FOREST AND STREAM. 



383 



fly. Ho made a cast and hooked a trout on each midge fly, and landed 



. bbth; the smallest weighed two pounds and one ounce. I thought, 



: ihat It was the neatest piece of angling I ever saw done 



l, j i ny one. I have often wondered why those big trout wanted such 



little flies ; a million would hardly makd a meal for a trout of that size. 



T. Garlics. 



EXTRACT FROM ."A FISHING .IOURNAL KEPT AT UAUFAX INLET, EAST 

 A, FLORIDA, IN 187T. 



EVeft. 3— Clear ; wind northwest; thermometer at s A. m., 66 deg. 

 ■Went out with boy iu boat; fished from 11 A. M. till 4 p. m. ; I with rod 

 »md reel, he with hand line ; cut mullet for bait. We sot eleven bass 

 from 4 lbs. to 14 lbs. in weight; one salt-water trout, 5 lbs.; one 

 ffroupor, 4 lbs. : one Rheepshead, one Dlackfish, six scup— T5 lbs. of 

 flsh. I ion a large bass which took away my hook. 



Feb. 5— Went in boat with B. P. to month of Spruce Creek: ; fished 

 /rorn 11 till i ; got twelve bass, weighing from i to T lbs., and one drum 

 weighing 16 lbs. ; bait, cut mullet. I lost two hooks and two sinkers 

 from sharks. • Weather clear, wind west ; thermometer at 8 a. m., 

 >!0 (leg. 



I Feb. 9— Clear : wind north ; thermometer at, 8 A. m., 55 deg. Went in 

 boat with J. G, to Spruce Creek ; bait, clams and fidlers ; wind high 

 aad water rough ; brought home twenty-one sheepshead, average 4 

 lbs., and six drum from 4 to 12 lbs. 



Feb. 10— Clear; wind west; thermometer at S a. m., 48 deg. Went 

 •with B. P. in boat about 11 a. m. to Live Oak Point; wind high ; found 



alter end began to Uaii in a deep hole among snags. There we took 



tvith rod and P. with hand line, and cut mullet, 1 conger eels, from 4 

 T lbs. Savage brutes they were, well armed with teeth, and it was 



cessary to kill them outside the boat, or they would have driven us 

 Out of it. Besides these we got a dossen blacktlsh, average half a 

 pound, and one 12-pound bass, which I played 15 minutes before he 

 oould be brought to gaff. 

 ' Feb. 22— Clear ; wind north; thermometer at 8 a.m., 50 deg. Went 

 ■With orin boat up Spruce Creek ; both used rod ; halt, clams and mnl- 

 Fished from 10 till 4 ; returned with 21 sheepshead, 6 drum, 3 bass 

 »f 1", 10 and 6 lbs., one conger eel and two blackttsh; about 120 lbs. 

 ha an, 



March 1— Cloudy, with showers ; wind northeast ; thermometer at 8 

 Av m., 60 dig. Went with C. and P. up river for bass; mullet bait 

 We got ten weighing 50 lbs., and l03t 5 more. Also three hooks from 

 sharks, aad killed a sting ray weighing some 60 lbs. 



March 5— Clear; wind east; thermometer at 8 a. m., 63 deg. Went 

 With P. and O. across the inlet to the other river ; two rods. Fished 

 from 10 a. M. till 3p.m.; got forty shoepshead. two bass, six snappers 

 averaging two pounds, and two pigflsh 1 lb. each; about 150 lbs. 

 , March 8— Clear ; wind southeast ; thermometer at 8 a. m., 64 deg. 

 Wont with C. and P. to same as before. Took forty-two sheepshead, 

 six bas ', one snapper and five small blueflsh ; about 150 pounds. We 

 also caught two sharks some five feet long ; bait, fiddlers and mullet. 



March 13— Clear ; wind southeast ; thermometer at 8 a. m., 60 deg. 

 Went with P. and C. across the inlet; two rods; fished live hours ; 

 mullet and clam bait; got twelve sheepshead, averaging 4 lbs., and six 

 bins weighing 29, 28, 6, 5, 5. These large bass gave three-quarters of 

 an hours' play ; lost three hooks from sharks. 



A/a rc/t 21 — Clear; wind southeast ; thermometer at S a. jr., 66 deg. 



Went with P. and C. to Inlet Creek ; mullet bait ; two rods ; got two 



she pshead aud three bass. I hooked a very heavy fish, which took 



out all my line (70 yards) without a check, and then parted the line 



Vst the reel. Just then a heavy rain squall came up and we left. 



March 24— Cloudy; wind southeast; thermometer at8A.it. 65 deg. 

 To the inlet with P. and C; fished four hours with mullet bait, and got 

 tweuty- :me bass from 4 to 14 lbs. in weight, and hooked as many 

 hum;, which escaped. Also, two large sheepshead, 6 lbs. each, and & 

 40 Hi. sting ray. 



April 5— Clear; wind northeast; thermometer at 8 A. M. 65 deg. Went 

 wii h G. to Inlet and fished in the shoal, he with hand-line, I with rod. 

 Got ten bass, averaging 5 lbs., and I lost a heavy one, which took out 

 a hundred yards of line, and then parted the line at the hook. Also, 

 one trout, 4 lbs.; twenty blacktlsh and fifteen whiti ng— these average 

 about yi lo. each. We also hooked three sharks, which took our hooks 

 a»vsy. 



/ V ril 12_ Cloudy; calm; thermometer at 8 A. at. 64 deg. Went with 

 P. in a boat to Inlet; mullet bait; got four ba3s; when rain came on, 

 we left. 



April 23— Clear; wind southeast ; thermometer at 8 a. m. 64 deg. 

 Went with P. to Inlet, then to the creek, where we got fifteen snappers 

 from 1 to 5 lbs.; four plgfish, and a ray of about 20 lbs. P. took a trass 

 of 1 1 lb?., audi hooked a sawfish, which, after half-an-hour's fight, 

 took hook and sinker. 



April 27— Clear; wind south; thermometer 8 A. ir. 66 deg. Went with 

 boy to west shore; returned at, 4 P. jr. with seven bass, weighing 36, 25, 

 11, 6, 6, 5, i. Thebigba,3s fought three-quarters of an hour, and dragged 

 the boat nearly across the river. 



May 4— Cloudy; wind southeast; thermometer at S a. it. 63 deg. 

 Went with P. to west shore of river. We got seven bass, two cavalii 

 of 3 lbs. each, and four snappers. Lost three hooks by the sharks. 



jtf„y io— Clear; wind northeast; thermometer at 8 a. m. 60 deg. Went 

 with boy to Inlet; got ten bass and a ladyash of about 2 lb. Killed 

 also a sting ray and twenty sea catfish, which are now very numerous 

 and troublesome. They weigh 4 to 5 lbs., and give strong play on a 

 rod. 



Mayli.— Went with P. to west shore; brought home four bass, one 

 ladyflsh, one cavalii, two groupers, and one blue fish of 6 lbs., the 

 largest I have Been here; also, many catfish. Clear to-day; wind south- 

 east; thermometer at 8 a. M 70 deg. 



May 24— Clear; wind northeast; thermometer at S a. m . 74 deg. Went 

 to the beach and fished in the surf for bass with the boy, who took his 

 hand line. We got eleven, one of 22 lbs. 



May 26— Cloudy, with showers; wind west; thermometer at 8 a. k. 

 72 deg. Went with P. to inlet for bass. We got fourteen, average 

 5 lbs%nd three ; awlish, each about five feet long, and many catfish. 



S. C. C. 



—The Country, a weekly journal, devoted to The Kennel, Shooting, 

 Pishing, Fox Hunting, Archery, and other outdoor sports. Has also 

 departments treating Of Natural History, The Garden and Poultry, 

 Pigeons and Pets. Edited by Wm. M, Tiieston, late associate editor of 

 Forest and Stream. Subscription price, $3 per year. Specimen 

 copies free. Address. " The Country Publishing Association, 33 Murray 

 street, New York.— {.Adv. 



—Capt, Geo. W. Wilson, a Meriden sportsman, gives as bis 

 opinion, founded on obserrati m and study, that the use of 

 Pans green for the destruction of potato bugs is proving 

 death lo the quail, as quite a number of birds have been found 

 deal with crops fhl of the bugs ; examination showing that 

 they retained enough of the mineral used for extermination to 

 act on a higher grade of bfe. 



jfaij mtd %mu 



GAME NOW IN SEASON. 



Moose, A lefii mrtteAis. Pinnated grouse or prairie chicken 



Caribou, Tanttfaut rangifer. Cupidonia eupido. 



Elk or wapiti. reruns ccmad'elitit. Ruffed grouse or pheasant, Bonasa 



Ked or Virginia deer, Cariaais m'r- umbellna. 



gfnialvus. Quail or partridge, Ortyx virtjini- 



Squlrrels, red, black and gray. anus. 



Hares, brown and gray. Woodcock, Philohela 3Iinor. 

 Wild turkey, Melcmjrn gallopavo. 



"Bay birds" generally, including various species of plover, sand 

 piper, snipe, curlew, oyster-catcher, surf birds, phalaropes, avocets 

 etc., coming under the group Mmacolw, or Shore Birds. 



^~ In New York State December is a close season for deer. Deer 

 shooting is permitted only during the months of September, October 

 and November. Sale of venison is permitted until January 1st, aud 

 not after. 



Connecticut — Newtown, Bee. 18. — At Newtown, Conn., on 

 Dec. 8, Curt Bostwick alone, with two dogs, killed three 

 foxes. The dogs brought him one about 11 a. m., which he 

 shot, and about two hours afterward they got on another 

 track, and he saw two foxes heading for him about four rods 

 apart. He let the hind one get near enough, when he shot 

 him and then shot the other. He is now considered the 

 champion fox hunter of Fairfield Co., Conn. Birds are very- 

 scarce, and it hardly pays to go out except for the tramp. 



H. D. P. 



PaiopE Island— Newport, Dee. 11. — Black ducks, shell- 

 drakes, old squaws and other sea fowl are abundant further 

 up the bay. Quantum. 



New Yoke — Bloomingburg, Bee. 16. — Four days' 

 shooting for two parties resulted in a bag of thirty-three part- 

 •ridges and eleven quails. 



Pennsylvania — Sharon, Bee. 8. — Grouse shooting is good 

 this season, and is somewhat better than usual. Quail very 

 scarce in this part of the State, but across the line in Ohio 

 they are more plentiful, owing to the protection they have 

 had for some time there. We have had a good show of 

 woodcock this fall ; better than usual. Elmejk. 



Greenville, Bee. 8. — The following have been elected hon- 

 orary members of the Greenville Sportsmen's Club : Hon. A. 

 McDermott, P. J. ; Charles Hallock, A. D. Gillespie, Esq., 

 C. B. Evans, Esq., J. T. Blair, Supt. S. & A. K. Pi,. 



Haegen. 



. Warrenton, Bee. 16. — Mr. Charles H. Scott, of Philadel- 

 phia, with Mr. J. M. Maddox and a friend, killed 135 quail, 

 nine hares and some ruffed grouse in a two days' hunt on the 

 Rappahannock, near this place. Wild turkey unusually 

 plenty in this vicinity. The Warren Green Hotel is thronged 

 with sportsmen who are bound to profit by the season and 

 abundance of game. N. B. 



Leesburg, Bee. 13. — Capt. Fauntleroy and Powell Harrison, 

 the president of our game protective association, have killed, 

 this season, thirty-three or thirty-four pheasants (grouse) 

 within two hours' walk of town — fifteen or sixteen quail per 

 gun is the usual kill in that line about here. T. W. 



Mount Holly Springs, Cumb. Co., Nov. 23.— If any of your 

 readers should devote a couple of days to our valley he would 

 enjoy some of the best shooting he ever saw. Two of us 

 killed in one day sixty partridges, ten rabbits and three pheas- 

 ants, "aud it wasn't a good day either." Deer are plenty on 

 South and turkey on North Mountain. A party of two 

 brought in eight turkeys the other day, which they secured 

 without much difficulty. G. K. M. 



Virginia — Fort Defiance, Bee. 15.— Mr. Waters has spent 

 a few days with us, and I think found not a little sport in the 

 way of footing it over the Shenandoah Mountains. We 

 found any quantity of wild turkeys and some deer, but as our 

 time was* short at the hunting ground, we did not bag a great 

 quantity— say, five turkeys and two deer. Messrs. Wanamaker 

 and Demerest have had their share of sport in the way of 

 quail shooting here, as well as turkey shooting in the moun- 

 tains. Both gents are good shots as well as first-rate compan- 

 ions on a hunt, and good company at the house. Mr. Wan- 

 maker leaves here in a few days. M. A. W. 



Currituck, Bee. 15.— The shooting at Currituck has been 

 very poor during the present season. An unusual prevalence 

 of southerly and southwest winds has so raised the water that 

 ducks have been stinted in their food, and most of the shoot- 

 ing has been done from boats. While there myself, there was 

 not dry ground enough to build a blind on any one of the 

 marshy islands. I did not even see a canvas-back. 



The Old Dootoe. 



Norfolk, Bee. 10.— Weather cool and bracing. Ducks 

 and swans coming in pretty well. W. H. S. 



Magnolia Springs, Bee. 10 .---Excellent sport here this fall. 



—Our correspondent, Alexander Hunter, now of the "Vir- 

 ginia House of Representatives, has gone to the Dismal 

 Swamp to shoot ducks with bis Winchester and Sharps rifles. 



South Caeolina— Charleston, Bee. 15.— Owing to th<=. 

 warm change in the weather this week very little sport has 

 been had. A few deer and turkey have been brought in, but 

 very few in comparison to last week. Great preparations are 

 being made for the Christmas, holidays, and several large 

 parties will go out after deer. 



Mississippi— Natchez, Bee. 11.— A few days ago four mem- 

 bers of the Gaillard Sporting Club made a reconnoisance into 

 the swamp toward GatllarcVs Lake lying between Natchez 

 and Woodville. They returned after a pleasant trip with 

 2 fine bucks, a wild turkey, 60 or 70 ducks, squirrel--, rabbits, 

 partridges and snipe. The swamps ate at present tull of r in 

 water, consequently not much game could he lake nor ihe lake 

 reached, but the greatest abundance and variety of game was 

 seen. Wild turkey bunting in the spring promises to be fine. 

 Wild ducks in any quantities are feeding in the swamp-; at 

 present. Hydrophobia exists to almost an alarming extent 

 litre. Recehily a rneinhi r of tlie olu > was obhg d to lo.e l*o 

 fine pointers, thev having heen bitten by ft rabid dog. At a 

 match at glass balls on Dec. 1st between several members of 

 the •' G. S. O". Mr. John P. Jenkins was ihe winner of a 

 fine Boston shooting suit, awarded by the club. W. D. J. 



Texas, Galveston, Dee. 6.— Wild fowls are now killed 

 around the bay in great numbers. I bcught seven large 

 and small ducks in the market this morning for 75 cents. 



C. C. Pettit 



Illinois — Lacon, Dec. 10. — I am on the Illinois River, 

 thirty miles above Peoria. We had good duck shooting this 

 fall. Snipe poor, quail and rabbits plenty, geese unusually 

 scarce. D. B. W. 



Iowa — La Forte, Dec. 11. — The season just past bas been 

 an unusually poor one. Prairie chickens hitherto plenty are 

 now scarce. Of ducks we make bags of from eleven to 

 eighteen. At one shot, recently, I brought to bag twelve 

 blue and gieen- winged teal. 



Mason City, Dec. 11.— While hunting in Minnesota this fall 

 I had the good luck to shoot the largest buck that I ever saw. 

 He weighed 250 pounds, bad a very large pair of antlers; 

 length of horn from head to point, 2<H inches. T. 



California.— Sacramento, Dec. 14-.— During the past week 

 or two rumors have been floating around among hunters to 

 the effect that the Sacramento River above the city was full 

 of ducks. A number of experts started out at different times 

 to make raids upon the broadbills, but almost invariably re- 

 ported that they gave the river a wide berth. Nevertheless, 

 other parlies continued to assert that the river was "just alive 

 with them." Tlie key to the mystery was solved yesterday 

 by a gentlemen who drove up the river almost to Knight's 

 Landing. Until he was about seventeen miles above the city 

 he scarcely saw a cluck ; from that point up, as far as he 

 went, the river was full of canvas-backs and other fowl, pre- 

 senting a sight which amateur shooters rarely see. They 

 were nearly all on the Sacramento side of the stream, being 

 shy of the Yolo shore, up which the road runs. 



—Mr. Ira Paine appeared this week at the Olympic Theatre, 

 Brooklyn, in his original act of glass-ball shooting. Mr. 

 Paine's engagements are most numerous, as he will appear in 

 Philadelphia, Baltimore, Chicago and St. Louis.. This lead- 

 ing shot has received a very flattering invitation from Mr. 

 Stephen Grant, the celebrated London gunmakcr, to take 

 charge of his case of guns at the coming Industrial Exhibition 

 in Paris. This week Mr. Paine will also exhibit his skill at 

 the London. This shooting star will break twelve glass balls 

 iu a minute with a Colt's navy revolver. 



Ohio Farmers and Spobtsmen. — The antagonism between 

 the properly owners and the gunners of Monroe aud Lesourds- 

 villc, Butler county, Ohio, has taken shape in the formation 

 of clubs among the landholders, for mutual support in prose- 

 cuting trespassers. 



—Col. H. B. Shattuc, the Genl Ticket Agent of the Atlan- 

 tic and Great Western R. R., is one of the finest amateur 

 shots in America. His " heart's delight " is quail shooting, 

 and he has had his full in Central Ohio during the present 

 month, where birds are remarkably numerous. 



The Ira Paine Feather-Filled Glass Ball. — The Paine 

 ball is a uniform glass ball of about two and a half inches 

 through, weight 2| oz. EvcVy ball is made to a scale, and 

 weighed. Mr. Paine has the sole patent for the feather-filled 

 ball. The effect of filling the ball is quite pleasing to view, 

 as when the ball is shattered the feathers fly, simulating the 

 plumage of a shot bird. It should be remembered that Mr. 

 Bergh favors trap-shooting with balls. As a pleasant amuse- 

 ment we know of nothing more agreeable than practice with ■ 

 these balls.— \_See advertisement. 



Disparity in Sex of Grouse Killed. — In response to our 

 note on this subject last week, Mr. J. W. Kittredge, of Ayre, 

 Mass, writes that in his experience of birds killed before Nov. 

 25, nine out of ten were cocks. After that date the majority 

 killed were hens. This, our correspondent suggests, would 

 indicate a desirable change in the close season, making it be- 

 gin December 1st instead of January 1st. 



SHOTS AT RUNNING DEER. 



Menomonbb, Wisconsin, Deo. S, 18T7. 

 Editor Forest and Stream : 



I was macti pleased -with the letters of your correspondent, J. S.Van 

 Dyke, on •' Shooting Running Deer with the Rifle." I now write to ask 

 that more deer hunters of ripe experience will, in alike unselfish man- 

 ner with Mr. Van Dyke, give their views, practice and experience 

 through your columns. Very few hunters will agree with him on the 

 distance which he claims the aim. should be ahead of the running deer 

 when the trigger is pulled. Some of our oldest hunters say the best 

 way is to follow the motion of the deer with the rifle, and when the aim 

 is good and low on the shoulder, fire, and more particularly just as 'the 

 deer alights from his bound, or is commencing to rise for the next 

 leap. 



I think the lateral motion of the gun is communicated to the bullet, 

 which gives it advance enough. Besides, at that instant of time, when 

 the deer reaches theground, \q \ s practically, if not almost absolutely, 

 in a state of rest, and fortunate is he who, by natural gift or long prac- 

 tice, can at that moment combine the quickness and coolness of aim 

 with the instantaneous obedience of the trigger finger, which shall 

 in=ure success. 



Others affirm that the best way is to carry the aim ahead of the deer, 

 in lineof his flight, and " when he jumps into the sights, pull." The 

 " shot-gun aim," alluded to by your correspondent will do only when in 

 thick brush and but one bound of the deer is seen, perhaps his white 

 stern toward you, and, "like a snowflakeinthe river— a moment white 

 then gone " * *" Yes. tell me whither ? A snap-shot, then, In the 

 shot-gun style is admissable, and the only hope for venison. 



Yours truly, Deer Hunter. 



DECOYING DUCKS. 



Editor Forest and Stream and Rod and Gun: 



Str-fieaflios an aitic einy- urpapir of ihe 2Pthult.in relation to a 

 cat decoying auC^anit asking if any of yon,r readers could give further 

 Information 01 a lik«- na uie, I thought I would send you he f lowi g: 

 use i a rl g t > decoy ducks ever since I have used a, tun, which 

 is forty y. ars in more, tm as ih- variety ii mj section isl'm <ed I have 

 no' iried this expev in> ur. uu in ny binds. A BiUnll brawn ,iog I ,hiuk 

 f he best, trained to run back and lorth along the edge of the shore, In 



