266 — : 
Imagine a deer to get up in front of the shotgun fiend: 
“Aha! my fine fellow, You're a good one if you get away 
without carrying at least one of these twelve ‘blue whistlers’ 
with you.” 
Again, ninety-nine per cent. of the men who go into the 
woods for “a month’s slaughter” go for that purpose and no 
other. What matters it to them if a deer gets off with a few 
buckshot or a bullet in its body, and after suffering all the 
agony of a gunshot wound, dies in some impenetrable swamp, 
or is pulled down by the wolves. Game is too plentiful to 
waste tirne in following a wounded deer. True sportsman 
is a Dame unknown to such men, hunter even is a misnomer, 
and butcher has an air of refinement when applied to them. 
How often do we read in local papers, brevities of the fol- 
lowing type: ‘Dr, Killem Quick and companions have just 
returned from a trip to Michigan, where they have been 
spending the last two weeks in deer hunting. They were 
very successful, as they succeeded in securing thirty fine 
specimens of Ceraus virginianus. Many more were lost by 
reason of the deep snow.” The following, however, will 
give the reader a better idea: “Man—shotgun—dogs—run- 
way—deer—bang! Tally one.” 
If I understood ‘‘C. F. M. G.” rightly he wrote his com- 
munication in the interest of game; 7. ¢., be thinks that a 
man with a shotgun would not cause as much suffering to 
the deer as the same man with a rifle, other things being 
equal. JI cannot agree with him in this for several reasons. 
In the first place, no fellow can make a deer stand just as he 
would like to have him, Suppose, for instance, that a deer 
is standing with bis stern toward you at a distance of 50 
yards. The man with the shotgun would naturally fire at 
the head, while he of the rifle would be nearly if not quite 
as sure of the game if he struck the body, and the buckshot 
would do comparatively little damage, nine times out of ten, 
if they lodged in the hindquarters. 
Again, suppose the same men to shoot at a running deer. 
The center of the charge of buckshot goes over the animal, 
and one or two pellets inflict flesh wounds. The rifleman 
misses altogether and the deer escapes unhurt. I am con- 
sidering the results of all save fatal shots. If I wound a 
deer budly—and a good hunter can generally tell how badly 
his game is wounded—I always follow as long as I think 
there is a chance of getting it. I have slept out in the 
open, away from camp, many a night, in order to take up 
the trail at the first crack of dawn. 
My favorite way of hunting, is to approach the deer by 
following the track, and when in sight, to crawl near enough 
fora shot. Next to that, I like to drop down some wild 
river in a canoe, about sunset, when the deer go to drink and 
bathe. Jt requires a quick eye anda steady hand to lay 
down the paddle, pick up the rifle and fire before the deer 
see or hear you. 
Before a person attempts to hunt large game, he should 
learn to shoot; then if he miisses or wounds game occasion- 
ally, his conscience will not be so greatly perturbed, 
I have hnnted deer in all kinds of cover to be found in 
this country, from the cane and laurel brakes of Mississippi 
and the Alleghanys to the open timber and prairies and 
mountains of Canada, British America and the West, and 
have yet to find the place in which a good rifle is not as 
effective at short range as a shotgun, Beyond fifty or sixty 
yards the shotgun is nowhere. For all kinds of game, from 
a turkey to a grizzly, give me the rifle. For ducks, geese 
and other waterfowl, a good solid gun of 12-bore, full choke, 
is good enough and large enough forme. This gun, together 
with two others of 16 and 20-gauge, comprise my list of 
fowling pieces, ; 
I have noticed in nearly every issue of Fornsy AND 
STREAM one or more advertisements of heavy, large-bore 
duck guns, for sale at a sacrifice. This does not augur well 
for the popularity of large calibers, and in fact there seems to 
be a growing demand for small bores since the general adop- 
tion of chokeboring. So much the betterfor thegame. An 
ounce or an ounceand one-half of buckshot, cast in the form 
of 2 round hall, is infinitely more deadly when propelled by 
from four to six drams of good powder, than it was before, 
A ball of this size, striking an animal fairly, will produce 
such a wound that, if it does not kill immediately, will soon 
cause death by loss of blood. To those who must use 
their shotguns for deer] would say: Try this plan and 
see if you do not get better satisfaction than by the use of 
buckshot. 
A magazine rifle is a good tool for a market-hunter, a 
shiner or a soldier, and for the use of a sportsman is only 
proper when he expects to meet dangerous game. 
Game of all kinds seems to be more plentiful this fall than 
I have ever known it to be in the various localities of the 
Northwest where I usually hunt. There seems to be a grow- 
ing respect for the game laws, and, with proper care, there 
is no reuson why we should not have large game for years to 
come. Buffalo are almost a thing of the past, owing to the 
destruction caused by skin-hunters, They (the hunters) are 
now turning their attention to other animals; but it will take 
them some time ere they can succeed in thinning their ranks, 
as they have those of the gregarious buffalo, 
Dryi’s RAMROD. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
The “Bullet versus Buckshot” argument carried on through 
the columns of the FoREsST AND STRBAM is an interesting 
one indeed, and many a fine point has been given by good 
sportsmen of different views. I think the general features 
of a country has a great deal to do with the choice of a 
weapon, for a sportsman who does not use a gun more than 
two months in a year, and lives in a section of country where 
the undergrowth is heavy and the swamp almost impene- 
trable, a good shotgun well loaded would be the weapon. 
On the reverse, if he lives in an open country, I think he 
‘would choose a rifle. But as far as 1 am concerned person- 
ally, [would be satisfied if he useda shotgun. Asfor myself, 
I hunt all the different game in its season, the year around; 
and after many trials of various guns, both shot and rifle, 
my favorite at present isa 10-pound rifle, 28-inch barrel, 
pistol grip, .40-caliber, 6( grains powder, 210 grains lead, 
regulation cartridge, or as I reload my shells, 40 grains 
powder, 160 grains lead, round ball, for pheasant, grouse 
and small game, and at the cost af fifty cents per 100. I load 
as follows: Recap my empty shell, pour in 40 grains of 
powder (buy factory bullets $2 per sack of twenty-five 
pounds and they run about sixty to the pound), seat the ball 
with a small stick and a mallet, then I pour the shell full of 
warm tallow of any kind, this hardens and holds the ball in 
place and acts as a lubricant for the gun, and if with it you 
‘use good powder your gun will not foul. [have killed many 
deer from 75 to 100 yards with this cartridge, but I always 
earry five factory guritid ees in the magazine for long shots 
or for dangerous game, neyer reload the regulation car- 
tridges as I think the factory with their facilities can do this 
more perfectly than_l can and cheaper. I have never had 
one to miss fire, Of course the cartridge with a round ball 
cannot be used ip the magazine, but itis carried in the pocket 
and the gun loaded asa single breechloader. 'Tini10UM. 
OLYMPIA, W. T., Oct, 12, 1884. 
THE MAINE GAME LAW. 
Thee Maine game wardens are after the poachers, and 
some cases will be brought to justice. There has been 
some hunting of deer with dogs, but generally by persons 
living out of the State, and the law fails to reach a poacher 
of this class. He kills a deer in close time or with dogs and 
escapes from the State; his crime is regarded of too small 
magnitude to bring him back by requisition, and he steers 
clear of Maine soil ever after. Indictments are placed on 
file against such persons, however, and they must stand 
trial for breach of the game or fish laws if ever caught in 
the State again, A few cases. are also being worked up by 
the authorities where deer and caribou have been killed be- 
fore the season opened. These cases are also generally from 
out of the State, In one or two instances the claim is laid 
that the deer was killed on Canadian soil, after the 1st day 
of September, at which time the open season commences in 
the Proyince of Quebec, but not till the Ist of October in 
Maine. For several hundred miles of provincial border it 
would be difficult to decide whether the game was killed in 
Maine or otherwise. 
The need of a uniform system of game laws, both between 
the New England States and the Provinces will be noted 
from the above. The crime should also be made of such 
importance that the stepping over into a border State should 
not clear the poacher. It is gratifying to be able to note that 
steps are being taken in this direction. The biennial session 
of the Maine Legislature assembles Jan, 1, and such has been 
the success of the game laws in that State the Commissioners 
will only have to ask for minor changes, aud the people will 
grant them. Some action will also be asked forin the Mass- 
achusetts Legislature, among others the putting of the breaker 
of the Maine game laws where he belongs. Inter-state uni- 
formity, lost last winter in Massachusetts, will probably be 
asked for again, It is well known that strong steps in the 
right direction have been made in public sentiment, and 
better game and fish laws are hoped for. 
Without a doubt the Maine Legislature will be asked to 
add September to the open season for moose, caribou and 
deer, and many of the warm friends of game protection in 
that State are not opposed to the measure, In fact, such an 
amendment was proposed there in 1882-3, and the Commis- 
sioners were not opposed to it; but it was lost through the 
further attempt saddled on to make it July 1 instead of 
September. 
The request to change the beginning of the open season 
there to Sept. 1, will come from some of the leading sports- 
men and friends of game protection in Massachusetts, Rhode 
Island and Connecticut. It is generally claimed that it may 
be done without much injury to caribou and deer. The for- 
ests are densely elothed in that month, and September is re- 
garded as 2 poor month for jack-shooting, since the nights 
are generally cool. 
Most sportsmen claim that the fawns of the deer are able 
to take care of themselves by the ist of September, though 
one man, for a long time familiar with Maine deer, claims 
that there are occasionally late fawns. ‘The request for the 
change will come from sportsmen who desire to add shoot- 
ing to the fall fishing. They will claim that. deer have in- 
creased wonderfully under protection, and they are right; 
and that the adding of September to the open season cannot 
be of serious harm to the future prospects of game in that 
seconded 
State. Of course these petitioners will be warmly 
SPECIAL, 
by the hotel and traveling interests of Maine. 
Boston, Mass. 
NEW JERSEY SUNDAY SHOOTING, 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
For along time this section of New Jersey has been overrun 
every year by hordes of New York gunners, who would shoot 
game out of season, or on Sunday, or in fact shoot anything 
that wore feathers or fur, if they could aim straight enough. 
Complaint after complaint was sent to members of the New 
Jersey Game Protective Society asking them to put a stop 
to the nefarious work, but the complainants themselves, 
although haying direct evidence, refuse to cause arrest or 
give necessary evidence to convict. fearful of some (imagin- 
ary) revenge from the parties in the future, The above 
Society have done all in their power to apprehend the persons 
violating the game and Sunday laws for a long time, and 
have made arrests of non-residents and residents shooting 
game and insectivorous birds out of season. This year it 
was determined to make extra efforts to apprehend violators 
‘of the law, Within the past week two parties have been 
arrested for shooting on Sunday, brought before a justice of 
the peace and fined $53 and costs, Both the parties hailed 
from New York. 1 refrain from giving their names, as LI 
am confident they are ashamed of their action, and will be 
better protectors of the game and vindicators of the law in 
the future after their experience of Sunday, Oct. 19, 1884. 
Warrants are in the hands of the Socicty’s detectives for the 
arrest of three other individuals, against whom direct 
evidence has been secured of shooting quail out of season, 
The Society is thoroughly alive to the necessity of putting a 
stop to illegal shooting in this State, and have detectives ‘‘all 
along the line” to arrest any such, Non-residents should 
bear in mind the fact that in addition to the liability of 
being fined for shooting out of season, they are also liable to 
a fine of $50 for shooting or fishing in this State, unless 
they first become members of 4 game protective society In 
New Jersey. Fox, 
PLAINFIELD, N. J., Oct, 23, 
Hditor Forest und Strean.: 
Yesterday I accepted an invitation to spend the Sabbath 
at Hdgewater, N. J. i did not propose using the small rifle 
which I carried with me for the purpose of destroying spar- 
rows or the farmers’ chickens, as the Sunday sportsmen do, 
who are accustomed to frequent this locality in droves on 
Sundays and holidays and shoot indiscriminately everything 
that can show a feather, much to the annoyance of the resi- 
dents of the place. I was armed with a new .32-caliber rite 
which I proposed to test for its accuracy. We commenced 
firing on the lawn in front of the house at a target, and were 
just getting our hands in when along comes a game warden 
or an official of some sort and informed us that it was against 
the law of the State of New Jersey to fire a gun off on Sun- 
day or to carry a gun on the highways, and if we would not 
stop he would exact the fine of $25. Now, as we were on 
our own grounds, were not shooting game of any sort, and 
were merely practicing with a rifle for our own amusement, 
could we haye been liable to arrest? It may interest you to 
hear that several arrests were made yesterday in the neigh- 
horhood of Fort Lee and Hdgewater, N. J., and that terror 
is spreading in the ranks of the sparrow hunters. 
» r 7 
Nie Noun Gene CosMOPOLITAN. 
[The New Jersey law, approved March 26, 1866, reads as 
follows: ‘“That hereafter any person who shall hunt with a 
gun, or with a dog and gun, or with any kind of firearm or 
weapon, or shall in any way kill, take or destroy with any 
trap, snare, or other device whatsoever, any bird or animal 
whatever, on the Sabbath day, commonly called Sunday, 
except those who observe the seventh day of the week as the 
Sabbath, gunning upon their own Jands, shall be liable to a 
penalty of twenty-five dollars for each and every offense, 
one-half of said penalty to be paid to the complainant and 
the remainder to be~paid to the overseer of the poor of the 
township where the offense was committed, for the use of 
the poor of said township,” 
PHILADELPHIA NOTES. 
Hitter Forest and Stream: 
We have at present just the weather to bring a flight of 
ducks to the different feeding grounds where our sportsmen 
are wont to go, and the cold snap has brought the fowl, At 
Havre de Grace, blackheads, redheads and canvasbacks are 
present in goodly numbers, and many young ones are in the 
crowd; but of course shooting there is not allowed until 
Noy. 1. Thus early in the season at ‘‘the Flats” redheads 
and blackheads are in majority. When the weather is 
sharper a greater flight of canvasbacks will show up. 
At Barnegat and Tuckerton Bays the shooting is good, In 
our own bay both black ducks and sprigtails are being 
killed. These fowl, shot by market-duckers, are being sent 
to Philadelphia in fair numbers, and the ducks I have exam- 
ined are in good condition for the season. 
Lhaye met friends who haye just returned from interior 
Pennsylvania with excellent reports of their trips. Quail 
are truly plentiful, A number of ruffed grouse, quail and 
woodcock were brought from the Lehigh Valley from my 
old stamping grounds only yesterday. I go to find what is 
left in the locality after Noy. 1. 
The farmers throughout both Delaware and Obhester 
counties, Pa., are complaining of the increase of foxes in 
these sections. This, remember, is only thirty miles at most 
from Philadelphia. ‘The losses sustained from the depreda- 
tions of reynard in these. counties amount to not a little. 
Depleted henneries, ete., tell the story better than I can write 
it. During the past year, especially the tillers of the soil 
near Valley Forge, Port Kennedy and Marion have had large 
quantities of poultry stolen by foxes, and scarcely a night 
passes that some roost is not bereft of some of its feathered 
and webbed foot tenants. The farmers say that they can 
understand how necessary it is for the velyet-coated fox hun- 
ters of Philadelphia and different county packs to trample 
their cover and winter wheat beneath the hoofs of their 
English hunters while galloping across the country, but they 
can't appreciate the action of the aforesaid gentlemen, in 
buying foxes in distanf localities and bringing them to their 
own neighborhood to be turned loose to breed. 
Tt is stated by the farmers that the fox hunters of a certain 
leading hunt club and other similar organizations buy foxes 
that have been trapped and let them go in the fields, and 
that they will never allow a fox to be killed if they can help 
it, either by their own dogs or other parties, and that they 
haye had a number of quarrels with negro market gunners 
who shoot the animals whenever they come upon them. 
Now this statement is given as 1 got it from one side, but I 
cannot think the hunt club is to blame as is charged. One 
thing we know, foxes are always more plentiful where they 
are most hunted and the more hounds are kept, Should the 
farmers surrounding Philadelphia lose a few pullets yearly, 
are they not compensated by the gentlemanly treatment they 
receive from the club members? A farmer living in a fox- 
hunting country is always welcome at a meet—I kuow it is 
so about Philadelphia—and I have no doubt that any bill for 
damages he could present for depredations of reynard would 
be gladly paid by the clubs, Why, what is the value of hens 
in these days of incubators? I am most happy to know 
foxes are so numerous in Delaware and Chester counties, 
and very sorry to learn of these complaints. 
Mr. R. P. McCallum, of St. Louis, claims that his name 
should appear in the list of ‘‘high boats” at the Lazaretto 
this season. His statement is, that with Ben Smith as 
pusher, he scored 84 rail, and has the documents to prove it. 
Homo, 
PHILADELPHIA, Oct, 17. 
Hor Sunenur Springs, Col., Oct. 19.—Great numbers 
of deer and a good many elk are being killed in this region, 
One party passed yesterday with twenty-six deer. Another 
with forty-eight, .These are oy samples of the way the 
game is being decimated. Already there is complaint that 
they are growing scarce. Two men left here for the lower 
part of the Park on a contract to kill 400 jack rabbits; price, 
#60 for the lot. A ranchman from below says some means 
must be devised for destroying the rabbits, as they are doing 
great damage in the destruction of hay. This may seem 
strange to eastern people, but it is a fact that rabbits eat tons 
and tons of hay in this western country every winter, Trout 
fishing still fair on certain days, Suckers being caught by 
the ton, with seines, and hauled to the mining camps. Some 
ducks along the larger streams but they are not very plenti- 
ful—W. N. B. 
Duos At Stony Crepx.—New Britain, Conn,, Oct. 21.— 
A party of ten from this place spent last Friday and Satur- 
day, the 17th and 18th, at Stony Creek, Conn,, ducking, 
and had very good luck, taking into consideration that, the 
wind was blowing strong and a heavy sea running. We 
shot 209—coot, sheldrake and old squaw. Saw some broad- 
bill and teal, but were unable to bag any of them. ~ The lat- 
ter will be more plenty later in the season. We were hand- 
somely entertained by J. B. Northrup, of the Island View 
House. Should any of the readers of the Forest anp 
SrRHAM wish to try a hand at the sport, by writing or tele- 
graphing to Mr. N, he will haye everything in readiness 
when they arrive,—MAr«k East, 
“Rod and Gun in California,” by TS. Van Dyke, is the best thing - 
on the game of that country. "Wor gale at this office, Price $1.50,— 
Adv, 
