tfbV. 80, 1882.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



34 7 



sunrise. It is impossible to describe the row that the brutes 

 made over the buffalo carcass, it was beyond description, 

 terrible. 



So long as you can make a Ore -and there is always rAeftty 



of wood— you need have no fear of iions or hyenas. The 



9tranae Auitnals. They come around your camp 



nightly, hundreds of them, bowling mid laughing, which 



Igcr ia very abivming. They are fierce looking 



and pomewitbin a few yards, bat Ore great coward* The 

 wild dogs can drive them off from a carcass, although the 

 dogs are much the smaller. 



Through the carelessness of two of my men the pack o> 

 Strayed from camp and was killed by lion's. I made the mer 

 pay £8, the value of the OX. We intended lo kill rtupon get 

 tine, home, as il would die from the bite of lie. 

 Two dogs which wc took with us are dead already; they 

 wen; bitten about three weeks 8g0 



l-!oil, .Mr. Heel: and I enjoyed the (rip immensely. He 

 used an express riile. which originally cost E55, bought by 

 bimfor S25; I also used an expn ss weighing twelve pounds t 

 bast mo '.'HO; original price £50. It is too heavy for bunt- 

 ing with on foot. Martini is better, being lighter, and costs 

 only e,,j— that is. the military rifle— and I prelei il to the 

 sporiMiL: Martini, as it is raucii stronger and not easily dam- 

 aged by a fall. W. 8. B. 

 Sadiei. Lydenber? Gold Fields, Smith Atriea, .Inly. ISA}. 



A PIKE COUNTY DEER HUNT. 



T^Ofl the interest and benefit of our sporting brethren 

 B- -who would like lo enjoy a week's hunting, these lines 

 may come appropriate, and 1 will gladly give all further " 

 formation and advice if some of the readers of Forest and 

 Stiuoam wish to go where the writer and party spent a week 

 of good sport, combined with pleasure and comfort. 



Our party consisted of fiv< — Nic K. , and his brother 

 Adam, and 'cousin and uncle K\. besides myself, all of us 

 most green m deer hunting. Leaving New York Saturday. 

 Nov, 'll, on the 5:40 P. 3C train, we took the Erie to Lack- 

 tnvuM'ii, from there the branch lo Hawley, where we ex- 

 pected to find Mr. Hen-man Frank, WllO was to be captain 

 Sour little band. We arrived there at It P. M, Unable 

 Kj bfi one of the party Mr. Frank gave us all information in 

 regard to our hunt. He recommended a good and experi- 

 enced guide, Ross Huff Taflou. and advised to try Pike 

 Bounty. He directed us to a comfortable and well-kept 

 farmhouse (Mr. Roberts's) right in the center of our hunting 

 grounds. Mr. Roberts, a clever and generous host, and his 

 sou Sam. a most obliging and true hunter, made us feel at 

 home as soon as Ave entered their house. 



Monday we started bright and early, Ross Huff taking in 

 bis charge the hounds and doing the driving, while Sam 

 placed us on our different runways. We started several 

 deer that day, but. none came to shot except one to Uuclc 

 K. The dogs drove a fawn close to him ; tiring both bar- 

 rel- h missed it. Of course he blamed his breech-loader 

 (it was a new one and never shot out before) but. if that was 

 the cause, or if he had the buck fever, we avUI leave undis- 

 puted, sullice it, that he v. as the only lucky one Avho saw 

 ami tired at a deer that day. 



We made another drive and started two more deer, but 

 the)' went to the river where the dogs lost their scent. The 

 6rsi. day ended with- a blank, but we were not discouraged, 

 enjoying the exhilarating air and beautiful scenery. Tues- 

 day morning found us early astir. Sam Roberts and Huff 

 were going to make a large drive, and try to run the deer to 

 the brook (Blooming Grove). It was an overcast, and gloomy 

 ,ilay. They started'" several deer, but unlucky for us they 

 Avoidd not take to the brook, but ran to the Blooming Grove 

 Park. It was gelling lale and began to rain, so we struck out. 

 for home; on our way home we intended to make a short 

 drive about the same place where we hail stood Monday, 

 Huff seeing tracks of a, large buck there. We were hardly 

 placed when black clouds darkened the. firmament, 

 the rain coming doAvn in torrents, the wind blew and the 

 Old pine trees shook and trend iled ; it was blowing now a per- 

 fect hurricane, and we were drenched through and through 

 iu less than no time. Of course this settled our 'day, and 

 avc arrived at our home coM and looking like drowned cats. 

 Our hunting thermometer fell iIoavu very neartothe freezing 

 point, but as soon as we had our clothes changed and were 

 sitting around the bright and cheerful wood lire we felt bet- 

 ter, and after eating dinner all was forgotten. We gathered 

 around the blazing piue knots listening lo and telling deer 

 and bear stories until it was time to go~to bed. 



Wednesday Ave started again full" of hope and ambition. 

 We had seen plenty of tracks the day before, and the storm 

 spoiling our last drive, we decided to Try the brook once 

 more. Luck seemed to be against us, though the hounds 

 started a large buck and several other deer, but somehow the 

 dogs lost track, or got mixed in the hackmatacks, and all 

 the deer they started Avould run the wrong way. Sam Rob- 

 erts was coming through a ridge with the. hounds, when up 

 ■jumped three deer, a buck, doe and fawn, all laying close to 

 each other. We secured the fawn and the "doe. Fully 

 satisfied with our good luck, we gave up hunting for that 

 day. After dressing and hanging the deer to some trees, 

 it was too far and late to get them out of the woods, we 

 returned home a hoppy and pleased party. 



Thursday morning we were all on the alert; we intended 

 to drive a different direction, and the dogs soon raced a big 

 eloe towards our stands. They were running up a ridge, 

 and she was coming direct to where I stood, but as she came 

 Up the hill she winded me, and turned back in (ho ravine, 

 riu in be., a il.h lightning speed past Nic P. about gQQ yards, 

 but he waa only armed Avith a shotgun. The dogs soon 

 Started some deer again, and 1 saw a, fawn shoot through 

 the bushes like a bullel. I let go both barrels andAVOunded 

 her, but not hard enough, as she fairly Hew aAvay, in the 

 same direction as the doe. Our guide", Hull, hearing the 

 -shots, started on a run to the Avater, where he expected she 

 would go; and the dogs were driving another buck also 

 direct to the brook. Nobody was placed on the brook but 

 |b country lad, and as he. saw the deer coming right for him, 

 heiug too eager he did not wait, but tired seventy-five yards 

 before she struck the water, Avhere otherwise if he vfaited 

 fihe would have run within five, feet of him. Huff came 

 Mp just in time to see our country friend shoot and the 

 deer escape over the bills. This endi dour days' hunt. The 

 young fellow had to hour some strong sentiments, but it was 

 no use crying over spilt milk. 



Friday was a nasty, disagreeable day; it rained and 

 mowed, regular slush, and confined us to the house. We 

 passed the time at target practice with a rifle, 

 guides went in search of some hounds which we lost the 

 previous day. Saturday opened bright and cheerful; it had 

 turned cold during the night. It was a grand sight to see 



the country so changed in one night from fall color,, tomid- 

 winter. Tlie old pines looked like blOOtniilg peach trees, 

 the snow, sticking close to their branches; -ave them a 

 beautiful appearance. This wis to be oiu last day, as We 

 had to fake the 5 p. y\. train in to Hawlev. We concluded 

 lo drive once more the same hill we had 'driven Thursday. 

 . eieat many tracks, some leading for half a mile 

 in the open road, but somehow the storm must have driven 

 tin- gam,, from the bill, as we did not start one. We went 

 on lo the Hawley road, where we expected Roberts, Sr., 

 with the wagon. Here we had lime to make a short drive 

 in the forks. We took position on the lower fork road, 

 and left the hounds to go in at the Blooming Grove road. 

 ■| ed a buck in the forks, and Ave beard the musie 

 of the chase going and coming. The deer Was playing hide 

 and seek witli them until the barking died away, and no 

 buck came lo us. We drove to Hawley; where wc arrived 

 ai half-past two; lei! Hawley at. 5:11) P. it.; arrived in Ncav 

 York about 10 o'clock, well pleased and satisfied with our 

 deer hunt. p | ;. 



New VmiK ClIK 



MINNESOTA WHISPERS. 



HAVING just partaken, with the hearty relish born of a 

 I ramp in the dear old Avoods, of a genuine sportsman's 

 supper cousirtinr, in pari -ji jui&f reniscii steak partridge 

 pie, broiled squirrels and delicious tea, I am at peace with 

 myself, and in the mood for a chat with the brethren of the 

 Pokest Ain S'rrtKAM family. 



If 1 only had time to Avrite out' some of my hunting ex- 

 periences, I believe the result would be, lhat another year I 

 should have the company I have so much longed for this 

 fall. 



Upon the whole, the game season in this locality has been 

 remarkably good, and for some birds of game flic season is 

 now at its best. During October ducks were unusually 

 abundant. I believe a good shot could have averaged from 

 tAveniy-iivc to fifty per day. t know that often I would 

 shoot as many in an hour as I could back-load in. Duck 

 shooting, however, is nearly over for this fall, as the 

 smaller sloughs are now frozen over. 



Partridges, as they are invariably called by the natives, 

 are fairly plenty. I went into the hou-wood thicket rear 

 my shanty one "afternoon last week, and killed seven in less 

 than an hour. Gray and black Squirrels are more numer- 

 ous than the "oldest inhabitant'' ewer knew of (heir being 

 before in this section of the State. I left my house at two 

 o'clock Ibis afternoon, went a mile to an 'oak ridge, and 

 killed tAvelve, seven grays and five blacks. A gentleman 

 told me that in another part of the woods be counted four- 

 teen in two I rees. 



1 matte a statement iu the Poiiest A.SB Stbkam last fall 

 concerning the weight of squirrels, which one gentleman 

 called in question, so in (he presence of three reliable per- 

 sons I weighed the twelve killed to-day. They tipped the 

 beam at . xaetlv sixteen pounds and six 'ounces. 



Who would like a pair of the blacks mounted? At this is 

 the open season for deer, rifles are cracking on every hillside 

 and ringing in every valley. Already quite a large number 

 have been filled, though the deadliest work will not be doue 

 until there comes u good tracking snow. It seems too bad 

 that, the deer arc being so rapidly exterminated. No atten- 

 tion is paid to the law, and iu a few years a deer will be. a 

 great iarity in Minnesota, as in New England. If 1 wasn't 

 a clergyman in good and regular standing I would say, con- 

 found pot-hunters. 



And noAv I would like to give a hint, which is also an in- 

 vitation to "gentlemen sportsmen" who have means to 

 gratify their love of sporting. 



I know of no locality so favorable for club grouuds as 

 this. There is. almost every variety of game, many beauti- 

 ful lakes abounding with fish pleasant scenery, healthy cli- 

 mate; and as I he Little Palls it Dakota R. ft, (a branch of 

 the Northern Pacific.) is now completed, one can come Avithin 

 two miles of this point by rail. I believe e\'ery man in 

 town Avould cordially welcome a non-resident sportsman's 

 club, and render all possible assistance. 



If the right man would only come here and open a hotel 

 (there is a good building within five rods of the. lake Which 

 can be purchased or rented) Avhere lovers of the rod and 

 gun could be accommodated, he wotild be sure of a liberal 

 patronage. At present there is no hotel in town. The only- 

 axe 1 have to grind in Ibis is that I want others to iiave just 

 as good a time and chance as I have myself; and I want 

 good company. J.' Prank Locke, 



Pu.lsuv.ry, Minn., Nov. ni. 



MONTANA BIG GAME. 



VFEW days ago about four inches of snow fell in this 

 county, and all the hunters turned out for deer hunt- 

 ing: the "old-timer," with his lb'lb. gun. white hat and light- 

 colored (ragged) clothes; the cay young tenderfoot, with 

 little .44- Winchester, black fur- hat, dark clothing, fancy 

 knife, leggings etc., and large amount of baggage. A party 

 of five from Iowa hunted two weeks, lulled ten deer, and 

 hough! steer rather scarce; while three old-timers killed 

 twenty-eight in two days. The temptation was too Strong; 

 I went Old and killed eleven in two half-days, Tine. .■, . ,. 

 y large blacktail bucks, that dressed from 210 to 2051bs. 

 All* the meal is. saved at this season and shipped to Eastern 

 cities. Many signs of large cinnamon bear were seen, but 

 only one captured; that one, weighed dressed Iflolbs, Black 



been sent to market from this locality Ibis fall. I know 



Powder Elver, 175 miles up the stream; of course, only the 

 hides were saved. Duct are very thick there yet ; 300 Avere 

 killed by three men on tho Cabiu Creek this summer for 

 their hides. Of course this is all wrong, and regretted 

 very much by hunters generally; but in this country it can- 

 not be stopped at present. We have an excellent law for 

 the preservation of game, but it cannot be enforced. The 

 main buffalo herd is southeast of us eighty miles; hut scat- 

 tering bands of ten to fifty are found in all directions, giv- 

 ing sport and meat to new-comers and settlers. We meet. 

 occasionally a lightly built: whitetail deer on the prairies 

 here and in Dakota that are not the timber whitetail, nor 

 the Virginia deer They run like an antelope, are very Shy 

 and undersized, and different in every respect from either 

 the "lougfail," or blacktail, mule, of red deer. We call it 

 a. ' 'prairie deer;" Avhat do you call il ',' 



Antelope are now iu bands of 50 to 300, but unless a 

 hunter "gets the drop on" a band, he does not htnt tbem 

 much; 600 antelope skins were brought in by one party, the 

 result of two men's yvork in that line in one year. Pin- 

 nated grouse are quite plenty, but seldom hunted. The Ictng 



range rifle question is coming up again among Western 

 hunters. We have all kinds of <runs"'here, I bought an 

 old Peabody-Martini .15-70 gun las! fall, army style; and can 

 beat, any Sharps 0(1 grain gun here with it for long distance, 

 and beta are freely offered to (bat effect; but for penetration. 

 a 40-90 would beat it. The cut is peculiar, being fourteen 

 creases wilh a gain twist. The cut is what we call the 

 coffee mill cut. With. sick a guh I challenge the world on 

 long distance, accuracy, and penetration. We want a gun 

 that will send a bullet through a bear or buffalo, through 

 bones and all, and eoi u targe bole— that's the plain English 

 of it, A. 40 caliber is rather small, and we don't like ex- 

 plosive bullets. We like a buck horn rear sight, with a long 

 open front sight, and a man that can't kill a prairie ben off- 

 band with this sight at 2110 yards is not much of a shot; but 

 shooting at a target and sliootins at. game on the jump are 

 entirely different things, II. S. 



Ctu-.Nmvn, Montana Territory, Nov. S3, 18S3. 

 [The deer are probably Virginia deer. We have hunted 

 over all the country referred to by our correspondent, and 

 have noticed a great variation in the size of the Virginia 

 deer; but there is no difference other than that of size.] 



CARE FOR THE QUAIL. 



V'CSt mid Strain,,: 



"Now's the day, now's the hour" when the lender (selfish) 

 feelings of every true sportsman ought to be directed toward 

 preserving the scattered remains of our once numerous 

 family of quails. It Avould require but little trouble (that 

 little ought, to be a pleasure) for any person who has a covey 

 on his place to make a shelter for them before the snow 

 storms come, and keep it supplied with food, and then when 

 a heavy snow comes and thcirfood is covered Up, they would 

 go at once for Xhe shelter and remain as long as they were, 

 supplied. 



Nearly every bird (bat escapes the gun could be saA-ed 

 from the one' great winter enemy, the hawk, by BiiUply 

 driving four stakes in the ground, about two feel high anil 

 ten feet apart, wilh poles across, then covering it heavily 

 With brush. 



When the ground is covered Avith snow they must run 

 around for food, while the haAvks sit watching as anxiously 

 for their dinner; so I he quail has his choice betAvccn being 

 gobbled up or starving to death . A bawk can see a quail on 

 the snow something less t ban a mile off, and if a quail appears 

 in the open fields, as be is often forced to do to get the seeds 



from the top ; ,,T il,. ,-, \ his doom is sealed if a hawk 



sees him, and when a hawk once finds a flock he stays there 

 till the supply of meat gives out. 



A great, many people mewa t0 take care of the birds, but 

 the trouble is they think there may be but little snow and then 

 there will be no need of building a protection; but, a deep 

 snow . storm falls upon them suddenly; then they think of 

 the birds and sally out with a stock of grain, but it's prob- 

 ably too late, they may starve before the food is found. 

 But the great thing is a. thorough protection from the hawks, 

 and now is the time to do it. the protection should be open 

 on all sides. Didymus. 



QUAIL IN VIRGINIA. 



HE Virg'inia partridge (Orli/.r virgiaianus) is A r ery scarce 

 north of James River, from the Blue Ridge Mountains 

 down to the counties lying on Chesapeake Bay. 1 hear they 

 are abundant south of .lames River, in the country between 

 Petersburg and Norfolk. Suffolk, in Nansemond county, 

 on Ihe Norfolk & Western Railroad, is a good point from 

 ■adiate. Deev are plentiftd also in the region 



TUw. ...-.unlm. lulnffiAn 1^ ■■/,. 1 ,,^i r. 1.- ,- 



T 



d about Suffolk, 

 burg and Richmond a 

 burg is barren of bird? 

 and smaller, and the c 

 man kills the old birds 

 in autumn the city si 

 breech-loader and sla 



The country between Fredericks 

 I between Alexandria and Lynoh- 

 Every year the coveA's tire scarcer 

 use is not far to seek The freed- 

 .uriug the nesting season, and then 

 irlsman goes out with his ten-bore 

 jditers tbem Avith an eye single to a 

 big bag, and with no thought of the future. 



Every huntsman in Virginia believes that the partridge 

 raises two broods a season, if undisturbed, aid when dis- 

 turbed the hen keeps on laying aud hatching till frost, try- 

 ing to raise a family. Nothing is more common iu Eastern 

 Virginia than to see a half-grown brood Avith a brood full- 

 grown under the care of the same cock and hen. Perhaps 

 in colder latitudes, where, the season is shorter, they rear 

 only one brood. 



November, 1B88, 



Notes ekom Ohio.— I have just returned from a two 

 weeks' hunting trip iu this State. Spent a few days first 

 near Deshler (on the P.. & O. R. R.), hunting deer; found 

 tbem plenty but bar:! to get at in the "black SAvamp" on 

 account of" the thick brush and grass; got only two in four 

 days' huntjDg. Went to St. Mary's Reservoir for one day's 

 duck shooting; bagged (wenlv-tw'o. mostly mallards. Then 

 stopped at Ads, Hardin county, on main line of P. P. W. & 

 C. R. R, . for quail and ru tt'ed grouse shooting. Pound them 



very plenty, often "gettin^ 

 on the borders of one field ; 

 any one who enjoys quail si 

 As"l know that locality thor 

 giA r e any information to part 

 15, I shot three woodcock, s 

 inches of snow on the groin 

 SO late, in Ohio. Have other 

 shape of a, fo.v squirrel, 

 coal black.— J. W. It. 



m" of qvuiil 



iade fine bags every day. For 

 lOtiDg this is the place to go. 

 ughly, I Avould be pleased to 

 rties wishing to go there. Nov. 

 and at the time there avus two 

 aid. 1 have never found them 

 us? 1 also got a curiosity in the 

 th the belly and iuside'of legs 



Notes from Wisconsin.— Deer are so pleuty along the 

 line of the Chippewa Palls & Northern Railway that a loco- 

 motive recently ran into six of them, one being thrown 

 some distance by the pilot. Entanglement with the Avirc 

 fences along the lino has in several instances afforded hunt- 

 ers "sme shots." H. P. Conklin shot a Avhite swan at Rock 

 Lake, Jefferson county, which measured seven feet and four 

 inches from tip to tip of its wings, was fourfeet eight inches 

 in height, and weighed sixteen and one-half pounds. W. 

 R. Smith, in Chetek, has a collection of hundreds of stone 

 and copper implements, embracing cooking utensils, pipes, 

 arrowheads, etc., all gathered from Indian mounds near his 

 home. Wil'lard. Jr.. iu Uepere, has probably the finest and 

 largest collection of State birds stuffed and preserved. He 

 '— ms and about 20Q species. 



has neatly 450 Speciulc'ba anc 



Wkioht of Mallards.— Cleveland, O., Nov. 12-.— Shot 

 seventy ducks k*t Monday, one of which, a mallard drake, 

 Weighed oA-er toVee and one-half pounds.— Mehtt. 



