188 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



lOcT. 3, 1885. 



A GUN SLING FOR THE SADDLE. 



Editor ForeU and Stream: 



There are doubtless many who like myself find enjovment 

 in hunting in the saddle, and have experienced the difficulty 

 of carrying tiie gun even with the horse walking, but wheii 

 the gait is increased to a trot or a lope, liow the gun does 

 thump on one's shoulders! If carried in the hollow of the 

 arm it must be beld with one hand, and this prevents the 

 free use of the other in reining, or if carried under one arm 

 (as when, afoot and in passing through a crowded street) it 

 hammers away on the knee-cap until in desperation it is 

 placed across the saddle in front of the rider, where one hand 

 must hold it in place and try at the same time to prevent its 

 chafing the rider, the saddle and itself. 



Tor the benefit of those sportsmen on hor.seback, 1 wish to 

 call their attention to a simple device which I use for hold- 

 ing a gun. About three years ago while hunting in company 

 with a Spaniard we had occasion to ride some twenty miles 

 iu the saddle, part of the way over level grohnd, where the 

 speed of our horses made the carrying of a ten-pound rifle 

 most aunoying. Soon after starting, Manuel drew from one 

 of his pockets a heavy jjiece of harness leather, shaped as 

 shown in the following diagram: 



Passing tbe opening No. 1 over the pommel of the saddle, 

 he held the end G in his left hand, laid tbe gun barrel across 

 the sling, muzzle to the left, with his right ; carried the end G 

 forward over the barrel and looped the hole No. 3 over the pom- 

 mel, and pushing his rifle further through until it stopped at 

 the lever, the gun was fast. When he wanted to use the 

 weapon, the right hand withdrew the gun partly out, and 

 the left hand threw off the end G. With a short bairel the 

 gun can be easily withdrawn without unlooping G. 



The "life size" pattern which T inclose is taken from the 

 sling which I have used more than two years. The width 

 of Manuel's sling was 3^ inches, but I find 5^ inches gives a 

 better bearing for a gun. 



My sling is made for a double barrel shotgun, and yet 

 answers for a rifle, if one hand is used to steady it when lop- 

 ing. 



The important measurement is from A to B, which for a 

 shotgun is about ten mches. I suppose a rifle sling would 

 need to be one or two inches less. Make it of thick, pliable 

 harness leather, which may be given a fancy finish by stamp- 

 ing. If you cut oue of 3l inches wide, make AD f inches, 

 and the other end in proportion. If 5* inches wide make 

 AC li inches. If the openings 1 and 2 (especially 2) will 

 not readily pass over the pommel, make a cut of half an inch 

 or more at the bottom of each as shown by the dotted lines 

 EE. The holes should be about the size of the neck of the 

 pommel, two inches in my sling. 



. Understand that the gun does not pass through either 1 or 

 3, but rests in the space between them. When carrying a 

 magazine rifle with cartridges in the magazine I keep the 

 gun horizontal, with one hand resting on the stock. If 

 carrying a shotgun, and you get off to walk, leading the 

 horse, it is well to tie apau'of saddle strings over the barrels. 

 The weight of a rifle barrel will keep the muzzle down, with 

 the gun at an angle of about 45". I have had a gun fall out 

 but once, and that was a shotgun. My horse stepped into a 

 badger bole full of water and threw me, and in plunging to 

 regain his feet the muzzle was thrown up and this allowed 

 the £run to slip from the sling. 



The device may be familiar to many, but it was a revela- 

 tion to me when I saw the use for which it was intended. 

 Many persons to whom I have given patterns and explained 

 its use express themselves in highest praise of its conveni- 

 ence. 



I have seen a long leather holster used for carrying a car- 

 bine in the saddle. It was attached to one side of the saddle 

 in front and held the carbine in a i^erpendicular position, 

 with the butt-plate a foot above the pommel. It did not 

 appear to me as if the gun could be quickly withdrawn, and 

 it certainly was more cumbersome than the sling I have 

 described. W. E. B. 



Oakland, Cal. 



A FLOCK OF DUCKS ON RYE POND. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



Jack and I were awakened from a sound sleep by Uncle 

 John, who informed us that our breakfast was ready and 

 that we must turn out "spry, lively," if we were "going up 

 to the pond after those ducks that morning." Uncle John is 

 an old gentleman who has passed the allotted three score and 

 ten, but is almost as straight and active as a man of thirty. 

 He is a good shot and a great lover of field sports. Many a 

 story has he related to us about his experience in years gone 

 by, in moose and deer hunting in Canada and Northern 

 New York, when with the old-fashioned flintlock muzzle- 

 loader and globe bullet, snowshoes, etc., he has supplied the 

 larder with meat. 



Long before daylight old Billy was harnessed to the ex- 

 press wagon and we were on the road to Rye Pond. Uncle 

 John was armed with a double-barreled muzzleloading shot- 

 gun that had "seen service for forty years," he told us, and 

 he had never known it to fail him; so if vye found the ducks 

 he wanted to "show us that there was some virtue in the old 

 gun u.-; w^ell as our new-fangled breechloaders." He used as 

 much powder as he thought .suitable for it. and the same rule 

 applied to his method of measuring the charge of BB shot. 

 His proportions of powder and lead, he informed us, was 

 "about a bushel of powder to three pecks of shot." ^'e 

 aixived at the pond about daybreak, and it was agreed that 

 Uncle John was to go up to the feeding ground on one side 

 of the narrow pond and do his best at crawling upon them, 

 while Jack and T were to go farther up and pay our compli- 

 meuts to them as they flew past. 



With a field glass we discovered thattheducks were there, 

 as had been predicted, an^i we each started for our separate 

 posts. Jack and 1 soon ari is-cd at a good location, where we 

 found some goofl natural blinds iu the form of some young 

 cedar trees. W'c wailed until our patience was nearly ex- 

 hausted, for we could see the ducks very plainly from the 

 blind about a hundred yards down the pond. However, 

 there is an end to all w^aitiug, and presently there was a flash, 

 a crash and a roar, quickly followed by another that seemed 



to shake the earth, and as it echoed and reechoed between 

 the hills and mountains we realized that Uncle John had 

 "got in his work;" and as we saw the ducks coming for us 

 head on, we hugged the ground as close as possible. We 

 were intending to wait until they had passed us before we 

 delivered our fire, but when fifty yards from us, and comin«- 

 straight for us, Jack exclaimed, "Great Scott, how they are 

 climbing! up guards and at them," 



As Jack jumped to his feet the birds sheered off sharply 

 to the right hand, and as Jack afterward expressed it "they 

 climbed a little more than straight up." There were five of 

 them that had survived the terrible noise of Uncle John's 

 muzzleloader, and Jack brought down two with the first 

 barrel and made a clean miss with the second. Now comes 

 the time if ever to test the shooting qualities of the choke- 

 bored ten-gauge, as well as the shooting of the man behind 

 it. Three large black ducks sixty yards away, and climbing 

 for all they are worth. There is one fifteen feet ahead of the 

 other two, which are close together. The gun is carfully 

 held a little ahead of the leader, the trigger is pulled and 

 down come the two rear ones. In sheer desperation I try to 

 get some kind of a sight away ahead and I believe that the 

 gun went off on its own account (whether accidentally or 

 intentionally I am unable to say), but at any rate the duck 

 came down, down, and struck the water with a splash. 



"Well," exclaimed Jack, "there isone thing certain, and 

 that is that flock of ducks are all here just the same as before 

 we fired into them, an occurrence which I never before wit- 

 nessed." 



We soon retrieve our birds, and just as we are about to 

 start down to where Uncle J. is, the old muzzleloader roars 

 again and a cripple is stopped in his endeavors to get away. 

 We soon hail the old man and inquire what he has been 

 about. "Well," replied he, "when this old gun goes off 

 she goes for game, and the first barrel stopped four and when 

 they arose from the water I gave them the second and two 

 more came down, but one of them 1 had to use that last 

 charge on." We were fortunate to find an old boat with 

 which we retrieved the ducks, and as we made our way back 

 to the team we fslt that there is something to five for in this 

 world besides the almighty dollar and that there is something 

 in outdoor sports and recreation that prevents a man from 

 ever growing old. For here is Uncle John as full of joy 

 over om- success as a boy of sixteen. May he never grow 

 old. 



On the way home Uncle J. suggested that "we cut across 

 the fields with our guns and perhaps we could get some 

 shooting." We were going up hill in an old road, the use of 

 which has long been discontinued for public travel, when 

 Jack suddenly wheeled around, and discharging both barrels 

 in quick succession, succeeded in bringing down a wild 

 pigeon at long range, the first that I have seen for several 

 years. When I was a hoy (which I do not care to say was 

 how many years ago) wild pigeons were very plenty, and 

 about the last of August we always began to hunt for them 

 wherever we could find wild cherry trees or buckwheat 

 fields, and we could generally kill all that we wished to com- 

 pound our pot-pies with, but they are a thing of the past 

 here in New England, and it is seldom that 1 see one or hear 

 of their being shot. 



We arrived at the house before noon, pretty well tired out, 

 but our appetites were as sharp as a schoolboy's, and the 

 way that we disposed of broiled grouse, potatoes, johnny 

 cakes and fresh milk was a caution to dyspeptics. After 

 dinner the shotguns were cleaned and packed in their cases, 

 for we have only one more day, and the rifles are to be used, 

 the result of which I will tell you in another letter. 



Iron Ramrod. 



SOMEEVILLE, MaSS. 



Canada and Vermont. — Highgate, Vt., Sept. 23. — Since 

 the commencement of the open season for fowl shooting the 

 writer has rambled -with Greener and Irish setter over a por- 

 tion of the Provinces of Quebec and Eastern Ontario, as Avell 

 as through the northwestern part of my own State, and can 

 report woodcock, ruft'ed grouse and plover as being plenty, 

 and native-bred duck numerous, gray squirrels scarce, coons 

 and foxes fairly plenty. Snipe verv scarce; in fact as far as 

 our marshes here go, none. The continued high water here 

 last .spring prevented them from nesting here. So there are 

 no natives, and it is too early for flight birds unless the 

 present cold storm which has covered our hills with snow 

 brings them. A large number of duck bred in our marshes 

 during the past summer, but they were during the first few 

 days of the open season subjected to such a heavy fusiladc 

 from the breechloaders that they left for quieter climes, and 

 the B. L.'s will remain idle until the late duck arrive. It is 

 not the sportsman who drives our native birds away so early 

 in the season, but it is a gang of fellows who are out, it 

 would seem, for the sole purpose of burning powder. If a 

 duck comes in sight iliey pump cartridges into their guns 

 and blaze away as fast as possible until the bird disappears 

 from view; they kill no game but drive it away. We are 

 greatly troubled here with this kind of a nuisance; more so, 

 i believe, than in other localities, unless it is in the vicinity 

 of large cities; and this evil is increasing ^apidl3^ Who can 

 devise a remedy for it?— Stanstead. 



Three Loons at Two Rifle Shots. — Editor Forest and 

 Stream: A httle incident occurred on Massapequa Lake a 

 few days since which is really entitled to a public notice. 

 Mr. Wm. Robison, of the New^ York Stock Exchange, killed 

 with his repealing rifle three helidivers in two shots. Of 

 all the birds that swim, helidivers are probably the most 

 difficult to shoot on the water, as they swim with their backs 

 level with the surface, and nothing exposed but a slim neck 

 and small head. The first shot was at a .single diver about 

 fifty yards, putting a bullet through the neck. The second 

 was at two bhds nearly one hundred yards distant, the bul- 

 let passing through the necks of both, and of course both 

 were instantly killed. A shot so remarkable almost chal- 

 lensres belief, but having seen the birds and knowing the 

 facts I can attest the truth of the above statement. — W. F. I. 

 (South Oyster Bay, L. I., Sept. 24). 



Cahoots. — I see the word cahoots has called out some 

 correspondents, with more of less of witticism and criticism. 

 It is a good, strong American word. True, it may be ap- 

 plied to a partnership of thieves, as may any word that im- 

 plies partnership. But it will apply as well to bank 

 presidents as to bank robbers, and it stands for a little more 

 than partnership with hunters and woodsmen. It means 

 equality and fraternity. An equal sharing of pains and 

 pleasures, profits and losses, and that each stand by the other 

 in all dangers and difiiculties. In short, it iqeap.s cahoots. — 

 Nessmuk. 



"Woodcraet" Outdone.— ^'tor Forest and Stream: 

 Does not the wise author of "Woodcraft" recommend to 

 black-fly-jjestered humanity to swab on the insect repellent 

 and abstain from ablutions until safely out of the woods"? Is 

 "Nessmuk" a Mm or an Abor? This is what those primi- 

 tive folks do when they go hunting: "I will now tell you a 

 funny custom, and a very dirty custom, among the hill 

 tribes about here, viz., Miris and Abors. When they go on 

 an expedition of this sort, and they do not know how iit will 

 turn out, life or death, they cannot wash their faces or 

 hands— in fact, they must not touch water, except for cook- 

 ing and drinking— until such expedition be over; iu other 

 words, until they return. If they do, the expedition will 

 come to grief, they will come to harm, they will not be able 

 to perform what they went to do, and all sorts of things will 

 happen. You can imagine these poor ignorant people's con- 

 sternation to see Needham and I having a jolly good bathe 

 and putting the stopper on all that by shaving. This nearly 

 drove them wild with fright, and we could not get them 

 steady until we had used very forcible language." "Did the 

 "Woodcraft" man go to the hills of Western India for his 

 anti-fresh-water fancy ? — Meat-Hawk, 



A Massachusetts Bear Hunt.— Worthington, Mass., 

 Sept. 2^.— Editor Forest and Stream: Sunday, the 20th, was 

 a day of great excitement in town. As W. Hayden was on 

 his way to church, he saw a bear cross the road near the 

 center of the tov/n. The news spread, and after an hour 

 two dogs, one belonging to Mr. F. 0. Beach, the other a 

 young hound belonging to Mr. A. C. Stevens, were put on 

 the track, but show-ed much fear, and it was some time 

 before they could be made to follow. At last the bear was 

 started, and after a run of three miles the dogs came up 

 with him, but were no match for him. As the men came up 

 he ran back toward the center, but there were so many men 

 out he was soon headed off. One man fired at him twice, 

 but did not stop him. Soon he came upon a boy, who shot 

 at him about twenty feet away, and after two shots and the 

 use of a club by a man he was at last killed. This is the 

 first bear that has been killed in this town for more than 

 seventy years. It is thought to be one of three seen west of 

 here some weeks ago. It was a yearling and weighed ninety 

 pounds. The skin has been mounted by C. Bates and will 

 be placed in the public library in this town. —Pox. 



Philadelphia Notes. — The rail season thus far has been 

 a very unsatisfactory one, and but five birds have been killed. 

 When good tides occurred the raU had not arrived, and since 

 their coming there has not been water enough to allow push- 

 ing to where the birds keep. I have no doubt there are the 

 usual number of rail on the grounds, but it will take a storm 

 tide to reach them. Reed birds have about all gone but the 

 crippled ones. Snipe are dropping iu and teal ducks are becom- 

 ing plentiful. I hear from the Lehigh Yalloy that woodcock 

 have begun to arrive, and those new comers from northerly 

 sections joining the birds that have bred in the valley make 

 the prospect of sport good at any time now. A few' flocks 

 of creakers, jack snipe they call them here, occupy the mud 

 flats of the Delaware at low tide, and are in good condition; 

 but hard to approach. Some little yellowlegs are with these 

 flocks. Although somewhat early, some '"lack ducks and 

 teal have reached Tuckerton and Barnegat Bay, N. J. They 

 are protected (so called) by the law for a httle while yet in 

 those waters, but are regularly gunned for as soon as" they 

 show themselves. — Hoiio. 



Washincton's Testimony. — Among James Parton's ex- 

 tracts from Washington's diary I found the following: 

 "Went hunting after breakfast and found a fox at Muddy 

 Hole, and killed her after a chase of better than two hours, 

 and after treeing her twice, the last which time she tell dead 

 out of the tree, after being there several minutes apparently 

 well." That settles it. "George Washington, although a 

 Virginian, "could not tell a lie" (Moncure Conway to the 

 contrary notwithstanding) about so serious a matter as to 

 foxes climbing trees. — J^ L. Davison (Lockport, N. Y., 

 Sept. 22). Tell "Skeptic" foxes do climb trees, at least certain 

 trees on certain occasions. Early in the morning, one day last 

 winter, my boys discovered a red fox in an apple tree in my 

 orchard, eating frozen apples. The tree was a little slanting 

 but he was well up in the top.— J. G. R. (Bethel, Me.). 



They Tramp Hard but Get no Bikus.— Springfield, 

 Mass., Sept. 28. — Editor Forest and Stream: Messrs. Brad- 

 ford, Colburu and S. T. Hammond, of this city, have Ijten 

 out three successive Saturdays tramping the grouse covers. 

 They have worked faithfully, worked hark, worked per.siit- 

 ently ; have put in all their hunting sense, have banged away 

 singly and all together; have gone out each succeeding week 

 with renewed determination, and have halted only for a 

 hurried lunch at noonday, yet not a feather have the}' scored. 

 They claim that the birds have all been educated up to the 

 fourth notch, so to speak; and this excuse, though pretty 

 lame, is perhap.s the right one. Messrs. Colbura and Brad- 

 ford are tired, but Mr. Hammond says he will score a grouse 

 if it takes all season. — Santiago. 



The Kind of a Gdn he is.— A correspondent of the 

 Florence, Wis., Minimj JVews, who evidently has some sort 

 of a grievance against one of his neighbors, says of him: 

 "He did not say how much time to give the homesteaders to 

 skin out, but they had betier not wait for any ceremonies as 

 he claims to be a higher gun in authority than President 

 Cleveland, hut what kind of a gun is not mentioned. I 

 believe he is too poorly constructed to be called a cannon 

 and the material is too soft for a musket, he has neither lock, 

 stock nor barrel, there is not sufficient material about him to 

 make a ramrod, nor a cartridge, nor even a wad. He is not 

 a percussion cap, nor a revolver, and I cannot see that he 

 has any claims to anything higher than a small pop-gun 

 made from dogwood." 



Leavenworth, Kan., Sept. 25.— Prairie-chicken shooting 

 is very poor this year. I think it is because cold and wet 

 weather iu the spring prevented the eggs from hatching. 

 Teal ducks arc plenty in the lakes in the river bottoms. In 

 company with several others made a bag of 42 the other day; 

 but going over a few days after only got six wood duck. 

 The flight is very irregular. Hearing so much about wild 

 rice, I would like to know something about it. What depth 

 of watei does it require, and does it grow well in Kansas? 

 Quail promise to be quite plenty, and our sportsmen are anx- 

 iously awaiting the time when the law will permit them to 

 hunt, Oct. 1.— NrMROD, Jr, 



