408 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Duc, 18, 1884. 
warm springs broke out, the ground being frozen in other 
places. On this spot there were a number of Wilson’s snipe, 
and getting tired of crawling after mallards and gadwalls, 
half the time on my breast, I loaded up with No. 10, and 
started out to interview the snipe, I had scarcely set foot 
on the ground when five snipe rose simultaneously, close to- 
gether, and sounding their note of alarm, swept round in a 
semi-circle, giving mea long cross shot. I pulled the right- 
hand barrel and grassed three of them, which surprised _me 
so that I forgot to give the survivors the other barrel, This 
may not be an extraordinary shot, but it is the best one I 
ever made with a shotgun. If any of the others seem in- 
credible to any readers of Forrest AND StrReEAM, I can only 
gay that they are simple and exact truths. PENOBSCOT. 
MAINE. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
Your correspondent ‘‘M. F. §.,” of Petaluma, Cal., who 
contributes his mite (?) to “Remarkable Shots,” must be the 
pes who, one day during the autumn of 1878, in the 
jai Valley, Cal., told me of a still more remarkable shot at 
a deer. Why he should not have recountcd this with his 
other I cannot imagine; unless, indeed, it be that his native 
modesty forbade his seeming to tell too much about himself. 
Respecting this delicacy of sentiment, and yet fecling sure 
that it isdue to your readers that they should know all he 
has done, I venture to repeat the story as nearly as possible 
in his own words: ‘‘One day, when out deer shooting, I saw 
one standing at the top of a high ridge fully 500 yards dis- 
tant, his figure clearly marked against thesky. Between the 
deer and myself lay a wide lake. Of course it was impossi- 
ble to go around the Jake, it would take too much time, and 
the sun shone so directly in my eyes as I raised my rifle to 
my shoulder, that to shoot with any degree of Suny “was 
out of the question. Now, what do you suppose I did? 
Well, I saw the image of the deer reflected from the quiet 
surface of the water, and I fired at it with this wonderful re- 
sult, the ball bounded from the water and struck the deer 
just behind the shoulder, killing him instantly.” 
Tf I am wrong in attributing this feat to “M. F. 8.” 1 am 
sure that his love of the truth will not allow him to appro- 
priate to himself that which is not his just due. And in 
case I am mistaken as to the identity of the narrator of the 
two stories, 1 bez pardon of him to whom credit should be 
given for the ingenuity and skill which enabled him {to 
accomplish such an unusual feat. Z 
As for myself I never did any shooting that was remark- 
able, except indeed for badness. True, 1 once killed with 
No, 4shot a jack rabbit at exactly seventy-nine yards dis- 
tance. Once killed a quail at sixty-three yards with No. 
8 shot, and once, in that same Ojai valley, asi threw up 
my gun to shoot a straight-away quail I saw another coming 
from the right and at aright angle to the line of flight of 
the first, I waited an instant, till they were together, and 
fired, killing both. Many are the right and left shots I have 
made, Often have killed game of various kinds under ad- 
verse circumstances and at long range; but in spite of all 
these things I maintain that as a rule my shooting has been 
remarkable for badness, Why, sir, ] have blazed away at 
rabbits crossing a level and almost grassless field and never 
harmed a hair. Weary miles have I trudged after grouse, 
and left them just as able to go off with their alarming, 
thunderous noise as they were before I started out, Cart- 
loads of shot have I sent after pretty Bob White without 
meterially diminishing his numbers, To make an adapta- 
tion of Moore, I may truly say: 
Imay aim, I may shoot, at the bird if I will, 
Bui the feathers are sure to carry it off still. 
SARATOGA SPrines, N. Y. 
M, 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
fT once made a remarkable shot. I fired at a woodcock and 
missed it, which was not remarkable for me, but down tum- 
bled a ruffed grouse which had been sitting in a cedar tree 
in my line of fire. 
LTalso saw a friend of mine shoot a woodcock and rabbit 
at one shot. The woodcock was fiying along a side hill at 
the time. C. C. R. 
Simcor, Ontario. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
Sitting on a Jog with my back against the woodshed, with 
double-barreled rifle in hand, I fired at an inch and a quarter 
auger hole in a log saddle, which leaned against an apple tree 
some one hundred feet, more or less, from me. ‘he first 
bullet went through without touching, the second struck the 
bottom of the hole, glanced upward, and by being flattened 
took such a course as to come down where | was sitting, 
striking my hat rim and then on my knee quite sharply. 
HEADLIGHT. 
Erie, Pa, 
THE BEST BULLETS. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
Apropos of ‘‘Nessmuk’s” article on ‘The Choice of 
Weapons,” in Forust anp Stream for Noy. 27, and the 
description of the form of bullet which he uses, the follow- 
ing method of making the same, which I learned from an old 
and experienced English sportsman who has hunted in 
pearly every portion of the world, may prove interesting and 
useful to those of your readers who use small calibers for 
large game, 
First—Melt sufficient lead to make nine bullets, and mould 
them without any special care as to accuracy. 
Second—Clean the ladle out, put the nine bullets therein, 
and place over a moderate fire. 
Third—W hile they are melting fill the mould with quick- 
silver, and as soon as the bullets are melted pour the quick- 
silyer into the ladle and stir rapidly with a piece of clean 
iron. 
Fourth—Remove from the fire and mould nine bullets 
from this alloy. Pour the remainder into a tin pan or upon 
apiece of wood. . Repeat the process until you have the 
desired number of bullets, pouring out the residue as above 
directed, each time; for if it is allowed to remain in the 
ladle,the proportion of quicksilver will be gradually increased 
and ununiform shooting will result. When you are through, 
take this residue, place in the ladle, melt and use. The lead 
must not be allowed to get too hot, as quicksilver volatilizes 
rapidly when exposed to red heat. : 
The result of these directions will be a bullet of slightly 
greater weight than one of pure lead, and not lighter, as 
when alloyed with tin, and besides possessing a fine degree of 
hardness, will retain its shape better when fired through 
hard substances, and naturally has better penetration. 
The following simple pleeeiae formula, will give the 
weight of a bullet made of the above mixture: 
Sp. grav. of lead— 11. Sp. grav. of quicksilver = 14. 
Let a= weight in grains of bullet made of pure lead, 
6. = weight of the mould full of quicksilver, and c = weight 
of resultant bullet. 
Then: b= axl, and e=xet? 
10 —.09x10. 
Dryin's RAMROD, 
GULF CITY GUN CLUB. 
Editor Forest and Stream: . 
‘The long talked-of side-hunt by the members of the Gulf 
City Gun Club is now a thing of the past. The polls closed 
at 4 o’clock yesterday evening, and showed a large mujority 
of points for F. 8. Ward’s team, Capt. L. C, Fry, of the 
losing team, and several others, had failed to report when 
the official count was made, consequently they were barred 
out. The largest score was made by J. H. Duke, of Ward’s 
team, being 1,669 points, This score is said to be ahead of 
the largest made by the New Orleans Gun Club at its recent 
hunt, ‘The only deer killed was brought in by R. H, Moore, 
also of Ward’s team, The following is the yalue in points 
of all game, and the final score; Bear 1,000, wildcat 150, 
deer 300, rabbit 12, squirrel 7, goose 100, turkey 300, chicken 
hawk 25, sparrow hawk 10, owl 25, foxes when caught in a 
sportsmanlike manner 100, foxes when killed in any other 
manner 25, woodcock 20, curlew 20, quail 15, wild pigeon 
10, Wilson’s snipe 10, plover 10, dove 5, robin 8, lark 3, rail 
2, poule d’eau 1, king rail 5, gallinule 5, canvas-back 25, 
black mallard 25, mallard 20, cadnall 20, pintail 10, widgeon 
10, redhead 10, teal 7, all other ducks 6. 
The following is the list of game secured by each indi- 
vidual, and the total of value in the contest: 
F, 8. WARD’S TEAM, 
F. 5. Ward—1 rabbit, 1 chicken hawk, 7 sparrow hawks, 17 quail, 
4 doves, 1OTARER, so. 2.4 bro ere att np re tecedsnace tain ate 
EK, Carre—4 rabbits, 1 sparrow hawk, 86 quail, 8 doves, 11 larks.. 
J. H. Duke—6 rabbits, 14 squirrels, 2 sparrow hawks, 1 owl, 92 
coe teh Ea Ete CoN Zener 22 toh ue Gal ae eee gee Ue arya ty SE HSE 
J. H. Stewart—1 squirrel, 1 chicken hawk, 1 sparrow hawk, 28 
quail, 1 dove, 3 robins, 8 larks. 2... 2.2.2... eee ee nee e eee e eens 
D. Levi—30 squirrels, 1 owl, 6doves 
R. G. Fountain—i rabbit, 15 squirrels, 1 turkey, 1 chicken hawk, 8 
wre VA Ger RS Se er ee a at il ch to taror ec rks 
T. HE, Spotswood—4 squirrels, 4 quail, 1 dove, llark... ........... 
C. A. Harris—2 squirrel, 1 chicken hawk, 4 sparrow hawks, 1 owl, 
Jeplowers 4s GO VCN pai gli. ns interes ie ore Biesries nlays/ maha anh minisis aeoatls 16 
R. BE, Wilson—i rabbit, 2 squirrels, 2 chicken hawks, 4 sparrow 
hawks 4 GOves sR IArES Sc se watseateea es ewiye ce scesiee seb etree 16: 
SV AIC SWEETIE Oly tam bets oN ents pee inte, antes Atta eS ary on ‘ 
B.. Ly. Cowart—benobins, 41ADKS 5 cca tee crane ty ars seein «clara iime 
671 
1,669 
Ea Gb DPOGIRO Ye no rct ate Rett slag Men ins belecehe a Belo pa an ie 0 
W.H. Sheffield—1 squirrel, 8 quails, 2 doves, 5larks,2ducks..... 87 
Bs HE ASIEMIFIOERGIIN Spy sanls sytem eoiete ectertieny beitrh caw SON z 9 moe Sry, Sele ais 0 
E. R. Weems—il\squirrels, 1 owl, 1 dove, 11 robins, 1 lark........ 143 
A. O. Danne—1 squirrel, 5robins.....--. 2.1... ecco eee seen esse eae 22. 
T. P, Brewer—1 sparrow hawk, 2 robins, 2 larks..........-.css00s 22 
AQT. Pallinfenro-—b-TODHIS, coe vie tikes tlie p hove sg ap wale meee ore 15 
Rie VEO Le —1 WOR fas tere hy edots Leeie tv at ie folk ech eae tester, 300 
Foti edo rd a Oe en et oe one Sac 5 SES hos 5,120 
did not hunt, 
L. GC. FRY’S TEAM. 
T. S. Scales—_1 poule d’eau, 3 gadwalls, 3 pintails, 1 widgeon, 2 
teal, 1 duck 
Joseph Stein—b snipe... 2.22 2. oes seg eee ee eect eee eens 
F, P. Andrews—2 widgeon, 5ducks..........---0v2ssseneeseeeee eee 45 
T, Dorman— 7 squirrels, 1 chicken hawk, 4 sparrow hawks, 1 
owl, 1 dove, 1 lark 
Spencer—1 rabbit, 2 sparrow hawks, 1 dove, 4 larks.......... 
K. Hale—5 owls, 1 dove, 1 robin, 7 larks... ........-.-...--...- 
ue ogi pe rabbits, 2 chicken hawks, 7 quail, 31 doves, 20 
rg) teen ee Rn bat ty i bday teal: abet ACD ei ea ass ot as 
BONS SONNS Oe 
Q 
iv) 
jas 
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Lr | 
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AW TSE pao tect ohne arson abt ptestey poy s tee ae OOM 1 Soo OR 
Of the gentlemen of Captain Fry’s team above mentioned 
as scoring zero, the following were barred out because they 
reported ‘‘after the polls were closed:” L. C, Fry, 1 
turkey, 1 chicken hawk, 1 owl, 1 quail—365; F. H. Lums- 
den, i turkey, 1 squirrel, 1 duck—812; D, BE, Huger, robin 
score 14; H. Austill, robin score 14. The breaking of the 
valve spring of the steamer Spray at Twelve-mile Island, 
about 2 o’clock, was the cause of the delay. The following 
is a summary of the score by teams: 
WARD'S TEAM. FRY’S TEAM. 
IRIS ene eadn yes Uo. 800. YiwRabbitsitisasese eet + oes 84 
ABURADDIES oiler cece = suse ee THC ie SAUALTOIS See ees hts seein 49 
81 Squirrels ......-.. sobs 34 567 6 Chicken hawks............ 150 
1 Turkey,.......... .... 300 16 Sparrow hawks........... 160 
§ Chicken hawks......,.... 125 1 OWl..-.-.,---ceeeeseesseee 25 
92 Sparrow hawks.....,....- POND A PEO TE ETSY toa ag se ec 1,260 
ASU WIS Bi cdeclt mats L2c), ser 100 46 Snipe 4 
WS OL) ME emcee nn cle cilsietebel-ieet 
_ 1 Plover 
83 Doves, 
81 Robins as ste 2 
(SOY Gyrhel cee oA me ree 
SADUCKS A Sates ldcies “eho, 
Total.» sas Me Hieeenoeepaac of. 65120! (2 Redheads: oop ansg.- since 
ERIE Wns Sewgawlel talcaa ett Tite OE 
11 Ducks..,..... mare iia taltens 55 
TOR too. eesesieas sees 2,592 
NOTES AND COMMENTS. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
‘Rambling over hills and through valleys, beeathine. Gas 
life-giving air.” So writes ‘‘M. D.” in your issue of the 4th, 
With such a preface it was with pleasure I read his article 
‘Experience and Advice.” I have no doubt that there are 
many who with the Doctor and myself enjoy these glorious 
autumn days and the rambles, not working so much for 
well-filled bags as seeking that eniay ets which is found 
nowhere else but in the quiet, still forest; where the air 
comes to you spiced with. frost and the odor of the pines; 
where you stand upon the moss, softer, more beautiful than 
any Persian rug, and watch the sunlight as sifting through 
the hemlocks mixes its gold with the green and crimson of 
the wintergreens, while the soft wind weaves a more beauti- 
ful carpet than the richest iapestry. There are many such 
places where we can rest; where in these few weeks we can 
gather yigor and new life to take up our burdens; where 
weary hands and tired brain forget their work, and resting, 
thank God for the blue sky, pure air and the sunshine. 
“Although my hair may be turning gray, and the years 
50 | from the thick cover and take a southerly course. 
dereep on apace,” still I am not too old to learn; so woul 
ask “M. D.” if he is not mistaken in saying that 1} ounces 
of shot is the right weight for 24 drams of powder? Is not 
4 drams too much for a 12-gauge? Is not this last charge 
of powder with 1} ounces of shot a better proportion for a 
10-bore, and 3 drams and i ounce the load we should use 
for our 12 bores? Let us have the experience of others too 
on this question. 
Now another question for ““M. D.” Is it good advice to 
tell your ‘‘young friends” to carry their guns with “hammers 
up?” In my opinion you would not be very safe in that 
friend’s company. No! no! Tell him to carry a gun in that 
way but with thumb resting on the hammer at half cock; as 
you raise to the shoulder to fire only then bring it to full 
cock, Perhaps I am needlessly timid, but I would not hunt 
in company with one who made this a practice. Then too, 
there is no necessity for any such risk of an accidental dis- 
charge. You need not carry your gun in that way to be 
ready for the quickest bird. The trouble is to get it to your 
shoulder in time; you can cock it while making this motion, 
Try it! I make a good many snap shots and always find my 
gun ready to fire when it is in its place; the lifting to the 
shoulder is not hindered at all by this motion which is done 
intuitively. To all else of his ‘‘advice” I would say a loud 
amen, 
As I reported some time ago the coveys of quail are un- © 
usually small; who can give a reason for this? Grouse are 
in fair numbers, so are the turkeys, the latter wild and shy 
as eyer, as a half day’s chase without a shot convinced me. 
SPICE WOOD. 
CENTRALIA, Pa,, Dee, 8. 
IOWA GAME NOTES. 
PEAR chicken shooting has not been so good as 
was expected throughout this section owing to the yast 
crop of corn. Birds were tolerably plenty, but they could 
not be found in the stubble, except in the early morning and 
late inthe evening, Dr. H.M. Logan and P, W, Smith of 
Oxford, Ohio, were here the second week in September and ° 
we hunted this country pretty well over. The general opin- 
ion of the party was that chickens could be found on nearly 
every farm, yet we brought very few to bag. 
e visited the Mascotine Slough (or lake) and found it 
the prettiest sheet of water I have seen since coming to the 
State. There were a Bond many wood-ducks and a fair num- 
ber of bluewings, and we were fortunate enough to bag some 
of them, The lower end of Mascotun Island must certainly 
be a good place for duck shooting later in the year, and 1 
should like sometime in future to camp there. Smith be- 
came much excited over seeing so many ducks in one of the 
timber ponds and said he would be back when the ducks 
come down from the North, but he has not put in his ap- 
pearance. 
I had the pleasure of bagging a couple of ruffed grouse the 
other day. They are quite rare in this immediate neighbor- 
hood, but I understand more common further north in the 
county. I went down into the brush to kill two or three 
rabbits, had both of my dogs and a couple of boys to drive 
for me, and as there is no snow I shoot with a shotgun, The 
dogs went into the thicket and presently I heard the well- 
known 06-7-7-7-r-r hurrying forward. I saw a grouse spring 
On com- 
ing up found the dogs very much excited, told the boys to 
stay where they were, and I went in with the dogs and 
hadn't gone fifty yards until a grand old cock bounded out 
of a tree. Bang went the right barrel; missed ‘‘sure as a 
gun.” Knowing there must be more around, I immediately 
dropped the gun barrels to throw out the empty shells, when 
b-r-r-r-7-r about thirty feet to the right out went another. 
Slamming my gun shut I threw on to her, and touched the 
trigger just before she went behind a thick clump of black- 
jack, She didn’t pass that blackjack, and I was confident I 
had dropped her. Took the dogs over and old Snip soon 
0 
0} brought her to bag. Then, going back to where the one 
flushed from the tree, I followed on the line he had taken, 
It took me into about the thickest patch of hazel and black- 
berry bushes there is on the farm. Crossing aravine I found 
Snip on a point near an open space, and I got into that open 
space pretty quick, I tell you. Had just time to get a good 
position when out he went, right through the thick top of a 
little blackjack. Bang went the right barrel, and in- 
stinctively my trigger finger slipped back to the other trigger, 
At the crack of the left he rolls over end over end, and I see 
nothing but a brown ball drop through the openings between 
the leaves of that tree yonder. Plunket retrieves, and I find 
him to be just as grand and far more beautiful to me than 
any game bird I ever had the pleasure to bring to bag. 
MARK. 
Morntiv@ Sun, Ia. 
SNIPE SHOOTING, 
“Snipoo, snipeter, Philander go meet her, 
Snipoo.”* 
ie is late in August. You are staying in the last farm- 
house, by the bay side, on the way to the ocean beach, 
The nights are cold, the days are very hot. Set your alarm 
clock and daily rise at 8:30 A.M. Is it not chilly? Fill 
your half-pint cup and set it on your little kerosene stove; by 
the time your toilet is well performed the water will boil and 
* | you can pour it in your ‘‘Boss”’ coffee pot, and after a peach 
and a cracker you can take your demi-tasse of café noir. Now 
buckle on your belt full of loaded paper shells, light your 
pipe, pick up your bag of decoys, and with your gun in the 
other hand start out into the dark for your mile tramp to 
the long rushes on the bay side of the ocean shore. Fortu- 
nately the road is perfectly level and there are no stones to 
cause you to stumble on your dark path. Weighted as you 
are with heavy corduroy suit and flannels, gun and ammu- 
nition, it takes a good half hour to plod that mile through 
the uncertain footing of the sand. When you reach the 
half-acre clump of rushes you are glad that you have put on 
your rubber boots as you wade through a foot or so of water 
to reach the little spot of higher ground in the midst of the 
reeds, where you intend to hide yourself for the next three 
hours. Now you trample down sufficient space in which to 
rest comitorialys and just outside the edge of the reeds, a 
couple of rods away, on the sandspit, you plant your stools 
on their single legs, carefully turning their heads from the 
wind so that they will not seem to be just ready to fly, and 
thus scare the real snipe when they come along. 
You pick up one bit of driftwood on which to rest the. 
barrels of your gun, already rusty with the morning damp- 
ness, although carefully cleaned and polished the night be- 
fore, and you laboriously lug into your den another old 
block, upon the sharp corners of which you may occasion 
ally take a little fancied rest when you get tiredand crampe 
= 
