290 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



Port Royal, Nov, I. — Wu hive hart hi'sh titles lately, and 

 rail stll iting h is been in order. I liava been able to procure 

 all I could use in a half-hour or so on a tirlo. In n\y judg- 

 ment ihey are much under-estimated fur the table. Here, at 

 least, Ihey are. tender, juicy and well flavored, especially the 

 young birds. I s-iw a bunch of teal and shoveller ducks yes- 

 terday, shot in a small pond near here. Sorry I can't com- 

 municate more news about sporting; but the gunners are all 

 politicians just now. In a week or two thing* will settle. 



K. 



Tbnnessbb— Naelwille, Nov. 1.— A great many quail are 

 shot every day. Clarke Pritchett, Esq., bagged twenty-two 

 last Monday at Mr. Campbell's farm, in Maurey County, and 

 down in Dixon County, last Wednesday, he bagged forty-*- iglil. 

 Mr. Mitchell is having line sport Bear Burn's Station, on I he 

 Northwestern R. lv., where lie bags a number of birds every 

 day. J. D. K. 



Illinois— Charleston, Coles Co., Oct, 29.— The game is 

 more plentiful here this fall than in former years. In the 

 timber, quail, squirrels and rabbits tolerably plenty: ruffed 

 grouse, wild pigeons and turkeys scarce. On the prairie, 

 pinnated grouse, quail, ducks and rabbits very numerous; 

 woodcock, snipe, , geese and brant very scarce. Two sports- 

 men were out for a day's duck shootiug, Saturday, 25lh. 

 They bagged fourteen mallards. They said they saw hun- 

 dreds of ducks, mostly mallards. Flight of pigeons, from 

 Northeast, to Southwest. J. B. D. 



Michigan.— Duck shooting at St. Clair Flats is the sport of 

 all sports just now. (iunners are making fabulous bags, and 

 the express companies are doing a big business shipping 

 game The club houses are thronged with members and 

 their friends. Western bound sportsmen should not fail to 

 put in a couple of days here. 



Ohio— Sugar Grove, Fairfield Co., Oct, 31.— Quail are more 

 plentiful in Hocking Valley this season than any year I can 

 remember. Geo. C. S. 



Wisconsin— Sauk Bapids, Nov. 1.— Deer hunters are pass- 

 ing through here in great numbers. The hunters promise to 

 outnumber the deer. 



Montana— Helena, Oct. 24.— The deer shooting is excep- 

 tionally good this season upon the range on the north side of 

 our valley, and many of our Nimrods have rejoiced greatly 

 thereat, and their friends, rejoicing also, hold them in specially 

 kind remembrance over many a noble haunch. The Doctor has 

 unfortunately had too much control over your correspondent 

 for a month past, but a week ago he slipped away and re- 

 turned with not a " stag of ten," but a "stag of sir," whose 

 antlers now serve a utilitarian purpose, never dreamed of by 

 their former possessor. Grouse and chickens have been very 

 plenty this season, and the ducks and geese are now beginning 

 to come in in good numbers. Amateur. 



A Folding Bullet.— W. J. Land, State chenist of 

 Georgia, suggests in lieu of the Expiess bulle', with ils 

 smashing properties, a "long solid folding bullet. Bay fi r 

 a .40 cal. rifle seven times Ibis length, i. e., a bullet 2.80 inch, s 

 in leDgth, which, if made of pure soft lead, will, upon 

 striking an object, fold over, causing a frightful wound. 

 Besides this, the great weight (about 850 grains) and less re- 

 sistance make it all that could be desired. From my few ex- 

 periments I judge this projectile to be far ahead of any Ex- 

 press bullet, as it can make a flatter trajectory and be shot 

 with good effect over 900 yards. I would' like Van Dyke and 

 others interested to experiment with it." A number of ob- 

 jections to the use of such a projectile suggest themselves to 

 us, but we should like to hear from those who have had ex- 

 perience on game. The Express bullet certainly answers its 

 purpose very well. 



Cakthidges for Pistols.— The cartridges for the Smith & 

 "Wesson .32 and .38 are made by the Union Metallic Cartridge 

 Company, and may be obtained of them or of Schuyler, Hart- 

 ley & Graham, New York. 



A WHITE DAY ON RUFFED GROUSE 



GOSHEN, Mass., Oct. 29, 1STS. 



Editor Forest anp Stream : 



I must give you a little account of one of tlie "white days" In my 

 Bpjrtlug calendar which nccuned not longidnce. and also brag a little 

 ol "tint logo'm ne" Said "tog" Is an Irish setter named Da.-h, ttiir- 

 teen mumhs old, aud possessed of vim and brains enough to stuck 

 Sevt ral dogs of the ordinary run. Though thoroughly yard broken, 

 he hud been in training but. us weeks, working him on my short 

 UampB Lbree or four hours at a time, two or three times a week. 



On the said " wliite day" I ordered ihe youDgster to heel, and enter- 

 log a piece of woodland near my hcuse, com osed of dense hemlock 

 thickets and beech openings, I gave the word, 'Hie on." After making 

 a few casts, Dash's bell ceased to tinkle, and creeping through the 

 thicket, T found him on the edge of a beech opening, poluting 

 staunchly tn tbe face of the wind. Walking io ahead. I had gone 

 fifteen or twenty yards when, hearing a sudden whirr behind me. 

 I turned and &W a groase crossing the opening be.iond the dog. 

 Covering it, I was Just, pulling the trigger, when the barrels struck 

 a Umb, causing a miss. The report flushed the covey— Ave or six birds 

 —which Hash had been pointing twenty yards behind me, and turning, 

 I was Just in tune to drop one aa they entered the corert. Slipping in 

 fresh sheila, I sent Dash lor the bird, and on his return waved him for- 

 ward. Coming to the thicket where the birds had disappeared he 

 worked bis way in carefully about ten yards, and.came to a po.nt. Tie 

 cover being very dense and small, 1 started to pass around it, and had 

 got but little past the dog wnen up started a bird on the opposite side. 

 Springing on a knoll, I stretched my neols for a 'view," but could obtain 

 none until the bird was about fitly yards away, when she rose above 

 the thickets, and I cut her down. At this inBtant another one burst 

 out of the thicket, almost in ray face, and passing me, would have 

 reached cover in twenty fret. Slinging my gun around over my 

 shoulder, and part.y turning my head, T dropped her outside the thicket. 

 On looklug round at the dug, I saw him siandiug the same point as at 

 first, stiff »s a poker, and paying no attention to ihe "goings on." 

 I then made the entire circuit of the thicket, shirting nothing. Work- 

 lug in behind the dog, I passed him about five yards, and seeing the 

 edge oi the thicsei all around him, concluded that he must have bun 

 fooled lor once. Starting to pass out, I jumped on top of a big Ing— I 

 had passed near it in my circuit— when, whirrl up buzzed a yuung bird 

 by the sldeoJ it, right under me. Having a Blight attack of "bird 

 ague" juat then, I ured quickly and missed. .Recovering myself, 

 I caught, a glimpse of her wings glinting through the leaves of a beech 

 forty yards distant, and taking her probable direction, 1 fired and 



brought her down. By the time I had slipped tn fresh shells Dish had 



the birds all hrotig'-t in, and was ready for a fre-h .-tar*- 



SWIMing off, nnflrterlitg to ihe wind, we neat the th.ckcts fir forty or 

 fl ri.v rod", wh n, as he was crossing an opening, he stopped with a jerk, 

 and pointed flown f.He glide. Walking in ahead, I passta" hltu tweuty- 

 Ave yards, and should have turn-d back had I not snown that he was 

 remarkable fwr standing at long distances. Moving on twenty yards 

 farther I was about turning hack when op got a bird on the left. Ex- 

 peeing him to enter tho thicket T fired quickly, and missed ; but as he 

 rose above it I got In the second barrel, which "settled his hash" I 

 had barely loaded when two more rose direcily in front. Being open 

 country I leisurely wiped them out with a clean rl^ht and left. 



Looking around, I Baw Dish still pointing, sraun. h aa ever, and 

 nci.ee, I that his point seemed io boon a llitlebnah that I ha.l brushed 

 against In passing. Walking directly up to It, I hit It a kick, when u n 

 towered a half -grown bird, and instead of rising a few feet aud pitching 

 forward weakly Into the thicket after the fashion of young birds, ll con- 

 tinued towering until fifteen or twenty feet high, when I tired, breaking 

 a wing and leg j and seeing Unit he must fall very near Dash, I had 

 lure!-, time to command, "Steady," when he came turabing down, 

 and sfiking Dash squarely on the ramp, rolled off and lay on instant 

 by his hind foot, whence it fluttered directly under ihe dog'snoso and 

 eight or ten feet past him, where it lay quietly.^ Seeing Dash showed 

 no Signs of breaking I had remained a quint "spectator of the scene 

 from the time that tho bird struck him. Wishing to prolong the lesson 

 a little, I proceeded leisnrely to load and take a " durap" of— water. 

 As Dash occupied the same tracks which he had filled from the first, 

 and showed no excitement, I ordered him to fetch the bird, when! 

 creeping forward, he gingerly took hold of the extended wing, and lift 

 ing it carefully, broughut, to me. lie then hronght the others, and we 

 halted for counci'. Consulting my watch, I found I had bsenforly- 

 s=ven mlnutea bagging eight birds. 



Near by, on the edge of the woods, was a line of high ledges, along 

 the base of which for eighteen or twenty rods was a den.-e thicket 

 a few yards wide, where the birds frequently settled when there was 

 war on the highland above. There being little chance for a shot under 

 the cliff I called Dash to heel, and carefully crept to a position ten feet 

 back of the middle of tho cliff, ihere being a space of about that width 

 extending the whole leugt.i, backed by dense cover; and this few feel 

 was all tho chance for shooting the birds as they came up over the 

 bluff when routed below. As my little boy, who always accompanies 

 me, remarked, it was the snappiest kind of snap shooting to hag them 

 here. Before taking position I had seat the boy round lu the pasture 

 with directions to advance toward the other side of this cover at a sig- 

 nal whistle from me, pau-ing at shot, and to beat, first one end of the 

 covert and then the other, driving toward me. At my whistle the boy 

 advanced, when up got an old cock near me, and keeping under cover, 

 flew up the valley. Shifting my finger to the left trigger, which com- 

 manded the No. 7's, I watched, and when he turned sharply to the left, 

 and flash d up over the cliff at sixty yards' distance, I cut him down 

 dead in the edge of the thicket. At the report there was a whirr, and 

 a bird shot up over the cliff in front. Turning sharply, I droppi d him 

 Ju.-t behind Dash ; but that worthy had his eye on tho bush where the 

 old cock disappeared, aud paid no attemio i to the enemy in the rear. 

 Load ng, I oade him " fetch," when he took a bee line tor a point con- 

 siderably lo the left of wnere I tho -igt.t the bird lay. As he, with his 

 six weeks' trainm?, is a mnch surer- marker than myself with my 

 twenty years' experience, I kept Btili, aud directly his point proved Mm 

 right. At the word ' Fetch," he had the bird In my hand in short 

 order. 



By this time the boy had gone round to the other end, and at my 

 whistle, came on, when up came two more— one on the rigut and the 

 other on the left. With a clean tight aud left I did for them both ; aod 

 had Just slipped one shell into the gun, when up came another, only to 

 share the same fate. As no more co md be started in that pace. I con- 

 salted my watch once more, end found that I had been ten minutes 

 bagging the last five birds, and filly seven minutes bagging thirteen— 

 the last five sharp snap shots without a miss. 



Now, Mr. Editor, probably some of those chaps who "kill every 

 time" will say that, this record is "small fry," but I am free to confess 

 that It is the best I ever did in such dense cover. Roffbd Grocsb. 



GAME NOTES FROM KANSAS. 



Toteka, Kansas, Out. 47, 1878. 

 Editor Forest anp Stream : 



Quail shooting in this vicinity this season is, beyond all comparison, 

 the finest we have ever known. Thanks to the game law prohibiting 

 the sale of qaatl and afHxing a heavj penalty upon railroads and other 

 pnb'ie carriers for transporting them the beautiful birds have Increased 

 amazingly, and noihtng could excel the sport we are having wilh them. 

 in former years qua.il were shor, nefed and irapped in gi eat numbers 

 by professional hunters for the Eastern markets, and to snoh wholesale 

 extent was this truffle carried on that the sportsmen of ihe state ap- 

 pealed to the Legislature and the result was the present la-v declaring 

 against the sa e or iransponation of quail for five years. Prairie 

 chickens are included in the same law, but their in reaseha3 by no 

 means bien as greut, owing largely to the greed of the farmers who 

 pay no attention to the lay as io the season for shootiug, and kill with- 

 out mercy as early as Juue, when the young birds are not half gronn. 

 That they do not make such sad havoc with quail la simply by reason of 

 the Inability of Indifferent marksmen to bag them In any number, and 

 while every now and then some lubbatly fr.llow will po: an entire 

 covey, B'lll, a3 a gtiueral i ule, it is too much trouble for his oias s to 

 illicit ghoul ior a covey upon the ground. In very many instances qoall 

 have hatched and reared their broods in the door-yards and gardens 

 about farm-houses, aud so endea ed themselves to the women folks as 

 to secure a proteoiion that no other source could insure. It may appear 

 strange to declare I hat in the very heart of this city of ten th nsand or 

 more people there are entire broods of quail occupying door-yards and 

 as tame almost as domestic fowls. It i. a fact, nevertheless, the writer 

 of this having within a diy or two seen two of such coveys, ana one or 

 them fed like cnickans by the good lady of the house. A cocp'.e of 

 hours of excellent shootiog may be had any morning before breakfast 

 by going hardly a mile from city limits, far enough only to get beyond 

 the danger of shouting into houses. The light froBts of the past week 

 have somewhat lessened tho thickness of leaves upon the trees, but it 

 will take two or three severe nights to render the hedges aud brush 

 generally so barren of foliage as to enable one to shoot with comfort. 

 Despite such disadvantages, however, some lino bags have been made 

 by our local sportsmen. Jndge Morton and good old deacon Anter have 

 pat in several half days varying Low twenty to thirty-two. Ward tiur- 

 iingame aod Morton were out ye; terday and during the forenoon bagged 

 twenty-eight. The day before Judge Broekway and h,s b other bagged 

 in little over half a day, forty-three quail aud a duck. Dr. Callahan 

 took a little mm before breakfast yesterday m ruing, and tlropped just 

 an even dozen. Wadded], the well-known dog inau; who, by the way, 

 is now permanently located here, and Fargo have been out together 

 several times, bagging from fifteen to us high as thirty-eight. Palmer, 

 one of our enthusiastic shots, i i cores; while Dr. 



E.deon. Al. Thompson and the Rowley Brothers occasional y I ramp a 

 ;, half day or more, rarely returning home minus a good supply of meat 



We arc having our fiist sn;.w of the season to-day, and the bcy r arc- 

 talking duok right lively, Geese are flying south in great numbers. 



and the reports from ihe BCntlrwew all rgree that Indications po!n 

 Wrongly to a hlg Bi-oaon and no end .f gam.:. bmt this city 4-e 

 s-ve til lakes and marshes, noted for the sport they afford when the 

 duok season fairly c •tumences. a great mviy duo. s have already 

 co ae in, and one or two hunts have bee t made witd fair success It Is 

 a little early as yet, however, for cucks or snipe. Speaking of jack 

 snipe, there 13 no better held thau this vicinity an? where In the West ; 

 while for ahipe of all klnda the Arkansis valley in Smhwet Kansas 

 cannot be beat— lu fact, for geese, brant, crane, iwan, pelican, dtick 

 and snipe, the Arkansas and its tr.b iturles afford spirt th it cannot out 

 satisfy the moat ex eiiiu'. Of late years not a few or our really good 

 marksmen have tsken to the rifle for geese, brant, and the larger 

 s generally, and there ara rare things yieldlrg more gen- 



ipptngot tbe big birds from almost perpendicular 



heights All tbe way irornSiii w 100 yards. With a tlila one can find 



1 i lay long; aud some conception may be formed of the 



enormous numbers of geese and nrant when the fact Is stated that oftan 



ttuy oorapl te-ly cover largo fields of wheat, and in lirteen minutes ren- 



barren ol s if it had never known a pint of seed 



Farmers litre men and boys by the day stmp'y to shoot away the am. 

 rauution furnished, endeavoring by such means to frighten away the 

 wild fowl. BANO- 



TARGETING WITH DITTMAR POWDER. 



PAtMESvmiK, Ohio, Oct. 29, 1818. 

 Editor Forest and Stream : 



Yon have BO many inquiries in regard to target shooting with shot- 

 guns, I tate the liberty of sending yon a few faca that have fallen 

 nnder my observation at different times ; also to show how evenly the 

 Dlir.mar powder will shoot if properly loaded, Every man should 

 target his can in a thorough manner, with different sizes of shot, dif- 

 ferent powder and different loads. He can learn only in this way what, 

 his gnu will do. It Is well-kuown that no two guus of the same make 

 shoot alike. Some guns will throw as mauy No. 7 with a target aa it 

 will >o. S. I know of a gun that would shoot No. 4 as well as No. (I 

 There is a particular powder, size of shot and load, with which a gun 

 w u ii i its best, which run be learned only by repeated trials ut a 

 target. I once owned a breech-loader that did Its b.-stw'th the Orients' 

 No. S powder Tne next breech-loader I owned would not shoot wel' 

 at all with it. A person wiU hardly beiieve theBe facia until he has 

 tried tlieru, but netertiisless It is the truth. Men are continually 

 ordering guns and returning them for being poor sltooters, simply bo* 

 cause they don't know how to load them. They try a certain load, and 

 if the gnu don't perform well return it. Two cases have come lo my 

 knowledge during the past week. The guns ordered were bolh 

 Parker's, full-choke, good guw>. Tbe parties who had them were 

 about returning incm wueu a few hints by me In regard to a differon 

 powdi r and load prevented it. Thegunsgive satisfaction now. Shot- 

 gun manufacturers in this country, as a general rule, tarft-t their guns 

 with \i( ozs. No. B shot at a 8<l-Inob circle. The Parkers use a M-inoh 

 circe, 45 yatd.-; the English gun makers, a 30 inch elide, 40 yard*, 

 with No. 6 chilled shot, equal to our No. 7 shot. It is not necessary, 

 however, to use a 30-inuh oircie, as a aei-ii ch circle 30 yards, or a24- 

 m.-ii 3f. yards, are the same for target shooting A gun win Bho.it as 

 well in oue as the o her. It is not always eonve-ient to get large 

 sheetB of paper, and when you get thrm it lo not always you can find a 

 nlaee to tack them np To tiiu irate the above I give you below tho 

 'arrets m.v new W. 4 C. tcoit " i render," li-peuge, fi lb gun. mado at 

 a trial— 3iJ-inch eitcle, stl) yards, SJi dis. D.t.1 mar, IJtf oz. No. 7 shot; 

 etc barrel, ruli-choice, 870, g0«, 3ST, as", 26?. In a 3D inch circle, 30 

 yaMls, 836, 292, 2 S, 333, 278. I nrgbt add that the 327 taiget wan made 

 with a metal shell with a thin c»rd wad over the shot, which gives the 

 best kind of shooting. 1 he other targets were made with pjper she. la. 

 1 think the above urg ts ire very good, not eny for the r evenuese, 

 our for the numb, r of pel ets. It. fpeaks we 1 for the Scott gun and for 

 Ditlmtr powder I sue in your i^sue of this week a letter from Wl.kea- 

 iiarre, Pa, tn which the writer ray. three guns in ihat State have been 

 ruined by the use of this powder. I think, as you hmt, that they used 

 the old powder, luioadiugit I discard all fancy loaders and use a 

 .nil the common rammer; tight wads pressed down even 

 and arm on rue powder. While I am not able to f ay whether it is safo 

 or not, I am tltmly convinced that in all oth>r respects it is the best 

 powder ma.ic. 1 know of many that will use no other. I BomeHmes 

 charge with Ave drachms of it. As my gnn is a very line one it shows 

 1 om not art aid of it, and I shall continue to use it until I see proof of 

 its being unsafe. rj ICK 

 — ♦ — . 



DITTMAR POWDER AND MR. PAINE. 



Bincihamton, N. Y., Nov. 2, 1878. 

 Editor Forest and Streaji: 



I i reply to Mr. Ira Fame's letter in your last is ue I wish to say that 

 Mr. Paine has always said to me that my powder was the be-t in the 

 market, aud that he has recommended it highly to many sportsmen 

 Every batch of my powder is tested thoroughly before it is sent out! 

 I test t wl'h one drachm more than I recommend in the circular, and 

 I amnotsatl-fiid Until it comes np to standard-'fmt is, tone better In 

 pattern and penetration than the best bl»ck powder obtaluable. 



Yours trnly, CiKt Dittmar. 



This creation seems to be oDe with which we, as editors, 

 have nothing to do.— Ed. F. & S. 



PIGEON MATCHES. 



New Yobje— Out. 29.— Match between members of Dean Klchmond 



Ppoit-men's Cub, of Batavia. and L-eroy Sportsmen's Club of Leror 



ves; snotataitOloMi, Score: .umeroy. 



Frank ALusk, Leroy 11110 11001001100111 n_io 



H Chamberlain, Batavia C...0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 n 1 u 1 l3jo 



After thematori a sweepstake shoot was arranged at seven birds in 



via SHOOK rs were victorious, Fete Tompkins, thetrflrst 



prize man, taking first money. " ' u or81 ' 



Biiookltn— Brown's Park, E. D„ Woo. 1.— Fifty birdB each, 25 yards 

 rise, SO yards boundary, American i" Chanucey Club ' ) rules ; for *mo 

 ' expenses of match to lowest score : 



Allan Niche's— 1 llllllllllllllixiiiiiiit!,. 

 oniiMiiiiiiimnini i_4 . " i * ,ul 



[StOJ-l 1 I 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 11 • 1 I 1 1 i o I 1 1 1 i 

 1 1 ' 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 * 1 1 1 1_.U. 



Francis Elwell— 1 101110*111 liOlllll iioihih 

 t 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 • 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1-3:,. 



Thkati.ical Glass Beix Suootebs.— Mr. Ira A. Paine la now shoot. 



Ing g uss lulls at the Wiudsur Theatre, this city. Ilia openinir feat 



king of seventeen glas* ball, id on*, minute lie efiea to 



i: ,.v I, Montr., al, ue_r week. Cttpt A. Ii. BogardUS, who 



lias been exhibiting in Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia is 



: . I'aealre.this olty A new act to be 



introduce d on i lie llth ins!. Is to use ore traps on tne stage. 



Wisconsin— Bar«bao, Od. 28 —Glass ball match for a sliver ball • Is 

 yards rise, Buga duo trap aud rules : 



Whiacmce i t l i l o i i i n o o i o o— » 



Thomas l M c o 1 1 Dm ] » it l-I 



Oii.it... i 10 1113 1 U ii 1 u n_ 8 



Kurtacfc o ivlimilllgiiLi 



BMver l i) i l 3 o 1 l l o l u i i i_i? 



BulmiBver 1 1 i) l (i i) o u 1— _ 



Or03fl_an u I v 1 n ft o o— » 



