172 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[April 1. 1830. 



furtherance of game protection and the improvement of 

 the game laws of tbe Territory. All persons are earnestly 

 invited to coop rate with it hi securing these ends. 



The close seasons in Utah are : Quail, partridge or 

 grouse, M irch 15th to Aug. 15th ; wild ducks, April" 15th 

 to Aug. 15th ; beaver and otter, April 1st to Nov. 1st : 

 imported quail or other imported birds are protected for 

 a period of five years ; elk, deer, mountain sheep and 

 antelope, Dec. 1st to Aug. 1st, No fish can he taken 

 save w th a lir.e (except in Bear and Utah lakes between 

 Sept. 15th and March 15th.) 



The society have sent out placards and posters, and are 

 in various other ways making the law known. 



Walla "Walla.— The game laws of the counties of 

 Walla Walla and Columbia, Wash. Ter., provide the fol- 

 lowing periods of protection for game : Deer and elk. Jan. 

 Is to Aug. 15th ; quail (Bob White), is always protected, 

 except what may be trapped for propagating purposes ; 

 blue grouse, pin-tailed grouse or prairie chicken, ruffed 

 grouse or pheasant, from June 1st to Aug. 15th — trap- 

 ping of these birds is prohibited for purposes of propaga- 

 tion. Other sections provide for fishways, against net- 

 ting, and against taking in any way whatsoever salmon, 

 salmon trout, bull-trout, or trout, except in the Colum- 

 bia Kiver, between Oct. 1st and April 1st. There is a 

 most sensible provision which declares it a misdemeanor 

 for any one person to kill more than twenty blue grouse, 

 pheasants, or prairie chickens in one day. 



Pennsylvania— Belief onte, Pa., March 21th.— Our as- 

 sociation has been growing rapidly since the organiza- 

 tion, and it seems to bo in great earnest concerning the 

 protection of game and game fish. 



%m\\t ^ng nt\d %m\. 



GAME IN SEASON IN APRIL. 



Wild Bucks, Geese, Brant, etc, 



GAME AND FISH DIRECTORY. 



In sending reports lor the Forest asd Stream , Directory to 

 Game and Pish Heaorts, our correspondents are requested to give 

 the following particulars, with such other information as they 

 may deem of value : State, Town, County ; means of access ; Hotel 

 and other accommodations : Game and its Season ; Fish and Its Sea- 

 son; Boats, Guides, etc.; Name of person to address. 



New York.— Oxford. March 21th— Norwich; N. Y., 

 is the county seat of Chenango County, located on the 

 Chenango River, eight miles from Oxford, it contains 

 many sportsmen, wing-shots and some fine rifle shots. 

 Their club turns out in strong numbers, and they hold 

 the championship cup of Chenango County at glass-ball 

 shooting. They are to have a rifle range this season, and 

 will do some fine shooting, I think. W. E. L. 



— Duck shooting is now in order at South Oyster Bay : 

 one hour and twenty minutes from Hunter's Point, via 

 Long Island Railroad. 



Shinnecock Bay.— New York, March 25th.— When 

 spring directs the flight of the migrating goose and duck 

 from their winter home in the sunny South toward their 

 breeding place in the far north, it also implants in 

 the bosom of the sportsman a desire to meet and salute 

 them on their way. This desire was implanted so strongly 

 in the bosom of the writer and his friend S., that they 

 started for Capt. Lane's famous resort on Shinnecock 

 Bay, on the 13th inst. We found the Captain's house, as 

 usual, full, having representatives from Rhode Island, 

 Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and Germany. The 

 usual luck of sportsmen attended us during our stay — 

 contrary winds, stormy days and the "it's" that so 

 often stand in the way ot a "big bag." The bay is un- 

 usually full of redheads, black ducks, brant and geese, 

 but owing to a change in the feed since the new inlet has 

 been running, there are not so many broadbill as hereto- 

 fore. From this tim; until about the middle of April 

 the shooting will be first-class, providing, of course, the 

 elements do not interfere. The Captain can accommo- 

 date quite a large party as he runs three batteries, with 

 the necessary decoys, and two rigs of live geese stools. 

 Mrs. Lane still conducts the cuisine in a way that tempts 

 the appetite of the most fastidious ; fish and fowl from 

 the bay, as served by her, are not to be had in this or 

 any other city. 



There are two things that will effectually ruin the 

 shooting on Shinnecock Bay, if not stopped. The first is 

 " dusking," especially the black ducks on their feeding 



ground. I am credibly informed that the crew of the 

 overnment Life-Saving Station, No. 13, practice it al- 

 most continually. By the way, it is commonly reported 

 that the whole of that crew are oftentimes found on the 

 mainland, although it is contrary to rules for more than 

 one man to leave the beach at a time, and then only for 

 the purpose of getting the mail. The second is, the use 

 of batteries in shooting ducks ; they serve to make the 

 birds wild ; they are expensive, requiring two gunners, 

 and are also uncomfortable ; they do not compare with 

 shore or point shooting. The Captain informs me that 

 before batteries were used on the bay, that the average 

 bag for a day was much larger than it is now, although 

 with a battery there are times when heavy bags are 

 made. Another tiling against battery shooting is that 

 the sportsman has to lie still and see his bird float off be- 

 fore the wind, whereas almost the whole pleasure of 

 shooting lies in handling and examining a bird after it is 

 shot. Some of the gentlemen who own country seats on 

 Shinneoock Bay are agitating the subject of having a law 

 passed similar to the one regulating the shooting at 

 Havre-de-Grace, viz.. only three days in the week. It is 

 my opinion that it would be much better to abolish bat- 

 teries and allow shooting every day except Sunday. The 

 elements take very good care that on the average a per- 

 son cannot shoot more than tliree days in each week. 



I have just heard from Lane's the result of the shoot- 

 ing on Monday and Tuesday, the 22d and 23d insts. ; it 

 was as follows : Monday, Anser canudeyisis, 30 ; Tues- 



New Jersey.— Stock-holm. March 23d.— We have had 

 the greatest amount of woodcock here 1 ever saw. The 

 mountains seemed alive with them. You could go any- 

 where on the warm side of the mountain and find birds. 

 We have no sporting club in this county at all, The 

 game and fish laws should be printed on cloth or on 

 paper, placed in a cheap frame and nailed up in every 

 hotel in the country. The landlords would be glad to 

 get them. 



The First Snipe at Newark, N. J.— Of the 1,123 

 " gunners" that patrol the Newark meadows, there is 

 one disciple of the "shot gun " whose main object in life 

 seems to be the recording of the first snipe of the 

 season. For many years he stood without rivals in his 

 path, but of late other "hunters" have also aspired to the 

 same honor ; and early in February the mud holes and 

 sewer months are religiously trodden out. For this 

 however, the old sport is safe, for he has got to the 

 ward of the boys by putting in a claim of the early bird 

 on Feb. 2d. As it is impossible to go back of tli 

 it may be expected to hear of the "fust English" on 

 New Year's day, 1881. 



Pennsylvania.— Wilcox, March 20th.— I am out here 

 now trying to secure a lot of wild pigeons for trap-shoot- 

 ing. The weather has been so cold and stormy for the 

 last three weeks that they are very hard to catch. 



Dock Hunt on Elk River.— Christiana, Pa.— By in- 

 vitation from our friend Charles Ullery, we spent part 

 of ten days gunning for ducks on Elk River, Md., my 

 first experience with " sink-box." Monday morning found 

 us anxiously looking for the sloop to return from a trip 

 to Havre de ("! race, with supplies for the coming week, and 

 we were made glad by its appearance about 1 p.m. We at 

 once started for the Bahama Flats. This is a noted place 

 for ducks on their way North in the spring; and as we 

 sailed up this river we saw ducks by the thousands. We 

 soon came to anchor and launched our "sink-box," and 

 we were soon ready with about four hundred decoys, 

 when the sloop sailed away, leaving us in the " sink- 

 box," nob alone, as is generally the case, this being a 

 double one for two persons — a decided improvement, as 

 you can have an experienced person by your siflffi, and 

 can learn to call and not shoot at another's duck, as 

 many green horns do : and, beside, it is more socia- 

 ble. Soon we had twenty ducks down, very good luck 

 for our first, ten hours' shoot. So we returned to Mr. 

 Ullery's. Wednesday being our next shooting day, as 

 the w'iud was threatening, we did not get on the duck 

 grounds till after 9 o'clock, and soon had lively work. 

 At 5 o'clock we took up with a score of sixty-eighth, all 

 red-heads, which were very fine, weighing five pounds to 

 tbe pair. So ended a most enjoyable hunt. 



I will just say, Mr. C. Ullery will be fully equipped to 

 take parties out the coming season, and if they go assay 

 disappointed it will not be his fault. I found Elk River 

 lined on either shore with pond nets, which I think the 

 Fish Commissioners of Maryland ought to look after, I 

 saw one lifted, and they 3ay it is common to get eight or 

 nine barrels at a time. The one I saw contained about 

 nine bushels, and the net svas full of spawn. The amount 

 taken is yearly growing less ; and, if continued, will 

 shortly depopulate the river. G. P. 



Tennessee Quail Siiootino.— Mr. Jerry Cockrell, at 

 Brighton, lately killed a w-ild albino, or snow-white hare, 

 a remarkably beautiful animal. Recently, in one day, at 

 Colonel Charles D. McLean's plantation, near Rossville, 

 in Fayette County, four Memphis gunners bagged 25, 30, 

 50 and SO quail and snipe (one woodcock), and all agree 

 they were treated by Charlie and Jim the very "best in 

 the world," Our friend " Guido" was one of the four. 



Illinois. — Lacon, March 2ith.— Ducka have been more 

 plentiful on the Hlinois River this spring than for several 

 yeai'B. Immense quantities have been killed, and the 

 shooting is yet good and probably will be for the next 

 tliree weeks. Bags of 100 in a day, to 183 in a half day, 

 mostly mallards, by one of our local Nimrods, have not 

 been uncommon. Twenty to fifty in a half day is com- 

 mon work for ordinary shots. But the killing of ducks 

 on the Illinois River is an an, a trade of itself. The tyro 

 is more apt to freeze his ringers and get a ducking him- 

 self than to bag many ducks. But there is nosy and then 

 a day that the ducks' appear to delight in being killed. 

 They come right in and light right down among tbe de- 

 coys and wait patienty for killing. These are the days I 

 kick out. Capt. Henry Fisher, of our gun club, killed with 

 one gun, in about seven hour's shooting last week, 183 

 ducks, mostly mallards ; 125 another day. Byrne, 



Indiana. — Washington, Marcli 23d.— Duck shooting 

 has been pretty fair around this place this month. Last 

 Monday Jim Mulligan and W. D. Bynum bagged 

 twenty '-five, and the clay after a party of four got a 

 good many. There are very few snipe at present, and I 

 have not heard of very many being killed. W. P. R. 



Mr. D. B. Wier, of Bacon, 111., has been contributing 

 some seasonable notes to the Peoria Transcript about 

 the merits of the several species of ducks finding their 

 way to the market there. His papers have been so much 

 appreciated that the dealers report a sale of twenty birds 

 now to one bird before the articles were written. Mr. 

 Wier's hints on cooking the fowl are reproduced in an- 

 other column. 



Gauges. — Cincinnati, March 23d,— I have owned ten 

 guns ; two 12 gauges, four 16-gauges and four M-gauges. 

 The hardest shooting gun that 1 ever saw was made in 



Berlin, 11-gauge, 30-inch, laminated steel barrels ; about 

 7 pounds iu weight, With this gun 1 have killed wood- 

 cock at TO yards, also squirrels at 80 yards. With the 

 same gun I once broke a mineral water bottle at 75 

 yards, but like your correspondent I would make gome 

 unaccountable, misses with it. This gun is still En rise. 



C. S. S. 



Huor Gvxs.—Williamsport, Pa., March 25M.— As the 

 conundrum " Who invented choke-boring ? " has so often 

 been propounded in vain. I think the following, taken 

 from Bechtel's " TeohnoJogjsene Encyclopaedic," pub- 

 lished in Slutt-urt, Wurleinburg, A. D., 1835, may inter- 

 est some of your readers : — 



"A good many sportsmen claim that a slight contrac- 



together. consequently many shot guns arc made that 

 differ in this respect from a'cyh'nder-bore,'' Further, on 

 tbe author says that "some makers rub out the inside of 

 barrels with powdered glass." and that " it has lately 

 been proposed to cut them with a slight spiral thread," 

 as the friction caused in this manner would prevent the 

 shot from scattering and would increase the penetration, 

 However, I do not advise mv sporting friends t" try tin's 

 experiment with their fine breech-loaders." To quote 

 further : •< The diameter of the bore (called caliber) of a 

 shot gun is chosen of such a size that, tsventy-two exactly 

 fitting balls will weigh a pound ; the caliber of double- 

 barrel shot guns and pistols are usually of such a size that 

 twenty-eight to thirty-two balls go to the pound.'" This 

 latter ((notation is not very clear, but the author proba- 

 bly meant that single guns worn made 22-caliber, and 

 double guns 28 to 32-caliber. The length of barrel used was 

 from three to three and one-half feet. The author goes on 

 to minutely describe the various methods of making gun- 

 barrels and guns, and they do not vary as much from the 

 processes of the present day as most people would think. 

 It strikes me that the average Jriger of that day, who 

 used a 32-gauge 42 in barrel gun, was no "slouch " if he 

 could make successful snap-shots at a • labbit batteau, or 

 knock over quail, partridges, or hazel grouse with such a 

 weapon. Bobolink, 



A DISMAL STORY OF CURRITUCK. 



AVING s 

 tuck Soi 



lie spare tit 

 (1 N. G„ fo 



Brooklyn, N. Y., March, 1880. 

 a a friend and myself selected Currl- 



>ek's ; 



eda 



letter from a gentleman living there that " bird* were plenty and 

 shooting pood." We left our (rood city o( Gotham on March 0th, 

 at 830 p.m., via. the Pennsylvania K.R. to fJuttumn, thenoe. i,y 

 boat to Norfolk, arriving there on Sunday the 7th inst. No bout 

 loft for Cm rituek until Monday at c :tll \ m. Spent a dreary day 

 in Norfolk, thinking and Breaming of geese, swan and red-heads, 

 etc., time passing heavily on our hands wailing for our trip on the 

 great side-wheel steamboat giflnet. Telk about boats! Why, the 

 Bristol and St. Joint dwindle into the dark ages Of the past in 

 comparison to this great boat, and it is ainiply imppossibld to. 

 speak of the tat] a. We left Norfolk on Monday, Bit, at 6.30 A.M. 

 Bin. the Chesapeake and Albermarle Canal, the trip through the 

 canal being dull and monotonous, octmaionaly a peach tree in full 



bloom, relieved the dreary and rainy day of some of 1 1 •■ i ■ 



entness ; in passing out of the canal wo came into thfi riser that 

 leads to the Sound. On each side of which were the Hnest snipo 

 marshes I ever saw, and I was told that there Were abundance ot 

 the birds there but we were not aftet snipe. At I p.H.Ke came 

 into the Sound, my friend Jenkins looking ahead, and seeing a 

 long, black bank rising up out of the water and the boat heading 

 directly for it. spoke to the Captain, asking him If he was going 

 to run into it. " Why," said he, " my friend, that, oro biiulc you 

 see, why, bless yer soul, them's read-heads. 

 '• Whe.sv," says Jenkins. 



"I say," says the Captain, "1 guess, stranger, you haven't seen 

 many birds, have ye'. Why, pshaw, man that's nothing ; thai ac- 

 counts for our runningso slow, (think of it, sbc hours going about 

 thirty miles) we might run into them and damage the host." 



"Ah, indeed." replies Jenkins, "lie careful. Captain; let no 

 accident happen to mar the pleasure or this glorious I rip." 

 " Don't you think the scenery is charming," chimes in tie- Ciipl. 

 Speed now, five knots. " Wonderful," says Jenkins. We now 

 bega.ii to BBC btrda in great thicks, geese* swan, ulaoS '><-'■ 

 As sve extend into the sound we see little bays or coves here and 

 tbore, the perfect paradise of feeding grounds for birds, but why 

 dou'tthe birds go there? Simply be ■■ ie ' at get there, 

 for in one small eovo wo counted so I V6 r.„i-blinds, 



which are. bushes stuck up in the water so that a man can put a 



boat inside and two hundred decoya BT< 11 -'■ fWl can well 



see what chance birds have to come and feed. Now while I be- 

 lieve in all fair means of shooting, I. as a sportsman, am abso- 

 lutely opposed to all sueh methods as out-bl Inn's and batteries f or 

 the shooting of game, as will be shown before I am dune. 

 They are. and have been, the greatest curse to all water that have 

 ailosvert them that can be mentioned. Hue to continue our trip. 

 Soou sve came to the first club on the Sound, the Monkey Island 

 Club. .Nosy we are at Churche's Island, but sre did np( , anj 

 churches, but we did see numerous nut-blinds Hint v. ft tc 

 Birds still plenty but flying shy of these monumental structures 

 out in the Sound, and so oil sve go, until, at II.3U P.M., we arrive at 

 ar destination. Van Slack's LaudiDg, after being tsvelvc hours 

 m ii. and traveling In that time about seventy-tlvu miles, 

 'e were completely worn out. On stepping onto the dock we" 

 ere met by our friend (who by the way Is a New York Suite gen- 

 emanjwhohas moved to this country and gone to fanning, 

 lelons being his chief crop, having hist year forty thousand 

 plants in the ground. He introduced us to the proprietor of Van 

 Slack's Landing, Mr. Nye. .Mrs. Van Slack, having woiried of liv- 

 ing alone, has taken to herself another partner. We found by the 



so on the dock that the buttery 

 sing been killed within a quar- 



display 

 had done i I 



ter of a coil 



Monday and Thursday being steamboat days, and the mail arriv- 

 ing only on those days, it brings together quite a number ei Ihe 

 inhabitants Of this most intelligent country. Our baggage being 

 tokos ashore wo are HSked to step into 



bich svasaquadruped ended H horse, \ 

 rope-headstall, wooden.eobu! tied togi 

 saddle, over which ran a. rope to hold u 

 ting- one in mind Of the third century 

 insteadof this enlightened i 10 B1 

 Of Mrs. Nye, all the 



ihered in our twi 



l two-svheel no | , befOTI 

 (Job svas caparisoned in a 

 (r;with rope, and wooden 



the carl, the svl.nl. 



i some heathen Country 



rs: Arriving at the house 



-ing left some time ago, Mr. Nye 



the person of D. W. Lindseya 



Joseph S. Parker 



infl hi .-. 



et me say 



that in them we found two 



as gOoll II: 



ne wishes 



- " ■ elngi u ntiveand 



working tar thi I 



tost 8MM 



For the 



morrow, the marsh shoot- 



ing not befog verj 







ot of a battery. 



Being opposed to 



battery si 





, | 



thai the law all 



nved sho< 





i .ii i , and so wecon- 



sented. Tuesdav 



tile '.V.ll.ii 



o* and i 



i - - ■ ihc ting, but 



day, Amer canadensis, 13, besides ducks shot by parties "A goou many sportsmen claim that a slight contrac- 

 mploying the batteries. Scaup. 1 tion of the bore toward the muzzle keeps the shot closer 



it commented to ruin vers- bard, and blowing I . . ,,..-, 



could do nothing but stay in doors all day. In ifte afternoon we 

 werekindly informed if weattemptcdio sh..d 0U1 Of a buttery sve 

 'i. .I i imply because sve did not reside in the State, 

 Now 1 would like some of our Wise Uw-uinker... ,,, answer this 

 question, Can one State make a law granting to its eiiiu Qi ■ ,, - 

 leges which a i I i art sr State cannot pomelnaud enjoy'!' 



■hlto could pass a law prohibiting a citizen li . 



mother State, simply because he svas not il dent. 

 1 uo not believe teat the Constitution of Ihe United Stales holds 

 any such doctrine. 



Of course we had to shoot from the marsh. Being a guest of 

 Mrs. Nye, our men selected a point where whore the 



