150 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



Logwood.— Game is plentiful now; any quantity of quail, 

 deer easily found and as easily "made meat of" if you 

 know how tohandle a gun. Turkeys are numerous, and 

 no end toblack bass and bream fishing. F. L. R. 



Ohio— Hudson October 7th.— On the 5th I killed four fall 

 woodcock fuil feathered even under the wings. These 

 were upon high dry ground. Ten days ago we killed 14 

 fine birds, to be sure, but not full feathered as these last. 

 They were found in the swamps, generally near cornfields. 

 In the same places I can now find an odd bird here and 

 there, but they are jiot in the perfection of plumage that 

 the high ground birds are. I cannot understand it. ' 

 Can someone explain it? The four were certainly travel- 

 ers, the others, I think, were natives. But why the differ- ; 

 ence? It is no new thing to me, I have noticed it every 

 autumn. Another point has been stated but never ex- 

 plained satisfactorily. The 'all birds have their favorite 

 grounds, and just so many will there be found year after 

 year. There is one patch of cover which holds just nine. 

 Kill nine to day and in a wtek there will be nine more; 

 kill but three and in a week there will be just nine. 

 Twenty times at least I have noticed this. There is ap- 

 parently abundance of feeding ground and places for them 

 to lie in. The woodcock is a queer bird, and his ways 

 past finding out. Aliquis. 



Michigan— Ann Arbor, October 4th. — Weather cold and 

 stormy. A few ducks are shot every day. Plover abun- 

 dant; woodcock scarce. Ruff ed grouse and squirrels abun- 

 dant. Our sportsmen are doing more shooting around the 

 stove than out of doors this fall. A. B.C. 



Wisconsin - — Montello, Oct 4ili. — Game, especially water- 

 fowl, is quite plentiful in this vicinity, and large numbers 

 of mallards and teal are to be found on the marshes, over- 

 flowed by the water from the Fox river. Wood duck 

 shooting has been excellent, but is now practically over 

 owing to the lateness of the season, and pinnated grouse 

 shooting is also among things that were, the high water 

 upon the marshes and meadows, driving the birds to the 

 highlands, where they have already begun to "pack," and 

 cannot be approached. Many reports are given of fine 

 bags of mallards and teal, but the steady onslought upon 

 the web-feet have driven them to seek more safe retreats 

 than the marshes, which being covered with from one half- 

 foot to a foot of water, and the grass uncut, affords good 

 chance of approach on foot, with high-top rubber boots. 

 This is the mode in which most of the ducks have been 

 shot thus far this season. Snipe are quite scarce, but are 

 now coming in from the North in considerable numbers, 

 and wild geese are just putting in an appearance. Ruffed 

 grouse are comparatively scarce in this section, as com- 

 pared to former years. Fred. 



Canada — Port Roioan, Oct. 5th.— The duck shooting on 

 Long Point was opened on the 2d inst. when five gentle- 

 men made bags as follows: Mr. Lucas, 175; S. S. Wood- 

 ruff, 138; Major Walker, 126; Col. Tisdale, 119; Sheriff 

 Woodruff, 88,' making for the five skiffs 646, the best shoot- 

 ing ever made here in one day. 



.»»», . 



DRESSING AND PACKING DEER. 



foregoing method has materially contributed to my enjoyment, as with it 

 I could dress and carry my own meat, and having learned to my entire 

 satisfaction that a fail-grown deer, whole, is entirely too heavy for one 

 man to handle, I offer the ideas with confidence that they furnish an al- 

 ternative for small men with large deer who have no better system de- 

 veloped from experienoe. Triangle. 

 , •++** 



FROM PITTSBURGH TO IOWA. 



Sept. 30th. 

 Editor Forest and Stream:— 



The item oa packing deer in a recent article of l, El Casador" in For- 

 est and Stream brings to mind the annoyance and labor experienced 

 in my iir-t attempts to get the deer dressed and transported to camp, 

 and I have found so much satisfaction in my present method that I take 

 the liberty of contributing it for the benefit of those that do net possess 

 the rauiscle necessary in Casador's method, which may do for large men 

 and small ueer, but with the order reversed would be found impractica- 

 ble. Either the deer are smalier or the men are stronger on the Pacific 

 coast than with us, as a full-grown deer cannot be curried as he directs 

 by one man in a hundred that visits the woods of the northwest. Of 

 course there may be men that can carry 150 or 209 pounds "over ground 

 too rougti for a horse to travel," but they are scarce, and the men that 

 can manage eveu half that weight are sufficiently above the average to 

 be accounted rare. 



My experience is applicable to the light weights, and to such the idea 

 of being able to carry a deer whole, if over two years old, will prove a 

 delusion, and much vexation of spirit will be the only result of an at- 

 tempt to operate on the California plan of transportation. I take the 

 liberty of prefacing my carrying with some ideas on dressing, which are 

 of tirtrt imponance in securing choice venison: First, then, "kill your 

 deer" and see that he is well bled; nexc cut entirely around the arms, 

 working your krife carefully well inward until the intestines are clear 

 of all connection with the flesh through the hams. Cut slits in the hind 

 legs for the gambrel; then cut three poles about twelve feet long and 

 four inches in diameter at large end, leaving a crotch at the end of two, 

 and an inch or so of a small limb about a foot from the top end of the 

 third; thrust the end up to limb through the cut in the legs, and place 

 the foot of this pole against some firm object to keep it from slipping 

 "bacii. and then place the crotched end of the two poles over the legs and 

 under the pole at the gambrel, setting the poles so that you can nft on 

 the bottom or each toward the center, crowding downward on the foot 

 of each pole till your deer swings clear of the ground. Commence at a 

 poitt on the belly about tight inches below where the hams press to; 

 gether: cut only through the skin downward through the britket and 

 neck to under jaw also from the hock of each fore leg on the inside to 

 the brisket, meeting ihe downward cut; skin the fore legs, neck and 

 body to the fifth rib, but no farther, and then open and take out intes- 

 tines, cutting brisket wtll open to allow all to fall out clear from body, 

 d then divide the body at the fifth rib, detaching the fore quarters en- 

 : cut the large strips of meat from the shoulder blades, ribs and 

 f,** . the fore-quarters, discarding the remainder. You have now 



1 ko* hind quarters with the skin attached; tie the skin closely 



banain" ttu; t wnere it; leaves the meat, and stow away the pieces from 



thacordjtt^> n the inside the ribs of the hind-quarters. Now,, if 

 the fore quarters^X e hanging till the blood drains oat and body is 

 weather permits, leaC ' as mav be convenient, only taking the precau- 

 cold and as much longe. " a few branches of some evergreen to keep 

 Son to hang over the whoiv «elf with a packing strap and bag, take 

 off the storms Provide youu *»d of skin back between the legs, draw 

 flown the quarters, pull the neck *:\ ther, whale the skin from the fore 

 down the tail and with a cord tie toa. . ' and tied at the small of the 

 leVsboUd be brought around the boa. x -nbrel, and you have a corn- 

 back unjoint the leas just below the gaX e is of value and in such 

 S£rX bundle thai iucludesnearly all the^ m, and with a packing 

 K?„o ,ht the meat is entirely covered with the si -avy with the meat 

 L be carried quite handily, if found too ^. r journey. The 



Albert Lea, Minn., September 9th, 1876. 

 Editor Forest and Stream:— 



Our party, consisting of seven Pittsburgh sportsmen and a recon- 

 structed artiste de cuisim, (indispensable in a well ordered camp), are 

 here en route for the chicken and duck fields of Minnesota and Iowa. 

 Our camping outfit is comple e; yes, alas! when moving, too complete, for 

 four two-horse wagons will not hold our plunder. Think of it I Two 

 wall tents, one about 16 by 20 feet for the party, with a large tent fly for 

 a porch, and kitchen tent about 12 by 16. For the large tent there is a 

 frame made of gas pipe in sections screwed into one another; seven old 

 fashioned cross-legged cots and camp stools; a 100-pound stove that the 

 prairie blasts can't chill; a barrel of bread and another of potatoes; a 

 bag of corn meal and cracklings for dog feed; many trunks and boxes; 

 150 pounds of shot; 35 pounds of powder; l,50i) empty shells, gnns, 

 rifles, and a keg of— well, some of the party are subject to rheumatism, 

 and they have brought something along in a keg to rub themselves with 

 when they come home. And the dogs— that's our tender as well as a 

 very leading point on this trip. We have ten that have made things in- 

 teresting and lively at all stations where we changed cars between 

 here and Pittsburgh. The rain was always pouring when this duty was 

 performed, and as Charley, our muitre de cuisine, usually had about six 

 of them to hold aud lead, a free and wet dog fight which scared the lady 

 passengers, amused the idle gamins, and called down upon your "very 

 humble" the imprecations of the entire party for being the proprietor of 

 Rex, a setter which was the quarrelsome dog and general bouncer of all 

 the rest. Any of them that uared to look at Jess, a lady setter and his 

 companion, or come within his reach, had to fight. Ben, a thorough- 

 bred pointer, and Squire, a large orange and white setter, are more than 

 his match, but still he comes to the score at the next appaientlyto try 

 conclusions. They say, "Whip it out of him." Well, the dogs may do 

 it; I am tired. Let no sportsman turn up his nose at the foregoing enu- 

 meration of the smallest part of our plunder and say we are inex- 

 perienced and will learn better and go lighter hereafter, for it is our 

 experience that has led us into the inconvenience of bringing so much 

 luggage. This is the third annual trip for us as a club of seven, aud the 

 sixth or seventh for some of the number who knuw the comforts that 

 are derived from having a good raised cot to sleep on and a good solid 

 stove to sit around these cold, wet nights. The rain has been falling in this 

 entire region for two weeks steadily, and there is "water, water, every- 

 where," but we scarcely ever taste ltl 



We have not settled upon the exact locality in which to pitch our 

 camp, but after prospecting will probably make it in a region in which 

 we have encamped before, and where we know piunated grouse, ducks, 

 geese and sand-hill cranes are still abundant. In a subsequent letter I 

 will give you some particulars as we like to first "catch our rabbit" 

 before we sprve it. As this party consists, of Christian 'good men and 

 true." We are simply laying off for Sunday on our journey at this 

 pretty village of Albert Lea, below which glistens the placid bosom of 

 Fountain Lake, in whose waters sport the pickerel aud other excellen 

 fish, all of which we are prepared to interview either upou this or some 

 other of the hundreds of similar lakes of the region. Migratory ducks 

 and geese have no i made their appearance yet, but a Mr. T. A. Smith, 

 Jr., of Baltimore, a gentleman who is stopping at our hotel, the Hall 

 House, brought in a few redheads last evening. There are some native 

 ducks, bnt not sufficient to tempt the sportsman; the mallard, teal and 

 red head breed here in limited numbers. I met Miles Johnson, of New 

 Jersey, this morning, who is here breaking some dogs, he pointed out to 

 me two brace of setter pups owned by a New York sportsman, one brace 

 of chestnut and wnite Gildereleeve, very hnndsome, and a brace of the 

 Jerome Gordons, all about eight or ten months old. The latter are fair- 

 looking pups, bat all of them are too young to break. The more ex- 

 perience I have the more I am convinced of the folly of handling dogs 

 in the field before they are from 14 to 18 months old, especially on chick, 

 ens where wide ranging aud endurance are requisite. A pup eight or ten 

 months old is no more fitted to stand it than a child eight years old is 

 fit to hunt with a ten pound gun. It has been my misfortune to overt 

 break very young dogs, and while their education was admirable the. 

 plentiful lack of qualifications that time and uninterrupted maiurity 

 alone can give were painfully apparent. 



This hotel kept by Mr. Hall is comfortable and cosy. Mr. Hall is him- 

 self a sportsman and knows how to treat the wary faring brotherhood. 



South Fork. 

 , •»•«» 



THE FOX GUN. 



strap can oe cam- h— — - k aBOtllCN weath aad 



inside put this in £« f^£to8a3 quite a change in\ f the fore- 

 hind-quarters are now m shape to swim H v 



can be transported witbout injury, while the choice £** 



strap can 



i love- 



SB Cx an anc i 



garters not used in camp can Stowed away ^j^S^V P * 

 Ratable. A deer cannot be nicely dressed ^^^J^^ 

 Efficient time to allow the blood to drain out, and ^ » * * - 

 Mentioned a man that can carry 75 V^^^^^^^ 

 very large animal it may bo necessary to use two sets ot ^ £ 

 the crotches, the first set .hotter, to get the body partly uy 

 ting those long enough for the last raise. „™ fi rfence so the 



Iimmuch^iudepehdence lends a charm to *«*• experience, sotne 



Galveston, Texas, Sept. 30. 

 Editor Forest and Stream:— 



August 29th I ordered by telegram a Fox gun, 22 gauge, 23 inches, la- 

 minated barrels, 2$ drop of stock, weight 8 pounds. Sept. 28th I received 

 gun by express. Loading St. Louis and Sturdevant shells, 3 dims. No. 

 4 Hazard's ducking powder, 1 1-16 oz. No. 6 thot. with plenty of 30-in. 

 targets, I measured 40 yards with a yard stick shot without rtst, right 

 barrel pattened 238, left 210. I fired 20 shells ar.d found very little varia- 

 tion. The action is perfection, a perfect dovetail at finest extremity of 

 breech, very easy to open and snap on shooting. Woikmanship very 

 fine, and material casehardened; locks equal to the renowned Brazier's 4- 

 pin Briddle. Sportsmen patronize home manufacturers. The Fox gun 

 has no hinge to get shaky, and the price is low, even these hard times. 



B. R. BUEFHAM. 



P. S.— I have preserved targets for inspection.— Adv. 



THE BAKER GUN CHALLENGE. 



» 



New York, Oct. 5th. 

 Sditor Forest and Stream:— 



Will you please inform Mr. Chas. Greer that if he will state his terms 

 a little more exact that I think I will take up his offer, and also that 

 there are several others who wish to shoot him on the same terms, viz: 

 No. 8 shot, li oz., 30 inch circle at 40 yards. E. W. Holberton. 



Creedmoor. — Two matches were shot on Thursday at 

 Creed i ooi by the members of the Seventh Regiment. The 

 first was for a diamond badge, presented by Lieut. J. R. 

 Andrews, to be competed for spring and fall until won 

 three times by the same person. The conditions were ten 

 shots each at 200 and 800 yards, standing; Remington State 

 model rifle. There were 40 entries, and the best scores 

 were as follows: — 



200 



Names. Yd*. 



J. W. Gardner... 36 



J. L. Price 40 



Geo. Waterman.. 39 

 E. H. San ford... 34 

 C. F. Bobbins.. 35 



\ C. Ogden 37 



J. v Bouttllier .38 



j\ u 



• el? ^-T presented by numbers of the Seventh now re* 



300 





Yds. 



Total. 



37 



73 



33 



73 



33 



n 



3b 



?■ 



35 

 32 

 31 



200 



TSTames. Yds. 



W. G.Dominick..33 



C. H. Eagle 37 



S. B. Bensel 37 



J.B. Holland.... 38 

 «0,J. H. Teackle....30 

 69 J. C. A brains... 31 

 69 J. P. Bun ell 36 



3f0 





Yds. 



Total. 



34 



67 



30 



67 



29 



66 



27 



65 



. 30 



60 



29 



60 



24 



6? 



siding on the Pacific slope. The conditions of the compe- 

 tition were: Open to active members of the Seventh Reg. 

 iment; weapon, Remington rifle, State model; distance? 

 200, 500 and 600 yards; five rounds and two sighting shots 

 at each range; position, standing at 200 andanywiih the 

 face toward the target at 500 and 600 yards. There weije 

 40 entries. The following are some of the best scores out 

 of a possible 75 poi-its. — 



Names. 200 Yds. 500 Yds. 600 Yds. Total 



J.W.Gardiner 21 22 13 56' 



J. C. Ogden 18 16 18 52 



B. Dominick 18 15 18 51 



J. C. Abrams 20 18 16 49 



George Waterman 23 17 9 49 



C. H Easle 20 70 9 49 



C. F Bobbins 19 12 17 48 



G. H. Poole 17 19 12 «< 



J. Teackle 20 13 13 46 



J. Le Boutfllier 19 16 11 45 



E. H. Sanford ..18 13 14 45 



G. F. Merchant 10 17 1? 44 



E. B. Bensel 15 18 13 44 



W.A.French 13 16 11 43 



J.L.Price 20 14 8 H 



J.B. Holland.... 18 5 18 41 



—Saturday being regular match day the sixth competi- 

 tion for the Spirit of the Times badge was shot at Creedaioor 

 The weather was very unpropittous for off-hand shooting, 

 particularly at 300 yards, with an eight-inch builse\eto 

 shoot at, the wind blowing in gusts across the range. 

 There were 20 competitors, the winner being Capt. Price 

 of the Seventh Regiment. The following are the scores 

 out of a possible 50 points:— 



Names. Total 



J. L. Price 37 



T. W. Linton 37 



Henry Fulton 35 



H S.Jewell 33 



E. H. Sanford 33 



G. L. Morse ...33 



Lewis Cuss 31 



J. I. C. Clarke 30 



Homer Fisher 59 



C. E. Overbaugh « 



F. H. Hulton o t> 



F. F. Milieu -j- 



Fl. B. Smith 25 



J. A. Gee 23 



H. Funke, Jr sjj 



George Waterman 20 



W. H. Cochrane , Jr iy 



C E. Latimer 30iJ. G. Story n 



B.Hall .301 Names, Total. 



On Saturday next the Turf Field and Farm badge will 

 be shot for at 3 p. m. 



New York. — The return match between the Amateur 

 and Empire City Rifle Clubs was shot on the range of the 

 Seventh Division N. G. S. N. Y., at Rochester, on the 6th 

 inst. Among the competitors was Buffalo Bill, who is a 

 member of the Empire Club. The wind was bad, the 

 shooting poor and the Amateurs are still victors. The fol- 

 lowing are the scores, 7 shots each at, we presume, 500 

 yards, but our report does not state the distauce: — 



AMATEUR CLUB. 



Names. Total. 



Charles Green 14 



S. A. Servis 25 



George T. Stillson 24 



Names. 

 A. H. Bruman. 

 C. E. Eider.... 

 E. S. Phelps. 



Total. 



22 



26 



.25 



K. B. Yates 25 Dr. Buckley 21 



A.D. Mc Master 22|H. F. Hart 2? 



E. S. Combs 271Ed. Angevine 25 



Total 285 



EMPIRE CITY. 



Names. Total. I Names. Total. 



J. Montgomery 16JC . Bradley 27 



George Goulding 17| Henry Beisheim 25 



James Payne IB Thomas Givens 12 



mi ™7„,...<>, is William F. Cody 18 



John Uoyd 21 



W. H. Crittenden. 



econd match was for the Veteran's badge, a beau- 



W . W atjner 18 



A. Roda 24 



Frank Schoeffel 26 



Total 250 



New York— Saratoga Springs.— The regular fall meeting 

 of the Saratoga Rifle Club took place last week on their 

 range. Firing began at 10:36 a.m.; weather cold and 

 cloudy, and interrupted the shooting once by a heavy 

 shower. The club adopted a new style of target for short 

 range, and allowed any gun to compete. The target is a 

 bullseye 1^ inches in diameter numbered No. 25 and sur- 

 rounded by circles three- quarters of an inch apart and 

 numbered in order to the outside one, which is No 1. 

 First competition, distance, 100 yards, position, standing; 

 won by Hiram Hays; prize, life membership; score, 217 

 possible 250. Second competition, same target, position, 

 standing, distance, 200 yarns; won by W. H. Benson; prize, 

 Hazard's powder; score 167 possible 250. Third competi- 

 tion, distance, 600 yards; prize, Cobb's gold badge of honor; 

 targets, etc., according to rules of the N. R. A.; won by 

 Odell Gates; score 40 possible 50. A number of spectators 

 witnessed the shooting. 



Rhode Island. — The first annual prize meeting of the 

 Rhode Island Amateur Rifle Club was held on the Black- 

 stone Range, near Providence on the 3d and 4th insts. The 

 rirst event was an open match at 250 and 300 yards, with 

 no restrictions as to rifle, sight or position. Each compet- 

 itor had a separate card-board target with an eight 

 inch bullseye. The winner, Mr. F.J. Rabbeth, shooting 

 with a Peabody 40 cal. rifle, placed his ten shots within a 

 circle of six and five-eighths inches. Mr. Crowell took 

 second prize. The second event was to have been 

 a team match for the championship of New England, but 

 there being but one team present it was decided to substi- 

 tute a long-range individual match, seven shots each. Ihe 

 following are the best scores made out of a possible 105: 



800 900 1000 



Names. Yards. Yards. Yards. Total. 



E. Thomas 30 '27 32 



W.M. Fairow 31 31 26 



G. W. Davison 25 22 30 



F. J. Raboeth 30 22 30 



N. Washburn 31 28 22 



J. H. Crowell 28 25 26 



D A. Reyes 24 25 8 



The third event was an all-comers match at 200 yards, 

 seven shots, aay rifle within the rules. The following are 

 the rcores out of a possible 35: — 



Names. Total' Names. To % 

 W. F Alexander 29 F. L. Gay % 



F. J. Eaooeth 29|W. M. Farrow Sg 



E Thomas 2SJ.G. W. Davison .,- 



H . Bull. Jr 28|D. A. Keyes |* 



John Howe 28 J. C. Ormsbee ?2 



Edward Totten 2~,\W. L. Tobey 



G. Taylor 27j 



The first event on the second day was the long-range in- 

 dividual match, seven rounds each at 800, 900 and i.twu 

 yards. The strong wind blowing interfered somewnai 

 with high scores, out the following were made out oi 

 possible 105: — 



re 



is g 



II ® 



89 

 8S 

 87 

 82 

 81 

 S9 

 57 



Names. Yards. 



G.W.Davison 32 



J. H. Crowell 31 



N. Wasiiburu , 31 



F.J. Kabt)et,ii 29 



Charles Perkins 23 



W.M. Fanow ?.8 



D. A. Keyes 28 



F. Hemperley 19 



24 



28 

 29 

 30 

 27 

 30 

 23 

 27 



