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a a 
often caught from twenty to Lwenty-five poundsin a day and 
while I might have caught more, have gone home with a full 
ereel and with the feeling that I was not 4 pot-fisher. 
Bird shooting can scarcely be said to baye commenced yet 
as it is a little early to shoot quail, and the plover have heen 
_ for some reason exceptionally scarce, but after a while there 
will be plenty of shooting as there are plenty of quail. The 
country is splendidly adapted to bird shooting. What nicer 
place to watch the workings of your dog and to get your 
bird than the draws and valleys that abound here? Just 
cover enough to require a skillful hunter and a well-trained 
dog and just open enough to make your shot sure; and you 
don’t have to get out of fields that have that inevitable sign, 
“No bunting allowed,” nor do you have to climb fences and 
walk miles to find a solitary covey. I know of five large 
coveys within a radius of a half mile of my camp. 
I had the satisfaction of killing and taking into the ranche 
the other day, a fine buck antelope whose death from my 
well-directed shot afforded me as much satisfaction as he 
would had he been the famous buck killed in ‘‘The Deer 
Stalkers,” Cooper tells about. And although the ranche 
folks insist that I either bought or poisoned him, I have the 
satisfaction and complaceicy which comes to the sportsman 
when atter hard work and no little skill he bags his game. 
I hope to no true sportsman does tie mere bloody act of kill- 
ing afford satisfaction, The charm of hunting is in the match- 
ing of your intelligence and acquired skill with the natural 
instinct and craftiness of your game, and the pleasure which 
makes your neryes thrill with excitement comes from the 
reward that is always found in meeting and overcoming dif- 
ficulties. No man is a true sportsman who is nota lover of 
nature, and how could a loyer of nature rejoice in the mere 
bloodthirsty killing off some of nature’s finest productions. 
I got my antelope in the most approved way and in the way 
that is calculated to furnish the most excitement and 
pleasure, I had iried him once before and failed to get him, 
and that added to the success of my second attempt. I was 
looking attentively in the distance for antelope when I per- 
ceived this old buck and a young doe running away to the 
left of me. The wind was blowing on that quarter and they 
had scented me, Making a big detour I went around to 
the other side, so as to hunt down the wind. The 
place was an open prairie, and in coming to him I had no 
cover save that afforded by the Jonge grass and bunches of 
thistles and weeds. Getting off my horse at a safe distance, 
I tied him, and getting down in the grass, I wormed through 
it like a snake, always keeping a sharp lookout for snakes. 
I kept getting closer and closer, and as luck would have it, 
they were feeding toward me. Oloser and closer, awful hot 
and hard work, but it brought an excitement that made my 
nerves as tight as fiddle strings and as steady as steel. Care- 
ful always, and yet mere careful now, for the old fellow is 
getting suspicious. He saw me at last, just got a glimpse 
evidently, for he did uot run away, but came slowly toward 
me with his neck stretched upward. Finally he broke into 
a trot toward me, and then, just as I was about to fire, 
turned and ran from me. Springing to my feet, a well- 
directed shot got him, He jumped straight into the air and 
fell dead, and I—weil, had | been accompanied by any one 
1 would no doubt have exhibited becoming stoicism, and 
perhaps my companion would have thought from my matter- 
of-fact way that | was perfectly used to that sort of thing; 
but, as it was, 1 gave vent to a long-drawn whoop, and 
regarded my game with much satisfaction, forl am but an 
amateur, and an amateur must give way to his feelings even 
though he'be a KNICKERBOCKER, 
KQickERBOCKER Rancus, September, 1884. 
ADIRONDACK GAME PROTECTION. 
Eiditor Forest and Stream: 
Now that public attention is so strongly turned to the 
necessity of preserving the Adircndack forests, it is to be 
hoped that something like practical interest will be arvused 
in regard to the protection of the game in that recion. I have 
just returned from a somewhat extensive trip to our northern 
woods, and I can testify that the State game law in most of 
that region is an entire nullity, I talked with a great many 
of the most experienced guides, and 1 did not find one who 
gave the game law the least attention. All of them invited, 
nay urged, me to make a trip there in June. ‘‘Then,” said 
they, “with a ‘jack’ we can show you half a dozen deer in a 
night, and you can sheet as many as you please.” When I 
asked if this was not against the law, they said, ‘Yes, but 
if a man wants to shoot deer in summer the guides will 
always help him to doit.” It is the same with partridges 
and with trout. At any time, when game can be shot or fish 
caught, the guides will assist in the work, 
I talked soberly with several intelligent guides on this 
subject. lL pointed out that by encouraging summer shoot- 
ing they were standing in their own light, since, with the 
increasing Lumber of sportsmen wlio every year visit these 
woods, itis only a question of time when the game will be 
almost exterminated,. They admitted this, but each one 
arzued that if he did not guide parties in summer other 
guides would, and so he would only be out of packet and the 
deer would be killed all the same. LTasked them if it was 
not possible to secure an agreement among all the guides to 
observe the Jaw, but they thought not. They admitted all 
the evils of summer “‘jacking;” that does were killed when 
with young or when their young were still unable to live 
without their mothers; that large numbers of deer are fatally 
wounded which escape to die in the brush; that the venison 
when secured is poor and not able to be kept long in caimp. 
But they still persist in their violation of the law. 
What, then, is the remedy? Iam told that Gov. Cleve- 
land, during his recent stay in the woods, became interested 
in this question and suggested the advisability of licensing 
the guides and depriving of his license any guide who vio- 
lates the law. There are two obstacles to this plan. It is, 
first, doubtful if guides could be compelled to take out 
licenses; and, second, if all were licensed, would it not be 
just as difficult to compel licensed guides to observe the law 
as it now is to compel the unlicensed guides to do the same? 
Tf all stood together to ‘‘jack” in June who would be the 
prosecutors and informers? I see but one remedy, and thatis 
to appoint as game constables for this region some of the 
guides themselves. 'The present constable for the counties 1 
visited—Franklin and Hamilton—lives at Elizabethtown, 
and, I am told, has only once been in the woods as far us the 
Lake Saranac region, then he had to bire a guide for him- 
self, and this same guide warned all hunting parties of his 
approach, 1 am conyinced from very careful observations 
that there are guides who, for the salary attached to the 
office, would attend to the work faithfully. One of these 
said tome; “I could stop this summer shooting if I was 
the game officer, I know eyery stream and lake on which 
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AND STREAM. 
it is practiced, and I could swoop down on the ‘jackers’ and 
make the sport too dangerous to be kept up. If I was an 
officer the other guides would respect my authority, and I 
could afford ta do my duty.” I believe that this if an ex- 
periment worth trying, J would then amend the Jaw, re- 
ducing the fixed salary and paying a certain additional sum 
for every conviction secured. 
It isa lamentable fact that very few sportsmen think it 
wrong in itself to violate a game law. It is against the law 
to hunt deer with hounds in the part of the Adirondacks 
that lies in St. Lawrence county, yet I can instance a pro- 
fessional gentleman of this city, of wide reputation, who 
takes the risk of violating this law, and, Lam told, has had 
half a dozen deer in his camp at once, 
New York, Sept. 22. 
WEIGHT OF GAME BIRDS. " 
Liditor Tovest and Stream: ; 
What does a woodcock weigh? What does a quail weigh? 
Ask the majority of sportsmen the above questions and how 
many can tell for a certainty? Some might say about 6 or 
8 ounces; but how do you know? TI once met a boy with an 
old-time relic of a gun that looked as though it might haye 
done service for his srandfather as a “training gun,” who 
remarked to me, by way of encouragement for my poor luck, 
that he had ‘shot a woodchuck that morning that weighed 
15 pounds.” TI said that was nothing, and went on, and 
when nearly home shot one of the largest woodchucks that I 
ever killed, and out of mere curiosity took him home and 
weighed him and he just Cleared 12 pounds. I was disap- 
pointed, for I fully believed that he would weigh 20 pounds 
at least, judging by the way he hung down as I carried him 
home by one of his tapering legs. But, reader, that opened 
my eyes, and I have been looking ever since for a woodchuck 
that would put that boy’s woodchuck on the short end of 
the pole, but I never found him, I had always supposed a 
woodchuck would weigh much more. Those things we see 
most of we are too often most ignorant of. We continually 
come across people who are always talking about the weather, 
when it is really the thing they know least about. They 
can’t tell why it is hot in summer and cold in winter, why it 
rains one day and snows another, why the wind is east one 
day and west another, and soon; but pardon my flight, As 
the old darkey said, ‘‘Birds am de question.” 
I would like to have sportsmen who may read this take a 
little trouble and weigh at least a part of their game this fall 
and kindly give the readers of Formsr ann Stream the 
average weight of game birds; and let us compare notes and 
see how the game of the same kinds compares in the different 
sections of the country. I have heard some men say that 
the game in the South is larger than it isin the North. Let 
us compare and see how far our imagination is correct. I 
am aware that the birds that we shot in our youth seemed 
Jarger to us then than the same birds do now, but there is a 
certain amount of elasticity to the youthful imagination that 
gradually decreases with ave, and we must always allow for 
that, I herewith give the weights of the game birds snot 
by me (and my friends) last fall that I brought home: 
QUAIL. WOODCOCK. 
No. Ounces. No. Ounces. 
1 4 6 3) 
1 5 12 ees 
1 51¢ 4 big 
9 544 9 Boz 
8 5S, 8 6 
1 6 3 6% 
7 61 8 61g 
4 61g 4 634 
5 634 2 " 
5 7 6 wg 
1 Wy 7 rer, 
1 WZ Py) 734 
rs 1 8 
82 2018¢ 68 4213¢ 
Average weight, 614 oz. Average weight, nearly 61 oz. 
The above were all weighed with P. O. scales, and were 
weighed each day as they were brought in. They were all 
shot after October Ist, except that a few woodcock were 
shot in August. ; 
Let us weigh our game and give each other the benefit of 
it in FOREST AND STREAM, and it may at least serve to pass 
away the weary hours next winter to recall the happy days 
we spent in the capture of it. ARMONKE. 
SPIDER AND MEGANTIC. 
\ E have been spending a three weeks’ vacation at Lakes 
Megantic and Spider, our usual September resort, but 
are sorry to say that pot-hunters were ahead of us and put 
in a good deal of work prior to the open season, whiie those 
who conformed to the law found large game very shy, 
Something must be done pecuniarily to enforce the law. 
Game overseers have the whole gang of pot-hunters to con- 
tend with, each one of whom sympathizes with and _agsists 
the others, as all are in the same boat. 
The largest moose cyer killed on the Upper Spider River 
so far as heard from was killed by the Noel brothers about 
the 20th of August. It dressed over 850 pounds, the head 
and antlers alone weighing over 100 pounds. We learn that 
there are three charges against the Noels for killing out of 
season, and that they are now non est tnventus, having been 
informed of this action before any legal proceedings could 
be signified upon them. Probably the action taken will be 
enough fo interrupt prescription and that they will try new 
pastures. When we met them the beginning of September 
they were in the act of skinning a bear which they had 
caught in 4 trap set near the offal of the moose. We never 
heard of a moose making for a light, but the Noels declare 
that after the first shot the animal went off about 50 feet 
and then came back, striking at the boat with his fore feet, 
knocking the bow, in which the light was placed, away from 
the bank, so that, owing to the darkness, out of seven more 
shots fired at him only four took effect. 
Dr. Bishop, at present residing in Boston, and who owns 
a residence on Spider Lake, shot a fine buck, the head and 
antlers of which were splendidly mounted by Mr. Hughes, a 
taxidermist of Spider Lake, who also mounted for the doc 
tor an eagle which measured 7 feet 4incbes from tip to tip 
of wings. Mr. Hughes is 4 sportsman, and from his know!- 
edge of the game his work presents a very natural and at- 
tractive appearance. Messrs. Kathan and Parsons, of 
Stanstead, shot a doe and caught a nice lot of trout in and 
near Hathan Bog, about five rsiles from Spider. When we 
left last week a party of Montrealers were camped on the 
north shore of Spider, and Den Ball the guide and a party 
were en route for the Upper River and Hathan Bog. The 
recent cold weather has driven large game to the high land, 
he 
188 
although moose during the rutting season, or the next two 
months, may be taken anywhere along the boundary line, 
where the pot-hunter aboundeth not and the sound of the 
rifle is only heard occasionally. James Addie, Hsq., has 
been surveying and laying out lake frontages for camp sites 
on both sides of Dr. Bishop’s, several of which haye been 
already taken up. Mr. Geo. Longfellow, the popular con- 
ductor of the International Railway, with his family, spent 
a few days at Dr. Bishop’s, but were driven ont by cold 
weather and the absence of near neighbors. We met a Mr. 
Samuel at Latty’s Hotel, Lake Megantic, who has been a 
frequenter of Rangeley Lakes and the Magalloway, and who, 
with a friend, had been spying out the country in yiew of a 
canoe trip through to Quebec. Mr. Beecher and party, of 
New York, were met at Latty’s by their guides a few days 
ago en route to Rangeley via Arnold River and Chain of 
Ponds, ‘They expected to muke the trip in seven days. Dr. 
Manchester, of Lebanon, N. H., and Mr. and Mrs. Blodgett 
and friends, who have been spending a few weeks at Latty’s, 
left afew days ago. H.C. Sweet, of this city, is whipping 
the Chaudiére River at the outlet of Megantic Lake, where, 
near the railroad bridge, he gets enough trout to give him 
conifortable quarters and lots of fun, and a meal and bed at 
Jerry Harris’s Hotel, without personal exertion so far as he 
is concerned. D, THomas. 
SHERBROOKE, Quebec, Sept. 22. 
NOTES FROM A DIARY. 
Liditoy Horest and Stream: : 
In looking over my old day books I found an account of a 
trip to Spring Lake, on the Illinois River, undertaken and 
carried through by M. F. M. and myself in August, 1877; 
and thinking it might interest some of your readers I give 
my diary verbatim: 
“Did one of the hardest day’s travel on record, Gotto the 
lake at dark. Mosquitoes extremely bad. Sleep one hour 
and five minutes. 
“Tuesday, the 28th, morning a Jittle fogey. Heard one 
gun go off. Concluded to get board at Mr. Price’s. Oh, yes! 
we boarded. Tuesday night came in tired and hungry. 
Had to shell and grind corn on a coffee mill to make bread 
for supper. Price gone up to the Loch. 7 o’clock, night, 
raining, Killed fifteen ducks. Swim, Rowed on river and 
had a good time generally. 
“Wednesday. Went over to the South Ponds or Middle 
srounds, Marion killed one small duck. Came back and 
made us a minnow net. Didn’t use it. Afternoon went 
over to Weed Lake and waded water up to our pockets, 
Shot -7,000 times, more or less, and killed seven ducks. 
Waded out and came to the shanty and set a trot line with 
the expectation of catching 500 or 1,000 pounds of fish. 
Caught three pounds of dog fish. Up until half past twelve. 
“Got up Thursday morning at 2 o’clock, went over to 
South Lake again, same success as yesterday. Killed one 
duck. Came back and helped make a draw with seine, 
caught oodlings of fish. After dinner went to Weed Lake 
again but got no ducks; all gone south. Came home, set 
trot line. Cauglit five dog fish, three gars, and one turtle, 
Ammunition getting extremely scarce. Half past eleven 
o'clock go to bed. 
Friday. Feel too lazy to moye. Go to Weed Lake. 
Killed one 
Wasted a considerable amount of ammunition. 
bird. Came home, got dinner, made a draw of fish. Got 
300 pounds and started for Logan county at sunset.” 
This is a diary of the first trip I ever went to Spring Lake, 
but I have made many trips since then hunting and fishing 
and have generally done better. W. F. Howser, M. F. M. 
and myself carried off over 300 mallards from there a year 
ago last November, all killed in three days. 
I have been much interested in shotgun and rifle discus- 
sions. Davy Crockett, Joe Meek and Daniel Boone, and all 
of those old hunters had guns of nowhere near the killing 
qualities of some of the rifles of to-day and yet the grizzlies . 
did not eat them up, There is no bigger gime now than 
then and surely not nearly so much of it. Our guns are 
certainly big enough, all we need is to get them a little more 
accurate and have them made so they are less liable to get 
out of order, STOFLY. 
LoGan County, Il. 
BULLET VERSUS BUCKSHOT. 
Eititor Forest. and Stream: 
It is with diftidence that I approach the subject of ‘‘Rifle 
versus Buckshot” when such veteran sportsmen have already 
spoken, As has been remarked, the question is not, which 
will secure the largest bag, but which is the most sportsman- 
like weapon, the shotgun or the rifle. Ihave used both and 
have come to some pretty definite views on the point in dis- 
pute, Ido not pretend to be a good nor even a moderately 
good hunter, but I do claim to enjoy the sportsmanlike pur- 
suit of game as much as any one. I know more than one 
good sportsman who does not hesitate to send his dozen 
buckshot after a fleeing deer at ranges which he himself con- 
fesses are almost sure to prevent a mortal wound. I have 
done so myself and 1 am ashamed of it. I am more than 
ashamed to confess that I have, under such circumstances, 
wounded deer and of course lost them, 
In a short experience I have known at least a dozen such 
cases, where suffering, if not death, has been needlessly in- 
flicied. It may do for the “‘deer slayer” to say that such shots 
ought not to be tried, but give the average deer hunter a shot- 
gun and a deer at seventy-five measured yards, and I take it 
a worse than useless shot is the almost invariable result, I 
love a shotgun more than avifle. 1am more expert with 
the former than the latter; but hereafter, when J] am after 
deer, 1 am going to use a weapon that will kill at any range 
I may be tempted to use it at. Iam willing to concede that 
at short ranges I can kill a deer more surely with a shotgun, 
but I know that in the long run, while I may bag more game 
with that weapon, I will leave many more cripples behind to 
suffer and perhaps to die. This is what I consider every 
sportsman wishes to avoid; therefore, give me the rifle for 
deer. Nha’ 
Sepr. 26, 1884. 
HKiditor Forest and Stream: 
I find the articles on ‘‘Bullet versus Buckshot” very inter- 
esting, but the use of the term ‘not sportsmanlike,” or words 
of similar meaning, occurs so frequently that it is getting 10 
be somewhat puzzling to me, and I would ask, who are 
sportsmen? I have never called myself one, but I did sup- 
pose I was a sportsmen’s guide, Two years ago I became 
the owner of a ‘‘hand cannon,” I have kept a diary of its 
work. It has been in the hands of what we call sportsmen 
at the death of many deer and six moose, four of which were 
killed in daylight, all falling before the smoke passed away ; 
