_ to the Maine forests is larger now than ever before, and is 
OREST AND STREA 
A WEEKLY JOURNAL OF THE ROD AND GUN. 
TERMS, $44 Year. 10 O1s, a Cory, 
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NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 13, 1884. 
VOL, XX111.—No, 16. 
{ Nos. 39 & 40 PARK Row, New Yore. 
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CONTENTS. 
EDITORIAL, Tor Kenna. 
The Maine Deer Law. Notes from High Point, 
Covered Ranges. An Experience in Training, 
THE SPORTSMAN TOURIST. 
The Collie Classes. 
Fiorida, Again.—v1. 
National Field Trials. 
A Trip to Idaho, Kennel Notes. 
Crofters and Seotch Landlords. Kennel Management. 
Natura Histo RIFLE AND TRAP SHOOTING, 
Notes of the Woods and Waters. Range and Gallery. 
Black Brant. Pacific Coast Items. 
Gann Baa anp Gon. The Trap. 
The Choice of Weapons, New England Association. 
The Maine Game Law. CANOEING. 
Goose Shooting on the Platte. The Log of the Gemini. 
te Prairie Dog, Peccary. The Mohican Settee. 
The Galley Fire. 
The ‘Question of Numbers. 
Long Island Shooting. 
The Bear that I Did Not Get, 
In Dakota Sloughs. 
Miscellaneous. 
Edible Mushrooms. 
Camp Stoves und Wet Canoes. 
Venison and Bear. 
Some Remarkable Shots. YACHTING, 
Philadelphia Notes. Depth in the Fishing Fleet. 
Nebraska Notes. A New Cruising Club, 
SEA AND River FIsHine, Steel Shipouilding. 
Vitality of Black Bass. A Boat for Rowing and Sailing. 
A Quaint & eae eo vonme Corinthians on the Dela- 
Fishing-Rod Reel 
FISHCULTURE. A “mail Steam Sharpie. 
The American Fishcultural As-| Oil on Troubled Waters. 
sociation. The Season on the Lakes. 
THE KENNEL. List of Races Sailed 1884, 
Mother DVemdike. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
THH MAINE DEER LAW. 
1 hase another column will be found an interesting letter on 
this subject from a well-known correspondent. It was 
to be expected that Mr. Wells would make out a strong case 
for any side which he might espouse. He doesso now, yet, 
perhaps, there is a word or two to be said on the other side. 
The whole question as to the desirability of a change in 
the Maine law, hinges on the date at which the fawns are 
born. Can the doe be killed in September without destroy- 
ing the fawns which depend on her? Setting aside this 
question, the arguments brought forward by our correspon- 
dent would apply as well to opening any month of the sum- 
mer for deer shooting as well as September. No doubt more 
visiting sportsmen would come to Maine if the deer law were 
to be taken off in August or July, and since the cover in 
those months is thick and noisy, and for other reasons given 
by Mr. Wells, but few deer would be killed. Yet we should 
be sorry to see the summer months thrown open to the deer 
hunter. 
That the woods of Maine fairly swarm with deer and cari- 
bou is dueto the excellent methods of the Maine Fish and 
Game Commissioners, but seems no reason at all for extend- 
ing the open season, The woods of Maine have before 
swarmed with these animals, but they became less and less 
numerous, until within a few years they were very scarce. 
Isit worth while to enter upon a course of action which, 
while it may possibly have no bad effect, may be only the 
first step toward rendering -nugatory all the money and time 
and careful thought that has been expended upon this sub- 
ject?. 
It is not a question of to-day only. The number of visitors 
not likely to grow less in the years to come. To furnish the 
game to attract this throng of visitors, the supply of animals 
must be increased proportionally. They have increased and 
‘are still increasing. But because game protection has 
worked well for a few years and now has the support of the 
people, is it worth while to take risks which may cost Maine 
and the people of Maine dear in the future? We think not. 
Is there not room here for a little conservatism? 
The average date at which the does bring forth their young 
is by no means positively established. We think that the 
weight of evidence goes to show that the majority of fawns 
are born, in the latitude of Maine, lute in May and early in 
June, That there is a considerable difference in the time at 
which individual females wean their young is a well known 
fact which we should be the last to question, but we are not 
prepared to yield our assent to Mr. Wells’s proposition that 
fawns are usually able to take care of themselves by Septem- 
ber 1, The question is one which can only be determined 
by observation, and with all possible respect for the experi- 
ence of others, we still believe that, as a rule, the deer usually 
suckle nearly up to October 1, 
It is well established that the period during which the 
young are dependent for nourishment upon the mother is not 
less than four months, As Mr, Wells states, Judge Caton 
makes this assertion, and Dr. Merriam, in his ‘“Mammals of 
the Adirondack Region,” confirms it, both agreeing that 
the spotted coat is worn for at least this length of time. 
There is no doubt that the fawns suck as long as they wear 
the ornamental coat. Now Dr. Merriam’s observations in 
the Adirondacks, a region which agrees pretty well with the 
Maine woods in climate and general conditions, go to show 
that a few fawns are bornin April, the majority in May, 
and afew late onesin June. Our own observations made 
in the same latitude as Maine, lead us to believe that it is in 
late May and early June that most of the fawns are brought 
forth. Suppose we take May 15 as the average, then the 
fawns will continue to draw sustenance from their dams up 
to the 14th of September. But we believe that there are a 
good many fawns which suck later than this, for we have, 
Wwe regret to say, been obliged many times to see does killed 
late in September and even in the first days of October, 
whose udders were still distended with milk. And itis not 
a pleasant thing to see this, killing of a lean old doe whose 
young you are pretty sure must starve. 
From a practical point of view, that isso far as the pre- 
servation of the deer supply is concerned, we do not regard 
the question of this change of dates as of vital importance. 
Jacking is not, according to our way of thinking a very 
deadly way of hunting, and so far as the deer are con- 
cerned, September is the best month in which to prac. 
tice it, Looked at from an ethical standpoint, however, 
this mode of deer killing has but little to recom 
mend it. We consider it acruel method of hunting, be. 
cause of the weapon used and uncertainty of killing the 
object shot at, owing to the dim light, the unsteady resting 
place and the cramped position, It is generally acknowledged, 
we believe, that a large proportion of the animals hit are 
never recovered, but make their way into the forest, there 
to die a slow and painful death. Of course if meat is the 
only object, and the “‘hunter” kills his deer as he would 
butcher a sheep in a pen, jacking is excusable, but if a man 
is anxious to kill a deerfor the sport of it, we should think 
that he would not care to do it by the aid of a jack. 
Weare much of the opinion of Dr. Merriam who, after 
describing this method of taking deer, says: ‘‘But after all; 
when the novelty has worn off, one cannot help realizing 
that itis like carrying a lantern any dark night through a 
frontier pasture, and shooting the first unlucky cow that 
chances to stand in the path.” 
Mr, Wells regards the question of this change of dates 
from a coldJy practical standpoint, and he rather hints that 
we have sentimental views about it. 
But little more than a year ago we were traveling with a 
companion through a deer country. One day, as we were 
moving from one camp to afiother, an object was descried 
which looked either like an old weather-beaten gray log or 
adeer. It was at length made out to be the latter, andas we 
passed for a moment behind a bit of cover, one man dropped 
down out of sight while the other kept on his way still 
watched by the deer, from which he was now walking. The 
man who was hidden by the cover crept slowly up within 
range of the victim, and fired a deadly shot. The deer dis- 
appeared, and in its place bounced up two little fawns still 
in the red spotted coat. They ran a little way and watched 
us curiously as we walked toward them. When we came 
to the spot there lay, the old doe. She was in the blue already, 
for it was Oct. 1; but her udder was full, and her.dugs 
drawn down by the eager pulling of the tiny mouths that 
would never close on them again. Poor she was, her bones 
showing through the skin—as a nursing doe’s almost always 
do—scarcely worth the cartridge that had killed her. For 
very shame’s sake we took her along, and while we were 
cutting her up, the little fawns, unsuspicious of danger, 
walked about within a stone’s throw and gazed at us, and 
wondered where the mother was, but felt sure that she would 
call them when those queer two-legged animals went away. 
We had not the heart to do them the kindness to kill them. 
The crime already committed was enough, and the sight 
of those innocents on the hillside that bright October day 
caused a tugging at the heart strings that we hope never to 
feel again, The sermon then preached will not soon be for- 
gotten by those to whom it was addressed. One of the 
listeners—a man whose appearance would not lead one to 
think him over tenderhearted—said, as we moved away, 
“By ——, I feel as if I had killeda baby.” 
Perkaps we are sentimentalists. But, while holding very 
decided views on this question, we are not bigots, nor do we 
desire, as our correspondent suggests, to ‘‘havethe last word.” 
We are glad to see the subject discussed by so able a writer 
as Mr. Wells and hope to hear from others. 
COVERED RANGES. 
‘6 is becoming every year more and more difficult for the 
managers and officers of the various English volunteer 
regiments to secure eligible out-door ranges within easy dis- 
tance of the centers of population. The voluntcer force in 
Great Britain has its thousands of members, and each large 
city has many flourishing corps. The fact that shooting is 
an important part of a soldier’s duty, whether that soldier be 
a Civilian or a professional man of arms, is abundantly recog- 
nized, and as far as possible, everything is done to encourage 
ball practice before the targets. There are scores and scores 
of ranges scattered here and there through the country, but 
one by one they are ordered closed by the local authorities 
on account of the danger from flying bullets, or else the use 
of the land for building crowds the range out of existence. 
To-day it is difficult to finda ground for even the mid- 
ranges, while a long-range plot is dreamed of more often 
than attempted. 
The Wormwood Scrubs ranges, so accessible to such a 
large number of the volunteers in London, has during the 
year past been almost totally closed, and a commission of 
officers was appointed to find another site sear the metropo- 
lis for the establishment of arange. The search was made 
but proved futile, and now, as a last. resort, the old Worm- 
wood Scrubs ranges are to be so arranged that stray bullets 
may be caught on interposing screens, and so up to 300 yards 
at least, there wiil be something after the fashion of the con- 
tinental ranges and our own Schuetzenfest parks. 
This brings up the question of establishing working ranges 
near large cities very prominently, and each year it is becom- 
ing a more pressing one for our Englishfriends, Near Man. 
chester it is proposed to have a covered range of 500 yards, 
and while there are many well-founded objections to such an 
alley for shooting in, yet it is a vast improvement over the 
alternative evil of haying no shooting at all. 
The question comes tight home to us here in New York, 
where we have no really get-at-able range. Creedmoor, 
though almost within sight of the metropolis, is as incon- 
veniently located as it could well be, and this alone has had 
much to do with the lack of interest which seems to exist 
here respecting matters of marksmanship. We firmly 
believe that a good range of from to 2)0 to 600 yards would 
be sure of a good patronage if it could be so located as to be 
readily reached from the center of the city, If necessary, 
for the safety of the residents of the neighborhood—a first 
consideration in all cases—that the range be covered in, then 
let it be a covered one, with such bulwarks and screens ag 
shall make it physically impossible for the most careless and 
stupid marksman to send a bullet astray. A range with great 
fences cutting off the cross winds, destroying allopportunuity 
for distance judging by the man at the firing point is very 
inferior compared with a range in the open, but it is vastly 
better than nothing at all. 
In this city such a range could and ought to be established 
by the militia authorities as a sort of central school of 
marksmanship for all the members of all the regiments here- 
about. Day and evening practice might be had, and with a 
regular resident teacher, or by a system of rotation by which 
each militiaman would be put through a course of lessons 
by his own officers, great and valuable results would be 
reached. Civilians might be permitted to use the range and 
would soon flock to it in liberal numbers. The experiment 
is worth the trying, for it is certain that the superiority will 
always lie with the country commands go Jong as the city 
soldier can only use his rifle as a toy, in a room and for 
going through the manual of arms, while the countryman 
by a walk of ten minutes or less, finds a convenient stretch 
of meadow or water over which he can fire without let or 
hindrance, 
