Game Protection, Fish Culture, Natural Histoby, Preservation of Forests, Rifle Practice, Yachting, Boating, 



tu?c Kennel, and Sports of all Kinds. 



NEW YORK, THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 1877. 



For Forest and Stream. 

 'BIDE A WEE." 



THE sun is coming north once more, 

 The wintry days are almost over. 

 Spring shyly loiters at the door. 

 With. Bmiles and tears, as aye of yore; 

 And breath of buds, and clover. 



Slowly the snow-drifts molt away ; 



And prison'd streams will soon be singing; 

 Tli on balmy airs will kiss tho day. 

 And bees will hum o'er meadows gay. 



While birds are homeward winging. 



Then shall tho forest put aside 



The sober hues,of days long cheerless; 

 Dew-crested flowrcts, far and wide, 

 Will gleam with jeirrta tor the bride, 

 " Who comes in beauty peerless. 



Her smiles bring dimples to the lake. 

 And grave old hemlocks nod a greeting. 



The timid deer, their haunte forsake. 



And through the dells, their run-ways make, 

 Where crystal brooks are meeting. 



Now tempted by the wooing sun, 



The lusty trout again are roaming. 

 The angler's trysting time begun, 

 When round the camp fires, one by one. 

 Friends gather in the gloaming. 



For Forest and Stream. 



l U Jfifft ^ulUcfffaose. 



THE appearance of the Forest and Stbeam, in its attrac- 

 tive; new dress, exhibiting antlered head of the grand- 

 est member of the deer tribe, in the midst of various scenes 

 characteristic of the pursuits in flood and field that carry joy 

 to the sjsortsinans heart, brings to my recollection the occasion 

 when I first met and conquered the full-grown, lordly bull- 

 moose in his northern home. 



The methods of approaching this great deer vary according 

 to the season of the year, or the particular locality in which 

 it may be at the moment. Floating at night when the moon 

 is shining is practised during the summer. Hunters state 

 that it is not safe to carry a jack, as a wounded moose will 

 attack a boat if it bears a light. In the autumn the bulls are 

 called to the place where the rifleman has taken his position, 

 by imitating the peculiar cry of the cow, with a horn made 

 of birch-bark ; or else still-hunted by following their tracks 

 in the soft ground and amid the swamps, or on the light 

 snow. And in mid-winter they are sought for in their yards, 

 where they are helpless either to defend themselves or to 

 escape, as the snow being deep with a thick crust the heavy 

 animal breaks through with its sharp hoofs and is soon over- 

 taken by the hunter on his snow-shoes. The first and last of 

 these methods, it seems tome, should not require any lengthy 

 appeal (in these days when our large game is being improved 

 so rapidly from off the face of the earth), to persuade all 

 worthy of the name of sportsman to renounce entirely — nay 

 more, to give their earnest assistance in having laws passed 

 to prevent every one from killing any species of deer at such 

 seasons, and then seeing to it that the laics are enforced. 



Before proceeding with my narrative, let me in a few words 

 show why these two methods are thoroughly unworthy of the 

 sportsman, if indeed there may be any such to whom the 

 reasons are not already sufficiently apparent. During the 

 summer when floating is practicable, it is chiefly the cow or 

 doe (as the species may belong either to Alces or Oervus) 

 that come down to the water, and then they are either with 

 young or else the calves or fawns are hidden away in the 

 woods to await the mother's return. Should she perish at the 

 water's side, the unborn young perish with her, or else those 

 left in the forests must slowly starve to death as they are 

 generally not old enough tt> take care of themselves, and in 

 this manner, the species becomes rapidly exterminated. If, 

 on the other hand, it is a bull or buck that is shot, it will 

 usually be a young one, lean in flesh, with the horns in the 

 velvet, and so the much desired trophy cannot be preserved 

 with any satisfactory results. I contend that none of the 

 above facts can bring any pleasant recollections to the mind 



of a true sportsman. I remember once going in th 



part of September to a chain of lakes in the Adirondack just 

 north of Racquette Lake, and that ottr party were unable to 

 pitch their camp in several places determined upon, on ac- 

 count of the stench that arose along the shore from the putrid 

 isarcaas.es of the deer lying ail about. During the month of 

 August, there had been encamped around the lake, a number 

 of sportsmen ! ! — heaven save the mark !— and they had 

 slaughtered the deer, chiefly does, as we could see from the 

 skulls, to such an extent that the place was full of their car- 



casses, and the pure air of the wilderness had become more 

 like that of the charnel-house. No, my fellow-sportsman, ye 

 who are worthy of the title, and delight in tho exhilarating 

 pleasures of the chase, regarding the beasts of the field and 

 fowls of the air as among those good gifts to man to be used 

 and not abused, help with all your might to do away with 

 deer-hunting during the summer-time, so that all such use- 

 less slaughter may be effectually prevented, and that it may. 

 together with wood-cock shooting at the same season of the 

 year, soon be among the things that were. For the last me- 

 thod, slaughtering the helpless moose in the yards or in the 

 deep snows, I do not believe words of mine are necessary to 

 cause every one, who is not a savage, to condemn and ex- 

 ecrate any person who could be guilty of that kind of mur- 

 der. But yet it is a sad truth, that killing these splendid 

 animals in this way has been the main cause of their com- 

 plete extermination in many localities, and of their rapidly 

 becoming scarce in others. The Canadian authorities did 

 well to prevent all persons from killing moose in Nova Scotia 

 for a certain number of years, for they were fast disappearing 

 from their haunts in that Province, but the Government 

 would do still better if, now the end of the close time is ap- 

 proaching, they would extend it for another similar period, 

 for it takes a moose several years to arrive at its prime, and 

 there must be a disproportionate number of young animals 

 among those now roaming over the northern pasture grounds. 

 But having made a wider digression than I intended, let me 

 come back to the narrative I started to relate, though I can- 

 not feel that many apologies aTe needed, for I am happy to 

 see that the preservation of our game of fur, fin, and feather 

 is attracting the earnest attention of the best among us all 

 over our land. 



It was, then, toward the latter part of September, 18 — , that 

 three of us, with an equal number of guides, were encamped 

 upon a swift running stream in the central part of Nova 

 Scotia. Such a country as it was to hunt over, and probably 

 is to-day, I never before had seen. The woods were few, and 

 chiefly in and around swamps, where you sank all the way 

 from your ankle- to your waist, as you were heavy or light. 

 The remainder of the country was, I believe, called "barrens," 

 and barren it certainly was of any upright trees, but to make 

 up for this there were plenty of them lying down and over 

 each other in all manner of perplexing positions, while be- 

 neath their interlaced branches and recumbent trunks the 

 granite rocks lay at all imaginable angles, chiefly with the 

 sharp side up. It was quite a relief to arrive at any place 

 freed of tree trunks and be able to walk over the rocks only, 

 the sensation experienced being similar to that one would 

 feel on leaving a corderoy road for a wooden pavement. It 

 was over and through such grounds as this we were to hunt 

 the moose, and it was to be chiefly by tracking them, for but 

 little calling had been resorted to as yet, it being deemed 

 rather early in the fall to render that method successful. Be 

 sure, my reader, it was no work for any one not jiossessed of 

 plenty of muscle and endurance, to follow the Moose in such 

 a country. We had to stride over the prostrate limbs, lying 

 frequently two or more feet above the rocks below, balancing 

 ourselves upon the sharp point of some upturned stone, or 

 on the sha kin g branch of a tottering trunk, all the while 

 fearful lest some limb might crack beneath us, and warn the 

 wary deer of our proximity. By the time we reached our 

 camp in the evening after a day's tramp, we would be quite 

 content to lie down and drop the rifle, which, on starting 

 out in the morning, had seemed no heavier than a walking- 

 stick, but which, on our return, weighed a ton or more. I had 

 been out several days, and although I had been fortunate to 

 see quite a number of moose, they had been equally lucky to 

 see me, and I had not succeeded in getting a shot. One cari- 

 bou had fallen to the rifle of a member of the party, and we 

 had been living upon its flesh, and I would say in passing, 

 more tender venison I never tasted. Bear were very plenti- 

 ful all about us, several had been seen, and a very large one 

 killed by one of the guides. Indeed so numerous were they 

 that it was not deemed prudent to go any distance from camp 

 at night. At length the day arrived when 1 was to bring 

 down my first (full-grown) bull-moose. In company with 

 my guide I left camp as soon as it was light enough to enable 

 us ti) pick our way over the difficult ground. 



For a long time we struggled on over the rocks and fallen 

 timber, until at length, upon a marshy place neur un exten- 

 sive thicket, we came to some fresh 'tracks plainly risible. 

 Evidently a bull and cow had but lately passed along, and 

 my guide thought they might possibly be then lying down 

 among the bushes near by. Carefully getting the wind to 

 blow in our faces, we advanced into the swamp. I soon lost 

 sight of my guide, and was slowly making my way as noise- 

 lessly as I could, when suddenly, close by me, a fine cow 

 sprang to her feet and. started off on a sharp trot, I could 



easily have shot her down, as she was not over twenty feet 

 from me, but I restrained myself and let her go free. I have 

 a certain satisfaction now, my brother sportsman, when I re- 

 call the fact, that I let that cow go away unshot at, for, as any 

 one knows who has hunted moose, the temptation to snoot at 

 one when near by is very great, and it is not easy to hold 

 one's hand. Perhaps I may have regretted my forbearance a 

 few moments afterward, when we came to the place and saw 

 by the tracks that the bull had also gone off in a trot, proba- 

 bly having been startled by the noise made by the cow. 

 However, it was still early in the day, and we were compara- 

 tively fresh, and after listening a few moments to the sounds 

 made by the frightened animals as they forced their way 

 through the bushes, we took up another line of march. We 

 had not gone far before we came upon some more tracks, this 

 time made by a single bull, and evidently one of large size. 

 He had gone by but a very short time before, walking quietly 

 along, and occasionally had nibbled away the ends of the 

 bushes near his path. We wer eon the " qui vive " at once, 

 and giving my guide the lead I followed, stepping carefully 

 in his footsteps. The signs kept growing fresher announcing 

 the close proximity of our game, and I fairly held my breath, 

 lest he might heal' us and be off. At length the tracks led 

 away in the direction of a small woods lying beyond two hills, 

 and my guide said we should find him there. But as it was 

 necessary we should approach him against the wind, we were 

 obliged to skirt the base of one hill, and then pass over' the 

 other. As we drew near the foot of the first hill, a bear 

 suddenly jumped up and w r ent away at a great pace directly 

 over the hill we were going to, making a tremendous noise as 

 he tore over the trees and through the bushes. I threw my 

 rifle to my shoulder to give him a shot, when I was prevented 

 by the guide placing his hand on my arm, and whispering, 

 "Don't shoot, we'll lose the bull if you do." 



With great care we gradually drew near to the top of the de- 

 sired hill, stooping lower and lower as we approached the crest, 

 until at last we were fairly on our hands and knees. Some 

 trees were lying on the top, which helped to conceal us, and 

 on looking through their branches, with a beating heart, I 

 sqv our desired quarry standing at a distance of from one 

 hundred to one hundred and fifty yards. He was exactly 

 facing us, placed between two trees, which protected his sides, 

 leaving only his chest and head in view, his horns projecting 

 beyond the trunks of the two trees, He had evidently been 

 startled by the noise made by the bear in his rush over the 

 hill, and was straining all his power's to ascertain the cause of 

 bruin's fright. But as the wind blew toward us, he had not 

 smelt us, and we had been careful to keep out of sight. It 

 seemed to me a long distance to shoot, and so little of the 

 animal was visible I feared a miss. So turning to my guide, 

 who was lying flat on the ground behind me, I asked, "Can't 

 we get a little nearer ? I fear at the best I can only wound him 

 as he now stands." "No," he replied, "he'll see us ii we 

 move another foot, for there is not a bit of cover between us 

 after we leave this place, so just squint your prettiest and let 

 him have it." So admonished, I raised my rifle, and aiming as 

 near as I could judge for his heart, I pulled the trigger. I saw 

 the great deer flinch as the bullet struck him-, but he did not 

 change his position. " You've hit 'im " said my guide, "give 

 'im another bullet quick." I obeyed, sending it as near as I 

 could to the place its predecessor had reached. At this tho 

 moose turned slowly around, exposing his flanks, when I fired 

 another ball at his shoulder. It did not seem to affect him, 

 but he began to move away in the most extraordinary man- 

 ner, lifting his legs high in the air and then placing them as 

 far apart as possible as though he was bracing himself from 

 falling. " He's hard hit," soliloquised my guide; " he won't 

 go far," and hardly had the words been uttered when with a 

 crash the bull fell over on his side. I sprang to my feet and 

 rushed down the hill toward him, unmindful of everything 

 save that I had shot a moose, when the guide called out, "be 

 careful, he may get up yet, and a wounded bull is-an ugly 

 customer, keep clear of him." Thus warned, I got behind a 

 tree and looked at him, but he did not move, so by gradual 

 approaches I came up to where he was lying. He was just 

 giving his last gasp, a slow movement of the huge ears being 

 the only sign that there was any life in him, and soon this 

 ceased. He looked enormous as he lay there, and I climbed 

 up on to his side, and sat enthroned. He was a very large 

 animal, and I regret that I have not the measurements — which 

 I took very carefully of his height at shoulder, girth, etc. — by 

 me to record here. The horns were of fair sh-.e, not so large 

 as many I have seen, but still of very resp< stable spread, and 

 the palmation a good width. On opening him we found my 

 ball, probably the first one, bad entered the breast low down 

 and penetrated the lower portion of the heart, and tin n 

 two had lodged close by. After skinning him we started for 

 camp, and sent out all our force to bring in the meat, My 



