m 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Jolt 29, 1880. 



he 'ia;iit'.i- s on t'je breeze. Observe the sweeping flow 

 and sir jUOUS S r;.i;e of his lithe gallop. Note bis perfect 

 poise all ri hi? nigh-orod nonchalance. Why, there is an 

 »»: of dwasjiful self-reliance in the very lashing of his 

 tail. See. with a sudden swirl he turns on the wind, and 

 for a moment shintls like a Bhape of bronze. And now. 

 with head up aid muscles tense and eyes glazed, he 

 draws on bis quarry with the noiseless glide of a pursu- 

 ing fate. Fiflv yards, a hundred, a hundred and fifty 

 (Diana! what a nose I), two hundred yards, if it's afoot. 

 Suddenly, some twenty yards ahead. » line covey whirls 

 into the air and sails for'adistant cornfield. PoorPonto ! 

 He droops his flag and turns toward you with a rueful 

 countenance, quite ohopfallen. You haven't the heart to 

 reproach him. but give him a cheery word and bid Mm 

 iry again. No use. lie grows worse and worse-circles, 

 flushes, chases with desperate speed, and finally comes to 

 heel looking crushed, humiliated, woe-begone. There is 

 something uncanny about those big quail : something he 

 cannot understand*. Von send hi'm forth again, with a 

 grave "steady," and steady it is. for he stands to gophers. 

 iield larks, snakes, moles*, terrapins : anything, every- 

 thing. After awhile lie begins to do moderately well, in 

 a pottering sort of way. but nevermore will lie be the 

 bold, free," dashing quail dog that he once was. 



Meantime the puppy is improving by the hour, and 

 when you return East 'he will work better on quail than 

 ■will poor, demoralized l'onto — not that he will show the 

 snap and precision of your old favorite, hut he will do 

 good, cautious work, and close in freely enough as you 



If you would have a dog work well on both quail and 

 grouse, by all means break- him on grouse first, training 

 him to hold his point on the first scent. True, he may 

 be grouse-broken on quail if you are content to hunt 

 hint alone : but you have no right, and indeed you will 

 find it difficult to make him stand fast to his own find 

 when other trained dogs are allowed to draw past him. 



Perhaps the best grouse range for the coming season 

 •will be found in Bouthwest Minnesota, taking the belt 

 of country lying between the Southern Minnesota Kail- 

 road and* the Iowa line, and working westward to the 

 eastern boundary of Dacotah. This is a magnificent re- 

 gion of fertile prairie, interspersed, with lakes and sloughs 

 which begin to fill with water-fowl toward the close of 

 September. It is now accessible by the recent western 

 extension of the Southern Minnesota road, which was 

 opened last fall. This country has been surveyed and 

 marked by quarter sections into minute topographical 

 classifications, the object being to denote the character 

 and lay of land to intending settlers, but the maps are of 

 great utility to the sportsman, enabling him to follow 

 the game ranges, no matter whether his quest, bo for 

 grouse or water-fowl, These topographical maps can 

 probably be obtained from John C. Easton, Esq., Lanes- 

 boro. Minn, At least, they were prepared under his di- 

 rection, and he is an accommodating gentleman and a 

 keen sportsman — a man of superb executive ability, Pres- 

 ident of the Southern Minnesota, and the Vanderbilt of 

 the West. 



In regard to guns, of course each sportsman lias views 

 of his own. English visitors and gentlemen from the East 

 asui Lb bring something light, and during the early part 

 of the season a seven pounder does well enough. But, as 

 the seasotl advances, and the grouse gtjfc wild, and the 

 ducks and geese begin to come in, mere skill must yield 

 to weight of metal. The man who drops live drachms 

 of powder into his choked 10 will have the big bag. 



wag-Zee. 



Another correspondent, writing from West Point, 



Cummings County, Nebraska, says: — 



Prairie chickens are now as big as quail, and will soon 

 be ready to kill. Elkhorn Valley cannot be surpassed for 

 chicken hunting ; they are here by the thousands, and 

 sportsmen come from Chicago in the season by hundreds 

 to hunt them. We also have plenty of snipe, plover and 

 quail in their season, and quite anumber of deer in the 

 winter ; i ii re arc numerous hotels in the valley, and good 

 board can be had for $4 per week. Ducks and geese are 

 abundant in the spring, and take it all in all sportsmen 

 wiU not regret a Visit to the Elkhorn Valley. It is reached 

 by the Chicago and North Western Railroad, via,, Mis- 

 souri Valley to Fremont, then up the valley by the Elk- 

 horn Valley Eailroad. W. F. 



Montana Gahio Fields. — Bum's Ranch, Montana, 

 July l'Mli.— In tins place there is plenty of antelope, 

 white tail, and some black tail. Elk and* buffalo can be 

 found in a radius of twenty miles. The latter will be 

 along the river (Yellowstone) in about four weeks, but 

 the elk always stay back in the hills. As soon as the 

 bullberries are ripe (September' the bears will commence 

 to show themselves. This place is fifty miles from Fort 

 Bufoid, and can be reached either by "stage or by river. 

 The fare from Bismarck is $15. As a hunting ground ir 

 cannot be beaten. Horses can be hired or bought at low 

 figures. Guides and bouseAOCOmmodations can be foi 

 along the liver in most any place. Persons coining i 

 this country will find a shot gun to be a valuable acquisi- 

 tion for feathered game. A. H. 



CI 



New Yobk..— C'ortlandt. — The Cortland Shooting 

 Lub a Ci i Beeing to the protection of game in their neigh- 



fall shootin. 

 ally promising: 

 iklyn next year. 



catch and torture the poor little mouse. Yet when we see a 

 Held of huntsmen in brilliant scarlet and mounted on splendid 

 horses galloping over the country at the risk not. only ot their 

 own nocks, but their horses also, with a pack of hounds chasing 

 the fox, we never think it proper to speak of cruelty. Tet where 

 is t he difference in looking on " this picture and on this?" Then 

 a man "goosa-shooting," fires into a flock of birds, kills perhaps 

 one or two and wounds a half a dozen, which fly off to then 

 coverts and die miserably or become food for hawks; and who 

 thinks of the cruelty? Tet when u man fires at a siDglc bird out 

 of a trap and only kills or wounds tho bird he died at, we have a 

 howl from the humane man which really makes one shudder and 

 stop to think whether or not one deserves to be condemned for 

 it. If it pleases a man to catch or breed a bird, to put it into a 

 trap and shoot at it, why should be not do It? The religion of 

 the Anglo-Saxon forbids it: not, and nature assorts it to he right. 



re had not the cruel instinct wc could not live. The Indian 



ild still occupy this continent, for it was cruel in I lie whiten to 

 drive him from his home and occupy it. Yet will any man say it 

 was WTOBfff Nr >; for it is following the rule of nature— the 

 weaker goes to tho wall— " the survival of the fit test." The bay 



ishes the worm in his path as naturally as he eats. "To step 

 aside and Jet the reptile live" is the result of education, and wc 

 don't object to any one cultivating it in himself to the highest 

 pitch ; but we do object to an interference with legitimate sport 

 by people who object to one and not another equally cruel act. 

 When our laws compel us to destroy animal life only in the most 

 painless method— to chloroform the ox instead of using the pole 



-we will admit the consistency of our "Prevention of Cruelty 

 to Animals" man, and quit shooting birds either at trap or other- 

 wise. No doubt but that we all try to deceive ourselves into the 

 belief that we take no delight in being cruel, but it is deception 

 only, for man is naturally cruel and lakes pleasure iu it. 



Gcnxek. 



ROCHESTER, A. T., JU11C 15th. 

 Editor Forest ami Stream:— 



That trap shooting bears but poor comparison with the pursuit 

 of game in the Held will, I think, be scarcely gainsaid by the most 

 earnest advocate of the former sport ; but 1 maintain that a party 

 of friends who like shooting can pass a few hours very agreeably 

 in testing their nerve and skill at tho traps. That pigeon shoot- 

 ing is an elevating amusement I shall not claim, neither would I 

 admit that it is more debasing than ordinary shooting in the field, 

 and to assert that would be high treason against the universal 

 brotherhood of sportsmen— an offense so rank as to deserve 

 deaih without benefit of elergyl When the millennium arrives, 

 bringing with it the perfect man, probably he will neither shoot 

 game in the field nor pigeons from traps for his amusement. 

 Then will the manufacturers of artificial targets reap even 

 greater harvest than thoy now do. But, until that time, it looks 

 as if maukind would continue to get sport for themselves out of 

 what is death to fellow creatures. I havo at times— when In a 

 sentimental mood, no doubt— asked myself, as 1 admired the 

 graceful term and beautiful plumage of a ruffed grouse or snipe 

 that I had shot, what right I had to kill so beautiful and harmless 

 a creature. But before an answer was framed, my dog came to 

 another point, and settlement of the question was postponed. If 

 mini himself was not Subject to pain and death, lie would have 

 less excuse for inflicting those ills on other sentient beings than 

 he can now employ to soothe the twinges of conscience which 

 some feci on pouring a charge into a flock of wild dueks, or 

 knocking right and left the startled members or " Bob White's" 

 family, which never gave their destroy er any offense. I cannot 

 see that there is any more cruelty in pigeon shooting than in the 

 shooting of game, the propriety of which is never quest toned by 

 many sportsmen who object to trap shooting. Should I ever be- 

 come convinced that pigeon shooting over traps is cruel and in- 

 defensible, I am inclined to think that, to be consistent, I shall 

 also condemn and give up field shooting. If I am not mistaken, 

 modern research disproves the theory that 



The poor dumb beetle wo tread on 

 Feels a pang us great as when a giant dies. 

 This tr.odern view is by far the most satisfactory to us who 

 shoot, for surely it is not for the mere pleasure of killing that so 

 many like the sport of shooting. The fellow who measures his 

 enjoyment by the amount of blood he sheds when out shooting 

 does not know the pleasure which those of another temperament 

 derive from other sources of delight in the field. Lot there be 

 less couutenauce to the killing of great numbers of birds and fish 

 by professed sportsmen, and something will be gained. 



Edmund bed-mond. 



IS TRAP SHOOTING CRUEL? 



Walkerton, Ont. 

 Editor Forest and Stream :— 



What is sport? You don't mean to say you enjoy the agony of 

 the little fish fastened to the hook, or the pain of the pigeon dying 

 as il leaves the trap? Yet certain it is thai shojtiug glass balls or 

 taking listi in a net give BO such pleasure us killing the tish and 

 the bird with rod and yon. It is nut the .-kill required which 

 alone gives the pleasure. Man and all predatory animals seem to 

 be instiiirthcij unci, and il so the gratification of the, passion 

 pe loundsisnot wrong". Then what are propei 



hounds? Are we uiuy to Osll und sb tho wi o tyeat? Pshaw! 



rusting, deserving of the contempt of idl 

 : i iportsmpn. The tact is, on this question men form and e.v- 



: opinions wliieh are sadly at variance. For instance, it a lot 

 of boys set the dogs una cat we all condemn their cruelty, al- 

 though the cat is u predatory animal, whose chief delight is to 



eccentric collar removed so the traps will give incoming balls, 

 certainly gives a very difficult shot, and approaches nearer to the 

 actual Held shooting than any other means yet adopted with balls, 

 since they get as badly "mixed " as birds sometimes do in the 

 field. 



We also use two traps in single ball shooting, with one man at 



iii score, springing one Iran at a time. 



The traps are under the immediate control of the referee by 

 means of treadles connected with the " pull " wires. 



Bobebt I. Hampton, 

 President Ctierokee Gun Club. 



SHOOTING MATCHES. 



Montreal, Quebec, JlAy Hth— Yesterday afternoon theshoot- 

 ngmatoh between Messrs . A. Bonneville and C. Pepin, for the 

 title of champion wing shot of the Provinco of Quebec, was won 

 by tho former, with 20 straight, Pepin missing Ills last bird. The 

 looting wa3 far above the average. Although each competitor 

 as allowed the use of both barrels, Mr. Bonneville used Ins 

 icondonly once and Mr. Pepin but twice. Tho wind blew from 

 the southeast, and the birds were generally good. The attend- 

 ance was very poor. 



Medfohb. Masn., July 19th.— At a glass ball shoot at Spindle- 

 tflle, Saturday, the fallowing scores were made out of a possible 

 80: C, Howe IS, L. H. Barrows 10, T. Martin It), W. K. Dennett la, 

 W. Kendall 15, J. Wesfeott II, C. Evans 13, M. Ilurr 18, C. II. 

 Fletcher 13, A. C. Cook 11, A. H. Harris 11, T. Wilkinson 11. 



'EBSini:. Mass., July 201/1— The Bod aud Gun Club of this town 

 constantly at practice at the Base Ball Park, and some good 

 res are hinted at in tho near future. 



ahant aaooTtKQ Clijh.— Nauant, Afttss., Mly 31st.— Glass 

 ball match ; 10 balls ; IS yards rise ; rotary trap :— 



A.B.Sbarp 10 I G. C.Adams 4 



George Mix ter W. A. Jeffries ,. 4 



W.L, Jeffries »| 



Another glass ball match (handicap) will be shot on Friday 

 July 30th. The club will give an athletic meeting, open to tho 

 Boston D. &. A. Association, Harvard Athletic Club, and Union 



Athletic Club, on Saturday, Aug. 7th. 



HUNDHEO SIlABB BAIX MATCn.- 



test took place on the grouse: , 

 Friday afternoon, July 16th, Mr. Dutl 



rid Mr. King, of the Dorchester Club 

 balls, Card trap, 18 yards rise. Both t 



n g< 



J.G.M. 

 resting eon- 

 U Gun Club, 

 ■falden Club, 

 natch at 100 

 od condition 



and shot finely, malting it very interesting for the large number 

 present to witness the event. The match resulted In a. draw, each 

 breaking St balls. The match had previously been shot on 

 the grounds of the Raymond Club, the contestants tieing on 73 

 balls. A third meeting will soon be held to decide superiority, 

 following is the score in detail :— 



Mr. Duttou-umioiiiiiiiiiiioimiiiiiiiiiiimiioiiomiiJioiiioi 

 iooumuuiioiaioiii)uiiin«iiionoiiiiiii-si. 



Mr. Kiug-OOlOinilllllUllUlllOOlllllllOUmillllllOOllllllllllll 



loiioiiiiiiiiinooiiiiiiiiioioiniimiooi-st. 



Mr. Button's largest run, 2(1 ; Mr. King's largest run. IS. 



Mr. GoodlUl, of the Dorchester Club, acted as judge for Mr. 

 Button, and Mr. Dean, of the same club, for Mr. King. Mr. 

 Noble, of tho MaldeD Club, referee; Mr. Junes, of the Maiden 

 Club, scorer. 



Marion, X.J., JjAylith.— (Twelfth monthly contest of tho Jor- 

 sey City Heights Gun Club to decide permanent owncrsnip of the 

 club's champion eup. Conditions:: birds caeh, handicap rise, 

 use of one barrel only allowed to count, and tho trophy to be- 

 come tho property or member winning it greater number or 

 times in IS snoots. To-day the cup was won by "Old Sellable," 

 but as it was the first tune, his 7 slraight came just too late, as 

 Mr. Jacob Cadmus and Mr. Quimby had each before twice cap- 



in, which, in 

 •. Quimby'B winning 

 it of the same ntim- 

 11-Ced wild pigeons, 

 id deal of killing— 

 a number were lost 



IMPROVED TRAP SHOOTING METHODS. 



Rome, Ga., May 15th. 

 Editor Forest and Stream :— 



ying the fact that gloss ball shooting affords to 

 our overworked business men, of all elusses, a source of relaxa- 

 tion from the cares of daily life that alone more than compen- 

 sates lor the outlay, leaving altogether out of the account the 

 pleasure derived. 



But my utilitarianism comes to the front and asks : " Why not 

 turn our recreation, in this line, to a little better account?" 



What the genuine sportsman most wants Is to be a steady, uni- 

 form, first-class shot in the field ; and to be able to stand at eight' 

 ecu yards and break a good per centum of balls thrown straight 

 away tor nearly BOJ does not always accomplish that end. We 



varied style of practice— one that proxitnatos ne 

 the flight of game than that now in vogue. 



One of the most difficult things with the young sportsman— the 

 one that always confuses him not a little— is to select ft ir his shot 

 one el" several birds around him, taking wing simultaneously. 

 Every old sportsman will recognize the picture in his early expe- 

 rience, and I have observed it in many, indeed, all beginners with 

 whom it has been my fortune, or misfortune ("as you like it"), 

 to be thrown. Aud to overcome this difficulty, I have adopted, 

 In our club practice, the use of two Card traps, placed five yards 

 i l hind a screen. They are kept revolving in the same 

 direction, by means of a continuous belt passing around the axles 

 of both traps, and operated by a boy sitting between them. Both 

 traps are sprung at onoe, and the shooter allowed to take his 

 ehoioa of balls. 



-Another feature which we have added in our practice, the ad- 

 vantages of which will be recognized by all sportsmen, is to place 

 two men at the score at the some lime— on the right and left sides 

 alternately— and having both traps sprung simultaneously, the 

 shooters take the balls on their respective sides. 



This serves the double, purpose of tlrst making the Shooter de- 

 cide on the instant which bird is his, and having once, decided, 

 leaches him t.j bold on it until the shot is tired, aud thereby avoids 

 the unpleasant but quite common mistake of doubling with a 

 companion on the same bird. Secondly, ir. has a bei 

 overcome the nervousness caused by the discharge of a compaii 

 ion's gun in close proximity to the shooter. This plan, with the 



tured the prize; making i 

 the shoot-off at 5 birds each, resulted i 

 by killing 4 OUt Oj 5 to Mr. Cadmus' 2 kill, 

 her. The birds were au excellent lot 

 and as "Al." had predicted n niri I 

 which accounts fe i -eggs 



our of bounds, " dead." FoBowing the cup shoot a number of 

 m re enjoyed by the DOJ s, « itli the result below :— 



Mr. Hughes 25 yards.... 11111 I 1—7 



tlr.Zelltier ... J.'li yards.... I I 1 1 ti i I— fl 



Dt. iluleomb 83yards, ,111010 1 



mliv 20 yards.. . 1 111 



Mr.Cadmus 2; yard-...] 1 1 t) 



Mr. Headden 20 yards II 1 1 



Mr.Thomsou.... 27 yards.... 1 10 1 



W.Totrey 25 yards.... 110 1 



j.Toffey 21 yards... I 10 1 



Mr. Carron 28 yards,-! 11 



Wheeler - 25 yards.... 



0-5 



-S 



1 1-4 



1 0-4 

 0-3 



I) 0-il 

 1-4 



rjf.bumrnings;.'.; 25 yards ... 1 10 1-3 



Ties :- 



Mr.Quimby 30 yards.... 1 1110-4 



Mr.Cadmus 29 yards .... 1100-3 



Sweepstakes— Five birds each, 25 yards, one barrel: Quimby 

 Zcnington audj. Toffey tied en 5 each, the first two on 3 again, 

 and divided: Thompson tookaecond with.4; Holcomb, VauGelder 

 and Hughes tied on 3, and Holcomb won third on shoul-utl ; W. 

 Toffey 2, Baldwin 1, Cumutfog 1, Cadmus 1, ZUlnerS. 



Second sweepstakes- Four birds each : Cudmus took first with 

 t straight; Quimby, Carron, W. TVffcy, Thompson, Hughes and 

 Zcnington tied on 3 each, Quimby Winning with 7 straight on 

 shoot-off; Van Geldcraud Uolcouib tied on 2, Van ©elder win- 

 ning shoot-off : Baldwin 1. 



Bergen Point, Juhj SOtft.— The flftn of the series of , 



matches by the Becxeation Bun Club, of Bergen Point, for Orst 

 and seeond gold modal. The tlrst goes to the winnc.t ot the great- 

 est number of matches ; the ■■• «bo breaks 



,, inej ,,1 glass balls during the Series, aside from 



,.;:. Mule Revolving trap; 15 glass 



balls ; is vards rise ; club rules:— 



Moore OOOOiniOlOlUi-l) I C. H.Davis. .. . OlOOlOOOOtXiOOOl-3 



Wilinerding. . (Hlfl01iOiillX>01-tS I 



Moore iirst medal; Wilmcrding second. The tlrst medal is now 

 the property of F. G. Moore, he having won it four times. 



Tot Bebdoodiji;. 



Capital Citv Gun Club.— Washington, D. 0., J«,;; 

 result of the shouting in the match Saturday last by this club was 

 as follows, 8toddarflS9.yara6, others 20 yards; Curd rotnry trap; 

 glass balls :— 



T E King 1111111111111111011 l-lll 



C .1 Simidard I 1 1 1 1 11 1 t I 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 u-ln 



W W Eldndgc II I 1 1 1 1 1 1011 1 1111111 0-17 



!„',, K Merle. us II 1 II 1 1 1 1 I I I II II 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1-1B 



N H VVadswonh I I I I 1 1 1 1 1 I n I I n 1 1 I u l-m 



K B Peck II 1 tl 1 I 1 I I 1 II tl ll I 1 1 1 1 1 1 1-15 



,: I I I I 1 1 1 1 II I 1 1 II II 1 1 II I 1-la 



ii I ,, . I i i 'i ii I 1 1 1 1 1 I) 1 1 1 -la 

 ,■ 



King 1110 I— 1 1 Stoddard n 1 I n -2 



B 



