from New Orleans— one by rail to Mor- 
gan City, thence up the Teche by boat 
to New Iberia, thence forty-seven miles 
through the prairie by stage to Opelou- 
sas ; the other route, the pleasantest and 
most traveled, is by boat, up the Missis- 
sippi to the mouth of the Red River, 
then down the Atchafalaya to mouth of 
the bayou Courtableau, and up the lat- 
ter to Washington, six miles from Ope- 
