46 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



•while the islands, peninsulas and shell hammocks, which 

 divide, intersect, and form their boundaries, are alive with 

 game of all kinds, and furnish the hunter a most delightful 

 field in which to gratify his love of sport. All aloug our 

 water courses bear, deer, and turkeys are quite numerous, 

 and can easily be killed still-hunting, fire-hunting at night, 

 or by driving with dogs. Uncle Buck excelled as a "still" 

 and "fire" hunter, and although the most skillful and suc- 

 cessful hunter of his duy, never exposed his game for sale on 

 market centers. He would carry it on his back from door 

 to door until disposed of, and then he would seek the 

 nearest shop or store, purchase his supplies of whiskey, to- 

 bacco, ammunition, &c, and then off to the woods again 

 like the wind, without saying good bye to anyone. He 

 never sought new acquaintances nor cultivated intimate 

 friendships, but lived almost entirely to himself. His 

 greatest pleasure and happiness was found in the solitude 

 of the wild woods or his lonely cabin, and if any man ever 

 lived aud died in close communion with nature, unadorned 

 by the arts and sciences of civilization, he certainly was 

 that man. He was truly an eccentric man. Reticent and 

 morose by nature, yet he had his lively moods, and at such 

 times would relate a deer hunt or bear chase iu a manner 

 that would thrill and interest the most daring aud exper- 

 enced hunter among your readers. He .was never known to 

 have but one intimate friend and companion, an old 

 Frenchman, who for many long years shared with him the 

 hospitalities of his cabin. This old Frenchman was sup- 

 posed to have belonged to the tribe of buccaneers who in- 

 fested this coast many years ago and whose favorite ren- 

 dezvous waB in Perdido Bay. He spent most of his time 

 fishing and hunting, confining his operations exclusively 

 to the Lagoon. Why these two strange men should select 

 this Lagoon for a home and base of operations, can be 

 easily understood when we take into consideration the fact 

 that, iu addition to its many other attractions, it furnishes 

 good shooting for nine months in the year, aud good 

 fishing all the year round. Tim beautiful sheet 

 of water is ten miles long and from one to two 

 miles wide, lies parallel with the Gulf, east and west, 

 and has its mouth or outlet near the entrance to the harbor. 

 It is divided from the Gulf by a narrow strip of land, run- 

 ning from For* MacRae to Perdido Bay. Its supply of 

 fi3h, crabs and scollops, is inexhaustible. It supplies the 

 towns of Woolaey, Warrington, and the Navy- Yard, and 

 often supports huudreds of common laborers and their 

 families when sot employed in the Yard. Redflsh, red 

 and black snapper, speckled trout aud flounders can he 

 taken with hook aud line at all seasons of the year, and 

 in the fail and winter seasons, it literally swarms with 

 great schools of roe mullet which are easily taken with 

 cast nets. "Jacking" at night, is a favorite sport with 

 many fishermen here, and a boat's load of sheepshead and 

 other choice fish can be taken in this way by au expert in 

 a very short time. This Lagoon also furnishes fine duck 

 shooting all the year. The summer or wood duck remains 

 here the entire year, and in the fall and winter it is visited 

 by great numbers of mallard or English duck, red-heads, 

 blackwing leal, wood duck, large crested, widgeon or bald 

 nead, bull heads, sawbill, black duck, gadwad, and the wild 

 goose and swan. Li the spring we have the sprig-tail or 

 pin-tail, spoon bill or shoveler and the blackwing teal. The 

 latter come in great clouds and linger here until late in 

 May. They usually feed iu shallow water aloug the shore, 

 aud are often fouud in great numbers on the beach, which 

 affords the stealthy and rapacious gunner a capital chance 

 to slaughter them by the wholesale. 1 have seen as many 

 as forty killed on the beach by a single discharge from an 

 old smooth-bored musket heavily charged with No. 5 shot. 

 This is the favorite spring duck here and is much sought 

 after by the hotel and saloon keepers, and is also highly 

 prized by Navy and Aimy officers. Besides the fish and 

 game attractions there is a beautiful boiling spring of pure 

 fresh water gushing out at the foot of Red Bluff, ou this 

 Lagoon, fifty feet below the top of the hill. The waier 

 from this spring is delightfully cool, and is as clear and 

 transparent as a crystal, aud will sweat a glas3 in July or 

 August iu a very lew seconds. This bluff is one of the 

 best locations in Florida for either a winter or summer re- 

 sort. It cau be reached by sail in two hours from Pensa- 

 cola and in one hour from the Navy- Yard. There is also 

 a good land route leading to it from Pensaeola and the 

 Navy- Yard. It is so situated as to command a fine view 

 of the entire Lagoon, the entrance to the harbor of Pensa- 

 eola and furnishes a spleudid view of the Gulf as far as 

 the eye can reach. Iu the summer season it is fanned by 

 every breeze from the east, south and west, and in the 

 winter it iB completely sheltered and protected from the 

 cold winds by high hills, dense hammocks and pine forests 

 on the north. Of all the favored spots in Florida this 

 Bluff would be my choice of either a winter or summer 

 hotel. \Vithin sight of the Bluff are three beautiful fresh 

 ■water lakes, filled with trout or black bass, bream, large 

 red-breasted fellows, and speckled perch, a very hue flsh, 

 meat fine grained and very white and weighs from half to 

 two pounds. Right here is a big fortune aud a delightful 

 home for auy euterprising gentleman with means wliu be- 

 lieves in printer's ink and who desires to embark in the 

 hotel and limber business or the manufacture of turpentine, 

 pitch, rosin, tar or other naval stores. 



Like every one else who has visited Red Bluff, on the 

 Grand Lagoon, i am so charmed aud carried away with 

 its many attractions aud surroundings that I become oblivi- 

 ous to everything else when thinking of it, aud you will 

 pardon me for having dropped uucie Buck so ofteu in the 

 tourse of my rambUuga, If you will excuse my many 



digressions I will resume and give you what remains to be 

 told of uncle Buck, for whose traditional history I am in- 

 debted to an old Spanish citizen here whose, father knew 

 the great, hunter well. At the ripe old age of 03, nearly a 

 century ago, uncle Buck was suddenly stricken with paraly- 

 sis, and oil a bright spring morning, when the birds were 

 all ;out singing joyfully, laid down on his cot to die. 

 On the second day of his illness, the great woodsman closed 

 his eyes to Red Bluff aud its beautiful sunouudings forever, 

 and gave up the spot where he had lived so long and which 

 he loved so well. His great spirit released, took its flight 

 to the far off hunting grounds, where his remains were 

 taken by his old friend and companion to Santa Rosa 

 Island and buried near the beach, at the foot of a tall, 

 majestic pine which still stands towering high in the air, a 

 fitting aud enduring monument to the great hunter who 

 sleeps at its base, and where the wild and restless waves 

 of old ocean, whose roar often lulled him into repose while 

 living, still wash the beautiful white sands at his feet, and 

 unceasingly murmurs a sad aud melancholy requiem to 

 his memory. AV. W. M. 



Peiisaevki JS T avij Turd, 1877. 



■ ♦»♦■ 



Far Forest and Stream. 



LOUISIANA DUCK HUNTING. 



PERHAPS no other State in the Union, and certainly 

 no State in the eastern part of it, affords as good and 

 varied shooting as Louisiana. One can find deer within 

 twenty-five miles of New Orleans, wild turkey, woodcock, 

 rail (Sum), snipe, curlew, rabbit, besides every variety of 

 water fowl. The sportsman here, though, wheu he desires 

 to go for a short stay will -generally confine himself to 

 ducks, and wind and weather being favorable, after an 

 absence of twenty-four hours, a good hunter may return 

 with fifty or even seventy-five. 



The hunting resorts are numerous inasmuch as the State 

 is cut up by many passes and innumerable bayous. By the 

 first of November, or a little later, ducks come in abund- 

 ance, and then the old Creoles, unable to resist the smell 

 and sight of game, clean their guns, practice their dogs 

 and make ready for their favorite pastime la cliasse. 

 Aud here let me introduce as a parenthetical clause the 

 fact that if you start to go hunting with a Creole make up 

 your mind first that he is a better shot than you are or you 

 wilt lcatn the fact very soon. The Louisiana Creoles are 

 with but very few exceptions elegant shots. They are all 

 taught the use of a gun wheu boys, and learn to handle 

 oue with grace and skill. Our observation is that the aver- 

 age shot here in Louisiana surpasses the average shot of 

 the Eastern States. 



But to revert to our heading we will endeavor to give an 

 account of a duck hunt and its attending circumstances. 

 Bear in mind the fact that Sunday is the hunting day here, 

 it being a Roman Cathoiic community aud not inconsistent 

 with their belief to seek pleasure on the Sabbath. 



My friend and I agreed to try our luck and finally de- 

 termined to go to the Chef Menteur (chief liar). The Chef 

 Mcnteur is a stream of salt water running from Lake 

 Borgne to Lake Ponchatrain through the eastern strip of 

 the Parish of Orleans. Its width is about 185 feet, and on 

 its banks grow a quantity of reeds about four or five feet 

 high; no elevation of soil, nothing but the same low prai- 

 rie land for miles and miles. But one tree flourishes, 

 namely, the genuine live oak. The Mobile Railroad is 

 built through all this low land, the rails being laid on a 

 continuous frame work. We left New Orleans Saturday 

 evening at five o'clock and found ourselves iu the midst of 

 at least one hundred and fifty other hunters. In ten min- 

 utes after the car started we merged into the awful swamp 

 lands of Louisiana. Stagnant water full of old logs aud 

 dead grass, interspersed here and there by a splendid me 

 laden with silver grey moss which waved gently in the 

 twilight, was all we saw to criticise. For sixty-five min- 

 utes the monotony was unrelieved, but now we felt the 

 train slacken its pace preparatory to crossing the stream. 

 This is the "Chef," said my friend, and in a moment we 

 saw the blue water and heard the familiar sound of a train 

 crossing a bridge. Immediately upon our arrival on the 

 opposite; side we jumped off with perhaps forty others. 

 We crossed a bayou tweuty-five feet wide running parallel 

 with the railroad track, and were confronted by a house 

 designated by a large aud gaudily-paiuted sign "Banditti 

 Cave." We entered aud met the proprietor, "Nick" by 

 name. Nick is indeed a fit man to be proprietor of a 

 hotel with such a name. He is a very tall man, broad- 

 shouldered, with high cheek bones and sinister expression; 

 a miserable, surly brute who seems not to know that he is 

 dependent upon gentlemen for his living. Nick is an 

 American, but speaks English, French and Spanish as the 

 necessity may be. No one knows his surname nor his 

 history. He is a free man, unbouud by laws, cares for no 

 one, aud is apparently content to live the life he does. 

 Maybe Nick is more fortunate than we are who are subject 

 to troubles— per chance Nick is less to be pitied! 



We secured from him a berth for the night, and after 

 laying aside our trappings went out to take a survey. 

 "Banditti Cave" is fronting the railroad aud the bayou 

 mentioned, while on its right and at right angles to the 

 bayou is the "Chef," and into which said bayou empties. 

 Nick's hotel— if it can be called a hotel— is built ou posts 

 eight feet above the swamp, is a two-story wl 

 house, in size about 30x20 feet. We made the acquaint- 

 ance of our fellow sportsmen aud conversed until 11 o'clock 

 at night. The air waa bracing, so we fouud the fire in 

 NiclJs house very comfortable. We talked of dogs aud 

 guns. Naturally the Creoles tiro partial to a French gun, 



and it was finally decided that a breech loader, with bar- 

 rels made by Bernard, at St. Etierine, France, is the best 

 in use. I disagreed with the gentlemen and maintained 

 that the Purdy gun of England is the best. I am still of 

 that opinion. 



We made our decoys ready and weut to bed. Soon all 

 were asleep except myself. " Nick had left ?. lantern burn- 

 ing dimly, and several times I sat up and looked around at 

 the picture. Four dogs were lying clown before the stove, 

 and in the various corners of the room were game bags, 

 fishing rods, guns, etc., etc. Nothing but huuting utensils. 

 Soliloquizing may be pleasant, but with a heavy snorer 

 above me and a very emphatic breather on my right, I 

 seemed io forget the characteristic picture presented me, 

 and before I knew where I was I joined the chorus, and 

 snored. 



My companion started suddenly and called me. I awoke 

 aud asked what time it was. Nick hearing voices rolled 

 out of his berth in a semi-torpid condition, and by the 

 lantern opened an enormous brass watch to find it was half 

 past two. Up we got and made ready. Nick in the mean- 

 while started afire and cooked breakfast. 



It was really cold out. W r e got our pirogues ready, and 

 two colored men were on hand to paddle us. A pirogue is 

 simply a little dugout capable of holdiug ouly two, and 

 like a canoe very easily overturned. We put the decoys 

 in the pirogues, which were hauled up on the shore, and 

 laid our guns down. We then took our breakfast at 3 

 o'clock in the morning. The board at "Banditti Cave" 

 did not groan under the weight of good things, hut it held 

 for us a substantial breakfast of coffee, ducks aud eggs. 



Oar pirogues were shoved off, and by the aid of a lantern 

 we saw where to step. "Ik: careful, now," said my man, 

 "or the piiogue will upset." "All light uow?" said I, as I 

 stepped in and took my Feat. "Are you ready Joer" I 

 shouted to my friend, "lam," said he, and we paddled 

 down the "Chef" iu darkness. We passed beneath the 

 bridge, rounded a bend, and soon the memory of Nick, 

 "Banditti Cave" and their paraphernalia was superseded 

 by an uncommon anxiety to keep warm and shoot duuks. 

 Our paddlers kept, their pirogues near to oue another, aud 

 silently we moved ou, nothing making the slightest sound 

 save the splash of the water as our paddles went in. 



After having proceeded tor a distance of two miles or 

 more we came to a bayou and turned in. It was hardly 

 wide enough for two, so my companion and Mb man shot 

 ahead and led the way. The hour was about quarter of 

 four, aud we still had four miles to go. Ou we went, 

 anon a duck (lying up right in front, but too dark to shoot. 

 Now we came to a junction of two bayous again, und we 

 determined to separate, and did so. Soon weheardauo.se 

 in the distance and knew we were drawing uear to the 

 lagoon. A few more curves and by quarter to live we en- 

 tered a "Louisiana duck's nest." The lagoon -was fully 

 thirty feet iu diameter, aud circular or nearly so. 



We placed our decoys in the centre and paddled across 

 to the further side. We then drew up the pirogue, and 

 drew over it and us all the^veeds we could. By 5 o'clock 

 we were scaled down in the pirogue awaiting daylight and 

 ducks. It was exceedingly cold, but the hope of good 

 sport was quite sufficient to make us willing to endure it. 



Quauk! uuauk! quauk! a short pause, then quauk! and 

 the Happing of hundreds or wings. We expected 

 flock rise, but were disappointed, as the turds evidently 

 were disinclined to move. It was very dark— so dark thaL 

 we could not see our decoys even. However, iu a few 

 minutes the stars seemed to dim and we heard the ducks, 

 but saw none. Finally I turned to my paddler aud re- 

 marked that as yet not a duck had eulered the lagoon. 

 "Just- you bold on," said he, aud I did. Almost immedi- 

 ately two large l'reuch ducks sailed over the lagoon aud 

 lit near to 'he decoys. 1 stood up, but for the life of me 

 could not distinguish them as the shadow i 

 posite fell over them and darkened I hem greatly. I was ut- 

 terly disgusted. They remained for ten minutes, wheu 

 with the inevitable quauk they rose with a whiz, and as 

 they did so ihe report of my Reillygun broke, the silence 

 of the morning air and opened the day's sport by killing as 

 tinea duck as is eaten, 



1 quickly withdrew the old cartridge and was pulling a 

 fresh oue iu when Victor, my paddler, ejaculated Ihe words 

 stoop quick! I stooped and saw coming a magnificent 

 flock. They seemed to halt, though, in the distance, aud 

 then veered to one side and easily escaped our gun shot. 



The light was uow bright enough to enable us to see 

 tolerable well, but the hunting was not promising as the 

 ducks remained iu the prairie owing to the moderation of 

 the weather. Indeed', when the sun rose the air became 

 very much warmer, and the biuls flew in twos or threes 

 aud seemingly avoided us then. We observed two coming 

 and were ready for them, hut suddenly oue fell and the re- 

 port of a guu was simultaneously heard. We knew that 

 my companion was near so we shouted to hitu: Hallo! 

 cried a voiee we recognized. "Any luck over there''" 

 cried Victor. "One shot aud one duck," was the pointed 

 answer. Wc remained for a while and killed a lew, but 

 the birds flew so poorly 1 determined to move. "Move on 

 to Lagoon Catherine," I shouted at the top of D 

 "Go on and we will follow." We launched our 

 picked up the decoys aud Ihe ducks killed, aud mi 

 towards the famous Lugoon Catherine. The suu was now 

 well up and enabled me to see what the place looked like 

 by daylight. We were gping through a bayou ten feet 

 Wide, and surrounded on either side by prairies. As we 

 would round u slight bend a couple of ducks would ns« 

 and we m- DOW. By seven o'clock we pud- 



