^mt^^mm—rmmm* 



W 



i otcI, President, 

 :, Jr., of Windsor, Conn., Secretary. 



Not, ioST— Weston, Vt.. Jan. 6.— The trap- 



1 having set in in dead 



ii i The depth erf snow and extreme cold winds have 



driven the lew surviving foxes from Hie high ranges of my 



locality to the valleys ami foothills. My catch is rising— thirty 



; less than halt the amount 1 



took, with the same number of traps, in a season when I first 



drove my stakes here. Catching oil th< isutted ill 



an increase 9.t partridges, very noticeable till this season, 



when they have been exceptionally scarce. No young ones 



killed. 1 had, in common^ b al do; rie id ,atttfl ated the 



scarcity to the cold, wi ent nurn- 



,- : uiiAM have aceouuted for it otherwise, 



I omitted to fitat* bha are in unusual good color this 



season, being a rich, deep red. Waufield, 



IiOecj Ibucsb—. Seus !'j/"'l-, Mlk 11.— I have just returned 

 from a trip to Good Ground, where I found the duck shooting 

 very good in holes ou the Ice, where the stools are put out 

 and a box or bout cut into the ice at a convenient shooting 

 distance. Quite a number of good days' sport have been 

 had in this war ooze over. I had the good for- 



tune to stop at the Bay View, and was made very comforta- 

 ble by its genial proprietor, Mr. A. H, Gorwin. Annum. 



Nbw Jbrsbt — Kinsetfs Ashley Souse, Barnegat Inlet, Jan. 

 10.— Geese, broadbiDs and black ducks are thick here just 

 now. i I e Id snap has frozen the bay over, and the only 

 - in tills vicinity. We know what is killed by 

 our life Station house boys ; 15 to 20 geese and from 70 to 100 

 ducks art! an every-dsy occurrence, This must be divided 

 among say six gunners, 1 also hear of 32 geese being killed 

 by two men ai North Beach, and of some of the gunners in 

 air-holes scoring as high as 80 broadMUs per day. Geese can 

 boat for paddling 



be seen by the th 



in the ice. It is vj. teet Jou 



appearance of floating ice I [ 



ward with muslin, with two i 



material, cut scalloped, Th< 



yesterday. It wot £ 



not been' in the way I think 1 



greatest sir. ■• 



on the 



died 



le, and to give it the 

 uted it white, covered it for- 

 iboa I . ■ i ■' i vered with the same 

 uly opportunity to test it was 

 m, and if that little " if " had 

 ould have made one of the 

 Some 50 of them were silting 

 .vith their heads under their wings. I paU- 

 ' 00 yards of them, they never noticing me 



y boat. The boat struck shoal water, and l succeeded 

 by mam strength to push her over the Band in about two 

 . lea Of water to within 75 yards of them. When Hound I 

 could not get any closer your readers can imagine my feelings, 

 with gun only loaded wuh No. 3 shot and no possibility of 

 getting any nearer. Their heads were so thick you could not 

 see through them. I waited some three or four minutes 

 watching their actions and undetermined what to do. Finally 

 I concluded that 1 hud looked hard enough for a shot, and let 

 them have it. Two dropped wing-broken, two more fell dead 

 a Jong distance off; but I have the satisfaction of knowing 

 that, win even hing favorable, I will do some big execution 

 before ; i iur bay. B. 



Y utGiKiA..— Mr. M. D. O'Rorke, a dealer, of Staunton, Va., 

 is said to have had handled 6,000 pounds of venison during 

 the season, 



Kkktvqky— Stanford, Jan. 10.— The goose-bone ranks 

 Old Pi'oli now, afi results have verified predictions. G. W.'s 

 only surviving servant doesn't reside here, if he did it is a 

 general belief that ne couldn't refer to a winter of such pro- 

 longed seventy. Three weeks of snow, ice and demoralized 

 thermometers have put an end to sport for remainder of 

 open season, and the pot-hunter with his pot-metal gun has 

 full swing. Quails and hares, " thin as wafers" and "light 

 as feathers," glut the game markets, and are quoted at figures 

 which fnake tramps ashamed to beg cold victuals. Nearly 

 every correspondent to surrounding country papers tells of 

 some fellow that has bagged half a dozen coveys at as many 

 shots, and such wholesale slaughter, together with the con- 

 tinued starvation, made sure by last night's fourteen inches 

 fall ot snow, portend a light crop uext season. 



Kbntuckian. 



Tennessee— Savannah, Dec. 31.— In casting up my game 

 record for the past two months 1 find that I have bagged 127 

 quad, 15 mallards, 13 hares and 3 snipe. Under favorable 

 circumstances this would be but a poor bag, but my opportu- 

 nities for shooting are limited, not averaging one day per 

 week. The snipe reported as killed are three-fourths of alt 

 that 1 have seen, fpr, as one may readily imagine, this is not 

 a famous snipe resort. Quail have been unusually numerous, 

 but are wilder than 1 have ever known them. They do not 

 he well to the dog, and when they fly alight close together, 

 and run or take to wing again without giving an opportunity 

 for more than two shots. The clucks reported are the result 

 of two days' shooting over the snow-covered corn-fields. We 

 have none of the appliances of the professed duck hunters, 

 such as decoys, sneak boxes, etc. Fully supplied with all the 

 appliances Coj this sport, a good shot could achieve most as- 

 tonishing results, as our river and creeks.are at this time simply 

 full of ducks. Several g#ese and a number of ducks have 

 been kilted by the market hunters. Wilx. 



Indiana— JS r ev> Albany, Jan. 8.— We have had here the 

 coldest weather I have ever experienced ; mercury 14 below, 

 iwo mornings in succession, and several mornings of late 4 

 below. fell three weeks ago and sticks tight 



yet. 1 presume every quail in Floyd County and vicinity is 

 by this time defunct, So plenty have they been in Louisville 

 (caught in traps and nets by everybody) that they loaded 

 them up at Ihe depot in transfer wagons— actually shoveled 

 them in, just as they do potatoes. They were frozen stiff as 

 a hiuge, and were carted oil' by the wagon-load. 



have read the article in question will 

 An article having appeared in 



■epli, 



of 



Ka 



m? ha 



been unu- 

 e been made 

 pour. The 



baga of wild 



at i , . 



have been oi 



wild fowl will be found in , 



and lagoons throughout the entire country. 



Not an Abab Sueik.— Next to having one's hunting ex- 

 ploits bungled there is nothing more distasteful to the 

 modest, simple-minded American, imbued with the free-aiul- 

 equal principles of this great and glorious republic, thou the 

 assumption of rank, and barbarQui ran A valued 



correspondent, who has suffered in both of these ways. Writes 

 the following explanation and disclaimer. We hope that sueii 

 of our readers i 

 accept the folloi 



Fditor fiorcht, and Stream: 

 the Philaderc ra 



"Bear Hunting in !ne fy~ee 

 ments therein contained being 

 me an opportunity of correct] 

 the hear which fought bo 1 



would say that with the 



the account is fairly correct, 



snow-storm ended the light, aud th 



but that we left him dying, and that he fl 



following morning. Then again the shooting of the gray 



pony I had nothing whatever to do with, Mr. Lature and his 



companion, the "heroes ''of the adventure, having been at 



the time fully fifty miles from where I was. As to 'the "Ex- 



Arab Chieftainship," with which I am invested, I traveled for 



Borne time among the Arabs of Morocco, disguise ; I 



themselves, it being necessary to do so in order to travel there 

 at all; but, exceptinglhal every one who Ira . fithoul 



any apparent object and having ftnnmber oi ttl 

 considered by the Arabs to be a great: man, I can laj no cl lira 

 to anything of the sort. I cannot imagine who could have in- 

 serted the article in question, but whoever it was drew some- 

 what largely on his imagination, and should be a contributor 

 to Beadle's dime literature. C, M i ■ .■ 



Running Antelope in New Mexico.— Dr. Robinson, of 

 Newark, has favored us with the perusal of a letter from a 

 relative in Troyburg, New Mexico, which begins by detailing- 

 some adventures in treeing turkeys, a rather tame kind of 

 sport, but remunerative, as game of this kind finds a ready 

 market at f 1.50 per bird. The letter continues : 



We started three bunches of deer on Monday evening, but had 

 no Title. Game is very abundant this fall, for all of the Indians 

 have been moved off ; and ii they only Blay away, we will be 

 overrun with game in two years. I venture to say that 1 saw 

 500 antelope yesterday between Troysburg arid Leonards, 

 which are about six miles apart. The country is full of them. 

 They are the prong-horn, light brown, or cinnamon on the 

 back, nnd white belly and rump. The bucks have a coarse 

 mane which stands up on their necks like a hog's bristles. 

 They are very handsome: and can't they run! Stuyvesant 

 found three iu his vega fence last week— it is a mile square, 

 making four miles of fence. He went in with his pony aud 

 gave them a chase. He would rnn them a mile, and then ride 

 back slowly to the corner, and by that time they woidd get 

 around there, and then he would run them again. Thus he 

 ran them one mile to their four, until they were completely 

 rim down. Two gave out on their tenth round (10 miles) 

 and the other on his twelfth, or 4S miles. He killed them all 

 with bis knife. He bad his rifle and could have shot them, 

 but had heard how they could hold their wind, and said he 

 never could get a better chance to try it. He had a blooded 

 hone and muldn't catch them on the rode odds run until they 

 had gone forty milc3. He ran them all plum down, and his 

 horse pretty near it. Says he don't believe there is a horse 

 living that can begin to run as far as they can. Some horses 

 can outrun them lor a mile, but they cannot keep it up." 



The same writer adds the following littlo incident by way 

 of a snapper : 



"One of the Troysburg boys killed a big wild eat last Sun- 

 day with his loot— cadght the cat, out on the prairie, tool: off 

 his boot, and pitched iu, and got away with Kirn too." 



The Uakek Gcn. — Editor-Forest and Stream.: I see you 

 desire some information as to the three-barrel Baker gun. 

 Those who use them in this section are highly pleased with 

 them. 1 find a 12-gatige, shot barrels aud .44 cal. ride, weight 

 10 pounds, a weapon adapted for all .'hooting in tattler a 

 prairie or wooded section. Mr. Edwards, firm of Vance & 

 Edwards, has one of these guna in use since 1875. it has 

 been in use in long camp hunts, and to all appearance is as 

 good as ever. Aiato. 



San Antonio, Texas, Bee. 30. 



An Aospiciotjs Title. — .Editor Forest and Stream:, TVe 

 organized a shooting club here last duly and named it the Hal- 

 lock Sporting aud Shooting Club, after ye editor— shake, 

 The club was represented by a team at the 'State tournament 

 last October, and came out second best in the shoot for the 

 State medal. We hope to take it next year. DrBEflO. 



Abilene, Kansas, Jan. 8. 



The Old Gang on the Ashwoo— Aiken, S. C, Jan. 6. 



—On the second of December, by invitation of that prince of 



id fellows, Dr. Emanuel Witsell, of Colleton County, the 



ng of the Gang sounded his horn, "all hands n 



and we put out With fourteen hounds and two pointer;., with 



"blood as blue as Castile," to join the Doctor in a hunt at hi 



plantation on the Ashepoc 

 train at Augusta, per Tan 

 place we reached about 2 f 

 tDnandSavaiiuahRR.,wl 



1 : i v 



night 



by the members. The outlook lor next 

 long couliuued cold and thu large number 

 them scarce. Quail are now sell t I cenlB per dozen in 



Kansas City. Deer have been quite plenty, aud one member 

 has bagged four. We can turn out as well au armed team as 

 there is iu the State. Sony we did not see you last fall ; hope 

 to see you next trip West. Dirigu. 



tiiivcr Lake, Jan. 0. — The quail shooting has been superb 

 in, s id We have made some flue bags. The snow has 

 been six o inc IBS deep tor the last month, and has 



driven the quail into Ihe barnyards to feed. Saturday, the 4lh 

 inst., 1 found a quail hozendown. If tiusjweather continues 

 much longer our chance of good sport will ba destroyed. 



10 we took th 



>rt Royal OR.,: 



JOtlt 3 O'cl .- ■■■■ ..' T.eCharles- 



tK., which we took. Twenty miles brought 



mi, and we ire soon under the hospitable 



tor. The first day we. got 80 deer, but 



squirrels aud quail by the score, and one very small possum, 



"captUl l ;\v ihe Clerk of the Court of Aiken Couuly." The 



next day we moved cunp for better bunt in:;, where we not only 



hairs and feathers fly, but. walked right square into 



surrounded by enormous Jive oaks, ., 



tains of flowing moss i spersedwithjaponica, coveted 



with blooms, snow white and variegated. ' ft was a mighty 

 big trip for the Pinny Woo, B ' Hod four line deer, 



three turkey gobblers, aud ducks, quail aud squirrel innumer- 

 able. Had game at everj rook fish and 

 the. bushel. Our camp was about the head of till 



gence, hut the holds that once waved with the snowy fleece 



."Men rice, are now the hue 

 cats, foxes and possum. In the gang Was five fox guns, two 

 d one Kemiriglon, aud nearly every thtngMbat rose 

 before us folded tbeu' wings forever. O: 



Flights op Wild GBtSB.—isAeUsr Island, Dee. 1S—J3ew 

 Editor .^-The wild-fowl are sill flying and feeding about 



these shores; but the weather has been too rough and blowy 

 for much sport. The only way to gelt at theru is in " battery- 

 boat," but that can only be done ID very h'gnt winds and 

 smooth water. The boat is made very small, like a nnncnv 

 coffin— so that its deck lies near the surface of the water, the 

 belter to deceive the wary fowl. I tried my boa 

 days Eince, in a calm morning, but l > of wind 



from ihe .North nearly swamped me and forced me to pad- 

 dle back to shore as last as possible. But few, very lew 

 geese and brant have passed over thesi il area] 



the geese? They generally fly in good numbers at this sea- 

 son ; butnow they have been lamentably scarce. TV 

 thai along the Jersey coast, especially at Bt 

 have been very scarce, so far, this sea mer years I 



have always found them there in November and December 

 iu large Hocks. Have they taken ftnQtkei route in their 

 Southern migration this year? Do they pass far inland, or 

 follow the line of coast far out at sea"? They mi 

 chosen one of these unusual routes, or we would find them 

 here and on the coaBt of Jersey. In former years, the snipe 

 and fowl shooting in Shinnecock Bay used to be most ex- 

 cellent, but then there was a good, sufficient inlet to allow 

 the salt tides to flow in ; but now that the iulet is closed up, 

 and the water become brakisb, the shooting has become much 

 less successful. The flats and bars are flooded with fresher 

 waters, the feed is poor and the wild-fowl scarce, as we are 

 told. I copy from a local paper some remarks on this sub- 

 ject : " Some years ago the natural inlet filled or closed up. 

 Since then several attempts have been made to open others, but 

 with little or no success ; they would run for a short time and 

 "- again till up with sand, entirely owing to ignorance as 



to the locality where an inlet would permanently run if 

 properly dug. These were not properly dug or located, 

 being too far to the east in the bay, and too narrow, owing 

 to the people not having the money to employ a powerful 

 machine digger ; mere man labor proving insufficient for' the 

 undertaking. The result is that this great and most valuable 

 bay is closed in, and has been more or less so for years. All 

 the clams and oysters are dead. Millions and millions of fish 

 are dead, and are still dying from the stagnation aud fresh- 

 ness of the water, breeding disease and the most putrid odors 

 and effluvia on the shores. From the occasional overflow of 

 the ocean and the surplus water, with no outlet, vast and rich 

 meadows are destroyed by the covering of sand and water 

 Not only this, but in places also, fillingUp the bay with sand! 

 causing flats where previously was deep water, and thereby 

 ruining navigation. Formerly there was some money spent 

 by people coming to this bay from our cities for fishing and 

 shooting. Now they have ceased to come, for there a • nej tier 

 fish nor birds. Hotels have been built for the accommodation 

 of visitors, but they do not come, fearful of disease from the 

 surrounding decay of fish and vegetahle matter ; consequently 

 hotels must be closed, with severe losses on tenants and own- 

 ers. _ The situation and condition of these hard-working and 

 willing people is deplorable inthe extreme. " To remedy (his, 

 it is suggested, either that a canal should be opened from 

 Peeonic Hay on the north, at Canoe Place, adistance of one- 

 fourth of a mile only, or one from Shinnecock Bay through. 

 Quantuek Bay, thus connecting with the Great South Bay 

 One of these plans should be adopted. Issao MoLellak. 



Since our correspondent's letter was written an inlet, which 

 promises to become permanent, has been opened into Shinne- 

 cock Bay., There has also been a large flight of wild geese, 

 as the veteran gunner Bill Lane writes us that he has not 

 seen so many pass South for many years, 



BOGARDUS' BIG SCORE. 



Captain A. H. Bogardus, the champion wing-shot of the 

 world, look U p 0[1 himself last week one. of those tremendous 

 'ii; way of marksmanship, for which he is now so 

 famous. His match against time at 5,0110 glu^s balls a vcVr 

 ago is familiar to all our readers, and his lime then 'was 

 tar below the common. On several of the 1, 

 broke at the rate of between 18 and»20 a minute loi 

 the time his own gun. The match of the 8th and 9th Im 

 one of accuracy rather than rapidity, and the condif 

 quired that he should break (i,000 glass balls throi 

 yards rise from a Bogardus trap. Ihe wafers wert 

 even that less than 0,200 would be fired ar 

 that not more than 6,100 would be used, au'd**100 tf 

 that the break would be straight. 



The Captain used his W. & C. Scott & Co gun w 

 sets of barrels of 10 and 12 gauge, using i and 3i d 

 of Dittmar powder respectively, and fioz, 

 Koy & Co. '8 tin-coated shot. The match ope 

 on the morning of the 8lh, and ail the as 



"'-posts. Dr. PJ. Talbot was puller M 



he 



ons re- 

 n at 15 

 fl.OOQ 



* 1,000 



■ gun with two 

 in! il.- drachms 

 No. 8 Otis Le. 

 3d at 11 o'clock 

 isfanis were at 

 !S Johnson, of 

 ces, 



water on the Ashepoo, which gave us tine fishing. 

 ing-gtound was once the land of wealth, luxury 



New Jersey, andElisba Garrison, of Syracusi 



aud T. C. Banks, scorer. An active lad feet 



plied with balls, and in answer to the <• pun'" of the ilu r ' 

 v on, ball after ball rose in the air to be shattered u^tantfv" 

 Many expert shots from this and other States watched the 

 pertect wor* Now and then there was a trifling dispute 

 bout balls which tell seemingly whole. In one ease a lit 

 broken Ironi the neck showed the work of the Shot ana n 

 another the load had passed completely through Ilie'sDli r-- 

 withuut shattering it into the usual li'v ■ 

 first to last of the match the refeiets wer'o .siammli.c- h- °? 

 tul in their rulings. During the fust ball h mi [red si 



a Of Hie right hammer broke oil, and though l,e 

 Captain did lor a time lift the ha,,:, 

 thumb upon the broken and jagged fragment? tL.eJlWt was 



^^^;l:^^r d l)roke ' *^*« 



The last 500 'balls shot at on the first day were cl, 

 i. lor upon them hung a] UQQb |] ;•-,, .',:,, T 



uicago, in which Bogard •-■ ■-■..- to , ,v , 



200 broken balls, and at o'clock It Was anil 

 3,000 balls had been shattered wil h i 



wa?erh^tr,--: J f,!l ?ai , U V, ^ P 6 ?*^ *** ' heu 



ICr f s taa.WJ thumb, burned by Ihe hot. barrel! 

 gun, and his right arm and shoulder were very very 



»sely 



bead o tide of his gun, and his right arm and shou le were vU™ v 



Our hunt- stiff fcleinman in his 400 shots raised only six hV 

 and vntelli- 1 mg, however, very much slower than to&S5 



Captain, and using 



