FOREST AND STREAM. 



439 



For Forest and Stream. and Hod and Gun, 

 GAME COVERTS OF NEVADA. 



Gold Hill, Nevada, Dec. 12, 1878. 

 As your columns are but very rarely intruded upon by com- 

 munications from the "Silver State," permit me, for the benefit 

 of those who make their home among sage brush and sand, 

 and who would fain avail themselves of an opportunity to se- 

 cure a few weeks' excellent shooting did they but know where 

 to go. Our State is blessed with but little shooting grounds, 

 but we have some, and allow me to say when found they are 

 excelled by none that I have had the fortune to enjoy. Elk 

 County, in the eastern part of the State, affords a better field 

 for the sportsman than any in the State. 1 do not deny there 

 are parts which afford as great a quantity, but not variety. 

 For instance, the sink of the Humboldt River, which is a 

 shallow lake of considerable extent, is at this time of year 

 covered with myriads of water-fowl of all kinds, including 

 ducks of many varieties, honkers, brant, swans, pelican, etc., 

 etc., but that is all. Away from the shore everything is 

 parched and dry, and for miles the eye encounters naught but 

 sandy hills, alkali plains and a few stunted sage brush," but as 

 we go eastward, following the line of the 0. P R, R., the 

 country gradually assumes a more cheering aspect, and upon 

 arriving at Elko, a pretty liltle burg and an eating station, 

 you may stop with the assurance that any of the citizens can 

 direct you to good shooting grounds. From there east to 

 Deeth Station on the river can be found ducks, snipe, prairie 

 chickens (or sharp-tailed grouse), sage hens, etc. At Deeth 

 Station the river leaves the railroad, and away northward after 

 leaving the railroad some thirty miles, until you reach the 

 Grouse Creek Mountains, is a hunter's paradise. All is soli- 

 tude ; no habitation for miles now ; no hunters have been 

 here j the crack of the gun is like angels' visits— few and far 

 between — and the result, abundance of game and very gentle. 

 I was up in this part one season with six companions," and I 

 shall never forget those most enjoyable weeks. It was our 

 fortune to find a few antelope, three or four of which were se- 

 cured by our party. The river toward the head is an insignif- 

 icant stream, merely a little brook; but abounding in trout. 

 While there the stream was nearly dry and at intervals pools, 

 in which a fly was taken as fast ns you threw it in ; but that 

 was of course tame sport, merely cost you the exertion to pull 

 the pretty speckled beauties from the water. The boys were 

 hanging away all day long in hearing of camp. At times a 

 covey of grouse would go thundering over camp, when our 

 "Wild Dutchman," who was acting in the capacity of cook, 

 would grasp his six-foot(?) muzzle-loader with a broken grip 

 and blaze away, and get — kicked over about twenty feet, and 

 the job of again patching up his stock, which would invari- 

 ably go to pieces at every discharge. From the day we Qrst 

 pitched camp until we started home " Dutchy " had a hiirhly 

 ornamented nose from his pet's mulish demonstrations. When 

 far away from camp you could hear the " boom! boom !" of 

 that old " broken back," and some one would sing out : 

 " There, Dutchy has peeled his smeller again." I remember 

 one evening returning down stream I shot a skunk and brought 

 it along and deposited it on a little knoll near camp. The 

 wind wa3 blosving from camp and all was lovely for the pres- 

 ent. During the night the wind veered and blew directly to- 

 ward us. "Dutchy" was the first to wake, and with one 

 wild leap he was erect and shouting : " Poys, poys, got up." 

 The roar that followed brought him to his senses, and when he 

 realized the cau-e of the odor which pervaded the air he 

 grasped " old reliable " and went in search of the cause, keep- 

 ing up his courage by a string of sulphurous oaths rendered In 

 broken English. I gueas he found it, for he shortly returned 

 with vows of vengeance of who ever "put dot d— n smellin' 

 cat out dare," We were disappointed one morning when 

 some vanqueros passed and told us the Piuteshad gone on the 

 war path near Oherry Creek. "Dutchy" at once made pre- 

 parations for a forced march, and we saw him no more until 

 our return home. We remained there some time, moving up 

 Stream every other day, and all the time finding game any 

 and everywhere. Parties who desire splendid shooting could 

 do no better than to give this locality a trial. 1 would advise 

 them to procure their teams at Elko and a full camping out- 

 fit and drive to Deeth Sttaion, and from there go north follow- 

 ing Mary's River. After you get up it some ten or fifteen 

 miles you will be surprised to see so much game and of so 

 many varieties. You cannot step up to a pool without ducks 

 flying up. Hardly a hundred yards of ground is passed over 

 without chicken are flushed. But I am intruding upon your 

 valuable space. I will, as a parting word, say to the sports- 

 men of Nevada, "Do not leave your own State when the 

 season opens, but take a little trouble and you will find many 

 such places as I speak of. I have found them, why not you ? 

 Once round they are always there to visit each year." 1 pre- 

 sume the western portion must afford some excellent quail 

 shooting when the snow drives them down into the foot hills. 

 As I have never tried my luck in that vicinity 1 cannot ex- 

 press any decided opinion. Let us hear from some one else 

 in this part of the world to aid me in upholding our " deserts " 

 and "alkali plains " in the sportsmen at large. J. M. B. 



For Forest and Stream and Mod and &un. 

 A DEER DRIVE IN SOUTH CAROLINA. 



ON the 11th of October—' 'the brown, the crisp, the blest"— 

 the Old Gang of Aiken County, South Carolina, met 

 once more at their time-honored tristing place, the Big Oak 

 on Edisto River ; not so much on account of the game, for it 

 is very scarce, but for the sake of a reunion of the " old 

 boys." But what we lacked in game we made up in gun, 

 horse and dog talk, and a heap of fun . You may well imagine 

 that after an absence of a year the reunion of a set of old rocks 

 like ourselves, the first night, is a big one, 



The evenings were growing cliilly, which made the light of 

 the camp fire doubly attractive. The old spring- of living 

 water, a few steps down the hill, still rippled over the same 

 White pebbles, and invitingly said: "Boys of the Old Gang, 

 once more try me, I'm better far than gin or brandy." After 

 Uncle Stephen, the cook, had given us supper, and the dogs 

 had been fed, the camp fire was made big and bright under 

 the spreading limbs of a huge oid water oak, where this same 

 Old Gang had regaled in many days gone by. Some got seats 

 on our ration boxes ; the rest spread themselves on the pine 

 itraw, all in a huddle, to hear the arrangements for the morn- 

 ing hunt. Uncle Irvin, a man of sixty summers, was on 

 haud, stepping around as lightly as a Guinea cock in May. 

 A down pipes of all sorts and sizes were lighted, whieh, under- 



full headway, gave our silting room the appearance of a 

 young tai boiler. The hunt was soon arranged, old King 

 William, as usual, being assigned to the stand known as 

 " death's duoi ." Then came the big talk and joke-cracking, 

 all hands being called on for a contribution. About nine 

 o'clock old OrODttOha was resurrected and the Old King gave 

 us some of them good old times, such as " I no care how you 

 sharurn," "Billy in the Low Ground," " Arkansas Traveler" 

 and " Hell's Broke Loose in Georgia." The latter name I 

 must confess is not very euphonious, but it is nevertheless 

 the name of a rousing good old tune with us, and one well 

 calculated to make a fellow git up and git if he has any. 

 music in his soul. 



The back gate of a wagon was substituted for a dancing 

 board, and most of the gang were called on for a jig. Some 

 few acquitted themselves with credit, but a majority were 

 fairly put to their stumps you may believe. Uncle Stephen, 

 the negro cook, was also called on, but respectfully declined, 

 saying he had belonged to a Methodist and Baptist preacher, 

 and had exhorted right smart himself ; but some of the boys 

 who were in for fun had got Uncle Stephen without much 

 persuasion to put himself on the outside of a big snorter of 

 bug juice, and his " spcrets " soon moved him. He took the 

 board, and such dancing we have never Been done by a man 

 who was at all inclined to the pulpit. When the fiddler got 

 to the good places in " sinarum," the old fellow fairly glim- 

 mered, and said, " Old Buss, play dat agin ; dats de best time 

 dis nigger am herd senee freedom." 



About that time Uncle Irvin, who had been rolled up in his 

 blanket for an hour with a bundle of fodder under his head, 

 sung out at the top of his voice, " Look er heare, boys, stop 

 that confounded foolishness and go to bed. You will all he 

 heavy to-morrow, you can't shoot good, and we will have no 

 venison for dinner." We took his suggestion and spread our 

 blankets around thatsame old oak, said our prayers and went 

 to rest, like a happy family, with twenty fine dog3 lyiug 

 around the camp fire, Uncle Stephen, the cook, right in the 

 midst of ihem fast asleep in n box, aid no one to molest or 



lake us afraid. 



Next morning, just as old Sol began to show the first tints 

 of his gray jacket in the cast, Bill Gary sounded a long and 

 loud reveille on his old horn, which not only made the dogs 

 rear and caper, but many of the old boys who did not feel 

 much like it had to fling their blankets. Uncle Stephen then 

 gave us hot Java with toast and scrambled eggs, and we were 

 ready for the first drive. Half of the pack "was tied up for 

 the second day — we usually ran about fifteen dogs— but in the 

 last day we handicap and turn loose everything, and I tell you, 

 sir, they do make things pop and crack, ft is just good 

 enough to hear twenty-live ring tail roarers baste an old buck 

 for an hour in a big bay, and still better to see the old fellow 

 come out riding the bushes with his flag up and horns laid 

 back on his shoulders ; and then if a fellow is not right good 

 grit he don't get such meat every time he shoots. The first 

 day we did not find one of Uncle Irviu's bucks, but soon 

 raised a doe and yearling. The doe took the river, but the 

 yearling stuck to terra firma, and after au exciting race for an 

 hour and five shots, Uncle Irvin laid him on the cooling board 

 with first barrel. For the next day (Saturday) we made big 

 calculations on some old peafield bucks, but how soou can 

 one's brightest anticipations be blasted ! We awoke in the 

 morning to see the rain poring in torrents, which continued 

 all day, and we had to return home after two day's hunt with 

 but one little deer to report. But such is hunters' luck. 

 "Many things in this world that look bright only dazzle to 

 lead us astray." One of ths Gang. 



Williston, S. O., Out. 16, 1878. 



For Forest and Stream and Hod and Uun. 

 TEXAS BILL'S LAST BEAR HUNT. 



"AND now I will tell you about Texas Bill's last bear 



•**- hunt. One evening last fall we were sitting out on 

 the piazza about nine o'clock, when neighbor Ford rode up 

 and wautcd me to go over to Rock Creek, about three miles, 

 and help kill a bear. He said his wife's mother and a boy 

 about twelve years old had been down on the creek that day 

 looking for some bees, and they saw a bear run into the rocks. 

 So I saddled up, took my dogs, and with Charley and Ford 

 started for the bear. When we got nearly to the creek we 

 found another man by the name of Russian waiting for us. 

 When we got to the creek we went down about half a mile 

 and hitched our horses aud began to climb up the bank among 

 the rocks and trees, and after fifteen minutes' hard labor we 

 got to where the woman and boy saw the bear go in. It was 

 a wild looking place in a small ravine with rocks on both 

 sides piled up one above the other, and big boulders scattered 

 all about. The place where the bear went in was large 

 enough for a man Co get in easy, and about thirty feet back of 

 where he went in was a largo hole that went down, and not 

 the one that went straight in. All the time'whlle we were 

 building a fire we could hear a noise in the hole like a hoarse 

 sissing or grunting, and thought perhaps Mr. Bear did not 

 like his company. After we got a fire we could not look into 

 the hole but a little way, and F. went about a mile and got a 

 lamp about as good as a lightning bug. Russian proposed to 

 stay all night and have daylight to work in, but I did not 

 want to stay till I found out what I was staying for. While 

 we were talking F. took the lamp and went to the upper hole 

 and got down to look in. 



" H— !" says he, "I can see him I" 



" Well," said 1, "what is it?" 



" It is a bear as sure as the devil I Come and take the lamp 

 and Bee for yourself." 



I took the lamp ami got down and peeked in, and there he 

 was. But I could not see very plain, so I crawled in a little 

 further. Charley wanted me to come back for fear he would 

 make a dive at me, but f ventured carefully in a little more 

 and then could see his head and shoulders a little plainer, but 

 I could not make out what the deuce it was, Its head seemed 

 to be white and snout black, and what I could see of his 

 shoulders were black. Finals F, says : 



" What do you make it ?" 



"Well, I think it is a— hog, and if you will hand me a gun 

 I will try to put his eye. out." 



They got my gun, and I ventured in a little more to get a 

 good chance to shoot, but I got a little too near and it moved 

 and hissed and gruuted fearfully ; but when it moved I could 

 see it plain and tell what it was, and what do you think I saw? 

 A couple of young buzzards! They stood side by Bide, their 

 Decks and wings white, their backs, tails, heads and bills black, 

 and in the dim light and the position they were in, looked 

 like the head of eome large animal. 



R, says, " Why don't you snoot ?" 



1 said nothing but crawled out, and F. says, " What are 

 you going to do now V 



" Well, I think the best thing we can do is to go home." 



R. says, " Why the devil don't you tell us what it is down 

 there in the rocks ?" 



I bothered them a few minutes and then told them it was 

 buzzards, and I don't believe you ever heard such a shout 

 from a few mouths as went, up through the trees from around 

 that bare hole. We blew out our lamp, got into saddles, and 

 went home, certainly wiser if not as happy as when we went 

 out ; and that is the last hunt I have had after bears. 



W- A. L. 



A MODEL TROUT HATCHERY IN MICHI- 

 GAN. 



THE trout hatchery of Mr. Charles H. Holt is located at 

 Cascade Springs, on Hie Thornapple River, two miles 

 from Ada station, in Ivent County. The stream is naturally 

 formed fora successful trout brook. Right here in this gulch, 

 the scene of former boring for gold, a few steps from the 

 river, is the first pond or bowl, anew one, the water in which 

 is clear, about eight feet deep, and discharging through a 

 naiTOw sluiceway, first through a fine seine and then over a 

 narrow board slideway eight feet. high. The object of the 

 seine is to keep back the fish, and the object of the board 

 slidewayjnst below it. ii die proper height of 



of water. " Here," says Mr. Ho] i finished dam. Jt 



is 25 feet broad, about 40 feet long, about 8 l< el deep, and 

 fed by a sluice from the brook. In here are about 300 year- 

 lings— that is, trout hatched a year ago last March. I keep 

 the different sizes and ages apart from each other. I have 

 been obliged to build new dams or reservoirs as the slock 

 increases— just as a farmer increases Ids cleared land for 

 new crops." Steppiug along the side up we come to a sec- 

 ond dam about double ;K This pond," 

 said the enthusiastic trout-breeder, "is the oldest on the 

 creek, and, as you see, the entire water of the creek runs 

 through it. In this is part of my young stock or minuows 

 hatched in February, 1879, aud there may be 80,000 or them 

 healthy and growing finely." 



We now mount to the third pond; which is 12x30, four 

 feet deep, aud covered. Unlocking the door, and turning 

 it up, we here behold a sight that is rare in this country" 

 800 two-year-old trout, the majority of them females that 

 spawued about three weeks ago. " We dip a finger iu 

 the water and apparently a hundred speckled beauties 

 fly for it, some seizing tt betweeu their sharp teeth. Mr. 

 Holt draws his finger across the water, and such a flutter 1 

 " That's catching them with a fly !" These will weigh from 

 four to twelve ounces. Next we pass on to another covered 

 pond, about, 13 feet square and 3 feet deep, aud here is 

 another sight worth beholding— 400 two-year-old male 

 trout ! Such beauties ' They arc calculated for market 

 next summer. Now we rise to another covered reservoir 

 13x16ft., two feet deep, and here are the queens of this race' 

 or 50 female trout, 4 years old, none weighing less than a 

 pound, and some weighiug two pounds, and many of them 

 before spawning weighiug three pounds. Says Mr. Holt 

 "These are difficult to handle ; it lakes a strong, broad* 

 hand to strip them of their eggs, and I prefer smaller ones, 

 but these will do for breeders for many years. Tbey will 

 eachaverage say, 2,500 eggs. Now," added he, "you think 

 you have seen some trout, bur, I will proceed to introduce 

 you to some king trout." 



Then stepping to another covered pond 12x16ft., and un- 

 locking the door, he says: "These are my pets!" Here 

 were 50 four-years old male trout, the largest we ever be. 

 held, and such "whoppers" as tr< iot ■ 

 where. These have been fed for market, and about GO have 

 been disposed of, some of them , unds. Next 



came an open pond, <,12x50ft.. containing about 200 malo 

 and female fish, two years old. Next was open. 12x30 con- 

 taining 1,000 of this year's hatch, and the next was of the 

 the same size, probably containing 4,000 of this year's small™ 

 fry. 



The next pond, 13x30, contained 500 male and female 

 yearlings ; the next, about the saute size, contained 300 two 

 years oid, and the last one, 12s i 00 yearlings of 



both sexes. We have passed 13 ponds, containing 30 000 

 trout. We now come to the hatching-bouse, and from Ihia 

 houseto the spring, which is the head of the stream there are 

 wild trout that have got away from the ponds to the number 

 of at least several thousands. The fall of i ids brook is 90ft, 

 and from the spring, or head, to the Thornapple Biver dial 

 tant one-fourth of a mile, there are at least, iu our estima- 

 tion, 50,000 trout in brooks and ponds. JSow we ask the 

 question, How and when do you feed these ash j 



"About three times a week, on minuows that I catch in 

 the Thornapplo with hook. I formerly fed ou beel's liver 

 and thick milk, but I now feed the young ones principally 

 on thick milk— or lobbered milk— which I throw m to the 

 fisb. I don't believe in feeding much liver to old trout 

 Young fish are nature's food, and they do best on it. Icalcul 

 late to feed regularly, They are a voracious fish. When 

 first hatched they are perfect cannibals. I have seen one an 

 inch in length swallow cue one-half that size, and one that 

 was 13 weeks from the egg swallow one that was six 

 from the egg, or one that had just got its sac off. Put these 

 small fish in with those big ones, and the former would soou 

 swallow the latter. If you treat them kindly you can keep 

 them tame from the start. They all take food, as you gee 

 from my hand." 



Now, unlocking the door, we enter the hatching-house, a 

 rough hut, 12x10, on each side of which are two rows 'of 

 hatching-boxes, in which are the eggs, laid in small uni- 

 form-sized gravel, and over which ruus a small, clear stream 

 of water, coming from the brook, through a narrow "sluice 

 into the rear eud of the souse. We observe that the" great 

 object is first to attain the inmost purity iu the water. Thus 

 it first passes through a bed of gravelln the sluice-way 

 then falls and passes through two strainers of coarse flannel' 

 and then oue of fine. The hatching troughs are 16 I 

 length and 16 iuches wide, through which ruus steai 

 half-inch stream or water over flue gravel about au inch in 

 depth. In the centre of the house is a basin of watei i 

 feet wide, one aud a half feet deep, and the length of the 

 house. We have thus the troughs, the sand, the water, the 

 basin, all ready for the spawners. 



Aa the spawning season approaches the females are ■ 



