Nov. 15, 1888.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



c306 



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GAME RESORTS.— W 



tication stuck wrt'ffl of nV.v 

 to the readers of Forest 



sponrienls foeor us: irilli s 



.Of alwaytt gtad to reeeme forpvb- 



■able f/ame. resorts «.< may be of help 

 urn Stream, in/? not our en*w- 



<ch otlriec' 



Tu insure prompt attention, communications should be ad- 

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

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OPEN SEASONS. 



i'Ue digest ot opt-ii seasons, printed to uur issue of Aug. If], lms 

 been published til corWHtuent pamphlet form, and will be sent to any 

 pddrese postpaid.on receipt of l<> cents. 



HOW HE SHOT THEM. 



rTOOJf uiy gun uiid started for iIip woods. When I got 

 there r heard a dog barking, and going up to him I 

 found he had a squirrel up in the tree. 1 shot it and (hen 

 wenl on. As 1 was climbing over a wall up went a part- 

 ridge. I ghot, 1 m 1 1 1 saw the partridge fly a long way and I 

 had not hit it. [ went on a liitle further when I heard-the 

 dog yelp, niiil a partridge flew past me. 1 fired, but scored 

 another miss, for I never touched it. 1 began to think 1 

 eoulii not shoot Hying. Going along I beard the quit, quit, 

 quit of another partridge and up she went, and taking great 

 eare T Hied and Haw the feathers leave the bird. As 1 was 

 picking up the bird I heard the dog barking, and found he 

 had another gray squirrel, winch 1 shot. Coming .ml to a 

 farm house 1 saw a hoy; Lite dog went up to him. The boy 

 said it was his dog, ['told him 1 got the squirrels with Mm; 

 he said that Zip was a stunner for squirrels. 1 showed him 

 my game, when he said he had got some game that morning 

 m his snares, am! going into his woodshed brought out two 

 partridges and a rabbit, lie wanted to sell them to inc. 1 

 told him he would tell of it if he did, and the folks would 

 say 1 bought my game. "No, "said he, "honor bright;" 

 he would never tell, and would sell the partridges and rabbil 

 for fifty cents. 1 paid lor them, and with my good string of 

 game .started down the road home. 



On passing up through the town, my bunch of game 

 created a little interest. • By gracious, hain't the old fellow 

 got a good buueh of inn." said one. "Ah. he is a splendid 

 shot," said another. Passing a corner when- stood some 

 Ave or six men, they stopped me to look at the game and 

 ask questions, "Why, by jingoes, W.. where did you get 

 them'.'" "O." f said, "just, over the hill." 1 then turned 

 and asked Mr. N how ins little girl was.be said she was 

 very feeble, had been sick so long. I slid my hand down 

 ami with my thumb and finger broke the wing of one of the 

 snared partridges slvlv. so it would hang down and look as 

 if it had been shot. ' I then handed it to him. and told him 

 it was for bis little girl. "Bless you, W., you have a heart 

 as big as an ox." 1 told him be would not find many shot in 

 it, for I was careful not to shoot my game to piece.-. As I 

 started on I heard them say I was 'a splendid shot, didn't 

 believe smy of the young fellers could hold a caudle to me on 

 the shoot:' "Why, 'just, look a there, if I should travel the 

 woods a week I shouldn't see BO much game." said one. "O, 

 BOWS : I've seen him have lots of game, in years gone 

 In." 



I went homeaud the girls were soon (licking the partridges, 

 and the boys helping me skin the rabbit and squirrels. In 

 the afternoon it was noised about town that old man W. had 

 been out only an hour, and shot the finest bunch of game 

 seen in town in a long time, and our weekly paper bad an 

 item about it, G. p, W. 



I'lJTNAM. QOIUI, 



STILL-HUNTING. 



1X> lie a successful still-hunter a man should be an adept 

 with a title. 1 am not such an adept, eonsequentlv am 

 not a very successful deer stalker. But there is a peculiar 

 fascination in the sport whether the hum is .successful or not. 

 When yon are alone in the roods the denizens of the forest 

 venture to form a close acquaintance with you, sometimes 

 out of sheer curiosity, tit other times through ignorance of the 

 risk they run from* approaching so near to their enemy, 

 map. 1 have sat quietly al the root of a tree, and had a 

 squirrel come down the trunk, spring onto my shoulder ami 

 then on to the ground, scurry oil to another free, and after 

 ensconcing himself at a sale 'height, sit and bark al me for 

 a halt hour. And 1 was amused for almost an hour by the 

 unties of a gray squirrel and a redheaded woodpieker. ' The 

 bird had put away a supple ot acorns in the dead top of an 

 oul; live, and was industriously engaged iu drilling another 

 receptacle in an adjacent tree/when' the squiirel attempted 

 to ascend the oak. Redhead was watching him, however, 

 ami before be had gained the first limb Hew at him with 

 shrill cries. Bunny stood his ground manfully for a minute 

 or two, but be was no match for tile wings and horny bill of 

 the bird, and finally was obliged to retreat to the ground. 

 Redhead went hack to his work again, and the bunny look 

 u position oun log where he sal and scolded, and dared the 

 bird to come down then and tryth.-il eanie. Tin- wood- 

 pecker hammered away on his hollow limb, every now and 

 then edging around be would lake a look at the squirrel and 

 hurl defiance at, him in woodpecker language, that, it was 

 easy lor the observer to interpret, Pretty soon the squirrel 

 ventured up the tree again, keeping on the opposite side of 

 the trunk; he gained the limb Where the covered treasure 

 was hidden, but as soon as he made his appearance On the 

 limb the plucky little bird was on him. and drove him 

 around and around the limb, making the air resound with 

 his discordant erics, which soon brought another wood- 

 pecker to tile rescue; and between them the) made it, hot for 

 the robber. He managed finally lo filch an' neorn from one 

 of the holes, wilh which he scampered Off pursued by both 

 birds for some distance: then iln-v returned to inspect their 

 hoard. They tried bole after hole, and after each examina- 

 tion they would sound a joyful note of congratulation, until 

 tliej came tU the hole from which I he squirrel had filched 

 (he acorn. Then with cries of rage they sought him out, 

 and there was the sound of a conflict. 1 could hear plainly 

 the maledictions of ilie woodpeckers and the squirrel crying 

 quit, quit And then my attention was drawn to something 



else. 



While absorbed with Ibis by-play I had almost 

 what I was there for, and two deer had almost walked by 

 without a shot. The hindmost our- turned her head and saw 

 me just as 1 covered the shoulder of tin:- foremost, "Old 

 sweet lips" spoke, and a doe yielded up her life. fSpri u ^iiiii 



lo raj feet 1 gave the other one :i shot as die lopped a mound 

 about sixty yards away. She walked into a thicket on the 

 mound, 1 "reloaded and started alter her. expecting to find 

 her within eighty yards. An examination showed a few 

 drops of blood on the leaves of bushes, but the ground hav- 

 ing been burnt over by a forest fire a short time previously; 

 showed no sign. A shout brought Hank to me, aud we 

 proceeded to hang the dead deer out of reach of wild hogs, 

 and then made an unsuccessful search for the wounded doe. 

 Although I knew she was lying not far off. wc were obliged 

 to desisl from the search to gel our venison to camp, no 

 little job, as it was near tour miles, and a deer is not the 

 easiest thing in this world to carry. A day ot two after- 

 ward sonic hog hunters found my deer not oyer 150 yards 

 from where 1 shot her. 



Ah, those were halcyon days; I sat in one place ,-iicl 

 counted fifty seven deer* pass in' sight of me, and probably 

 half of these within easy rifle slim, bur not quite close 

 enough for my shotgun! and on my way lo camp that night 

 I came cross a'hunte'r who laid just killed three out of one 

 herd of seven. Shooting with a Sharps breech-loader, be 

 showed me where he stood and where he killed the first one. 

 That was a standing shot about seventy-five yards, the Others 

 were running. It was quick work to load a gun twice and 

 kill two running deer before they could get out of sight in 

 heavy timber, but some of those" old deer hunters handle 

 even a clumsy army gun very quickly, and J fear as they 

 get to using the improved sporting rifle-, that the time is not 

 far distant when to kill a deer in" the States will be a rare 

 thing- Buck Shot. 



yEROl-NNKS. Illinois. 



DUCKS ON THE SUSQUEHANNA. 



JUDGE GILDERSLEEVE, of New York, was stretched 

 out in a sink boat on the Susquehanna Bats last EMdaj . 

 Every time he bobbed up in a sitting posture and raised his 

 gun a duck fell Sometimes one shot would tiring down 

 several, The. judge is a leading member of the American 

 Rifle Team. He is fond of duck shooting, and always comes 

 to Maryland iu November to take part in the first day's sport, 

 on the Susquehanna. 



The opening day was not so disastrous lo lhe ducks as it 

 was last year. About 5,000 Were killed then. This season 

 the aggregate was somewhere between 8,000 and 3,000. Al- 

 though the birds were plentiful, the weather was too cold 

 and Clear find windy foi fine sport. A clouded sky and a 

 good breeze, not, inclined to he fitful and boisterous, are 

 needed to enjoy duck shooting at its best. 



Gunners were getting off at 'Havre de Grace all day Thurs- 

 day. There was 'hardly a train from Baltimore, Xow York, 

 Philadelphia and Washington that did not have a sportsman 

 aboard. Most of them were dressed in corduroys, knit 

 jackets, caps aud boots. Some of the outfits were so stylish 

 that it would probably never occur to the awed and admiring 

 spectator that the owner of all this sporting splendor would 

 most likely bang away from morning till night without, bit- 

 ting a duck. And It's a mighty poor "shot who can't exhibit 

 at least a pair of ducks. In the evening a crowd gathered 

 round a bright tire in the sitting-room atgenial Frank Boyd's 

 hotel aud listened to each other's experiences in past seasons. 

 The reason they did not assemble in the barioom was because 

 the sale of liquoris prohibited in Harford county. But when 

 the .gunners put their hands in their jacket pockets the recol- 

 lection of this law made them smile. Frequent smiling led 

 to hearty conviviality. Each new coiner was cheerily wel- 

 comed and then questioned on the probability of the weather 

 for the morrow. There was a wide diversity of opinion. 

 Three or four thought the wind would Stop blowing, and 

 thai a calm woidd set in: but, the majority said it would be 

 squally. The younger sportsmen evidently preferred a calm 

 to a stiff blow, "and their comfort was not increased when an 

 old Havre de Grace gunner said he remembered a "frisky 

 nor'wesler Of nine or ten years ago which capsized several 

 boats and played the devil generally.'' The old fellow spoke 

 again, just as he was leaving. He said; "Ducks was ducks 

 in them days, gentlemen. They was never scarce, then, but 

 since these "fancy sports have been a comin'here the birds has 

 gut sheared." He slammed the door as be went out. A 

 young man from Philadelphia said to a companion : "I did 

 not know mv flask was empty when 1 handed it to that old 

 fellow." 



At 9 o'clock Col. Boyd informed fresh arrivals that all his 

 rooms were taken, bul'that accommodations could lie had at 

 a few of the private residences. Only the tyro.- went to 

 bed. The others got aboard their scows" and stayed up all 

 night playing poker. 



So boat is allowed to cross the line of the fiats before :i 

 o'clock in the morning. The object, of this is to prevent the 

 birds from being disturbed while feeding. The penalty for 

 a violation of this provision of (he law is $35, Eighteen 

 boats violated it Friday. They did it deliberately, paying 

 the fine, so as to get, a good berth and be in readiness at the 



break of day. After crossing the line they selected positions 

 and marked them with lights attached to poles. This done, 



they waited until 4 o'clock, aud then put out their sink- 

 boats and decoys. At the first approach of daylight the 

 ibooluig began, and never ceased until dark. 



As a genera] thing, the boats are owned by Havre de Grace 

 gunneis. These gunners formerly made a' living by killing 

 ducks for the city markets, but,' so many sportsmen have 

 flocked to Havre de Grace iu recent years 'that professional 

 shooting is rapidly becoming a thing of the past, because 

 more money nan be made by hiring the"boats to the amateurs. 

 A scow, with sink-boat, decoys, batteau and crew will fetch 

 from $50 to $100 ft day, The scows are rigged with sails 

 and fitted up witli cabin and sleeping and cooking apart 

 ments. The halteaux are used to bring in the drifting game. 

 When a parly lures a scow they divide the expense aud take 

 turns in tbe sink-boat. The scow is anchored a quarter of a 

 mile to windward. From three to five hundred decoys ac- 

 company a sink. 



leak fioats are cheaper. They are ordinary bet- 

 teaux. painted white, and curtained from bow to midship 

 with canvas about a foot and a half Idgh. The decoys for 

 a sneak-boat are far enough off to keep" the duel .-■ . , 



ticing the boat, Wlien the birds alight among the di 



the sneak is sculled forward until very close I ■ the decoys. 

 Then the gunner rises above the canvas curtaiu and blazes 

 into them, in sneak-boats as well as in sink-box..-- khi gun 

 ner has two double-barreled guns. Some ot the -mi. -b oxt 

 are double. 



Besides the hired craft a number of sloop- and yachts 

 were on the flats. They are Owned by New Tc 



Philadelphians. The queen of the .squYidinn Was the Sus 

 quehunnu. She belongs to Mr, Richard R. II aim 

 York, and cost $6,000. His cabin is finished el 



mahogany. Standing beds, a bathroom and other accom 

 oxidations are include! in her list of comforts. Mr. John 

 Watmougk, of Philadelphia, was out in the Carrie, a trim 

 little yacht. Her namesake, owned by the same gentleman, 

 blew up in the Baltimore harbor tw T o or three years ago and 

 killed four men. Judge Gililersleeve and a party of friends 

 made the yacht Widgeon their headquarters. Mr. Louis 

 Gilliams, of Philadelphia, was on the Twilight; Mr. Charles 

 Osmond, of Mew York, on the Reckless; Messrs, Hancock 

 and Roberts, of Philadelphia, on the Tno. L. Williams, and 

 Mr. Joseph Stickney. of Philadelphia, on the steam yacht 

 Miguon. The Mignon was the largest, vachi on the flats. 

 The Susquehanna. Carrie ami Twilight were built by Mr. It 

 A. Magowan. of Havre de Grace. It was the first time the 

 Susquehanna and Carrie had lieeu out. 



The yachts stay at Havre de Grace and are manned by a 

 creW kept in regular wages the year round. 



Though professional shooting is not so large a business i-, 

 it was, there is one old gunner who still holds his own. Win 

 Dobsoii is his name. He has the reputation of being the 

 best duck shot in the I nited States. I le was born and raised 

 in Havre de Grace, aud is said to have begun gunning 

 he was so young that he had to carry something along to sup 

 port his gun while taking aim. He' has lived on the water 

 for forty odd years, gunning in season and spending the rest 

 of the time making decoys. He knows the habits of ducks, 

 can imitate their whistles, and can always bunch them by 

 motions of his arms or feet peculiar to himself. Not only 

 townlolk. but also strangers say that he is a phenomena') 

 shot. II is largest day's "work was between four and five 

 hundred ducks. His partner is John Leithiser. who is aN., 

 a good shot. Mr. Mauldin, of Port Deposit, was with them 

 the first day. Dobson and his partner gun entirely for 

 market. They either ship direct, or else sell to Mr. J. T 

 Frii-se or Mr. j. T. Moore, the Havre de Grace dealers. New- 

 York, Philadelphia, Baltimore. "Washington and Boston 

 markets are supplied daily. Shipments are sometimes made 

 to Europe. The first day's prices at Havre de Grace to 

 dealers or anybody else were as follows: Canvas-bucks, - i .v. 

 a pair; redheads, $1 to -si. 25; blackheads. 40 to 60 cents 

 Cain as-baeks were rather scarce. All the ducks are I'm . 

 Tbe gunning days until January 1 are Mondays, Wednes- 

 days and Fridays. Afterward Saturday is* included. — 

 Baltimore 8wi, Nov. it. 



H.ii P.B tie BRAOic, Mil., Nov. 8. 



Ncui lv e-.eiy night train arriving at the Broad street sta 

 lion from the Susquehanna region, says the Philadelphia 

 Timet, Nov. 11, brings its quota of sportsmen laden with 

 luscious game. It is the height of the ducking season, and 

 prominent members of all the leading clubs, as well as manj 

 others, have been away with their guns and dogs engaging 

 in lhe sport. The weather has Dot been t?s v -ruble, as few 

 ducks are accessible while il is so mild and placid, but never 

 theless there have been sonic instances Of rare good luck. 



Maxwell's Point, which is one of the best duck-shooting 

 grounds in the -country, is part of a tract of ten thousand 

 acres which was formerly the. country seat of Gen, Cadwal 

 ader, of Philadelphia. Tt was superbly fitted up, involving 

 an expenditure of between {200,000 and $300,000. Every 

 thing is now somewhat dismantled: the conservatories are 

 almost wrecks, but parts of the magnificent old bouse are 

 habitable and very comfortable. The shooting ground, 

 which is about three miles from lhe bay, was for a time- 

 rented to a club, but now it is used by three Philadelphia 

 gentlemen ■fond of the sport-Mr. Harttuan Kuhn. Alt. 

 Thomas MoKcan and Mr. John Brown, sou of Alexander 

 Bionn, the banker, who control the privileges. Mr. Kulm 

 is :i keen spoilsmen, a splendid shot, and possessed of great 

 endurance. These gentlemen, with their friend, Mr. George 



D. Krumbhaar, one of the most, successful duck shooters in 

 Pennsylvania, have been there during the past week nud- 

 been fortunate in having some fine bar shooting. Thev have 

 mostly shot from a blind, covered with reeds, and with 

 retriever dogs of excellent training, who go out after the 

 wounded ducks only, with great intelligence passing lite 

 flead ones by. 



Opposite this place is Grace's Quarter, owned by Mr. W'il 

 mot Johnson, who. with -Mrs. Johnson, entertains great 

 numbers of ladies and gentlemen from Philadelphia, New 

 York and Baltimore. In the same Gunpowder region, a lit 

 tie beyond, is g ducking shore, controlled by three other 

 Philadelphians, Mr. Henry Lewis, Mr. E. W. Clark and Mr. 



E. C. Knight, and a little below a famous place known 

 "Benfies," near the juncture of the Gunpowder and Salt 

 peter rivers. Down the river is Carroll's Island, and further 

 up is Marshy Point, belonging lo Mr. George Brown, the 

 banker, of Baltimore, aud his brother-in-law. Mr. Graham, 

 On the Susquehanna some excellent shooting lias been done 

 by Mr. H. G. Watmougb, Mr. Howell Bickley and Mr. 1). 

 C. Wharton Smith. 



This Susquehanna shooting, especially that on the flats, is 

 very different, to the Gunpowder region, where they usually 

 shoot from shore. Everything is regulated by 'law, and 

 there are regular "duck police." Every sloop or boat has to 

 pay a license of §20, aud shooting is only allowed three. lay- 

 in the week — Mondays. Wednesdays arid Fridays, All "is 

 astir on the sloops or scows about three o'clock in the mom 

 ing, and if there is no wind they tow or pole the vessel into 

 lhe shallow ground, each trying to get. a good position and 

 as far away from every other vessel as possible. The sink 

 boxes aie "then put out long distances from the vessel ami 

 hidden as much as possible in the wild celery, upon which 

 the ducks come to feed aud which gives the canvas-backs 

 their delicious flavor. Sometimes as many as three or lour 

 hundred decoys are- placed about a single sink-box. There 

 are some boxes which hold two sportsmen, but usually they 

 only hold one, each of the parly faking turn I'm an ' hour. 

 Gases have happened already this season where parlies have 

 fitted up vessels, provided themselves with provisions, guns, 

 ammunition, etc-., paid the necessary license, laid out "bun 

 dreds of decoys, poled aud towed their vessel all around, 

 laid out for hours wet and cold in the dawning day, and 



ion when a tew ducks came down they banged Way. 

 missed them, and went home with frightful cold's, and kept 

 them from business for a week, and made a doctor's bill and 

 bottles of medicine a necessary wind-up to the performance 

 Ducks have been acarcetbis season, and imtch °f the spoil 

 brought home by amateur sportsmen has been secured for a 

 consideration from ;he professional dockers "to the manner 

 born," who make that their business, It has grown to be an 

 adage that, wilh most amateurs "it requires tin- greenback lo 

 bliugtlie canvas-back." The three great professional dead 

 shots of the Susquehanna region are Bill Dobson i 

 Barnes and James Mot 'ullough, of Port I 



A party of Philadelphians, among them Hamilton Di 



and ex-Sheriff Wright have been on the Northeast River 



