308 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Nov. 16, 1882. 



of something more than [bargained for, which was no less 

 than Q BAlmon. No landing nef nor gaff, a light hair line, 

 and not very much of it, a single-gut leader, and a "salmon." 

 The pool 'was large and fleet). so l determined to do 

 oiyll He best, The fish bad broken water two or three 

 times, and T made him out to he of ten or twelve pounds, 

 and :i ITvelv one at that. Various were the means that my 

 gdod friend McQ. suggested as (o the best way to land that 

 salmon, snooting him wilh the rifle, a spear 'made out of a 



pointed Mirk, -i tending net Improvised out Of a hat, in foot. 



everything fled he .onld think of. none of whieh appeared 

 to me to meet the requirements of the case, so 1 determined 

 to fight it out. To make a lone: story short, after an hour 

 and a quarter of hard work, I reeled" him up to the bank, 

 wit i' .1 tap mi the head from McQ, settled the business. Ti 

 uroved to be a fish of about eleven pounds weight. 1 took 

 him with a red hackle. This was on the 30th of October, and 

 85 miles from the Salt water. The best Ashing on this river 

 is in May and June; and I have never known a salmon taken 

 with a rod there later than July 81. 



Next day it was raining and blowing a gale, and as we 

 were camped on the open barren we hud the full benefit, of 

 it, bur our tent held up bravely, and beyond a little water 

 that the high wind drove through the light canvas we did 

 not Suffer much inconvenience. The day following, as the 

 storm had not blown over, we shifted" our camp into the 

 heavy woods, and then we were all right- We now turned 

 our attention to hunting, and by Wednesday at noon had 

 killed a wild cat (lynx') and a splendid hi? cow moose. In 



ctll >f your readers may say, why kill a cow? 1 "rise 



to explain:" On Wednesday morning early, Mac audi 

 i :uin 'iin. ii a good ' vard." We knew by the sums that, there 

 was a large bull or cow. and a yearling in the "yard." We 

 were doing our level best and were coming In well to where 

 we thought they would most likely be feeding, when all at 

 orco we heard a loud snort and a rattle of (he bull's horns. 

 This we knew at once was the signal of alarm to his family. 

 How we had started them we were at a lass to conceive, hilt 

 started they were, sure enough. Our only chance was to 

 run and tr.V and get a shot, as they would have to cross a 

 little ho« about one hundred yards to our left. Run we did, 

 and cot there just in time to see the bull going out, of sight 

 in the alders, and a fine one he was, with splendid antlers. 

 The cow was some distance behind, and as we came up I got 

 a clear sight, and in a second a bullet was through her heart. 

 She proved to be a very larae, fat moose, and although I 

 was much put out at losing the hull. I consoled myself with 

 the thought that her meat would be much better eating than 

 the other. 



We had scarcely come to where she fell when out walked 

 two men who Bad been out looking for lumber, and they 

 had come up directly to windward of our "yard. "not know- 

 ing that the moose were there, and their approach had been 

 the eallBG of alarm. Words failed to express our feelings, I 

 car. Assure you, but it could not be helped, and we, came to 

 i i lusi6n.th.at that bull was not intended for us any- 



way. 



We saw one bear, but did not get a shot. They are very 

 plentiful in Ehese parts. Last season I killed three and 

 wounded another, but still-hunting bears is difficult work. 

 If we only had a couple of good dogs trained for bears what 

 glorious sport we would have! Gl.OBB SIGHT. 



New Glasgow, Nov. ft, 188a 



ON THE "AR-KAN-SAW" PRAIRIES. 



TN my last T wrote of fine sport after mallard, teal, etc., 

 on the. prairie near heru. The next morning John and 

 I hitched the learn to the ambulance and started for another 

 shoot. The prairies have on the highest parts of them or 

 "ridges" a few small round ponds, from two to five, rods 

 across, which seldom go dry. Recent rains had filled these 

 full, the water extending somewhat into the dense grass, 

 five 10 eight feet high, surrounding them, into these the 

 i ducks on their southern migration dropped by hun- 

 dreds, T ruigbl say by thousands, where they found unlim- 

 ited food, both vegetable and animal. Our plan for killing 

 them was very simple and effective. John being crippled 

 in bis right arm. could not shoot much. We would drive 

 within about twenty rods of a pond, then I would leave the 

 wagon, and While John drove on one side far enough away 

 not to scare the ducks, but to attract their attention, I would 

 approach i.m the other. 



The first pond we drove to was quite a large one and we 

 had seen many bunches of ducks drop into it. I approached 

 it carefully through the grass, when just as T was about near 

 enough for a big "pot shot'' I almost stepped on some ducks 

 that were out in the grass feeding; they sprang into the 

 air with u great, clatter and squawking." This started the 

 Whole lot; with a tremendous noise the whole air above the 

 pond was a quivering mass of ducks; they flew in every 

 direction, some of them nearly i n my face ; and there I stood 

 first pointing my gun here, and then there, trying to pick 

 out the thickest place; 1 suppose I pointed the gun in a half 

 dozen different directions. At last I let her go at random 

 and killed only three with the first ban-el and two with the 

 other, mv gun shooting too close for very effective work of 

 this kind. \\t the Sert pond 1 killed sixal thfi first shot, on 

 the water and four as they arose. At the next, pond I made 

 the great slaughter of my life at a shot, namely, twelve 

 mallards and a teal on the water and six mallards as they 

 flew up, all killed outright. All that were able to reach the 

 dense grass getting away, and so on until T thought we had 

 all the duaks that we could use or give a way, fortl.e weather 

 is still too warm to market any surplus game from here, 

 John insisted that the slaughter should go on. He seemed 

 to think that so long as there was a duck in sight it was our 

 bounde-n duty to kill it. On counting up we found we had 

 fifty-one fine fat mallards, five teal, a, Couple of jack snipe, 

 the same of chickens, several quail and a bittern, and were 

 back to town soon after twelve noon. 



This kind of "sport" would Suit a great, many exactly, 

 but, I am forced to say that I did not enjoy it with that ex- 

 quisite pleasure I would twenty-five years ago. Aswe drove 

 home I fell, that i would have had more comfort and sport 

 in neatly stopping a half dozen single teal, or bluebills, as 

 they came whizzing over my decovs, yet I had some very 

 nice wing shots that forenoon. "Here, on White River 

 prairie thai day, would have been the chance seldom met 

 withfor a parly of say four, with ;i Few decoys, to have made 

 a bag OU mallard ducks such as is seldom heard of, by put- 

 ting out their decoys in the tour principal ponds, and tJieti 



having a fifth pee-on on a pony to gallop over the prairie, 



routing tlie ducks when e tiling in oroer places. It would 

 be hard to guess hpw many could have been killed iu that 

 way. Su'l' i ,, cs of ducks are found here 1 ceding 

 on the prams inan I ''" ,| every cold spell north until 



winter sets in severely; there and then we have both ducks 

 and geese as thick as the most ardent pot-hunter or market- 

 hunter could desire until spring. 



John was not satisfied with any of my "pot" shots at 

 ducks. He thought I should have' killed more at a shot. 

 That night he dreamed the whole night through about pull- 

 ing off great scattering guns, heavily loaded with coarse 

 shot, into solid masses of ducks. I shot 6's, which John 

 and others here think too small for partridges, quail and 

 squirrels. By morning he was so "worked up" that, he 

 concluded he must "door die." so he borrowed on 

 "pot metal" gnu. loaded her to his satisfaction, mi 

 pony and started for the prairie. He rode around 

 for a. long time hunting for a big chance, wJ 

 through the tall grass he heard directly ahead a g 

 taring and splashing of ducks, lie knew 



that direction, but the noise was urn 



that tli 

 either iu the 



[1 rusty 

 tinted Id's 

 carefully 



_ eat chat- 

 knew of no pond in 

 itakable, and showed 

 ss of ducks fseding directly ahead, 

 - .. pond. He slipped from his pony 

 and cautiously approached. As he nearer! the pond he be- 

 came convinced that, the great shot of his life was near at 

 hand. 



Cautiously and silently he slipped through the grass until 

 he was as near as he wished; he could see the grass shaking 

 and hear the ducks blagging over the fine food not ten feel 

 ahead of him, while: the little pond three rods in diameter 

 was a solid mass of mallard ducks. John had both barrels at 

 toll cock, and as he straightened up, the ducks alltook wing. 

 Holding the gun in his left hand he shut both eyes and 

 pulled both triggers at once. When the smoke' cleared 

 away John saw on the water a .< -shaped mass of dead ducks 



reaching nearly from the 



pond, lacking and splashing, 

 being very well and not wis'hii 

 his pony and rode to a farm i 

 in and retrieve them. When 

 in sixteen mallard ducks, de 

 the grass of c 



de of his gun cli 

 bethought about fifty. Not 

 lg to wet his feet, be mounted 

 a mile away for a boy to wade 

 he came hack they' gathered 

 J, all that were able to reach 

 , -..ay. He is convinced now (hat 

 ii lie had shot, one barrel and then changed the direction of 

 bis gun a little and shot tha other he would have killed many 

 more ducks; and also that heavy shot is the right thing for 

 ducks. 1 am confident that 1 can more certainly kill a 

 single duck in the fall of the year at a long shot with 6's 

 than I can with heavier shot. 



During the last five days the ducks have been growing 

 scarcer and wilder, so that it takes some skill to bring them 

 to bag. This will be the ease until old Boteas sends us 

 down another "grist" from the north. We have had no 

 shadow of frost here as yet, this sixth day of November. 



Yesterday I missed one of the great opportunities of fay 

 life. I and John were on the prairie driving around looking- 

 for ducks, chickens, etc. ; ducks were very scarce. As we 

 approached a pond 1 saw standing in it a 'large white bird, 

 winch I Supposed was a great white egret, Ardtv egnitii. I 

 cared nothing tor killing that bird, fori had shot hundreds 

 of them, but as I had not had a shot for some time, I jumped 

 from the wagon and "sneaked" for him. When about near 

 enough to shoot, a little bunch of mallards jumped up to my 

 left; this was too tempting, so I dropped a couple of them 

 rigid and left, What was my surprise on looking around to 

 see the great white or whooping crane, Grits amerteana, a 

 bird I had never bagged, go flopping away. Well, I was just 

 a little Wt put out, for I would rather have bagged that crime 

 Ibau ti hundred mallard ducks. 



Right here I wish to add a few words in the way of post- 

 script couoerning this region. This is a tine game country 

 for all game that was ever found in the Central South, ex- 

 cept buffalo. It gives me great pleasure to answer all in- 

 quiries of sportsmen who enclose stamps. The only two 

 direct routes by which to reach here are by boat or "rail to 

 Memphis, Tennessee, thence here by White Rivf r packet. 

 or from St. Louis by St. L., I. M. & S. R. R. to Newport on 

 White River, thence by White River pad ets here. 



Last winter I thoughtlessly wrote a letter to Forest axd 

 Stream giving the great advantages of this prairie region 

 as a very profitable stock country, and a future fruit country , 

 saying that there were thousands and tens of thousands of. 

 acres of the finest of growing lands that could be had at 

 the L r . S. Government price of one dollar and a quarter 

 an acre, and for very much less, and that the same was Open 

 to homesteadiug and timber claiming, brii 

 This brought 

 hole year of 

 i fully oonfi 



A 



nomina 

 inquiry 



right 1 

 last winter, i 

 not only liav 

 regions' with 



hi 



of letters of 

 iservatian and experience 

 id the opinions formed 

 that all I said was true. For 

 here one of the finest game, stock and fruit 

 leap or cheaper lauds than can be found 

 elsewhere, but also thousands and tens of thousands of acres 

 of fine, I might say choice, upland cotton hinds (hat may 

 be had equally cheap, and what is better, this past B0BB0D 

 has proven that the prairies are very healthy fcr Northern 

 stock men, and the timber— the cotton lands"— for the accli- 

 mated people of the Southern State;. Well, what I was 

 going to say is this, I, "Byrne, " am not a land agent, therefore 

 all inquiries about land 'should be addressed to 0. H. Bel- 

 knap A- Co., of this place, who I belieye to be honorable 

 men trying to settle up this country. All letters relating to 

 shooting mailers, simply directed "Byrne," will reach and be 

 answered by me. Byrne. 



Crockett's BLOW, Arkansas County, Ark., Nov. 0. 



WITH THE DUCKS. 



OUR fall along the southern shore of Ontario has thus 

 far been an exceptionally pleasant one, no heavy 

 Storm having visited us. As a natural result the flight this 

 year has been at present writing light. Within the past ten 

 days, however, several fine bags have been made. 



Toe grounds, or more strictly speaking the waters, con- 

 trolled by the Ontario Hunting and Fishing Association, a 

 party of" gentlemen sportsmen resident at Oswego, are lo- 

 cated near the eastern end of our lake, and within two hours 

 ride by rail from this city, and a telegram from the keeper 

 will always be answered iu person by one. or Snore of the 

 club inslanter. Already two parties "of two and three guns 

 respectively have visited the ponds, returning with from 

 fori v to seventy-five birds for a day's shooting. Our game 

 is highly assorted, with butter-balls, blue and broadbill, 

 redhead, gray and black and occasionally a canvas-back 

 duck, while not infrequently teal are found iu fair num- 

 bers. Twenty-five miles south from here and accessible by 

 the line of the N. Y. & W, R. R., lies Oneida Lake, at this 

 Season affording good sport. The same ducks are to be had 

 there, and a day's time behind a good gun iu a well made 

 blind will yield from ten to twenty birds if the weather is 

 favorable. Partridges are scarce, requiring mueh persever- 

 ance to find them; the shooting being farbehind that of las t 



year, To offset this general report however, and in proof 

 of the fact that the birds are by no means extinct, I have 

 befoiemethe authenticated record of two hundred birds 

 brought to bag by one gun since September 1st in this 

 county. 



Black and gray squirrels have been thick, but hunters 

 have killed many score and their ranks are depleted. The, 

 little gray and bis cousin (?) the white rabbit may be found 

 near here, the former in large quantities in certain known 

 localities. . F. B, H 



Oswego, K. Y., Nov. 8, 1883. 



DUCKING AT SPESUTIA NARROWS. 



Kdiior Forest and Stinuit: 



"Homo's" article in your issue of Nov. 2 leads one to be- 

 lieve that, box boating is carried on in Bush and Gunpowder 

 rivers. Should a box boat be put out below the month f 

 Swan Creek, on the west end of the line, some one would 

 come out of Spesutia Narrows and say, "What ycr at here?" 

 I was down in the narrows from Oct, 30, and I send you a 

 few items for that week, ending Nov. 4. There were many 

 redheads on the flats and some blackheads, and very few 

 canvas-backs; fifteen, I think, were all that were killed. 

 Wednesday, the first day, several of the club scows were 

 fined for getting their berths or positions before the hour. 

 This they are perfectly able to do in order to get a good po- 

 sition, but I think it a" very poor principle indeed, as it de- 

 prives the many who gun to support large families. 



Tlie shooting for the first week on the flats and in the 

 Narrows was below the average; boxes did not average 100 

 per day ; whackers about two. Shooting over decoys from 

 Shore was poor on account of the calm weather, and" flying 

 points did nothing, comparatively speaking'. I managed to 

 get about forty bead. Those killed on Tuesday and Wednes- 

 day had to be eaten on the spot, as the weather was too warm 

 to ship to friends at home. Many theories have been ad- 

 vanced in the columns of the Forest and Stream regard- 

 ing the holding ahead, etc., etc. Now, I have not quite ad- 

 vanced to the age of three score and ten, but I have 

 had enough lessons taken and learned from that great 

 great book, experience, to enable me to say that any one 

 who attempts to hold on to a duck coming down wind at 

 the rate of thirty miles an hour, is going to get left, and 

 the duck will be left to be shot at once more. Friday 

 was a very calm day, and no better day to fully con- 

 vine* one pi the different theories. 



Shells loaded four drams powder, one ounce 6's. Held on 

 to five coots, killed one. Shot line on water four feet in the 

 tear of the part of the duck that went through the air last. 

 Same load, one coot; he must -have had an errand to 

 Washington, 1). C„ and Wanted to gel there in 2:10 ; gun 

 stationary; shot at him as be presented himself in front; 

 that coot is still going. 



Now let's see. Single coot comes rocking idong, is about 

 to say something, when his wind is cut short. Aimed two 

 feet, "behind, kept moving the barrels along, and when his 

 broadside was in front of blind, down he Went. Shot line 

 on water in line of coot. Any better evidence wauted? I 

 killed some seveu or eight in succession in the last way. I 

 don't want to enter into any controversy on this subject,, 

 1 would not have said this much, but the "weather is warm 

 and it wotdd not keep. Q. It. W. 



Eec Bank, N. ,7., Nov. it 



NOTES FROM WORCESTER, MASS. 



THE social event of the year with the Worcester Sports- 

 men's Club is the annual hunt and game dinner whieh 

 follows on the evening of the following day. This year the 

 club has held two field days and dinners. * It happened in 

 this way. At the regular meeting of the club on the first 

 Wednesday in October, the matter of the annual hunt and 

 game dinner came up as usual, and it was voted by a small 

 majority to hold a glass ball short instead, and have a grand 

 dinner at Swan's, which is near the club house: Also to 

 invite the Marlboro and Westboro clubs to join us in the 

 festivities. The day was simply perfect and the dinner 

 most excellent, and those who attended had a very pleasant 

 time, but this departure of the el«b from the old custom was 

 by no means satisfactory to a large number of the members, 

 and therefore the glass ball shoot was not largely attended. 



Those members who favored the new departure, on leat n- 

 ing of the disappointment that was felt by many of the 

 club, were the first to move for a special meeting to make 

 arrangements for an old-time hunt and dinner. The meet- 

 ing was held, and it was unanimously voted to have, the 

 hunt, and the arrangements were made at once. Wednesday. 

 November 8, being appoiuted as the dav. A mote beauti- 

 ful day could not have been desired. 'The members were 

 ordered to report with their game before nine o'clock P. M., 

 at the Bay State House, at which house ths count would 

 close. The whole affair was conducted practically the same 

 as last year, the same scale of points being vised. The 

 captains" were Alba Houghton and Wm. S. Perry, audit 

 would have been impossible to have selected two members 

 better qualified to judge of the merits of the different shoot- 

 ers, therefore the sides were very evenly matched, and 

 throwing out the element, of luck, it was anybodvV race. 



The members of the side were divided as follows: 



Capt. Ho -gut on.— Messrs. H. B. Verry, J. A. Noreross, 

 J. T. Boyce. A. II. Hammond, H W. Eager, A. B, F. Kin- 

 ney, E. S. Knowles, C. R. B. Claflin, A. P. Cutting, George 

 McAleer, C. F. Darling, L. W. Ilotaan, W. F. Rice, G. A. 

 Cutting, L. K. Hudson. W. L.Shcpard, W. It, Cole, C. II. 

 Holden, Stedman Clark, F. A. Hatch, N. S. Johnson, C. S. 

 Peacock, F. Wesson. C. C. Houghton, Henry Colyin, Chas. 

 Hartwcll, Dr. H M. Quimbv. Isaac Fisk.'.I. B. Garland, 

 G. B. Buckingham. 



Capt. Pekrv.— Messrs. B. Zaeder, C. B. Pratt, J. T. Taft. 

 E. T. Smith, J. G. Rugg, O. A. Benoit, John Mascrof t, A. 8. 

 Ncwcomb, A. F. Hatch. O. L. Taft, O. O. Sumner. I. E. 

 Divoll, J. B. Ooodell, Levi Moore, C. A. Allen, Charles 

 Barton, J. E, Browning. Charles Maun. Moses D. Oilman, 

 A. L. Gilman. L. G. White, Charles H. Bowker, W. S, 

 Jounjan, E. K. Fisk, J. M. Dreunan, A. W. Joslyu, A. G. 

 Mann. R. R. Shepard, R. R. Baches. 



Game was counted as follows: Partridge 25", woodcock 20, 

 quail ,20. English snipe 20, wild duck bO, wild goose fit), 

 hawk , r )0, owl 50, foS 300, 'coon 100. rabbit 15. gray squirrel 

 15, mink 100. weasel 50. wild pigeon 20. 



Th- in. ■tubers turned out well, ami early ill the evening the 

 crowd began to assemble to see the game and witness the 

 Opuilt, a goodly number of prominent' citizens being present. 

 Promptly at nine o'clock the count was dedal-fid closed, and 

 Secretary Clark begun to foot up the columns. The long 

 table presented a bountiful sight, the game consisting of 

 partridges, woodcock, quail, rabbits, gray squirrel, and one 



