46 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[AtotoSt ! 



Is this Crrv. — The strike in this city was the topic of 

 excited conversation on the street, in the hotels, and on the 

 bridge, The Herald issued an extra, with one of its Egyp- 

 tian war maps, showing the respective locations of the 

 President, the fish and Mr. Vest. The Tribune building 

 was mobbed by an excited throng of laborers, seemingly 

 under the impression that, the President had joined the 

 Brotherhood of Telegraphers; a nozzle was turned on from 

 the tower, winch dispersed the mob. The Sttn strongly 

 condemned the act, and in a double leaded editorial said 

 thai the President should strike something richer than a 

 trout or else go back to Washington. The Keening Post 

 Thought that the strike might have an inimical effect upon 

 oUr Egyptian relations. The World refused to credit the 

 pefiOTt, expressing the opinion that it was a canard gotten 

 up Tor stock-Jobbing purposes. The Commercial Advertiser 

 called for a special meeting of Congress, but the Timet-, in a 

 three-column editorial, ridiculed tins proposition, saying that 

 the hour demanded actions, not words, and urgimr that the 

 Navy he directed to sail up Dinwiddie Creek. Puck issued 

 a cartoon exposing the political bearing of the event and 

 slurring the London Pinie/i. All the daily papers sent 

 representatives to the Forest and Stream office for 

 information about the Wyoming trout, and an opinion 

 WS to the probable result of the tussle. After the news 

 of the capture a salute was being fired from the war 

 ships in the harbor, when a report was received that 

 the President had fallen into Dinwiddie Creek; the con- 

 tradiction came just in time to prevent a general panic. 

 When the news or the President's success was received the 

 whole cil v repaired to Coney Island, where the. wildest rev- 

 elry prevailed until the dawn of the following morning. 



LATER. 



Jawbone, Aug. 12.— A runner has just come iu who re- 

 ports that the supposed trout is only a mud-turtle. Public 

 opinion is divided on the subject. 



Smithsonian Tnstiti tion, Aug. 18. — To Forest and 

 stream: We have been unable to decide whether it was a 

 tiitloc/riliis pisrrinetnm or a Spondvlaraefpseratelupakiy which 

 the President caught. Both species abound in thai locality 

 but the descriptions are too meagre to decide. JTo ichlhy- 

 I ' with the party, but a professor and sixteen students 

 have left for the scene of operations. 



?*«?* $*8 Mid 1B nt \- 



GAME RESORTS.— We are always glad to receive for pub- 

 lication such notes of desirable game resorts as may be of help 

 to the readers of FoaEST and Stream. Will not our corre- 

 spondents favor us with such advice: J 



To insure prompt attention, communications should be ad- 

 dressed to the Forest and Stream Publishing Co., and not to 



indieiduals.in whose absence from the office matters of -' 



parlance are liable to delay. 



THE OUTLOOK IN KENTUCKY. 



r PHE Fokest and Stream's emergence from the age of 

 X bodies and knee-breeches to the dignified period of 

 trousers and coats with sure-enough pockets, together with 

 the coincident drowning of an exemplary church member, 

 "as the world wags, ""while destroying fish with dynamite 

 in the best bass stream of Central Kentucky, is suggestive -;f 

 the caption, and offers a text for a little sermon i 'lug on 

 times and customs demanding the incisive sty!,:, of a veteran 

 "Nessmuk." 



If I have a mission, it is wrestling with a hoe-handle 

 rather than a pencil, s::d sermonizing would be an absurd at- 

 tempt. The indifference and silence of Kentucky sportsmen 

 who owe it to their game law, the guild and themselves to 

 scathingly anathematize the vandalism which steadily de- 

 pletes what even partial protection would soon develop into 

 rich game supplies, induce this wail and remonstrance. 



Local papers announced the death by drowning, while fish- 

 ing, of the unfortunate gentleman, well known to most of 

 their readers, and scintillated with that obituary fulsome- 

 neas of detailed excellencies and tearful condolences with 

 bereft relatives and friends which even the admirers of a 

 Coal Oil Johnny have come to expect from a paid-up sub- 

 scription. The obituary services and large concourse which 

 at i ended the burial attest the esteem in which the unfortu- 

 nate was popularly held, and insured silence from the press 

 as to the "way of transgressors." But that one organ in- 

 geniously woveinto its '•tribute" the mode of As .ing, with- 

 out comment, its illegitimacy would not have publicly 

 transpired. Policy is a trump, aye, the biggest in the pack. 



Thirl v. even twenty years ago, scores of deer were killed 

 annually in this county", and the abundance of turkeys and 

 smaller' game wen' rarely noticed by the old hunters. I 

 kuow oue old veteran whose winter's score was once as high 

 as forty, and there were others as successful as he. A class- 

 mate at the town academy paid a term's tuition and board 

 with a season's sale of pelts and hams, when the largest 

 tanned buckskin sold for $1.25, and a saddle of venison for 

 less. The dogs occasionally brought a deer within sight of 

 town, and a few inches of snow insured sled-loads of veni- 

 son from the surrounding country. A mail-bag full of 

 large buffalo cattish and redhorse was often brought to 

 market on horseback by a successful trapper or nelier, and 

 retailed at 1 to 5 cents per pound. Frequently, fish so large 

 that they were taken to the town spring, dressed and sold iu 

 cuts to suit purchasers, the same as beef. "What a change, 

 my countrymen!" Now a doe or two and fawns are found 

 here and there, turkeys at long distances, and partridges 

 and squirrels are the principal game where deer, bear and 

 turkeys were common twenty and thirty years since. The 

 big fish are so rare that one of ten pounds is a whale. These 

 facts are partly referable to the extension of clearings and 

 "settlements," but mainly due to that irresistible trout-hog- 

 impulse to bag everything which is not under the protection 

 of individual'ownership. A journey of twenty to thirty 

 miles is required to reach grounds where deer are to be 

 found in numbers, but the residents regard the visits of 

 strangers as encroachments, and if employed to drive, that 

 party possibly gets a taste of venison in camp. 



tl; 



Nearly ten years 

 railed to the extet 

 pplieationofv 

 ties exempted. 



here enforced. 



lamor for game protection pre- 

 t of a practically inoperative law, from 

 ,'hich many aspiring Solons(V) had their 



s far as was possible, by the. few whose 

 temerity led them to brave the probable' bushwhacking of 

 prosecuted violators, the benefits were so apparent after two 

 years thai a hope was fostered that the streams woidd soon 

 iibouud with fish, and small game increase till. good shooting 



would no longer be local. But the retrograde was inevi- 

 table. Quail nets were carried about without effort at con- 

 cealment, seines and trammel nets procured, and even 

 private ponds drawn at night by young and middle-aged men 

 of wealth, culture and official positions, who would indig- 

 nantly resent as grossest insults even insinuations of infrac- 

 tions of conventional proprieties, insignificant iu comparison 

 with such reckless and defiant violation of a statutory law. 

 The law was so amended as to make it a duty of grand 

 juries to ascertain and indict violiters, but never a case, 

 made out yet. I know men — fair wing-shots and skillful 

 anglers — in yvhom the trout-hog principle prevails to 

 such extent that to swell a bag or creel they will not hesitate 

 to pot a bevy on the ground, or resort to trap, net, spear or 

 dynamite. On the other hand I kuow some who would 

 spurn a bird not shot on the wing, or a fish not taken with 

 rod and line. 



By the way, isn't the trout-hog element dominant iu most 

 of us? How many of us who don't rush for front seats iu 

 the parquet, can conscientiously declare we quit shootingfrom 

 disinclination to make a larger bag, or reeled up line and 

 quit fishing before the bait gave out if the fish were biting 

 freely? I cry peeraci. I confess that I was never surfeited. 

 Iu season 1 think my gun my favorite; again I know (?) 

 that my rods and reels are* However, my bags of game 

 and strings of fish have never been so immense that 1 could 

 not conveniently and cheerfully distribute the surplus among 

 relatives and friends. Forty or fifty quails, and as many 

 pounds of (ish are my outside figures. Please add paren- 

 thetically for me that I'm not thanking God that I'm not 

 like other men. I tell my boys that good precepts ate proper 

 teaching; do as I tell you, not as you see me do. 



Sportsmen (?) who "are counted good, if not exemplary 

 citizens, reputable, respected, some of accomplishments anil 

 wealth which render them conspicuous, violate the game 

 laws through a spirit of reckless, unadulterated cussedness, 

 evincing a moral deficiency approximating that which shud- 

 ders in contemplation of petty larceny, forgery, or ordinary 

 swindling, but regards as pardonable the robbery of a cor- 

 poration. 



Our game law is virtually a dead letter. Where it applies 

 game is wautonly slaughtered illegally in and out of season, 

 and fish are caught by forbidden processes. From trap, 

 seine and fish-berries we have progressed to the successful 

 use of dynamite cartridges, and from snare, net and rifle we 

 have advanced to the dog and breech-loading shotgun iu 

 potting tbe birds. 



Whence can we hope for a remedy? If the press is to be 

 credited the average legislator is an ass who strives to please 

 all his constituents as a bid for continuance in office, and 

 the average sportsman (?) is a murderer of the auriferous 

 goose. 



Too few of our papers are outspoken in condemnation of 

 crying evils; there are some most admirable exceptions, but 

 of only local influence, and unless, under the training of 

 Forest ano Stream, clubs are raised, laws enacted, game 

 wardens employed and violations punished, and punished 

 severely, sport in Kentucky will soou be one of the traditions. 

 Had I essayed a sermon, a'doze.n heads are suggested and the 

 subdivisions so numerous that a brief elaboration of each 

 would furnish copy of frightful volume. Continue the good 

 work of prodding the 'vthargle nuu Baying malefactors. 

 Your uncinate ...mtlenination of impostors and imposi- 

 tions, in .Actually and collectively, and your zealous maiu- 

 ten ,uce of right and advocacy of the best should cause your 

 paper to grow in grace with its thousands of readers," and 

 redound to the glory of its staff in effecting the propagation 

 anil protection of game, which would insure an early sup- 

 ply commensurate with tbe rapidly increasing numbers of 

 gentlemen sportsmen. 



Let us drink Rip's toast standing. Kenti xkian. 



AeousTt, 18.83. 



YELLOWSTONE PARK PRICES. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I saw in your last issue the article on the prices published 

 by the Yellowstone Hotel Company, and having just re- 

 turned from a month's visit to the Park (it being my third 

 trip) with a party of friends, I give you below some idea of 

 the expenses incurred by our party, and also send a card of 

 the guides with whom" I have made all three trips. The 

 first one was up Yellowstone Valley to Park, the second up 

 the West Gallatin to Park, and this time up the Yellowstone 

 to Park, and from Tower Falls up East Fork to Hoodoo 

 Mountain and back again to Mammoth Springs, and I be- 

 lieve that through their guidance 1 have seen all of the lead- 

 ing points of that most wonderful country. 



Our party consisted of the following gentlemen: Dr. 

 W. H. II. "King, Jos. T. King, John Chambers, D. C. Mc- 

 Coy, all of Jacksonville, 111.. Mark Kalm, Mattoon, 111., and 

 myself. 



We paid per day.. 



[Six saddle horses — ,,. ... 



Six pack horses 



\ One Kiride an H, horse j 50 [ • 



Oue packer & horse j po f - 



$2-1 00 



The guides furnished an abundance of everything 

 in the way of tents, blankets, and cooking utensils, 

 etc., etc., and we provided nothing hut the grub. Our 

 bill for the same amounted to $86.00 for the trip, and if 

 there was anything left, out iu that line it was not 

 discovered, as "surely some one of us would have men- 

 tioned it. We provided nothing except for our own 

 personal wants and comfort, such as gum coats and 

 oum blankets, guns, rods, etc., etc., and we had abundant 

 use for the hitter, as the streams are literally alive with 

 trout, one of the party catching 47 lbs. iu two and a halt 

 hours, some weighing as much as three pounds. I am cer- 

 tain that no hotel could persuade me from such meals as we 

 had during our trip. 



A pack outfit is decidedly the most pleasant and independ- 

 ent way 10 travel through that country, as you are then 

 not confined to roads or trails, but are free to go in any 

 direction. T have heretofore started from Bozernan, believ- 

 ing 1 could outfit better there, having larger stocks of pro- 

 visions to select from, but now that the railroad is, or soon 

 will be, done to Gardiner, you could ship the provisions 

 from Bozernan or Livingston, and have the packers meet you 

 at. Gardiner, the terminus of railroad, and take the saddle 

 from that point. Should any one forget to provide anything 

 in the fishing or hunting line, they wdl find everything de- 

 sirable in that way at Walter Cooper's armory in Bozernan. 



To sum up a party of six with same outfit: 



Total for party ,, SKrtc.eO 



Total for each one (tiiu).... 1:11:1:! 



Total for each one (per day) +, 1; 



Making, as you see, about $450 per day. for everything 

 that is desirable to make the trip, with nothing to wish for, 

 except that you may have the time and opportunity 10 return 

 again in the same way. It. A. C. 



Philadelphia, Pa., Aug. S, 1883. 



PRAIRIE CHICKEN GROUNDS. 



IF your correspondent "G. H. T." will go a little further 

 than Iowa; just run on to Yankton. Dak., rind thence to 

 Cboteau Greek.' about seventy miles further up the Mis- 

 souri, and ask for Frank Trurnbo, he will probably be put 

 on the track of as tine prairie-chicken shooting as the Wesi ■ 

 ern States can afford. 



Trumbo owns a nice farm and cattle ranch on fchi jjordei 

 of the Yankton Sioux reservation, and I know whereof I 

 speak when 1 say that more, chickens can be found along the 

 verdant vales and on the hillside of that fertile section ilon 

 in any part, of the West ever bunted over by me. In the 

 summer (August 18) of '79, Frank and I started from his 

 ranch to go overto the ageucy, about fifteen miles, and tak- 

 ing our guns and dogs with" us, we drove over the most 

 direct route, only stopping to shoot when the dogs pointed a 

 covey, not having time to trouble with scattered birds, and 

 we shot none but flying birds, and when on reaching the 

 agency we counted our game, we found that we had bagged 

 fifty-two, reaching our destination about 12 o'clock M. We 

 must have flushed as many as twenty full coveys. Leaving 

 Dakota soon thereafter, I have not since had the pleasure of 

 such shooting. By writing to Frank Trumbo, Ollpteail 

 Creek P. 0.,"Dak. Ter., you can soon ascertain whether the 

 game is still plenty. A. IT. K. 



If "G. H. T.,"of Philadelphia, wiil write to me, lean 

 give biiu the. information he wants in regard to prairie 

 chicken shooting. Plenty of young birds here, but are 

 rather late. Mallards and teal ducks hatched well, and are 

 numerous in the ponds and sloughs. H. A. Clock. 



Latimer, Iowa, Aug. S. 



[See also note in another column from Storm Lake, la.] 



Iowa.— Storm Lake, Aug. 8.— Prairie chicken-, 

 to be plenty here this year; which cannot be said for the 1 wo 

 preceding years. Quail are in pretty fair numbers, but for 

 some reason do nut stand well to dogs. Ducks and geese 

 will be plenty this fall, as they always are here. 1 imvo 

 noticed the young of the wood-duck, the mallard, blue- 

 winged teal and coot, nearly all of which were Hedged and 

 good flyers. There are four or five species of the tern 1 im 



fly on the lake, among which 1 have recognized the • 01 



aiid black terns. The upland plover is very plenty hen', and 

 by -walking over thest ubble or meadows a pretty fair bag may 

 be obtained. The bald eagle may be seen here occasionally, 

 and white owls in winter. The song of the meadow lark if, 

 very different here from what it is in the East, making me 

 think that it is a very different variety. — Scnooi.r.oY. 



Sibley, Osceola Co.. la.— The sportsmen ot this section 



have founded a branch of the State Sportsmen's Associi H, 



under the name of the Osceola County Sportsmen's A*socia 

 tion; the secretary is Morris Wygant. We me hjippvtO 

 state that since its foundation no illegal shooting lias taken 

 place, and this in a section of the country where heretofore 

 the .came laws were a dead letter. Game prospects: , 

 prairie chicken will be nearly lull grown by the 16th, and 

 an unusual number of duck's and geese have bred in the 

 small sloughs and lakes hereabout.— Yekax. 



Tire "Centdhy" Engravings.— Editor Forest and Shram: 

 I agree entirely with "S." in saying, in his nolo on ''The 

 Century Illustrations," in your 'issue of Aug. !l: "Neither 

 of the birds shown unpaged has the cenuitie quail (termed 

 by Mayer partridge) presence, etc." Let "S." clean his 

 glasses and read again the legend under the engraving. It 

 is as follows : ' 'Partridges (Ferdi.r ciuerra) Male and Female." 

 Prrdir riuerta, as all know, is the common European gray 

 partridge, which affords such sport on the preserves 01 

 England. The illustration represents them with remark- 

 able fidelity, as any one will testify who has seen these birds: 

 and this drawing of them is one of the very best of tied ex- 

 cellent artist. Mr, James C. Beard. If "S." will look on 

 page 487 of the. number of the Venh'rtj to which he refers, 

 he will see thoiusigiiifieant, vulgar-looking "quail," on which 

 our noble Bob White is looking with supreme Juaiteur, dis- 

 claiming all relationship/vith the "polygamous, pugnacious, 

 selfish little Arab," as Mayer well calls him. ' Tf belies both 

 the appearance and character of Bob White to call him 

 after such a mean-looking, disreputable biSd ne theEuropeau 

 quail."— T. 



"Wild Rice.— Janesville, Wis.. Aug. 7.- ' 

 Stream: I notice several of your correspondents have com 

 plained that wild rice they had planted hail failed to grow. 

 From my own experience I believe that the failure to grow 

 was because the rice had been gathered tOO Jong hel'orr- il 

 was planted, and had become too dry. The tendency of Un- 

 seed is to crack when it becomes very dry, and oi 

 then becomes worthless. I shall leave soon for the wild rice 

 fields of Minnesota, where I shall personally superintend the 

 gathering of this year's crop. Please say to yont 

 tha; if ther will sr-nd me thgir wild riet rrdiiv tor LS88, .:n 

 mediately," I will fill them direct from the fields, so that they 

 can plant within a few davs of the time Ihe seed is gathered, 



and thus insure success. Letters addressed 1 Will ft? 



promptly forwarded to me.— Richard Y alf.ntink. 



Idabo Big Game— Boise City. Idaho, Aug. 6.— Upon the 

 South Boise is a famous place for hunting and fishing. 1 



have had my experience with an engineer corps 



there. I could direct any bunting or fishing excursions to 



come out here for game. Come to Shoshone by rail 



Oregon Short Line, thence by stage to Boise, and from here 

 go by private conveyance. — J M. TL 



Vermont — Highgate. Aug. 10.— The game prospects 

 are good in this vicinity. Ruffed grouse and woodcock arc 

 breeding in fair numbers, and at the MissisquOl marshes, 

 large numbers of young ducks are being daily seen by the 

 fishermen. -Stanstead.' P. S.— Allow me to add my mite 

 to the generous praise receiving and justly deserved i rou. yam 

 correspondents and admirers. — S. 



