Jastjakt 30, 1881.] 



FOllEST AND STREAM. 



489 



wing. And the raeartow lark, with his evea steady flight, is 

 a g piid bird I'ur ihe beginner lo priclice ou and fit him for 

 the killltig of Doblfir ^ame. I do not write tbia trnm intfrestrd 

 motiv. e, fur evur slice the time wbtn a,? h nieru lad, nr-arly 

 twenly-tivB year.s aeo, with a icrrii-r ilng and a Iwputy bore 

 single barrel gun, I killed sis woodcock i ne summer at teriiooti, 

 I have tlisdamed the lesser game. But I write in btiialf of 

 those wb'-i, CLtnflned inclose, sliUinc offices in the cities, can 

 occasionally uet h day oft during the open season. Notice one 

 of Ibese ciJiuIdu; in from bis day's sport, wilh what pride 

 lie displays bis slriig of hiiitdiolils and robins and if, by some 

 lucliy cbancc be Ii.mb uianntrrd to si cure two or three larks, then 

 he is happy indeed. No Oil' pockets fnrbim to hidehis game. 

 Oh, 00 1 He wants every one to see that he is a gunner and 

 has them strung out to roalie as mnch show as posMble. 

 You a-ik bim wliere ho ebot tbose highbolds and he will teli 

 yiju, and cruthfully too, t'jar. two-tblrds of tbem were found 

 feeding upon ibe Jo,t;woud, iie|)[)i_-Tai;e or ivy berries and frost 

 grapes, and onishalt the otbtr iliii'd upon the dried lop of 

 some dccaytd tree. I do not dispute tbe fact that the liigb- 

 holU destroys insects, but it is no more to be fimpared as an 

 insect destroyer willi the small redheaded woodpecker than 

 the importeti sparrow should be c>anpared lo our native 

 song sparrow. The robin is a great destroyer of grapes and 

 other iruil. The meadow lark probat)ly deslroys mora in- 

 sects than either of the others, and does little or no mischief, 

 but be is prttly well able to take care of himself, and is so 

 shy Ibal very few oP.them are killed by the tyro?. Altigetber 

 ilDink that ihe loss caused by iIih killing of these tbreo birds 

 during tbe moutbs of October, November and December is 

 more ihan counterbalanced by lUe pleasure the hunting of 

 lh«m gives to the class fif hunters atwve referred to, and to 

 the small boys, who in hunting them acquire a love of field 

 sports which is apt to last ihera through life; and the man 

 who loves to shoot and fish is seldom a bad member of society. 

 That these gunners sometimes lull the farmers' poultry is un- 

 doubtedly title', but 1 think they are killed fully as often by 

 tbose who are professedly hunting higher game, and there are 

 laws lo punish lh.se marauders whether of high or low 

 degree. 



I iave written at some length upon this subject, believing 

 that Ihe protection of tbe game will bo more generally ac- 

 complished by a liberal law than by a law for any special 

 class. 



In regard to the proposal to issue licences 1 do not believe 

 that any body of men sent lo Albany by the people of this 

 State will ever seriotisly consider auob a preposterous question. 

 If lliey have the right to pass such a law for Loutr Island they 

 have the right to pass il for tbe whole tiia'.e. ll Ibey have the 

 light to have a license fee of uvo dollars cbaiged they have 

 llie right to increase it to ten, twenty or fifty dollars, or more. 

 It smacks a little loo strongly of the Eag'Ush laws, when a 

 man could be transported for killing a pheasant or hare, to 

 ever find favor in ibis country. 



The proposed open Beasoii for sqiiirrelR is as much too late as 

 the old one was too early ; Septeuiber 15 ia late enough. The 

 most of the squirrels are well grown at thai lime, though in 

 isolated inslauces they have young very late, as on one oc- 

 casion I killed a squirrel with milk in her teats in November. 

 But most of Iheni are bred very early in the summer, some 

 before the snow has left the ground in the spring. Moat of 

 tho-e who hunt them, at least in this vicinity, still-hunt them 

 in September and October. After that a dog is necessary and 

 good squirrel dogs are very rare. 



In regard to the proposed change in the open season for 

 woodcock 1 should prefer to see it one month earlier than one 

 month later. I have read most, if not all, the articles whicu 

 have appeared in Fobest and Stream upon the subject and 

 they have faded to convince me that woodcock are not better 

 able to protect themselves in July than many quail are in 

 November. With the exception of a few years about the 

 time of the war, I have shot woodcock in the lower part of 

 Weatcheste'r County for twenty-five years and tiied to shoot 

 them somewhat longer and in favorable seasons. Taking 

 into consideration ihe immense increase in the number of 

 gunners and the wholesale deslruelion ol their favorite covers 

 and breeding places, they are as plenty as ever. My idea is 

 that sulHeient birds are raised in inaccessible regions where 

 they ate never hunted, to keep up the supply; that the place 

 Where they stop to breed is entirely dependent upon climatic 

 changes and not upon their fondness for any special locality, 

 as with some other birds ; that the birds which, if tbe spring 

 opens early, would breed in Ihe northern part of the State, 

 will, many of tbern, remain here if the season is late. 1 have 

 never but once in the number of years mentioned found birds 

 unable to fly in July, and they were pnjbably ihe offspring of 

 a bird that had her first nest; destroyed, as 1 do not believe 

 they habitually breed twice the same seoson. 



In regard lo tbe woodcock being an easy prey to the gunner 

 during tbe summer 1 would say I have shot in company with 

 many ddl'ereut men and liave noticed that those who wouJd 

 kill three out of five birds, shooting at every one that rose in 

 the summer were more rare than tbose who would kill four 

 out of five in the fall. 



One year ago last fall, from October 30 to November 23, 

 shooting lourleeu days alone, I killed ninety-three woodcock, 

 and fihooling in company with another party four days during 

 the peiiod we killed twenty-four. These birds were all killed 

 within eight rniles of tbe northern boundary of New York city, 

 many of tbem within three miles and that after the ground 

 had been repeatedly shot cverduring tbe summer, ten being the 

 most killed in any one day, Last fall with very little summer 

 shouting not more than one-half that number fell to my gun, 

 nine, however, being killed on one occasion. Tbe birds were 

 quite plenty fifteen miles above here, Nelson Ferris and a 

 friend tamed Horton killing sixieeu and two or three grouse 

 in one day near Porlcbester. The weather changed suddenly 

 very cold, fieezing tbe ground, and m.isl of the birds passed 

 over here without stopping. In concluding I will only say 

 that however much my views may ddfer from those of others 

 I shall do all in my power to proiect the game and uphold 

 whatever laws may be passed. J. U. o. 



At least so thought McKinlay, but as my time was limit- 

 ed, T deterndned to go in spite of the unfavorable calmness 

 of the weather. So telling McKinlay to strike off in an 

 esslerly direction, I entered the woods, and afler gi->ing 

 north f r a short distance I turned my steps to the east, so as 

 to travel parallel with my compiiMion at a distauce from bim 

 of .about half a mile. In less than twenty minutes 1 came 

 suddenly on three fresh tracks, evidently those of cood-si/.ed 

 deer, which bad been feeding leisurely ou a hill side, and lo 

 judge from the tracks the animals could not have gone far, 

 and were most probably at that moment within hearing dis- 

 tance of me. For nearly an hour I followed the tracks, pro- 

 ceeding with great caution and peeping into every valley 

 wilh the hope "of seeing my three friends, as I now fel t 

 tain that they niusL be hut a short distauce ahead of me. 



I saw the tracks running up a liill on the other side of 

 which lay a ravine, and further on a second hill of greater 

 size than the first appeared, and 1 said softly lo niy.self they 

 must either be in tbe ravine or on the hillsidi3 beyond. 



Creeping Bleallliily up tbrougli underbrush and fallen trees 

 I reached the lop of" the nearest liill, and here |iaused for a 

 quiet survey of I lie country beyond. Not a living crcaliu-e 

 was to be seen in tbe rocky gully beneath me, but standing 

 immediately in front of me, at a dislanee of perhaps nincly 

 yards, was a fair-sized buck. Further to the riirhl 1 cotdd 

 see the head and nook of a doe, but liu> third deer was not lo 

 he seen, although I knew the missing animal must be some- 

 where close at hand. 



Both deer appeared to he looking straight at me, and T 

 immediately fired at the buck. After the crack of my rifle 

 I saw bis legs waving a farewell to those he left bebiml him, 

 and tbe next instant the doc was stooping over bim, thus ex- 

 posing nearly lier wbfile side. Again my Spencer cracked, 

 and I heard the dull "thud" of the bullet as it crashed into 

 the side of Ihe faithful animal. Never moving, she stood 

 over her fallen lord, while once and again she calmly took 

 rny fire, and then, with three balls through her body, she 

 knelt and liy down and died almost touching the dead buck. 



Be-loadiug my rifle, I made two or Ihree steps forward, 

 when the third def'r started from a small ibickot close to the 

 carcasses of the deer I had killed. C4etting glimpses every 

 now and then of the nimble-footed beast, I tried hard to ob- 

 tain a suflicient view to enable me to shoot, and at last, as 

 the deer bounded swiftly over a beaver meadow to my left, I 

 fired almost a snap shot at a distance of upward of a hundred 

 and fifty yards. 



Simullaneou.sly wilh the clear, pleasant ring of my rifle I 

 saw that the ball bad taken effect. A moment more showed 

 me the deer disappear in somecedars, but going at a slackened 

 pace and on three legs, a pretty sure evidence that iny ball 

 had done mischief. I hastily cut the throats of Ihe tw^'o deer 

 and whistled for McKinlay, who was not, long in joining tiie. 

 Leaving him lo clean the fleer, I took the track of the 

 wounded animal and ran until 1 saw blood almost warm, 

 where the poor brute had stood under the .shelter of a tre -top. 

 The tracks now showed me thai the pace was no longer a run, 

 and clots of blo' d marked every step. 



Tlie woods became more open aud T hurried on until I 

 reached a marsh, through which tbe track ran. This swamp 

 was several himdred yards in length and as smooth as a table, 

 being firmly frozen by continued severe frost. AVheu half 

 way across I found the track turn suddenly to the right, and 

 as my eyes glanced in the new direction I saw the deer (a 

 fine, fat doe) get up out of the crisp rushes and make a dash 

 straight away from me on tho level surface of the frozen 

 marsh. She rau slowly and apparently with great ellorl, hut 

 was very nearly two hundred yards off before I fired, of 

 course hurriedly, and missed. 



CUck! click! went the guard, and another cartridge 

 slipped into the breech. Spang ! said my good rifle once 

 more, and to my joy I saw the doe pitch on her heatl and lie 

 still. 



On examining her I found that my first shot had shattered 

 her left hind leg, and in ber efforts to get away I fancy the 

 other hind leg must have been sprained, as she hardly ran a 

 mile after the first ball struck her. My last bullet (it was 

 rather a lucky shot) had caught her squarely in the ceiitre of 

 the neck, and I don't know any spot more fatal than the neck 

 bone. I have shot plenty of deer in the water and have often 

 remarked that if you place your ball properly in tbe deer's 

 neck, just below tbe head, the animal dies almost without a 

 shudder. 



I was now quite satisfied with my morning's work, aud af- 

 ter cleaning the doc I buried her under the snow, first fasten- 

 ing her fore legs to her nose by means of a piece of hard 

 wood, a simple process which enables you to drag a deer 

 through the woods with very little trouble. 



Rejoining McKinlay, we managed, after three hours work, 

 to get two of the deer out of the woods before dark. Bright 

 and early the follow'iug morning we brought the other deer, 

 now frozen stiil, to the Frontenac Koad, and an hotir after- 

 wards I was fill route to my home in the city of Kingston, a 

 distance of forty miles from the scene of my stUl hunt. 

 Jxiiigstoii, I>ec. 14. Rideao. 



game wardens, who are stimulated by receiving half the fine 

 in case a conwction for a violation of the gauie law, and 

 partly that tho sldns have fallen so low in miirkot valuo 

 that it hardly pays to hunt for them. No single huuter or 

 party of hunters are allowed to lull more than three moose 

 atid'tivc caribou in one season. 



Tbe practice of hunting with dogs is, I am glad to gay, 

 almost done away with, and the greatest evil which 

 now remains is the abnormal practice of "snaring," 

 which is practiced by many of tho settlers in the 

 outlying dislricts, the mod'M operandi of which I may 

 give at some future time. We are in hopes that in a, 

 little time we will be able to crush out this evil, but I must 

 admit it is a tedious operation. A. man wlio hunts with dogs 

 orhuntsout of season generally leaves some trace, but one 

 who sneaks cait generally after night, sets his snares and quiet- 

 ly returns, and does not visit them again or go near the 

 woods for some days, and then not until darkness covers Ids 

 evil deeds, is a mbro diflicult .subject to deal with, and it is 

 not until some huuter or Itimbormiui come.s by accident upon 

 the "spring pole," and sees the work the poor brute has made 

 while tanged, that it is known that a moose hasfalleu in the 

 toils of some vile snurer. And this is generally all the evi- 

 dcticc thai is forlhcoiviing, and I have no hesitation in say- 

 ing Uial more moose fail in Ibis way than to the riflo of 

 tbe hunters either by " calling" or " still hunting." 



Tbe best district for hunting in this part of the province is 

 the Liscomli Jjiiko region, which extends from Sheet Har- 

 bor to the West River of Pictou, a distance of over seventy 

 mUes, nearly all woods and barrens. I have no doubt that 

 some of the readers of this will remember with pleasure days 

 enjoyably spent hunting or fishing in this locality. In this 

 region is the B-g Barren, which extends nearly from Liscomb 

 Harbor to Big Liscomb Lake, a distance of seventeen miles, 

 aud an average width of three miies. Unfortunate, indeed, 

 is lite hunter who, in crossing this waste does not come upon 

 fresh " sign " of moose or caribou, if he does not see tbe ani- 

 mals themselves. This barren is covered in many places 

 with blueberry bushes, aud here when the berries are ripe 

 bruin is also to be found. Of late caribou are becoming very 

 numerous in this district ; the writer saw a herd of over one 

 Inindred this fall. They appear to have been driven in from 

 New Brunswick, and it is only within the last few years that 

 this deer has appeared in any great numbers. The wolves 

 also appear to have followed the caribou as last season they 

 were more plentiful than ever known liefore. 



The Liscomb region is well watered by lakes the principal 

 of which are Big and Little Liscomb, Rocky, Prince Arthur 

 aud Siloam, to say nothing of Hentus, Porcupine and Ches- 

 holm, all of which abound with salmon-trout. If I were to 

 tell of some of the hauls 1 have made on these lakes it would 

 gladden the hearts of some of the disciples of old Izaak even 



to hear about them. If Mr. H , of Boston, should read 



these lines it will carry him back to the days of "auld lang 

 syne," some of which were spent upon these very lakes. 



However, as the sailors say, lam spinning too long a yarn. 

 It was my intention to have given a few sketches and inci- 

 dents which have happened during some of the many mouss 

 hunts he has engaged in ; the best weapons ; the different 

 modes of hunting and "calling." etc., which perhaps might 

 interest some of the readers of Foeest and .Steeam who may 

 not have had aa opportunity to engage in one. 



Globe Sisht. 



A DAY'S DEER HUNTING IN CANADA. 



"tTT'S no use, sir," said McKinlay ; "tbe deer will hear 

 X you a mile off this moruiug. Aud we might just as 

 well he ia the shanty as wandering about through these 

 cursed briars and woods." 



This remark -was made Lo me by a backwoodsman whom 1 

 had hired lo accompany me for a couple of days" still hunt- 

 iflg. 



The day was clear and pleasantly cold, without a breath 

 of ttir stirring, so that every little noise re-echoed itself 

 through the woods, making a man's progress even in mocca- 

 sins far too noisy lo enable him to follow a deer with any 

 ohwoe of getting a shot. 



GAME IN NOVA SCOTIA. 



New GtASQow, N. S., December, 1880. 



PERHAPS some of the readers of Forest and Stkkam 

 might like to know how their brothers of the rod and 

 gun fare for sport in this the land of the Mayflower. 



First and foremost we have the king of the bog and bar- 

 ren, the lordly moose. Next lo him the caribou, the black 

 bear, and of late an occasional wolf. Of game birds we liave 

 the goose and brant and an armv of ducks, from the 

 hoauliful woodduck to the smallest teal, ruffed grouse, wood- 

 cock, snipe and plover. 



Of late sportsmen and the public generally have heen pay- 

 ing more attention to the game law, and although it is not 

 yet all that a sportsman could desire, still a man has not now 

 lo travel the woods and barrens for a week before striking a 

 fresh moose track. 



In 1873 a law was passed prohibiting the killing of moo.se 

 for three years, and since that time they have been on the 

 increase. " Previous to lliat a war of extermination was car- 

 ried on against them, and some idea can be formed of the 

 number killed from the fact that a single rirm iti Pictou 

 shipped in one season over seven hundred moose bides, t!ie 

 deer mostly Icilled in the counties of Pictou and Guysbore. 

 Tbe writer knows nn Indian who in one year killed one hun- 

 dred moose, and 1 have while hunting in the Liscomb region 

 in a single day come upon tlic carcasses of twelve moose, 

 killed alone for their .skins, and tho flesh left for the bears or 

 for tuiy oue who cared to lake the trouble to carry it out of 

 the woods. Happily this state of thing no longer exist. 

 This is partly owing to Increased vigilance on the part of the 



FLORIDA. QUAIL SHOOTING. 



rEUNANDiNA, Fla., Jan. 7. 



THE cold wave struck us with unusual severity. 'The 

 mercury went down to 18 degs., and for a week it did 

 not rise above 40 degs. Of course the cold weather lirought 

 down quantities of ducks and snipe, and everybody or no- 

 body (pot hunters) that could muster a gun of any "descrip- 

 tion was out. A good deal more game was frightened than 

 hurt, though some of our sportsmen were successful. I went 

 out a short while before the cold snap with my friend S. I 

 don't know if you are cognizant of the fact that Fernaudina 

 is on an island eighteen miles long, somewhat triangular in 

 shape, the ocean on one side and the Amelia and Nassau 

 rivers on the other Irwo. On the ocean we boast of the fluest 

 drives in the world, and do not aay it in egotism, but simply 

 state a truth. For fifteen miles on the beiich at low tide wo 

 have a drive as firm as any pavement and in width stifficieuli 

 to accommodate as many as twenty to thirty vehicles abreast. 

 Fernandina is situated on Amelia River. The principal 

 street — Center — runs from the river to the ocean, a distance 

 of two miles. The road is shelled to the beach. About a 

 quarter of a mile from the beach an arm of tlie sea makes in- 

 to the island and gives us a beautiful marsh for snipe shoot- 

 ing, about the only good sport that we have on the island. 

 On the mainland, however, about five miles from Feman- 

 dma, we have fine quail shooting, and it is there that my fun 

 is generally had. 



We left Pernandink on Tuesday morrung about daylight 

 with Dandy, my Oordon setter. We traveled about five 

 miles, when we stoppetl. ll was btird work lo keep Dandy 

 from bounding away, as he evidently winded birds, but ha 

 was too well-bred lo go until he bad license. We finally 

 were ready, and in about ten minutes inj* beauty was as 

 " sliS as a poker" in a bunch of weeds, unfortunately very 

 near thick cover. We got in proper distance aud 1 told 8. 

 to be on the (yui vive, as I would go in and flush. Tliey 

 got up in nice style. Dandy dropping'to command. I got my 

 bird, btit S. scored a zero. We reloaded and Dandy retrieved 

 in nice style. As the cover was so lldck, I would "not go in 

 after tbem, so v;ii took another direction, and my dogboimded 

 away like a shot, bis head up and altogether, to a sportsman, 

 presenting a most beautiful sight. W'iien about a hundred 

 yards away he quartered a little to the right, and although at 

 full speed he dropped in an instant, turned his head lo the 

 right aud I could see he had a bevy just under bis nose. 

 What a beautiful stand! we both oxclainjrd, aud what a 

 "love of a place " to get them up. 1 tlusbed and in a shorb 

 \vbile four cartridges were disoliar.ged. Four liirds fell, and 

 such a covey as il wa.s I There must have beeu at least thirty 

 birds in it. Dandy retrieved nicely and we went for the 

 scattered Ijirds. Fifteen fell under the ami of our breech. 

 loaders, and I scored a straight ten out of ten shots, S. mak- 

 ing eon-e poor shots )iiid scoring only five to his credit. We 

 went about half a mile further and Dan commenced growmg 

 very cautioiLS. We looked ahead of us and there Ijeforo our 

 eyes w^e saw the covey riuuiing in almost every direction. 

 Dan was in I be midst of them aud rattier Uustei ed', as he could 

 see I hem and did not know exactly how to ,act : he finally 

 pinned them so closely that they squalled and be was true to 

 his stand. We got three out of this bevy aud followed them 

 up, bogging five more before they reached cover. In a small 



