106 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[March 5, 1885. 



bear, and in fact we didn't go very from the house. I was 

 chaffed a little by the cowboys about shooting steers, and 

 having nightmares, and so on, but I was content to wait 

 for dayligrll for my vindication. I had used a .45-75 Sharps, 

 the shells loaded by myself with 80 grains of powder and 

 420 grains of lead; and in a pretty lively experience of fifteen 

 years on the plains and in the mountains I had never heard 

 any animal make a uoise such as the bear had made, except 

 when mortally wounded. 



At daylight we went out, and just 150 yards from the 

 house, found my game dead — a very large male grizzly, shot 

 clean through,' the ball having hit him center on the left 

 side, and on account of his position, having passed out just 

 behind the foreleg. His weight was nof less than 1,000 

 pounds. His coat was perfect, and we carefully skinned 

 him, leaving the claws on. I brought the skin home with 

 me, and had it tanned and lined, anci the head half-mounted, 

 and it makes an unusually fine robe or mat, which, of coure, 

 is highly prized. 



I will just add that if my gun had been loaded when I 

 stepped out of the door, I would have fired at once, and be- 

 ing so close could not have retreated inside nor anywhere 

 else before the bear would have caught me, in which case I 

 think it would have been my hide instead of his that orna- 

 mented the fence. As it was I call it a lucky shot. 



Our dog got back after daylight the next morning, and 

 the bare sight of the bear skin sent him yelping into the sage 

 brush again. W. A. E. 



Colorado Springs, Col. 



FRENCH POACHERS AND MAINE GAME. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



A letter of "Staustead's" in one of your late issues brings 

 up in my mind the peculiarities of the back-country French 

 Canadian. The average French Canadian is lazy when any 

 work is to be done; but let him know of a chance to kill a 

 few head of game, in or out of season, his laziness disappears, 

 the love of the chase, which he inherits from his ancestors, 

 comes to the fore, and he is in his element. "You may go 

 into the backwoods of Canada wherever you will, and when 

 least expecting to see a habitation of man, there a cabin will 

 be found, occupied by a French Canadian and his numerous 

 family. I have found them in places where it would be 

 impossible for the average poor man to live upon the 

 products of the soil, no matter how economical he might be, 

 vet they seem to thrive and are happy. He is a natural 

 born woodsman, lumberman, raftsman, trapper, pot-hunter 

 and fisherman. He has studied and understands the habits 

 of all our game, and when and how to get it easiest and 

 cheapest. Moose, caribou and deer are trapped, crusted, or 

 shot at salt licks. Ruffed grouse, hares, etc.] are snared. 

 Ducks and geese are netted and shot. Fur-bearing animals 

 are trapped or artistically poisoned. He could give many a 

 knowing one a lesson in the ways that are dark in fishing. 

 In short he has all the knowledge an experienced woodsmau 

 can acquire, and this combined with disregard of all game 

 laws makes him dangerous. 



He is hardy and strong and can endure cold, hunger and 

 fatigue bitter than most men, and is patient and persevering 

 in pursuit of game. He is a ruthless destroyer as long as 

 the occupation puts a few cents into his pocket. No pity 

 is shown the poor doe heavy with young, nor the mangled 

 moose or buck chased through the crust. Notwithstanding 

 his love of hunting which 1 admit he possesses, the prevail- 

 ing and in fact only inducement, to engage in these pursuits, 

 is the love of money, and he finds this the easiest way for 

 him to obtain it, when game is plentiful enough. As soon 

 as hunting or fishing ceases to be remunerative he stops. 

 This applies to a greater or less extent wherever he is found. 



This is written to show that the despised hedntant is an 

 element not to be overlooked in the attempt to enforce game 

 laws, and the Game Commissioners of Maine have their 

 work cut out, if they mean to prevent lawlessness, as the 

 whole northern frontier of Maine is lined with these people, to 

 say nothing of the number employed in the lumbering districts 

 of the State. I do not mean to cast a slur upon the French 

 Canadian, as I do not think he is any more unscrupulous 

 than the average back-country settler of any nationality, but 

 he is certainly more dangerous, from his knowledge of 

 woodcraft and his adaptability to the pursuit of game. In 

 our settled districts the game has been driven off through 

 the non-observance of the law. I speak now more particul- 

 arly of wildfowl, etc., and we of the Province of Quebec 

 must wake up to a sense of our duty and find some other 

 occupation for the hundreds of families who now eke out a 

 precarious living from our streams and marshes. 



I have spent many days among these people and found 

 them honest and hospitable, but their innate love of indolence 

 makes them undesirable neighbors in any locality where it 

 is necessary to protect game, as with the habitant to see is to 

 kill, if he can. One example made of these skin-hunters 

 along the Maine border would be reported far and near, and 

 a wholesome respect engendered for a State that would and 

 could enforce its laws. We are endeavoring as far as we 

 can to punish offenders, but not one in a hundred is caught. 

 We have no men whose business it is to catch the fellows 

 who go skin-hunting in the early spring, so game is being 

 slaughtered at a rate that threatens extermination. 



Our Fish and Game Protection Club is doing a good work 

 but its efforts are to a great extent rendered futile by the 

 senseless tinkering of the game laws by our Legislature. 

 Instance the fact, that a law was passed practically prohibit- 

 ing spring shooting, but owing to some petty local* influences 

 this was repealed the following year, and the spring 

 slaughter was continued. What a pity that all States and 

 Provinces cannot agree to pass laws preventing spring shoot- 

 ing. Another instance of our progressiveness. The law 

 was actually amended so as to permit of ruffed grouse being 

 snared. You see our habitant is a powerful factor, and 

 cannot be ignored when he can give such an account of 

 himself and his influence. Sportsmen of the United States 

 growl about their game laws, but have you a State that 

 permits snaring of ruffed grouse? 



I hope your crusade against hounding of deer in New 

 York State may be successful. I remember years ago when 

 game was plentiful in the Adirondacks, but have not hunted 

 there for years, but even then hounding was killing them off 

 wholesale. Caribou. 



Quebec, Canada. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I know the country all along from the Megalloway, on 

 the border, to Calais. It is a fact that hundreds of moose 

 are slaughtered crusting by the Canucks, Indians and New 

 Brunswickers, and some by Maine residents. It is in those 

 far-back camps where the meat is mostly used, although not 



10 per cent, of that killed is utilized, being so far from 

 camps. Two men near Patten butchered over twenty mocse. 

 a year ago last spring on the east branch of the Penobscot. 

 Warden McLain got evidence, had them indicted, and then 

 let them off on their promising not to do so again. About 

 that time he intercepted Indians at Musardis with a raft 

 loaded with moose pelts, yet allowed them to go scott free. 

 Is this the way to stop slaughter? Ask men who worked in 

 the camps on the Upper Penobscot and at the headwaters 

 of the Aroostook and they will tell you they had moose meat 

 plenty. Why, freight is '$25 per ton from Hamilton to the 

 nearest of these camps, and more from Mattawamkeag to 

 Upper Penobscot. Thus there is a market for meat that 

 doesn't pay freight. It is no use for Mr. Hardy to deny it. 

 Men do hunt Sundays from the camps. Last spring some 

 moose were killed not twelve miles from here by the chop- 

 pers one Sunday, and the hides were carried out in plain 

 sight as they went out to their homes in New Brunswick. 

 In the Rangeley country there was always to be had plenty of 

 evidence of the Canucks coming over on the Maine side 

 skin-hunting. Thev made their brags they would clean out 

 the Maine side. These fellows will make wonderful long 

 tramps, lie out nights, almost starve, even, to find a moose 

 yard. Any of our folks would die under such strain. 



Now our commissioners and warden know all about this; 

 but they are content to stop at the spiggot and waste at the 

 bunghole. The Maine men who hunt and trap know all 

 about this thing, and they probably will not deny that once 

 in a while they themselves get some meat out of season when 

 it is really needed, but as a class thehunters despise above all 

 things those who kill for hides alone. 



It is against their interest to have this done. It may be 

 asked why the hunters and right-thinking lumbermen don't 

 expose the guilty ones. There are obvious reasons that apply 

 to this or to other affairs of like kind. But we have men 

 appointed whose business it is, and for which they are paid, 

 yet they do not enforce the law except as against some out- 

 sider of means and respectability, men who seldom kill more 

 than one and leave a big lot of money. The cost of travel 

 is as nothing to what they spend otherwise. I don't allow 

 that this is right; but would ask the commissioners to do 

 their duty elsewhere and where it would count most. I would 

 give this to the public and very much more, but it would 

 not avail. Such men as Mr. Hardy, whose business is in- 

 volved, would contradict me. If you want to get at the 

 truth, come up here and go out where I send you and you 

 can have it if you go the right way about it. 



One Who Knows. 



Portland, Maine; 



A "DEER HUNT" ON THE OSAGE. 



ABOUT the middle of November a party of four of us 

 started for the Osage River and a deer hunt. None of 

 us had ever killed a deer, but there was not one in the party 

 who didn't consider himself buck-fever proof and competent 

 to knock over any deer that should come within fifty yards 

 of his stand. Each was armed with his favorite breech- 

 loading shotgun, and there were shells enough in the party 

 to load a pack mule. 



We got an early start, intending to make Riffle's Hotel by 

 night. " Slippery Tom was "met up with" about 10 o'clock 

 and consented to bear us company as far as Riffle's. Time 

 passed merrily with song and joke. Dining at Rocky 

 Mount, we reached the beautiful limpid Gravoix late in the 

 afternoon, and soon pulled up at our stopping place, having 

 made the Riffle nicely. The host, Old Riffle, was a char- 

 acter — Pennsylvania German, big and fat, ample "bay win- 

 dow," dark as an Indian, and swore like a trooper. "Oldt 

 man" and "oldt 'oman" were a good talking team and talked 

 a race for our benefit during supper. Frank: bet on the "oldt 

 'oman" and Billon "oldt man," but when we finished sup- 

 per the race was declared a dead heat. After listening to 

 some of Riffle's yarns and Chuck's songs we retired. 



We got a daylight start the next morning, and bidding 

 Tom farewell, were soon out of hearing of the old man: 

 "Oh, yes, but 1 likes dem poys!" About ten o'clock we 

 overhauled a darky blacksmith* who was known to Frank, 

 who stated that Arnholtz's, which was our objective point, 

 was overrun with hunters, who had been hounding deer for 

 three weeks, and that he would advise going in toward Lew 

 and Henry Smith's, where there had been no hunting. Frank 

 and Elmer, fortunately, were well acquainted with the 

 Smiths and being sure of a welcome, it was decided to take 

 blacky's advice and head for Smith's, and we arrived at 

 Uncle Lew's, as he is called, in time for dinner. Uncle 

 Lew and his wife gave the party a hearty welcome, "So 

 boys, ye came down to git a deer, did ye?" said Uncle Lew, 

 "Well, I'm dad busted if I aint been a workin' too hard, 

 lately; an' I'll jest lay off a spell an' go with ye, an' if we 

 don't git a deer — well by gum, we'll call the gals in an' 

 have a dance anyhow!" 



As there wasn't time to go over to Henry's for the dogs 

 and have a drive that afternoon, all hands started for the 

 "marsh pond" after ducks, but the water was so low that 

 although there were plenty of ducks in sight on the open 

 water near the center of the marsh, we were unable to get 

 within shot of them. It soon commenced raining as though 

 for a second flood, and before we got back to the house we 

 were soaked ; but we were soon in humor to listen to Uncle 

 Lew's fiddle, while we wiped our wet guns and got ready for 

 the morrow's deer. 



Uncle Lew fiddled the boys to sleep, and came into the 

 room the next morning before we were awake to give Frank 

 a tune that he had forgotten to play the evening before. He 

 finally fiddled us to breakfast, and then consented to leave 

 his fiddle for a few minutes while he made an attack on the 

 ham and eggs. After breakfast we started for Uncle Henry's, 

 where we arrived just in time to escape another soaking. 

 The rain continued to pour down, and soon drove Uncle 

 Henry's boys from the coal prospect they were developing. 

 When all were assembled there was a "gut scraping" such as 

 I never again expect to hear. 



Uncle Henry had six boys and each boy had a fiddle, be- 

 sides which there reclined against the wall a bass viol and an 

 accordeon. The boys, all put together, couldn't play one 

 good tune; but what mattered that? Uncle Lew was in his 

 element as leader and instructor, and the boys hadn't so 

 goodly an audience for a 'coon's age. So everything was 

 ripe for a grand concert, and they had it. The catgut 

 screeched and shrieked until dinner time, shortly after 

 which the rain ceased and we prepared to have a drive. Un- 

 fortunately the hounds were out of kelter; one had gone off 

 with Wells's pack and Old Jack had a friend of the gentler 

 sex visiting him whom he could not be prevailed upon to 

 leave; so we decided to have a short drive with the old yel- 

 low cur. But we jumped nothing except one skunk and a 

 bunch of wild turkeys, which Bill shot at but failed to score. 



Upon returning to the house one of the boys was dispatched 

 to secure Wells and his pack of hounds and another was sent 

 after a second pack, so as to guard against disappointment 

 on the morrow. Directly after supper the fiddling was 

 again in full blast, and we were soon glad to escape by going 

 to bed. 



We were up betimes in the morning, and eight bold hun- 

 ters were soon stationed on the runways, anxiously awaiting 

 the music of the hounds. Again we were disappointed. 

 The reinforcements sent for failed to put in an appear? nee. 

 So the drivers again used the "yaller cm," but failed to 

 jump a deer. We then went back to Uncle Lew's and as 

 we drew near the house Frank says: "Well, Dncle Lew, 

 if you can't get any other kind of deer we must have woolly 

 deer," and with that he blazed away at a sheep running past 

 and killed it. So we had fresh miitton for supper. In the 

 afternoon we all went squirrel hunting, and secured a nice 

 bunch of gray and fox squirrels. Runners weie sent out 

 to secure hounds for the next day's drive, but returned with- 

 out success. 



After being fiddled to sleep, as usual, we arose in the 

 morning with the thought that this was our last day, and 

 no prospect of a deer. Frank and Bill rode the mules to 

 Linn Creek, and brought back Wells, the "king of Osage 

 fiddlers;" and the rest of us secured a fine bag of squirrels. 

 While after squirrels we saw where a deer had been feeding 

 in the cornfield, and tracked him to the river's edge, where 

 he probably swam across. That was as close as we came to 

 getting a deer. The afternoon was put in fiddling and shoot- 

 ing targets. Invitations had been sent to the "gals" and 

 boys for the dance Uncle Lew had promised us, and by six 

 o'clock the dancers began to arrive. 



By seven the dance was in full blast, and as Jack Crabtree 

 remarked, "The way Wells and Uncle Lew shook up them 

 'ere fiddles was a caution ter 'coons." We enjoyed the dance 

 immeusely, and kept it up until the early morning hours. 

 Frank made a conquest of the girl in the velvet dress, and 

 from a few remarks I overheard between two girls, I 

 judged Bill was "a great feller fer kissen." 



Next morning we bid Uncle Lew and household good-bye 

 and headed for home, with a week's fun to our credit but no 

 deer. Osage. 



Hioh Point, Missouri. 



ARKANSAS GAME LAWS. 



THE new Arkansas game law, approved Feb. 28, 1885, 

 provides: Section 1. That it shall be unlawful to 

 catch, kill or injure, or pursue with intent to catch, kill or 

 injure, or to pursue or chase with dogs, without such intent, 

 any wild buck deer, doe or fawn in this State between the 

 first day of February and the first day of September in any 

 year; and it shall also be unlawful to catch, kill or injure, 

 or pursue with intent to catch, kill or injure, any wild tur- 

 key, between the first day of May and the first day of Sept 

 ember in any year, and it shall also be unlawful to catch, 

 kill or injur*, or pursue with intent to catch, kill or injure, 

 any pinnated grouse (commonly called prairie chicken), be- 

 tween the first day of February and the first daj r of Septem- 

 ber in each year; or any quail (sometimes called Virginia 

 partridge), between the first day of March and the first day 

 of October in each year. 



Sec 2. It shall be unlawful at any and all seasons of the 

 year to take, catch or kill, by means of auy partridge-nut, or 

 other net, or by traps, pens, pits, or other devices of any 

 kind, any pinnated grouse (commonly called prairie chicken) 

 or any quail (sometimes called Virginia partridge), or any 

 wild turkey; provided that nothing in this section shall be 

 construed to prohibit any person, or the minor children of 

 any person, from netting, trapping or otherwise killing or 

 catching any of the birds aforesaid, on his or her own prem- 

 ises, in the open or unprohibited season; nor shall it. prohibit 

 any person from killing, on his own premises, any of the 

 birds aforesaid, in the act of destroying fruit or grapes. 



Sec. 3. It shall be unlawful to destroy, disturb or rob the 

 nests of any wild birds whatsoever, except those of crow*, 

 blackbirds, hawks, owls, eagles and birds of prey. 



Sec. 4. It shall be unlawful for any person to purchase, 

 have in possession, or expose for sale, any of the birds or 

 game mentioned in Section 1 of this Act during the season 

 when the catching, killing or injuring thereof is by this Act 

 prohibited. 



Sec. 6. It shall be unlawful for any railroad company, ex- 

 press company', steamboat company or other company or 

 corporation, or private person, to have in possession, or re- 

 ceive for transportation or carriage, or for any other pur- 

 pose whatsoever, any of the game or buds mentioned in Sec- 

 tion 1 of this Act during the season when the killing, catch- 

 ing or injuring the same is hereby prohibited. 



Sec. 6. Any person violatiug any of the provisions of this 

 Act shall be deemed gudty of a misdemeanor, and upon con- 

 viction thereof shall be fined in any sum not less than three 

 nor more than ten dollars for each bird killed, caught or in- 

 jured, or had in possession; and not less than ten nor more 

 than twenty dollars for eack buck deer, doe or fawn caught, 

 killed or injured, or chased, or had in possession; and not 

 less than three dollars nor more than ten for each nest of 

 eggs destroyed as aforesaid, together with the costs of prose- 

 cution. 



Sec. 7. Any violation of this Act may be prosecuted be- 

 fore any officer or court having jurisdiction to try cases of 

 misdemeanor, in like manner as in other cases of misde- 

 meanor; and it is hereby made the duty of all sheriff s , con- 

 stables, coroners, marshals, market masters and police 

 officers to arrest all persons found violating any of the pro- 

 visions of this Act. 



Sec. 8. That this Act shall take effect and be in force 

 from and after its passage. 



SOME REMARKABLE SHOTS. 



Editor Ft> rest rend Stream: 



The Doctor took his .32-caliber rifle, went out on the lawn, 

 found a bottle and stuck it up fifty yards from the house, 

 came back to the piazza, carefully raised the rifle and fired. 

 A puff of dust was the only result. Again and again he 

 tried it with no better success. At last, probably to stop my 

 laughter and sarcastic remarks, he invited me to try it. This 

 didn't suit my views in the least, as my skill with the rifle is 

 not of the first order. However, there was no help for it. I 

 took the rifle from him, determined to do my best, but I had 

 hardly leveled when puff I bang! away she 'went. My first 

 impulse was to claim another trial, but happening to glance 

 in the direction of the bottle I saw that the ball had struck 

 it; so 1 quickly handed the gun back, and said, "Pretty good 

 gun, Doc." Chip. 



Enqlewood, N. J. 



