488 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



' [January 1 



%nt{* §ag mid 0«m 



FROM RANGELEY TO ARNOLD'S BOG. 



DECEMBER 1st usually finds the upper lakes frozen 

 and Ihe ground in good condition lor still huntimr. 

 But this season was unfavorable at that date and the trip 

 was delayed till the 12th. Even then it was crusty, but 

 h peful of a change, and as the open season was near its 

 close, it was decided to start. 



The party consisted of D. T. Haines, R. P. Crosby, noted 

 guides and hunters of the Rencbago, J. Lamb, a veteran df 

 the lower lakes, and another who will be designated iu these 

 veracious chronicles as W. Provisions, blankets, ammuni- 

 . tion, etc., were packed up on one sled, wliich the robust H. 

 and C. by turns hauled over the trail of ten miles to Kene- 

 bago Lake. Those familiar with backwoods trails will readily 

 believe tHat a full load, with less tban three iuches of buow, 

 was not hauled with ease. Midway a lunch was partaken 

 of with a half hour rest. This was the easiest part, and 

 during the remainder, W., with his burden of yeais and 

 lameness, was inclined to lag, so that it was 3 o'clock t. m. 

 when the lake was reached. Here at the camp of Messrs. 

 Richardson and Grant, Corneal R. proffered the hospitalities 

 of the camp, wbieh were thankfully accepted for the night. 

 At supper, Eugene Sawle, a young guide and hunter joined 

 the circle, and after pipes were lighted, the evening was en- 

 joyed in comparing notes, relating incidents and adventures. 

 Several fine caribou heads and antlers, three pair of moose 

 shanks, undergoing the process of manufacture for larigans, 

 snowshoes, rifles, together with many other things of imer- 

 est, were viewed and discussed till near midnight. Snow 

 had commenced falling during the evening and the hopes of 

 the party were raised to the highest pilch, to lie dispelled in 

 the morning, when the temperature rose and ruin seemed 

 imminent. 



After a late breakfast the sled was repacked, and bidding 

 the hospitable Corneal good-bye, the party started for one 

 of the camps owned by the Messrs. R. & G., near the foot 

 of the lake on the west shore. All hands went to work put- 

 ting camp in trim, cutting wood, etc., etc. C. as chefde 

 cuisine- had dinner well underway when L. announced the dis- 

 covery of eight carihou on the east shore of the lake just 

 above where the Big Sag enters. The partly-cooked meal 

 was removed from the fire, coats donned, rifles aud ammuni- 

 tion grasped in less time than it takes to write it. All start 

 in a body towards the centre of the lake in their direction, 

 to he governed afterward by the movements of the herd. 

 It was over two miles, and by the time half of it had been 

 covered the herd, after halting several times, turned to er iga 

 over. About this lime R. and S. were discovered c lining 

 down the lake, having seeu the herd come out while at their 

 dinner. The wind being east was thus far favorable, but to 

 guard against contingencies each parly eoincidently divided, 

 half ofjeach going for either shore. It was a pleasant night 

 to watcn the movements of the herd, In single file sedately 

 they walk for several minutes, then one would whirl and 

 playfully proffer battle to its nearest mate, and in an instant 

 all would be frollicking like so many lambs. They really 

 looked too pretty to kill while thus capering, but when the 

 fusilade opened sentiment was banished. As they seemed 

 bound to go across, evidently on their way to John's Pond, 

 the three hunters on the west shore started on the double 

 quick and had barely time to cut them off. Taking position 

 under the black growth the ball opens as they huddle for a 

 moment, but by the time three are down to the gun first in 

 position, the balance start at their racking gait past the other 

 two guus, but none get past. ****** From (he 

 first shot to the last it was less than five minutes, not one of 

 the eight needing the merciful offices of the knife. As bOtb 

 parties joined around the noble game their radiant counten- 

 ances expressed the inward satisfaction, aud all agreed that 

 such success could not be expected again in a lifetime. 



The rain now descended so that the two inches of damp 

 snow was soon so much slush, amidst which the game was 

 hurriedly dressed and carried to the adjacent shore aud se- 

 cured against freezing down, and to drain out. Three of 

 them were skinned and quartered for the camp's use, the bal- 

 ance were to be hauled out in the skin. 



Each party returned to their respective camps to eat the 

 long-delayed meal, to which was added caribou heart, a 

 toothsome morsel to all hunters. The evening was far 

 spent when the inmates of Camp Caribou, for thus the camp 

 was christened, turned in for sleep. 



Before morning the weather changed cold, and after a 

 breakfast of caribou sleak 0. and W. hauled the carcasses 

 to the head of the lake. C. went out to Rangeley for a team, 

 with which be returned next day, W. g ung back to camp 

 after dining off caribou at the Forest Retreat. Meanwhile 

 H. had been out on Bowie's Ridge stalking caribou unsuc- 

 cessfully, owing to the crust. There were four, and one was 

 seen, but out of distance. Nextday H., ill company with 

 W., took up the trail some four miles from] camp, drawing 

 blank as before. C. and L. had gone in other directions 

 and with like results. 



A week was thus passed, game being jumped every day 

 and never overhauled. At the end of this time L. was 

 obliged to return to his home. The three remaining hunters 

 then broke camp for the home camp of H. andC, ten miles 

 north, the traiUeading along a line of sable traps thai had 

 not been looked to for a couple of weeks, in consequence of 

 which several sables had been eaten by owls and fishes. A 

 few, however, were saved. No caribou were started this 

 day, but plenty of tracks were seen. Ascending the divide 

 snow increased in depth to nearly two feet, making travel- 

 ing hard. The camp was reached in season lor- ctutlng 

 wood and making all snug for the night. Here was part of 

 a large caribou, shot by H. and C. on a previous visit, to- 

 gether with several braceof partridges. By midn'gal the 

 frost and ice had been dried out, and after heaping high the 

 birchwood iu the stone fireplace the hunters were soon 

 asleep. In this camp was accumulated the full ca'oh, aud 

 the sight of many heavers, otters and sable was pleasing to 

 the eye of a hunter. The nextday was spent in visiting other 

 lines of traps and stalking caribou. Suvcral huge ones were 

 stHriel with the usual result. II., however, brought iu half 

 of one that had been shot previously by Elmer Snowman. The 

 following day camp was broken and course laid for auoiher, 

 the Wigwam, near the Canada line at little Oupsuptic L'ond, 

 the source of Ctipniptie stream. Caribou tracks in abun- 

 daue: and lash on the route, with some moose lutings and 

 peelings, but were pot followed up because of crust. 



O i going to the pond where a trap was set, and in which 

 was found a fine otter, a hunter's track was seen. It proved 



to have been made by Capt. F. C. Barker, who was on his way 

 from Danforth's camp, on Arnold's Bog, to the head of 

 Kenehago Lake via Seven Ponds, a distance of twenty-five 

 miles, which he accomplished in one day — a good day's work 

 considering the conditions, but not mucli for the wiry 

 Captain. 



The wigwam being open in front it was a long time before 

 frost and ice were dried out, but eventually the party 

 turned in with a roaring hardwood fire at their feet, and 

 slept soundly, although the night was bitter cold. 



After breakfast H. started for a look on a line of traps 

 toward Whiteeap Mountain, 0. and W. going over the line 

 to Danforth's camp, on Arnold's Bog, some four miles (lis- 

 tant. The first object of interest ou emerging from the tim- 

 ber is D's scaffold, where, in the season, he successfully calls 

 moose. Last fall, however, he came to grief in one instance, 

 as a moose had noiselessly approached to within thirty feet 

 when one call too many disclosed the cheat. D. was not iu 

 camp, a source of regret, particularly to W., as he wished to 

 make the acquaintance of one known far and wide amoug 

 sportsmen as "the whitest man and best guide and hunter in 

 these parts. His new camp, built the present season, sur- 

 passes any hunter's camp ever seen, and as the latch string 

 was outward C. and W. enter to inspect, while taking a rest 

 and a smoke. Everything is fitted and made sraoo h: the 

 fireplace being a marvel of skill, laid up with natural faced 

 stone, plumb and square, fitted like bricks, with an arrange- 

 ment of flues that stiows him a scientific workman. In this 

 immediate vicinity may be found deer, moose aud caribou 

 more abundant than in any other section of easy access. The 

 Ox Baw, a range of wooded hill near by, is literally cut up 

 with their tracks, and several skulls of each of those killed 

 the past year were found. It is but eight miles over an easy 

 trial from his home camp at Parmachen Lake, and the won- 

 der is that sportsmen do not go there winters and enjoy the 

 sport at its best. After writing their names ou the well- 

 planed door as a card, our party returned in a rainstorm to 

 the wigwam, arriving just as H. came in from an opposite 

 direction. He had started caribou, and saw one of them, a 

 cow ; but as meat was less an object than antlers, at this dis- 

 tance from home, she was allowed to go. 



The close season was now near at hand and with no indi- 

 cations of snow, a start was taken. Three days were con- 

 sumed by easy stages from camp to camp, to Grant aud Rich- 

 ardson's, looking at the traps on the way and trying fruit- 

 lessly for caribou. At the latter camp were " Pnin" It, and 

 Grant, who, with great cordiality pressed the party to stop 

 overnight, which we, noihing loath, did. Another veteran 

 of the guild, John J. Wilbur, joined Ihe circle, and the night 

 was, indeed, an enjoyable one. At the proper time a bounti- 

 ful supper of caribou Sleak, mealy potatoes and biscuit made 

 by Phiu, so light and nice that a professional cook might envy, 

 anil last, but not least, fragrant black lea wm served to 

 appreciative aud hungry hunters. After a breakfast, which 

 was like unto the supper, with a cup of good e jffee in addi- 

 tion, with knapsacks slung the party started out on the trail, 

 arriving at Rangeley a little past noon. Promising to meet 

 and huut another season they reluc'autly bid each other good- 

 bye and seek their respective firesides. Waefikld. 



A NORTH CAROLINA^DUCKING TRIP. 



Dear Fared and Stream : 



Although not a frequent contributor to Forest and 

 Stkbam, still I acknowledge to a few lines in the days gone 

 by. 1 am too much of a sportsman to believe everything I 

 read in a sporting paper (even yours, dear Editor), without 

 adding my own particular grain of salt, as almost every one, 

 with few exceptions, in writing an article for the benefit of 

 his fellow sportsmen, has '' some axe to grind either to help 

 some friend owning gunning lands," or as the expression is, 

 " make himself solid." 



I read with much pleasure, a month since, ihe glowing de- 

 scriptions of "Currituck Sound," by "Homo." My breast 

 swelled with pleasure as I perused the article relating lo this 

 elysiu n for all lovers of the most enthusiastic enjoyment, 

 c imbined with just enough of the rough clement to give a 

 zest to the sport. When I awoke at night I seemed to see in 

 letters of fire, drifting in au atmosphere of smoue from old 

 cut plug, these mys'iic words— "Van Slack's, Mrs. Nye's 

 Crow Island Club, fhe Narrows, Church's Inland, etc." My 

 soul became lilted above the idea of killing coots, old-wives 

 aud sheldrakes in the old South Bay, and nothing would 

 Compensate me for this thrist for kuowledge but a trip to 

 this El Lorado, often thought of but never seeu. 



Half the pleasure of the sportsman— perhaps not the worst 

 half-is making ready for the trip. Brother sportsmen, is 

 this not so? L r jjk back to the recollections of your last flight 

 from home, whether for deer, quail or ducks. How you 

 taxed your memory to see if all the thing} needed were put 

 in the bag aud at the last moment you found, to your cha- 

 griu, that the cartridges or something else was forgotten. 

 They were suon packed ; and with a feeling akin to having 

 struck a bonanza in Wall street, you board the train, at the 

 same time making a mental calculation as to the number of 

 pair you would send home to this one aud that. How often 

 these dream fancies fade into the thinnest kind of mist. 



I reached Norfolk in goad order after a pleasant trip down 

 the Chesapeake by boat. On my arrival I met an old friend, 

 who asked me to accompany him to his steam launch, he being, 

 like myseif, en route for the Sound. We got up steam aud 

 ran through the canal. We passed the Cygnet on her up 

 trip.* She looked terribly dirty: and they say that she is. Fel- 

 low sportsman, my advice is to stick to the rail. This 

 is the quickest aud decidedly the cleanest route. We 

 anchored off Church's Island about 10 p. m., having made the 

 run in eight hours. 



We had everything with us in prime order to slaughter Ihe 

 clucks. New Havre de Grace battery and 400 stools— perfect 

 pictures of true birds— among which any refined or sensible 

 duck would consider it a compliment lo be allowed to alight, 

 i expected the next morning before the bright light lo have 

 knocked into the waters of old Currituck a dozen or more of 

 what the gunners in this half-siarved region of the State of 

 North Carolina term "good ducks," /'. e., red-head or canvas- 

 back. But 1 was to meet my first of a series of disappoint- 

 ments, 



We had no sooner anchored then we were boarded by two 

 of the veritable North Carolina ^miners. 1 was blissfully 

 enjoying an after-dinner pipe of Richmond straight.. cut. I 

 passed the fluids. Then conversation about ducks and the 

 privileges of shooting was in order. They gave us this 

 agreeable piece of information: That any one not a resident 

 of this sweet-potato and peanut-growing State would be 

 arrested at once if he attempted to shoot from anything 

 afloat— be it battery or boat. This was a damper indeed, 

 especially provoking as we had our eye on a large raft of red- 



heads feeding about a quarter of a mile from us. Wo were 

 informed that we could hire some good points for docks or 

 geese by the day ; and their story was supplemented by tell- 

 ing of a friend of mine, Mr. Edwards, of New York, who 

 had lately been arrested for shooting out of a battery near 

 Nye's and put under #200 bonds to stand his trial next spring 

 for infringing the game law. This was cheerful, to say the 

 least ! We bade them good-night sorrowfully. 



The next day, not feeling comfortable about using the 

 battery, we hired these men, aud tried one of their famous 

 points. As usual the big flight was last week; or if the 

 weather becomes cold, and the Sound freezes over, there 

 will be no end of ducks. As it was, we killed enough to 

 feed the crew and ourselves for breakfast and dinner. I 

 amused myself in shooting with a rifle at swan flying over a 

 point, and, by more luck than science, secured three after 

 chasing them in a boat with a 10-gauge gun and No B 

 shot. 



The next day we left this blissful locality and steamed 

 south, past Van Slack's, through the. Narrows and down the 

 lower Sound to the beach, north of the Kitty Hawk Club 

 grounds. During the night there came up a Northwest gale 

 aud commenced to make ice. This was the chance we were 

 looking for. Overboard went the battery. What is a hun- 

 dred dollars fine when a man has been away from home four 

 days and has not had a crack at anything better than a bta'tk 

 head '. Everything is in anticipation. The score for the day 

 was eight black-heads and two red-heads, with one bohtuilcan- 

 vas-back. The last three of the score looked as if they had 

 passed through a fusillade, from all sizes of gunners, from 

 Mautauk Point to Roanoke Island. A few feathers were 

 left, but all the flesh appeared to have been shot off from 

 them. 



Things, so far, had not "panned out" quite to our salla- 

 factiou. Up steam and back to the Narrows to spend New 

 Year's Sunday, and pore over articles in the Fokesi and 

 Stream. 



"It is only the brave deserve the fair." The next 

 two days we had some pretty good sport, Bhooting from 

 blinds or battery, just as we pleased. But as we employed 

 two natives from Poplar Branch, who were invested wi'h all 

 the gunning rights, and I rather think were " in with" the 

 Sherilf of flic County, we felt comp iratively safe. Still, as 

 every boat approached, the goblin of the informer or Bhtaiff 

 was ever present to our affrighted imaginations. Under 

 such circumstances, every brother sportsman who has been 

 warned off some landowner's premises, maybe in extent 

 about five acres, knows the delicious sensation of ihe reappear- 

 ance of the individual, or the grasp of the strong arm of the 

 law. As a friend of mine once remarked, "It quite takes 

 the edge off a good day's gunning." 



Finding the number of birds not up to our exp eta' ions we 

 put back to Church's Island, where we were most kindly re- 

 ceived by one of the owners, Mr. Midgrtt, who keeps a good 

 comfortable house, and is the proprietor of several good 

 ponds and islands in his vicinity, especially for swan and 

 canvas-back shooting. We sp.-nt the evening" chatting in his 

 comfortable sitting room, and in conversation gathered some 

 information from him about thelaws here regarding ducking. 

 He said they were all wrong, and none of them would hold 

 water if taken to the United States Court, where he hoped 

 Mr. Edwards would carry it. 



Now the present articleis written not so much as a sketch of 

 a shooting trip, but to get light upon the subject of this North 

 Carolina game law, which seems to give a sparsely popn atod 

 sec ion of country, lying adjacent to the hundreds of miles 

 of good gunning waters, the exclusive right to shoot from 

 batteries of which there are a great number: also blinds 

 made of cedar boughs, which they put down anywhere and 

 everywhere they choose. These rights are forbidden the non 

 resident. The right that thu native possesses he cannot let 

 to outside parties without their taking their chance of being 

 arrested and fined. Now I believe what is sauce for the goose 

 is sauce for the gander. I think the law should prescribe 

 battery or no battery shooting, or allow the unlives to sublet 

 their rigs : or receive a license from the township in which 

 they reside, the same as in Maryland, at Havre de Grace. 

 You will find gunners in Maryland owning small farms win, 

 ten years ago, could hardly pay for a suit of oil-clothes'. 

 Ask them the secret of their success, aud they will tell you 

 that they have given up gunning for market, and find it much 

 more to their benetit to hire out their rigs by the day, th ireby 

 always insuring them a certain amount per day for their 

 trouble, and providing against the loss of profit by a bad 

 day's shooting or a heavy blow. 



The waters of Currituck Sound are lit by Uncle Sam's 

 lighthouses and beacons, and the shipping is protected by the 

 same party. It seems absurd that, a number of clubs owning 

 ground of great extent whose memberships are composed of 

 as fine gentlemanly sportsmen as can be found iu this or any 

 other country, should allow certain rights to be retained by 

 the poor class of natives here. This matter the clubs must 

 decide before long, or their shares will fall greatly below 

 par. 



But what can never be taken away from all true lovers of 

 the gun and rod, is what is free to all mankind— God's pure 

 air and sunlight, and the expectancy of '• a big bag to-mor- 

 row." To sum up, we got plenty of health, good plain food 

 and fair shooting for the paradise. Our score snowed fifteen 

 swans, twelve geese and one hundred and forty-one goose- 

 dueks. 



Still we are not happy. Tahli-lah. 



Suffolk Sportsmen's Club— Chelsea, Mass.— This city 

 has an organization called the " Suffolk Sportsman's Club," 

 which was formed two years ago. It is composed of about 

 fifty gentlemen from the best business classes of the city, 

 and is in a highly prosperous condition. The members are 

 all practiced in the use of the shot-gun and in pursuit of 

 game on the shores and in the forests of New England. 

 Interesting monthly shoots arc held throughout the year on 

 grounds belonging to the club, situated iu the city limits. 

 At the annual meeting recenlly held, officers for 1882 were 

 elected as follows: President, Wilber P. Slade : First Vice- 

 President, Charles E. Bearse; Second Vice-President, Frank 

 A. Magee; Secretary, William R, Swan,- Treasurer, Noah 

 Blanchard: Executive Committee: Dr. J. B. Penwiok, 

 Joseph S. Hatch, J. A. Davis and E. L. Pierce. After the 

 election, by invitation of the retiring officers, the company 

 adjoined to the City Hotel to partake of a banquet. Monday, 

 the 86th nit, a grand Christmas holiday shoot was held, 

 twenty five members competing for Ihe best score, shooting 

 at twenty clay pigeons each. The average scoring was 12.8. 

 After the shooting the Secretary, Captain W. R. Swan, was 

 agreeably surprised by being presented with a Finland dog- 

 skin shooting jacket and a hunting cap. 



