184 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



I Oct. 4, 1S83. 



your movements, and where chance is no unimportant fac- 

 tor, and alter weighing all these points you will agree with 

 me that there is no sport in which the hunter's skill will un- 

 dergo so severe an examination, which, after all, is the only 

 life and juici of sport. 



Often, in the early fall, you will come home a disappointed 

 man after having roamed about the woods to get a glimpse 

 at deer, with no track to keep your spirits up and fill your heart 

 with constant hope. You car/only trust to luck, that, perhaps, 

 may let you stumble upon a deer and give you a snap shot, 

 although after the leaves are fallen this sport otters a large 

 field to the hunter who knows the ground well. Paddle 

 your canoe in hopes to see a drer in the water, and many a 

 day you will have to admit that nothing has happened" to 

 give "you excitement, and if you kill a deer could you feel 

 proud '! Call moose in ever so many nights, it is but chance 

 that will make your call heard, and after it is answered and 

 blind passion places the moose before the muzzle of your 

 rifle, is it not owing to chance that he happened to come 

 toward you under the wind? You can't but call, lie motion- 

 less, and trust the rest to luck. Eun down a deer in the 

 deep snow, and what many might call success ought to be a 

 sore disappointment to them. There is no sport where the 

 game that you pursue has so fair a chance of escape by an 

 equally fair chance for your success as in stalking deer in 

 light snow, his track once" found. 



Finally, as to the objection so often made that the woods 

 in winter are a dreary' place to go to, 1 can't conceive of a 

 more glorious sight, of a picture at once so attractive and 

 lovely as dense woods wrapped in their winter mantel. 

 Peace and harmony reside here if at all to be found. It 

 must be an ordinary mind indeed that once visited these 

 woods in winter and found it lonely in the midst of all the 

 old giants that bend their majestic heads under their snowy 

 weitrht toward you and hold their limbs over you as if to 

 protect you; snd a burren soul that found it dreary sur- 

 rounded' by such a world. Where can you find a" place 

 more adapted to shake off the cares of your daily lile, or 

 where a spot where a contented heart can be more joyous? 

 In company or alone how could you feel lonely with all that 

 nature's society can furnish around you. The' poet has, in a 

 few words, expressed what I could not say in pages, and say 

 as much; 



There is a pleasure in the pathless woods. 

 There is n rapture on the lonely shore, 

 There ts society where cone intrudes: 

 I love not man the less, hul nature more. 



N. 



LARGE GAME IN THE SOUTHWEST. 



I NOTICE that the different correspondence in regard to 

 the destruction of large game is confined chiefly to our 

 middle and northern Territories, while nothing is said of 

 our southern country, where the extermination has been go- 

 ing on to a very large extent more so probably than Eastern 

 or Northern pe'ople are aware of. 



I have for four years lived on the western border of the 

 settlement of Texas, and during that time have hunted from 

 Fort Worth west to the Staked Plains, alomr the vicinity of 

 where now runs the T. and P. R. R., and perhaps I am as 

 well acquainted -with game in that locality of Texas as any 

 man. 1 moved from this place (Carthago in 187b', into the 

 extreme western settlement, and during lWTGand 1377 West- 

 ern Texas got a very large emigration, and all were anxious 

 '■: as far wesfas they dare to. on account of the 

 hostile Indians. The demand for provisions (meat especially) 

 was very great, and the settlers being of a venturesome 

 character, resorted to the ride to procure their meat, and 

 ventured further west than was safe, and many of them lost 

 their teams by the Comanche and kiway Indians. In 1877, 

 buffalo skinners came in mostly from the North, and estab- 

 lished their headquarters on the border of the Plains, and 

 about Double Mountains, and along the Clear Fork of the 

 Brazos and other tributaries. A wholesale slaughter of buf- 

 falo commenced, and in some particular localities deer were 

 slaughtered for {he hides. One company killed over a hun- 

 dred deer and left the carcasses lying where they were killed. 

 I was in a buffalo-skinner's camp/ The party consisted of 

 the owner of the camp (from Kansas), and from two to four 

 hired hands. They bad a yoke of oxen, one span of mules 

 and two ponies for the "bo"ss" to ride each every second day. 

 He carried a large Sharps sporting rifle, 14-pounder. and 

 two belts of cartridges about his waist. He did all the 

 shooting ot nearly all; the other men were employed as 

 skinners. They drove the team and followed the sound of 

 the- rille; skinned the buffalo, took nothing but the hides, and 

 left the touane and meat to decay on the ground. The team 

 would be out all day and return 'at night. The camp, fifty 



consisted of poles set up in shape of an initial V, 

 with hides attached to the sides, making it very warm and 

 comfortable. The yard consisted of about five acres of flat, 

 gra&sj land, on which the hides were staked to the ground 



Tin- bide is -taked as long as possible, and the 

 flanks and edge are drawn out to make the hide square. 



left in that condition until they are dry, and then 

 e over the other until they are removed to market. 

 It lakes thirty-six stakes to stretch one hide in good shape. 

 The 'bos," told me he had fifteen hundred hides in the yard; 

 and from the numerous piles scattered about 1 could not dis- 

 pute him. He said he had shot forty-seven buffaloes from 

 one stand; and told me of the stand, and I counted the car- 

 casses and found that number. I have seen days that it was 

 very disagreeable traveling over that country on account of 

 the stenchfrom the decaying carcasses of buffalo slain for 

 the hides. This camp was not the only one in that country; 

 thev were so numerous that each camp would claim a cer- 

 tain territory to shoot on, and one camp would not encroach 

 upon the other. Four and six mule teams were kepi con- 

 stantly drawing large loads to Fort Worth, that being then 

 the terminus of the railroad- Large piles of hides were 

 stacked about I be depot awaiting a rise in prices. At this 

 time prices in the skinner's yard ranged from $1.25 to $1.7o. 

 .Soon after those camps "were known to have been estab- 

 lished parties commenced coming from all settled portions 

 for meat, and would assist the expert skinner lor the purpose 

 of getting the meat, and many a pony-team I have seen with 

 roj One trudging along with a broken skillet and an oys- 

 ter can for a coffee pot, "gwaug" for meat; many thousands 

 of pounds I have seen after it iiad been around several days 

 thrown Out by the side of the road on account of spoiling 

 for the want of salt. 



t1 lera of thai country were pleased with the idea of 



killing of the buffalo for the purpose of starying the Indians 



on to the reservation. They claim that an Indian cannot live 



the buffalo Is gone, and the result will be they must 



m the reservations, and property will be more gecttre 



from Indian depredation. I see no way that game can be 

 protected in that country, for the reason' that the country is 

 very sparsely settled, and the settlement is chiefly ranchmen, 

 who care but little about protecting the buffalo. The coun- 

 try must undergo a great change" before a law prohibiting 

 the killing of buffalo can be enforced. P. M. B. 



Carthage. Mo. 



THE SIZES OF SHOT. 

 Editor Hhretit and Stream: 



In consequence of my extended acquaintance among 

 sportsmen, and being often an acknowledged authority among 

 them on the subject of my communication, I am frequently 

 asked questions, the answering of which becomes monoton- 

 ous. I therefore send you this communication hoping that 

 it will prove interesting to many of your readers, and relieve 

 me from answering the same question over and over. A 

 sportsman in Connecticut recently asked "Why his gun put 

 more pellets in a thirty-inch circle than should have been in 

 the whole load, according to the pellet list issued by the 

 makers of the shot used?" Another query, the hardest 'of all 

 to answer, "Why has one of the shot makers recently 

 issued a new pellet list, changing the count of pellets, yet 

 keeping the scale of diameters the same? 1 'Was the old 

 list wrong, and if so why was it extensively advertised dur- 

 ing the last nine years as the only true standard?" "lias 

 the specific gravity of lead changed?" "Has the atmospheric 

 pressure changed ?" "Do certain mechanical laws affect differ- 

 ent sizes differently, or are their effects different at different 

 times?" I confess" that I cannot answer these difficult con- 

 undrums in a perfectly satisfactory maimer to myself, ex- 

 cept by deduction. I therefore give the basis of these deduc- 

 tions, as a kind of supplement to my article on "Guns, Pow- 

 der and Shot" published in your paper of Dec. 9. 1880. 



At the New York State Sportsmen's Convention at Buffalo 

 in June. 1873, a standard of sizes was adopted, with the 

 view of inducing all manufacturers to make and number 

 their shot by the same scale, so that sportsmen might obtain 

 the same size by calling for a certain number, anywhere in 

 the United States. Please notice (hat to make the size to 

 conform to the standard, is more important than the brand 

 put upon the bag. 



There was but one manufacturer of shot repp 

 that convention, and he evidently presnted a " hastily pre- 

 pared scale of diameters arul list of number of pellets to 

 ounce. The scale of diameters was admirable, but the pellet 

 list was simply ridiculous, as one could not be made to agree 

 with the other. The scale and list, as presented to the con- 

 vention were; 



Diameter, inch , . 



f¥.t 



•r\f,v 



tVu 



-,% 



•io7r 







- at pellets 



Increase on each 





TTTT 

 34 



TTT 



a; 



3 



TT 

 3-2 

 5 



T 

 38 

 6 



BBB 

 41 

 6 



B] 



19 

 5 



B 



58 

 !l 











Diameter, inch 



itt 



.,.',- 





V^ 



i 





rtt 



lumbers 



i 



«: 

 11 



'3 

 83 



13 



3 

 98 

 16 



4 

 181 



£3 



i 



5 

 IS 



5 





Number of pellets to 



300 



Inerenseon eoehstze 



43 





Iiiametrr. inch 



/., 





" 



rk 



7 





rib 





27S 



on 



s 



u 







9 



1 



l 

 S3 



12 



Number of pellets to 

 Increase on eaelisize 



56 

 183 





8 

 S 



32 



IS 



m 



It will be seen that instead of regular and uniform increase 

 of numbers of pellet! on corresponding to tie reg- 



ular decrease of size shown by the scale of diameters, there 

 was a reckless disregaul of ail rule and mathematical accu- 

 racy in fixing the number of pellets to the ounce, showing 

 that the tesultwas obtained either by guessing or by count- 

 ing very badly steed shut, which could not have been the re- 

 quired 'diameter,-. The committee which adopted this stand- 

 ard undoubtedly saw at once the excellence of the proposed 

 scale of diameters, but not being able to go into the intricate- 

 calculation necessary to verify the count given, and not 

 having the facilities requisite for measuring the shot aecu- 

 tatelv, Were led into the mistake of swallowing the whole 

 animal, skin, horns and all. Although the resolution adopt- 

 ing the standard was passed June 11, the scale of sizes to 

 which thev wished all manufacturers to conform was not 

 sent to some of tie- leading manufacturers of shot until July 

 7, after it had been written for, thus enabling the one maker 

 presenl at the convention l»extensiv«ly advertise the report 

 of the committe as a recommendation of their shot. Upon 

 receiving the report, one of the prominent manufacture! in 

 New York at o.'ce made iire-'i .....-•- ,,,■ 



them of the correctness of the stand;. id. and imp. 

 tected its imperfections. They then infonm icorht 

 that they should proceed to make shot in accordance with 

 the scale of diameters recommended, but that it was impos- 

 sible to make the size correspond with the count as sent 

 forth by the committee, ami advised them to perfect the 

 work by correcting the list of pellets. A reply v, a 

 from Robert NewhaD, chairman, thai the committee only 

 intended to fix tlie size of shot, therefore the sense of their 

 report was only to adopt the scale of diameters, and not to 

 recommend any particular make, but that all shol made is 

 accordance with I he standard dhmcters .should be consid- 

 ered alike good. This firm then issued lists of the standard 

 diameters and correct number of pellets to the ounce, chal- 

 lenging the mos' searching criticism. Their list was soon 

 copied by nearly all other shot manufacturers, and became 

 acknowledged authority among sportsmen. The firm which 

 presented the Incorrect list to the convention and alone stood 

 out lor the last nine years against all argument, has now 

 sivuus into line and is-ues a new pellet list, near enough to 

 the other not. to be far wrong, yet sufficientlv far to clear it 

 or the charge of plagiarism, ii is noticeable that the Change 

 is made only on sizes from No. 7 to No. 12, the sizes most 

 used by Critical and scientific sportsmen. The number of 

 pellets now given is: No. 7, 361; No. 8, 387; No. !l. ■"-,; No. 

 V ; , 12. 2W;ti. 



There has been as marked improvement, peril 



BOt d J the It s in other 



goods used by shooters, and competition has lucre 



making rivalry among manufacturers so strong that I fear 



more than one maker in their anxiety no: 



others, printed "American Standard" on their bar. 



they were fully prepared to till them with 



bear accurate lest by that standard. TV ■ i diameter 



and count to the OUQCe, which are now generally : 

 form a standard by which we can easily determine the claims 

 of rival makers, provided, roundness and finish are the same. 

 When any one asks why his gun puts more shot in a target, 

 than should be contained in the load, he naturally concludes 

 that, the shot is not the size be bought it for, though the 

 right number may be on the bag. A certain numb, r ol 

 of a given size can be contained in an ounce, no mote, no 

 less. In regard to the second series of questions, I would 

 refer the inquirer to the shot committee who ado] 

 standard, and to the manufacturer who lias recently made 

 the change spoken of. Undoubtedly, ail can be 



which lias brought 

 forth the bond of unity among sportsmen, t lie lie. 

 sundry instructions as to the use of certain sizes, even to the 

 proper size to use for taxidermists. Discussion and investi- 

 gation has brought about many improvements, and I hope- 

 will bring about many more. BEDFORD. 

 Brooklyn, Kepi, at, 18B3. 



A FATAL FLIGHT. 



ON returning from a tramp to the source of "The Brook" 

 one evening, 1 was led to the kitchen and bade to "Icok 

 there'.' I looked where thi linger pointed, and saw a 



fine ruffed grouse, nicely plucked and drawn, hanging in the 

 waning light in the most suggestiv way. fn good condi- 

 tion, "fat, and well iikiug" the bird truly was.Vmd while 

 balancing him in my hand, I was told the following tale, 

 with my eyes admiring his own beautiful tail so' deftly 

 spread before me. 



Just past midaf ternoon the occupants of the kitchen heard 

 a dull thud against the house, and then a flutter, and on 

 proving the cause a large grouse was seen quivering on the 



f round. He was taken up and quickly dispatched, all won- 

 ering the while at the strange freak of so wary i 

 must have left cover at "Crow's Nest,'' a height nearly one- 

 fifth of a mile from the Hall, and flown "without pause 

 directly toward and at the obstacle which 

 den a quietus. There was no especial light or other thing to 

 daze the bird, and the incident was so unique in this 

 region and in daylight, as to cause us all to wonder as to 

 the cause of such" a wild and inconsiderate Bight. 



My summer's experience in thffi part of the State con- 

 vinces me that game is scarcer that it ought to be. Even ou 

 this domain, where "fur. fin and feather" is strictly pre- 

 served, I have seen no remarks,! a covey, and 

 that which exists seems bent iffi , : , , notion, 



"Tis true, 'lis pity; pity 'tis 'tis true]" 



0. W. B. 



OsstPEE Pahs, S. H., Tlie Hall, Sept. 37. 1883, 



HINTS ON DEER HUNTING. 



HAD I known when I commenced trying 'o ki 

 peculiar "gifts" of this beautiful animal, and just 

 bow tu "sarcumvent 'em," as Decrshiyer says, it would have 

 saved me many a useless trump and sole disappointment. I 

 shall condemn' no particular method of killing deer, whether 

 it be by still-hunting, by hounds, by the builseye. or by the. 

 salt lick. Writing now Of still hunting, I do so for the 

 benefit of those who do not know all about deer hunting; 

 and the hints given are those derived from own practical ex- 

 perience. 



The deer when wild is one of the wildest as when tame lie 



is one of the tamest of animals. He regards aln 



animal from man down as bis natural enemy; and 

 noble creature is endowed with the most wonderful keenness 

 of vision, hearing and scent, as well as flettness of foot, it is 

 justly esteemed an honor to stalk and kill a deer. Many 

 deer' are killed by accidentally stumbling upon them un- 

 awares, but few indeed in the proportion of those laboriously 

 hunted. The flesh of the deer and thesport of hunting it 

 are best about the first, of November, -when the Si v n 

 snow whitens the ground. After a frosty night a bright, 

 clear day is the fit time, when everj oi 7< braced lor a 

 tramp and the rungs inhale the sweetness of the odors of 

 pine balsam, hemlock, cedar, and the first changi i ' 

 ,i. The blue sky and all the beauties of nature 

 I port .-neb it day, it you feel 

 like hunting, go. You must enter fully into the spirit of 



the chase. 



Now note the points of the compass and the cs 

 lion of the wind by the clouds if possible, because the wind 



. , ., ■ i- to be blowing in the forest a different way from 



its actual course. You must make a point to keep pr o 



leeward of the deer. They will smell you "clean around n 

 corner" at times. You soon strike a track— if the deer is 

 running his toei will be spread out, and I '■ 

 see his jumps. Lei him so. Bind a track which indicate, 

 thathe'is walkinir along qui-tly. Di C& I ..at night. 



and lie down in the day lime. The morning early is best 

 then to follow a track. See if it is fresh. If so there will be 

 no frost on it, or snow, but it will look as if just made. 

 Kneel down and led of it, iiid see it the impression in the 

 sneov is bard or soft. If hard, you may be sure In 



11 fresh, the deer is probably not more than a 

 mile off. 



You must wear clothes suitable for hunting. Gray or 

 butternut, the latter is best before the leai U lines, 

 packs or moccasins only should be worn, A morning after 

 a rain renders leaves almost noiseless: hut if youtiud your 

 iking too much •: r: i D| get a friend to go 

 with you. To hunt deer with the , two hunters 



are always preferable. But we will suppo 



i.,,.,.1 .,,,,.:.,, ■-. proceed but a I pai ■ ats time and 

 listen; with eyes, gnu and car ever on the all 

 on in: twigs; and above all, do not hem, i 

 noise. There is nothing' that fi 

 deer so much us the human voice. Follow the to 

 with the eye, anil go straight on in the direct! 

 Hush! not" a breath; a slight aoisi en n 

 leaves move, but don't ahoo , , 



what you are shooting at. I am more afraid of b e 

 in tie-' wools, than a ie country. It i 



well you didn't fire, for it was Jones you heard 

 aocosl him, a nod is enough. Keep £n, still as 

 cat. for ahead is a "hog-hack," high in thi ■ 

 be sure of the wind.' Go around to 1 i 

 track leads on toward that hill. Creep up 

 lies your game by a log on that ridge, basking in 



