454 



FOREST AND STREAM, 



[July 7, 1881 



before August 15. And theu no deer was killed. Neither 

 was, as I stated in a former article, a single one killed tbere 

 during Ihe month of July, although there was considerable 

 hunting by floating. But the natives got Ihe start, and killed 

 or Scared them off in May and .June. 



I wish to say to your correspondent " Wollat," tbat what- 

 ever " music" there was about the bevel during Jnly was 

 not, made by dogs, as he hints, 1 presume, in his article tbat 

 was published in a late number of Ihe Fiu;j;> i \m> mljo it, 

 And I will also say that he is about as much out of Ihe way 

 in a number of other observations he makes in regard to my 

 former letter to the Forest amu Stream in relation to deer 

 killing on the Level. Adrton Ondack. 



A NEW MICHIGAN CLUB HOUSE. 



DuTBora, Mich., June, 1881. 



There has just been organized here another amateursports- 

 rnen's club, which, in point of "tone," is likely to "carry 

 off ihe cake." At the very least the Lake St. Clair and the 

 North Channel had better look to their social 'laurels, for the 

 new candidate, comes along* a-booming. It is called the De- 

 troit Hunting and Fishing Club, and is composed of ten 

 active members and one honorary member, the latter being 

 the Rt. Rev. Samuel S. Harris. Bishop of the Episcopal 

 Diocese of Michigan. The active members are Captain 

 Stephen B. Grunraioud, a wealthy vessel owner, whose name 

 is familiar in every port around the Lakes; Horning Jarves, 

 the head of a large manufacturing establishment in this city ; 

 John H. Bissell, a prominent member of the Detroit Bai\ a 

 former Geneva boy, and son of the present Episcopal Bishop 

 of Vermont ; S. H. Ives, yachtsman, hunter, angler and 

 jeweler on a large scale; Geo. H. Parker, who has grown 

 rich, though Still a young man, in Ex-Post Master General 

 Jewell's line ; E. W. Reynolds, old salt water veteran and 

 skipper of the Yacht Stgnor Max ; Henry T. Phillips, the 

 widely known dealer iu game; John Belknap, pork packer; 

 J. W. Wiuckler, tobacco merchant ; and James Battle, 

 Chief Engineer of the Detroit Fire Department. The exec- 

 utive officers of the club are as follaws : President, S. B. 

 Grummond : Yice-Presidenl, Doming Jarves ; Secretary and 

 Treasurer, John H, Bissell; Directors, S. H. Ives, John 

 Belknap, Geo. H. Parker, E, W. Reynolds and H. T. Phil- 

 lips. 



Now, as to the grounds and other essentials of tin club. 

 I have shown the social and financial liptopedness of the 

 members, but neither money nor blue blood would furnish 

 spoit unless there were in the world some spot where it was 

 to be had. First, then, the new club have leased a part of 

 Fighting Island, which contains in all upwards of 1,000 

 acres. This island is nine miles from Detroit down the 

 river; ard the club house faces tie Canadian Channel. The 

 main building is 18x26 feet ; the south wing, 12x10 feet, is 

 the kitchen, and the north wing of the same size is set apart 

 for the accommodation exclusively of ladies. There is a 

 good dock in ten feet of water, two fine fish pOnds 

 are conveniently at hand, and the island is magnifi- 

 cently wooded — in fact, a kind of picknickers' paradise. 

 Themarsh belonging by lease to the club is about seven miles 

 long by three quarters of a mile -wide, and certainly the equal 

 in point of desirability to the renowned Point Mouillie Marsh 

 at Rockwood. Then, if you prefer it, oh, country-loving 

 editor of Fokest asd Stream I you may gather more than 

 your fill of ripe and luscious berries of divers kinds. When 

 you want novelty, if you chance to be a club visitor, you can 

 mount to the observatory, which surmounts the club house, 

 and gain an unobstructed view of the river and contiguous 

 territory from Detroit to the Canada Southern crossing, tak- 

 ing in Ecorse. WyandoUe, and the. head of Grosse Isle on the 

 way- It will be observed that from this observatory an easy 

 view of every foot of the club's possessions is obtained. 



The only wonder I have in this connection is that the se- 

 curing this most desirable spot for club uses should have 

 been left till Anno Domini 1881. The present club is organ- 

 ized under the State law and by next year nearly every mem- 

 ber will have built a cot 1 age on Ihe island, to which his fam- 

 ily may retire for the heated term with the certainty of 

 enjoying life iu a perfect and rational manner, escaping the 

 insolent"and idiotic demands of fashion and serenely defying 

 Society with its Gorgon eyes and supercilious sneer. The 

 club have plenty of boat properly, ample out-housing, and, 

 in fine, everything that anybody wants. Long life to the 

 Detroit Hunting and Fishing Club. Black Bass. 



HOUNDING VS. STILL-HUNTING. 



YXTE continue the publication this week of the numerous 

 VV replies received in response to our request for experi- 

 ence and observation on the subject of deer-hunting. There 

 is no necessity of calling attention to the value of the data wo 

 are collecting' and setting forth here. The views are those of 

 experienced, well-informed observers. The particular points 

 of the inquiry are as follows : 



1st. What is the character of the country referred to? 



2d. What is the prevailing method of hunting flew V 



3d. Describe hounding deer, as practiced in the section referred 

 to. and its effects. DoeB itdrivedcor <., i( , m iln netnuT ;■ 



4th. Describe in like maimer still hunting and its effects. 



5th. What class of men lull the most deer ¥— market hunters or 



., ,,,-. ..;■ : ,„.. . t=meu?— residents or non-residents ? 



6th. Would resident sportsmen approve of a law prohibiting 

 hounding deer? Would the residents assist in enforcing it ? 



7th Would thev approve of a law permitting hounding, but pro- 

 hibiting the killing or capturing of the deer after it has been run 

 into the water ? Would such a Ian lie practicable ? 



fith. What is the open season for deer? 



9th. What are the winter habits of deer, so far aa you have per- 

 gonallv observed them. 



THE MUSKOKA COUNTRY. 



There aw many retidrrs of the Forbst and Stream that 

 have a fair knowledge of the Muskoka country either from 

 fishing or hunting excursions. This rugged north land ex- 

 tends from the outlet of Lake Simcoe on the south to the 

 shores of Lake Nipissing on the north, and from the shores 

 of the Georgian Bay on the west to the banks of the Ottawa 

 on the east. It is a country dotted with thousands of lakes 

 and drained with majestic" rivers, rolling hills of hardwood, 

 dark and sheltered rocky ridges timbered wilh pine and 

 hemlock, lonely and thickly timbered spruce and cedar 

 swamps— just the country for moose and deer. And so it is. 

 There are very few sportsmen in Ontario that have not spent 

 a good time in the Muskoka country deer hunting, and many 

 a Jolly American cousin from across the border has gone 

 home with a well stocked game bag, and a diary full of camp- 

 fire yarns to distribute around the fireside at home. 



Now, in a country like this where deer arc so numerous 

 there are several modes of hunting and killing them, such as 



hounding into lakes and killing Ihem in the water, still- 

 bunting, jack-hunting, and lastly, pot-hunting, The resi- 

 dent pot hunter is the; most destructive. He turns out in ihe 

 months of February and March. Armed wilh his hunting 

 axe, snow shoes and a cur, he proceeds to where the deer arc 

 yarded for the winter. He starts his cur out on the crust, 

 and so scatters the deer out of their runways into the deep 

 snow, and then the work of slaughter begins indiscriminately. 

 Fawn, does and lordly bucks succumb to the ruthless hand 

 of a brutal and merciless creature claiming to be a man. 



There is a great deal of hounding done, in this country 

 during the open season. I do not think that more than one 

 deer is killed out of every three that is watered. 



Then there is the jack-hunting, which is carried on by the 

 Indians, principally during the months of August and July. 

 Very few of the settlers in this region are experts at jack- 

 hunting. 



And now for the still-hunter that hunts for the market. 

 When the first flurry of snow covers the ground he is out, 

 and kills, before the season closes, ashtghasonclumdi^ d deer. 



We have a game law in Outario. It is a. farce and a dead 

 letter in many parts, and until the local legislature appoint 

 game keepers and pay them salaries for prosecuting offenders, 

 deer will be slaughtered by pot-hunters in all parts of the 

 district out of season. No matter how much we may differ 

 in opinion as to running with bounds or still-hunting let US 

 unite in condemning and crushing out jack-hunting and the 

 slaughtering of deer in winter. — D. F. M. 



Pai-ry Sound 



THE ALLEGHENY' M0IJNTAJMS. 



I have hunted deer every fall for eight years in the Alle- 

 gheny Mountains and ridges adjoining. "A greater part of 

 the time was in Fayette and Somerset counties. There is a 

 law prohibiting the running of deer with dogs iu Somerset. 

 The first year I hunted deer were plenty, but the second 

 year parties from Uniontown came in with dogs and got sev- 

 al deer and run the rest all out of tbat part of the county. 

 Nor have the deer returned since. Occasionally you will sec 

 the signs of deer, but they do not stay loug. 1 have shot 

 deer within one mile of Confluence, on the E. & O. R. R., 

 but they began to run them with dogs and the result was 

 that last winter there were but two or three deer within five 

 miles of where I hunted, and they were finally driven away. 

 These are facts that cannot be got over, as parties who live 

 there would tell you the same.— R. T. C. S. 



PENNSYLVANIA AND MICHIGAN. 



In the spring of 1837 I located at Olean, Cattaraugus 

 County, N. T., aDd there commenced my first, experience in 

 hunting deer. I had never seen a live wild deer, nor had I 

 any experience in rifle shootiDg. I bought one— such as 

 were used in those days — and commenced still-hunting deer 

 for sport. At that time dogs were seldom used for driving 

 deer, yet I think the first deer I shot (a splendid buck) was 

 driven into the Olean Creek by a hound. I remained at 

 Olean and in that vicinity for twenty years, and during tbat 

 time killed quite a number of deer." I have never killed 

 more than two in a day. six in a week and eleven in one sea- 

 son's hunting, going from home in the morning and return- 

 ing in the evening. 



In the spring of 1S57 I removed to Venango County, 

 Penu., and took up my residence on the Tionesta Creek, 

 twelve miles from the village of Tionesta and remained there 

 about twelve years engaged in the manufacture of lumber. 

 Now I began hunting deer with hounds and did so during 

 my stay there. The country was very favorable for hound- 

 ing, Ihe hills being high on either side of the stream. About 

 once a week during the fall we would have some person start 

 for the hills with the dogs, while others took stations on the 

 bank of the creek and waited for the music, which seldom 

 failed to begin soon after the dogs were let loose. To get a 

 deer was then the rule ; to fail, the exception. One morning 

 we got two fine bucks. About twenty or thirty minutes was 

 sufficient, to bring a buck to water if the morning was cold 

 and the ground frozen. We never used dogs when there was 

 snow. 



In 1869 I removed te Palo, Mich., and have hunted nearly 

 every season since. Our party is from four to six persons"; 

 timefrom three to five weeks, and the deer killed from five 

 to sixteen, and no dogs used. 



In reply to you questions : First, the country about Olean 

 and Tionesta are so similar that one description will do for 

 both. Generally hilly and heavily timbered with hemlock and 

 pine. In some sections there are hardwood, maple and 

 beech, with some chestnut. Where the pine has been cut 

 there is a great growth of blackberry briars, and on the Ti- 

 onesta there are large patches of laurel. Here Ihe country is 

 very level, and in many places where I have hunted 1 have 

 found extensive cedar swamps that are a nuisance to the 

 still-hunter. Montcalm County is heavily limbered escept 

 where the pine has been removed, and there the brush and 

 briars are a good cover for deer during the summer and fall. 

 Lake County has extensive plains with oak gratis and jack 

 pines. Some parts are well-timbered, plenty of lakes, with 

 some very respectable hills. 



Secondly, there are two or three methods of hunting in 

 Michigan, but which is the more prevalent is a question that 

 I am not prepared to answer. Those persons who are known 

 as "gentlemen sportsmen" usually hunt with dogs, and there 

 are others who are real sportsmen who prefer to still hunt. 

 As to th^se who are called "pot or market hunters" I have 

 no knowledge. 



Thirdly, those who houud deer usually locate their camp 

 near some lake and provide boats for capturing deer when 

 chased into the water. In putting out the dogs it is best to 

 have but one dog after the same deer, if the dog is all right. 

 You can have two races each day unless the deer leads off to 

 some lake far away. Whether hounding deer drives them out 

 of the country is an open question on which hunters differ 

 widely. Our Michigan sportsmen claim that it makes deer 

 wild, and thus protects them from the merciless "pot and 

 market hunters." 



Fourthly, still-hunting is generally practiced when there is 

 snow so that the deer may be tracked, and when the snow 

 is right for the purpose perhaps this is the most successful. 

 I have found deer hunted in this way. after being followed 

 all day come back on the same ground where I had started 

 tbem in the morning. 



Fifthly, it depends on the skill of the hunter if each pur- 

 sue the same method. Other things being equal those using 

 hounds will kill the most. Residents would have the ad- 

 vantage of knowing the country and Ihe roadways, which is 

 quite essential to successful hunting. 



Sixthly, I think a majority of the resident sportsmen 

 would approve of a law prohibiting hounding, and residents 

 would assist in its enforcement. 



Seventldy, such a law would be no proection to deer as 

 far as it relates to hounding. ■ If such a law could be enforced 



during the summer season when many deer are shot in the 

 water by floating for theiu nights it would be a benefit. 



Eigh'ly, froufSepteinbir 15 to December 1.1. 



Ninthly, it depends much upon the amount of snow and 

 the coldness of the weather as to their habits. In very cold 

 weather and deep snows they gather in the cedar swamps in 

 droves, and live principally "ou ground hemlock. They fre- 

 quently keep around the lumber camps, and feed upon the 

 moss and twigs from the fallen timber. In November I have 

 found deer on the plains in large numln is, and feeding on 

 the .roots of a certain kind of grass found there. As soon as 

 the weather gets cold they leave the plains for the limber. 

 Still Husthr. 

 the adirondack* aoatn. 



Of all the regions, it has been my pleasure to hunt deer in, 

 the Adirondacks, in my estimation, should be last to have 

 this discussion centred upon, nevertheless the majority of the 

 letters appearing in Forest and Strk«m as yet, concern that 

 region. Now, why do I say this section should be the last. ? 

 Simply this : It is impossible, except in a very modified de- 

 gree, to still-hunt at all iu the Adirondacks- still. hunting. 

 as I understand it, does not include "floating" or "crust 

 slaughter," but silently approaching an animal on land, 

 whether it he deer or bear it makes liif/e difference, unless it 

 is a grizzly, and then you want, to get out of the waj ■ 



I sincerely believe that of ail the va.s' multitude of deer 

 that are slaughtered every season, (that is iu I lie Adirondacks) 

 not ten are. killed by genuine still-huntiiit', it being next to 

 an impossibility to penetrate far into the wilderness," without 

 a guide going ahead and cutting Ihe way. I would say here 

 that not one gu'de out of twenty can guide a Sportsman 

 through the woods on foot, as they know only the YVftler 

 courses. To me it is preposti reus to hear the hue and cry 

 raised by some about the " terrible havoc" hounding is make 

 ing with de< r. The most glorious purls of a deer hunt to 

 me is the roar of the pack, the fluttering heart, the trembling 

 nerves, and wild anticipations and hopes that, the on-coming 

 deer may be one of those "old bucks" we hear so much 

 about, and see so little of. To me, the pressing of the trig- 

 ger, and slaughter is secondary, "floating" and " crusting" 

 by the guides in winter to procure meat to salt down, aud iu 

 order to break in young bounds are all the causes of the sad 

 decrease in the ranks of the deer in the Adirondacks. 



B. A. M. 



Onondaga Vallet, N. T. — May 14. — The prospect for. 

 ■woodcock is very promising. There have been no rains to 

 drown out the young long bills, and by this time they are 

 able to move. Two weeks ago as I was gathering moss and 

 litchens my setter pup came to a point. On examination it 

 turned out to be a woodcock setting— four eggs just hatching. 

 The ruffed grouse wintered well, and are now hatching. I 

 never knew so many grouse in our locality before. But very 

 few snipe killed this spring. White on the Indian lands a 

 few weeks ago I flushed a grouse will) the primaries pure 

 white, something I have never before seen. — Doo. 



Big Game vp a Trek — Fairland, Ind., June 27.— A dis- 

 patch from Seymour, Intl., in Ihe Indianapolis Sentinel a few 

 days since announced the shooting of one of its citizens out 

 of a mulberry tree by a gunner of that neighborhood who 

 mistook him for a squirrel. It was large game, but lie suc- 

 ceeded in bringing him to bag at IbB lirst shot with an ounce 

 of squirrel shot. Atthistime of the yearwheu Ihe hcrriesare 

 ripe a mulberry tree is a favorite resort for squirrels. Well, 

 we have another proof that the fools who carry guns are not. 

 all dead yet. We have the promise of good woodcock shoot- 

 ing when the season open. 



Shells BxrRSTrNCiTN Cold Weather. — Long Pkaihie, Minn. 

 — "Amateur," of Sauk Centre, wishes to know why his pa- 

 per shells burst in cold weather. The loading has nothing to 

 do with i', as the same kind of load will not split them in 

 warm weather. I have had the same kind of trouble, and 

 find that in cold weather a fire is kept in the house, and the 

 shells become dry and hard and slightly smaller, and when 

 put to the strain of a charge of powder will burst before 

 they expand to fill the chamber. The damp weather iu sum- 

 mer is inclined to swell paper shells, so in winter they shrink. 

 If "Amateur" will dampen his shells a very little, they will 

 not burst. A. 



Tennessee — Nashville, June 28. — Dove-shooting will be 

 commenced now in a few days. Already large numbers of 

 young ones have been shot in the wheat fields just harvested. 

 John Nicholson bagged twenty one afternoon and reports 

 them more plentiful" than ever he saw before. Squirrels are 

 also unusually abundant and afford excellent, sport, to crack 

 rifle shots. Col. Joseph Woodfolk amuses himself shotting 

 bull bats with a small Winchester. Jim Palmer and Her- 

 mann Burkholz have organized a grand dove hunt, to come 

 off next month. They propose going in a covert d wagon 

 aud follow up the game from field to field, camping out and 

 having a good time generally. —J. D. 1 1. 



A New Auburn Cxcn— Auburn, N. Y„ June S3.— At a 

 meeting of Auburn sportsmen last week (Tuesday) L" was de- 

 termined to try the experiment of a club and the following 

 officers were elected : President, Chas. E. Thorne ; Vice- 

 President, Clarence B. Thornton; Secrclarv, Geo. R. Peck. 

 Treasurer, Chas. A. Bannister; Executive Committee, John 

 B. Harlow, Chas. W. Tuttle, Harvey N ttpwlaudt Practice 

 shoots are freouent and regular, the interest is lively and the 

 future bright. " The club has an excellent list of names for 

 members and it hopes before long to have quarters of its own 

 and a membership in the State. Association. Long life to it 1 

 — G. R. P. 



Pennsylvania. — Many woodcock have bred in Monroe 

 Count}', Penn. In the neighborhood of Kresge.ville, about 

 ten miles from Weissport, on the Lehigh, Peun., I tiesi 

 morning, tkey have hatched in quantities. At K resgevijle no 

 one shoots at all, save the Dutchman, with his smooth-horn 

 rifle : consequently the. birds will he unmolested until autumn 

 unless a city sportsman gets there. —Homo. 



New Hampbhibe— Nashua.— Think that we may have 

 more grouse this Tall than for many years past, as i 

 are full of young birds. We have no summer shooting, so 

 the birds will have a chance for their lives until they are 

 strong enough to take care of themselves. The season has 

 been favorable for woodcock and they arc reported to be 

 plenty.— Webb. 



Maine Resorts— New Sharon, Maine.— I saw in Ihe issue 

 of May 86 that T. and J. wanted to go fishing here in Maine. 



