10 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Feb, % 1882. 



night again overtook us. But we were not quite so fortunate 

 that night, for, although we had seen a good many deer 

 through the day, as the night was approaching we could not 

 find any more, and we liar! to camp that night, without: even 

 venison to eat, which was not very pleasant after our long 

 day's travel with nothing to eat since the early morning. 

 The poor dogs whined around us in a half famished state. 

 Another dreary night was finally passed. Early the next 

 morning the Indians took the gnus and slipped out a short 

 distance and succeeded in killing y fine deer. We made a 

 hearty breakfast and felt considerably revived in strength and 

 spirits. 



Then Ave set out upon our third day's travel, and soon 

 came to a spot where the hear had been lying down. But he 

 had evidently started on of Ws own free will. The track, 

 however, appeared quite fresh. Not long after this we saw 

 .1 large black hear, which we shot at several times, hut only 

 succeeded in crippling him, as he was a good distance away, 

 and we did not care to leave our track nor to let the dogs 

 loose, so on we went. The old fellow was apparently getting 

 very lired. foul it was quite difficult to tell which was firing 

 the fastest, the hear or ourselves. I, for one, was nearly 

 tired cut, and Bruin was then leading us up a steep moun- 

 tain. We kept on that day until noon, the track looking 

 still fresh and the dogs seemed getting very uneasy, and 

 urged very hard to go ahead. We kept them foack a short 

 distance longer, hut finally they grew so hard to manage that 

 I told the. Indians to let them loose; and the moment they 

 were free they dashed off at a fearful pace, and in less than 

 an hour after they started we heard them making a terrible 

 fuss. But instead of going straight ahead, they were away 

 off to our left and considerably below us, and we hardly 

 knew whether to go straight to the dogs or to follow the old 

 track, for it seemed impossible that the old fellow could have 

 got away in the direction of the dogs; but we finally con- 

 cluded to follow the dogs, or to go in their direction, as they 

 were still barking. Upon getting in sight of the dogs, we 

 saw that sure enough they had brought the old fellow to bay. 

 He was whirling around and fighting the dogs, and they were 

 slipping around and nibbling his heels in the most aggravat- 

 ing and approved bear-dog style. We began firing at him at 

 a distance of some three hundred yards, and after a few 

 shots succeeded in bringing him down, and he started to roll 

 over and run down the steep hill, and did not stop for several 

 hundred yards, with us following up. He then came to a 

 little level spot, and rising on his fore-feet again faced the 

 dogs; but we were then close enough to get a good shot, and 

 two or three more well-directed shots put an end to old Bruin. 

 We were very tired, and, after taking his skin and making a 

 good supper of his steak, we thought best to camp there that 

 night. As we had plenty to eat and a good long time to rest 

 before darkness set in, we passed the night very comfortably. 

 The next morning we set out on our homeward march, and 

 arrived at camp that night ail safe, having been gone four 

 days in all ; but we had our bear and had had altogether lots 

 of 'fun. But it is more fun to sit and think of it now than it 

 was there the night we had nothing to eat. We were out 

 altogether about twenty days, and killed several deer and nine 

 bears. 



There are some hunters who go out and would like to see 

 the game come, to camp to be killed, but that is not the case 

 with me. The more labor and excitement, the more sport 

 forme, J. B. C. 



McCloud Eivee, Shasta County, Cal. 



THE DESTRUCTION OF LARGE GAME. 



A TAX FOR FOB-EION SPORTSMEN. 



YOUR columns have done manful work during the past 

 few years, in exposing the havoc caused In* skin-hunters 

 among the large game of the West. But the absence of effi- 

 cient game wardens makes a remedy difficult, Now I want to 

 call your attention to another cause of the diminution of 

 game; to suggest a remedy which might be drawn from this 

 cause, and to enlist your sympathy and your services in the 

 whole subject, 



Everyone who has shot much in the Western Territories 

 has doubtless been strack by the number of English sports- 

 men, whom he meets or hears of. They go everywhere ; 

 they seek game of every kind; their 'wealth puts the 

 resources of the country at their feet; they raise the wages 

 of hunters; the best ponies fall to their lot. With un- 

 limited time and an unlimited purse they cany everything 

 before them. Look over the columns of 'the -London* Field, 

 for instance. It contains more information in regard to our 

 Wesleru game, where to find it, where to outfit, how to hunt, 

 I verily believe, than your own pages. That many of these 

 sportsmen are most charming fellows is not to the point. 

 That they hunt in season and kill only males is not, to the 



Eoint. A few go to see the country, to taste of the frontier 

 fe, and are satisfied with a specimen or two of each kind of 

 game. But the majority reckon the success of their expedi- 

 tion by the number of heads they bring to bag. If game is 

 plenty they do not hesitate to kill it. Tf it is scarce, their 

 grumbling shows what they would do if chance offered. I 

 have in mind an .English gentleman who hunted in the Big 

 Horns three or four years" ago, who was said by his own 

 guide to have killed ten thousand tons of game. *This was 

 of course an exaggeration, but, he saw nothing that he did 

 not pursue; he used up two horses completely in a two 

 months' trip. His party killed, for instance," thirty-five 

 ■ i I Other game in proportion. 

 Now all this is in violation of the Wyoming game laws, 

 which forbid the killing of animals, even in season, for any 

 other purpose than that of food. They provide that no mea*t 

 slia.ll lie wasted. That these English sportsmen sin against 

 this law, along with the skin-hunters, is notorious, though 

 they would doubtless he very unwilling to lie put in the same 

 category with them. They are by no means the only sinners, 

 but they come in gr-eatei numljera and stay longer and kill 

 more than the ai , ranch men, (who have an imme- 



diate interest in }■■;■■. ene in their neighborhood) or an 



occasional Eastern sportsman. 



"Now, the remedy 1 would propose is this: When we go to 

 Nova Scotia or to New Brunswick for moose or cariboo, we 

 must pay a license for the privilege of trying to get a shot : 

 and very properly so. Why then should "not a similar tax. 

 but a heavier one. be laid by each Territory upon all Eorcign 

 sportsmen wishing so shoot within its limits': It is within 

 my knowledge that during the last three years more than 

 sixty English sportsmen have shot in the Big Horn country 

 alone, and doubtless many more in the Park, in the Wind 

 Kiver. Uintah, Rattlesnake, Medicine Bow, and other ranges.. 

 If we average their number at fifty yearly, at two hundred 

 dollars per head, a sum of ten thousand dollars would be 

 annually paid into the treasury of the Territory. Let this 

 sum be used to employ regularly appointed game wardens to 



enforce the laws against skin-hunter and Englishman alike. 

 Then in addition prohibit by law the exportation of wild 

 hides, and there will be some chance of the preservation of 

 elk, sheep and black-tail, at least in the rough anrl mountain- 

 ous country where cattle cannot live. I do not think this 

 tax would lessen the number of visiting English sportsmen, 

 but it would diminish their slaughter of game, by providing 

 at Bridgel and Rawlins, Rock Creek and Cheyenne, men 

 who would question guides, examine packages of* heads, find 

 out in some way whether an undue quantity of game had 

 been killed, anrl, if so, exact the penalty. " Where three 

 years ago a dozen elk were seen in the Big Horns, to-day 

 there is barely one, and the Englishmen are to blame along 

 with the skin-hunters. W. 



Sew Haves, Conk. 



LOADING FOR GAME. 



London, Ontario, 1882. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



In a late number of Forest and Stream I perceive that 

 you invite discussion upon the subject of loading the breech- 

 loader for the different, kinds of game. 



During the last seven years I have fired many shots at the 

 target, with 10 and 12-gauge guns, and I persuaded two 

 friends to experiment with 16 and 20-gauge guns. 



The powders used were Curtis & Harvey's, Pigon, Wilks 

 & Laurence's, Hazard's electric, Orange lightning, and 

 Hamilton's caribou. The shot, Tatham's soft and chilled. 

 The cartridge-cases and wads, Ely's. From these experi- 

 ments I have drawn my conclusions as below : 



THE CHARGES OF POWDERS. 



For a •ZO-Gauge: 



3^-to 2% drs. Curds ,t Hnrvev's No. 4. 



2% to 2J| drs. Pigon, Walks & Laurence's No. 4, 



3J4 to 2% drs. Orange Lightning No. 4. 

 For a W-Gmige: 



2y 2 to 2M drs. Curtis & Harvev's No. 4. 



Sj^ to 2% drs. Pigon. Wilfees & Lrmrerir.e's No. 4. 



2^1 to 3 drs. Ora: [.•' ,e.i_ 



For a 12- Gauge: 



3 j ■' i '' s,:.i ,■:: eh,-',-..-, , 'V,. ; 



3 to 3)4 drs. Pigon, Wilkes & Laurence's No. 4. 

 •Ji >:, , li, 71 tzii t Electric No. 5. 



'■>'■ [JiH --: ili-s. (e,;„:-; LigLiiii ,■- ■ ,: ,, 

 3>| to Spg drs. Hamilton Caribou No. 5. 

 For a 10-Gauge: 

 SM to Hi drs. Curt>: & Harvev's No. 6. 

 ; ■ : ' '• :- ',,:, :, V. ; ; , V l.i.nr:.,,,, ,.■ ;, 'mi, li. 

 3J| to 4!4 drs. Hazard's Electric No. 6. 



4 to 4^ drs. Orange LightuingNo. 



IJ nm :i.— . ,-,.. ,,:i. .-.., -,T- 



4 to 4-| drs-. Hamilton Caribou No. 8. 



For a 20-gauge gun. % oz. of fine shot; 1 oz. of coarse. 



I :> l'e.,!i; : ;:. eiei, I -1 r 1 ., , m e 



For a 12-gauge gun, 1J| ozs. of Nos. 10, 9, 8, 7 and (i; 1J4 ozs. of 5, 4 



ami 3: or, i?- s ozs. of 2 and 1. 



For a 10-gs age gun, 1 L 4 ozs. of Nos. 10, 9, 8, 7 and 6; 1% ozs. of 5. 4 

 and 3; or, V/ z ozs. of 2 and 1. 



For upland shooting, early in the season, my usual method 

 of loading a cylinder is to place two pink-edged wads over 

 the powder and a Baldwin over the shot. 



Later in the season I place a card wad and a thick felt wad 

 over the powder, and a card wad over the shot. 



Late in the season alight fitting card wad, a thick felt wad 

 and a loose card wad over the powder and a loose card wad 

 over the shot. 



For extra shooting a tight-fitting pink-edged wad, a tight- 

 fitting thick felt wad and a loose card wad over the powder, 

 and a loose card wad over the shot. 



For covert shooting a smaller quantity of shot is used. 



When loading for a full choke-bore, for early shooting, or 

 for covert shooting, 1 place a pink-edged wad over the 

 powder and the same over the shot, or if a greater spread of 

 shot is desired, two pink-edged wads are placed over the shot. 



For long distance shooting heavy loads of coarse powder 

 and reduced loads of shot have a greater effect than when the 

 usual charges are used. Fine shot travels as fast as coarse up 

 to a certain distance, but afterwards coarse shot maintains its 

 velocity for a given time, whilst fine shot falls off. When 

 duck-shooting with heavy tens you should use more powder 

 and less shot in order to obtain more driving power. 



More than 31 drams of powder causes great recoil without 

 r.ilding to the killing power of the gun. If very high velocity 

 is required it is best obtained by using a reduced load of 

 large >hot iu a full choke-bore gun; if used in a cylinder the 

 shot would so spread that there would be no certainty of 

 hitting the object fired at. " By reducing the load of large 

 shot, there is a gain in every way — less weight, of shot, less 

 friction, and a greater force of the heavier pellets." 



For duck shooting I load a full choke-bore, 12-gauge gun 

 with 3.i- drams of a No. 4 or 5 powder, a tight-fitting pink- 

 edged wad, a tight -fitting thick felt wad, and a loose "card 

 wad : 1 oz. of No. 5 Or 6 shot, and a loose card wad, 



For goose shooting EU drams of coarse powder ; the wads as 

 above: tf oz. of No. 1 shot, and a loose card wad. 



For heavier game: B, BB, or BBB shot. 



The method of loading as follows: Pour in the powder, 

 place over it the wadding, press it down squarely and firmly, 

 and send home with a fight, tap or two; pour 'in the shot, 

 place over it the wad. and press down firmly; then the edge 

 of the partridge is to be coiled down with au even and steady 

 turn or two, without any jerking movement, which has a 

 tendency to bulge the cartridge. The wads over the powder 

 should not be unduly rammed or pounded, as the powder 

 would become finer, causing a quicker explosion and making 

 the shot scatter; nor should the wadding he merely sent home 

 without a decided tap or two, because if is not sufficiently 

 ra mme d, the powder wotdd be apt to burn too slowly, caus- 

 ing the gun to hang fire. 



With tin? above charges and methods of loading for 10 and 

 12-gauge guns 1 have obtained good patterns and good pene- 

 tration, with comfortable shooting; and at the same time I 

 have obtained all that is required to make first-class work, 

 either in the woods and fields, or on the water. 



Chipmunk. 



Edit'V Ibrest and Stream: 



Would it not, be well for correspondents to give charges by 

 weight regarding loads for game? I have experimented 

 with s ,-veral powder and shot measures, and will give the re- 

 sult of two of them. One gauge is stamped " Bridgeport G. 

 1. Co.. 23 C. ;" the other, " Bridgeport G. I. Co., No. 21." 

 One measured ounce from first gives 486grs. by weight, ; li ozs. 

 gives 092grs., 37grs. less than would be expected from 486grs. 

 to oz. The second gauge (No. 21) gives 435grs. to oz. by 

 weight; ljoz. gives 5bSgrs., fi-lgrs. less than 435grs. to oz. 

 should yield, and 132grs. less than li-oz. should weigh 

 (taking 480grs. to oz). Powder measures vary proportion 

 ately. You see how inaccuratelv thev arc graduated. In 

 your last, issue •'Border Ruffian" gives 'Midi's. Orange duck 

 powder, No, 4 grain. llozs. No. 5 shot, two pink edge wads 



on powder and black edge on shot." This for 12-gauge gun. 

 I used the same articles exactly as mentioned by him ; 



weighed 123£grs. powder (44drs.), 540grs. No. 5 shot (l£ 

 oz), and utterly failed to get the same in a paper 12-gauge, 

 2| shell, with two piuk wads, and onlv medium wads em- 

 ployed. If sportsmen in reporting would carefully ye ifljfi 

 the contents of shells which they find best suited for certain 

 guns, game, etc., and give the weight, then others can re- 

 produce the same; but if they give charges by nuasmed 

 drams and ounces, without stating the number, etc., of meas- 

 ures used, we can only approximate, and that poorly.— 1). 



MUZZLE vs. BREECH. 

 Editor Ferext tmri stream : 



I notice of late in your valuable paper a number of articles 

 discussing the relative tnerits of breech and muzzle-loading 

 rifles, but they seem to be so one-sided that I cannot refrain 

 from giving my own views on the subject. 



Both muzzle-loaders and breech-loaders have their good 

 qualities, mil I he latter are so superior in regard :<, safefrg 

 ease of handling, rapidity of loading, suivness of lire, and 

 facility for cleaning, that I think no one who has become, 

 accustomed to them would willingly return to the former. 



The chief advantages claimed lor muzzle-loaders are inex- 

 pensiveness of ammunition, and accuracy and townees of tra- 

 jectory at short range. 



Now, in all trials of rifles a fixed rest should be used, so 

 that the gun may have full credit for its work, and its ac- 

 curacy should be determined by the grouping of the shots 

 and n-t by their position in regard to to: ccizt aim d a1 for 

 this can be regulated by means of the sights. More over, all 

 trials made without a rest are Utterly worthless in determin- 

 ing the comparative accuracy of different guns. In treating 

 this subject I shall confine myself in il.e case of mi: 

 era to the ordinary sporting rifle with open sights. Weighing 

 from 81bs. to lOlbs. and using a round ball, and in fch 

 breech-loaders to the same style of gun, .32to..88 cal.. using 

 factory -made cartridges. 



Ilimitmyselfihusbeeau.se the old muzzle-loading target, 

 rifles weighing from lglbs. to 401bs. with conical ball and 

 telescopic sights are not to be regarded as practical titles, but 

 as-mere machines for making very close shooting-, while on 

 the other hand the breech-loading rifles, variously designate^ 

 as long-range, mid-range, etc,, with their vernier and wind- 

 gauge sights are indisputably very accurate pieces uf 

 mechanism; and cannot justly be compared with a mu/.zle- 

 loading sporting rifle, since they are me.de' for a different 

 purpose. I have no doubt that iipt.nl 40 yards they are < qnal 

 in accuracy to a good muzzle-loader, and beyond this they 

 are superior, since the round baii which hies with great 

 steadiness at. short, ranges, loses much of its force and accu- 

 racy beyond the distance mentioned. But within liiis dis- 

 tance the round ball gives a much flatter trajectory than the 

 long bullet, because It is much lighter in proportion to Un- 

 charge of powder. 



Anyone who has need a good muzzle-loading sporting rille 

 know- that vim a round ball and open sights at least ten 

 successive shots can be pui in a i-in. ring at LOO yards; and 

 this is sufficiently accurate for all purposes; but let him lake 

 a breech-loader of the pattern mentioned, and try it under 

 the same Conditions; the result will not be so good and will 

 vary greatly with the ammunition. 



The cartridges of one maker will have more fore (hen 

 those of another and consequently will shoot higher, and if' 

 all the bullet holes from any one 'brand are contained in a liin.- 

 ring the owner of the i rifle may consider himself very fortu- 

 nate; ordinarily it will lake an Sin-ring io enclose them. If", , 

 however, his rifle be adapted to both centre and rim-fire 

 cartridges, as is the ease y.-rv generally at present, let him 

 insert the empty prinud shells at the breech.' and load from 

 the muzzle with powder and round balls patched with linen. 

 A decided improvement will be observed, the result being 

 usually quite equal to thai ohtained from the muzzle-loader. 

 The inference is that there was nothing wrODg with the gun, 

 but that the ammunition was not suited to it. Besides, tq 

 obtaiugood resulls, sufficient powder must be used to fill the 

 Chamber up to the grooves, so that the ball entirely rests hi the 

 bore. This is found to be Hie case with the mid and long- 

 range rifles; io produce the best result, the shell is filled with 

 powder, a wad put over it and Ha- ball inserted separately in 

 the bore in front of the shell. 



Thus even in the best breech-loaders there seems to be room 

 for improvement in the chambering and arrangement of the 

 cartridge, and it i< evident thai the superior accuracy of the 

 muzzle-loader, which 1 have mentioned, is merely owing to 

 the manner in which the ball rests in the barrel. 



The rifles from which I draw my conclusions are of .32 and 

 .38 cal., adapted to rim and central-tire, Cactory-made 'ail- 

 ridges. The latter I found to be worthless in regard to as 

 curacy, and there is no reason why they should be otherwise, 

 since they are made for Colt's revolvers and not for litles. 

 The rim lire cartridges of different makers varied in quality. 

 and while a rifle loaded with them, was sufficiently accurate 

 for squirrel shooting, etc., it would i.ot give as good results 

 as a muzzle-loader at short range, 



Such has been my experience. 1 have used rifles of vari- 

 ous makes, both muzzle and breech-loading, and 1 believe that 

 this is generally Ha: case, but a- there are exceptions to evel^ 

 rule, it is not improbable that, occasionally different result's 

 have been obtained. 



Now, what must we infer from this? Not that we must 

 go back to the muzzle loaders, but that breech-loaders must 

 be improved; and the necessity for improvement lies in the 

 ammunition and chambering. 



In gallery rifles such accuracy has been obtained thai noth- 

 ing more is needed; but with spoiling niles ibis is nol.the case. 



The Maynard, .:;:. cal.. the Ballard, .38 cal., using the ever- 

 lasting shell, and all thosE of larger bores by good mi 

 excellent rifles because the shells and bullew used in them are 

 made especially for ih-m. lint what we need is a , 

 accurate .-mall-bore rifle using low-priced ammunition, i saj 

 low priced, because the Maj uard ,85 cal. Bhells cost aboul i>> 

 cents each, and the Ballard ^38 cal. aboul 10 cents. To re- 

 load these small shells N a nuisance-, as they have to be car&i 

 fully cleaned, and to throw them away at* each shot is too 

 expensive for most persons. 



if it is true t'-at cartridges loaded by machinery are not as 

 accurate as those loaded by hand, we'u.us; act accor-dinglte 

 but we want cheap shells which can be ihrown away al evvy 

 shot, and will obviate the necessity of carrying home a load 

 of " sounding brass " alb c a day's sport. 



Some persons like the variety of cleaning and re-loading 

 small cartridge .shells, to the.se*! would remark _29fe gustibUB 

 non eat disputandwuh. 



I have spoken of small bore rifles because they are in very 

 general use for such game as squirrels, rabbits, ducks, geese, 



