228 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



LOcT. 15. 1885. 



ter, immediately after the first snow, 5th to middle of Noveiu- 

 lier, is the hest time for carihou hunting. 



I know of one person who shot ten caribou in one day 

 this winter only four miles from Newcastle station, and three 

 more on his way home the next day. After I left the Savogle 

 River with my moose, an Indian shot six move near ilic 

 same place. U. J. M. 



Kewoastle, New BrunswicK. 



[As the law forbids moose hunting in New Brunswick 

 after Feb. 1, the reader is warned not to take the advide of 

 "H. J. M." as to season, unless desirous of makine; himself 

 liable to punishment as "H. J. M,"was for infrmgiug the 

 game law.] 



COLORADO GAME. 



Editor ForcM mid Stream: 



The first flight of wild geese south was observed here on 

 about Sept. 29. Only two or three flocks have been reported 

 to the writer. Duclis arc plentiful in all our waters, and 

 have been for a month or more. SportRineu bring in good 

 bags, but no large slaughter of thent is reported. Our first 

 frost came yesterday niorning, but it was not severe. 



An o<-.casional buffalo or a'small herd is yet found in the 

 State. Several have been killed and more seen ou t he plains 

 in the eastern part of the State during the past summer. 

 One cattle herder near Kit Oarson kilted two. The other 

 day a herder not far from Trinidad killed a cow and cap- 

 tured a calf. He picketed the latter out over night and in 

 the morning found it choked to death. BulTalo have been 

 reported within the last few months on the snowy range be- 

 tween Middle and North Parks; on the Gore range, further 

 to the westward, and about the headwaters of Roaring Fork 

 of Grand River and headwaters of the Gmmison; in no case 

 more than a very few animals. Hunters are killing a few 

 elk and deer, but the great abimdanee of game that formerly 

 prevailed is gone forever. ' "W. N. B. 



Denver, Col., Oct. 7. 



PHILADELPHIA NOTES. 



RAIL shooting h.as been better for the past week than 

 during the whole season, the easterly winds and 

 storms bringing much water into the river. Although many 

 birds had left for the South, those that remained were easily 

 gotten at and in capital order. The storm likewise has made 

 duck shooting good, comparatively speaking; the fowl that 

 have lately come are young and can be paddled on readily. 

 Teal and gray ducks still continue to reach our waters, the 

 seeds of the reed affording them excellent food. Some 

 snipe are now killed, but the rank growth of vegetation 

 which covers the meadows at this time does not make at- 

 tractive feeding grounds, and the birds in the main still use 

 the flats at low water and are hard to reach. Many rail are 

 being killed along the reed-fringed ditches with spaniels to 

 start them on the'wing. We hear of plenty of quaii, but 

 learn again the birds are yet small. Oct. 15 is too early to 

 begin shooting them here" and Nov. 1 is considered a better 

 date by sportsmen who are posted. 



A flock of Canada geese was seen going over the city 

 "high up" a few days since. No brant have yet reached 

 Barnegat or Tuckerton bays, but ducks are reported as be- 

 ginniEg to arrive. These are the marsh varieties, such as 

 black ducks, mud hens, mallards and teal. In a week or 

 ten days the bluebills, redheads and whistlers will be on the 

 gx'ounds and shooting will commence. Sportsmen who de- 

 sire good shooting ou the New Jersey bays should go early, 

 before the ducks become wild. " Hoaio." 

 Philadelphia, Oct. 11, 



DAKOTA LARGE GAME. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



This season I have had but scant time for hunting, and 

 have done none except immediately around my ranch. "How- 

 ever, I have bagged so far an antelope, nine deer (three 

 whitelail and six blacktail) and an elk, the latter a fine 

 bull but with a small head, and probably the last of his kind 

 in this immediate neighborhood. 



Since writing to you last a bear killed a man about thirty 

 miles down stream from my ranch. This was at the time of 

 the floods last spring. The man, with a companion, were 

 coming down the river on a raft, and stopped at mv ranch 

 for dinner, a few days afterward we heard from the s'urvivor 

 that they had landed to hunt a bear, and that one of them 

 followed into a thicket and was killed. A party of ranch- 

 men went out and buried the body; one of them told me 

 that the head had been crushed in, apparently by a blow 

 from the beast's paw, and that one of the arms was bitten 

 through in three places. 



This fall I found the body of a black-footed ferret {Putorius 

 nigripes) near the house. I am inclined to think that this 

 was the animal whose tracks we used to see early last winter 

 in the light snow around the prairie dog town. As I believe 

 the animal is still considered rather a rare species 1 thought 

 this record of its existence might be of interest to some of 

 your more scientific readers. 



By the way, your correspondent, Mr. H. P. TJfford, of 

 Casselton, Dakota, is, as we count distance in the West, quite 

 a near neighbor of mine. If a good wind ever blows him to- 

 ward Medora, I can promise him the certainty of a hearty 

 welcome, and the possibility of some sport with deer and 

 antelope. Theodork Roosevelt. 



Chimney Butte Eanche, Medora, Dakota, Sept. IS. 



AjN- Odd Experience with a Grouse.— Up here in 

 northeastern Connecticut birds are plenty enough to tickle 

 the noses of our dogs, but very few remain in sight long 

 enough for us to get the "circumference" as Lit, our "gillie," 

 says. One day last week, though, we had very good luck. 

 The first partridge brought to bag flew in through the opeii 

 window of our gun room; then we got the "cii-cumference" 

 of a fine woodcock, and the third bird, a partridge— weh, 

 this is the way it happened. Flash and Bang struck a 

 scent near a bunch of pines, worked their way carefully 

 along, stiffening now and then, for about fifty yards, leading 

 us into a place where it was impossible to shoot, so thick 

 and dark was it. Suddenly, with a great whir-r-r, up got 

 the bird within thirty feet of us, but completely hidden from 

 view. It whir-r-rd and whir-r-rd, but, strange to sav, the 

 sound did not grow fainter, but finally ended up with a flip- 

 flop, and all was still. We drew near, and behold, the part- 

 ridge was high and dry, caught by a snare through which it 

 had attempted to run while tlie dogs were trailing it up. 

 Lit looked sort of foolish and proposed going home— the 

 bu-ds were too thick for enjoyment. We managed, how- 

 ever, to get two more partridges and three woodcock— by 

 shooting them— 'before we reached home.— F. L. N. 



The Fox as a Tree Climber.- In your last issue, Oct. 

 1, "J. G. R." tells of "a red fox in an apple tree in my 

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

 but he was pretty well up in the top." If a person is not 

 perfectly familiar with foxes, gray and red, it is not infre- 

 quently the case that an old gi-fiy is taken for a red, and it 

 may have been a gray in the leaning apple tree; hunger may 

 have "pressed him hard," I have no means at hand of 

 determining the habits of the red fox of Maine, but if he 

 does climb trees he differs in this respect very much from 

 his red brother of Virginia, so far as the matter has fallen 

 under my ob.servatiou. In the some number a Lockport cor- 

 respondent notes that one of Washington's letters records the 

 treeing of a fox. Any fox Jiunter in Maryland or Virginia 

 would be willing to make oath that the fox which Gen. 

 Washington put into a (roc twice in two hours was a gray, 

 or that every hole in Fairfax county was stopped. When 

 the hounds "catch, " the Imnter is said to "have killed his 

 fox." When a red fox is driven to earth it is dug out if it 

 can be done, and the dogs hckl by the hunters, and the fox 

 turned loose and given twenty minutes the start of the dogs. 

 If a gray fox takes a tree he is shaken out, and if he is not at 

 once killed by the dogs when he reaches the ground he gives 

 us a rattling chase, though generally a short one. Should a 

 gray fox, however, fall into the hands of the hunter unhurt, 

 he is turned loose and given an hour the start of the dogs. 

 Sliould a inau shoot a fox, h.e Avould. in Virginia, be looked 

 upon by his neighbors as a brute. People do not eat foxes. 

 I am aware that in some parts of the United States, possibly 

 in some parts of New York, the conformation of the country 

 is such as not to allow of the fox being hunted in the usual 

 way, and some of the best and most honorable authorities 

 have written that "under such circumstances it is not, by 

 some, held unsportsmanlike to drive the fox to the gun with 

 dogs.-" At the same time they state distinctly "they could 

 take no pleasure in such sport." There are many Virginians 

 who would like to have the opinion of your able, occasional 

 contTibutor, Dr. M. G. Ellzey, as to whether the fox driven 

 to a tree twice in two hours by Gen. Washington was a gray 

 or red. Dr. EUzey was born and bred among gentlemen 

 who were ever the first of fox hunters, and was taught, as all 

 Virginia and Maryland gentlemen were and are. Gen, 

 Washington in his day included, "to ride, and shoot and 

 speak the truth." Albeit Virginians and Marylanders were 

 never taught to shoot foxes, it was needless for Geu. 

 Washington to have stated that his fox (a gray 1 have no 

 doubt) fell from the tree dead, other than as a singular 

 incident which doubtless led to an entry in his diary. No 

 one can be made to beheve he. or any other Virginia gentle- 

 man, shot, or shoot, foxes. Why Mr. Moncure Conway, who 

 I am positively sure has not fired a gun in forty years, and 

 never at a fox, should have been given a place in Mr. Davi- 

 son's note I fail to discover, I am satisfied Mr. Moncure 

 Conway does not know a gray fox from a red, and would 

 have to go to his books to tell either from a raccoon. — 

 Richard Moncure Conway. 



Bevy or Coyey2— Editor Forest and Stream: I am glad 

 to see that your correspondents "Wells" and "Coahama"are 

 standing up so bravely on the game bird nomenclature. The 

 bird which they are talking about is rightly called neither 

 "quail" nor "partridge," but they are very correct in their 

 notion that it is a silly and a purposeless change to adopt the 

 name "quail" in the South. There is another point which I 

 beg to bring to the attention of your readers — that is, the in- 

 discriminate, careless and incorrect use made of the two 

 words "bevy" and "covey." Years ago, when I was taking 

 my first lessons in shooting — and, indeed, my earliest lessons 

 in this branch of a liberal education were cotemporaneous 

 with the earliest events of my memory, for I just 

 naturally imbibed shooting lore from a father, uncles 

 and grandfather, who were all sportsmen of the old 

 school — in those days. I say, no man who professed 

 to be anything of a sportsman ever spoke of a "covey 

 of quail"' any more than of a "bevy of partridges." If 

 any one made such a blunder as that he was very deserv- 

 edly set down for an ignoramus, one outside the pale of 

 true sportsmanship — and we had true sportsmanship in those 

 days. I do not think the craft has improved in these later 

 times, and some of these days I will give you my view on 

 some things, providing, of course, you care for the tattle of 

 an— Old M^m Set in His Ways, 



Mississippi.— Aberdeen. Oct. '6.— Our open season for 

 quail began on the first of this month. Weeds are rank and 

 dogs labor under great disadvantages. Several of our local 

 sportsmen were out on the opening day, but did not meet 

 with much success, the best bag reported numbering fifteen. 

 For several days past the weather has been warm and un- 

 usually wet. Sunday was quite cool with light fro.st. To- 

 day the thermometer registers a trifle higher, but fires are 

 quite comfortable. The birds are reported plentiful and well 

 grown. After a few killing frosts, good bags may be ex- 

 pected. We have several fine shots here, but a mongrel lot 

 of dogs. — Will, Sardis, Miss. — Our quail crop is splendid 

 this season. A large covey came into my yard last week, and 

 I five about the center of the town, and not more than fifty 

 yards from the railroad depot. Sqairrels have never been 

 more abundant here than now. 'Two gentlemen went out 

 one morning last week and killed over 100 before noon. 

 Fishing has been all the summer and is still good.— W. H. C. 



Who Takes the Deer?— Sayville, L. I., Oct. 8.— Editor 

 Forest and Stream: You will oblige some of the constant 

 readers of your esteemed sporting paper by answering the 

 following question in one of the first numbers coming: Sup- 

 pose a couple of gentlemen are out hunting for deer, without 

 the assistance of dogs, another party (fourteen in number, as 

 was here the case) were out for the same purpose aud their 

 dogs, starting a buck, drove it past one of the first-mentioned 

 gentlemen, who shot and killed the deer. Now the question 

 is, to whom belongs this deer? Is there any law which gives 

 the owners of the dogs a claim or part of a claim to the said 

 deer, or does it belong to the lucky hunter who killed it? — 

 G. F. K. [We beheve the custom is for the owner of the 

 hound to take the game, but we are ready to be corrected on 

 this point.] 



Worcester, Ma«8., Oct. 9.— At the meeting this week of 

 the Sportsmen's Club, the subject of the annual outing was 

 discussed, and it was finallj^ voted to observe Wednesday, 

 Oct, 21, as the annual field day, and to have the annual 

 supper on Friday, Oct. 33. The sides chosen ai'e to be mar- 

 shalled by Col. A. J. Titus and A. H. PeiTy. These two, 

 with Webster Thayer, O. A. Benoit and W. S. Perry, are to 

 be the committee of arrangements. 



Spring Duck Shooting.— The only falling out among the 

 delegates of the National Game Law Convention, at present 

 in session in this city, arose, as was expected, out of the 

 question of spring duck shooting. When thus appKed the 

 word duck is meant to include other migratory waterfowl 

 and snipe. The largest bags of the year on almost any kind 

 of feathered game are those made each spring when water- 

 fowl are on the way north from their winter quarters. They 

 have spent the cold season in the marshes of Texas, Louisiana 

 and Florida, where they remain until the mating season has 

 arrived and nature prompts them to proceed north in search 

 of the cool places in which only can they nest. As pairing- 

 has almost invariably commenced before they set out on their 

 long flight, the birds will, lover -like, linger in dalliance at 

 every locality which pleases them, and during such periods 

 of rest, vai-ying from a week to a month, gunners get a 

 chance of slaughtering them in thousands. 'The argument 

 of the advocate for spring shooting is: "I am fond of sport; 

 I get but the shortest kind of a duck season in the fall; the 

 birds are here this spring; what are they here for? If I 

 don't shoot them now I shall have scarcely any shooting at 

 all." The last suggestion was very happily answered in the 

 convention on Tuesday by Col. Barbour, of Louisville, who 

 remarked that if spriug shooting be allowed to continue, gen- 

 tlemen need not bother themselves as to the future propor- 

 tions of their sport, as duck shooting would soon abolish 

 itself. No man of humane or sportsmanlike instincts can. 

 possibly urge that spring shooting should be allowed on 

 account of the amount of practice it oilers to a marksman, 

 and every feeling of humanity should bo aroused in behalf 

 of the duck at springtime if it is borne in mind that at the 

 time of its norlliern flight almost every one of these birds 

 is in egg. If spring-shot duck aud snipe be examined they 

 will be found not only to be full of maggots in their flesh, 

 but also 10 contain eggs varying in size from No. 6 shot to 

 the nearly matured ovum, and it must also be remembered 

 that the wild drake is monogamous. Civilization has robbed 

 the duck, as it has many other creatures, of barbaric virtues, 

 but polygamous as is the domestic drake, its wild relative is 

 the husband of but one wife. Shoot, therefore, the wild 

 drake when on its northern way and you leave its mate 

 widowed and sorrowing, and with no pos-silDility of, unaided 

 by her spouse, briuMg up the httle family she is about to 

 usher Into the world so suddenly grown all cold to her. It 

 must be added, if further argument be necessary, that duck 

 going north to nest are altogether unfit for food. Their 

 flesh, what little there is of \t,[ s rank or tasteless; their bodies 

 and feathers are often full of vermin, and their listless, apa- 

 thetic disregard of danger makes the shooting of them un- 

 worthy the name of sport. It was stated in the convention 

 on Tuesday, by a gentleman from Illinois, that in that State 

 he came across a camp of three hunters this .spring aud found 

 that they had within the short space of a few day.s shot ten 

 thousand duck, of which the men themselves said", "and not 

 one single one of them really fit to eat." Nothing further 

 than this simple statement shoidd have been necessary to in- 

 sure the abolition of the detestable practice of spriug shoot- 

 ing, one which it is to be hoped will be a thing of the past 

 as soon as the fruits of the convention now .fitting are gath- 

 ered from the different Legislatures. No bettci-'work was 

 done by the convention than the frowning down by no 

 dubious vote of so pernicious a practice. — *S'^ Louis Reptihli- 

 can. 



A Water Butcher's Narrow Escape.— Port Jervis, N. 

 Y, Oct. 9. — Early Wednesday morning Messrs. B. F. Ben- 

 net and John C. Westbrook' of Milford, accompanied by 

 Ml-. Baldwin, from New York city, went to Log Cabin Pond, 

 in Pike county, for a day's sport. By 10 o'clock they had 

 reached the upper part of the lake, where there is a dense 

 forest which usually abounds with deer. Suddenly Mr. 

 Baldwin noticed what appeared to be a large sininp floating 

 in the water. Pie called his companions' attention to it, and 

 John C. Westbrook said it was a deer, and the party started 

 in pursuit. The deer discovered that it was being followed 

 and started for shore, but before it could reach the land the 

 party overtook it. Mr. Bennet and Mr. Baldwin shot at the 

 animal and wounded it, and as the boat drew near the deer 

 showed fight. The party in the boat become frightened and 

 in the excitement the boat was upset and all found them- 

 selves in the water. Messrs. Bennet and Baldwin clung to 

 the boat and finally righted it, but Mr. Westbrook went for 

 the deer and managed to get on its back, and the frightened 

 animal carried him to shore. Just as they readied terra 

 fiima Mr. Westbrook drew a large hunting knife and cut the 

 deer's throat and it was soon dead. When the other gentle- 

 men reached the shore they found Mr, Westbrook sitting 

 alongside of his trophy in an exhausted condition. The deer 

 weighed at least 300 pounds, and had a fine set of antlers. 



RiDGEWooD, N. J., Oct. 8. — New Jersey farmers have 

 been so thoroughly annoyed by so-called sportsmen that 

 nearly every town has its game constable, aud the " 'Squire" 

 or justice of the peace treats every violator of the game laws 

 brought before him with the utmost severity. Rabbit hunt- 

 ing is the greatest nuisance, as everybody seems to consider 

 it legitimate to pull down .stone and rail fences in a chase 

 for the coveted cottontail. The open season for this jiar- 

 ticular game begins on Oct. 31, and the farmers iire now 

 busy putting up trespass signs. So thoroughly is thi.s work 

 being carried on that a run by hounds is next lo impos- 

 sible. A non-resident found trespassing with a gun may be 

 apprehended by the land owner (who has the same power as 

 a constable for that purpose), and "shall forfeit $15 and the 

 gun." Natives committing the same offense are liable to a 

 "penalty of $5 to owner, or conviction before a justice, ac- 

 tion in trespas."— Press. 



A Diminutivb Gun.— We saw in the store of Mr. Henry 

 C. Squires, on Broadway, the other day, a little gem of a 

 shotgun, of a gauge corresponding to rifle caliber .iiG. The 

 barrels were 26 inches, the weight of the arm 4 pounds 10 

 ounces. There were also rifle barrels, which could be sub- 

 stituted for the shot barrels. In the ^vindow, near the little 

 gun, was shown by way of contrast a 3-2i-pound, 4r-bore 

 hammerless gun, with 48-inch barrels, altogether a murderous 

 cannon for "duck shooting, albeit a muscular man might 

 hold it to his shoulder and so keep himself within the law. 



West Stertjng, Mass. , Oct. 5— The game prospects are 

 quite good in this vicinity. Partridges are quite plenty, also 

 gray squirrels. Several broods of quail w^ere seen in the 

 summer, but none lately. — C. 



Grassbirds. — ^In article "With the Birds at Pine Point, ' 

 granbirds .should read grassbirds. — H. A. F, 



