188 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



|"Oct. 5. 1882. 



from ilii' old Eastern Railroad dowu to the bench in all I 

 seasons of the year hundreds ol' times, also the greal trad d 

 land situated a few miles from there on the qther side of the 

 river, and tludng quite ■■• Dumber of years' careful nhserva, 

 lion I -aw i .in Miy few wild pigeons, 

 An. i again, wu are toiJ in glowing, terms of thewaieft 



betas black Willi wild ducks, some 01 which can be shot 

 wilh a shritgun from the piazzas of I lie holds. The ducks 



nmsl he v.-r\ aecomi l-iting to come to bag in that curious 



manner. Lei anyone ask the old duck gunners around 

 there bow often they set cml their decoys and lay in wail 

 among the rocks over Hie mussel bods, or in some sink box 

 .sunk in the sand bars oi $nita, and then listen while they 

 i. n you thai day -iiin ii.i\ ih.-yiiavc io take op their decoys, 

 shoulder their twelve-pound mur-zle-loadcr an. I Ureakfor 

 home without :i bird, These stories will sound rather 

 ■ after hearing of their being killed jn considerable 

 nuinbors from lb.- verandas at the hotels. 



Years flgo W6 used to shoot over a great extent "!' marsh. -: 

 commencing at Blue I'oint and running hack for miles were 

 the gran marshes of Scarborough, with which we were well 

 acquainted, Above <>id Orchard were tbc Qooggibs 



marsh - and lock-, where I'roni Ihe bogS Of th" our, and 

 while hidden among (he kelps and raOKWPCflS of the other, 

 We onee had fair shooting. Further up Ihe bench was old 

 Goosefair River, upon which could always be found a few 



scattering birds, mostly dusky duck 1 teal. Further up 



thp heach you came to Bay View, just backed which along 

 the edge of the woods on one side, and the sen wall on the 

 Other, wasa long, narrow pond, IcnOwn as Long Pond. This 

 pond during bad weather was a splendid place for the black 

 thick to resort for fresh water aha nest, Among ihe Bags 

 and rushes at its upper end we have had fine shooting there 

 in windy, stormy weather, bill would yo,i believe it? the 

 pond is all tilled up now. and where we then shot ducks in 

 the water among the Sags,, axe standing pottages tOrday. 

 Further along over a1 the river, ihe breakwater has been 

 built out some Iwo miles, and the onee ,|iiiel mouth of ihe 

 river, where the ducks used to rest in seclusion, where there 



was also iln- best ol hoi. 



But how is it now ■ V The swill current of the ever flowing 



river cuts up the flats on the right -ide of the breakwater, 



and on the northea-1 -ide i- always a choppy -.a at Well BS 



strou^ mi. In and counter currents which destroyed all the 



mussel beds, as well as causing s coustarri -•: 



sandbars and spits, and during; till ibi- time tvhen 



the flucks? An echo comes quickly back and answers that 



thej h.v.- gnnq to a more favorecllocality, whin- they Cftn 



get food and are not interfered with bo much. 



Now, to -uiii up the argument, I will leave all conclusions 

 to be drawn from these articles to the readers of your val- 

 uable paper, who have fair play and no favor, hoping that 

 ran will excuse ibis long letter, which 1 hope to see pub- 

 lished io do justice to sportsmen who are constantly having 

 baits laid temptingly out to lure them to some locality where 

 Hie CI'OWS Have tD lake their rations along with them while 

 crossing il. I 1 I. Anuons 



Lowell, Moss , 



HOUNDING vs. STILL-HUNTlNLi. 



INi ' 1 1. i.|. :.n Ltticle iu your issue ot September J, from 

 the pen or ■(',. K. R. ;"'in the next issue be id replied to 

 h\ -Cap Lock." who speaks my opinions exactly. I do sdme 



hunting" myaeli during the senjSOn for it (bul very little with 



in gome of our northern counties of Pennsylvania, 



though 1 have hunted with them some, no longer ago than 



last fall iu Elk county, and am satisfied that hounding The 

 deer will cause them to leave a part of the country. As an 

 Instance, one morning about the lirst of December, we started 

 our dons, (which were about half hounds) which made a good 

 run. takings fine buck to the branch, some three miles away, 

 We got no shot at him. It being the running season, he was 

 on the tramp and bad passed outside of our line of watchers 

 before we were posted, the dogs had gouein the direction of 

 home-, we supposed they would remain there. After somedc- 

 liberatins we concluded to start a fire and have some hot 

 coffee, and a lunch. Contrary to our conclusions the dogs 

 came back about the time we finished eating, so we quickly 

 cot in positions for another chase, and o.ie of the party 

 brought tlow ti a fine two-pronged buck (no shotguns used 

 in our party) weighing Over 100 lbs. Getting him o IT the 

 mountain occupied a good pact of the day so we hunted no 

 more. I noticed more deer sign during the day than I've seen 

 for years on the same amount of laud : they were feeding on 

 beech nuts, -which were very plentiful, and by the dilterent 

 sized tracks I knew a good' many deer were using them. 

 Our next day's hunt was off to the south. It was snowing 

 heavily all day. we killed nothing though we stalled some 

 deer. Our prospect Corthenext day was very encouraging; 

 we started in good season for the lop of the mountain where 

 we found aliout tier- inches of snow, in good condition for 

 tracking. On the seem-- our firs! day'shunt. a tract of Country 

 between two runs, which were nearly two miles apart, and 

 wilier further north, we hunted over a tract of country five 

 mile.- long, by about two in width, before we found a sign of 

 deer — they had all been frightened out by ourdogsof two . lavs 

 h. for- and had not yet came back, I don 'I pretend to know how 

 long before the; would have come in again, bu1 whenwedid 

 Mid sign, there wen- so many tracks tha.1 we couldh'l follow 

 th. m. Afi.-i- trying ii for a while we gave it up -as night was 

 coming on, and' we were, wet through from the snow, started 

 for home. 



A good deal of ccstacy is gone into by many hunters over 

 tin- music of the hound's. 1 think Imagination goes a great 

 w.r. in thai direction, its .-ill fudge "and nonsense, and 

 '■nolhin' iu it,' it's vei\ pleasant to hear them coining in 

 our own direction, or toward some of our friends, but sup- 

 pose they're taking the game in an opposite direction, or 

 suppose the dogs belong to some one else, running over a 

 Hack win-re we intended stilt-hunting on that same day. 



where w mid tin- niu.-.ie be tor us- I think bounding deer'is 



taking a mean advantage of them, but to stand on tile cross- 

 ing with a shotgun requires a great stretch of imagination 



to lie con-tdercd sport ; I cannot see where il requires any 



skill. J do ma object to any one using a half bred dog for 

 deer, a mixture of shepherd I hound is very good, they 



will run only fifteen or twenty minutes, they make very little 



noise in th. -Woods, and are soon hack again if the deer is 

 Is noi kill.-d. They are used for what is called ridgingdeer. 

 A hound will tun a doer tor miles, until completely tired oul 



and then .slav Ut the first farm-house he comes to, and then 



hare to be bunted by his owner, possibly a day or two, aud 

 f think three of every four deer killed before hounds, are 

 killed bj strangers mostly nj streams al which they run to 



c.-.u:- lie- l.ooinl- to loue their trail and if they do escape 



i logs Chore they generally sta^ hjddei lithe attsam 



for several hours, giving persons time to come long distances 

 and kill them. 



Still-hunting 1 think is the olny true way of hunting deer, 

 it gives a person an opportunity!.!' matching his. skill against 

 Ihe cunning of his gain.:. 11 In- can calch it standing he .an 

 generally bring ii down, unless l.v soma aoeiaoui such as his 

 bullet being turned from its C0UT8I by ,i twig, which, even it 

 small, will turn the ball so times .'-lean out. of its course. 



If the det r discovers him lirst, and his on'j chance is hitting 

 him on the jump, it calls For his utmost skill, if in an open 

 connii\ and a strong win.i going, h'- must make allowances 

 for its deflection of the ball, he must think ol bis elevation 



for distance, for Ihe speed the deer is nmniii-;. and OS their 



run isbut a s.-j-i-sor jumt-. be must make bis calculations 



vi rj n ly, or ho will »koo1 over or under him. and he 



should keep one eye on the tail, for if hit, that is clapped 

 down al once. Ami right In-iv 1 -houkl like the opinions of 

 my hunting friend-, when is the easiest tune to strik- the 

 deer. Some say pull to bit him jua as be strikes the ground 

 wilh his to,,- toot: I alwa\ .- pull to catch him in the air. 

 If any friend of mine were to kill a deer with shot of any 

 SUM, I never wanl to know ii. il would lower hiin veryinuch 

 in my estimation, a shotgun might do very well, and could 

 he tolerated in the band of old ago, when the eyesight had 

 grown dim and the limbshad losrl the elasticity of' voutb, 



and the u.-rves their firmness, and the rifle has" to be laid 



aside, but whose love o| the hunt isas strong as ever— in such 



a case the shotgun is just Ihe thing. Now let "G. R. B." 



frii.,1 this us,- his gun only on Hying gj -. al gla.ss balls, or 



■ ven pigeon matches. Lol bun p-ocure a .<l-l -calibre rifle and 



go into practice, and my word for it, he will never use any 



thing-else. Forty-Four. 



la-cKsOx vtv. Pn. 



PIGEON SHOOTING IN MINNESOTA. 



M 



ANY an Ba! 





but lillh 

 North America 

 Mi. I. lie Stalest 



ing very scarce. Pigeon Cove 

 the extremity ot (ap. Ann Ed 



. il.l 



ugh . 



be New England and 

 lumlani is now he.com- 

 i!l village .situated on 

 ce famed as ihe homi 

 ^nothing of a fashion- 

 able watering p!.,ce. and it ii needless to say that it this 

 locality the" bird ha.- disappeared In New Hampshire, 

 wi-e.-- hi. j an said to i. fairlj abundapi i bave never 

 killed but one and though there are places in the interior 

 where pigeons can be sbol even in large num. 

 devoted followers Df the gnu know the bird oolj aaaeen in 

 the markets or rising from the trap, To such, a short de- 

 scription of our pigeon shuoiiug may be of interest 



Leaving St. Paul and going northward by way ot UiC 

 Northern Pacific, a pine belt or "big wood" is'reached 

 which extends to the Canadian lroniier. All through this 

 timber Little openings are found, and such of them as are 

 low and swampy, particularly if encircled by scrub oak 

 trees, are.- in the proper .season" Very apt to contain pigeons. 

 Near Broinerd, distant 130 mile* 'northwest of St. Paul, 

 these marshy openings are very numerous, and from the 

 lSlh of August to the same data in September many pigeons 

 ate killed. Perhaps for the reason thai it is easy and affords 

 excellent opportunities io those who prefer motionless marks 

 to flying ones, pigeon shooting in this locality i- very popu- 

 lar. The birds are usually quite tatne and can' be approached 

 with ease and shot from i heir perch on Ihe linili of some 

 dead oak tree. Bui il one will 1ml give them a fair chance 

 and flush them before shooting, their peculiar wavering aud 

 rapid flight, which can only be likened to a flash of 'light- 

 ning, gives almost unequaled opportunities for fine marks- 

 manship. 



The best hour for shooting is early iu the morning, from 

 daylight to pet haps nine o'clock. Though rather tenacious 

 of life, pigeons may be brought down with a touch of No. 8 

 shot, and 1 prefer No. io. 



Willi perhaps the exception of the golden plover no bird 

 can be "strung" to better advantage than the pigeon. To 

 string a bunch of birds nicely, a long pliable twig, with a 

 crotch at the large end, must bo obtained. Sharpen the 

 small end and pass it through the birds' thrbat just at the 

 baseof the under mandible. As each bird slips down the 

 twig Ihe long slender bodies fall naturally ami gi'accfiilh 

 into place, and on the march home, as you swing iu your 

 hand a bunch of fifteen or twenty pigeons, glistening here 

 and there with the morning dew. and with Ihe deep ruddy 

 color of the breast glowing in the warm light of tbe morn- 

 ing sun, n prettier sight can baldly be imagined. 



lam *iaiu, Minn. GKORGB IlfTGrLES CotTES. 



PHILADELPHIA NOTES. 



TSE severe storm of last week, and the prevailing easterly 

 winds of the greater part oi it brought in big tides to 

 the Delaware River, .Many rail wen- killed, but great in- 

 dividual scores it appears were not made. Seventy, eighty 

 and ninety birds to the boat is as large as 1 have heard of . 

 ill who were out seemed satisfied, and almost eyery one 

 who shoots rail took advantage of the high stage of the 

 water. Friday and Saturday lie- syind shifting to the west. 



caused a mailed falling in the tides, and couseouently rail 



hasbrought many blue-wing. . I leal into the river and creek- 

 Sowing into it, and * number are being killed over decoys 

 in the early morning. 



A tew black ducks begin I., s'u >w ihein..-h— . and Since 

 the hue. storm I ham of snipe having been shol on our 

 meadows. Keel birds an I ,.-i disappearing, and those thai 

 have not laken li.eir departure are wild and dillieull tube 

 got al by those who are fond oj shooting them. 



Last week Judge Leisenring, of Maud, Chunck, while on a 



visit to bis yacht Sans Souoi, o Harm gal Ray. made a large 

 catch of bluetish. 1 mention lids because the week previous, 

 when your correspondent was I here lb.- bay men were not 

 expecting smother run of Iflusfisli, and reported the last 

 about gone. 



There will be mam quail this season on the main land 

 about Barnegat, M V Parties' who visjt Hie baj for duck 

 shooting should noi tail to take their liglu guns with them 

 and tarry a few days with Rob White before going on to the 

 beach. Mr. (ii orge Yannoie. ifnOt able Io go on. with them, 



would be glad to direct parties, 



Philadelphia s].„.,il.smen read with a great deal of satisfac- 

 tion the account in Fobbst lnd Stream oi the motion 

 made al the last ineelingof the West .li-ra-vC.-.iiif- Protective 

 Association to return to Mr Wm. OalSOn the amount of his 

 iine. Noi only had Mr Carson been a member ..f the asso- 

 ciation for years (unfortunately he had allowed bis license to 

 runout), but when oie-i.-.j was returning from a 



trip on the property of a friend, by whom be bad been 

 especially invited. Mr. Carson so informed your corres-i 

 poudent. and 1 have discovered he has the general svmpathv 

 of the shooting community here. All along the Ne'w Jersey 

 coast during tlie storm of the past week thousands of mud- 

 hens or clapper rail (BdSu* erepjtafls) were killed., and 

 bunch- - ,.i fifty and one hundred are this week offered for 

 s.-dc in Philadelphia. The bird as compared with our own 

 sora and Virginia rail is worthless for ihe table. Not a few, 

 however, were sold to the uninitiated as kingrail (Jin/.lmeh> 

 yams), which they much resemble at first glance. M\ 

 perienee with mud-bens is that not one in live will jump 

 when a boat is pushed up,,n Ihem. no matter how high the 

 tide is, bUt prefer to escape bv either diving or sneaking 

 vay with bill a small portion of their bodies gut of water. 



and many are- thus potted. The kingrail, on tbc contrary, 

 if there is watci enough, Can readily be put up and shol on 

 the wing. J I OHO. 



Sen -kmbix SB. 



TENNESSEE NOTES, 



I T is singular how easily boyhood rot oilectii 



e.-.l, 



A i 



irke 



1 even when time has dealt Its devastating Bit 

 least such was my experience this A. M. at seeing 

 W. Woodfolk armed and e.piipped. and followed b 

 Pritchetfs i.ewcllvn and his own handsome white pointer 

 starting oul for ids first day this fall a tier Bob While. I 

 forgot my size and poor eyesight, and had the least fcempta 

 tion been thrown in my way doubtless I would have made 

 the effort to have one more of those delightful field days bo 

 heartily enjoyed bv me a Quarter of a century ago. ' Col. 

 Joe isa fine, manly 'looking fellow, and untiring in the Hi Id. 

 besides this, he is adeadshol and a rare sport sinaii. The 

 beauty of this locality as a sporting in Id is that birds are 

 found in abundance in the immediate vicinity of the city, 

 and the lahpr of getting on the grounds so insignificant thai 

 when the sport begins 'the sportsmen and dogs. 'are perfectly 

 ti.-h. Hermann Burkholz baggeda few birds yesterday, 

 and would have gotten more, except that his dogs were too 

 wild, and the youngster. Snow, interrupted the older ofies 

 even when they settled down to work, 



.lor- Clarke's' browu setter is in splendid condition, and if 

 hunted over bv a No. I shot would Bud ah the game lie 

 could kill. .Ia.-k Bentlev has a preltj fairdog, but I never 

 saw him in the field, and hear that he 13 noi quite .-.- good a* 

 bis looks indicate. 



Captain Maest, Penekard 1 lc rrl the ' 1 ling foot bunwrts 



about here, and is admitted to. be uno ol th tnnsl graceful 

 and daring horsemen of the hunt. Mounted on hi peerless 

 fencer Beloxi, no timber is too stiff or high for him to. taU 

 and on the flat it would take u rattler to keep a p a ee with 

 him. The captain often times relates to me -ome ..-; :;;.-.>. 

 ploits after Beynard, which 1 liuui-ii to the nailers of tin 

 Forest .vn-i> b-ntiiAM. He become- enthusilislae when 

 speaking of Col. Johnson's paok of bounds, thinking as he 

 does that in no part of the world is there u faster or more 

 reliable one of its size; they will eatcb the gray < very time. 

 and nine times in ten mak* lh« wilier red fox wish ilu-y 

 were not in the laud. 



Col. Duval McXairy leaves in a few dt 

 counties of Arkansas, where he proposes d. voting 'wo, a 

 three months to boar, deer, and liu-key hunting. Game in 

 those localities is reported abundant and the colonel is an 

 adept Nimrod. hence 1 will look forward Ln hi game 

 book for some startling bags. 



The clans are now being called logcibei by Col. Q 

 for his grand hunl down in Trigg county. Dr. LScll of 

 Louisville and Col. Griffith Ol the -am. city are preparing 

 the camp equipments. Col. Geo. S. Wharton, .Mutt and .loci 

 McKinney the hound- and horses, while ( i-l. G. V. A. is off 

 to Indiana 10 make some additions to the canine forces. Our 

 crops were so ai-iundani and prices have been so good, that 

 the farmers throughout the South are in a better condition 

 to indulge their natural tastes for field sports than any day 

 since tbe war. The game will consequently suffer thisyear. 

 hut those who Come among them to participate in Ihe 

 various sports will have a grand time of it. 



Even the colored brother is gelling his as ground, 'coon 

 sacks repaired and the yaller dog fed preparatory to their 

 night, chases for '"possum" and -coou." William Bubbs 

 wont out last night (the lirst cool or.,- this fall) ami capiurccl 



IW0 '"pOSsums, 5 < Of which was 50 ai.s.u.lly i.-.l thai he 



could scarce waddle. "Maybe somebody won't be bappy 

 over bis savory carcass." 



Squirrels by the hundreds are round feasting on the heavy 

 mast erf this prolific season. Babbits are numerous, and if 

 our people do not benefit by the advantages so lavishly be- 

 stowed upon them, then no one but themselves will he to 

 blame. J. DM 



Sept 88, 18P2. 



Net; u.\ ska.— rairfield. Clay County, Sent -Jo. —This lo- 

 cality is about thirty miles south of Hie Platte, and a few 

 miles further east than Grand Island, and is a magnificenl 

 and fertile prairie country. Prairie hen and quail, plover 

 and jaekrabbits. with the various varieties of gees, ..nd duck, 

 in their season, constitute the game of the country Prairie 

 ben shooting is reported to have been good, bul at" present it 

 Is not and for the past three weeks bag aoj been inconse- 

 quence of ihe birds living be.-n -hoi oil end those remain- 

 ing having become wild. Good hunters, early in the season, 

 used to bring in from a df.y's shooting anywhere from til- 

 fceen to. twenty-five birds, while now they would scarce get 



half a dozen.' There has been a good deal of shorn ing done, 



inn a greater trouble hat hi . n. many c\p.-i-i hunters began, as 

 hash. ,11 practiced heretofore, to slioot in July, out of season. 

 ■ ued to do 80 whilp tho birds arc young and taine-, 

 and are easily decimated, The prairichens arefound every- 

 where, but as a general truth, \ think, noi Ln the greatest 

 abundance. There are quite a good many emails, v. 1 they 



ate UOI abundant enough. 1 think. ake their special pur 



suil very desirable This regkffl is a favored locality forthe 

 several varieties of ducks and gees,, both j., the "t.,11 and 

 spring and of ten for a considerable period they scattering 

 in abundance over the Country ovcrywh&re to feed in the 

 corn and train fields. An a, Kane,.- flock h re and there of 

 gees,- made its appearance on the Missouri and on the Platte 

 some little time. since, and the lirst flockH of brant and geese 



this fall made pioneer trips over mi- a ctio 1 8epl 22. 



The countrv here now i~ very dry, and 



good rain which will leave wa'tcr ill the low plate! 



prairie will at ome bring In.- be.-l of duck ■ • 



Twenty miles sonthwarda few bands of ant lop- ureyel 



found, and in the same section a few i\v.vr In the covert 



along the creeks, bui the last f tbe turkeys disappeared 



1hree or four years since. A few coyotabVGl linger, having 



burrows in th- side, of the hollows --K ,\j \\ii,,o: 



