I Dec. 7i 1883. 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



363 



|#W/£ |^# a^f/ 



WING-SHOOTING WITH THE RIFLE. 



QVlT-quit-qutt-wJurr-r-r-r.' I am suddenly aroused from 

 mv da_\ dream about how neatly I picked that laat gray 

 squirrel (that is safely stowed away in my game pocket) ID 

 tlic head. The noble grouse suddenly springs into the air 

 and starts toward the aiders, bul changing biscOtttse, wheels 

 into the DDen road :li: takes liis line oi flight straight away. 



lnslinrtiveiv my thumb dtawsb&ck. the hammer of my 

 little .22 Ballard, it leaps to my shoulder, and through the 

 .in 1 instantly catch'the bead. 

 'The top of the bead just touches the fleeing bird and I pull. 

 There is a linv report like the crack of a whip, and— what is 

 the. matter with me'.' Am I ill? 1 feel the Hot blood rush- 

 ing like a tornado to my brain, my hentl is pounding like a 

 sledge hammer against my vest. 1 reel like a drunken man. 

 for in} head whirls like a top. Can I believe my eyes? 

 Ves, there he is in the road, hio winirs besting the tattoo of 

 death full fifty yards from me. Twenty -live years ago I 

 experienced the same sensation that get my bloocl on tire to- 

 day. How with Uglhutii',' -like rapidity I bridge over those 

 long years, and how distinctly 1 recall the shooting of my 

 linsl bird on the wing. Since that time I hive killed hun- 

 dreds of flying grouse, and it is many years since I have had 

 the full of a bird affect me as it has to-day. Shooting them 

 ou the wing with a shotgun looked as much of an impos- 

 sibility to me then as shooting them with a rifle did a. few 

 months ago. 



Regaining niy senses after seeing the grouse iu the road, 

 1 break out in a tremendous yell of delight (if that will ex- 

 press it) and Jack, my companion (w r ho is two hundred yards 

 away, watching a grove of oaks for gray squirrels), hastens 

 across the field to me and inquires what the trouble is. I ex- 

 plain what 1 have done, Jack says it wn* nothing but a 

 chance shot and that 1 never eau do it again. Then with 

 some very vigorous remarks addressed to some imaginary 

 being called Damit (also informing the aforesaid being that 

 the supposition was that, he had accident ally shot himseii') also 

 looking as though he (Jack) was very much disappointed 

 thai such was not the fact, he climbs over '. he wall and takes 

 a bee-line for the oaks again. [Note. — Jack occasionally 

 shoots his old shotgun, off -Land, when he cannot find a riisl 

 for it,] 



I have tried a few shots at various times at erows, hawks, 

 etc., on the wing, with a rifle, but never with success until 

 this season. 1 ii'nd that with the Lyman rear sight I can 

 see distinctly and can catch the bead and living object so quick 

 that it is among the possibilities to kill some game that 

 is on the wing, while for still shots it can't be. beat. (This I 

 write for the good, of the reader who hunts with a rifle.) I 

 find that I fired seven shots to begin with and missed seven 

 flying bird. The eighth bullet cut feathers from a bluejay 

 nearly overhead, while the tenth shot killed the "hurtling 

 grouse" over which there have been so many wordy battles 

 fought in Forest and Stbeam. The outcome of it is that 

 1 now have wing-shooting with a rifle ou the brain, and 

 although i do not expect to kill the cunning, crafty, hurt- 

 ling grouse with a single bullet, I shall try him if he gives 

 Die any such opportunity as the one did that I got. Next 

 spring" I intend to give the glass balls and. clay pigeons 

 a round, and I expect to smash some of them anyway. 1 

 would like very much to hear from the readers of Fo'uest 

 .v»d Stream who are' experienced in wing-shooting with a 

 rifle, and any points that are given by them may be accept- 

 able to man}- of your readers as well as to 



Trok Ramrod. 



Sombbville. Mass., Novembor 25, 



1SSAQUENA-QUEEN OF THE DEER. 



ISSAQUENA — "Queen of the Deer" — could once claim 

 that proud distinction, as Indian tradition tells us; but, 

 alas! now they arc few and far between. The hunter's rifle 

 is not so much to blame for this as the waters from the Mis- 

 sissippi River. The flood last spring destroyed these pretty 

 animals by the thousand, and the negro with his old musket 

 as many more. My farm was captured by the water on the 

 morning of March 16. I stood upon my gallery and saw 

 hundreds of deer passing throug a the field making their way, 

 to the levees and the lew Indian mounds scattered over the 

 country. Many were, shot by my tenants, peimitted by me 

 because of the "destitute circumstances of many of them, 

 with the waters fast rising around their humble dwellings, 

 their crop prospect destroyed, and with it all hope for credit 

 at Hie country stores, where they usually draw supplies 

 upon rnorfgaae liens on growius crops. Many were destined 

 to suffer for food, hence the leniency of planters and others 

 in enforcing the game laws. The frightened deer took refuge 

 from the' water upon logs and in vacant bouses, in fact, any- 

 where that afforded standing room. Two were Killed stand- 

 ing in my gin bouse ou the gin stand, wddlc the upper story 

 was occupied by refugee negroes, Six or eight were driven 

 from the plantation church. Six were killed in an old out- 

 house, and many were shit while standing on logs. I could 

 count up 150 deer killed here during the high water, which 

 lasted two weeks. 



Of course deer are now very scarce in these forests, but 

 there are some left, Two, that occupied a log close to my 

 house, were allowed to remain, and there they stayed nut il 

 the Waters subsided. They would leave the log in the even- 

 ing and swim to the foliage of young trees", where they 

 would browse, thus sustaining life until the waters went 

 down. We had many interesting and exciting chases after 

 them ir. boats, the light canoe or dugout being used for this 

 purpose. The dugout is a boat formed from a tree, hollowed 

 out and dressed down to its lightest weight, furnishing a 

 light, easily propelled, swift-running crafi. I was in several 

 of these chases, when it was an easy race to capture a deei. 

 Once, K. M. Smith, Jr., "the beer hunter of Issaquena" 

 (whom I will mention again soon), and your correspondent 

 were going from the lattcr's plantation to the river, escorting 

 a parly of refugees and some of their effects in a large 

 skiff, We were traveling the public road it. In Venice, when 

 1 noticed a large; doe lying on a floating log, just in advance 

 of our boat, and proposed that, we cup ure, her. "Hob was 

 agreeable," so, heading our dugout for the pretty crea- 

 tine, tlie race began. Seeing us approach, she rose from her 

 reclining position, stood erect, watching us with her large', 

 mournful eyes, until within a few feet of the one 



pinnae, ami ghc was off— and now the race was on in earnest, 

 She W*J making fur a cane, thicket to our right. A few 

 vigorous strokes of the paddle, ami we headed her to open 

 water; a few more strokes, and we were alongside, I made 



a grasp at her ears, but, fortunately for me, missed ; had T 

 succeeded, perhaps a broken arm would have been the re- 

 sult; but 1 was too excited to consider (he consequences. 

 As I failed to ©atcli her, of course she dodged and changed 

 her course. This necessitated our doing the, same, and gave 

 her the start, but we soon caught up, and as Bob placed the 

 boat, alongside I grasped the. deer's tail and held her. Once 

 secured, we towed her to the skill', where two darkeys tied 

 her and placed her in the skiff. We carried her home ; but 

 that, night she was killed by a horse, _ Several ol hers were 

 captured, but would not survive captivity. 



Deer are now scarce, bears plentiful, and turkeys are iu 

 vast numbers. The water did not trouble the bears or the 

 turkeys; both occupied trees until the waters went .down; 

 they are now as plentiful as ever. Tew turkeys are killed, 

 but Bruin suffers every time it pleases my friend Smith to 

 go for him. lie and several other young men have formed 

 a sporting club, and are provided with bear dogs, tents, and 

 all the paraphernalia that go to make up a complete hunting 

 outfit. The}' are all youug men and in love with the sport; 

 are not. hunters for market, having never sold a pound of 

 meat nor a single, head of game killed. They were out week 

 before last and, as usual, added another bear skin to Iheir 

 Store, Issaquena county affords good sport in bear hunting, 

 IU\ if anyone is ir.:. lined to try tin. sport a liu'tjb; M 

 Smith, Jr., to the address at, foot of Ibis letter, will secure 

 bis attention. It is for sport, not money, that he hunts, and 

 as lie is whole-souled, hospitable and generous, readers of 

 the FouEsi AMD STREAM would enjoy a hunt will him. 



Quail shooting is fair. Ducks are now fast filling our 

 lakes and bayous, and shooting them affords fine sport and 

 plenty of it. With good dogs fair bags can be made in the 

 woodcock shooting. We shoot them at night, by torch- 

 light. This is no snipe-hunting story, where you are left to 

 hold the bag. 



Steele's bayou and the many lakes surrounding afford fine 

 black bass fishing at this season of the year. It just "cin'i 

 be beat." Steele's Bayou. 

 :, Miss. 



GUNNING ALONG THE SACRAMENTO. 



A LTHOUOH the severely cold winter of the. Eastern 

 J\. States will soon send the. sportsmen of your section 

 within doors, we of the Pacific slope are hardly "in the midst 

 of our best season for small game. The ducks were late, in 

 their coming this fall, but at last they are upon us in force, 

 and I do not recollect of having known — during my twenty- 

 eight years' residence iu this State — waterfowl more plenti- 

 ful than at present writing. Throughout the great, Sacra- 

 mento and San Joaquin "valleys are the great tide marshes 

 of the State, the favorite and oftsu secure" retreat of all the 

 various kinds of ducks and wild geese, snipe, plover, cur- 

 lew, etc. In some places the sloughs come into close prox- 

 imity to the timber on the bottomlands, where t lie quails 

 and rabbits raise their young, so that one may often bring 

 home a miscellaneous bag of game. My own experience of 

 a. few days ago will sorve to illustrate' what is not an un- 

 usual experience of sportsmen iu this section. Not feeling 

 quite well, and believing that a few hours' tramp in the 

 company of dog and gun would set the machinery of my 

 system "to running a little more smoothly, I left my work 

 a't 2 P. M. and strolled out of the city in the direction of 

 some, sloughs that are seldom devoid of waterfowl. 



On my way 1 had to pass around the outskirts of a strip 

 of youug timber, principally sycamores, willows and cot- 

 ton'woods, and in so doing surprised myself by blundering 

 right into a covey of quails, which immediately took a bee 

 line into the air and settled themselves among' the topmost 

 branches of the tallest sycamores. (I stopped one of the 

 to nereis, however, before he got there.) Failing to get the 

 birds out I went on, and after emerging from the brush 

 (this was only a mile and a half from a city of 25,000 inhab- 

 itants) found" another covey out in the snort grass. Being 

 between them and their favorite hiding place/and knowing 

 their habits quite well, I fired a shot at once to make, them 

 scatter and hide in the grass, which they did. This was 

 very near the edge of a slouaii along the edge of wdiich was 

 a, thin fringe of high true, or flags, which hid the water from 

 my view, and I did not know that there were ducks there. 

 But there were, and of course they took wing, but did uot 

 get out of range before I brought down a couple of fine, 

 plump bluebills with my left barred, which was loaded with 

 only No. !l shot. Then'l went after the quail, and before 

 they got back to the brush Thad bagged six of them. The 

 afternoon was bright and the ducks scarce, so I weut to 

 another slough which is lined with springy, boggy banks, 

 where I often found English snipe, and" they were there 

 then. Having a fair supply of No. 9 cartridges with me, I 

 went for the long-billed feIlow"s, and by the time the sun 

 had begun to gild with its gorgeous crimson and golden 

 hues the neighboring suow-ciad summits of the Sierras, I 

 found I had thirteen big, fat snipe, seven quail, two ducks 

 and a cottontail. 



This was pretty good for a short afternoon's hunt, but I 

 was uot quite satisfied, I believed there would be a fair 

 flight of ducks in the evening from the marshes that lay a 

 few miles to the west, so I waited by one of the sloughs 

 until the great oak trees cast broad and forbidding shadows 

 over the plains; and then, just as I began to grow chilly 

 and disappointed, the dusky fowls put in an appear- 

 ance. First came the teals, skimming low above the 

 ground in their swift, erratic fihdit, and I had to empty a 

 great many shells at the little fellows to get half a dozen of 

 them. Soon the widgeon came along in big flocks, hut too 

 high, and occasionally a pair of mallards for a choice place 

 to feed, while above them all I could occasionally hear the 

 rushing noise made bv a big body of canvas-backs, but could 

 not get achanee ;.t them, 'as they knew where they were 

 going, and it was losome place other than shallow sloughs. 

 It soon became loo dark to see the teal which 1 knew most 

 have come within tenor fifteen yards of me, and I set out 

 for town, which I reached in half an hour. My bag counted, 

 when J. reached home, four mallards and seven teal, besides 

 the two other ducks, seven quails, thirteen snipes and rab- 

 bit before mentioned. J tLoudit that a pretty successful 

 four hours' shoot, within almost gunshot of a city that turns 



size in the Union, This illustrates the variety of sport, that 

 is to be had iu many parts of this State. 



I know you do not favor pigeon-slaughtering as it is often 

 carried on; still, as a matter of news, ] will sav that there is 

 a big match pendina between the O'Neal Gnu Club, of 

 Stockton, and the Foresters of this city. The former has 

 aiiK.ig i[-; members several of the lust shots in the Slate, and 

 has recently strenghtened its trap-slltoting team, by taking 

 in five of the la st shots of another Stockton club. The for- 

 esters, many of whom have bad mi experience at the trap, 



are the challenged parties, and the proposed stake is $500 o 

 side, the challenge being for fifteen men of the club to shoot 

 as a team. The Sacramento gentlemen fear that their Stock- 

 ton friends baM put n job on them by wltholding their 

 challenge until they bad got the best shots in their county 

 into their club. So they have replied to the O'Neals that; 

 if they will make it a county affair they will meet them. 

 Should the Stockton club agree to this, the Foresters will 

 select, Konlier, Chapman and perhaps Fcklon ami Riddle of 

 the Folsom Club. Mack of the Ho isevclts. and possibly one 

 or two of the several "free lances" that, are about. They 

 have already some ten members that arc fit, to shoot in any 

 company, but could hardly put forth an effective team of 

 fifteen. ' The match, should it come off. will be a hot and 

 interesting one. 



Every once in a while we meet an Eastern sportsman out. 

 here. Last spring the writer had a jolly I wo days' hunt 

 with S. A. Tucker, of the Parker gun bouse, and Harry 

 Comstock, representing the Baker gun. Both are good fel- 

 lows and first-class gentlemen — men who do not lug "the 

 shop" into their everyday intercourse with people. They are 

 effective agents, however, and did well on this coast. A 

 few weeks ago Comstock dropped dowu upon us suddenly 

 in all his manly beauty, being on his way home from Ore- 

 gon on another business trip. Do you know him? Well, 

 they say he looks very much like 'President Arthur, and 

 that probably accounts" for ths way people stared at him 

 while here. "Next spring we'll have them all here again — 

 Tucker, and his big shoes, cigarette shooting hat, i orduroy 

 suit and reindeer's frock, and Comstock with his black coat 

 and shining plug hat — to go out for a goose, hunt! TSWAOT. 



Bacbamento, California, Nov. 86. 



ONTARIO DEER SHOOTING. 



Editor Fared and Strmm: 



My suggestion that October 1 is late for pleasure parties 

 to enter the Ontario woods seems, according to the Canadian 

 S-porteiiiun, to have brought out some criticism, but for all 

 said about "hot water for shaving," and "feather-bed sports 

 men," I still affirm that September 15 is better than October 

 1 to enter the Northern woods for a mouth's trip. Were I 

 expecting to tarry but two weeks, I should go about Sep- 

 tember 25, but it has been my practice for a number of 

 years to spend one month out of the twelve among I he moun- 

 tains, lakes, and streams of the North. Among other 

 places, besides the Cauadas, 1 make trips to the pine woods 

 of Northern Michigan, Maine, the Adirondacks, etc. Dur- 

 ing all my experience the two most enjoyable weeks in every 

 trip Lave been the last in September and the first in October. 

 Flics and mosquitoes have never troubled after September 

 20. f usually leave home so as to arrive welt back in the 

 woods about September 19 or 20, and during the last Ave 

 years the four succeeding weeks have been so free from 

 storms that camping without tents wherever night hap- 

 pened to overtake us was not an unpleasant occurrence. 



According to the remarks of my friend across the border, 

 one is led to suppose that it is a"n enjoyable privilege and 

 heroic act to tramp through or sleep out in a cold November 

 or last of October storm; but 1 suspect that one of those 

 storms would find him fas it should every sensible man at 

 that season of the year) not so fearless of '"soft water" but 

 what his nights would be spent undw the friendly shelter of 

 a good log cabin or commodious tent. It has never been, 

 and I hope never will be, my plan to hie to some back set- 

 tier's house or snug cabin and make that my home for a. 

 month. I enjoy the varied experiences of a march through 

 the wilderness to some distant point, but the most exciting 

 and enjoyable trip to me is in canoeing up some strange 

 river, where new and unlooked-for scenery presents itself at 

 every turn. A trip of this kind cannot be taken with cum- 

 bersome luggage, tents, «tc. There are always long and 

 short portages to overcome, and I have carried a canoe ou 

 my back too much to enjoy making three or four trips across 

 a portage for extra baggage. Then there are large lakes to 

 cross, and the last of October orfirst of November is hardly 

 a safe time for crossing them. 



1 remember in 1878 following up the west branch of the 

 Penobscot, and while ou the return trip at a point below 

 Mount Katahdin we were windbound and could not cross 

 Ambajejus and Pamedomcook likes for a number of days. 

 It would have been exceedingly rash for experienced guides 

 to leave crossed. We had no guides and did not consider 

 our experience equal to the undertaking. This was about 

 Oct. 1.0. Twenty days before ibis the "lakes were compar- 

 itively quiet, and a bark canoe could cross them any day 

 with perfect safely. The nearer the approach of Winter the 

 rougher the waters become, and the colder the nights the 

 more blankets must be carried. 



I have no doubt but, Oct. f is well enough for those who 

 go simply for a hunt amid familiar scenes where the "lay 

 of the ground" is known. I do uot go to the woods simply 

 to establish myseU in some permanent camp and see how 

 many deer 1 can kill. If there is a place in the wilderness 

 that 1 have heard and can hear nothing about thai is the 

 place I like to seek out. I dearly enjoy the rod tmd gun, 

 but were it against the law to carry cither, the livers, 

 mountains and lakes would attract me to them every year 

 just the same. At the proper season of the year a person may 

 Without risk push ahead into an unknown wilderness and 

 camp when necessary under a hastily constructed brush 

 hut. bu u late in the season he who goes ahead without 

 knowing where he is to i-amji it storms arise (unless he is 

 inured to this kind of life by more than ordinary experi- 

 ence) is violating a law of health and tempting Providence. 



I am glad to see my critic "go for" all Americans who 

 annually visit Ontario, as he says, "lor the almighty dol- 

 lar's sake," and I trust that his own countrymen will not lie 

 passed by on that subject. 



"II 's" last letter. enlightens me upon the subject, of the 

 exportation of deer, the season for using dogs, etc. tic 

 eoi's mi ti. say that he eanu.'l ley; that any hunter can 

 kill twenty-five or thirl v deer a ."" k in any part of Ontario; 

 but 1 know positively that one hunter killed seventv-four 

 deer in ten days last 'winter, hauled them out. and shipped 

 them from Renfrew station, ou the Canada Pariric road, f 

 took pains to sec the station agent about it, and he lold Ha- 

 tha!, he waybilled sixty-five of them in one shipment, the 

 balance of them were sold out about there. Of course this 

 is an cxtrnordiimry exception, but it shows that the thing is 

 possible, and, doubtless, is of more frequent Occurrence 

 than officers of game protective clubs are aware of. Now, 

 I affirm that there, should be a restrictive clause iu the. 

 Ontario game laws, so that no one man should be allowed 

 to ship more than three, or at the most, five deer at a time 

 from any station at any season of the. year. In conclusion, 

 I. will say to "it., " whimi I honor for his outspoken loyalty 



