THE AMERICAN SPORTSMAN'S JOURNAL. 



[Entered According to Act of Congress, in the year 1879, by the Forest and Stream Publishing Company, in tho omee of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.] 



NEW YORK, THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 1880. 



CONTENTS. 



AyswERS to t'oiiiii -euN!>r.\T> f 



Archery :- 



i il nations; Cortland Arbhsrs; Pacftiu Coast Archery 



Association i 



pan Ki.r: - 



Averages for 1.4 79; Answer to ''A Member of Many Clubs".. 

 EDI ei-.i.u,:— 

 Notes; The Collie, or Sheep-T)og Trials; Tlie Salmon of 



Alaska ; A Duck Story for "T?iseco " 



Fisu ('( •i.Ti-nr.:- 



Plsli Culture In Towa; Now York ! 



ami'. BAG ash GtJN :— 

 A Bed for the f\ini|i: New Onus: Notes; first ;-nie.-: i.'. - 

 coil Paris: Wyiniiiiiir Shooting Club IVeseiualion ; Shoot- 

 ing Matches: A Card ; A Dastardly Outrage '. 



GAM I. PROTECTION I— 



: v Quail In Pennsylvania; Boston's Fc.mous Wood- 

 cock ; 'the New Jersey Law ! 



T,i;. KENTJEL: - 

 Tin' Xeversink [jodgc Kennels: The New York lion eh Show; 

 fnlluenee of Previous Sires; Notes .. 



MHCKI.I.ASr :— 



Tbe Attractions of Arkansas; Reel Foot Lake I 



NA'i Ik LL HlSTOM : 



' i. s'rl ]' .•"■■ ill ;' I :!'.!, ,i''r.:V ; ;'h..>U. ': f/. ;''i> Vl'si'-i'/'i" 

 Willi, -r; III. I- an I Mammals Imv.vt:;,-..! ,,,,., New Ze-l- 



ft a 'Migratory Quail fc ,. ..:,'... ... .'.'.' __!.., i 



Publisher's Department 



Tnr. i.'irix:— 

 Range and titulary 



l-.F.v AM' i.'i\ EB Frsntso : 

 S.'iiJ News l..i- \n-l. •!■<; 1'lies for Sii-iri l-'ishin<r . Cloiieeslor 

 Fishermen and the National Museum; The Qaondags Fish- 

 ing Club; Nines 



Woman's Colcmn:— 

 I.rUer from l'ennsyh ania 



YAt M'rra; an'ii CAMOETMa:— 

 National vra<:hting Association ; Yachting News; E.vnerl- 

 . ace Wil I Tell: •• Corinthian " and his Critics 



(L he Jit inn Horn of' Mnhnwn^ 



1 I li .\vk i-iit.-ri :mi>'< I the idea of writing down, for Hie 

 JL benefit of my fellow sportsmen, something about 



"the game anil fish of this region. Thejniagiuary person 



I represent, belonging as [lie does to one of the oldest, 



i most respectable, and aristocratic families of the .State, 

 fespe table for their virtues, eminent for their abilities, 

 and venerable for their antiquity, naturally takes great 

 ftelight in anything that redounds to the past, present, or 



rprospoctive glory <>i the Commonwealth, lie takes great 

 pleasure, therefore, in giving you some accouut of the 

 game and fish resources of his native heath, which, though 

 gradually diminishing from indiscriminate slaughter and 

 no protection, are still more considerable than in any 

 Other part of tin? Union with which he is acquainted. 



Since the publication of " Travels in Arkansas'' by the 

 English naturalist, Nuttall, and the humorous sketches 

 of Col. T. B. Thorpe and " Peter Whetstone"— long Since 

 out of print — no extended account of Arkansas has ap- 

 Heari I in general circulation. The limits of one letter 

 would hardly be sufficient for ihispurpose. even if the in- 

 terest would justify. To be brief, then, the game of this 

 State may lie divided into two classes, the same as the pop- 

 ulation : local and migratory— old citizens and carpet- 

 baggers : i." offehte toward that worthy class of our fel- 

 low-citizens is here intended. The migratory portion of 



Itho game may be subdivided into such as come to stay all 

 winter, and such as merely pass us on their long spring 

 and fall journey. To the former si ilili vision belongmany 

 of the ducks, to the latter the geese. Most of our local 

 game is jemi migratory, that is, it moves about and 

 changes location accordingly as the mast hits or misses, 

 i i I'M- to the main chance, passing from 



upland to bottomland, from open wood-, to oanebrakq, as 

 the food supply requires. It always happens when either 



Ir'cleer, hear, or turkey are unusually plenty in any locality, 

 the others will not be far away. Jtout correspondent is 



Exceptionally fortunate in living on the borderland be- 



rtween the low and hill country, from whence it is easy 

 to go to either, and where the opportunities for accurately 

 locating the best hunting grounds are unusually good. 



-But more of this under the appropriate, head. Arkansas 

 has an area of more than 50,000 SftUare trifles and a popu- 

 Uuioani' leasthan hall' a million— less than ■• 

 square mile, rather unequally distributed in town and 



country— the towns Par outnumbering the country dis- 

 fcriote in the matter of growth. The State, for the pur- 

 poses of a brief account oi iis game resources, may be 

 divided into four sections: the Northeast, Northwest, 

 Sou I Invest, and Southeast, each possessing distinctive 

 characteristics. 



The northeast portion of the State extends southward 

 to White River and westward td Black River, ana borders 

 on the Stale of Missouri and the Mississippi River. It is. 

 as a rule, low and swampy, possessing heavy limber and 

 heavy canebrakes. The "sunk lands" constitute a con- 

 siderable portion of this part of (he State. It is ttaversed 

 by innumerable sloughs and has many lagoons and 



principal rivers other than those named, are St. Francis, 

 L'A.tjguille — pronounced " Laugell" — Bavou de View, and 

 Ca.-he, all sluggish, chocolate-colored streams, mere rib- 

 bons in dry weather, immense Hoods when up. These 

 streams and their tributaries, as well as the lakes, or 



la is. are well stocked with black bass, pickerel, all 



sorts of perch, and such coarse lish as drum,, buffalo, and 

 oat ad new sewn. As might he inferred, tins vast region 

 i alive with game, and owing to the inaccessibility of a 

 portion of it in the winter and spring months, serves as a 

 sort of a game preserve. It is more sparsely populated 

 than other portions of the State. Deer and bear abound, 

 and if is not long since elk were known to exist in the 

 vicinity of the sunk lands. There, are large areas of fer- 

 tile land, elevated just above the regions of eternal wet, 

 and these are the sites of such settlements as have been 

 made. By the use of light boats nearly the « hole of this 

 region mighj be traversed. That it is capable o I' yielding 

 the finest of sport may readily be inferred. In the Late 

 fall and winter months countless millions of ducks and 

 geese literally cover the waters. The far-famed Swan 

 1 .ake is situated in this section. Iu the western part of 

 this region the proportion of dry laud grows greater. 

 Here deer. bear, and lurkevs are found in their native 

 Srrrplicity. Tradition tells of wild turkeys breeding with 

 the tame fowl of the barman.!. Parallel with, and a few 

 miles from Black River, flows '.'ache, through a veritable 

 sportsman's paradise. On its banks, in days past. Lived a 



Numerous tales illustrating his prowess as a deer-slayer, 

 are still to be heard. Said an old friend of his, sadly, 

 • lie. (in von. must be growin' old : he don't hunt nothin' 

 but birds, and don't keep no dogs but these settin' point- 

 ers." 



I had almost forgotten, to mention Hob White. lie is 

 here with his cheering note, not id great abundance, but 

 sufficient for royal sport. Snipe and plover are plentiful 

 at times, bin don'l tarry long. There are a great many 

 fur-bearing animals throughout the entire re ; i,ai. Swans 

 and geese tarry au Idle- sometimes all winter. A full 

 and detailed description of this quarter of. the State 

 would make my letter too long. 



Northwest Arkansas extouds from Black River west- 

 ward to tin' Indian Territory. Immediately on emerging 

 from Black River bottom, going west, one comes to up- 

 land, then hills, then mountains, The surface is diver- 

 sified, however, and there is some prairie. Water fowl 

 are not so abundant aa in the part first described. The 

 country is better settled, There is.Tw'wever a broad ex- 

 panse of waste laud, unbroken wilderness, and of course 

 abundance of game. In seasons when the mast fails in 

 the Lowlands and "Bits' 3 in the hills, deer, bears and tur- 

 keys are found here without trouble. The streams an- 

 rapid and (dear, and fishing hears a closer resemblance to 

 sport. Black bass, jack salmon, striped bass, pickerel 

 and all soils of perch are found. There being more Small 

 grains raised than in other parts of the State, quad are 

 consequently more abundant. 



Southwest Arkansas lies between the Arkansas River 

 ana the Louisiana line, extending far enough east to em- 

 brace the town of J lot Springs. It is mountainoui in 

 places, but has more water courses than the part just 

 described. In the matterof game it resembles the North 

 west, but has also some waterfowl. The fishing is re- 

 ported not so good as in other parts of the State.' There 

 are, however, localities that form an exception to tho 

 general rule. 



The "utheasi part of the State lies south and east of 

 Little Rock, having Lower White River for its northern 

 boundary, It abounds in quail, turkeys, deer, bear, and 

 has a fair supply of water fowl. It has immense pane- 

 brakes and. some extensive prairies, (.hi the latter isto be 

 found as '-nod prairie ehie.ken shooting as the United 

 Slates affords. The area, however, C limited to the two 

 counties of Prairie and Arkansas. Here are also sand- 

 hill cranes, Ploverand snipe, iu countless millions in 

 their season vistl these prairies. In the river bottoms 

 close to these prairies are immense canebrakes. where 

 deer and bear may be found in— I had almost said— un- 

 diminished numbers. At Crockett's Bluff, on Lower 

 ,r, right in I he very mid-: of allthese good 

 things, lives thai prune of Arkansas sportsmen and good 

 fellows, Col, Bob Crockett, not a, rough and burly back- 



woodsman, hut a "sure-enough'' gentleman sportsman, 

 of good address and polished manners. Col. l.luh isa man 

 of line ability, full of anecdote, well informed, and wields 

 a facile pen. He delights in field sports and ei 

 them without stint when his professional en 

 do hot interfere. K he could be drawn i 

 tale unfold " about Arkansas that would cause all other 

 tales to seek obscurity. lie was here in the halcyon days 

 "befoh the wait." 



It will be observed that iu speakim; of fish i have not 

 said "trout" once. This is because the .-pc-ekled trout- 

 (Sfonlinalis), is not found in Arkansas, Dor is ft • ruffi d 

 grouse. Tbe absence of these daintiest of the dainty 

 among fishes an. 1 birds, is a sad deprivation to One reared 

 in their haunts, and it -takes a very long time— howlony 

 I do not know — to conquer the " hankering " after them. 

 Not even the eloquent and persuasive article of your able 

 Kentucky correspondent, has been sufficient to render me 

 forgetful of my first love of the mountain sir . 

 make me altogether satisfied with the black bass. While 

 I am sincere in my admiration of the game qualities of 

 the bass, still from putting logelher the rod lo the •• ^r.-ne 

 after meat," I can see nothing to entitle him to the mis- 

 applied nam" of trout. Then the surroundings of their 

 lective dwelling places, the clearness of the water, Un- 

 ity of the air, the grandeur of the scenery— *bere\ is 



great part of the West, the black bass is "the best Bill 

 can do," and that is the whole story. But here the -. en 

 erable Governor, whom I represent," feels called upon by 

 his regard for his name and fanieaud the tradition* Of hia 

 family to reassert himself.; lie wishes it to be distinctly 

 tnderstood that what his native State may Lack in qual- 

 tv. she makes up, and more loo, in the quantity of the 

 ga:-iie she posse ■ les the black bass, anyhow, is 



no •■ sloueh." and the wild turkey no "fool hen " bo be 

 killed by .any novice just because he wants to. To an 

 unstinted abundance of game, which by judicious legisla- 

 tion is capable of being fostered and preserved, or even 

 increased to any desirable extent, may be added a winter 

 climate as near perfect as any in the Union- 

 enough to lay insects and reptiles, and warm i QOUgJl Eo 

 make it pleasanttobeouta.il day long. Sural;) these afford 



old-fashioTied hospilalitv. which while' il " vaunteth not 



itself." is none ihe' Less sincere. Iu a word, genuine old 

 Virginia hospitality, with the ostentalion, the wind, the 

 the "-old Firgmyah," left out. The people of tho Slate 

 are Southern in their manners and habits of thought; 

 but they have imbibed much of that "broad gpiril of 

 freedom," and possess in an eminent degree the ' game " 

 qualities attributed bv Irving to the frontiersmen of the 

 West. Plain and unassuming, but hearty and cordial- 

 rough, it may 1»- in exterior, but sound at heart; fchero 

 are no people among whom ihe sportsman, whatever his 

 party or creed, or it he have no party or creed, will feel 

 more at home. Vf.ll. 



JadcHOiiport, Ark. 



REEL FOOT L AKE. 



Musing unen the shore I sold, 

 "tlb, ailic anil waters blue, 



•'tis time to shoot the lili.V (rreell-lnjul, 



An. I the sad wild aoos. 

 -Aerial so.vc FEU.OW V 



HAVING been prevented b\ 

 fever in Memphis, and the consequent quaranti 

 restrictions, from going to Grand Prairie, Ark,, a 

 nated grouse, for two seasons in succession, we deter- 

 mined to try Reel Foot Lake this season for duck 

 sequently on election day, after having dal- 

 our votes, we boarded the north -1 the .Mo- 



bile and Ohio Railroad. Our party consisted of t -I. V .. 

 Walter C, Gray P., Forney C, and the chren 

 these records. 



It was a clear, st'ul day, cool and brae 

 road and splendid oars, and plunging through receding 



autumnal foliage ; through cotton fields, white with Ihe 

 fleecy staple; through corn fields, sere and 

 through blue cuts and red cuts ; over trestles, and across 

 Ion- reaches of swamp lauds, we readied Union City, 

 Tenn., at nightfall. Here we Left the train, and having 

 dispatched ahead, found a good square meal awaiting us. 

 From this point the lake is distant eighteen milts— ac- 

 cording to the reckoning of the inhabitants, — by our count, 

 at least twenty-five. 



A bargain was soon struck with a. Liveryman td be On 

 hand at daylight with a conveyance to take ns to tin 

 laic. We consumed the time after supper, until IL 

 o'clock, loading shells; and it is the next I 

 ,., raol ■ thai the roof was not blown off the Planters*— 



br whatever is the na >f the hotel. However, we got. 



through saf ely ; and the Colonel and L lutving been as- 

 signed to one room and one bed, rolled in I 

 and just as we had goi comfortably straightened out, 

 dovm came the [two-dollar bedstead-^s most fearful and 

 irrreparable wreck, lam aatished tl 



) WAS AlteR Te.\'N',>.o-'. 



le prevalent e k<( yellow 



