754 
FOREST AND STREAM 
California. Geese.— The farmers of the Sacramento 
and San Joaquin valleys are alarmed at. the hordes of 
wild geese which have settled down to devour the grain. 
The only adequate agency employed to cope with the birds 
seems to be strychnine. If any Eastern gunner wants to 
tread in goose blood, here’s his chance. 
Careless Gunners.— Rmlmlle, IU., Oct. 11th.— Close 
upon your note on gun accidents, comes one from our 
section of the country. Three brothers who wore in the 
river bottom huuting, met with a serious accident a few 
days ago, In some unaccountable way one gun was dis¬ 
charged, killing one outright, taking a second one’s thumb 
off, and shooting the third one in the arm and neck. No 
one can account for the discharge of the gun, but is 
probably from being carelessly handled. 
Aix. Sponsa, 
The Ruptured Shell.— Portland, Me., Oct. IHth.—ln 
your issue of the 16th inst. is a cut of a ruptured brass 
shell, which “ Straight Bore"' claims is an illustration and 
proof of his theory of the expansion of gun barrels in front 
of the shot-wad, Without entering upon a long argu¬ 
ment to prove the incorrectness of his position, allow me 
to suggest that possibly the “bulging” near tiie open end 
of the shell was due to the “ upsetting" of the charge of 
shot when starting, and that the rupture commenced at 
that end, and ceased as it approached the other, because 
the metal of the shell was thinner at the former, arid in¬ 
creased in thickness toward the latter. G, L. B. 
Yarding Moose in Maine, — Bethel, —The winter 
of 1846-7 was a very severe one in northern Maine. About 
the Rangeley Lakes the snow fell to the depth of seven 
feet , and moose were plenty. The hunters took no guns 
with them, but fastened their knives to the end of a pole, 
and cut their throats. 
When approached by the hunter the moose would make 
a desperate rush for a little distance — a few rods, then 
tread a hit for a standing place ; and woe to the dog that 
ventured within their reach. About fifty were killed 
about those lakes that winter. On one occasion four- of 
us worked up the fall signs of a hull and two cows, going 
northerly to the top of a large mountain. Wien we 
came upon them they were yarded in a dense thicket of 
fir and spruce. They could not run, but the bull man¬ 
aged to reach an open space in the woods, and a young 
fellow named Bowley ran up near the moose, to show off 
a little, though cautioned to keep away. The moose im¬ 
mediately sprang upon the boy. and. as we thought, 
treaded him to a jelly, as one of nis snow-shoes was to be 
seen under the creature’s feet. 
This time we had a gun, and as soon as possible after 
the flurry, shot the moose, and we all ran up to dig out 
the fellow's body. And as we were moving the moose 
around and digging away the snow, up popped Bowley’s 
head twenty-five or thirty yards away, near the stump of 
a fallen tree. He had plunged under this tree and crept 
along to the end of it, and dug his way up through the 
snow, with no further harm than the loss of his snow- 
shoe. J. G. R. 
All this happened before the Forest and Stream had 
promulgated the code of ethics which puts moose yarding 
where it belongs. 
Boots for M.arsh Shooting.— Veiy long boots, for 
marsh shooting, I consider a grea t mistake, because they 
tire their wearers before half the day is over, and, more¬ 
over, practically they have no raison d'etre. A man 
never deliberately goes into water which reaches above 
his knees, because if he does so, he cannot tell within a 
few inches the depth of the water through which he may 
be wading, and he will be pretty sure to suddenly get 
into a hole, when he will have his long boots filled with 
water, thereby producing just what long boots are tliero- 
retically supposed to avoid — i. e., wet feet. 
No. A man who does a deal of tramping in a marsh 
must he somewhat lightly shod, so as not to be “done” 
witli his walking exertions ere ho has had time, to fully 
enjoy his day’s sport. Indeed, for a long time I have 
worn simply orninary walking boots — keeping on the move 
until I could change I hem arid my socks, and thus avoid¬ 
ing any of the ill effects which may arise from having 
wet feet. But when one has to drive back a goudisli 
while in the cool of the evening, it is best to be prepared 
with such feet covering as will insure tolerably dry feet, 
and yet not clog the shooter with unnecessary weight. 
Any cloth lining in shooting boots is the grea test possi¬ 
ble error into which a maker may fall. Cloth gets worn 
through with astonishing rapidity, to begin with ; this is 
in favor of the trade, though. Cloth, moreover, chafes 
the feet, and this is very riling; so that, altogether. I 
abominate doth in any form inside a boot. — “Wild- 
IfOWLKR,” in London Field. 
A PLEA FOR STILL HUNTING. 
The early accounts of deer stalking, or still bunting, 
dates very far back, even to the days of the patriarchs. 
It appears by the record that Isaac sent his son Esau out 
on a still hunt with bow and quivers to procure venison ; 
that while Esau was hunting, old Aunt Rebecca con¬ 
cocted a scheme, and with the help of Jacob succeeded in 
deceiving the old man, and swindling Esau out of the 
blessing. It seems to he a plain case of fraud on the 
part of Jacob and the old woman, and my sympathy has 
always rather leaned on the side of Esau. We have an 
account elating back still further, of one Nimrod the eon 
of Gusli, who was a mighty hunter, The record does not 
say what weapons lie used, nor that he rode after 
hounds, only that he was a mighty hunter before the 
Lord. 
Cooper’s Leatherstocking was supposed by many to 
be a myth, existing only in the author’s brain. But reli¬ 
able historical information proves that such an individual 
did exist in the latter part of the seventeenth century, a 
man of English origin whose antecedents were well known 
to Mr. Cooper, and that the description of his character 
and habits were but slightly overdrawn, if overdrawn 
at all. That he was a man well versed in the tactics of 
Indian warfare, and that he was the most adroit still 
hunter of that age or any other, is beyond question. 
In order to become a skillful still hunter, it requires 
patience, perseverance and long practice. 
I had made etiU hunting rather a specialty from my 
youth up, and at. the age of twenty-five years believed 
that 1 was nearly master of the business; but after twenty- 
five years more experience I discovered a.nd was forced to 
acknowledge that at twenty-five I was a mere novice in 
the art. Experience is said to be a dear school, etc. I 
have frequently known some old hunters who would 
camp out for the purpose of hunting deer, with three 
or four young hunters who were crack shots, and could 
shoot off a Bquirel's head from the top of the highest trees, 
while the old man with eye-sight impaired, and perchance 
trembling limbs, would manage some way to bag most of 
the deer. I have often been amused while hearing the 
mishaps as told by these young recruits as they would 
drop into camp after a day’s hunt. One had unexpect¬ 
edly mn on to a big buck, and if it had been in any 
other place than where it was he would have made day¬ 
light through it at once. Another had shot a deer plumb 
through ; lie knew by the way it clung its tail and sloped 
off, and then he found lots of hair strung along (a pretty 
sure indication that the deer was slightly wounded or 
perhaps not wounded at all). Another had nearly been 
run over by a small drove of deer, and being so excited 
he even forgot to lake his gun from his shoulder until 
too late to get a shot. Another had traveled all day and 
had seen nothing, and he believed the deer had afl left 
for some other part. 
There are various ways in which deer are hunted. The 
practice of running deer with dogs should be condemned 
iy every true sportsmen and every houest hunter. The 
idea of from one to a half dozen men, Ivyng concealed on 
a runway for the purpose of pouring a broadside of buck¬ 
shot into a worried deer at the distance perhaps of two or 
four rods and calling it sport! I say the idea seems to me 
simply ridiculous. If there is any sport in ii I fail to 
see it. 
Venison which haB been run down by dogs is worthless 
and unwholesome, unfit to be eaten by any person 
of ordinary refined taste. 
The practice of fire hunting seems to me to be another 
outlandish way of killing deer. It is well known that 
in certain localities where small lakes or ponds abound, 
and where deer are plenty, that they may be found 
in the night time among the bayous and in shallow water 
along the shores, where they resort in hot weather for the 
double purpose of protection from flies, and for feeding 
on water-lilies, tender grasses and other water plants. 
Here the vandal can get into a dugout with a blazing 
torch on the bow, and with an old buckshot gun can 
slaughter deer at short range. Let me relate a case in 
point, which occurred (if I remember it right) about the 
second year of the war : — 
A man living in St. Lawrence Co., N. Y., with a couple 
of grown -up sons, went in the month of July up into the 
Shadagee woods and camped in the vicinity of two or 
three small lakes, where the deer seemed to lie unusually 
plenty at that time. They succeeded in slaughtering 
over forty deer in about ten days (or rather ten nights) 
taking off the skins and leaving the carcassses to rot on 
the ground, portions of which were seen laying about 
there as late as October following. Some of the hunters 
feeling indignant that such a flagrant outrage should be 
perpetrated on their favorite hunting grounds, had them 
prosecuted ; but in some way they were let off by paying 
forty dollars. In addition, they ought to have been sent 
back and compelled to feed on those carcasses, and picked 
tiie bones until their destructive propensities had been 
•checked up a little. 
A remark which an old Seneca chief made in reference 
to this occurence is somewhat to the point. 
“Well,” (he says) “ God he no make deer for whiteman 
throw away.” Venison was the chief support of the num¬ 
erous tribes of North American Indians who were once 
so promiscuously scattered over the Atlantic States, They 
firmly believed that the great Spirit made the deer for 
then - especial benefit, also that other wild game were 
created for their use, but more especially the deer as a 
direot godsend. 
However improvident or wasteful they might he in 
some matters, they were sure to utilize every available 
part of the carcass of a deer, with scrupulous exactness. 
The skins when dressed, supplied them with genuine 
article of clothing, also moccasins, which ever was an iu- 
dispenaible article with the whole Indian race. Another 
important item was the sinews, which they valued highly 
as an article that in no way could be substituted. The 
brains were used for dressing skins, the bones were broken 
and with the head were made into soups, even the intes¬ 
tines were cleansed, washed and cooked in a manner 
wliich, according to aboriginal ideas, made a very palit- 
able dish, 
I have noticed the rapid decrease of deer for many 
years past, and it is not a consoling thought to know that 
nine-tenths of the whole area comprising the Northern 
and Middle States, has been denuded of this noble and 
most desirable of all game, This beautiful race of ani¬ 
mals, is fast diniiuisliing in numbers, they are growing 
alarmingly less year by year in every part of ff lie Unit ed 
States where they are known to exist, and we may safely 
predict, that the day is not far distant when the wild 
Virginia deer will exist only in name. Antler. 
RIFLE SHELLS AND EXPRESS BULLETS. 
Editor Forest and Stream : — 
In September 11 th number of Forest and Stream, I 
notice one “ Bexar’’ is cutting up a good deal about some 
rifle shells that are making trouble with him. 
Well, I have to say that my experience with the “ever¬ 
lasting sbellB " iB precisely as “ Bexar’s.” I had Nichols & 
Lefever to make trie a double barrel shot gun, last fall, 
with rifle combined ; the rifle to be inserted or taken out 
at pleasure. I was tiokled to death over my new gun, and 
thought I had the boss gun of the universe. The shot 
gun part was there, and is now all right except he oniy 
choked one barrel instead of both, as I wished. Gun mak¬ 
ers sometimes prefer to have things their way despite any 
specification in your order to the contrary. • They sent 
fifty of these everlasting shells with the gun, also hall 
seater and some other fixings. Iu loading the shells the 
first time with the hall seater or loader, the shell would 
enter the instrument easily, and I could load some of the 
shells very evenly and nicely, and others I could not get 
the ball in at all, without cutting or mashing it out of 
shape. The halls not being cyh'ndricaJ, hut thicker one 
way than the other, then I would take my knife and trim 
the ball round and drive them in the shell with a gravel. 
This perplexed me not a little ; I then took the rifle out 
to try it. The first three shots would have entered an 
inch circle at eighty yards. I shot some twenty times, 
but the rest of the shots were wild—from three, four, five* 
and six inches from the center—above and below and on 
either side. I attributed this to rapid firing and heating 
of the barrel, which.no doubt caused the barrel to warp 
or twist out of line ; or, to the irregularly loaded shells, 
from imperfect tools and bullet moulds. And when I 
went to reload the shells not one of them would reenter 
the ball seal er at all, the shell having so expanded, and 
one shell split open from one end to the other the first fire. 
So T had to trim all my bullets afterwards and push them 
in the shell with my fingers and mallet. Another fault 
with these shells, the force of the powder invariably 
drove the primer back into the plunger hole and so wedg¬ 
ing the breeches together that often it was with difficulty 
I could open the gun to reload, as the ca.p would fall 
off as the breeches were opened and get down into the 
locking of the bands, preventing a closing of the gun, 
and I would have to take the gun apart right in the pres¬ 
ence of an old buck, and get the old cap out. I did this 
once last fall. I shot down one old buck and another 
stood at fifty yards and saw me go through this manipu¬ 
lation until just as I introduced a, fresh loaded shell and 
brought the gun together with that snap peculiar to 
Nichols’ guns, when lie, the huck, hoisted his flag, gave a 
loud whistle, and went like—well he went! Ahem i I 
did not “cuss.” I “ skipped over the hard words,” and 
sat and waited for another shot. I shot 52 grains Orange 
lightning No. 4 powder and a 180 grain bullet. I after¬ 
wards sent to the U. M. C. Co. to make me two dozen 
shells and 100 express bullets. I received them. The 
shells were made exactly like the others only much finer 
material and finish, Both kinds using Berdan's No. 2 
primers. I loaded them first with the express bullets, 40 
calibre, 220 grains lead, and 52 grains Hazard Electric No. 
3 powder. I then made a target by nailing together six 
one inch pine planks and set up this target at seventy-five 
yards to start with. My object in this was to get lateral 
or horizontal range of the sight, and to try penetration 
(this express bullet beinga novelty to me). I fired a dozen 
shots at this distance at a four-inch bull’s-eye, hut not. a 
shot did 1 get into the black ; they were all around from 
one-half to six inches from the bull’s-eye, on both sides, 
above and below. I went and looked and was satisfied* 
I then looked for penetration; there was none there. The 
balls were all out and gone. Some I found buried two 
inches into a seasoned shell of an oak stump, the others 
had gone through target, stump, and all. On endeavoring 
to reload these beautiful shells I find they too have expan¬ 
ded and will not go into the bail seater; and I find that 
in this rifle the express bullet is a failure, so I have given 
up in despair; but I intend giving it one more trial, and 
if with no better success I will take out this rifle barrel 
and give it to some old negro woman for a fire poker, and 
then get me a ’70 Winchester or Ballard, or something 
that will shoot without so much ceremony, 
There is one fault about these express bullets, they are 
too loose in the gun. No gun can shoot well unless 
the bullet fills the grooves, and that tightly. The Wesson 
rifle is the only breech-loading rifle that 1 have used much, 
that would place its balls uniformly and regularly into a 
target; but the great fault of Wesson’s rifles, they are all 
too straight and short in the stock, and too much fork in 
the butt to shoot or handle quickly. His rifles are the 
most ill shapen things in the world, hut as to their shoot¬ 
ing, I have used no better. As to stocks, if gunmakers 
would make all their guns and rifles with stocks fourteen 
inchos long and three inch drop, and quit making those 
miserable forked stocks as they did in funt lock time, but 
make their rifle stocks just like shot gun stocks. I have 
never seen a rifle that came up to the shoulder and face 
as well as shot guns do. The Winchester comes nearest 
to it. 
And now about this shell business. I think these 
thick rifle shells will prove in most cases a humbug, and 
I tl dnk making them central fire is no good in most 
cases. I have always found that the U. M. C. Co.’s fixed 
ammunition is good enough for any ordinary purposes. 
Their rim fire cartridges are as well made and sure fire as 
ammunition can he, and no loss of gas at all, when fired, 
but the. central fire, rifle, or pistol shells do lose much gas 
and blacken up the rear parts of the barrels, which the 
rim fire lubricated thin shells never do. And I believe 
it would pay sportsmen (not professional target shooters), 
and hunters who use the rifle, to first know what you 
want, I,hen make out your order to the U. M. C. Co. or 
some other company who manufactures ammunition (I 
mention the above company because I know then - work 
to l <uiie.\C(‘ptionalt and get them to make you so many 
cartridges, giving calibre, of gun, shape and length of bul¬ 
let, and length of shell; they will Snow how much pow¬ 
der to put in, which will or should be all they could get 
in conveniently, and whether central or rim fire, and what 
kind of gun you have. * Some guns have better shaped 
shell chambers and some straight; then order as many 
made as you want; when they give out, order more ; they 
will keep your order on file, I presume, and can make 
as you want them. Throw away the old shells and let 
ILL reloading business alone. It null cost you more in 
tiie long run than if you bought your shell already fixed, 
and bullets for game shooting should have canclures 
around them and well lubricated, Dry bullets will soon 
ruin a good gun. Don’t use balls patched with paper in 
breech-loading rifles—they won't do. If you prefer patch¬ 
ing your bullet, then use a muzzle-loader and patch, your 
ball with strong new drilling or Dish linen, well tallowed 
and stretched between the fingers and thumb; but if you 
use a breech-loading rifle have your bullets made in length 
about twice the diameter of the bullet, sound on the front 
end and square behind, with rings for lubricating oint. 
m ent, and never put one in your gun without plenty of 
ointment on it. In ordering your bullets made get the 
full diameter of the calibre at the bottom of the grooves, 
for that is the true calibre of the gun, or should be, and 
have your bullets made precisely that diameter. If these 
express bullets were made that size I could shoot them 
altogether, but a bullet sloshing along loose in a rifle will 
not- shoot. This upsetting business or a loose ball is all 
bosh Of course you will find on the bullet after being 
shot, that the rifling has made its impression ; but that 
does not prove that the ball was • ‘ set up by the force of 
the po wder against it; If it did, there would be no use of 
patching in muzzle-loaders at all, or using forced balls in 
breed i-!oaders. Take a round buckshot and shoot naked, 
out of a rifle larger than the shot, and when you examine 
the shot afterwards you will find the impression of the 
