16 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



§uttti §it$ mtd §uth 



GAME IN SEASON IN FEBRUARY. 



Hares, brown and gray. Wild dock, geese, brant, etc. 



Deer, Wild Turkey, Woodcock, Quail, snipe, Dncka and Wild Fowl. 

 " Buy birds" generally, including various species of plover, sand 

 piper, snipe, curlew, oyster-catcher, surf lurils, piiutaropes, avocets, 

 etc,, coining under the group Limacolmoi Shore Buds. 



Wild Pigbons.— We shall esteem it a favor if correspond- 

 ents will send us information concerning the whereabouts of 

 wild pigeons.- 



Tokonto Gun Club.— Toronto, Jan. 25.— The following 

 gentlemen were elected for 1879 s A. McGregor, Pr6£ 

 A. A. .Riddle, M. D., Vice-President; J. B. Graham, Secre- 

 tary and Treasurer; Executive Committee, H. Miller. J. 

 Webster, ThOB. Wingfleld, R. Morrison. 11. SI 



Pennsylvania..— A Titusville correspondent writes of suc- 

 cessful deer shooting in Forest County ten miles from Shef- 

 field, Pa. 



Bempkr Fblix Gim and Rod Cltjb.— The annual meeting 

 was held at Philadelphia, Jan. 28, and the following officers 

 were elected to serve for one year : President, F, P. Ktirnrners; 

 Vice-President, E. W. Young; Treasurer, Win. Emsley; 

 Captain, Dr. C. T. Smith. All communications addressed to 

 the Captain, 106 .East Cumberland street, Philadelphia. 



G. H. S. 



Don't Go There.— Lest the recent, sketch of deer hunting 

 referred to below should mislead some of our readers, we 

 publish this from "E. S.," the writer of the sketch headed "A 

 Deei Hunt in Maryland " : 



I notice you locate my late hunt in Maryland ; it was not in 

 Maryland where 1 hunted, and if I had located it, it might send 

 troops there, and where I am welcome, but strangers would 

 probably not not be. Strangers taking their dogs there usual- 

 ly get them killed. It is my old hunting ground for twenty- 

 five or thirty years. "1 know everybody, and everybody 

 knows me, " and the hunters would as soon kill their own 

 dogs as mine. 1 keep three or four dogs there for bear and 

 deer hunting, and for many years past. Hunting has pro- 

 longed my years; I am 85 years old, and can knock over a 

 buck, as readily as any hunter of 25 . E. 8. 



Tennessee— Savannah, Jan. 37.— The past week brought 

 a rich harvest to the pot-hunters. The river has been oi oi 

 its banks, overflowing all the low-lying bottom lands. The 

 quails and hares have been forced to lake refuge on drift, 

 corn-pens, stumps and anything that could afford a resting- 

 place. Large numbers have been shot, and 1 heard of one 

 instance where a whole covey were destroyed while huddled 

 on a stump, receiving three shots befoje all were killed, none 

 taking to flight The river has fallen considerably, and, at 

 present writing, is again within its banks. This has certainty 

 been a season of extremes. On Saturday I was shooting 

 near a pond which not two weeks before was covered with 

 ice three inches thick, but on Saturday the frogs wore out in 

 full chorus, and the mud turtles were sunning themselves on 

 logs. On the same day a party searching for cattle near the 

 river found and killed a large snake. Wnx. 



TfathviUe, Jan. 30.— Game of all kinds is still very plenti- 

 ful in the market, Mr. Mitchell, one of our crack ihots, has 

 gone to Pulaski for some days' shooting. He took with him 

 iiuckkolz's fine red Irish setter Jeff. 1 hear of a number of 

 fox chase fixtures to come off as soon as the ground dries up 

 a little more, foxes being very plenty all through the country. 



A Snow-Whitk Bnari.— A party of Richmond, Ya., gentle- 

 men returned to that city last week from a hunting trip in 

 Ameba and Dinbiddin counties. They killed six deer, among 

 them a snow-white buck four years old. 



South Carolina— Charleston, Jan. 28.— The weather has 

 been quite warm for the last week and very little hunting has 

 been dona in this section. During the cold snap in the early 

 Dart of the month woodcock in large numbers made their ap- 

 Pearanee and capital sport was had during their stay. 1 heard 

 of one man bringing in a bag of over fifty rn one day. As 

 soon as the warm weather commenced they began to leave, 

 and there are very few to be found now in our best cock 

 •round's. Several good bags of partridges have been 

 hi and a few snipe. Snipe are becoming more plentiful, 

 however, and large bags may be expected very soon. The 

 deer hunterB have been making use of the last few day left 

 them before the season closes, which will be on the 1st of 

 February I was out with a party on Saturday, and we 

 started twenty-three deer and several turkey during the day. 

 Several shots were had, but we succeeded in carrying home 

 oulv one— a tine doe. During thishunl I was fortunate enough 

 t j have a practical illustration of " horn shedding." A splen- 

 did buck was started in the second drive we took, and he 

 passed two slanders without either of his antlers ; one I 

 antlers was picked up in the exact place that be had < 

 the road and was apparently just shed, as it was quite fresh 

 where it had parted from the skull, and the gristle around the 

 root of the born was quite moist and soft. In the next drive 

 a fine buck was started with both antlers intact; he was fired 

 at by one of the drivers and passed out to one of the standers 

 with only one antler, having shed the other just before getting 

 out of the den. One of the party, who had hunted in this 

 oart of the country before, states that on one occasion he 

 started a fine buck with a very handsome head of horns, and 

 tad run him only a very short distance when he picked up 

 both horns very near each other. The older the buck, the 

 earlier they shed ; the young bucks seldom, if ever, shed be- 

 fore the middle of February. 



Minnesota— Brainard, Jan. 30.— A few of us had a most 

 enjoyable time rabbit shooting one day last week, a few miles 

 east of town. The party consisted of your friend 1 ticks— he 

 whom you refer to in your notes of a year ago as the cham- 

 Dion hawk killer,— 8. J- Wallace, C A. Cavener, Dr. Camp- 

 bell and yours truly. We left town in a wagou (dunk of 

 that in this far northern country, and drove on a tro 

 know Weed's horseB are good ones), seven or eight miles., 

 where we tied up, and, scattering out, commenced shooting. 

 At two o'clock we had forty odd head, and at four o'clock 

 counted up sixty-two rabbits. T. P. C. 



Iowa Sportsmen's Tournament.— The next annual conven- 

 tion and shooting tournament of the Iowa State Sportsmen's 

 Association will be held at Marehaltown, May 20th. 



Wisconsin— Madison, Feb. 1 .—Reports from many of the 

 counties of the State are that prairie wolves have been com- 

 mitting sad ravages of late among the sheepfolds, and many 

 scalps of these pests have been taken. Aside from the State 

 and county bounties, rewards are being offered by the towns 

 wherein the greatest havoc has been made. Rover. 



The Stevens Gun.— This old established house, well 

 known as manufacturers of breech-loading fire-arms, has re- 

 cently begun the manufacture of double-guns. Heretofore, 

 the genius of Mr, Stevens has been exercised on revolvers, 

 pistols aud Titles, with an occasional single-barrel breech- 

 loading shot gun, his success in this direction having been al- 

 most proverbial. The new Stevens double shot gun has some 

 new and desirable features, among which is the action. The 

 snap is placed on the under side and inside a guard in front 

 of the trigger guard. The extractor is absolutely positive in 

 its action,~ and ordinarily will throw a shell clear of the 

 Chamber, while the entire construction of the pieco is simple, 

 substantial and reliable in action. Messrs. Stevens &, Co. 

 have attained a wide reputation in the manufacture of gallery 

 and sporting rifles and guns, their " Hunter's Pet " having 

 had an enormous sale. Sportsmen using the Stevens shot- 

 guns speak very highly ol them, and pronounce them among 

 the cheapest guns for the money now in the market. Send 

 to J. Stevens & Co,, Chicopee Falls, Mass., for further par- 

 ticulars. 



A New Firm. — The late firms of Schoverling & Daly and 

 Spies, Kissam & Co. have united and will continue the busi- 

 ness of wholesale gun and pistol dealers under the name of 

 Schoverling. Daly & Gales, occupying for the present both 84 

 aud 86 Chambers street and 279 Broadway. 



Scott's Hamjibrless Gun.— The new hammerless gun re- 

 cently perfected at the W. & C. Scott Works has been on ex- 

 hibition at the warerooms of Schuyler, Hartley & Graham 

 for the past week, and has been admired by hundreds of 

 sportsmen. When first taken in hand the weapon has a cu- 

 rious feel, and, as one gentleman expressed it, puts one in 

 mind of a bull pup with close cropped ears. The hammers 

 are. not there, and instead, the top of the stock passes with a 

 smooth and graceful curve over the lock and along the upper 

 rib of the barrels. The gun is trim and snug to handle. 

 While in action it has a long catalogue of merits. It is safe, 

 since there are no hammers to catch in the clothes or on pro- 

 jecting points and cause premature discharges. Capt. Bo. 

 gardus with such a gun would not have found himself in the 

 predicament of working through a day's rapid shooting with 

 a broken hammer. By the single motion of opening and 

 closing the breech, both triggers are set. A glance at the 

 lock-plate shows the gunner whether the piece is loaded or 

 not, and after loading, should he desire to stop the action, a 

 Blight motion of the thumb at the side fastens both triggers. 

 For quick Shooting this gun far surpasses the ordinary ham- 

 mer gun, while for field use it needs but a trial to convince 

 any sportsman of its superiority. 



The Remington Company have a rifle on e xh ibition at 



their store in Broadway that was used by Texas Jack for five 

 years on the plains. It rather looks as if it had seen some 

 hard service, but is pretty good yet. 



WOODCOCK SHOOTING AT THE 

 SOUTH. 



Editor Forest axd Stream : ,,„,., lr . , 

 About Christmas the flight of woodcock (PhihUla minor) 

 arrived here, and the shooters of Vermilion Parish have en- 

 joyed fine sport since that time. They will rema'm untd some 

 lime in February, when they commence their migrations to 

 the North again. They are here by millions, and in fine or- 

 der. Hunting the woodcock here is a very different, thing 

 from the same kind of sport in the North. The instructions 

 of Frank Forester and Lewis are of little use here. The sea- 

 son, the place, and the actions of the bird are all changed in 

 Louisiana. WoodcocK are not found here in warm weather 

 — no sweltering heat, no spoiling of birds before you can get 

 them home here. On the contrary, the weather is cold and 

 the air bracing; the birds will keep a week or two, and great- 

 ly improve by keeping hung up a few days. Thousands of 

 them are sent to the New Orleans market. In the Abbeville 

 market they sell for fifty cents a dozen. Think of that! ye 

 hungry denizens of Gotham) Fifty cents for one dozen fine, 

 fat woodcock ! The birds are to be found by day in the 

 thick woods and briar patches, in warm, dry, sunny spots. 

 Here they spend the clay and here they are to be hunted. At 

 night they fly out into the prairies to feed in marshy places. 

 One or two shooters, with several dogs—" curs of low de- 

 gree ». g into the woods, and the dogs go into the thickets 



and flush the birds, while 'the shooter takes them as they rise. 

 It is no sickly, lumbering flight your Louisiana woodcock 

 makes. He comes up out of the cover like a flash, makes a 

 dart aud drops out of sight in an instant behind the thicket. 

 It takes a pretty quick workman and a sure eye to stop his 

 flight; Ah 1 then there is royal sport ! The woods are full 

 Of them, and plenty of shooters, too, generally, aud the re- 

 ports of the gims keep up a constant fusillade like that of a 

 skirmish line" at the opening oi a battle Any one that can 

 make a good wing shot cannot fail to get plenty, even if he 

 misses three out of four birds, and twenty buds is a common 

 day's work for B common country iota or a negro to make. 

 The prairies, too, are full of snipe at this time of year, I do 

 not know of a finer country for game now than the Parish of 

 Vermilion. _ , , , ... 



The weather ha3 been unusually cold here this wmter— ice 

 aud sleet a plenty of it, which is very unusual. The weather 

 has been so cold that the geese aud ducks stay in the sea 

 mareh andiave no q out <o the prairies and small ponds 

 much this winter . however, is now warmer, 



and the geese and ducks are coming out pretty freely, and a 

 good manv are being shot. I have been out shooting wood- 

 cock several times this winter and enjoyed it finely— in fact, 

 highly ; but I am not one who boasts of slaying my thousands, 

 Samson-like, but am content with a moderate bag. Mr. Edi- 

 tor I would be ashamed to let you know and the world 

 know that I killed a hundred birds a day for several succes- 

 sive days in the manner some of your correspondents boast 

 of Itsmacksof the pot too much for me. Aurevoir. 

 Abbeville, La., Jan. i8, 1879. Papaboxte. 



. — •♦»— > 



THE DITTMAR PO WIDER. 



The following communications regarding the wood powder 

 we publish in justice to the manufacturers and because they 

 represent the other side of the story from that as given by 

 correspondents in other letters recently printed i 



LAWTONVILLB, Ga., Dec. 31, 1S78. 

 Editor Fokkst and Btbbami 



•As a personal favor to myself, will you publlsti the following ? 

 I know mat a greit jonrnal like yonrs cannot praise guns, powder ana 

 oilier sporting goods; bat I also know lhat your columns are always 

 open to fair play. It is witli tfiis knowledge thai I ask you to publish 

 what I know about Dlttmar powder : 



On tiie loth day of last November, Mr. Henry C. Squires, of your 

 city, sent me ion shells loaded wltli the Dlttmar powder. Clrcurn- 

 Btancee not necessary to mention here kept, me from giving the pow- 

 der a lulr trial unill very recently. Some days oack, going with a gen- 

 tleman to fish for suckers, I concluded to take my gun with me, In 

 order to try a good piece of snipe ground lying on our route. On the 

 right side of the road there 18 a " piney-wooda " pond, covering per- 

 haps two acres of ground. Never has there been seen a duck in this 

 pond until that morning. We had passed the pond, driving at a quick 

 pace, when, happening to look back, I saw a large black duel;. To 

 stop the buggy, to Btalk him behind a large pine and to shoot, him, was 

 the work of a few minutes. Well, nothing remarkable. No; but 1 

 killed that duck, canvas-back at that, over seventy-five yards, with 

 Dittmar powder and No. S shot. Well, you Bay, the gun had much to 

 do with that. Granted; but good powder hud much to do with It. 

 Since that time 1 have given the shells a fair trial on quail and snipe 

 To a man who has used black powder for twenty-five years it seems 

 childish at first to use powder whose report you cannot hear at 200 

 yards. It Is with something like amazement that you see the strong, 

 awlft old cook quail step so suddenly in his arrowy night. And you 

 Bee it ah: from the sndden wilting to the cloud of leathers all Is 

 plain, for there is no Bmoke to get in your eyes, Yon take the bird 

 from your dog, and to your surprise you find that the Dlttmar has 

 driven the shot clean through. You can scarcely realize that powder 

 which makes so little noise can kill birds so clean. 



I know nothing of the manner in which Mr. Squires loaded his shells, 

 but I Infer from the pattern that 1 oz. of shot was the load. I fired 

 ten of the shells at a 80-in, circle, 40 yards, and the pattern and pene- 

 tration, especially from the choke-bore barrel, was fully equal to the 

 black powder ot the best brands, without tiie disagreeable concomi- 

 tants of recoil, noise aud smoke. T hope to be well enough to try the 

 powder on ducks and turkeys, and 1( It drives large shot like it does 

 No. 8, 1 shall never use any other powder. 1. W. Si, Claib. 



Walk-Ebton, ont,, Jan. 2, 1879. 

 Editoe Fobest and Stream : 



Some time ago there appeared in your columns a letter giving an ac- 

 count of damage done to several guns by me use of Dittnmr powder, 

 I had at. that time been using this powder, and found it prelerable in 

 every way to the black, and was exceedingly surprised at tiie statement 

 made that it had shattered a Scott and a Parker. The gun I use iB a 



decarbonized steel " barrel, made by Parker, and this kind of barre. 



I, I believe, considered less strong than twist and other barrels, bo I 

 stand a fair chance of destroying my weapon If Dittmar powder will do 

 it, for lintend to continue itn use, having asyet discovered no iileffeots 

 from it; but I cannot believe that there is as much danger in using 

 it as the black, for this reason : The Dlttmar undoubtedly gives 

 greater penetration and less recoil than the black, and therefore It ex- 

 pends its force in propelling the shot and not on the shooter's shoulder 

 or the sides of the barrel, and must be less dangerous than the black. 



I think it a pity that anything should be said against the use of the 

 Dittmar unless fully warranted by facts, and Through your eolumuB I 

 hope by this letter to obtain from others who have been using it the re- 

 sults of their experience with it ; for Blnoe the letter before referred to 

 but, little has Deen published by you respecting it, alihough It has been 

 in very general use. I also think Mr. Dittmar will make a great mis- 

 take if he makes it of different strength, as staled by him in his letter 

 to you, for he would increase the danger in Its use (If there is any). 

 The careless would be apt to use both kinds indiscriminately, and 

 would sometimes overcharge their guns. Its present strength seems 

 to me to be the proper one for the charge by measure, being the same 

 as with the black; nooneneea experiment to And the proper charge 

 or change his measure. 



la It possible for the strain on the gnu to be as great with slow burn- 

 ing powder as with quick 1 If any one thinks so let him put a charge 

 of dynamite ui his gun, explode it, aud see what becomes of his gun. 



Yours truly, Gt/jtmBb, 



PIGEON MATCHES. 



New York— Buffalo, Jan. 14.— Eighteen yards rise ; cloudy, witn 

 light snow : 



Wiu H Chudleigh 1 1 l 1 l 1 i L-S 



Pel er Heinz 1 1111 110 b-fl 



ChttBHeinold l 1 D 1 O 1 1 "—is 



SAKoberts -J 1 1 1 1 I I i 0—8 



KobertWarcl 1 u 1 t 1 l-s 



J Deter } J 1 1 ] -_ 5 



QeoMelster 1 "11111 I 1-s 



J Fischer -1 1 « l 1 1 1 1-8 



Geo Vine 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 o V -J 



BMShultz u 1111111-; 



There were no blrda left to Bhoot off ties. uncab, 



New York.— The Oulcout Sportsmen's Club, organized last fall, 

 have had two or three glass bail shoots, affording OOnSlai 

 especially to outsiders. V. 8, 11. 



Lon« Islamb— Springfield, Jan. 23.— First tournament of shooting 

 clno (no; named yet), at pigeons, 25 yards rise, 80 yards boundary; 



Enghert 1 1 \ J 1 



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..,,;;„„ Park, Jan. 31.— Fifty birds; American rules; 50 

 , ,r Y ; al yards rise.- for championship of local club und 

 general satisfaction : 



OwenENewton l l l i i i <• o ; i i i i i I l 1 l l ] l o 1 l i 



I 11 11 11111111111111111 13 0-rW. 



. Allan P Nichols 1 1 1 1 J 11 11 11 II U 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 



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W R Henderson 1 1 111 1 1 X 1 11 1 1 1 1 fl 01 1 1 1 J 



10 11111 l 1 1 II 1 1 1 1 1 I i 1 1 0—33. 

 tleury F ffotej - - " til 1-1 10 00 10 11 1 il 1 1 XI 114 



1 1 1 1 1 1 " 'J 1 !! 1 I 1 '' 1 I l 1— 37. 



In shooting oil tie Sir. Nichols won by killing six birds straight, Mr, 

 Newton killing live straight, missing the sixth. Mr. Lloyd loley, of 

 the Philadelphia Gun i Hub. was i eferee. fJmpireB— Nat Crosby, Earnest 

 en ton, Esq., of this city. E. Wm. UeosoK. 



EVjrrwTAIS CrK Club.— Brooklyn Driving Park, Jan. 24.— Third 



mou'hiv contest for a gun, presented by the club, shot for at seven 



mi live ground traps, using both barrels, handicapped 



rise, ion yard3 boundary, IU oz. shot, fountain Gun Club rules : 



,1 Bottling 25 yds 



i: Williams « 



J White 25 



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