178 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



SECOND DIVISION PRIZE. — COMPETITION TV. 



Won by the Twenty-third Regiinent Team. 



At 200 

 yarde. 



Capt. C. J. Sands 12 3 2 2 



Sgt. J. H. Frothingham 2 3 2 2 3 



At 500 



Sgt. A. Bunce. 



Pvt. J. M. Mien 



Pvt. J. H. Sterns.... 



Pvt. J. Hull 



Pvt. S. J. Kellog, Jr. 



J no Dmmmond 



J. A. Atvvater 



D. N. Carrington 



E. B. Ecker 



R. B. Mallay 



2 2 2 2 2 



2 3 2 2 2 



3 2 2 3 3 

 2 



2 2 4 2 



3 3 3 3 

 3 2 3 3 

 2 2 2 2 



2 4 3 2 2 



3 2 2 3 4 



Total 



yards. 



Total. 



9 



3 



3 



12 



23040 



9 



10 



3 4 2 4 



13 



11 



2 2 



4 



13 

 2 

 10 



0002 



2 



2 4 2 



8 



12 







11 



2 2 



4 



8 



2 



2 



13 



3 



3 



14 



3 2 



5 



125 



53 



Grand 

 Total. 



12 



21 



23 



15 



15 

 2 



18 



12 



15 



10 



16 



19 



178 



ARMY AND NAVY JOURNAL PRIZE. — COMPETITION V. 



Lieut. Horsfall . . . 

 Lieut. Dunning. . 

 Sgt. Maj. Roux.. 

 Dr. Maj. Strube.. 



Sgt. Murphy 



Sgt, Magner 



Sgt. Freeman 



Pvt. Backer 



Pvt. Lockwood. . , 



Pvt. Barry 



Pvt. Cocks 



Pvt. Carmichael. 



At 500 yards. 



022023 2 



00244 3 4 



3 2 4 3 3 3 



4 4 4 3 4 4 



00 4 2203 



3 4 4 3 4 3 



220334 3 



3 4 3 2 3 4 2 



343232 4 



030300 



3 3 3 2 4 3 3 



3 4 4 4433 



Ann, Remington. 



STATE PRIZE. — COMPETITION VII. 



Won by the Twenty-second Regiment Team. 



At 500 



yards. 



4 2 2 2 



At 200 

 yards. 

 Lieut. Horsfall 24233 



Lieut. Dunning. 

 Sgt. Major Roux. 

 Dr. Maj'. Strube.. 



Sgt. Murphy 



Sgt Magner 



Sgt. Freeman 



Pvt. Backer 



Pvt. Lockwood... 



PAt. Barry 



Pvt. Cocks 



Pvt. Carmichael.. 



2 2 2 3 2 



3 2 3 2 2 

 3 2 2 4 3 

 3 2 3 2 3 

 3 3 3 2 3 

 3 2 2 4 Oj 

 2 4 4 3 3 



2 3 2 2 3 



3 3 2 2 3 

 3 2 2 

 2 4 4 4 3 



Total. 

 14 

 11 

 13 

 14 

 13 

 14 

 11 

 16 

 12 

 13 

 7 

 17 



4 



3 4 3 

 2 3 4 2 3 



2 



4 2 3 3 4 



3 2 4 3 



4 2 4 3 2 



2 3 3 3 4 

 4 3 3 3 



3 4 4 3 



Total. 

 10 



4 

 10 

 14 



2 



16 

 12 

 15 

 15 

 13 



14 



Total. 

 11 

 17 

 18 

 23 

 11 

 21 

 17 

 21 

 21 

 6 

 21 

 24 



211 



Grand 

 Total. 



24 



15 



23 



28 



15 



30 



23 



31 



27 



26 

 7 



31 



155 -J25 280 



Arm, Remingson. 



GATLIN MATCH. — COMPETITION VII. 



Won by the Seventy-ninth Regiment. 



Capt. Jos. Ross. 



W. C.Clark 



Pvt. J. Moore... 



Pvt. Duke 



Pvt. Pyle 



Pvt. Stepheson . 

 Pvt. Roulsta 

 Robertson.... .. 



Edington 



Pvt. Cameron... 

 Pvt. Molloy... . 

 Keeler 



At 500 yards. 

 ..4433433 

 . . 2 3 2 3 4 2 3 

 ..2423003 

 ..4034423 

 ..0203032 

 ..3332424 

 ..4342040 

 ..2222232 

 ..0303330 

 ..2232304 

 ..0220220 

 ..4344332 



Arm, Remington. 



Total. 

 24 

 19 

 14 

 19 

 10 

 22 

 1? 

 15 

 12 

 16 

 8 

 23 



199 



A WILD GOOSE CHASE. 



Editor Forest and Stream :— 



What a pleasant and suggestive name yonr paper bears. 

 "Forest and Stream" — it is positively refreshing on a sul- 

 try day, and is always indicative of benefit to the physical, 

 mental, and moral man. It is not my intention, however, 

 to moralize, but to write the simple history of a short jour- 

 ney W. and I made last spring in quest of recreation 

 and geese. It was about the 1st of April that we took the 

 cars at Hunter's Point, and started for West Hampton on 

 the south shore of Long Island, distant seventy-five miles 

 from New York. 



At a depot called "the Manor," we took the Sag Harbor 

 branch of the road, and after traveling some twelve miles 

 reached our destination. Darkness had set in when we 

 left the train, and the deserted look of everything around 

 was calculated to remove all enthusiasm. 



But we found "Wes" waiting for us, and one look into 

 his genial face, and one sound of his cheery voice, entirely 

 banished loneliness. 



The ride of a mile was soon made, as old Grey was kept 

 in a lively trot by sundry whacks of the whip, and in a few 

 minutes we reached the modest but hospitable dwelling of 

 Mr. Nathan Raynor. It is marvelous how soon a crack- 

 ling fire, pleasant faces, and a well filled table will remove 

 embarrassment and give one a perfectly home feeling. It 

 wrought this change in us. At once we felt at home. And 

 we did full justice to Mrs. Raynor's fare. 



After supper our traps were got in readiness for the next 

 day's sport; in the meanwhile, however, we listened to stories 

 of duck and goose shooting by our Captain, who was to be 

 Clark Raynor, and ascertained, too, that twice a year — spring 

 and fall — fine shooting could be had. 



At a late hour we were shown to our rooms, with the 

 words, "we will call you at four for breakfast," and we 

 went to bed to dream of ducks and geese. It seemed as if 

 we had just fallen asleep, when a knock upon the door and 

 the words, "time to get up," aroused us. We hastily dress- 

 ed, partook of a hearty breakfast, put on our rubber suits, 

 stepped into our boats (the house is by the water) sailed 

 three-quarters of a mile across the bay, and landed at 

 Picket Point. Alas ! the first day was foggy and we return- 

 ed with only one bird. On the second was a north-easter 

 that soon drove us to a warm shelter. But the third 

 dawned beautifully with a stiff north-west wind, just what 

 we wanted, and during that clay and two hours of the fol- 

 lowing morning, we killed eighteen geese and ten ducks. 



The only thing to which I objected, was being obliged to 

 lie flat on my back in such coffin-looking boxes, and when 

 geese were around to hear the softly whispered caution of 

 the Captain "hush, don't move." I protest, Mr. Editor, 

 that it is hardly fair to stow away 175 pounds of flesh and 

 bone in so narrow a place, and then not have the privilege 

 of moving, when you feel the more inclined to do so be- 

 cause you know you must not. 



The recollection of that day's sport is a pleasant memory. 

 It was genuine pleasure. When the geese were circling 

 round us, and each moment coming nearer, every faculty 

 "seemed supernaturally active." Every nerve tingled with 

 excitement, and the blood coursed swiftly through every 

 vein. 



Often since, when tired with writing, have my thoughts 

 gone back to that day, and I have laid aside my pen to 

 shoot every goose over again. 



To all in quest of a few days of delightful and healthy 

 recreation, I commend our hospitable hostess, and her 

 worthy sons, our accommodating Captain and the genial, 

 whole-souled "Wes." Yours, J. C. Dutcher. 



Bound Brook, N. Y., Oct. 1873. 



_ . — -«»^fr. 



r HOW WOLVES HUNT DEER. 



■ ♦ 



Editor Forest and Stream : — 



Ralph — " Roaring Ralph from the rising Sun," he called 

 himself— a tough old trapper standing six feet four in his 

 moccasins, and well proportioned otherwise, who though 

 prodigiously self-conceited and boastful as to his strength 

 and miraculous exploits, yet possessed many of those 

 elements of character that made him a welcome partner 

 among those sinewy pioneers of the woods; for with a 

 rollicking devil-may-care way coupled with a genuine 

 eagerness to do favors to others, he really had the strength 

 of a young giant and the courage of a lion. 



Ralph I say, was mad-, he came by our camp that morn- 

 ing in a towering rage, swearing he would have the reptile's 

 pelt, if he had " ter send clar ter York State for a dozen of 

 ther steel traps," and he had reason for his billious outburst. 

 A fisher for the second time had taken almost the entire 

 length of his line of dead falls and tore them all to pieces, 

 thus wiping out the labor of many days. An old fisher is 

 often a great pest to the trappers, for he is too cunning to 

 go into a deadfall as he ought, like other animals, (and 

 steel traps in those days were costly and hard to get), but 

 would surely sneak around behind, tear down the back 

 part of the trap, seize the bait or martin or sable, if any 

 happened to be therein, and then on*to the next, repeating the 

 trick throughout the whple line. Four fingers of Scoota- 

 wauboo, with a smoke, put Ralph in a better humor; and 

 when I told him that if he would wait until I put a patch 

 on the sole of one of my moccasins, I would go with him 

 over his line, the last wrinkle of displeasure passed from 

 his face. 



The line led along the bottom a mile or so, then up a 

 ravine or gulch and over the mountain some four or five 

 miles to another water course beyond. 



We had rebuilt, baited and set eight or ten of the falls, 

 and were toiling up the mountain side dragging our trail 

 (a deer's head) behind us, when my attention was attracted 

 by the howling of wolves farther up the mountain, this not 

 being a very common thing in the day time, I said : "Ralph, 

 what's up? There is something to pay among those var- 

 mints. " Ralph stopped and listened a moment, then turning 

 to me with an eager twinkle in his eye, said: "George, do 

 you want to see some fun? If we hurry I reckon we can 

 get there in time— those devils are driving a deer around 

 the mountain, and this crust will cut his legs so that they 

 will get him, sure. Now up on top of ihe mountain is a 

 lake, (they call them all lakes, even if they don't contain an 

 acre of water), the deer when hard pressed will make for 

 that lake, not thinking, the fool, about its being froze over, 

 and if we can get there in time you'll see how quick a pack 

 o' wolves will make mince-meat of the critter." Up we 

 went as fast as we could and do it silently. We crossed 

 the runway where the deer and pack had passed 

 several times around the brow of the mountain 

 and arrived in view of the opening containing the 

 lake. Approaching cautiously we peered through, and 

 there, sure enough, was a magnificent deer being driven 

 around on the ice by a couple of wolves, within a circle of 

 a score or more of the scoundrels, sitting on their haunches 

 and licking their chops in eager anticipation of the morsel 

 they knew would soon be within their reach, the poor vic- 

 tim, with labored breath and eyes almost starting from 

 their sockets, passing and repassing on the inner circle. 

 His strength was failing fast, while the places of his pur- 

 suers were taken by fresh racers every second or third 

 round. 



The lake, nearly of a circular form, probably one-eighth 

 of a mile in diameter, was bordered (on our side at least) 

 with a n'arrow fringe of dwarf evergreens, giving us a fine 

 opportunity to crawl up within a couple of rods of the 

 backs of the nearest wolves. I was impatient to pour a 

 broadside into the said backs, but Ralph checked me, say- 

 ing "hold on until he falls, and then we'll give it to them." 

 Ralph carried a heavy double rifle ; my gun was a double 

 barrel, rifle and shot (and I have it yet, a remembrance of 

 old times, for it furnished me my only food for many a day), 

 the rifle carrying a peaked ball of forty to the pound, the 

 other loaded with buckshot. 



We watched with strained eyes and bated breath the 

 cold-blooded race. Once the deer fell to his knees, and 

 there was a start around the whole circle; but gathering 

 himself he kept on his course another round. His pursu- 

 ers would nip him in the flank and then jump back, their 

 razor-like teeth of course drawing blood every time, until 

 the snow of the track was reddened its entire length. 



The noble deer, finally weakened by the loss of so much 

 blood and the unequal contest, gave up, and with a de- 

 spairing groan, almost human in its accents, fell a little 

 quartering "from us and about twelve or fourteen rods dis- 

 tant, and almost in the twinkling of an eye was covered by 



a mass of yelping, snarling devils. "Now, now!" whispered 

 Ralph, and raising up we let them have it. Bang, bang— 

 fpur barrels (two simultaneously) into that writhing heap, 

 then we drew our knives and rushed toward them. Well 

 you may well believe there was a scattering among the 

 cowardly things. We killed only two outright (I have 

 often wondered why we didn't kill more), but wounded I 

 don't know how many, three of which we afterward got 

 by shooting over again. I had calculated on a pound or 

 two of the meat for a broil, but as sure as that I never told 

 a lie, though it took less time than I would in telling this 

 were I talking instead of writing. When we reached the 

 spot all we found was a heap of bloody bones, neither hide 

 meat, nor insides; not an ounce of flesh was left on that 

 crimson rack; picked clean in apparently not certainly 

 more than one hundred seconds. A podr chance a human 

 being would stand in such company. 

 Another time I may tell how Ralph bagged his reptile. 



Jacobstaff. 



UNSEASONABLE TROUT. 



if Bangor, Maine, October 26th, 1873. 



Editor Forest and Stream: — 



Will you allow me to call out through your journal the 

 opinion of the angling fraternity, sporting men generally, 

 and pisciculturists, as to the correct close time for trout 

 always holding in view the keeping up of the stock of a 

 fishery rather than the quality of the food, in a sanitary 

 point of view. As a healthful article of food we do not 

 regard the trout as fit to be eaten after the 1st of Septem- 

 ber, as they then begin to become slimy, white, and soft; 

 the general health of the fish deteriorating rapidly prepara- 

 tory to spawning, although they do not yet crowd into the 

 streams as later in the season, when they are looking 

 for their spawning grounds. Therefore, the pleasure of 

 killing may still be indulged in by those who either have 

 no taste or palate to mark the difference between a fish in 

 or out of season, or those who like to indulge the mere ani- 

 mal pleasure of killing. We think it would be well that 

 the rod should be laid aside for the gun the 1st of Septem- 

 ber. The laws of our State prescribe the 1st of October as 

 the commencement of the close season for trout, togue, 

 and land-locked salmon. We think this too late, not en- 

 tirely from the cause that the fish are then crowded into all 

 the streams, deserting the lakes and ponds, but thus afford- 

 ing unlimited slaughter to the merest tyro, for we -believe 

 thai the mischief then done by the rod is but a mere tithe 

 of the evil. It is that the limit legalizes the sale of trout 

 in our markets, and it is at this time when they are crowded 

 into the streams that the villainous pot-hunter and poacher 

 sweep the net and ply the murderous spear and grapple, 

 and glut the markets not only here, but of New York and 

 other States with their spoils. Your trout were then in 

 perfect season, and the bare fact of the habits of the fish 

 rendering them such an easy prey at this period to the 

 poacher should be a sufficient argument to every true angler 

 for limiting rather than extending the close time. 



Unfortunately, this last winter a special law in favor of a 

 popular place of resort for anglers was engineered through 

 our legislature at Augusta. It allows ' trout fishing on a 

 certain lake until the 15th of October. Our markets have 

 been overstocked with trout, most of them bearing unmis- 

 takable marks of the seine. The wardens of the State 

 were powerless, for they could not discriminate between a 

 trout caught in the privileged waters or„those caught five 

 miles distant in some lake where the law does not apply. 

 Hotel keepers living near good trouting waters could see 

 no reason why they and their interests should be ignored 

 in favor of those who could better afford the loss of guests, 

 and the people at large were disgusted at what seemed to 

 them partiality and injustice. In fact, the wlnft State 

 was and is demoralized so far as enforcement of the internal 

 fishery laws is concerned. 



We wish it were possible for the Dominion Government 

 and our Northern States to unite with us in passing co-op- 

 erative laws forbidding the sale of any fish in any of the 

 States severally when the species of fish offered for sale 

 was forbidden to be caught or sold in another State. We 

 should thus strike a deadly blow at the poacher and pot- 

 hunter, and do more for the protection of the products of 

 forest and stream than has been brought to pass for many 

 years. During our close months here our trout are run 

 into the neighboring States and sold, and large numbers are 

 brought into our markets from New Brunswick. 



I may as well here refer to a most destructive abuse, which 

 every true angler should interest himself in breaking down. 

 I allude to the custom of counting by number rather 

 than the weight of fish caught. It should be a rule at 

 every sporting resort to fine every man who brings home in 

 his kreel a fish of less weight than a half pound. I have 

 known men calling themselves anglers boasting in our local 

 papers of a count of one hundred and fifty trout, most of 

 which had the bars still on, and not one fish of a pound 

 weight in the lot. S. 



— -a»**- 



DOES SAW DUST KILL FISH? 



Honeoye Falls, N. Y., October 15, 1873. 

 Editor Forest and Stream : — 



In reply to the letter of Fred. E. Ranger, Glen's Falls, 

 N. Y., which you referred to me, I would say: The saw 

 dust and refuse from the tanneries on the upper Hudson 

 will undoubtedly prove a se ious obstacle to stocking the 

 river with salmon as suggested by "Piscator." I do 

 not know how far the theory is true that saw dust kihs 

 trout by clogging their gills; in fact I have always had a 

 doubt of it— but that it will speedily depopulate a stream 

 by ruining; the spawning beds and killing all ova there de 



