Jant-aby 26, 1882.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



509 



WING-SHOOTING VERSUS GROUND SHOOTING. 



New York, January 21. 

 Editor Forest and Stream .- 



Tbis controversy as to whether it is proper to shoot 8 Bit- 

 ting grouse or not -will probably never be brought to an end. 

 I am acquainted with a great niauy men who would scorn 

 to shoot a quail or woodcock, if the bird was not upon the 

 wing; but who would not hesitate to Shoot 8 grouse upon 

 the ground. On the other hand, I know Sportsmen to Whom 

 a grouse so killed would be ah albatross about the neck. 



A certain number of men will never consent to lose caste 

 by shooting any game bird that is not flying, while others 

 will allow their color- liDe to shade off into the dusky by mak- 

 ing an exception of the ruffed grouse. 



Then there are the boys to be considered. How well do I 

 Temember the happy days of childhood when most of my 

 hours were spent in the woods, and when the birds and ani- 

 mals and fishes and plants seemed to be the only things in 

 the whole world worthy of any thtmght. 



1 knew just where to find the old partridge's ne6t in early 

 May on the warm sunny hillside among the sprouts and juni- 

 pers. How often I have watched the mother bird in her 

 nest; and when rhe skurried away I would stretch myself at 

 full length by her treasures and with my head between my 

 lii tie hands would gaze eagerly at the eight or ten buff-col- 

 ored eggs and ponder over their contents, and think of what 

 they would bring forth. When my visits to the nest were 

 f rt quent, I used to imagine that the old bird grew tamer and 

 that, she knew hetter than to be afraid. 



After the little downy chicks were hatched I could always 

 find the brood. If they were not down by the spring brook, 

 where the fox-grapes and skur.k-cabbages and hellebores 

 grew, they were up along the old fence among the wdarB 

 and cat-briers, ei they were ir. the pasterns ame-ng the huckle- 

 berry bus! es. At. any rate they had favorite resorts and I 

 always knew where those res- rts were. 



When the autumn days drew near and the birds had grown 

 lused to lug out the old gun, and while hunting l< Bger game 

 my heart would beat last as 1 penetrated the haunts of the 

 partridges. The old gun was long and heavy and it bal- 

 anced like an armful of oare ; and I was too little and too 

 anxious to be steady. 



When after much patient watching I happened to see one 

 of my partridges upon the ground before he flew, I nervously 

 set the poriderous hammer back and poking the long barrel 

 through the tangling branches, and trembling more than 1 

 ever have since in the presence of much larger game I would 

 pull hurriedly on the trigger. 



Why wouldn't that trigger hurry up ? T could feel if pull 

 and pull and pull and then my stubby finger would take a 

 fresh grip aud draw with a vengeance, and through the sun he 

 from the explosion I used to see the bird go whirring away 

 without a feather touched. 



The Oreads and Dryads only knew where those shot went 

 to. 



Later in the season T used to set twitch-ups for the rabbits. 

 and the two or three ancient family steel traps for muskrats, 

 and snares lor the partridge*. How anxiously aud how often 

 I would visit those snares, aud every lime that 1 approached 

 ihem, with bated breath 1 peered through the bushes 

 if there was "one in." When from a distance pari of the 

 snare fence could be seen all knocked out of shape and the 

 dried leaves scattered about in c illusion, I would eagerly 

 rush to the dead pan ridge that lay in their midst, and pulling 

 from his neck the only mortal coil which he could not shuffle 

 off. 1 would lake the bird in my lap aud stroke his feathers 

 one by one, lift up his closed eyelids and look at the hazel 

 eyes, bright even in death, spread his feet out in my hand 

 and rub his soft breast against my cheek. It seemed to be 

 too good to be true : lite was overflowing with happiness. 

 The robins and red squirrels ami othir staple game would 

 fade into insignificance for the time being, aud the partridge 

 brought a pleasure keener than most mortals ever experience. 



But years have roiled by, and the snare and the old single- 

 barrel are things of the past. 1 have owned many a fine gun 

 and hunted many a fine setter or pointer ir in far distant 

 States," and the days spent in the woods with dog and gun 

 are enjoyed even now with a boyish enthusiasm. It is 

 many years since I have shot at a silting grime bird, and it 

 will be a great many more before I do it again, There is a 

 grand feeling of pride in being able to kill the " hurtling 

 grouse" as he dashes forth from the brush in front of the 

 well-trained setter; and a pleasure t! at would be waned by 

 the presence of a murdered bird in the game pocket. 



Some of your correspondents are skeptical about the exist- 

 ence of sportsmen who delight in having a ruffed grouse do 

 bis very worst when he bursts away through th thicket, but 

 your humble servant is one of the number who does enjoy 

 such shooting the best. A few of my friends will tell you 

 that I am a dead shot, but the aforesaid friends are enthu ia,s- 

 tic persons who only look at the bag of birds after a day's 

 shooting aud do not, count the empty shells. There is an in- 

 teresting story in many of these empty shell, and I would 

 prefer tT at it. remain untold. 



In your last issue "Octo" says that of fifty-four flying 

 shots at grouse, he has killed sixteen, and when I can beat 

 l hat score shooting day in, day out — 1 shall be sure b > tell of i t. 

 1 have c anted thells ot ten enough to know what it means. 

 There have been d.ys when eight or ten empty shells repre- 

 sent halfa-Oozen Cuffed grouse in the bag; and there have 



Cite only* bird sill in the future. lean show you men, 

 though, who can and do average i ne bird to ever}- tw i a it -, 

 but they are market shooters, who pick out only tin fairest 

 chance." and thereby save an ammunition bill. "Octo" proba- 

 bly sboois at all of the birds that rise within range, and so do 

 I, "and ten to one we have the most fun. "Octo," I'm sorry 

 that you killed those two silting bird-. If you can keep up 

 your average ou wing shots come over lo our tide of the 

 Jence and your virtue will be its own reward. 



Mahk West. 



Michigan— Essexville, Bay Co., Jan. 1S8S 

 Forest "'"' Streams Toough game is by no me -ns abundant 

 in thi- locality . Jet it affords me pleasure to report to you 

 that quail, and especially duck shoo'iin.'. has be n q 

 brisk'.'., pasl i As it is now mi lawful o shoot quail 



and ruffed grouse; sportsmen are turning their attention En 

 rabbits ami squirrels. The lallei , rt will bet 

 agreeable, owing to the jcarcity of;*ny larger speci 

 squirrel than the nimble little r< d rtruirr-1 and chickaree. 

 The. gny, fox and hbek squirrel an with in 



•iliis section. A few years ago these bole inltafa .. 

 forest were numerous here, but scarcity of food atd rapid 

 ', of civilizafion have, driven them nwaj.-L^a : r 

 D30N. 



MY FIRST WILD GOOSE. 



IT was a bitter cold day in March, wind blowing a gale 

 from the northwest, clipping the tops from the waves 

 and dashing them jn sleety showers over us, as we lay in the 

 blind. All along the edges of the bog the ice was making 

 fast ; and we shivered as the ever-increasing blasts threatened 

 to tear away our frail rampart of sedge grass. A spring 

 blind is not the comfortable concern that you can have for 

 autumn-gunning, as the tall sedge then standing will enable 

 you to build quite a grass wall around to break the wind 

 without, making it too conspicuous, but after winter-storms 

 when everything is beaten flat, you have to do with very 

 little cover and keep close to avoid exciting the suspicions of 

 the already wary fowl. We had fourteen live decoys out, 

 each with a hopple on its feet, tethered with about six feet 

 of stout cord to a peg firmly driven iuto the sand. Poor 

 devils ! thought I ('as 1 watched them, standing in the shallow 

 waler, beads to the wind and unconcernedly preening them- 

 selves), I can't imagine how you stand this weather. At 

 that time 1 was not aware that Aitser canadensis is one of 

 our most hai Jy friends, and that the more blustering and 

 colder the day the more they will fly. An occasional gabble 

 at a passing bunch of fowl showed that out decoys were on 

 hand for business, but most of the passing birds were 

 travelers, not to be coaxed into delaying their flight, well 

 knowing, I have no doubt, that delays are sometimes 

 dangerous. An occasional black duck was brought to bag, 

 having yielded to the attractions of a flock of about a dozen 

 of their woolen fa^simUies that we had set out. 



Sh'mnecock lighthouse loomed up cold and gray, way 

 down over the eougH water of the bay, and as we were 

 looking that way we spied two geese slowly forging up 

 against' the wind, low down, clf.se to the Surface. Th "ir line 

 of flight was such as to carry th' m by out of shot, unless our 

 decoys coulddraw them up." Why the mischief don't the old 

 boob es honk? Are l bay going to fail us at ihe critical 

 moment, after fussing all the morning? No, by George! 

 there goes the old gamier honk, bonk, honk, honk, followed 

 . le gang, and such a chorus as they sent up made 

 our blood tingle with eagerness. The wild birds were al- 

 most abreast of us; but" on hearing this great clamor im- 

 r swerved, ant sidling tin it wings, came scaling in 

 toward us, honking with delightful energy as they rapidly 

 approached. Was I excited? Well (as the boys say), " I 

 shouW smile 1" I had never pulled a trigger at a wild goose 

 up to that time, and there 1 was flat on my back not daring 

 to move hand or tout for fear of sp riling rhe little game, re- 

 iving on "Brent," who was my companion on that memor- 

 Bble day. to advise me how things were going, speaking in 

 a quiet voice- his low tones served to add to my already in- 

 tense excrement until 1 fairly shook. "Are you ready, 

 Billy?" says Brunt ; "they've lit just outside the decoys and 

 .. iiule to the right." "1 can't hold her straight to save my 

 neck, Brunt." "You've got to; they look suspicious al- 

 ready," was bis reply. "Go it, then," and we both sat up. 

 Every decoy we had rose with the wild birds as they jumped, 

 . , ■ . i "the end of ibeir tethers and igaominiously sub- 

 tided with a tremendous splash. With rapid sweeps of their 

 broad wings our game was on the leave, rapidly falling off 

 1> fore the wind, being to windward, I took the leader. As 1 

 felt the butt on my shoulder 1 braced for all I was worth, 

 and covered that elegant bird (I can see him now) as well as 

 I could under the circumstances. We b »th let go or; the in- 

 stant, aud by jingo! I got him ; downed him as dead as a 

 stone, Brunt taking his mate You who lmv- been Tare can 

 s\ rap alhizs with uie as 1 waded out and clutched him, know- 

 ing that mine was the first human band that had ever grasped 

 that glossy plumage. We made a nice bag that day, but that 

 fir«t goose was just the very biggest kind of a thing. Memory 

 has a bricht spot which freshens up when I think of old 

 Shinnecock, and the day I brought down my first wild goose. 



BAY RlDOB. 



SPORTING RIFLES. 



Fond Dr Lao, Mich. 



MODERN breech-loading rifle systems have brought tor- 

 ward so many improvements that during the period 

 on ■, have been in use competition and erroneous theories have 

 compromised merit by misapplication. 



The military and long-range systems I th ; - the ries 

 have been adhptetl for spotting piirp rsr itreferonce to 



appropriateness. The short twist, and heavy project! .-, havi 

 produced marvelous results in tang.- work iver known dis- 

 tances, and the magazine guns have practically, for attack or 

 defense, transformed a company into a regiment. In adopt- 

 Bgrfl Btem loi sporting purposes the qualities that are es- 

 sential in a long-range or military system may become not 

 only unserviceable but obj. ctionabic. 



'i'ue heavy projectile and sunt twist of the long-range re- 

 duces speed and sacrifices Bat trajectory, the prominent 

 quality for unknown distances. Again, the disabling quali- 

 ties Of the repeater that are as valuable in military use. as 

 fatal effects, are objectionable elements in a sporting r rl •, 

 where wounding and partially disabling shots have nothing 

 sa'istae.'ory or spoil sman-like to recommend them, 



For more than a quarter of a «*alury I have carried the 

 rifle, and have lesteu quite to my saiist"Ct!on the different 

 i! American breecltJnaders, and recent years' < x- 

 ocriun e have tended |0 C utirm present eQhvic ions. I I IT. r 

 this much as an apology for occupying rosea for the fob 

 : . I . . thai have materially aided me in securing 

 BitisfactOsy results, and I am sure tiny are not fj 

 to conservative practices. 

 The essential qualities of a perfect sporting rifie maybe 

 '.it -following nidi v of prominence— safe! 

 ,!•-.., ijimp'iciiy "on! durability ; and 1 wonld not compromise 

 a-y uf loe-e qualltii s to si cum rapidity, as any mod, p. sinale 

 briech-louder is sullied Ullj fast to meet all the rep iremen's 

 of legitimate sport Five "or three shots in a minute can be 

 fired and give better results than can be obtained irom tweo- 

 . : properly delivered the remainder will do 



more harm than go id. 

 As a rule, rap lity compromises accuracy, and when oar- 



. d -; i, .;; n ill I . | . uceriaiirty to 



such a degi o quite unfit rhe rifleman For creditable 



wtak whdn a single "■- limited number nf bhotfi at toUB 

 Bred. PlspeciaUi is it true in dier Sla'king ilm l,h i I fl 

 Ti it tnakt - . ■ "■ . oil or. i ro.o io. ire uii> le- 



. . i tu ■ p irty 1 1 be b« llei 

 satisfied with the results of the dny'ta spot LLau 1ft i 



■ ei d and his m tgiaine a d I lazes away as long as 

 there is a shell li ft or a tail in t 



... ami at ways is saf-ty, and 



any system, hoi\e., \&% is not absolutely above 



criticism in this respect, should be rejected at once. Next 

 to safely, accuracy should be in vest! gaud, and this opens 

 volumes of theories practical, valuable and otherwise. For 

 sportiug purposes the gauge sight, degrees of elevation, and 

 all the valuable lore of the range ate nearly useless, the 

 rough and ready work of the field demanding a gun stripped 

 of holiday attire that shall send the leaden missile killingly 

 Close to a straight lineover the necessarily unknown distance. 

 It must be able to cut the head of a grouse as certainly at 

 twentv yards as to penetrate the vitals of a deer at two hun- 

 dred yards. It must be able to strike with sufficient violence 

 to almost preclude the possibility of a noble animal's n 

 able to crawl away and die unrecovered or a dangerous ani- 

 mal attacking the pursuer. 



There should be no doubt about the ability to accomplish 

 these ends, or else the weapon fails to fulfill its mission and 

 should be discarded. Simplicity and durability may or may 

 not be synonymous terms when applied to a breech-loading 

 system, "as a moderate increase of parts may relieve those in 

 use sufficiently to enhance durability, yet a multiplicity of 

 parts must in a certain degree increase liability tn disarrange- 

 ment and irregularity in action, and consequently should be 

 avoided. 



Simplicity increases wonderfully in prominence as the 

 distance from gun stores and repair shops increases, and the 

 elements of uncertainty always hover about the remote 

 camp of the sportsman. Ho suddenly awakens to a new- 

 sensation, he bandies his rifle with increasingcareand solici- 

 tude, notes any irregularities in the action, oils up the work- 

 ing parts, and sometimes not a little nervously pouders over 

 the complicated mechanism that is so necessary a factor in 

 his sport. He sees visions, and sometimes dreams of the 

 loss of his rare anticipated opportunities should an insignifi- 

 cant, spring or a single screw fail to perform its mis-ion. 

 For this reason alone there is not sufficient merit in the pos- 

 sibility of complicated construction to sacrifice the proba- 

 bilities that constitute the sole foundation of legitimate and 

 satisfactory sports. The possibilities are attainable seldom 

 or never in a life time ; they live and have their existence in 

 legends and dreams. A rifle that will safely and effectively 

 meet the probabilities of sport is the most satisfactory com- 

 pani n. and rapidity is not among the prominent factors to 

 secure this. 



Again, it may be questioned whether the magazine system 

 applied to sporting rifles is not pernicious in its tendency, 

 aud whetb'-r conservative sportsmen should encourage their 

 use in the face of such earnest work as there is being done 

 in the way of preservation and propagation of game. I have 

 in mind a communication that appeared in these columns 

 some time since from a prominent sportsman, wherein he re- 

 corded for us the crowning glory of his rifle in the following 

 language: " I was enabled to kill several deer out of a band 

 jumping up suddenly before me." 



I kuow of but a single word in all the sportsman's nomen- 

 clature to apply to a man that sends a shower of balls from a 

 magazine gun after a band of frightened deer, maiming and 

 tearing many that cannot possibly be recovered. It matters 

 not whether the echoes of destruction died away among the 

 remote caffs of the Sierras or the sand hills of Dakota, or 

 whether rhe work was accomplished by a disciple of the 

 cross, a defender of the flag or a scion of tilled nobility, the 

 perpi tralor can re upy but one place in the memory of con- 

 scientious sportsmen 



A recent correspondent bas built for us the rifle of the 

 future, and while I may not fully indorse his model, nor 

 live to see tire millennium, I have an abiding faith m the good 

 judgment of American sportsmen, and that in the near 

 future the coming rifle will be stripped of much that has 

 made the rifle of the period temporarily popular, t don't 

 believe it will be a weapon encumbered with the necessary 

 appliances to " put numerous consecutive shots in the sania 

 bill bole at fifty yards," neither will it be necessary to have 

 a " ram-rod attachment for either the man or the gun." 



I do believe it wall be safe, simple and effective, and will 

 cover tfai sporting range with reasonable r-couracy and 

 deadly effect, and "that the sportsmen who handle it Will not 

 need twenty shots a minute to satisfy their killing proj 

 ties. Mills. 



BREECH AND MUZZLE. 



Fkostbokg, Md., Jan. 16, 1883. 

 Editor Foi est and Stream : 



Ti.e'discussion of Ihe "muzzle-loader vs. the breech-loader," 

 involving the question of superior accuracy, is an interesting 

 one, and will doubtless bring out some valuable hiuts, r . 

 of which I will here speak. Mr. Arthur Baker, of this place, 

 purchased about a year ago a breech-hading rifle .38 calibre, 

 centre fire, and not being satisfied with its work, made a 

 long ball according to bis own notion. This ball has three 

 rings near the front, leaving just room enough for a short- 

 rounded end, and the rear or shell portion of the ball is 

 smooth. By this process the ball is enabled to take hold of 

 the grooves before the rifle is discharged, being pushed home 

 i'V the pressure of the breech-block. 



I think his gun is quite as accurate under his plan as any 

 muzzle-loader ever made. 



Is the riflina in the various breechloaders of (he day 

 adapted to r a' eked balls, loaded from the muzzle ? 



1 0. W. O. 



Westerly, R. I, Jan. 20, 18M2, 

 Editor Fared find Stream ! 



I have watched your columns closely since October Is for 

 an answer to " Iron Ramrod's" letter, contained in your 

 issue of that date. T. S Van Dyke's letter in Fokkst and 

 Btebam of January 12i.h is interesting and inffruclive, but r 

 does nol answer Iron Ramrod's query, that lean see, and I 

 think- it would create a false impression in the mind of a 

 not familiar with the subject. As I tinders' at 

 neans to say that any brei ch-loadef when tested as Run 

 Ramrod tested his is liable to produce similar results, allow 

 lng "no fault with the factory ammunition." 



"if this is true, would the breech- leading rifle be found in 

 the market in 1882? 



If the superiority of muzzle-loading is thus easily demon- 

 s rated, would any of our t-xperl riflemen loftd thenr rifl 

 the breech to-day? Are they sacrificing accuracy for con- 

 venience ? 



After years of d^cus-i m and exhro, ■..,.•, 



the brei clt-loadin.u rifle slid h -Ids its qv, n. I 



- .i-'-s thai, the br eoh-lo.der, as ft] u 

 ire b s r . iy, is either tullj 



. muz/le-loaders, in point at aeon my. 

 it. that the difference cannot be dearly shown. 



I confess myself completely at » 1 iss to ai count 1 

 markable performance of "Iron Ramrod's" rifle. Out ol 



