FOREST AND STREAM. 



251 



GAME IN SEASON FOR NOVEMBER. 



Moose, Aloes Malchls.) Caribou, Tarandus Rangifer.) 



Elk or Wapiti, Cervm Canadensis.) Red Deer, Carious Virginian™. ) 



Rabbits, common Brown and Grey.) Squirrels, Red Black and Gray.) 



f.) Quail, Ortyx Virginianus.) 



Wild Turkey, MeleagrisgaUopavo.. 

 Raffed Grouse, Bonasa umbellm,) 



Pinnated Grouse, Cupidoria Cupido.) 

 All kinds of Wild Fowl. 



I Under the head of "Game, and Fisn, in Season? ' we can only specify in 

 aeneral terms tlie several varieties, because the laws of States vary so much 

 that were we to attempt to particularize we could do no less than publish 

 (hose entire sections that relate to tlie kinds of game in question. This 

 would require a great amount of our space. In designating game we are 

 guided by the laws of nature, upon ivliich all legislation is founded, and 

 our readers would do well to provide themselves with the. laws of their re- 

 spective States for constant reference. Otherwise, our attempts to assist them 

 will only create co7ifusion.~\ 



— On Saturday, November 22d, we paid a visit to Hemp- 

 stead, L. I., and its vicinity, for the purpose of deriving 

 some accurate information as to quail, &c. "We stopped at 

 Hewlett's Hotel, an old comfortable house where every at- 

 tention was shown us. We were told that quail ceuld be 

 found in the immediate neighborhood. Mr. Hewlett pro- 

 posed to drive usout and verify his statement, and we were 

 nothing loth, as the weather was lovely and it was the finest 

 day for shooting we ever saw. About five miles from Hemp- 

 stead, passing through excellent quail cover, is a tavern 

 called the Sportsman House, kept by B. F. Sammis, at 

 Smithville, a clean, small house, the landlord having every 

 appliance for quail, snipe and duck shooting, such as boats, 

 stools, &c. We saw a young setter tied up in the barn and 

 proposed to see some of these bevies. Not three hundred 

 yards from the house the young setter (Webster Stock,) 

 pointed; we walked in aud killed two quail, and following 

 up the hevy killing another, after which, turning our steps 

 towards a spring swamp, the dog came to a point, when up 

 jumped an old cock, which was killed, also another about 

 fifteen minntes afterwards. We were not on a shooting 

 expedition, but only to ascertain the facts of the case, 

 since, when inquiry is made in regard to game, the reply 

 almost invariably is, "Oh, yes, plenty," which really 

 means that the person has seen one bird or so a week or two 

 before. There is, however, no doubt that in this section 

 the quail shooting is fairly middling, with good cover, easy 

 walking and the brush not above the middle of the body. 



— The Staten Island Shooting Association of Port Rich- 

 mond, although less than five months old, now numbers 116 

 members, including many prominent residents of the 

 island. Their object is chiefly to prevent the destruction of 

 game out of season, and at their instance several persons 

 have already been arrested and heavily fined. They also 

 devote attention to the propagation of quail, grouse and 

 small game. 



—Messrs. Polhemus and Mr. Harry Palmer, of Niblo's, 

 went to Chesapeake Bay last week, and shot a hundred brace 

 of canvas back duck. Heavy work ! 



— R. Robinson and party, from Brooklyn, killed, in Ohio, 

 over 400 quail in ten days' shooting; three guns, two brace 

 of setters. 



— The shooting on the eastern shore of Virginia has not 

 been so good last -veek, the weather having been stormy 

 and the fowl shy and scattering. Many sportsmen have 

 left the several islands. 



— No reports from Chincoteague, Hog, or Mockhorn 

 Islands. 



•—At Nott's Island, Va., there were five swans killed last 

 week, besides immense numbers of geese and black ducks. 

 Brant are wary and hard to kill, as they refuse to notice the 

 stools. The "calling" is by no means equal to that of the 

 Currituck or Cobb's Island gunners. 



—Alpha Phillips, of Bergen Point, and party, left for 

 Raynor's at West Hampton, Long Island, on Friday; geese 

 and duck said to be plentiful. Have not reported yet. 



Cor. Bennett is at Barnegat with his yacht Muskodeed 

 and a party of sportsmen shooting geese and black ducks. 

 Birds are plentiful. There are also two other parties there 

 one of which killed on the main land sixty-two quail and 

 two English snipe, to three guns. 



—A party of Brooklyn gentlemen killed last week in 

 Pike Co., Penn., forty-one ruffed grouse to three guns, 

 When they left the snow was eight inches on the level! 

 They struck on. the tracks of four deer, but failed to connect. 



— Havre de Grace, on the Susquehanna, is crowded with 

 sportsmen killing canvas backs. Two gentlemen from 

 Baltimore killed on Monday last forty -seven canvas backs, 

 eight broad bills and seven black ducks. 



—A white deer, weighing 160 pounds, was lately shot in 

 Centre County, Pa. 



—Did our readers ever see a woodcock! 4 'boring?" We 

 have, and this is how he did it: Once on a time we sur- 

 prised one of these gentry at his matutinal occupation and so 

 intent was he that he never noticed our presence. We had 

 always supposed that he thrust his long bill into the moist 

 earth and drew out his grub, snipe fashion, and swallowed 

 it; but no, he pegged away vigorously at the ground, 

 something as woodpeckers hammer, digging deeper and 

 deeper, until he actually stood on his head to reach the 

 greatest depth. Then when he had one hole bored he be- 

 gan another, and so continued until he had made nine, as 

 we ascertained by counting afterwards. But never a worm 

 or grub did he draw forth from subterranean sources. He 

 had been merely preparing his little stratagem, setting his 

 traps, so to speak, and when all was ready he laid down on 

 his stomach, with his bill flat to the ground, and com- 

 menced beating the perforated earth violently with his 

 wings. Presently a little worm or a grub or other insect 

 came to the surface, and peering above the edge of one of 



the holes was incontinently sucked into the long protrud- 

 ing bill. Directly afterwards a red well scoured angleworm 

 was victimized — we could see it distinctly as it passed into 

 the bill — and possibly others would have followed had not 

 our stupid dunderhead of a setter worked up on the scent 

 and flushed the bird. 



— We are much gratified to receive from such good au- 

 thority as the writer the following information of the fav- 

 orite ducking grounds to which our sportsmen resort for 

 winter shooting. They include the Susquehanna flats, 

 (Havre de Grace,) Spesutic Narrows, Bush river, Gunpow- 

 der river, and Currituck Sound : 



New Yoke, November 15, 1873. 

 Editor Forest and Stream:— 



Seeing an article in your valuable journal from the Ger- 

 mantown Telegraph relative to wild fowl on the upper waters 

 of the Chesapeake Bay, and knowing that the article would 

 lead some of your numerous readers astray, I pen you a few 

 lines. I have shot for several years on the headwaters of 

 the Chesapeake Bay, also on Bush river, where I leased a 

 shore for two seasons. 



The shooting at Havre de Grace is monopolized by fifteen 

 or twenty parties who shoot altogether for market, and the 

 tri-weekly shooting is applied to them only and not to par- 

 ties who shoot from points. There is no point shooting on 

 the Susquehanna flats ; all box boating or sink boats. These 

 parties own a sloop, small boat and 300 decoys ; each craft 

 is licensed, and quite a revenue is collected, for what pur- 

 pose I am not aware. The first day's shooting this season 

 they killed thirty-five hundred ducks, canvas backs, red 

 beads, and broad tails, (black heads.) I have had capital 

 sport at this place. I had 300 decoys and craft, but found 

 that the hard labor connected with this kind of shooting 

 was too severe for one who shot for sport only. 



The "Narrows," which begin about six miles south of 

 Havre de Grace, sometimes afford good shooting from the 

 shore, either side; but not until after a severe storm do the 

 clucks leave the flats and resort to these contracted waters, 

 to afford sport enough to pay to leave New York, and 

 then the stranger would find trouble in shooting if he was 

 not accompanied by some one known to the land owners. 



The shooting on Bush river is from point only. The 

 only shore that I know of for rent is the one owned by Mr. 

 8. Sutton, P. O. address, Perrymansville, Hartford county, 

 Md. This shore is a good one; the shooting is red-head prin- 

 cipally. This shore is opposite the celebrated Leggoes' Point, 

 the extension of -Gunpowder Neck, and is one of finest the 

 rough weather points on the Gunpowder. Carrol's Island, 

 and in fact all the points on the Gunpowder, are rented for 

 fabulous prices. 



Currituck Sound, North Carolina, is where I wish the 

 general reader to make up his mind that for the finest kind 

 of wild fowl shooting it cannot be equalled in the United 

 States. The variety includes all the wild fowl, embracing 

 the largest, the swan. English snipe in goodly numbers 

 during December and January. Quail on the mainland 

 abundant; no blue noses cr stiff limbs when shooting at Cur- 

 rituck; no ice, no snow. 



We will place ourselves on one of the steamers of the 

 Old Dominion line, Saturday preferred. We arrive at Nor- 

 folk six o'clock Sunday evening, and stop at the "Ameri- 

 can." I give particulars to insure comfort. Monday morn- 

 ing, 6:30 o'clock we board the little steamer Cygnet, and 

 after a very monotonous trip, reach Poplar Branch at 6 P. 

 M. Here we take row or sail boat, and cross over to the 

 Boston Club House, owned by D. C. Lindsay, who has 

 opened his house for the reception of sportsmen from the 

 North. These marshes join those of the old Currituck 

 Club. Now my dear reader, a few words as to your outfit 

 will not be amiss. Your ordinary field clothes will answer 

 in clear weather; let them be marsh color. You will want 

 rubber boots, high ones; rubber overcoat, marsh color. 

 Your heavy ten guage breech loader, and powder. Shot 

 can be purchased at Poplar Branch. Don't forget to take 

 some Ohbejoyful, as that purchased at Currituck Is not war- 

 ranted for medicinal purposes. You will want your light 

 breech loader for quail and snipe, as you can vary the sport 

 by taking the field and looking out for the bay birds that 

 are constantly to be seen around the marshes. There are 

 a great many fish, chub by name, but most assuredly the 

 black bass of the South. Thad Norris says these fish, that 

 is the inhabitants of these waters are the grysles salmoides 

 and will take the fly. 



The board at Mr. Lindsay's is five dollars per day; that 

 includes man, decoys, skiff, and marshes. Post office ad- 

 dress, ca.ie of Capt. Cain, Steamer Cygnet, Norfolk, Va. 

 Mr. Lindsay has a large stand of wild geese decovs. 



Yours, fraternally, q jj "vv ild 



—Why have wet feet when you go duck shooting, when 

 you can make an excellent preparation to prevent it? Take 

 a quarter of a pound of beef and mutton suet, a tea spoon 

 full of lard, half pint of neatsfoot oil, one ounce of bees- 

 wax, half an ounce of Burgundy pitch, and a half ounce of 

 turpentine. Melt up the suet, the lard, the pitch and the 

 beeswax in a pot, stir in the oil, and when off the fire, and 

 cooling a little, put in the turpentine. If you want to be 

 elegant add a half box of blacking to give it a color. Warm 

 the compound and paint the boots, upper and soles. It 

 makes a boot quite water tight, and salt water cannot 

 faze it. 



—It is a mooted question among sportsmen whether a 

 muzzle-loading gun can be altered to a serviceable breech- 

 loader. The numerous advantages of breech-loaders are 

 obvious to all, and many a man who has a pair of superior 

 and well-tried barrels, is tempted to endeavor to combine 

 their excellencies with the improvements of the 



modern arm. With what chances of success this can be 

 accomplished is shown by one trial at least, as attested by 

 the letter herewith appended, from a gentleman of no limit- 

 ed experience: — 

 Editor Forest and Stream:— 



From every number of your paper I gain hints and ideas 

 that are welcome and valuable, and I shall venture at times 

 to send in return the results of experiments, and personal 

 experience, successful or the reverse, that others may per- 

 chance profit thereby. 



I have purchased at the price of a good plain gun some 

 experience in altering guns, and if any of your readers con- 

 template the changing of some well tried muzzle-loading 

 gun to a breech-loader, let me give the advice of London 

 Punch to people contemplating marriage — " Don't." 



I placed a fine gun, Moore & Sons' make, in the hands of 

 a mechanic who guaranteed a successful alteration, and all 

 that could be done to effect the change was done with a fair 

 amount of ingenious skill, and I have in my gun-case a gun 

 that works well, has an easily managed action, shoots well 

 but I am afraid to use it. The weakness is the result of 

 boring out the breech for the shell. 



Tbe first step in converting barrels is to cut off the breech 

 as far as the breech pin entered; and then the barrels are 

 bored out for three inches to receive the pasteboard car- 

 tridge. 



The barrels not being intended to lose this amount of 

 metal are left almost always so much reduced at the point 

 where the explosive force is generated, as to found reason 

 for such an amount of distrust as will usually prevent their 

 being used with confidence when charges of any weight 

 are desirable. It will be noticed that the barrels of modern 

 guns are enlarged rapidly toward the breech to afford the 

 proper weight of metal after they are bored out. How far 

 the use of carefully made steel shells will reinforce altered 

 guns I cannot say, but would very much value the opinion 

 of some of your readers who may have found one upon 

 some experience. j^ -n T y 



—We were shown by a most skillful rifleman who to 

 expertness at Creedmoor, adds the peculiar talent of bein°- 

 able to bring down a buck when going a* full speed, and 

 more than all that, is a clever gunsmith and an inge- 

 nious experimentfdist with cartridges and various forms & of 

 projectiles— we were shown by this rifle-and-shoWim 

 Creirhton a most simple and easy method of making an"ex- 

 plosive bullet. All you have to do is either to cast your 

 bullet with a hollow cylinder in it. or if necessary to'drill 

 the bullet out. Then take a number 1 Smith and Wesson 

 cartridge and slip it in, of course lead downwards the 

 square end of the copper case where the fulminate is, being 

 at the apex of your compound projectile. Don't you see? 

 It is no more difficult than that. Even if you have no bul- 

 bet mould you can make the hole in your solid ball with a 

 common drill, and slip in your No. 1 Smith and Wesson 

 metallic cartridge. It need not be a nice fit, but only tight 

 enough not to slip out. Our informant told us of two shots 

 made with his bullet this year. With one he struck a buck 

 in the head. Oh examining the skull of the animal who 

 dropped as if struck by lightning, he found the whole bone 

 case shattered. In the second instance he hit a deer in the 

 neck, the vertebra was shattered, and the animal hardly 

 moved any distance before he was stone dead. This home- 

 made compound shell seems to us so perfectly simple that 

 we would advise its use. Should any of our readers "try 

 it on" please let us hear of it. Should they kill a grizzly 

 we would claim a tooth or a claw or two. 



—In the N. Y. Herald of the 22d November, there is a 

 challenge from a Mr. A. B. Leech, of the Irish Rifle Asso- 

 ciation, stating that he will select from the members 

 thereof, a tearr which he proposes to match against a 

 similar number of representative American shots, \o shoot 

 in the United States, in the autumn of 1874, on the follow 

 ing conditions: The targets and shooting to be according 

 to the Wimbledon rules. Ranges, 800, 900, 1,000, and 1 100 

 yards. Rifle, any under ten pounds, and without telescopic 

 sights or hair triggers. Postition, any without artificial 

 rest. The American team to be composed exclusively of 

 men born in the United States, and rifles to be used by 

 them, to be of American manufacture. The Irish team to 

 shoot with the Rigby rifle. The match to decide the chain 

 pionship of the world; the Irish team having carried off the 

 Lord Elcho shield. Mr. Leech will require a sufficient de. 

 posit, not as a wager, but as a guarantee that the match will 

 be shot. Though this notice appeared in the Herald the 

 National Rifle Association have no cognisance of the same 

 Should Mr. Leech be desirous of shooting with the mem- 

 bers of the National Rifle Association at Creedmoor the 

 method he should adopt would be to address the President 

 Colonel W. C. Church, or the Secretary, G. W. Wingate. ' 



—Last Friday a meeting of the Board of Directors & of the 

 N. R. A. was held at the New York Hotel, the financial 

 condition of the Association was discussed, and the ways 

 and means were arranged for the coming season at Creed- 

 moor. 



-A stag in the Macon Park (Ga.) recently attacked two 

 boys— one white the other colored, throwing the colored 

 boy over a fence twelve feet high, and running one horn 

 through the fleshy portion of the left arm of the white boy. 



—"Little Tommy didn't disobey mamma, and <r i n a 

 swimming, did he?" "No, mamma; Jimmy Brown and 

 the rest of the boys went in, but I remembered, and/would 

 not disobey you." "And Tommy never tells lies does 

 he?" « No, mamma, or I couldn't go to Heaven " "Then 

 how does Tommy happen to have on Jimmy Brown's 



shirt. ?" - J a 



mm 



