OoTOBEB 29, 1880.1 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



249 



wrltiiia; rnme of siiliocilmastora, Tjiit a orack shot is the work 

 of GiHl." 



» ■». . 



[From the 'Rod akd Gun, Jul]/ 31, 1875. J 

 THE TELOCITY OF SHOT. 



HV .t. M. KIOB, I'BOF. MATUEMATrOS, It. S. ?r, 



ABIJID III llie distaiiw! of forty y.jnls is Z'Vuvs at full 

 apRpA (say sixty iiiilfis ptM- hour; in :i ilirrciii.u iitrpen- 

 rlifulMr to the plane of Are ; how niueli sliall wo hold uhead V 

 '■ ■ 'ilfit'iilt to tiiul two irood shots who will give even ap- 

 ' 'iirly llie s!inic iiiiMwcr to this quBSlloD ! thens -arc 

 ", ho will F;iy thi-y iillowliule or nolliing, and others 

 iiiw from ten to tiftecn feel. 

 ■: obxious that before we ciiii discuss tliis question to 

 I iirpose we must know approximately the velocity of a 

 i I :• iif shot. It Is liopcd. therefore, tliat tliefoUowing es- 

 pi riiiii'iils will be of interest to sportsmen. 



Th.'si- experiments wi're maiie on tl>e a7tll of June last, 

 at llie IT. S. Aiival Experimental Battery at Annapolis, Mary- 

 land, with the perniis.sion and abJe assistance of Commander 

 Joseph D. Jlarvin, U. S. Navy, in cliarirc of the Bullery. 

 The iustTumeut used to determine the velociiies was a Le 

 Boulenge Clu-onot;ra]ih : the ^mi, -vvliieh was fired from the 

 «li.iul.).T. was a pin-tir.. hreeeh-loader, Xo. 12 snmxn, tliirty- 

 ineh l-.iiirels, wt-iuOiina: seven and a half ponuds. 



Till- f l,iMi^,i;nipli waa mrmipniated, and the observations 

 i, ; , ' j, II . W. W. Kimball, U. S. JS'avy, assistant 



I I : < not prepared for experimental pur- 



.:ii, ,,.11 ,;,i !i as the writer liBtipened to have loaded 

 I' lime till-- experiments were made. 



I I lie table lielow. H den<.|es Hazard's lilectric Pow- 



. I - :-'". 1") grain, and D denote.s Dnpont's Ducking Powder. 



Ihe column headed Hange gives the distance between the 



I wii screens, one of which was about si.^ incbe^a from tire 



muzzle of the t;un. 



rill' veliK'itv given is the mean velocity of the sliof between 

 I 111 IV, 11 screen.';. When the ranire is 'Ufly feet, it nuiy lie 

 i,:k.-n as the veli.cilv al i5 feel from tlie muzzle of the irun ; 

 and when the nuiLT is Mill feer. ai ',() feel from the uinzzle. 



The first scii' : ;-'.I of four very fine copper wires 



placed vertical I;, ,.: ,i: ni inch a|iart :' the secon<i .sci-een 



"was about the sc- n; ,, -i;. -i nf ermmion note paper, and was 

 kiiined of fine copper wire stretched from side to side at iii- 

 tei v:,ls of about one-fourth of an inch. 



EXPEKtMKNTS. 



Meau \^elo(.'itr 

 Size 01 Baugo m teei per 



inwi'T. Draolima Shot. Ounces. Jnfeet secnmi. 



it 'iH i l\i 150 ■ i,oi;i 



II ax !« IV 'w B(« 



H V^ E.' 2.V lUI) siU 



I> 3 7 l.lj too 77« 



n H T i?s' tan ts» 



for another .shot, fiut were loo far away for my gun. My 

 ft'llow sportsman ff) stood with loaded ami, lookin.s at me. 

 •'Whv didn't V'.u tire'r" "t was inst 't;<nynr to w'licn v..n 

 sliot. and Ihc.ri ihoiiLdit ynii had killed "tll.:■^vllole lii.ck", .10 

 there would be no u.se for nic to waste my powder on dead 

 geese I" 



This was not our last sport, for many a time did we send a 

 storm of chilled shot after some warj' old gander with splen- 

 did success. We hunt for market as well as for the pleasm-e 

 the sport idTords. The place to shoot these splendid game 

 birds is well known to a large number of St. Paul sportsmen, 

 who make animal visits here, and, slrange to say, never go 

 home disaiipointcd. 



Probably tiie best place to shoot over decoys is Wcstport 

 Lake, a'lout ten niilesfrom Saulc Center, whei-e they congregate 

 in large nuinljtrs, lakiugthe stuljble fields at early dawn Tind 

 evenini;-. rctuniiim- to tlnriake after brcaktast anij"snii]icr. 



Goose J.akc ks siluated in the southeast corner of Douglass 

 Comity, and iis adjacent Uelds make it a splendid place for 

 the "wild fowler" to recreate about. 



A person can reach any of the above named places at tlie 

 prices named below, which include nearly everything needed 

 iuthesport. Pare from St. Paid to Sauk ( inin. :~i :,ii: 

 team and driver to take you out. per day ^r 1 1 

 board a( Sauk Centre House per week, 84.00 ri. . . .n a 

 goodbrc, i'Ii-k.:i.!ir per day, f3.00: boat at the lake per ilay, 

 25 ceni , ' Ihe a!)ove in the interest of the sports- 



men, a. ~ I J II lund our ax" long since. 



We ecLi, .J. i'..i:ik.Loclce's statement regarflina- Swan Lake 

 (in Pitt County), as we have had the pleasure nf dneking there 

 in company with Mr. L., who is a true sjinrtsmaii and a capi- 

 tal shot ; always full of fun and the funny. 



A terrilile .snowstorm has lieen rairing lor two or throe 

 days, and al pn-.sent writing the simw is from two to five feet 

 deep in lilaccs. wiili some crust, ft this continues for a day 

 or two IcMiger pinnated grouse will be eiilirely exterminated in 

 this section. The geese and ducks have disapi.icared but will 

 return if it turns warmer. This is llie worst stnnn that the 

 oldest settlers have ever witnes.sed at this season of the year. 



Sniik CeiUrc, Mm., Oct. 18. Deli.. 



Ji, 



m 



It will lie noticed that Ihe charges of powder were some- 

 M,)i;ii smaller than those commonly used by spoitsmen. 



" -cir-^UMic the mean velocity of sliot for forty yards 



i 11 r second, the time of liight will lie 1.115 sec. 



I i:ai the rate of (iO miles an liom goes at the rate 



II ;i. , second, or 13.2 ft. in 0. 15 .seconds. Again, if we 



a -li.ac tiie mean velocity of shot for forty yards to be 1,000 



ft. iicr second, the time of flight will be 0.13 seconds, and th.e 



disiance traversed by the bird. 10.5(!ft. 



. Ducks, when g(jiug at full sj J, jiinin ,1 ■ i ' 1 !:y cxceed- 



hig -sixty miles an hour: it w mi, 1 .ml an al- 



lowance of 10 or l.'i feel, in iln' I, , L- a point 



under full headway, is not too ]i,.;e:i, u ,1,1., Llislauce cipial or 



Si lino succcr^slul sportsmenliave a habit of making an al- 

 Ii.iwaiici' iVii Ihe velocity of the bird, by jerking the gun for- 

 ward at the inslant they pull the trigger. 



The time whicli elapses liei,\vccn the instant at which the 

 ine.ssago whi(.'h causes the linger to pull the trigger is sent 

 from the brain, .inel (lie insiaiit at which the shotleaves the 

 muzzle (if the ] lice- is iinile. and doubtless greater than we 

 are apt to aupinise. Tills inlerval of time probably varies 

 wilb different indiviiluals ; henee arises a larger per.sonal 

 ei|ualion. l*'or Uiisiind other reasons it is impossible to frame 

 lules which are eqnally a|ipliea!>lc 10 all sportsmen. Each, if 

 he woidd shoot well, must make his own rules, which must 

 be caretully modified to accord with bis experience and ob- 

 servation. A loleraWy accurate knowledge of the veloei(\ of 

 shot is, notwithstanding, of great service to the ihoughlful 

 sporlsman. 



Tn iheM-- experiments, the lime of flight was sudi as to per- 

 ini! inesliMl 0) inll about four inches in gning one hundred 

 [eel, a rtislanee which is of liltle iuiporlance in comparison 

 wilh the distance traversed by the bird r. Idle the shot is in 

 the air. In the case of most double guns the elevmion of the 

 ril) al the breech is more than salRcient tn compensati> for 

 the distance through wliicli the shot will fall in going forty 

 yard.s. A .sight <ine-ienth of an inch, in height," at thirty- 

 inches from the eye, will exactly cover a line four inches in 

 tciKOhfil a disiance of one hundred feet. The elevaliou of 



I lliiifinosi double guns is greater than one-tenth of an 



T. M. Rice. 

 .-. y.irui Amdcnii, July, 1875. 



CEESE aUNTING HSf THE STUBBLE FIELDS. 



rriHlS is undoubtedly one of the most exciiing kimk- <■{ 

 I shooting a sportsman can engage in. It re. luircs a g. 1, h \ 

 slioi as well as a hard shooting gun, and he who takes a 'light 

 111 to the field wll not Lave a hedvj- bag, but will have a 

 and blue shoulder and a era'/y head instead. 

 I company with a fellow sportsman wc set out with 

 camping outfits, boat, etc., not forgetting our retriever for 

 the omis thtit si:)metimos fall just where ~wc could not find 

 Uiem. Arriving at our destination wc liave our team well 

 cared for, and then taking our decoys we proceed to business 

 — i. e., digging holes in the gi'ound, where we could com- 

 mand a broad view of the surrounding ootmlry. All being 

 in readiness, our decoys placed in such a way as to be seeii 

 from any point of the compass, we settle ''comfortably" 

 " back on our seats which we place in the holes, and wait. 

 In a short time a large flock of geese are seen approaching 

 our quarter. Yes, here they come, for wc now hear theil 

 sonorous "honking." which makes us "all of a tremble;" 

 *diid yet we wani them to pay us the call. They espy our 

 Clever imitations and renew their call, at the same tinie com- 

 ing still closer. I now cock both barrels, and as they come 

 ■wfthin range I let loose, " first the right and then ilie left," 

 with the satisfaction of seeing the first four old honkers sink 

 nth and thrse more quickly follow. Theycame back 



PHILADELPHIA LETTER. 



SINCE last writing the different varieties of wild duck 

 vhich generally follow tlie early criming tetd have made 

 their appearance hi our river. Although" not numerous, 

 black duck, a few mallard, and what is called liy our local 

 "gumiers" the slilf lail frudily dm/k) have been shot in 

 Howell's Cove, Delaware River, a few miles below the city. 

 Tliev are securcl hvpaddlintr on the tloclis. but, ^\^' learn, are 

 extremely shy. 



Oct. 15 presented a veiy busy appearance al our gun 

 stores, the day being Ike opening of the quail season. Judg- 

 ing from the quantity of shells ordered, sad havoc will be 

 made in the ranks of Bob White, jiiovided the covies tlii.'^ 

 summer-like weather do not lind food enough in the vet 

 verdant woods and thickets (which we arc sure they w'ill) 

 and take to llie stubliles tor their morning meal. Your oor- 

 respondi-nl has always noted ihal iiiitii cool weather ha.s 

 stripped the trees of their foliage and destroyed or covered 

 Ihe food usually found in the woods, the quail \vill not go to 

 the stubbles, or at least if lie does keeps close to bis 

 "branch" or thicket. In these daj's of improved breeb- 

 loaders and increased nundier of sportsmen Bob White lias 

 learned to be w ise. How often have I pal iently waited until 

 the over-an.\ions ■■season openers" have returned from their 

 first campalLi'ii, re]iortingno birds. p|.;nty of musipiitoes and 

 warm weather, full v knowinir the cause of the apy)arcnt 

 dearth as I have intimated I here will be this October, in 

 regions where' aniple '|iiail have been bred, and wliieh, later, 

 will be r<miid to furnish capital sport; and going to the same 

 groimds had good shooting. 



Delaware and ^Maryland buyers who have been in our city 

 durinir the jiast week tell bic an average number of birds 

 have tieen bred in their Stales. A law lately pas.sed in Dela- 

 ware re,|uires non-resident .^ho-jters eorniiigto the .Stale 10 be 

 furnisheil with a license to be paid yearly. This in a meas- 

 ure protects the farmers from the eiiicken-killing and fence- 

 destroying ''gunners" that overrun the country when the 

 season opens. Kew .lersey. or at leasl five counties of the 

 Slate, insist upon the same license, .■unl although we arc of 

 the opinion the law would be found unconstitutional if 

 properly lesied. we cannot help favoring it on accoimt of the 

 good results it has brought about. 



Last month an intiuiry was made on the part of an English 

 stock-dealer throU'.di a captain sailing to and from a British 

 lion and Ibis city, to a member ot tlu^ Philadelphia Maritime 

 Kxchange of tlie proper manner of disposing of a shipment of 

 upward of a hundred sportmg and non-sporting dogs in 

 tliiscoiimi-y.it fieing the intention of the siock-dealer, or 

 .sjieculalor. to try such an experiment. Vom- correspondent 

 was Consulted o'n the subject, and gave as his opinion the 

 dogs should ije sent toX. Y., if sent to l;his eoimtry at all, and 

 disposed of ai auction. 



Doubtless these animals cannot !"■ fre- >]•■.. i,..of English 

 kennels, as dogs of well-known breed ' , lieirging, 



and I so slated it, discoiuaninL' -Ji niueh as 



possible. If we want English lilood ,-, i 1 !i -t, .such as 



have been imported already by our euturprksing .sportsmen, 

 as many curs ma,j' be found there as here. 



Aa a part of my weekly letter to PobbSt ASd Stkeam T in- 



cor|.i,r,er , 1; ■iiiii:-'!iie e'l ,: "i- iur friend "HawkEye," 



r. i I i ' I . /e oil, and giving his opinion 



"'i'lieud liou.u.'- i.-,ei;, ,'.,ii,i-i^maninthiavalleyrDehigh, 

 Pa.), will agiee wilh you upon the point you raise ligainsi the 

 shooting of quail in October ; at least, all "those who ha\ e been 

 out this fall. It is a scandalous shame to kill such birds as 

 I fomid on Friday last; they w-erc not more than about half- 

 grown. The flust bunch we came across could .scartiely fly. I 

 walked in ahead of my dog, saw something slip through" the 

 briars, and was about to flog him for standing mice, when one 

 of the old birds rose and some half-do-/,eii ■squealers' under- 

 took to follow, but thej' made such a iioor attempt to get on 

 the wdng^hat the old bird lit airaiu within gun shot, and com- 

 menced ea.lling them to her in tliat plainli'.-e iir.ie we , so fre- 

 quently hear in the harvest fields wlien I he great destroyer of 

 her quail, the mower and reaper, goes through a Ijrood of the 

 poor little helpless things. I otilled my dog and walked away 

 without firing a shot. It was too much like murder to shoot 

 the old bird when the young were hardly able to take care of 

 themselves. This I did more than once during the day. as the 

 majority of the birds were too small to shoot, and ram fully 

 of your opinion that the season shotdd not commence untd 

 NoTember 1. There are more late broods this season in our 

 part of the country that I ever saw hefore. How do you ac- 



count for it ? Lilce you, I shall not do any more quail shoot- 

 ing until later, when the birds can (Iv; there is no 

 jileiisure now, they will not lie for a dog. and are 

 aetnallv not worth carrying when von e-ct them. T 

 think something should be done when the Li'gislatm-c meets 

 to prevent the wluilesale murder of biids. before they can fly. 

 by 'pot hunters,' for I do not think aiiT siiortsinau'wonld be 

 mean enough to can-y home such birds'as I .saw on the open- 

 ing of the season this year as the law now stand.s. Write the 

 matter up in the F. and S. and gel Ihe views of others upon 

 it. Tiiei-e is another poim that 1 an be made in reference to 

 Oct. shooting. Aslongasweareliri.cen days earlier in Ihi.s Slate 

 then in some adjoining ones we may cxpcci 10 be run down 

 with A class of men who shoot for llic market and have no 

 other interest in our game birds, and still another class who 

 want and will have a big conn! of heads and I ails, no matter 

 how simdl they are. I'ha.ve ofleii tlionghi i|, was bad poliev 

 to have ' pheiisanl.s,' or ruffed grouse, come in before .inail.for 

 this reti.sou: Parlies go out under tlie pretense of .shooting 

 pheasants and woodcock, and shoot quail right along aftex 

 October 1, because I hey think and .say to them.selves; 'Oh, 

 well, it is only 11 few days to the fiflcentb, and if ^\p, do not 

 get them this will be my only chance.' There is actually 

 little or no pleasure in sliooting grouse before the leaves are 

 off the trees and the birds eomc in from the Hats or barrens 

 where 'l;ev in ne-.v feeding on berries. ,\s .soon aa wc have 

 some I . :,: . ,: y will be fcmud in winter quarters, tdong 



waler-' : 1; lUc ravines. Yon can't find them there 



now. 1 !i:i I ,1 reu over a half-dozen this fall while sfiool- 

 iug wooelcoek on grounds where there Avill be good grouse 

 shooting Uiter in the .season." 



Your correspondent can assure the readers of the F. and S. 

 that the communication i|Uotcd is from the pen of a sports- 

 man thoroughly able to sjieak on I he subject on which he 

 writes, and I am pleased to state he will regularly furnish 

 interesiiiiir notes from bis section of the countrv. " My first 

 woodcockwas killed when in hiscompanv. and nianva cussin-^ 

 I have received for not doing my yiart as a beginner quite a's 

 well its he did his, an old stager. The last time I shot with 

 him, however, I had caught up, and a little bit beyond ; but 

 it ^v!^s merely accidental. Hoito. 



Oct. 23. 



MICHIGAN NOTES. 



CitF.noTGATT, Mich., Oct. 16. 



WE are having very good shooting in this county at 

 present. Ducks, partridges, deer and bear in abim- 

 danee. 



Tlie liest duck shooting we have is a* the head of JIullet 

 Liike, about eighteen miles from town, and Black Lake, about 



the same distance in another di 

 beautiful sheet of water, twelvi 

 wide, and Black Lake is eight 

 miles wide. Both lakes coiitaii 

 wild rice, affording most ampf 

 splendid cov,.r for sporl 

 tions at the Mullet Laki 



iry to 



TMulIet Lake 

 miles lone and six mUes 

 dies long and alioiil three 

 se\'ei-al hundred acres of 

 feed for ducks liesides a 

 I'liere are good accommoda- 

 llouse, (vitli boats and evei-ything 



■ a trip both v 

 red bv II. \V. Hod 

 'Kive members 



It i 



e.f o 

 ea trip to the 

 bagged Kit di 

 a'few rods 

 les from the la 

 is as good I 



d pi-ofitalile. The 

 e of the best duck 

 r(bm Club and a 

 ead of Mullet Lake 

 ■ks. There is mod 

 if the Mullet Lake - 

 c, I.e'Uveen PiTeon 



g the past two 

 great many flocks 

 sporl for a few^days. 



whe 



nece 

 boat 



hunters in the Stale 

 Jill-. Stanton, of Detr 

 last week, and in six hoii 

 partridge shoolinn with 

 House, and w-itliin three 

 and Sturgeon rivers, tli 

 person would wish, with an occa.si- 

 There is a daily line of boats between Pcti 

 gan, calling at 'the Mullet Lake Hou.se fi-o 

 We have had some very fine sporl d 

 weeks shooting plover. There were : 

 on the grain fields, and we had fine 

 They are all gone now and we have tui 

 duck shooting. A few of the members of the elul 

 ting ready logo over to theSneanx Islands, about iw 

 miles from town on the Straits of iMackinac, to sho 

 Late in October ducks congregate lliere to a, very 

 tent, and the shooting is many times extraordiiiaril\- 

 present om- meat markets tire slocked -^vill! 

 meat that has been sent in from i)arties • 

 hmiliug for the past two -weeks. If sp 

 Ihis place -will make them.selves known to any members of 

 our club they -will be kindly dealt with, and will be posted 

 on the best places for shooting in the countrj'. I will wi-ite 

 you the result of the trip to the Sneau.x Islands so as to let 

 you know how the boys succeeded. P. 



MAINE C-i\J«PING GROUNDS. 



New Yokk, Oct. 33, 1880. 

 Editi})' Formt and Stream : 



Wo notice " Lower Bunk's " note in your issue of the 31sl 

 in regard to a good camping place in Jlaine, cost of readiing 

 it from Hartford, etc. Will give you some iiifornintion for 

 hitn in crude form for -^'ou to"prese"nt in your own way. The. 

 headwaters . if f lie Penobscot afrord all tliat " Lower' Hunk " 

 de.^ires. He can reach llonllon, Aroo.stook Co., Maine, at a 

 cost of not over ijlo, the cars ruiming to within a very short 

 disiance of the towm. He can make Philbrick's Hotel his 

 headquarters for a day or two tiU he makes arrangenieuts to 

 move into the woods. At this season of the year large uimi- 



re gct- 



liucks. 



le. .\t 



id bear 

 ceil out 

 visiting 



(• woods to cut roads, 

 e., and he could get 

 n buy very clieap in 



ed fl-i 



■ Bn 



Ihii 



ber.s of lumbermen are being sent into U 

 repair dams, build camp and hovels, 

 his baggage and provisions, w-hich he 1 

 Houltou, taken in by them very cheapl 

 Among many favorable places to i 

 point we might" mention the headwater 

 — a branch of Penobscot. It lies some 

 west of Houlton in a heavy tunbercd tract of pine, spruce and 

 hardwood. Along the course of Jimmy Brook for many 

 miles are a succession of dams erected by lumbermen, through 

 wliicli immense pine logs are "sluiced.'" fonnii _ i'- 1 Iioles 

 below the dams, abounding wilh fine tmin ,, . ; lie 



csmght in proper season. Partridees are , .1 init. 

 Jlink and sable are al-jo nnilp r.lentifid alone i;,., mi 

 can be readily tra:.; ■ ''e- --.■. ■-de-el fall,." Air. 

 l>lentiful. butare h;ir.| 1 n .,rder to meet wii 



guide an Indian or some old hunter, who can be found among 

 tlie lumber camps -(vhich abound along the streams. 



B.\1L.4^RD, Br.s.NOH & Co. 



M.MSE— Solon, Oct. 2,3.— The best place in Ma.ine would be 

 hard to tind, but there are plenty of nice places to camp out. 

 Probably up the Keauchee River would be as OTod place as 

 there is in the State. Mojde Pond is a good place; it is sis 

 miles from The Porks. The Forks is 45 miles from Skow- 



loulh- 



,-: and 

 :-t are 

 1 -ood 



