XXVI 



RECREATION. 



GOOD NEWS FROM CONNECTICUT. 



The last shooting season was one of the 

 most successful that Connecticut sports- 

 men have known. It was also their first 

 experience under the law passed in 1901 

 prohibiting the sale of game in this State 

 for 2 years. The law is naturally dis- 

 pleasing to pot hunters. Heretofore men 

 who shoot for market have made a fat liv- 

 ing between the sale of game and the train- 

 ing of bird dogs. These men, aided by the 

 snarers, were fairly exterminating N our 

 birds. It remained for the League of 

 American Sportsmen and the Audubon So- 

 ciety to find a remedy. 



They managed to get members of the 

 General Assembly interested, and through 

 the efforts of those men and of the Fish 

 and Game Commission the law was passed. 

 Previous to this a law had been passed 

 that not more than 5 grouse should be 

 taken in any one day by one person, or 

 more than 36 in a season, but that law it 

 was found impossible to enforce. 



The open season now is October 1st 

 to December 1st, and sportsmen who have 

 the interest of the birds at heart say that 

 it should be October 15th to Decem- 

 ber 15th. They argue that the extra 2 

 weeks in October would give many a flock 

 of quails a chance to mature. During the 

 past season many half grown quails were 

 shot, and in some instances unfeeling 

 sportsmen shot the mother bird as she 

 arose alone, thus leaving the youngsters to 



Notwithstanding quails were unusually 

 plentiful, grouse were unusually scarce. 

 That was attributed to the late, wet spring 

 and to the wood ticks, which, in such sea- 

 sons, attack the young birds with fatal re- 

 sults. That theory was borne out by the 

 fact that most of the grouse shot were old 

 birds. Woodcock were abundant, and 

 again wet weather was responsible, this 

 time, however, advantageously. In 1900 

 dry weather kept the woodcock away from 

 their favorite local feeding grounds, and 

 forced them to seek other sections of the 

 country. But 1901 was wet enough to suit 

 the most fastidious woodcock, and a fine 

 crop of earthworms and slugs was ready 

 for the long bills when they came down 

 from the North. 



Both rabbits and gray squirrels were 

 plentiful. Rabbits may be hunted until 

 January 1st. Again the sportsmen find 

 fault, for they say men will go out ostensi- 

 bly to hunt rabbits and in reality will shoot 

 grouse and quails. Marketmen and others 

 have found fault because they were not 

 allowed to buy or sell game, but while un- 

 doubtedly much game has been traded for 

 rum and tobacco, still the law has proved 

 effective in protecting game. If at the 

 close of the 2-year limit its effects are suf- 

 ficiently pronounced, no doubt it will be 

 continued for another period, as was the 

 law on deer, which was extended 10 years. 

 Pheasants cannot be legally shot until 1906. 

 J. H. Conklin, East Hampton, Ct. 



FROM FLINT LOCK TO SAVAGE. 



Northumberland, Pa. 

 Editor Recreation: 



In my young days we hunted with the 

 rifle. I remember the first shot guns 

 ever seen in this region and the derision 

 with which they were greeted. They, 

 like our rifles, had flint locks. I remem- 

 ber the first cap lock gun ever brought here. 



Now I have three nephews growing up. 

 They want all. around rifles. What is an 

 all around rifle anyway? Personally I 

 have fallen back on a 45-70-405, using a 

 reloaded cartridge and a round ball to kill 

 beeves, etc; yet I sigh for the day when 

 we used the same round ball and larger or 

 smaller loads of powder, as our judgment 

 dictated, for all game shooting. For bear 

 we put in a big dose of Dupont's rifle 

 powder and shoved down 2 balls. 



I am behind the times ; a way back num- 

 ber. I look at the Winchester catalogue 

 and am astonished at the number and 

 variety of guns and shells. I read the 

 book of the Remingtons and wonder why 

 a foreign rifle is used in the U. S. Army. 

 I study the Savage with its light weight 

 and variety of cartridges and puzzle 

 over the problem of why it is .303 caliber 

 instead of 30, like other guns used here. 

 I wonder if it is possible that a powder 

 charge of 22 grains gives a penetration of 

 50 inches, when a charge of 30 grains 

 gives only 30 inches. 



Then I turn for light to riflemen who 

 are really using these guns. My friend W. 

 has shot all over the West, from Puget 

 sound to Lower California, and was once a 

 meat hunter for the Denver market. He 

 tells me he has used all calibers of black 

 powder guns and killed with them, but 

 a 50 caliber, no grain beats them all. 

 I believe him, yet one does not like to turn 

 a cannon loose on a squirrel. 



Friend K owns a Krag. He assures me 

 it is out of sight, though a little compli- 

 cated perhaps and not good for squirrel 

 barking. P. pins his faith on a 38-55. 

 It is all right, he says, but he wishes it 

 had more powder and the ball was a little 

 heavier for deer, etc. 



The Savage rifle has 2 features I like. 

 It is really a revolver. There is no spring 

 forcing the cartridges down on each 

 other, possibly to cause an explosion in 

 the magazine. Another good point is 



that you do not have to use a 2,000 yard 

 load to kill a squirrel. The small 30-30 

 cartridge has not enough powder. Not 

 that I wish to reflect on the Winchester 

 people or on our dead and gone friends 

 the Marlins. High power rifles need just 

 such a variety of cartridges as the Savage 

 people have provided. 



The opinions of different riflemen ex- 

 pressed in Recreation are undoubtedly 

 educating us all; nor do I know of any 

 other publication that is doing as much to 

 bring order out of the present confusion, 

 and settle the question as to what is the 

 nearest approach to an all around rifle. 

 Jno, A. Elliott, M, D, 



