216 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



PICKEREL IN LAKE TJMBAGOG. 



{ MB. Editor: Bethel, Me., April 2, 1579. 



Iu 1S70 inure had never been known a pickerel In any of the tlmbagog 

 range of lalcea, and the Sawlinue flmtinulto liacl free access ttiroogh all 

 Hie tributaries ol Androscoggin. A man by tbe name of Stone was 

 prosecmled-for violating the close time laws by live bait Ashing that 

 ■winter, and he had threatened to pnt in pickerel. We did not believe 

 that lie or any one elBe would do snch a villainous thing, and many of 

 us Bald that ir a man should do that he ahould be shot without time to 

 s.iy hlB prayers. Pickerel were plenty in the Androscoggin Elver out- 

 let of Urnbngog Lakes, and had been for years, bot the heavy fails of 

 Benin, 1'ontliook. and Monollldgewalk bad kept them from the lakes. 

 In lfel'2 they made their appearance In X'mbagog, and In 1S76 the lake 

 was full of them, and they were large and fat, and hundreds of pounds 

 were fished out, snmmer and winter, by the inhabitants about the lakes 

 and by pportsmen from all parts of the country, and still they Increased 

 rapidly, bo that, in 1877 the lake was fairly alive with them. Tiiis lake 

 Is a shallow lake, with muddy and grassy shores over a great part of it, 

 and chubs and shiners and suckers abounded throughout tho lake, as 

 well as frogs by the million— making in the spring of the year such a 

 aoueaking, croaking and roaring that thsy were familiarly called the 

 ymbagpg lijuti— so forming the best possible feedlng-gronnd for pick- 

 erel. But in the spring of 187T an unknown mortality had seized (he 

 flah, and the shores were lined with dead pickerel of all sizes, from 

 eight or ten pounds down. The flsh appeared to be In splendid condi- 

 tion, so they did not starve to death, and no known, cause can be sur- 

 :. The present winter lalte fishermen have told me that the Ice on 

 a great part of the lower end of the lake Is frozen to the bottom, or that 

 the weight of anow on the lake has crushed the lco on to the ground, 

 and we wait impatiently the breaking up of the ice to ace if we have 

 not found out the mystery of the dead pickerel of 1677. We very much 

 f( ar that mis is not the end of this pickerel business, for the ceok at 

 I ne Angler's Retreat told me that they had oaught a pickerel about one 

 ;innnd weight at the foot of Mollychunkemnnk, next above Umbagog. 

 if 30, how long before the whele range, from TJmbagog to Bangeley, 

 will be ruled with these flah 7 ,T. Qt. ijion. 



A PLEA FOR POOR FISHERMEN. 



Emtoe Forest and Stream : 



Would It not be well to pass a law regulating the size or weight of 

 all flsh that may he caught on a rod and line, that may be exposed for 

 sale on flsh stands in any city or town of the State. In passing through 

 Fulton Market the other day I noticed a large number of very small 

 pickerel and striped bass, many that would not weigh more than a few 

 ounces. At this rate where are we to get our large flsh in a few years 1 

 Certainly If we catch all the young of any species it must, as a natural 

 sequence, rapidly die out. Of what use are close seasons and laws 

 regulating the months In which certain fish may be caught if. during 

 those months, the size or the weight be not taken into account ? If ash 

 are not allowed to livelong enough to spawn it becomeB only a question 

 of time when tuere will be one continuous close season, aa far as the 

 catch 19 concerned. 



It is not so many years ago when a poor man conld get quite a mess 

 of fish from the docks of Now York city with a drop line ; but 

 now, only those who have fine tackle and can afford the luxury of a 

 boat can hope to do much fishing ; and even with those advantages in 

 their favor, they are much more likely to go home with an empty basket 

 than a good string of flsh. I would include the fresh water flsh with 

 the salt, as the rule holds good to the poor fisherman in tho eity or 

 country. 



Now, Mr. .Editor, while salmon and trontj are being protected and 

 propagated for the pleasure of the rich man, how much more necessary 

 that the aotna.1 food fishes Of the poor be protected by suitable lawB so 

 that in a few years flsh may be plenty, and In a stagnant season of 

 trade the poor man may be able to provide food for his family by re- 

 sorting to the nearest pier in his vicinity. Stop all sales of striped 

 bass-babic? and fishing through the ice, and regulate the weight and 

 size at which all kinds of flsh may be exposed for sale, prosecuting 

 offenders vigorously, and In a few years there will be a handsome In- 

 crease in the yield that will pay all round. W. E, H. 



%nm$ §ng mid §um 



GAME IN SEASON IN APRIL. 

 Wild ducks, geeso, brant, eto. 



Bbookltn Gun Clot.— A month ago, or more, Mr Chas. 

 Hallock, the editor of Fobest and Stream was made an 

 honorary member of this estimable club of gentlemen. In 

 acknowledging the courtesy at the time this paper inadver- 

 tently substituted the name of the Long Island Gun Club, an 

 equally worthy organization ; but it was only a day or two 

 since that our attention was called to tho error by Dr. Aten, 

 the President of the Brooklyn Gun Club, and we hasten with 

 reasonable alacrity to make the correction, and get from be- 

 tween the two fires. 



No Pigeon Shooting in Massachusetts. — Massachusetts 

 legislators, at the instigation of the Society for the Preven- 

 tion of Cruelty to Animals, has passed a law prohibiting 

 shouting pigeons at the trap. The difference in degrees of 

 cruelty between shooting a bird which flies up from the trap 

 and shooting a bird which flies up from a copse is so slight 



jf ( indeed, it exists at all— that we may soon expect another 



law prohibiting all shooting of game. Then the S. P. C. A. 

 will turn its attention to the suffering Walnut Hillrifle targets. 



A Magnificent Prize for- the-Statb Sitoot.— Messrs. 

 Tathara & Bros, offer a French marble clock "black and 

 rose " with a first quality visible escapement movement, sur- 

 mounted by a group of game in bronze, and accompanied by 

 a pair of bronze side pieces about 16 inches high, representing 

 Bportsmen with their dogs, guns, and accoutrements, at work 

 in the field. These three valuable pieces were imported by 

 Taylor & Bro., 676 Broadway, and together constitute one of 

 the most artistic and appropriate prizes ever offered to our 

 large and rapidly growing State Association. The State Con- 

 vention, and Shoot occur in June (?), 



Camping Pabtt for the Rooky Mountains,— Those de- 

 siring to make a hunting excursion to the Rocky Mountains 

 have an opportunity of joining a company of experienced 

 tourists by addressing Mahlon Gore, Kansas City, Missouri. 



Maine— Colebrook, April 7. —The backbone of our winter 

 remains ini it feet iu the woods. Some deer 



have been killed near Dixville Notch, and the parties paid 

 the fine, evidently influenced by our Sheriff to make a liberal 

 donation to the.county funds. Edw, Nokton. 



Bivetiside Gun Clur— Topsham, Me., April 7.— At the 

 annual meeting on Thursday, April :.:, the following officers 

 were elected for the ensuing year: 0. M. Baker, Prea,; W. 

 A. Stinson, Sec'y ; C L. York, Treas. A, Q. Goud and Sam 

 Knight, Jr., together with the first named officers, constitute 

 the Executive Committee, being the same board of officers as 

 last year. The club is in good condition, and propose to have 

 a field day on the 17th inst. W. A. S., Sec'y. 



New HAMTBnmE — Nashua, April 12. — Ducks and geese 

 are quite numerous in the Merrimack. The new game law 

 prohibits duck shooting in the spring, and is rather unpopular 

 with some. Last week a gander was shot in the Merrimack, 

 which was said to weigh twenty pounds. Bluebirds, red- 

 breasts, blackbirds, and swallows have arrived, but find cold 

 comfort. Parties in adjoining towns are extensively engaged 

 in catching hawks ; two men in Hudson took in one day 

 eleven large hen-hawks ; in one week they trapped over fifty 

 of all sizes. There is a bounty of twenty cents per head on 

 them. They get a decoy hawk, tie him to a peg, and set 

 steel traps around and beyond him, and bait with meat. It 

 is the most successful way of catching hawks. The sports- 

 men had a lively time Past Day shooting at glass balls, Chase. 

 Burnham, Brigham and Whitrnarsh, of the club, proving 

 themselves excellent snap shots. Webb. 



Massachusetts — Salem, April 14. — Bitterns, purple 

 finches, swallows, geese, March hawks, fox-sparrows nu- 

 merous ; pigeons and sharp-shinned hawks along. Season very 

 late ; much snow yet left in places. One snipe shot last week : 

 woodcock about for some time ; rusty, crow, and red-wing 

 blackbirds very numerous in places. Snipe grounds in prime 

 order, but some frost yet ; ice makes nights, but hope soon 

 for better weather. Stevens, of West "Newbury, shot five 

 male hooded-mergansers last week. Mendow-larks about. 

 Miles River pretty wet ; Newburyport grounds fine for snipe. 



R. L. N. 



Connecticut— Clinton, April 12.— Quail have not wintered 

 well here; woodcock very plenty ; very few snipe have made 

 their appearance as yet. S. 



Hartford, April 9,— I shot two snipe yesterday, April 8, 

 which is as early a date as I have ever seen them in this 

 neighborhood. W. M. II. 



Nkw Xorjz—Eldred, Marcli 14.— Wild pigeons have ap- 

 peared in the grain stubble3. 



New Yoke State Shoot.— The prizes thus far secured for 

 the next tournament of the New York State Sportsmen's 

 Association are as follows : John A Nichols, Syracuse, gun, 

 value $250 ; W. A. Baker & Co., Syracuse, gun, value $350 : 

 Parker Bros., Meriden, Conn., gun, value $250; Forest and 

 Stream Publishing Co.. New York, badge, $150: Tatham & 

 Bros., shot, New York, marble clock with bronze ornaments, 

 $150; LeRoyShot Co., New York, lOOlbs. shot, 8100; Q, 

 .1. Hayden & Co., Rochester, easy chair, #65; J. H. Rush- 

 ton, Canton, N. Y,, sporting boat, $50: Buckingham &Per- 

 rie, Utica, N. Y., rod, $50 ; J. B. McHarg, Rome, N. Y., 

 rod, $50; TJ. M. Cartridge Co., Bridgeport, Conn,, cartridges 

 and wads, $25 ; James Ratcliif, Rochester, case of powder, 

 #30; Hazard Powder Co., James Palmer, Rochester, agent, 

 case of powder, $20; Dupont Powder Co., J. O. Robinson, 

 Buffalo, agent, case of powder, £20 ; W. U. Cruttcnden, Ca- 

 zenovia, N. Y., revolving glass ball trap, $15 ; A. H. Bogar- 

 dus, Elkhart, 111., glass balls and trap, $15 ; M. S. Hutchings, 

 Dover, N. H., pair of moccasius, $10; Batavia Manufactur- 

 ing Co., Batavia, 111., glass ball trap, $10; James Backus, 

 Rochester, N. Y., drinking cup, $10; John H. Mann, Syra- 

 cuse, half dozen trolling spoons. 



New Jersey— lied Bank, April 8.— Snipe are making their 

 appearance in small numbers. Wild. 



TiStntsSKB-T Ifyshvitb, April 11.— The snipe shooting is 

 about over. Mr. David McGarock and Captain Ben Hurd 

 went out after Reynard this week upon Mr. McGarock's 

 beautiful estate. They had a fine run. Col. W. H. Johnson 

 says his dogs are in the very finest condition, and that he runs 

 them about three times a week, almost always bringing home 

 a scalp and brush. j, D. H. 



Michigan— Detroit, Marc?/, 29. — Mr. J. H Oanniff, of De- 

 troit, arrived home yesterday from a three days' ducking trip 

 at St. Clair Flats. He bagged 78; Mr. A.C. Hobbs, Bridgeport, 

 Conn., in three days at the Flats bagged 65. He intended to 

 have stayed there a number of days, but unfortuioately met 

 with an accident by falling through the ice and injuring him- 

 self. ' ' My old friend Hobbs, how did you like your ducking?" 



DlilTID. 



Detroit, April 12.— Messrs. W. O. ColburnandE. H. Gill- 

 man returned home Saturday evening from two days' shoot- 

 ing near Rockwood, with 117 ducks. At a meeting of the 

 Lake St. Clair Fishing and Shooting Club, held last evening, 

 the following officers were elected for the ensuing year : Pres- 

 ident, William C. Colburn , First Vice-President, M. S. 

 Smith : I Second Vice-President, A. C. McGraw ; Secretary, 

 A. M. VanDuzer ; Treasurer, Jared A. Sexton : Board of Di- 

 rectors, A. McPherson, Thomas S. McGraw, E. O. Durfee, 

 Charles B. Hull, George L. Field, John M. Hinchman, 

 James L. Fisher 



Hapids City, April 11.— Hunting about gone k weather 

 getting warm, and no rain to raise river. D. J. \V. 



Illinois — Carthage, April 7. — The season for duck shooting 

 is now almost gone, although the close season does not begin 

 until May. The shooting in this vicinity for the past few 

 weeks has been very fair, and fully up to the average. Some 

 of our sportsmen have taken trips to the celebrated hunting 

 grounds of the Illinois River this season, with more or less 

 success. In a two dayB' hunt there lately Messrs. Ed. and 

 Alf. Cherrill and Jack Lee, of this city, secured over a hun- 

 dred ducks, aud about twenty or thirty geese and brant. They 

 were a week too late, however. The Wilson, or jack, snipe 

 have, arrived in good numbers, but are extremely wild. Quail 

 have suffered considerably from the late severe winter, hut 

 they are not all frozen yet by any means. Gay. 



Ohio — PainesnilUs, April 11. — Our duck shooting this spring 

 has been better than usual. I have made some good bags of 

 broadbills, but not a mallard. The law was cut the 1st, and we 

 have had more ducks here since that time than has been known 

 for some years. One of our sportsmen shot a Wilson snipe a 

 month ago ; none have been seen since, until yesterday, when 

 the same gentleman killed three. _, 



Indiana — Valparaiso, April 0. — Snipe shooting is now at 

 its best. This Kankakee region is e 



room for all, The Hardscrabble Club, consisting of H. H. 

 Shufeldt, Geor.ee A. Shufeldt, and Thomas Lynch, of Chicago, 

 and the Subscriber, have leased 320 acres of" the finest marsh 

 in this county. We have a neat club-house, with accommo- 

 dations for six. The duck shooting is excellent, and snipe 

 by the million. I believe our prospects for pinnated grouse 

 were never better, and enough quail have lived through to 

 give us a little of that sport. Our woodcock grounds are ex- 

 cellent ; none better west of Ohio. I often hear of the rarity 

 of Betters or pointers that excel on snipe. I liavo three set- 

 ters and two pointers that are hard to beat on snipe. Plunket-, 

 Jr. (Plunket ex-Kitty), which I recently bought of Dr. Gold- 

 smith, of Rutland, Vt, is an elegant snipe dog, and is as fine 

 on woodcock. I have also Mack, a two-year-old pointer ; 

 Dilly's Raoger-Queen, a remarkable good dog on snipe, and 

 not at all afraid of water. I recently purchased Chum, a 

 brother of Ranger, from S. M. Emery, of Lake City, Minn., 

 a most beautiful dog, twenty-eight months old. My kennel 

 now consists of imported Plunket and Palmerston, Jr., red 

 Irish; imported Rapp and Nell, Gordons; imported Carrie - 

 Laverack, Irish; Lady Plunket, Plunket, Jr., Blue Daisy II. 

 and three whelps, by champion Joe, Jr.-Minnie Hauk ; a'Vis- 

 count-Dolly pointer bitch, a perfect beauty; besid/ 

 fine cocker spaniels, six Chesapeake duck dog puppies, three 

 Lewellin puppies, and eight or ten more of various fancy 

 strains. Any Eastern sportsman journeying West will re- 

 ceive a hearty welcome, and will be given all the sport the 

 season permits. W. H. Holabird. 



Missouri — Scdalia, April 8. — Weather hero has been very 

 dry ; very few duck or snipe have as yet been seen or killed ; 

 plover are now coming in in great abundance. Occident. 



Rifle and Glass Balls. —The best way for a man to prove 

 that he can do a thing Is to do it. Some persons having 

 averred that Mr. Ira Painc's alleged feats with rifle and glass 

 balls were fraudulent, because charges of shot were used in- 

 stead of bullets, that gentleman last Saturday silenced his 

 critics by a performance whose conditions left no room for 

 suspicion of unfair play. Several gentlemen of the press, 

 having constituted themselves a committee, procured from 

 the Winchesters a supply of sealed ammunition, loaded the 

 rifles themselves, and scored the results. Among other things, 

 Mr. Paine broke with the shotgun 25 of 28 single balls thrown 

 by hand into the air. These balls were thrown by an expert, 

 with great force and in different directions. With the re- 

 peating rifle, shooting on time, 15 of 17 balls were broken in 

 30 seconds. In shooting at balls thrown at his head, tho 

 score was nearly a clean one. Of 14 balls, thrown two at a 

 time from the hand, 13 wcro broken, the first four pairs not 

 scoring a miss. The exhibition closed with the feat of put- 

 ting 17 balls into a barrel-head at 50 measured yards in 20 

 seconds. That is quick work — a feat of rapid firing we believe 

 unequaled. 



Monaco.— The closing event took place on March 26 and 

 27 under the title of the Grand Prix de Cloture, As this 

 prize is second in importance to the Grand Prix, won by Mr. 

 E. 8. G. Hopwood, we will only state at present that it has 

 also been carried off by tho same gentleman. The first, 

 second and fourth prizes were earned by the Dougal gun. 



An American Hahmebless Gun.— A correspondent writes 

 of the hammerless gun , made by D. Lefever (late Nichols <fc 

 Lefever), of Syracuse : 



The action of the gun is the same as tho Nichols & Le- 

 fever. The cocking of the locks is done by means of a lever 

 on the left side, the Eame as the side snap action, and by push.. 

 iag down on the lever both barrels are instantly ready for dis- 

 charging ; and by means of the same lever both locks, or one, 

 may be let down, thus doing away with the snapping, as is 

 necessary in the English method. Near the locks is a plate of 

 glass, through which one can look and see at a glance wheteer 

 one or both locks are ready for firing. 



The Batch of Questions Answered. — Enfield, N. C, 

 March 20. — Editor Fond and Stream: lam saving some 

 abler man's modesty by replying to Mr. Mclnturff's questions 

 in last number of Furkbt ajuj Stream, who asks: First 

 about size of shot. Says he has been using No. 1, that 

 F. and S. says No. 8 instead, and that he uses Nos. 2 and 1 

 for turkeys, and that F. and S. says No, 5. The gentleman's 

 ideas afo" apparently based upon the use of cylinder-bored 

 guns, and, applied to them, he is not far from right ioke- 

 boring, whether the barrel be " long or short, " controls the 

 pattern or spread of shot. It allows a large increase of the 

 powder charge without an increase of shot, thereby greatly 

 increasing the killing power of the Bhot; in other words, 

 giving penetration without a corresponding loss in pattern, as 

 would not be the ease were such charging applied to the 

 cylinder-bores. For instance, the 14-bore, 30-iu., of the 

 olden times, used 2J- drs. of powder and iy oz, Bhot, and to 

 make such charging effective on quail during the winter 

 months No. or at least No. 7 shot were necessary; but with 

 o modern bored gun of same w T eight and dimensions, with a 

 charge of 3-i drs. powder and 1 oz. No. 9 or 8 shot there would 

 be as much killing power, with a great advantage in the in- 

 creased number of pellets. Second, Length of Barrels — 

 Should be sufficient for the consumption of a proper charge of 

 powder, as far as permits an easy balance of the gun. Any 

 greater length not only makes the gun difficult to handle, but 

 is attended with so much friction as to impair penetration. 

 It seems to us that the gunmakers have it down very fine in 

 28 to 32 inches. Third,' Size of Bore — We think a 10-bore 

 of corresponding weight and charge more effectivo on large 

 game, because it carries a larger charge than a smaller gun, 

 and will probably make better pattern and penetration with 

 large shot. Fourth, Choked Muzzle-Loaders— Use an elastic 

 wad, a size or two larger than the muzzle, inconveniently, of 

 course. If halt your shooting is deer, turkeys, or ducks and 

 grouse, buy a 9 lb. 80-in. No. 10 choke-bored breech-loader 

 from a good maker, load it according to directions you will 

 find in " Hallock's Sportsman's Gazetteer" If more than 

 half small game, let it be 8-lb., 12-bore, 30-in. Hold cor- 

 rectly, and when you miss blame yourself. E. S. H. 



Cool Spring, N C. , April 7, 1879. 

 Edieoe Fobest and Stbeam : 



In your issue of 27th March, under tho heading of "A 

 Batch of Questions," is a communication from Mr. Jos 13. 

 Mclnturff, who seeks information on size of shot, length 

 of barrel of gun and size of bore best adapted for shooting 

 large game at long distances, as well as for general use. 

 Though not a " veteran " in years, still my experience may 

 be good for something, and, such as it is, he shall havejl 

 with your permision. 



