Kov 16, 1888,] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



307 



ut Long Lake, Cbonteau Slongh, Hat Island, Smiths Lake 

 and throughout the American bottom in Illinois, but it will 

 be much better during the nexfe ten days, 1 am glad to see 

 that the more thoughtful sportsmen of the country art favor- 

 ing a proposition to have the season for shooting prairie 

 chickens open at a later date in the future. Hunters should 

 not. be allowed to shoot prairie chickens earlier I ban Sept. 1. 

 ami every Slate should pass laws prohibiting them from 



filtering them before that time. Those who i i 

 watched game from year to year are rapidly coming to the 

 conclusion that prairie chickens in the course of another 

 decade will have almost become extinct unless they are pro- 



■ '• by law from the early attacks of reckless buiiteis. As 

 the laws of the different States now stand hunters are al- 

 low d to kill these hirds before they are scarcely able to By, 

 Quail shooting very soon will be excellent, but that species 

 of game, until a number of bard frosts have leveled the 

 bi Wfcedf to the ground, will be hard to get at. The 

 broods, owing: to high water last spring, will be smaller than 

 usual, yet the supoly will be amply sufficient to tempt hun- 

 ters to 'break up their happy families." 



disciples of Izaak Walton who were highly 



i because dismal rains during tin- greater part of 



September prevented them from embarking on their usual 



autumnal angling excursion!?, took advantage "of the beautiful 



i ei . ■ prevailed during the first three days of the 



ml month, and are now willing to testify that November 

 is the most glorious month of the year. Since last Thursday 

 morning all atmospheric conditions calculated to tempt the 

 fisherman to his favorite fishing haunts certainly existed. 

 Fully two-thirds of the able-bodied anglers of St. Louis 

 whipped the bosoms of the lakes in the vicinity of St. Louis, 

 and they did not do it in vain cither. Splendid strings of 

 buss and eroppic were lugged in from Long Lake, Chouteau 

 Sloueh and Horseshoe Lake. Almost all those who Went to 

 Black Liver returned with the malaria and large quantities 



n. One or two genflcmen who visited the river were so 

 badly ••done up" by the "fairy of malaria" that they lost two 



fins, a large quantity of quinine and all their fishing tackle, 

 hey were the only persons, however, who failed to capture 

 sable strings of fish. Camp-Bell. 



PHILADELPHIA NOTES. 



'piIEKE are a great many quail in market at this writing 



L far from being full grown. I did not notice this until 

 after Nov. 1, when the Delaware law allowed shooting. This 

 morning 1 saw n large hunch just received on whose throats 

 the distinguishing male and female markings could not lie 

 told. These 1 learned were Delaware State birds. The bard 

 winter of '81 entirely exterminated the quail of Bucks 

 county, Pennsylvania, and this season the effects of their 

 killing off can be noticed. Complaints come from that part 

 of the State that quaiiartevery scarce. I was never more 

 struck with the change in habits of the quail than I have been 

 this season. All the coveys 1 have found were feeding in the 

 Stubbles very close to the fences. None were put up live 

 yards from the fences and were always quite near to thick 

 In old times we very often found the coveys so far 

 from cover that the birds settled once in the field, and al- 

 lowed a second shot before taking to the woods. Do not 

 other sportsmen notice this change in the past live years? 



The furore for wearing game birds in ladies' hats is rag- 

 in:.' fiercely here. Not content with ornamenting with the 

 wing, tail and head of the gallinaceous tribe, .ill varieties 

 of shore birds are used and seem to be preferred. I have 

 noticed many fully stuffed curlews, millets and yellow-lees 

 audir would seem that if this fashion continues, another 

 huge "nail in the coffins" of our shore birds will be the re- 

 sub. They are- growing scarce enough without the new 

 fashion aiding iu their extinction. About an equal number 

 of canvas hacks and redhead ducks are being killed at Havre 

 de Grace and the shooting has been only fair during the 

 week. Murky weather interfered with the laying out of the 

 boxes, 



I was tohl by one of a party just returned from Tuckahoe, 

 N. J., where "they were quail shooting, thai birds iu that 

 section are scare . While absent, they indulged in a deer 

 hunt, and to show the great uncertainty of New Jersey 

 deer driving, three bucks were started during the day and 

 ruu directly past the party without being visible except- 

 ing by one gentleman who each time was too far off to shoot 

 with any certainty. It is conceded by all New Jersey hunters 

 that deer were never so plentiful for twenty years. This 

 shows the value of protection for one season." "it would be 

 wise, I think, to have every alternate year a close one. 



Duck shooting on our river is poor just now, hut down 

 the bay wildfowl are plentiful, and when feeding in the 

 marshes make great sport. When it is too rough in the bay 

 for the comfoit of the fowl, they invariably "make for the 

 marshes and ponds toward afternoon. At these times a 

 blind and decoy at one Of the ponds is in order. 



Good snipe shooting on the Delaware neck marshes is re- 

 ported by returning quail shooters. HoMO, 



BEFORE BREAKFAST. 



J TURNED out at live this morning, made a rousing fire, 

 had a cup of black coffee, and before it was fairly light, 

 was beading tor my favorite thicket with the single-barreled 

 semi-hammerless breech-loader. I wanted to see if any 

 grouse were left, and I wanted to try if 1 had lost my old 

 t)f snap shooting from the hip. Sooner than I thought, 

 at the toot of the hill, in a clump of thorns, an old cock 

 grouse developed himself, and hurtled away for the thicket, 

 on top of the bill. I think the gun went off out of pure cus- 

 sedness. of its own notion; certainly I don't know that I 

 pulled the trigger. All the same, the old follow^ dropped to 

 the report, and lying squarely on his hack, gave me bis muf- 

 ' " "' : I,,, a, am failed. I pocketed him and went 

 on. Asleep climb, and an hour spent in a briery thicket, 

 d in starting nothing, not so much as a chipmunk. At 

 the far side of the thicket, however, there was a patch of 

 thorns, and here three grouse got up ;iu I tried to go by to 

 the thicket J one drooped dead a. a -tone, and as two were 

 enough, i did not toilow the others, but made tracks for 

 home ami breakfast. It was the first and only time I have 

 with the gun this fail. ' Nk-mu'k. 



SOYEMBEB 11 __^ 



Ohio. — VYashiiegionviile., Nor. a. — Quail are very plenty 

 in this locality, lull 1 never saw them so wdd at this time of 

 the year. It "is hard to get a good bag. They will uol u 

 ter, and we hardly ever get more than the second rise. 1 

 have .seen them act in this way in December, when it was 

 cold weather, but never before at this time of I he year when 

 the weather was flu is, — Q-. ~W, B. 



SEurxTrrE Items .—Editor Fbred tmd, Stream! I send 

 you the following for the benefit of the brotherhood, and 

 also because it is? I think too good to keep. A week or so 

 ago 1 saw in a newspaper an item which had been going the 

 rounds, to the effect that, quail were so numerous around the 

 village of C. that they came into the dooryards. Resolving 

 to follow it up, I wrote to a, resident of ' C, inclosing the 

 item, with the request that he would tell rue whether if was 

 the truth, or an exaggeration, or simply a newspaper lie. 

 Here is his reply entire: "C„ Oct. nil, 1883.— Dear Sir- In 

 reply to yours of the 28th. will say quail are certainly not 

 numerous anywhere in this vicinity. One sportsman gays 

 there are probably three or four bevies within a radius of 

 three miles. Another says, 'three hunters to one bird,' etc. 

 Two or three weeks ago a small bevy was seen iu the garden 

 of a \ dinger, and mention of the circumstance was made in 

 the presence of a person who thought it of sufficient interest 

 to send to a Newark newspaper, "from which the clipping 

 doubtless found its origin. As our village is but nine miles 

 irk and eighteen from New York, and is easily 

 leached by all who have any hankering that w;i) , it can be 

 readily seen that game has but a small chance to multiply or 



even to accumulate fat. Very respectfully yours, ." 



This I fancy is about what these items amount to which 

 appear now and then in print. If the truth were known, 

 just such silly statements would be found to lie at the bot- 

 tom of them, circulated either by some hrjaginativd enthu- 

 siast or wily tavern keeper.— J. L. K. (Perth AmViv. N. J.), 



TENOTB8BB .Votes.— Game is being brought in in great 

 quantities at present. Sulzbaeher received a" large consign- 

 ment of ducks and geese from Keelfoot Lake, and quail, 

 squirrels, rabbits and opossums are unusually abundant. 

 The weather has. op to date', been too warm for taking 

 violent exercise, hence but few of our local sportsmen have 

 been out. Hooper Phillips (the Mayoi), J. N. Brooks, and 

 a large party of friends leave for Beeifoot Lake on Monday 

 next. Hermann Buckbolz and his crowd will go to the same 

 place in about two weeks. Jim Palmer will content himself 

 with shooting nearer the city. A.;L. Landis and Mr. Cooper 

 enjoy their holidays up in Wilson count?, Where birds are 

 abundant and sportsmen scarce, Frank Legler is one of the 

 rising nimrods of this city, and though he seldom extends 

 hi-' trips far from home," he always "brings back game, f 

 learn that birds arc plentiful around Grand Junction, and 

 that the dogs being prepared for the races there in December 

 are rapidly assuming first-class form. There will be no rep- 

 resentative from Nashville, though we have a number of re- 

 markably well-bred and trained dogs berc. Hermann Buck- 

 holz has' three. Clark Prifchett two. Major Burr three or four, 

 Jim Martin one. Wm. Cheatham two or more, and so on. I 

 night, go on enumerating until a large tiumber wouldbe made 

 IB, "When the cold weather comes "all these irentlemen will 

 ake to the field, and "Bob White" will be the sufferer.— J. 

 D. H. (Nashville, Nov. 11). 



Kansas Large Game. — Cimmaron. Ford County, Kau.. 

 Nov. 8.— Duck and goose shooting have been almost a fail- 

 ure this year. "When it; was quite dry. and we could have 



Mad 8 good chance at them in the Arkansas, there were no 

 ducks; now it is wet, and every water hole on level prairie 

 is full of water and ducks, but we can't get near them.. 

 There are a good many antelope, but at present they, like 

 the ducks, stick to level prairie, water at the rainwater pools 

 and do not frequent I he. sand hills or rough around. I have 

 been out twice, killed five in three days. The second time 

 three in rive days. There are a few buffalo in the White 

 Woman basin, seventy miles northwest and west of there, 

 mostly old bulls. About three hundred have been seen. I 

 xpect to go after them about December 1. There are a few 

 reported near the head of South Beaver, 130 miles south by 

 west of here. I think this is about the last winter that we 

 can hunt buffalo in Kansas. 1 am short of companions. It 

 any one wants to hunt antelope, kill a few and - a 

 many, camp out in cool locations and perhaps get a shot" at a 

 buffalo, come on. It will not cost over $1.50 a day tor horse 

 hire and grub per man. and I will warrant to a party of eeu- 

 tleiuen a good time. This is not to make money, but a state- 

 ment of the actual fact.- of the case. — AY. J. T>'. 



Ki i ri.o &koi -i: Haiu'kxixgs.— Lockport, N. Y.. Nov. 

 10.— Mr. Thomas Warwick, living south of the city, brought 

 in a live ruffed grouse a few days since, which he said bad 

 alighted on his arm the evening before while he was carrying 

 a lantern. Not knowing what it was he took it to "Mr". 

 Stokes Patterson, who told him it was a partridge, and for 

 ihe information the captor made Mr. Patterson a present of 

 it. Having had some experience in trying to lame grouse, 

 without succeeding iu getting them "to eat. Mr. Patterson 

 concluded he would begin with this one by wriuging its 

 neck and eating it. The captive grouse I reported to you a 

 few weeks since is doing finely, eating readily from the 

 hand anything offered it. 1 was out after grouse on Elee- 

 tiunday, hut did not find a bird, although! was in one of 

 the best covers for grouse iu this section. I think of adopt- 

 ing Diogenes' plan and hunting with a lautern.— J, L. D. 



Moose Meabcbf.ments.— Washington, D. C, Nov. 6.— I 

 saw in your last paper an account of" the killing of a moose 

 "said to have stood twenty-two hands high," etc. The form 

 of expression used would seem to indicate that the dimen- 

 sions were estimated only. I killed a moose on Monday, 

 October 32 last which stood 6 ft. S in. at the shoulders, 

 measured 7 ft. ? in. around the body and 7ft. 4 in. from 

 the top of the skull between the horns to the root of 

 what should be the tail. The horns were not large, spread- 

 ing only 3 ft. 2 in., but very even and handsome, with nine 

 points on a beam. I shot this moose twice with a 20 in. 

 .44 cal. Winchester, '73 model, at, 210 yards standing and 

 220 runuing (distances accurately measured), and he fell 

 stone dead in less than twenty yards from where he started. 

 The first shot, about a foot back of the shoulder, broke a rib 

 where- it went in and lodged under the skin on the opposite 

 side. The second, near the same place, went clear through: 

 one was as fatal as the other. I mention this because some 

 people seem to think the '73 model too light for large game, 

 independent of whether the game is dangerous or not. 1 

 was still-hunting. with no snow, no wind, and leaves very 

 dry and noisy.— C. Clay. 



Htjkti.no Without: a Gr>-.— Worcester. Mass.. Nov. 12. 

 — One morning in September last my attention was attracted 

 to a strange bird, which was running along the platform of 

 the Boston & Albany freight, depot. On pursuing it, it flew 

 across the street, lighting on the ground. I followed it up, 

 however, and when it took wing again I got sufficiently near 

 to strike it with my hand and brought it down. It proved 

 to be a very fine specimen of the Virginia rail (h'ulhtx rir- 

 :■■■■■). I have had it mounted by Mr. E. II. Forbush, 

 taxidermist, of this city, and the life-like, running position 

 in which he has set it up, and being the first one of the 

 species that I have seen here, makes it a valuable addition to 

 the other game birds that have a place in my dining-room. 

 The bird was. to all appearances, uninjured before. 1 killed 

 it, and the only reason I can assign for its not flying off, is 

 that finding itseif out of its natural locality, and being of a 

 timid nature, became bewildered. P. S.— Had it been a 

 crow, muskrat or bhiejay. I should have preseuted it to the. 

 Sportsman's Club of Clinton. Mass., to be served up at the 

 game supper, which came off Oct. 19, the day following that 

 of their fall hunt.— Caw. 



Alteration of Guns.— Editor Forest and Stream: Seeing 

 you wish the experience of those who have changed the size 

 of bores or length of gun barrels, I would say that 1 once 

 owned a Moore gun, 12-bore, 34-inch barrels" 1 could not 

 handle it quick enough to suit me, and cut it off four inches. 

 It shot stronger but, not quite so close. My experience is 

 that a 80-inch barrel is the best length for all" purposes, and 

 a slight choke for strong shooting. I think a full choke gives 

 too much friction to the shot and takes off force. — J. H. A. 

 (Lock wood, N. T.). 



Arkansas Game Grounds.— Charleston. 111., Nov. 9, 

 1883.— On the 5th inst. Harry Stoddert returned home from 

 Greene County, Ark., with a fine two-year old doe. He and 

 five others had been hunting for four days. Mi". Stoddert 

 reports squirrels and ducks very numerous' turkeys and deer 

 in fair numbers, a few bears and fish bv the thousands. The 

 other boys says that Mi. Stoddert was afraid to get a hun- 

 dred yards from camp for fear the guerillas would catch 

 him, and he was so very homesick he would not stay until 

 the rest of the boys came home. — Fox Squirrel. 



Virginia, Warrcnton. Nov. 13.— We have had a succes- 

 sion of rains, northwest gales and bad weather for two 

 weeks back, and game reports are poor. To-day Hon. J. V. 

 B. Brooks killed three wild turkeys, ofwhioh I have had oc- 

 ular and alimentary proof. On the Shenandoah, twenty 

 Holes west, bass fishing is tine. Maj. Downman. hy letter, 

 reports 14Clbs. in one catch, minnow bait. In foxes three 

 grays and one red to the Warrcnton Club; C. E. F. Payne 

 and Johnny De Lancey iu at the death— E. Z. C. J. 



Adirondack Deer.— Number Four, Nov. 9. — The open 

 seasou for hounding deer this year has been unprecedentedly 

 destructive. About one hundred hounds have been employed 

 and at least three hundred deer have been killed in the Beaver 

 River waters alone. It is estimated by those competent to 

 judge, that 3.000 deer have been killed in the Adirondacks 

 by the use of dogs during the open season just closed. The 

 small towns near the wilderness are glutted with venison, 

 rendered worthless by the chase. How long oar northern 

 wilderness will stand this drain without extermination 

 of the game is a problem, which, it is hoped, our next 

 Legislature will try to solve, aud to amend the game lafi in 

 relation to deer before it is too late. One or two more years 

 with two and a half months open season for hounding" will 

 pretty effectual ly exterminate the deer in this State.— M esset. 



Michigan.— Central Lake, Midi., Nov. 6.— The "her- 



bcen here, though not in strong force. They 

 were seen bv several persons about Get. 2.1, and were, a8 

 usual, attencied by gulls. The last of the gulls was dying 

 about the bridge at the head of the lake on the morning of 

 Nov. 2. He left, I think, the same day. The bears hftveit 

 pretty much their own way as yet, though one yearling was 

 trapped last week. In my article. "Was it Unsuccessful,'' 

 published in your paper of Nov. 1, the word "lie," in the sec- 

 ond line of tlie quotation from Frithioi's Saga, should have 

 read "he,'' which gives ihe tines a different; value. — Kelpie. 



llrJNTEN-e Burrs.— El Paso, Texas, Oct. 34. — JZtHto)' For- 

 est unit Stream: Allow me to say through your columns thu t 

 I only speaE the sentiment of many riflemen when 1 say thai, 

 if any manufacturer will put on the market a 40-00 repeater, 

 on the style of the Winchester. Martin or Bollard, he will 

 "strike oil." "C. D." referred to this in a recent letter. I 

 hope he will write more on the subject. Believe me, many 

 hunters are longing for such a gun, and I among therm — 

 Geo. W. Bares. 



Grouse vs. Cons.— Morning Sun, O.. Nov. 0.— Shot four 

 pinnated grouse this afternoon, fine big plump fellows; wish 

 I could give you a couple. Ducks are coming in from the 

 north and sportsmen are prepared to make it warm for them 

 here. I will send you a short article on pistol shooting, or 

 rather rabbit shooting with the pistol. My hunting trips 

 will have to be short this fall as I have about 1,000 bushels 

 of corn to get out aud crib or haul to market iu this month. 

 —Mark. ' 



Texas.— Iudiauola, Calhoun Count}-, Nov. 6.— Beautiful 

 weather and game very fairly plenty, and easily accessible 

 at, shoit distances. It would delight some of your Eastern 

 a .11 to see .so many jaeksuipe get up at once (so many 

 that he would not know which to shoot at) and to walk out 

 of the marsh a few steps off and flush a, bevy of quail, with 

 ducks in plenty overhead. The weather 'still continues 

 warm, not bracing enough for a tramp though. — G. A. 



The Woodcock Mystery Solved.— Boston. Nov. 13.— 

 The mystery as to where woodcock go when moulting is at 

 last solved. ' "Old Wheeler" says he has "got it down hue." 

 When he was out with his dog during the'" moulting seasnu, 

 the dog came to a point at a woodchuck's hole, ami out gol 

 three woodcock. This settles it:— C. T. Duncklee. 



Massachusetts.— Salem, Nov. 12.— A Salem party starts 

 for Watcrboro, Me., this A. M., to try their hick on foxes. 

 About here matters are quiet. Some quail have been shot. 

 few snipe am! woodcock, but as a whole it is very quiet 

 this season. Sonic coot shooting at Squam, but the -non 

 birds rather "went back on us." 



Tkey Bought the Game.— Flint, Mich., Nov. 8.— We 

 have had aside hunt here, ten men on each side. The con- 

 testants bought all the game they could find, and so the 

 hunt was declared a draw. Quail shooting is very fair, 

 ral ttocks on the borrlerepf the "town —J JSVJ), 



