^cgust 85. 1881. 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



® 



69 



i September 1 to October 1 the cocker spaniel is the 

 boring here, Liter in the season setters and 

 lOre successful. Pisoator. 



FOREST AND STREAM GAME TABLE. 



OPBV SEASONS. 



tie suasons, in which It Is lawful to snoot same in Hie several 



Ees :<r.,i Territories, open us utsiifiiatprl In the following table. 



. Oct 20 



July ). 



. A lit:. !., 

 .10 LI.., 



. Sept. l. 



. Aug, ■.. 

 . OC1 I.. 



■ 



Oct 



. Nov. 1 . 

 . Out. I.. 

 . sept, l, 

 . Out. i.. 



. AUg. 19 

 . Oct, 15. 

 . .inlv 1 . 



■ 



Aug. : . 



SC|)t. I. 



/, Any. 1 . 



July i. 

 July i.. 

 July io. 



S»pt. i.. 

 \i.,.:. 1 . 

 Mr-:. 1 . 

 dulj .i.. 



Sept. i. 



A life'. I.. 

 OCC I.. 



•Inly-i . 



■■ ■ 



. .Mil'.' !H 

 . Aug. 15 



Sept. ■•-, 

 1'roiM.il. 



Aug. IS.. 



Nov. I... 

 Sow 1... 

 dot. I .. 



sept. ;. 

 oct, l... 

 Nov. I. 

 Oct. I... 

 Nov. 1. 



Oct 20. 



Sept. I :■ 



Oil 15, 

 Nov. 1. 

 sepi. I. 

 Oct I.. 

 Oct. 15. 

 Oct, I.. 



Sept i. 



Nov. ! 



Sept. i 

 Sov. ;. 

 drt. i., 

 Nov. t. 

 AUg. 1 . 



MOW I.. 

 Sept.... 

 Oct. 15. 



All-. 1. 



/•/„„- 

 j, 1 



ffi ' 



I 

 Chi.-.k- 



et»). 



Srpl. '.5. 

 OCl '. 

 (let. 1. 

 Aug. I',.. 



Nov. 1 .. 

 AUg. t... 



trod- wm\ 



(•>>■•!. Turkey. 



OOt ... 



Aus'. is 



Sept I. ProhCfl 



Sept. 1 



Oct l... 



Nov. 1 .. 

 Oct. I... 



bc'tVib;'. 



S.-pl. 1.1 



sept i. 



s, |il. 1 . 



■ 



Sept. i.. 



oca. 'is'.'. 



All'.'. 15.. 



s-pi. ; 

 . 



Nov. 1 .. 

 Sept. i . 

 sept. I.. 



oot i... 



sepi. 1. 



Aug. I. 

 Aug. IS 

 sept. I 



sept. 1 



Oct. 1.. OCt !.. 



Sept : 



Auer. is Sept i. 

 Sept. i Nov. i. 



AUg. 16 AUg. 15 Oct ].. 



Sept. i 



Sept I, sept. i. 



srpt. :. 



l-ioh'd 



I— 2 SOpt. l.lOct 1.. 



Sept. i, sept i 



Oct. 1.. 



Aug. 15 Sept. in 



Aug. 15 del. 1.. 



Sept. 1 



Aug. 1 



•Mill 



. 1 



sepi. IT,. 

 S"pr I.. 



lug. ■... 



Aug, I... 

 Sept : 

 An::. 15., 



■ 



Sept'il 



Now l . 

 •July l . 



Jul'y'i! 



Sept. I . 



sent, i 



Oct 1 . 



Nov. J. 



uet.'i.V. 



sept. ;.'. 

 ■ 

 .... Sept i. 

 ■■■ 

 Sept i Sept l. 



Aug. 15 Aim'. IS 



fifth day of January next ( 1769) no person whatsoever (Mas- 

 ter? or Slav<J3 excepted) not having a freehold of one hun- 

 rired acres of land Within this province, or tending ten thou- 

 sand COrn-lliUs at least live feet distance each, shall bunt or 

 kill deer ; under penally of ten pounds proclamation money, 

 for every oftence ; and moreover shall forfeit his gun, or the 

 value thereof. 



"V. Provided, also, that nothing herein contained shall 

 extend to bar or hinder an overseer of a slave or slave from 

 hunting and killing Deer with a gun on bis employer's lands, 

 or the waste lands of the King, "or Lord Granville, within 

 rive miles of the residence of siich overseer." 



The reasons recited for the necessity for this act were that 

 "many disorderly and dissolute persons, having no habiia- 

 tion of their ownj k 1 ill continue to hunt on the King's Wate, 

 at:d the lands of other persons and kill deer and leave the 

 carcasses in the woods, by which means the wolves, bears 

 and other vermin are fed and raised, to the great damage of 

 many of the inhabitants of the Province: and the fines be- 

 ing difficult of recovery, by means of persons having no prop- 

 er ,, «f in-ir own assembling in great numbers and camping 

 in the woods and kill deer, burn and destroy the range, burn 

 fences and commit many other injuries to the inhabitants of 

 this Province and associate for the mutual protection and de- 

 fence of each other against any person or persons who shall 

 attempt to execute any precept on any of them ; For Reme- 

 dy whereof," etc., etc, 



* In 1770 was passed an act to prevent hunting for and kill- 

 ing deer by fire-light, because under such pretence lliey "kid 

 arid destroy horses and cattle, to the great prejudice of the 

 owners," under penalty Of five pounds, * * and tile Jus- 

 tice may -order such offender to have and riceivo "Thirty- 

 nine Lashes on his pare Rack, well laid on." 



The act also provides a due of live pounds for any person 

 who shall tee another fire-hunting and who does not report 

 the same. But them comes the '" searcher," viz.: 



" IV. And in order to disc >urage all persons from th's per- 

 nicious Practice, or the mote easily to detect them in the 

 commission I hereof, Be it further enacted, etc., That in case 



>aih, before 



•nr— CnL, sept I ; Idaho. Aug. 1 ; Net)., Oct 1 ; Nov., Aug. 1 ; 

 : in, AUg. i; Wm, AUg. 15. 



: \. MMC.Sept 1. 



N C, (let. I: 8. < ..Oct 15. 

 : Idaho, .Aug l; Minn., Nov. l ; Xeb., Ocbl; 

 x., Sept.. l; Or.iTUlyl; tJtah, Aug. 1; w.vd., 



N. II., Sept. 1 ,-; ore., .Inlv 1. 



i Neb , oet i ; New, Any. ; j x. Mex., 



lug! 1 ;' Mo., Aug. 1 ; Nov., SCpt 1 ; X. 



n'. .J.. Sept ; Pa., Sept 1. 

 t. 5; V. 0., Sept. I ; N. J., Any. Z5 : Pa., Sept. 1. 

 r. 15 ; D. C„ Sept 1 ; New, Sept 1 ; N. C., Out. 15. 



a The deer law ap- 

 jslon. k wikliowi n,,i ]iiriie,Mi,,t un the coast 

 (leer season opens Aug. 15. d California quail 

 n Coos County Ueer season opens Aupr. t; moose 



/ I'ivsi open wi.,i,|, ; oel; mm, a, bepii July I; 



leheneoiady- Saratoga and AUJany. Wildfowl 



some Magistrate of the 

 person or persons to be 

 ie Night Time by Fire 

 : such Magistrate to i-sue 

 or persons so suspected 

 some oilier Magis- 



DEEH, SLAVES AND VAGABONDS. 



SOMK LAWS OF NOHTII GAIiOLISA, A. D. 1738. 



AM( >NG the colonial laws of North Carolina were the fol- 

 lowing: 



" I. Be it enacted, by his Excellency Gabriel Johnston, 

 Esq., Governor, by and with the advice and consent of his 

 Majesty's Council, elc, that it shall not be lawful to kill or 

 destroy any Deer running wild in the woods or unfenced 

 ground in this Government by gun or any other ways or 

 means whatsoever between the Fifteenth Gay of February, in 

 each year, and the Fifteenth Day of July succeeding after 

 the ratification of this Act; And if any person, not being a 

 s-rvauf or slave, sliaJl kill any Deer contrary to this Act, and 

 be thereof lawfully convicted, the said person lor every Deer 

 so killed or destroyed shall forfeit, and pay the sum of Five 

 Pounds current Money. 



"III. And be it further enacted, by the Authority aforesaid, 

 That if any Sirvaut or Slave, by order or command of his 

 or her Master or Overseer, shall kill or destroy any Deer, 

 contrary to this Act, the Master, Mistress, or Overseer giving 

 such order or command, and being thereof lawfully con- 

 victed, for every Deer so killed or destroyed, as afoesaid, 

 shall forfeit and pay the aforesaid Penalty of Five Pounds, 

 as if the said Master, Mistress, or Overseer had actually com- 

 mitted the 0ffen.ee. 



■'III. And be it further unacted, by the authority afore- 

 said, That if any Servant or Slave of his own accord, with- 

 out any order or command from his or her Master, Mistress, 

 or Overseer, shall kill, destroy, or buy any Deer, contrary to 

 this Ac', and be thereof convicted, by the Oath of one cred- 

 table Witness, before a .Justice of the Peace of the county, 

 wherein the Offence is committed, for every deer s i killed or 



destroyer!, as aforesaid, the said Servant or Slave shall have 



eceive, on hisorlier bare Back, Thirty Lashes, welljaid 

 in. to he inflicted by the order of the Slid Justice before 

 whom the Paid conviction stia'l be: unless some sufficient 

 Person will become bound to pay, for ihe said servant or 

 slave, the sum of Five Pounds current Money, within six 

 months, in lieu of the said Punishment aforesaid, to the 

 in nil wardens of the Parish where the offence is com- 

 mitted, for Ihe uses directed by this act " 



In 1733 an act was passed providing that no slave 

 should go armed with gun, sword, or any other 

 weapon, or should keep sufch weapons, or hunt in the 

 wouds with one, unless the Master should give a sufficient 

 bond, etc., or hunt of range in the woods with a dog or dogs, 

 3epl such as have a certificate for hunting, as was in the 

 3, If a slave' violated the act any person might 

 kill his dogs and the offender should receive not to exceed 

 thirty lashes upon conviction. 



ii i to 1768 an act was passed to further 



tlate hunting and which was amended in that year: 



* "II. Be it .'enacted, etc., That from nnrl after the 



any person shall, uj 



county, declare that he suspects at 



guilty of bunting wdth a i in 



Light, it shall and may b.- lawful f 



his warrant to apprehend Hie perflt 



and to bring him or them be tore h 



trate of the county where the offence is supposed to be c >m- 



mittcd : And in case the person or persons so apprehended 



will not, upon Oaih, declare that he or they have not been 



guilty since the passing of this Act of hunting in the manner 



aforesaid, such person or persons shall, in such case, be 



di eriied guilty of the Offence and be liable to be punished as 



in this Act is before directed." 



There, sir, is a model for you in the "game protection 

 line." It is true, that the act was to be in force during the 

 term of two years only, but, it must certainly have tended to 

 " dt$eonrase," at least, that particularly pernicious method 

 < f hunting 



In 1.773 this act was modified, limiting the fine to five 

 pounds and a month's confinement, and in case of a slave, 

 the forfeiture of his gun and fifty lashes. S. 



THE MINNESOTA CHICKEN SEASON. 



Albkut Lea, Minn., Aug. 15, 1881. 

 Editor Forest and Stream : 



In your issue of Aug. If I saw an article by Geo. E. Cole 

 on "Prairie Chicken Shootinj in Minnesota," and in which 

 he gives his ilea in regard to the new game law of our State, 

 which prohibits the killing of prairie chickens before Sep- 

 tember 1. 



Now, in our locality that law has proved to be one of the 

 worst things that could have happened in the way of pre- 

 venting the killing of the prairie chicken. It has completely 

 "broken the camel's back." All those who indulge in this 

 kind of sport say: "We can't comply with the law and get 

 our share of the game, so we will go in with the rest," and 

 the consequence is that about all went out long before the 

 birds were large enough, and as early as in Jul}'. " Last year, 

 and before, we all stuck together, forme 1 a club for the 

 protection of game, and very few chickens were killed before 

 August lo. We have more this season than we have had 

 for many years, and they are being slaughtered by the thou- 

 sands throughout, the State. 



The persons who take an interest in these matters and arc 

 the ones to enforce the laws are our home sportsmen, com- 

 posed most!}' of the business men and e'erks of our towns, 

 who, after September 1, are too busy to go hunting, and, 

 therefore, rather than protect they encourage the shooting 

 of chickens before that time, aud then take a hand in the 

 matter too. I, for one, think it would be a better protec- 

 tion to our game to have the law of last, winter repealed. 

 August 15 is plenty late. F. W. Barlow. 



AN ANCIENT GUN. 



THE " breech-loader scare " has been got, over, I think, al- 

 most everywhere. It is three years since I was asked 



by a venerable agnculturisi 

 on his plantation as he was 'Ie 

 Talking of the long barrels 

 sode couuecled with them tha 

 I had haled with a friend at 



old faro 



.■ so 



iff them ar guns 

 rn it up." 

 ,f an amusing epi- 

 me the other day, 



where a worthy 



of my acquaintance presides over a few boots and 



Of deadlv-looking candy and a 



•r a], pie brandy, home mauu- 



: diluvial] gun, which 



ncrg ncy, attrac ed 



!i rta me 1 hilarity at 



uld beat that," he said, 



shoes, a va ied asSQrl 

 barrel ,-r two of teti-h 

 factored". The immense [tli gO 



svas resting hi a corner, loaded f 

 my attention, and promoted a i 

 our aged friend's expense. "II, 

 and, diving into the earth some a here he speedily reappeared, 



1 a tube went on appearing for some time till, just as 



the plaster of the ceiling was threatened, its owner arrived 

 holding on to one end of it. Talk about a sea-serpent or a 

 mile of gas piping! Meat the other gun ? I should rather 

 think it did. Beside this. new apparition the firt one sh ank 

 into a pocket pistol. This gun had been his father's favorite 

 arm. A rapid calculation took us back to the war of 1813, 

 and ihe thought occurred that if there were many such guns 

 as this in those days the result, of that war was not surpris 

 ing. 



But how did his paternal relative and he himself in child- 

 hood's hour load such a gun '.' "Easv enough," said our de- 

 lighted informant, and, laying the i - ,,| , o fully on tie 



ground, (for to my horror I saw the thing was loaded— t ho e 

 relics always are) he ran agilely along, slipping his hand 



up the barrel, till he arrived at the further extremity at which 

 distant point he demonstrated by pantomimic gestures how 

 his worthy sire, I suppose, charged this veritable "Mons 

 Meg." 



Even in the son's days, a^d he was seventy-two, it had 

 been a great gun by all accounts. It was not so good he. said 

 for "shutin' on the wing." As I felt bound to say some- 

 thing, I suggested that it would be a trifle mthandy for cut- 

 ting down a woodcock in an alder swamp or for single bird 

 shooting in second growth pirn s. 



■•Yes, sir: but you put her plum on the mark and pull 

 aud suthen's got to go." 



I pondered for a few seconds on which of the three parties 

 concerned were most liuely to go in the event of such a dis- 

 charge, the squirrel, the gun or the shooter, but not, wishing 

 to hurt the feelings of my aged friend I did not communi- 

 cate to him the result of my calculations, which was that 

 there would be a general disappearance of all concerned. 



RlNOAVOOD. 



A LETTER FROM MISSOURI. 



CAirrnAGE, Mo., July 25, 



OUR country here in Southwest Missouri is called a prai- 

 rie country, is thickly set in farms with hedge fences. 

 Kansas on the west is about the same. We have numerous 

 streams with timber along the banks and groves interspersed 

 over the prairie, all of which makes a complete (over lor the 

 breeding aud rearing of quail. The hedges also afford fine 

 protection for them in the shooting season by reas n of their 

 being so thick and thorny that the hunter cannot get through, 

 even his faithful clog will sometimes scent, a covey and make 

 the attempt to get through but fails, and will run a quarter 

 of a mile io find an entrance and come back disgusted. I 

 was in Kansas last fall on a quail hunt and found them very 

 plenty, but nearly always along a thick hedge. I have prob- 

 ably seventy-five quail on my farm now that, have been 

 hatched under my hedge. I very often see them with their 

 little broods picking bugs and seeds in my door yard, and I 

 live within a quarter of a mile of the city limits, with 10,000 

 inhabitants and many good sporting men. But we are law- 

 abiding. 



1 have never tried to prohibit shooting on my farm, but 

 shall this fall on account of the boys from town, who destroy 

 my fences rabbit hunting. I do not object to men hunt- 

 ing, who will regard the rights of the man whose land they 

 arc hunting on. I have been a hunter all my days and claim 

 il as my privilege to capture wild game, no matter whose 

 soil it is running or flying over. We all in common feed 

 it, and of right it is ours. I found some localities last fall 

 where the farmers objected to shooting quail eveu on the 

 broad prairie for the reason of their destruction to chintz 

 hues ; but the same farmers would like us to shoot the chick- 

 ens on the ground that they destroy the corn. The chickens 

 were quite plenty here, but being wild they would not breed 

 here, but came in during the cold weather to feed on the grain 

 fields. I think the greatest violation of our game law here is 

 in fishing. Men will steal into the timber and draw a seine, 

 while no person wishes to get the ill will of his neighbor by 

 entering complaint, but I think we have a law-abiding peo- 

 ple as much as any State in the Union. I notice foam your 

 paper (which surely is reliable) that frequent, depredations 

 are made in the Eastern and older States that should set more 

 wholesome examples to us away out here so near the Indian 

 country., It is not my purpose to write you anything but 

 facts, but I do say that our sporting community are men who 

 rettard the protection of game and fish as a subject, thai needs 

 their atlention, and they are determined to attend to i".. 



. N. M. 8. 



OHIO GAME NOTE-. 



Cl.V.YKLAXD, OhiO. 



The weather has been extremely hot, too much so for 

 shooting. Woodcock are rather scarce this year : my biggest 

 bag was twenty-two snipe, other days averaging about, one 

 dozen. I have, however, two young eight-month puppies 

 in training and, of course, cannot weak them as hard as older 

 ones ; but they do exceedingly well for hot weather and av- 

 erage together a large share of birds. Our old birds did not 

 breed well on account of late snow a>,d bad weather. 1 

 found one nest of four eggs that was three feet under the 

 snow and eggs spoiled, of course. I know of m-re found 

 here also. I don't know, but really am inclined to belil-ve, 

 that they only breed one trip. I always thought so, bui I 

 more disposed than ever this season to think so, as so m-my 

 more old ones are killed in Ohio this season than ever before 

 that 1 remember in forty years' shooting ill the Stale. 



Quail are in very fair quantities and the weather has been 

 extremely favorable for them to breed. Dogs pointed a 

 brood of young grouse, half-grown, July 4. 



Our su'pe season was nor good ; largest bag for two of us 

 in one day's shooting wasforty.five. On another day, alone, 1 

 brought home twenty-one, other days about twelve, malting 

 about loO in all 1 generally shot 300 or more in Mar, 

 April till May 13, but there were very few snipe this 

 here. 



We have had some excellent dove shooting, and they are 

 extremely good eating. Have shot as many asforly-ote of 

 an evening to three guns. They require qui k work, fly 

 sharp aud are tenacious of life, but make excellent spoit 

 when plenty. I think them quite equal to woodcock for eat- 

 ing. We prefer them to old woodcock any lime. They 

 breed here, and are ready to shoot in May, say the 20th. 

 We find them now in wheat stubble. Jams- Chi 



A "STILL" HUNTING CLUB— 1843. 



St. I.ouis, Mo., Aug. 18. 

 Editor Forest and Stream: 



You often publish the constitutions of game protective so- 

 cieties, and 1 have no doubt that such forms give very sub- 

 stantial aid in the formation of new societies. Now here are 

 Ihe rules of an old deer hunting club, drawn up in the year 

 1843 by a party from St. Louis, assembled at the Dent farm 

 — the same Dent family which has become known because of 

 ts alliance by marriage with ex-President Grant. In fact 

 Grant's f ttlher-inlaw. you will see, was one of the signers of Ihe 

 document. Do not think that these rules are sent I o , 

 i,e used as a model tor other organizations, for, c mfideu'j 

 I am of opinion that, while ihe Oravois Road Club, afti 

 of their " meets," may have been awful examples of warning 

 to the rising generation, their renulali ms are hardly up to the 

 •present standard of hunting clubs. Tney belong to the cafe- 



