FOREST AND b1 KFaOT 
Tin-Coated Shot. — Bridgeport, Sept. 24/ft.—I have of 
late been using tin-coated shot, but I found that ray gun 
did not seem to kill as much game at eight rods as when 
I used the common shot. I hare been trying both kinds 
at a target at forty yards, and find that the common shot 
made a target twenty-five per cent, better at forty yards 
than the tin-coated. * A number of my fellow-sportsmen 
have been trying targets with the two kinds of shot, with 
the same result. I find by taking two of tin-coated shot 
and chafing them together, that they seem to rough up 
and slip by hard ; but it is not so with the common shot, 
for you may rub them together as much as you like, and 
they slip by easy. 
Now, I am in favor of the tin-coated shot as far as keep¬ 
ping a gun clean is concei-ned; but I should like to see 
my brother sportsmen try the same shot, and see if it is 
my fault or that of the shot. I have used two guns, and 
they both throw the shot about the same. C. M. A. 
Canada —Sherbrooke, Sept. 23 d. —I have just returned 
from Lake Megantic, having this time extended my trip 
to Arnold Park and the north part of Maine. Our guide 
shot three moose (cow and two calves); but on account 
of tile number of amateur sportsmen attracted by the 
facilities for reaching Spider and Megantic Lakes afford¬ 
ed by our new railway, the sport in that immediate 
vicinity is falling off. D. T. 
Massachusetts — Boston, Sept, 25th. —I have been 
away two weeks shooting on the coast of Maine, and on 
counting the game find the following scores for three 
guns : 240 coots, 33 boons, 13 gray squirrels, 46 partridges, 
15 black ducks, 28 blue winged teal (killed in four shots, 
only saw one flock, in which were between forty and 
fifty), 4 peach crates of sand birds, and 109 yellow legs 
and black-breasted plovers. These were shot within 
twelve miles of Portsmouth, N. H., a place I discovered 
about eight years ago. Our house faces two large ponds 
and a marsh. One hundred yards from the marsh is a 
beach, and three hundred yards back of the house is 
the best partridge ground in Maine. I tried my new 
Gordon dog, Shot (begotten of Van Velzer's Bon), and be 
did beautifully for a pup, standing as staunch As an old 
dog. His nose is wonderful. I took my “Gazetteer” 
with me on my trip, and got “ piles ” of information out 
of it. It is as good as having an old gunner by your side 
all the time. I own twenty-seven other sporting works, 
and your “ Gazetteer” contains more than all the rest in 
one book. Of course, Frank Forester is far behind the 
times now in some things. J. B. 
Connecticut Lakes. — Applebackville, Pa,, Sept. 21st. 
—I returned home Sunday from the Connecticut lakes 
regions. We had a fine time fishing and hunting ; shot 
two deer, three wild cats and plenty of ducks. Fishing 
is splendid in the lakes and rivers there. Plenty of lake 
trout in the First and Second Lakes. Caught plenty of 
mountain and brook trout in August, but were not al¬ 
lowed to catch them this month. It is a splendid coun¬ 
try for game and fish. Would you be so kind as to let 
me know where I could get in with a market hunter 
I would like to get in with oue down in Maryland, Dela¬ 
ware or Virginia. Samuel T. Laubenstein. 
Blue Wing Teat, on the Delaware.— This duck has 
made its appearance in the Delaware River. It is the 
earliest comer to our waters, arriving here in September 
and remaining with us until the frosts of early winter 
drive them southward, where they become very fat, and 
are shot as well as trapped in large quantities on the rice 
fields. The blue wing teal is less cunning than most of 
the other varieties of wild fowl, as they are not very diffi¬ 
cult to approach, and stool readily. It is said that if the 
decoys are set in the mud they will stool better to them 
than if set in the water ; and in this respect they differ 
from every other duck. They drop down among the stool 
ducks almost as suddenly as a woodcock in a tussock, 
and go to eating as if they were surrounded by busy com¬ 
panions lik e themselves.— Easton (Pa.) Free Press. 
Illinois — Warsaw,', Sept. 18/ft.—But a few years ago 
the great range of overflowed lands impinging on the 
south suburbs of this city was a vast hunters’ resort, but 
by a recent act of the Illinois State Legislature a drain¬ 
age law was passed, and a levee is now being built de¬ 
barring the submerging of tens of thousands of acres of 
superior land, extending from here to Quincy, Ill., on 
the east bank of the Mississippi. Agriculture strides to 
the front. Where I, with a few comrades, rowed about 
over a vast lake'miles in extent, among willows and trees, 
a few years ago, shooting ducks, a bountous harvest has 
just been gathered of com and wheat. Thus the old 
haunts pass away one by one, and the region is metamor¬ 
phosed into greater usefulness. 
Out of a spirit of reverence for the “ dearly departed,” 
a club of old school sportsmen congregate at uncultivated 
portions of the said area every week or so, and hold a 
carnival over baked salmon, croppie, pike, catfish or 
bass, and now and then have a general assembling of the 
hosts, and a chowder is served. 
The strong currents that prevailed during the semi-an¬ 
nual overflows washed out long, deep channels, which re¬ 
main now as sloughs, abounding in fish. During 
high water in the river the water backs up considerably 
from Lima Lake, a famous duck region, ten miles south 
of here, and at proper seasons many clucks are bagged 
therein. The best fishing now is in a few of these large 
sloughs, although many are caught with trout lines 
thrown across the channel of the river. The channel cat¬ 
fish Is a great favorite, but give me a salmon in preference 
to all other fish in these waters for flavor, absenoe of 
small bones and delicacy. 
A party of hunters at Lima Lake recently got quite a 
respectable bag of teal ducks, and another party got some 
twenty plover of different varieties, a few snipe aud wood¬ 
cock. The season has been so dry that game has not 
made its appearance in any quantity as yet. 
We do not have any grouse hunting of value in this im¬ 
mediate vicinity. The best prairie chicken region known 
to sportsmen here is believed to be up in northern 
central Iowa. Some of our neighbors at Keokuk, Iowa, 
have visited that section of the State since the open 
season commenced, and are enthusiastic over the abund¬ 
ance of those birds to be found there. 
Quail are plenty in many localities near here, and we 
anticipate a good time among them when the law allows. 
There are here, as elsewhere, many pot-hunters to con¬ 
tend against, and our Sportsmen’s Club has exercised a 
good deal of vigilance to compel a respect for the game 
laws of the State. One transgressor, on a visit here from 
St. Louis, began depredations among our quail, and was 
notified to desist by our club, or they would prosecute. 
Nothing like a little nerve in such matters. 
Aaron Around. 
Wisconsin —Fond du Lac, Sept. 24/ft.—Shooting thus 
far quite unsatisfactory ; few pinnated grouse and wood¬ 
cock, and small scores reported in duck shooting. The 
deer hunters are getting in motion for the fall campaign, 
Messrs. S. B. and John Amory, accompanied by Charles 
Boardman, expect to get away early in October. Mr. L. 
M. Wyatt, accompanied by his wife and his old com¬ 
panion. Mr. H. J. Briggs, has already taken his departure. 
Mrs. Wyatt goes out for a third season, having a great 
partiality for the pleasures of camp life among the pmes. 
Triangle. 
Oregon —Portland, Sept. Ilf A—Our fall shooting has 
fairly commenced. Some good bags were made Satur¬ 
day last. Bob B. brought home seventeen wood ducks 
and mallard, and Judge W. is credited with twenty 
snipe. A number of others killed from five to ten ducks 
each. A party of four (writer included) sally forth to¬ 
morrow to wage war ou the festive snipe. 
^ Multnomah. 
Washington Territory— Portland, Oregon, Sept. 
10/ft.—I leave Portland next Monday for the "great 
Spokane country,” where the shooting and fishing (es¬ 
pecially the latter) are unexcelled. In Lake Coeur 
d’Alene, Idaho Territory, one may take trout ranging in 
weight from five to twenty pounds. The different streams 
teem with beautiful brook trout. Prairie chickens and 
grouse are abundant, and the more adventurous sports¬ 
man may find in the foot-hills and mountains deer and 
boar in plenty, together with an occasional cougar. 
Deep Lake, located about thirty-six miles west of 
“ Coeur d’Alene,” is about three miles in length and one 
in width. In the centre soundings have been made to the 
depth of three hundred feet and no bottom found. - The 
Indians inhabiting this part of the Territory regard this 
lake with a superstitious dread, and you cannot induce 
one of them to go any where near it. They call it “Bad 
Medicine,” and think it is the dwelling place of some hor¬ 
rible monster, who makes a business of catching and de¬ 
vouring all Indians who come near his abode. ~ Another 
leading feature of this sheet of water is the fish. They 
are described as being of great size, and closely re¬ 
sembling the family of Esooidce. They are taken with 
hooks baited with meat or worms, and are very game. 
A gentleman dil'ect from Iowa informs me that they were 
the perfect image of the Esox tueius, or pike, except in 
size, being much larger, some of the largest that have 
been taken weighing as high as sixty-five pounds. 
During my sojom-n in that section I propose to fully in¬ 
vestigate these reports, and if they are true there Will be 
no end to the fun, as they bite ravenuously and die hard. 
There is also in the vicinity of Four Lakes a mineral lake 
which is remarkable for its virtues. It is used by the 
sheep-herders iu the neighborhood as a remedy for the 
“scab,” and is unfailing as such. It is also a great 
specific for rheumatism, and parties suffering from that 
painful disease experience much relief from bathing in 
it. A person could write pages about the beauties and 
wonders of this comparatively unknown region. 
Multnomah. 
— The article in the October Scribner’s on “Field 
Sports in Minnesota,” written by Mr. Charles A. Zimmer¬ 
man, the photographer, of St. Paul, Minn., is one of the 
few magazine contributions on sporting Subjects which 
are written by competent persons. The paper is a most 
excellent description of the sport it treats of, and the il¬ 
lustrations being his own, are of course correct and sug¬ 
gestive. We commend the October number to our 
readers’ attention. 
HINTS FOR LOADING. 
Fort Johnson, N, C., Sept. 15th. 
Editor Forest and Stream :— 
I have just read the communication of your corre¬ 
spondent, “ Bexar,” and would suggest that his list of 
“ all the extras ” omits two of the most important re¬ 
quired to properly re-load shells for a rifle, viz., a re¬ 
sizing die and punch for driving out resized shells, and 
swedge. The names of these implements probably suffi¬ 
ciently indicate their uses. I havenever used any but brass 
shells, and do not know anything about what “ Bexar” 
terms the “everlasting” shell, but if made of brass the 
following instructions are applicable : — 
The shell should be wiped perfectly clean with a dry 
rag, to remove grit and dirt. If it has not been recently 
fired use a rag moistened with water, using care not to 
wet the inside. Slightly oil the outside, to prevent 
abrasion of the shell and wear of the die. It is thenforced 
into the resizing die, using a small wooden mallet, after 
which it is driven out by means of the driving punch aud 
mallet. 
Care must be taken that neither water nor oil gets into 
the shell or primer, as either will injure or destroy the 
powder or fulminate. 
Shells properly resized will enter the chamber as 
readily as when new. But I am at a loss to account for 
the failure of the extractor to work properly, unless 
the shells have been used, aud thus expanded, and fit too 
tightly when forced into the chamber. If they expand 
so much the first time used that the extractor’ will not 
freely eject them, they are worthless, not possessing 
sufficient elasticity. All shells, of course, expand as much 
as the chamber will allow when fired, but good ones pos¬ 
sess sufficient elasticity to return in part to their former 
size, and are generally quite readily ejected. 
The shell should never be “ dressed down the die ob¬ 
viates any necessity for such procedure. 
“ Bexar’s” bullet moulds are all right, and were pur¬ 
posely made to cast a bullet too large, as they were made 
to be used in connection with a swedge, an implement as 
nesessary as the mould, aud is used to give the bullets 
uniform size and density, so essential in long-range tar¬ 
get practice, and of course no less desirable when accurate 
firing is necessary, that the sportsmen in the field may 
bring game to bag. In using the swedge it is first wiped 
with an oiled rag, as is also the bullet, which is thus in¬ 
serted into the swedge, the drift struck a heavy blow with 
a mallet or a hammer, and the process is completed, at 
the bullet is Teady for use. 
If the swedge is properly sized to the gun, no troulx 
will be found in loading the shell, provided always th 
the shell be properly made. It may be made too tliic! 
and, of course, useless. Have the swedge properly mat 
for the calibre of the rifle, and if the bullet, proper 
swedged, will not enter the shell, reject it, and obta. 
others. 
Brass shells are the best; they are cheap, and w 
stand, on an average, about ten discharges. Oulsii 
primed cartridges should always he selected, such as tl 
Bridgeport, Lowell or Winchester, which, I suppose, «I 
be ordered of various lengths, to suit the length of t' 
chambers of “ Bexar's” cal. 44 Ballard. If it has be* 
purposely chambered to preclude the use of any but til 
“ everlasting” shell, it is not the gun for use in Texas 
on the frontier. 
I may be permitted to add, that for large game soft le 
should’be used for bullets, as upon striking it flattens al 
and makes a large hole, which a hardened one will not (jl 
For target practice a dd about five per cent, of tin. 'VVli ' 
there is danger of defacing the bullet in transportathrl 
in camp, etc., the hardened one may be the best, as 
the accuracy of its flight it may put a smaller hil 
through a deer, when a defaced soft one might faiL to J 
at ail. ~ S. 
Diving Decoys. — T he diving decoy apparatus desorit 
in our last issue is patented, and all persons are therefi 
warned against making them. 
SHOOTING MATCHES. 
—The Pittsburgh, Pa., snooting tournament irqnow 
progress. It will continue until Saturday. 
Baldwinsville, Sept. 25th .—Last Saturday was a vi j 
exciting day for the hunters in this village. Capt 
Bishop, not being satisfied with his last year’s hi 
longed for another. So his opponent, Captain W. ] 
Lund, was willing to meet the Bishop and arra | 
for it. The following is the name of the contestant, ; J 
their respective scores :— 
Captain. 
W. P. Lund ... 
L. Howard. 
R. Hamilton... 
E. W. Lund... 
T. Ilobhs. 
Ed. Cook. 
C. Hager'.... 
O. Byron. 
E. Fairbanks.. 
J. G. Lund. 
F. Newton_ 
J. Williams.... 
J. Duncan. 
S. A.Smith .... 
C. Merritt. 
Score. 
. 655 
170 
Captain. 
F. liishop. 
C. Bishop. 
H. H. Lund. 
J. wnite. 
F. llosmor. 
J. Greenwood.. 
F. Searles. 
C. Searles. 
L. Turner. 
W. Baker. 
C. Baldwin. 
C. Earl. 
Goo. Cutler. 
F. Maynard_ 
J. Maynard _ 
S 
-00171101. 
.11110 10 1 
.101001 1 Xi 
. 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 
. 0 0 0 0 0 1 I 0 i 
. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 o.l 
- I 0 0 0 1 1 0 o 1 
10 111110 
.01001010 
.0 II 0 1 1 1 1 1 
.001 00000 
Total.- 3730 Total...... 
L. Greenwood and J. M. Perley acted as Judges, 
gave the best of satisfaction. 
Massachusetts.— Brookfield, Sept. 33d.—Eleven r 
Brookfield Sportsmen’s Club, participated iu to-jj 
shoot, only scoring 51 out of a possible 110, The 
stood as follows :— 
O. H. Giffin. 
S. L. Moulton. 
11. n. Matbewsou. 
H. E. Cnpen . 
J. P. Crosby. 
H. P. Gerald. 
H. L. Butterworth. 
Albert Shepard. 
H. Richards. 
H. Heredeen. 
J. Middhjrh . 
Amesbnry, Sept. 21th ,—Return match betweea 
Exeter Sportsmen’s Club, of Exeter, N. H., and the P ' 
Shooting Club, of Amesbury. The match was very c 
contested, being a tie on the twelfth round, an 
Powow Shooting Club not gaining an advantage 
the twentieth round, when they led only one hall, 
which round they steadily gained :— 
powow shootinq oi.pb. 
Card's notating Tran 
Bogardus Trap. Last iVutch. M 
C. H. Wales.111111111 1-10 111111111 111* 
E. Rowell, jr.1111111111-10 1 1 1 I 1111 111 l 
G.Osgood.11 1111111 1-10 llllllll l lllfl 
W. Hatch.1111111 ! 11-10 1 1 11011 lllltfl 
.1. Rowell.11 11II1I10 P 11 1 I 1 1 1 11011 1 
J. Spofford.1 111 101111- 0 i 1 1 1 1 1 ] mi 1 
G. Godsoe . 10 1010 1111-7 11 IJ 111 11 11 £9 
F. Eastman.1010111111 — 8 11 11011 milt 
Totals. 73 .. 
Broke, 73 ; missed, 7. Broke, 115 ; mil 
EXETER SPORTSMAN'S OtitTB. 
Card’sRotating Tr 
Bogardw? Trap Last Notch. I 
C. H. Gerrish.1111111111-10 101111101113 J 
A. Cooper.Ill 1111111—10 1111111 llljfiM 
,1. Flanders.1111111111-10 1101 111 11 I I’M 
C.H. Biokford_1111111111-10 111111.111101 I 
. 1 . W. Tilton.Ill 11 11 1 11-10 0 11 I 1 ill | 1 0 
H. Taylor . 1111110111—0 11101111 
C. Coldbath.0110111111-8 11111110 111 I 
A. Hale. 0101111111—8 11 llOllliM^B 
Totals. . 75. . . . I 
Broke, 75 ; missed, 5. Broke, 103 ; mi 
Nahant Sporting Club Sept. 27 th .—Glass hal 
cap, match:— 
Name. Yards. Scare. 1 
W. L. Green. . 10 1 1 Ullli 
AY. L. Jeffries.. 21 1110 11 l^H 
Gordon Abbott. 18 1 1 0 1 0 1 I I 
W. A. Jeffries. 23 0 1 0 1 0 O' D 
E. P. Motley. 18 0 0 1 0 0 I l.l I 
Green won shoot off yvith 6 to Jeffries 5. Ah 
silver medal was given by the club to the Avinm I 
Wm, G I 
Ohio.— Cincinnati, Sept. 25th .—Score ol' cl i 
for gold medal; tame birds; plunge traps. ’ l j 
Avere a picked lot, very strong on the whig, at 
tatters:— 
Name. Yards. Scare, 4 ] 
Jos. Ba tes..31 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 I 
H. J, Koch . .. 31 IllOnilllOfl 
J. C. AVhetstone. 31 11011010 10 
\V. Caldwell.31 0111110(111 I ■ I 
O. Topf. . ...21 000110 1 000 M 
I F. Schmidt. ...21 0100010101 HH 
