34 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



f$mtq §<tg mid (§wu 



GAME IN SEASON FOR AUGUST. 



"Wnoiiivx'X. J'lniohela minor. 

 BlacfcbeUiea plover, ox-eye, Sqiuz- 



inriiln hell life t 

 King pin' | .: semipal- 



■ 

 Stilt, or long-shanks, Hi'* 



. v' is 



■ I : iipe or uowitcher, 

 Mwrorhamphiu 



Sanclpiper,or ox-bird 

 9d goflwlt, or niarlta, 



"Baj I Irtl ■" i ''mi- ■ : U " ■■■■ ' xpeeieH of plover, BaBd- 



ji'rper, snipe, curlew, oyi-ter-catufier, b-urf birils, plmliiropi'S, avoeets, 

 eti 1 .., enuiinjr under tlie (-'roup l.hiiachv. <*•■ Shore Dints. Main Slates' 

 permit prairie fowl (pinnated grouse) shooting after August IStfi. 



' r The trequent alteration of game laws makes such cort- 

 fusion Hint sportsmen are kept quite in the dark as to when 

 shooting on various kinds of game is permitted. We there- 

 fore append the following table for reference : 



.fled Grouse 



Quail. 



. Sop 1 to Jan fir Oct i to Feb 1 Oct 1 ro Feb 1 

 . Oct 1 to Feb liXovl to Jan 1 Nov 1 to Jan ) 

 . Ainrl-'jto Heel Sep 12 to Dectr. Oct 1 to Jan 1 



Sf.pl 



3epJ5to Ja 



[Oot i 



Woodcock. 



Sept 1 to Jan 15 



July l to Jan i 



, July 1 to Jan 1 



o Dee 1 Julys to Nov 1 



to .Jan 1 1 July-i to Nov 15 



oottasf No Iiestrlc- 



A law was passed in Nebraska last February, prohibiting 

 the shooting Of any kinds of wild bird except waterfowl, 

 SUipe, waders and woodcock. No close season is specified for 

 Woodcock. 



Rtjooix ou Guns.— Taunton, Mass., July 18.— After care- 

 fully reading the well written article of "Straight Bore," it 

 would seem to one who never shot a gun or gave it a thought 

 that there could be no opposition to his theories. I think that 

 preasim begins the moment the powder ignites, which causes 

 it to gain velocity of " one, three, and nine hundred feet per 

 second;" as the powder bums gas is generated, and as the 

 resistance of the breech is greater than that of the bullet.it 

 must of course recoil and escape with ihe missile, and the 

 recoil as it is generally called is merely the direct pressure 

 against the breech of the gun, caused by the resistance of the 

 weight of bullet and the sudden compressing of the air in the 

 barrel against the outside air. 



Now to show this more plainly- pre your gun without any 

 missile, and you will find the same pressure backward, but the 

 resistance of the air not being equal to that of the gun the 

 motion is slight. Now load again, and use a missile of equal 

 weight, resistance of air and friction, and see if they are not 

 about equal distance from firing point, which 1 think proves 

 flint the lesser weight moves the gnn in proportion; for in- 

 stance, lake a 10-pound Creedmoor rifle with a kick of 50 

 pounds | which by the way is a very low figure for some of 

 those mailei, and load it with a 10 -pound missile and the 

 pressure would be equal to thousands of pounds. And one 

 more proof of the motion of the gun backward before the bul- 

 It-t leaves the muzzle is, that if you place a gun in a vise, and 

 sight if at any range, then take it out and suspend by strings, 

 you will find in the latter case that the gun shoots too low — 

 i -Hi isi id by the pushing back which raises the breech— and of 

 course lowers the muzzle. 



In regard to the paper test I do not agree with Straight 

 Bore. From the centre of the explosion the force is equal in 

 all directions ; and the resistance of the paper and air together 

 will be greater than the air alone, the recoil would be on the 

 air above. I always supposed the tin that is used in bullets 

 was to harden the metal so it will follow the grooves and not 

 Cut over, or strip, as some call it. If you don't believe it, try 

 a soft lead bullet in a quick twist gun with quick burning 

 powder. There is another class, who say : " If the gun moves 

 how could we hit the target so often?" The pressure on the 

 sides of barrel being equal, and the resistance the same, the 

 gun docs not move sideways, but the resistance not being 

 equal endways the gun presses back in a straight line which 

 does not. impair the aim very much, but does, I think, some, 

 for the reason that the scores made at Conlin'sand Ilelwig's 

 galleries, in New York with a light charge of powder and 

 fight bullet, have never been equaled with heavy charges fired 

 from the shoulder. Anchor Range. 



Rboa3?peb's Theories. — If there is, in connection with 

 journalism, any one thing more despicable than a newspaper 

 controversy 1 know it not; and if out of place anywhere, it 

 6e«ns to me to be eminently so in a paper devoted to 

 field sports. On this account I have always— with one excep- 

 tion—persistently declined to notice any article by any writer 

 calling my views in question. My opinions, founded on per- 

 sonal experience, are given always with a wish to benefit my 

 brothers in the craft, and are to be taken for what they are 

 worth. I ask no one to believe any assertion merely because 

 Recapper makes it, In your issue of June 7, "Bonnie Blue 

 Flag" makes me to say that snap-actions are an abomination, 

 and in your issue of July 5, "Equity" takes exception to the 

 remark, Now, to "B. B. F." I will say that he mi -juotes 

 me entirely. I never could have made the above assertion, for 

 the simple" reason that I do not think so. To "Equity" I 

 would say that I have always admitted the merits of the snap- 

 action though 1 have always maintained, and do still 

 maintain, that, for safety, strength and durability, the positive 

 action, when built on sound mechanical principles, is the best. 

 As regards the gunmakers, I have only to say thai they are- 

 like all other manufacturers— obliged to follow the fashions or 

 their business would fall to the ground ; but if any one among 

 them was to give his candid opinion with regard' to the two 

 actions on the above mentioned points, he would give it in 

 favor of the positive action. As regards the Purdy gun 

 spoken of I will only say this: "Equity" should remember 

 that it is one of the ways of business always to pick out an 

 exceptionally good article as a sample, and when he has seen 

 as many snap actions come to grief as I have, and no positive 

 actions do likewise, he may think I am right. For the com- 

 pliment he pays to the readability of my articles I thank him, 

 and I will only say further to him thai 1 have letters from 

 some of the first sporismen in America, and also from some of 

 the first gunmakers in England, that would prove to him that 

 " Recapper's articles, if readable, are not all the more danger- 

 ous.'' 1 have never expected that all would agree with me, 

 and while milking others welcome to their views, would re- 

 g incttully beg leave to Ihe light to hold to my own. 



[i BoArFjsB, 



Laucic &ND Small Bom .;•///((, .Inly 27, 1*77.— 



There is considerable' talk as to (he merits of large and small 

 bores for killing game, some of the- small bore advocates not 

 remembering that most modern fine 10 and 13 bores are more 



or less choked, and thai their patterns of shot are not, as large 

 as most of the old 16 and 13 gauge, and from Ihe close. 

 the bullets much more deadly; therefore making a clean kill 

 and fewer cripples at ordinary ranges, and very much increas- 

 ing the chances for killing al' Ions: "shots. It lias been my ex- 

 perience that you have to hold on your bird to kill him, 

 whether you shoot a 10 or 20 gauge. I used a 20 for some 

 years, and gave- up small guns on account of the way in which 

 ducks would go off with a leg hanging down or were made 

 crazy bya single shot grazing them, "and the proportion of the 

 killed to those that escaped only wounded was entirely too 

 small. A 10 gauge altered that very quickly, though I never 

 use more than 1 oz. of shot and 3". Irs. of' powder lor quail 

 or woodcock; but for ducks or geese I increase my loud of 

 both powder and lead so as to bring tlnin without having my 

 gun kick my shoulder black and blue. For wild fowl shooting 

 in the Fast, and Western shooting late in the season, you want 

 a gun that will carry lead and powder enough to make it a, 

 pretty safe thing to bring a grouse or duck at 50 yards, and do 

 it pretty often— not chance pellets hitting him in the head, or 

 breaking a wing, but driven deep through bone and muscle, 

 killing dead. 



In our fathers' time game was plenty and very tame, and long 

 shots were the exception; now aaimo is scarce and wild, and 

 we have to take long shots and kill, or else go without. Many 

 times birds arc killed at ranges that the small bores of fifty 

 years ago would never have reached, except as a chance 

 shot, jj # 



Sjiali, vs. Large Bores.— J, W. 8. writes: "I have used 

 shot guns for the past twenty years, and of many sizes and 

 weights, and consider a 16-b.ore rather small, for the follow- 

 ing reasons: If the weight is in proportion to the bore it 

 makes a gun too light for all kinds of work. My first gun 

 was a lfi-bore and a good one for quail and woodcock : 'but 

 when I would load it heavy to reach ducks (as 1 thought at 

 a longer distance) the recoil would be so great it reminded one 

 of the kick of a Government mule, quick and sharp, and have 

 sometimes imagined it kicked me twice before it stopped. 



'• My next was a 12-bore, weight in proportion, and I found 

 I could kill further with it than the lG-bore. I used my 12-bore 

 until the winter of 1874. When I was in California, 1 there 

 saw a party hunting for ihe San Francisco market, who was 

 shooting a gun the barrel of which was some five feel long 

 and the bore about one and a half inch in diameter, and the 

 whole gun weighed twenty-four pounds and was carried on 

 the back of anox: he killed geese with il at two hundred yards. 

 I don't go on the theory that if a small lump of sugar is sweet 

 a large lump is sweeter ; but will a l(i-borc kill geese al two 

 hundred yards ? 



"Sportsmen should chose guns to suit their conditions. 

 If one's health will not permit him to hunt, much for water- 

 fowl, a light gun would suit him beat ; but if he is healthy 

 and strong, a 10-lb. and 10-gauge gun would not fatigue, and 

 would be serviceable for all kinds of game. 



" Some advocate the use of large shot, but leave us in igno- 

 rance as lo the size by number. But perhaps they think as 

 we used to, that it requires BB to kill geese, No. lfor ducks, 

 and No. 6 for quail and woodcock. But now we find that No. 

 1 for geese, So. 5 for ducks, No. 8 for quail, and No. 10 for 

 woodcock- answers every purpose, and here some good 

 sportsmen even use smaller sizes for the game named. 



Six-Bore vs. TweLVjs-Boke — Galveston, Texas, July 15, 

 1877.— Maj. Merrill, in his reply to me, suggests a heavier 

 load for my muzzle-loader or six-bore. I will slate that I 

 always take the advice of Mr. W. Greener and give a sun all 

 she will stand. No two guns take the same charges. "When 

 I am the unfortunate possessor of a new gun, I prepare 100 

 targets, and find out its best charges of powder, then the best 

 size and charge of shot. My "Fox" I had to targets 3Q0 

 times, and find her best charges to he 3| drachms of Hazard's 

 No. 3 ducking, 1 1-Ki oz. fine shot, 1} of No. 3 for duck. 

 My old six-bore lakes (U drachms Hazard's No. 4 ducking, 

 and 2 ozs. No. 3 shot, Vou see the vast difference in these 

 two guns; no set rule can possibly apply to guns. Scaling 

 surface loads are a snare to sportsmen who will not. take the 

 time to target, 1 do not advocate the use of fli or 18-bores, 

 especially for ducks. Their range is not over forty yards, but 

 1 say, and can prove, a good choke 12-bore will kill as far as 

 an 8 or 6 cylinder-bore. If Major Merrill will read the late 

 reports from able and reliable sportsmen in the London Field 

 and our home papers, he cannot fail to see that the days of 

 heavy blunderbusses are numbered. B. 11. *B. 



Shooting Suits.— Whenever a sportsmen, or even one who 

 doss not claim the- distinction, has or finds a really good and 



useful artiele, I think it no more than fail- that he should let 

 others have the benefit of his experh nee or knowledge. For 

 this reason I would call your attention to the Tnn^Colored 

 Leather Shooting or Fishing Suits, made by G. W. Simmons 

 & Son, of Boston, Mass. Seeing these goods advertised in 

 your paper, I wrote to the parties for samples, which were 

 promptly sen), and selecting the tan colored leather, which 

 was as soft and pliable as a piece of kid, 1 tested it by soak- 

 ing il in water twelve hours. I found it, was as nearly water- 

 proof as one could desire, and after drying, was happily sur- 

 prised to find it had not stiffened in the least, and the" color 

 was but little changed. I have since then received a full suit- 

 coat, vest and breeches— ordered by letter from measures 

 which I sent. The goods are splendid! v made, well lined with 

 flannel, and have an abundance of pockets ; in fact, I do not 

 see how they can be improved. My friends are unanimous in 

 the verdict that, G. W. Simmons & Sons' leather goods can't 

 be beat, either in quality or price. A.ux. 



Connecticut -New Scam, Aug. 4.— We shall have good 

 quail shooting this coming season, although thousands of" the 

 little fellows perished last winter. Ruffed grouse are abun- 

 dant, but woodcock scarce as compared with former years, 

 No regard has been paid to the woodcock law by the larger 

 proportion of " shoolisls." We are now havmgfirst rate dove 

 shooting, during the morning and evening flights near rye and 

 oat stubble. The doves are very plump and make a delicious 

 pie, and it takes no common shot to make a large bag, Ring- 

 neck plover have been plentiful for four days-, a few other 

 species putting in an occasional appearance,' but not in any 

 considerable numbers as yet. E..T. M. 



Massaoiiisetts- Salem, Aug. if— The past week has been 

 excellent for gunning in this vicinity. Ipswich has been do- 

 ing nobly. Among the birds taken have been jack curlew, 



upland plover, beetle-heads, winters, summers,' robin snipe, 

 grass birds, chicken birds, lingm-eks, peeps and sanderJ 



fact all the kinds of waders due al this season have been 

 shot. Dough birds have been seen at; Rowley. Stilt sand 

 pipers have been quite numerous, and I am inclined to con- 

 sider then, mu<?h nwre common than they were five years ago. 



We look lor black breasts by Ihe 15th to 18th. Wodre n 

 some parts of the county are said to be quite nm 

 average thus far has been good sport, but the weather , ..,,1 

 past week has keen great for birds. Last winds and 

 nights. Weather now northwest and clear. Tj this nr> 



Jj/nn. Aug. 0.— I noticed in one of your late papers 

 tion made of marsh birds in Salem and Lynn. 1 would ' 

 that, as far as marsh birds are concerned, 'ihe lie- 

 and Lynn If. R. have put an end to their feeding on 

 marshes. I have been there quite a number of mornin 

 late (both before and since I saw notice in your papi 

 save a, stray yellow-leg and a dozen peeps, saw nolle; 

 have hunted these marshes for years, and have made soiipe 

 good bags; but it is over now. Steam whistle;-, and ;ei 

 plover do not travel on the same route. ! i wm i 



New Yoiar— Nm Brighton.— At a regular meeting of the 

 Forrester Sportsmen's Association, held Friday evening, Aug. 

 3d, the following officers were elected.: President, J, B. 

 Keno, Esq.; Viee-Pre-s., Dr. A. M. Whisler; Sect'y and 

 Treas., J. P. Edgar. The association is Very prosperous. 

 The best citizens are members, and take quite an intere 

 the proceedings. j. p. E, 



Hornelhrilk, A r . Y., Aug, 5.— -The woodcock season open- 

 ed very fair, the best bag yet made being thatot'Mr. A.Eroesc, 

 who killed 11 on the first day. Twopaniesof voungsters 

 day to camp lor three or four weeks in Potter Co., Pa. I pre- 

 dict that the flies and niosquities will drive them out in a 

 week, as it is their first experience of camp life. Several rose- 

 tinted grosbeaks have been shot in this vicinity o'f [ate 



Jonx. 



Kingston., JY. T. , Aug. 0.— A large Catamount was killed 

 near Greenfield a few days since. Another has been tracked 

 by dogs, and parties in the vicinity are on the lookout for htm. 



Maury. 



New Jebsey. — Large numb ers of shore birds are bagged a 1 

 Beach Haven, Brogantine and Tuckcrtou. 



PttNNsijiVA-NrA — Maple Lake, Pike Go., Aug. 4.— -Wood- 

 cock have been quite scarce mound here this year. 1 have 

 not heard of over a dozen being killed altogether, of which I 

 bagged three, the result of all one morning's faithful hunting, 

 and which tliree were all killed on high ground. The usual 

 resorts of the birds on the meadows are knee deep in water, 

 which has had the effect of scattering them all over the coun- 

 try on the higher ground. Ruffed grouse are rather scarce, 

 and the outlook for fall shooting is not very good, although 

 there is a very large crop of beech and other nuts this 

 which should make them plenty; but the infernal snaring 

 whichis still carried on all through the country is undoubted- 

 ly the cause of the scarcity. Saw the track of a deer the other 

 day while out for a walk, but this noble quarry, like others in 

 this county is doomed to extirpation so long as pot hunters are 

 allowed to kill them at all seasons and places. Wo need a game 

 club here badly. A move was made to establish one last year, 

 but fell through from the lark of interest taken by sonic of 

 our most prominent sportsmen. The old adatre. ' " what ia 

 everyone's business is no one's," comes in particularly au fnit 

 here. Allow me to compliment you on the appearance oi 

 consolidated papers. If now fills the requirement fully, and 

 no sportsman throughout the -country can be without, "it, 1 

 myself have obtained many valuable hints and points in 

 woodcraft from its columns, which 1 have successfully put 

 to practical use. Colonel. 



MidHiaAN.— dpetiyit, Aug. 10.— At the last medal shoot, 

 Stenton lost and Long won it. The boys utter so many scriptu- 

 ral words when Littleton is not on the ground acting as refe- 

 ree to fine them for it that it is evident' they really enjov 

 liberty of abusing and making fun of each other. It is a; 

 the rules to use any profane language on the ground during 

 a shoot, still they do a little cussing after a miss. I third i; 

 would be a. good plan to adopt the rule that was in vogue at 

 a recent double bird shoot at Toledo, viz.: when vou miss a 

 bird, throw away your gun, "break the stopk," or put the bar- 

 rels on ice. Our club change their rules in reference to a 

 medal shoot every little while, and it is not necessary to ] 

 a quorum to do so. 



There are no partridge nor woodcock left in this vicinity, as 

 the pot hunters have been making a feast off of them j but 

 probably our sportsmen (snide) think it is all right as Ion"- as 

 they don't show np the game. They need not have been 

 afraid to show np their strings of woodcock previous to July 

 5, as there is nolawin this State to prevent poisons from shoot- 

 ing that game bird between Jan.l andJulyo each year (during 

 nesting season) as our last Legislature made a mess of the 

 game law. If we should happen to get as fine a lot of old 

 ladies at Lansing next winter as we had last winter they will 

 undoubtedly prohibit all shooting in the State only during the 

 nesting season. When a new law is wanted in this State it 

 will Hot be best to send sportsmen to lobby with thick-skulled 

 pot hunters, as if is a waste of time. If the clubs would 

 make up their minds to pull together and prosecute they 

 would be more highly thought of, and would have some in- 

 fluence at the capitol. Good Boy. 



Detroit, Aug. I.— Wm Mason and Revere Gay went down 

 as far as the river Rouge for black birds to make a pie and 

 bagged 70 ; they also brought down four snipe with their four 

 barrels, which was not. so bad after all. 



Detroit, Aug. 11. — Capt, Molt, keeper of lighthouse at St. 

 Clair Flats, bagged six woodcock on the 4th' ins!, lie says 

 that snipe will be unusually plenty this year on the. Flals, as 

 the season has been very favorable foi I hem. He also rep 

 having seen an unusually large number of broods of young 

 ducks, comprising hlaek'heads, red heads ami mallards. 



ROVER. 



MISSOURI — Gape Oirartkau, Aug. 5.— The close season for 

 quail ends October 15. The prospects arc good for fine- spot! 

 this fall in this vicinity. Squirrels are abundant, and a: 

 are not protected bylaw can be killed at any time, and the 

 boys have a feast of the nut crackers. Turkeys are very mi 

 inerous, and as soon as the law will permit we will have rate 

 sport in the "Bottoms' just south of town. Deer are very 

 plenty within a few milesof the corporation, and could be shot 

 and killed most any day ; but we propose to obey the 

 law, and will make it warm for those who don't. ' J. 1; 



Wisconsin— Onalasktt, At/g, 3.— Pinnated grouBO and 



ducks are very plenty here now, but they arc being rapidly 



:': p] ited in numbers ; people here don't see) . thing 



law. (hie can hear the pop of guns at all times in the 



day above town at the lake- ij :A . 



Kjsa i 



this country the coining winter, w'i ■ 



They are abundant, there being double the numb. 



before. They are now nearly !c i ift 



