408 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



LDjbc. It, 188S. 



A CRUISE FOR GAME. 



ON a beautiful morning in October three of us started on 

 a cruise from one shooting ground to another, as game 

 and our inclinations led us, for four or five days. We hoped 

 in this way to pick up a few birds. We took two canoes, 

 our camping gear and three Clumber spaniels, Drake, Madge 

 and Johnny, which were all trained as duck retrievers, as well 

 as field spaniels, H. , V. and myself being their respective 

 owners. 



A good breeze was blowing. We hoisted sail on the Mud- 

 turtle, lashing alongside the small canoe, the Scaup, which 

 had no sail. It was very cold, and we felt the benefit of our 

 heavy shooting coats and woolen gloves. The wind was 

 strong, and the cm-rent with us, so, speeding a little with the 

 paddies, we got on very fast, and in four hours reached our 

 first stopping place on the island. 



By the time we had pitched our tent and got in wood for 

 the night it was almost dark, but we took om- guns and 

 managed to knock over a brace of snipe, and had a chance 

 at a woodcock, which, to our shame be it said, we missed. 

 Ducks, we decided, had left for parts unknown before our 

 arrival, as not one was seen all the evening. It was very 

 hard to find good hard logs for our fire; all the dead trees 

 near the camp had been chopped up and burnt by campers 

 during the summer, the islands being a favorite camping 

 place. However, we managed to make up a good fire for 

 warmth and cooking. There was a hay-stack a few hundred 

 yards away, and with a few armfuls'jof hay under us, we 

 had a bed fit for a king, and after chatting for a while fell 

 fast asleep. 



Before daybreak next morning H. went in one direction 

 and I in another. A:tter tramping for an hour or more with- 

 out seeing a feather I began to feel discouraged, and was 

 thinking of going back to camp, when I heard the whistling 

 of a yellowleg and answered back to him. He was very shy 

 and took a lot of coaxing; but at last came up, and as he flew 

 toward me was joined by another. As they crossed in front 

 of me over the water, I dropped one which Johnny retrieved. 

 I had marked the other one down, and going over to where 

 he was, managed to drop him at long range and the dog 

 retrieved him. 



On my return to camp I found H. had only seen one snipe, 

 which he bagged. We were much disgusted at the scarcity 

 of birds, but decided to stay there one day more, and give 

 the islands another chance.' After breakfast we took the 

 dogs and gave the covers a "rustling" for cock, but did not 

 find any. Our friend of the evening before seemed to have 

 left for a change of air. H. and I then look the large 

 canoe and Johnny and Drake, and went down to the sand 

 bar at the end of the island, hoping to see some plover, but 

 it was of no use ; there was nothing on the bar but crows, in 

 hundreds and in thousands, making a terrific noise. We 

 then tried to find a channel over the bars; there was none, 

 however, and the canoe stuck fast, so there was nothing for 

 it but to get out and pull her across or turn back. We 

 decided on the former and jumped out. It was hard work, 

 as at every step we sank over our knees in the mud, but at 

 last we got into deep water. No better luck was in store for 

 us at the other side, a couple of yellowlegs which we saw 

 being too wild to decoy. After a long circuit we got into 

 the channel leading to the camp. H. landed and walked 

 over a neck of land into a marsh, while I took the canoe 

 down to the mouth of it to meet him there. In a few min- 

 utes I heard a shot, and he called for me to bring the dogs. 

 I landed them and they ran over and retrieved a snipe which 

 he had shot, and which fell in the water out of his reach. 

 He got a brace more as he walked down the marsh, these 

 being all he saw. 



On reaching camp we found that V. had spent his time in 

 making things comfortable, having made tables and racks 

 for our plates, and brought in more hay, so we were very 

 snug. After grub I took out the decoys and watched them 

 till dark, but did not see a duck, only bagging a snipe which 

 flew over the decoys. It was a lovely evening, and the 

 beautiful, wild scenery fully compensated me for the want 

 of birds. At dusk I took in the decoys and started back to 

 camp, staggering under their weight. The others seeing me 

 with such a load, thought I must have had grand sport, but 

 were much disappointed when they found what the burden 

 was. They had seen no ducks but liad bagged a brace of snipe. 



Next morning we were up bright and early to pack up our 

 gear for a start-^" It was blowing great guns right up the 

 "river, which always makes a tremendous sea. Just before 

 getting into the canoes a snipe flew past and lit in a marsh 

 a hundred yards away. H. and I took the dogs and went 

 over to try and get a shot. The bird was at long range and 

 H. fired without hurting him. I missed him clean also, but 

 as he passed V. let fly and dropped him beautifully into the 

 water, the dogs swimming a race to retrieve him. 



When we reached the main river and saw what a sea was 

 on, we felt rather squeamish about crossing in our heavily- 

 laden canoes. There was no help for it, however, and, 

 making up our minds for an exciting hour, we set to work. 

 As we were passing the sandbars H. shot a yellow plover 

 and another bird which I have never seen before. _ It was 

 about two-thirds the size of a snipe, gray plumage, with half 

 a dozen feathers like a snipe's on the back, head and bill a 

 cut between a snipe and a plover, gray legs and half-webbed 

 feet. It was swimming when shot. Can you tell me what 

 sort of a bird it was? 



It was ticklish work crossing the river, and several times I 

 thought we would never fetch the shore; but at last we 

 reached it, with our canoes half full of water, and coasted 

 down it. 



Our next stopping place was B Marsh. Before turn- 

 ing into the creek which leads up to the marsh we bought 

 some fine fish from the fisherman who lives in a hut on the 

 point, and these made a welcome addition to our larder. 

 When we had gone a few hundred yards up the creek we 

 saw a snipe flying across. V, went ashore, H. landing on 

 the opposite shore. Then the fun began. Snipe rose on 

 every side. H. knocked over a couple, V. and I getting one 

 each. We saw that we had "struck oil," as it is very sel- 

 dom that one can find a flight of snipe in this country. I 

 landed with the dogs, and in a few minutes bagged another 

 brace. The birds now seemed to think that it was getting 

 iQO warm for them, and all went over the trees out of sight. 

 We paddled on, and soon found a very good camping place on 

 a point well sheltered and affording plenty of wood for our fire. 



The tent was pitched, the gear brought up, and while our 

 dinner was cooking H. took the dogs and worked the marsh 

 opposite the camp. Thinking he might send some birds 

 down past the camp, I took my gun and stood on the point, 

 hoping to get a shot. Soon the dogs put a snipe up, which 

 he did not fire at. The bird flew past rae a,t long range, but 

 I fired and "spun" him into the water, where Johnny swam 

 out and j-etrjeved him. 



After dinner I took my gun and the dogs and worked the 

 marsh opposite the camp. It was not long before the dogs 

 put up a snipe, which 1 missed, in the most beautiful style, 

 with both barrels. But my misfortunes were only begin- 

 ning, for I missed half a dozen more of the easiest shots. 

 The other fellows were watching me from the camp, and 

 added greatly to my discomfiture by asking me if I thought 

 1 could hit a haystack flying. 



While I was away shooting H. had put out the decoys and 

 made a Wind on a point. Ipaddled Y, up the marsh to try 

 for duck. It was very hard work, as I had to push through 

 the mud with a paddle. After going half a mile up the 

 marsh we pulled the canoe up to the bank, and I got out, 

 meaning to walk up the marsh and drive any ducks there 

 might be down to V. and H. Snipe were getting up all 

 around me, di'iving Johnny nearly crazy, as he couldn't 

 rmderstand why I didn't shoot, but it was too dark. It was 

 fearful walking, as I had to jump from tussock to tussock, 

 and it was so dark that I sometimes missed my jump and 

 went into the mud, n^rly over my wading boots. After 

 walking, or rather jumping, for about a mile I heard a faint 

 "cooey," and then another. I thought it wa^s V., so whis- 

 tled back. But as he kept on shouting and whistling I 

 turned and hurried back. A few moments later he fired 

 both barrels in the air. I answered the signal and hurried 

 on. On reaching the canoe I found him in a terrible state 

 of anxiety. The wind had been blowing from him to me, so 

 while I could hear his shouts he could not hear mine, and he 

 thought all sorts of dreadful things had happened to me. as 

 the marsh is a very dangerous one and I might have lost my 

 way in the dark and never have turned up again. 



It was very hard to find our way out of the marsh , but 

 the camp fire luckily had not gone out, so we steered for it 

 and at last reached camp. H. had shot a couple of ducks 

 while we were up the marsh; he had seen very few others. 



After dinner we took out our cartridges, as we proposed 

 having a good day after snipe on the morrow. To our dis- 

 may on examination, we found that we were nearly out of 

 snipe cartridges, and would have to depend on duck car- 

 tridges for snipe, which was pretty hopeless work. How- 

 ever, we divided them evenly^ deciding only to take sure 

 shots, and to hold as straight as we could. For every No. 

 10 cartridge we had a snipe was brought in next day, the 

 No. 5's, however, did not do so well. We turned in early 

 as we had had a hard day and were very tired. 



Next morning I set out to walk to the head of the marsh, 

 taking Johnny with me. I crossed the channel in front of 

 the camp in the canoe, and walked up into the woods. 

 After going some distance I heard a noise in the bushes, and, 

 on turning round, saw a huge white bull making for me. 

 Everything was forgotten, and I ran straight ahead, my one 

 idea being to get to a different place from the one in which 

 I was at that moment. I was not dressed for running, my 

 long hip boots, cartridge vest, gun, and heav^y clothes ham- 

 pering me greatly, but fear lent me wings, and I ran like a 

 deer, and soon eluded my angiy taurine pursuer. I was too 

 much blown to walk round the marsh, so giving the bull a 

 very wide berth I went back to camp. On my way down 

 Johnny sprung a snipe, which 1 bagged. H. had shot one 

 duck, the only one he had seen, and V. had nothing. 



After breakfast we started out to try for snipe, V. went 

 up the big marsh, taking Madge with 'him, while H. and I 

 took the two dogs and worked the smaller marshes. We 

 had very good sport, getting seven and a half brace. In the 

 afternoon H. and V. paddled to a village about throe miles 

 ■down on the main river, to get some needed stores. I put 

 out the decoys and hid on a point where the trees and bushes 

 came down close to the water's edge, making a splendid 

 blind. It was a lovely evening and I soon forgot all about 

 watching for ducks in my admiration of the scenery. The 

 sun was setting over the tall pines at the head of the marsh, 

 making a very wild and beautiful picture. Just at dusk a 

 duck flew past, which I stopped, and Johnny swam out and 

 retrieved it. The water was bitterly cold and I heartily 

 pitied the poor dog, as his wet coat*was freezing hard. H. 

 and V. now paddled up, having had a hard paddle. I 

 jumped into the canoe and ferried myself over to camp. 



My first duty was to warm and dry the dog, so I took him 

 in front of the roaring fire, rubbed him down and poured 

 some whisky down his throat, which soon warmed him up. 

 Some people will smile at the idea of taking so much trouble 

 about their dogs, and some will net even let their dogs lie 

 near the fire, but dogs treated in that way are pretty sui-e to 

 become useless in a few years from rheumatism, and any one 

 who really loves his dog could not bear to see him shivering, 

 wet and cold, when he could easily make him comfortable. 



After dinner we sat in the tent, with the tent door open 

 and the fire blazing in front, yarning and taking it easy. V. 

 has shot for more than thirty y^ears over the best shooting 

 grounds in British North America, and his stories are many 

 and varied. 



There was a hard frost next morning, and it was very cold, 

 so I did not feel inchned to get up early. H., however, went 

 out and in an hour came back with a brace of snipe. H. 

 and I took the canoe and paddled down the creek, hoping to 

 find some bu ds on the shore, as we thought they had been 

 frozen out of the marsh by last night's frost. We saw. sev- 

 eral, but only managed to get a shot at one, which was 

 bagged. When we were landing at the camp, H., being in 

 the bow, got out first, and just as I stood up to get out he 

 gave her a pull, the canoe tilted over and out I went, gun 

 and all. Luckily the water was not very deep or I would 

 have been drowned, as with all my things on I went down 

 like a stone. With great difficulty I managed to get ashore, 

 wet through and through. AU my shooting paraphernalia 

 were wet, so I could not go up the marsh with the others, 

 and stayed in camp to pack up. I wanted one more crack 

 at a snipe before going, so I took my gun and calUng Johnny 

 walked along the shore; the dog soon sprung a bird which 

 was knocked over, H. and V. had returned to camp while 

 1 was away ; they had only shot three. 



We all set to work to strike camp, and after a hearty meal 

 got into the canoes, and said "good-bye" to as comfortable a 

 camp ground as it has ever been my fortune to find. 



The main river was very rousrh, and it was nervous work 

 crossing, but we reached the ottier side without any mishap, 

 and paddled down to C. , on the wharf of which, after much 

 trouble, we stored our canoes and gear. As the steamer was 

 not due for a couple of hours we made ourselves comfortable 

 on the wharf, suiTOunded by the usual crowd of gaping 

 country people, who are always much surprised at seeing 

 "three dogs all alike," and if they "is good fur runnin' 

 deer" or are "good patridge dogs," are questions repeated 

 and answered every few minutes. At last the boat steamed 

 up to the wharf, and, following our traps on board, we bade 

 farewell to camping for a year, F. M. 



Canapa. ' 



VERMONT DEER. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



Looking over your Dec. 3 number I find you have been 

 misled, as have been the people living away from northeast 

 \ ermont and not familiar with its surroundings. The forest 

 there is connected with the deer-inhabited forest of Canada 

 and within four weeks two deer were killed near the border 

 there, driven by dogs into Averill Pond, Vt. Below this 

 place the same primeval forest extends within fifty yards of 

 the Connecticut River, and the unbroken forest 'stretching 

 across the State of New Hampshire on the opposite side of 

 the river, near Simm's Stream, about 1,200 yards distant. 

 The stream is a trout brook with its alder banks to complete 

 the noted old deer runway, on which some fine specimens 

 have taken their last run. Next, this forest in Vermont, and 

 cut in halves by the Grand Trunk R. R„ is forty miles long, 

 and about fifteen miles long in its greatest width. As ,long 

 as a deer remains in New Hampshire, Vermont will have 

 some. This near forest growth is on the Granite Mountains 

 that defy the settler, and is the home of all that is near the 

 sportsman's heart in our northern wilds, lhaveseen caribou 

 tracks in Vermont, but one cannot be s^ure to always find 

 them there, with their roving habits and forest connections 

 with New Hampshire and Canada. 



When that Vermont law was enacted there were deer 

 enough in Essex county, Vt., to number them in hundreds, 

 and the like may be told of them to-day. Now, why should 

 this county be subject to the State law, unless those "public 

 spirited gentlemen" wish to share with Noah the credit of 

 supplying the universe with venison? I think if the deer 

 law there ever gains friends, it will be created by an open 

 season. If one fair-minded law is enacted there at the neit 

 session of its Legislature, 1 will agree to aid in its being en- 

 forced , not as one away, but as one resident, for I am devoting 

 my daylight hours to that end on that side of the river. If 

 some others will do better, I will remain a silent citizen, 

 wishing the deer better success than they arc getting trying 

 to avoid crust-hunters and dogs. " Nkd Norton. 



COLEBROOK, N. 



DEER IN MICHIGAN. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



A short time since I returned from a hunting trip on the 

 Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where, with a party of six, 

 I had a splendid time. We were camped on a chain of lakes 

 on the headwaters of Fox River, as it is called (I think it 

 should be called Manistique, as it is really the river that has 

 that name) where it empties into Lake Michigan. This 

 stream a few years ago was noted as a trout .stream, the fish 

 being of great quantity and large size; now the residents and 

 lumbermen say trout are very rare in the main stream. The 

 cast branch, which cros.ses the railroad near Mc Mullen, is still 

 well-stocked with trout of good size. In the main stream 

 near the extreme head or above where it has been used for 

 driving logs also large quantities of trout are still found. 



If it is possible for trout to live where there are pickerel — 

 as they are called— and rauskalonge grow to an immense size, 

 the many lakes in the vicinity must be well stocked with 

 trout I saw quite large numbers of very large trout in 

 some of the small spring branches. I inquire of numerous 

 log drivers if they observed many dead trout while driving 

 the streams, the universal answer was that they did not. 

 When they first went there the main stream was full of 

 trout, but log-driving had driven them out altogether, as 

 they are rarely now seen. So far as I could Jearn, all the 

 small streams along the line of the Marquette Railroad are 

 alive with trout, and large ones too. Parties desiring good 

 trout fishing in season would not miss it on any of the small 

 streams between the Straits of Macinac and Lake Superior, 

 Lumbermen say that trout fishing is good all along the coast 

 of Lake Superior, from Whitefish Bay above the Sault St. 

 Marie, to Marquette, where rocky shoals are found. The 

 whole Upper Peninsula is or was a paradise for trout and 

 will be for many years to come, especially in the streams 

 that empty into Lake Superior. 



It will take but a few years at the present raj,e to clear the 

 Upper Peninsula of all the timber of value. As soon as the 

 streams are no longer used tor log-drives they will at once 

 become restocked, when fishing and canoeing will he very- 

 fine. None of the streams are very rapid. So far as my 

 observation went, they appear to be connections to chains of 

 small lakes, beaver dams and marshes, and if it is possible 

 for trout to live in the same waters with such sharks as pick- 

 erel and muskalonge, all the lakes and ponds must be well 

 stocked with them; but as they were not biting, I could not 

 tell. I caught pickerel and saw several large muskalonge. 

 I did not see any bass, but believe they are plenty in some 

 of the larger lakes. 



Deer are plenty and of very large size, ranging from 100 

 to bSO pounds. I succeeded in bagging a 200 pound doe, 

 the largest I ever saw. Ruffed grouse and spruce grouse are 

 very plenty; in fact, the "woods are full of them." Wolves 

 are also quite numerous, and a few black bears are found of 

 immense size. Bob cats and Canada lynxes are in fair num- 

 bers. In the cedar swamp large rabbits are very numerous; 

 how they escape being devoured by the wolves, lynxes and 

 cats is certainly a mystery. Along the marshes of the 

 streams are evidences of many hermit beaver; in some places 

 I thought there might be five or six together, but a genuine 

 colony I hardly think exists there. 



For the past seven years I have visited Michigan, either 

 on hunting or fishing trips, every year but one. About the 

 first effects of the non-export law was that it destroyed the 

 market for game or it required but a few deer to overstock 

 all the markets within the State. Parties told me that four 

 or five years ago deer shipped from the north sjiore to 

 Detroit did not sell for enough to pay the freight. This 

 year I noticed every train going south would have nearly a • 

 car load of deer. Upon inquiry I found the bulk of them 

 consigned to Detroit. I also learned from hunters who 

 hunted between Manistique Lake and Lake Michigan that 

 they sold all the deer that Ihcy killed in Detroit at from nine 

 to eleven cents per pound, also that several cargoes were 

 loaded on boats direct for Chicago. The shipments of deer 

 on boats from the Lake Michigan or Huron shore were the 

 only open violations ctf the law that I heard of, except what 

 outside hunters succeeded in smuggUng through with their 

 baggage. Now the question is what becomes of the deer — 

 from one to two hundred a day— that found a ready market 

 in Detroit this year at from nine to eleven cents per pound? 

 I heard the amount estimated at that number by several 

 parties who were in a position to know. 



The object of the non-export law was certainly for the 

 protection of the game. The results (and I believe it is true 

 with nine-tenths of the game laws of this country) are the 

 protection of game dealers. No one, certainly, believed the 



