M arch 18, 1886.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



14 7 



join in. For the benefit of those who perhaps have not had 

 an extensive experience in this sport I would suggest the 

 advisability of carrying a light good rifle, as it becomes very 

 heavy carrying after a long tramp. The one I used was a .42 

 caliber. Peregrine Pickle. 



THE DEER HOUNDING BILL. 



W r HEN the hill to repeal the anli-hounding law was 

 under debate iu the Assembly, the two principal ad- 

 vocates of its passage were Messrs. Hadley and Palmer. 

 The misstatements contained in Hadley's speech were ex- 

 posed and commented upon in our issue of March 4 Self- 

 dubbed "old practical hunter" Palmer's speech is the funniest 

 thing we have yet come across in all the deer hounding dis- 

 cussion. Here is the stenographer's report of what Palmer 

 said : 



Mr. Palmer spoke as follows: 



Mr. Chairman : It must be evident to the House that my 

 gallant friend from St. Lawrence (Gen Curtis) is not a prac- 

 tical deer hunter; that his knowledge upon this subject is 

 derived mainly from a careful perusal of the literature which 

 is placed upon our desks and sent through the mail for the 

 last two or three weeks upon this subject. He has given us 

 a very careful resume of the objections to this bill contained 

 iu this very literature. 



Now, gentlemen, will you indulge a few moments an old 

 practical hunter on this subject? For more than forty years 

 I have been accustomed annually to go to the Adirondack 

 forests as a sportsman hunting deer and catching speckled 

 trout. It is my deliberate opinion, from my personal knowl- 

 edge of this subject, that the most speedy extermination of 

 the deer in those forests that you can possibly devise will be 

 to forbid hunteis and sportsmen the use of dogs in the pur- 

 suit of deer. We all know that the men who hunt deer for 

 market for pay never use or own a dog. The men who use 

 dogs are the sporting gentlemen who go in there for a week 

 or two of amusement. And I assert here that a party of six 

 gentlemen going into those forests with half a dozen dogs, 

 two or three nights a week on an average, every deer they 

 bring out costs them more than one hundred dollars. Hence 

 it is that the men who make a profit in their business, who 

 kill deer to send to the market, never use dogs. They still - 

 hunt and kill the deer hy the score and send them into the 

 market. 



Now let me tell you a little incident that happened to me 

 about twenty-five years ago. on one of those beautiful lakes 

 that grace the Adirondack region. A party of four or five 

 gentlemen went to the upper Chataugeay Lake; on a little 

 island in the middle we camped. We had half a dozen dogs, 

 half a dozen boats, and half a dozen guides. We spent the 

 whole week there with our dogs, every day striking a fresh 

 track — for six long days, and not a deer did we get. The 

 guides said to us, "Put your dogs in the kennels, and to- 

 morrow we will have some sport and you will have some 

 deer." We followed their advice, the dogs we shut up. The 

 next day we went to the shores of that lake still-hunting, and 

 belore noon we bagged seven deer. 



I know an old hunter who lives in that region, famous all 

 the country through for his success in killing deer. He never 

 owned a dog in his life. 



He kills more deer than any other man within ten miles 

 around and he invariably kills them by the still-hunting 

 process. He steals noiselessly on the deer when the first snow 

 falls. 



The gentleman (Mr. Curtis) has read to us something from 

 this literature in regard to various objections to this bill. 

 Impracticable, and most of them utterly absurd, as known 

 by all men at all acquainted with the subject. He says the 

 dogs go out of their own accord and hunt deer through the 

 swamps and mountains. Dogs never hunt deer or rarely. 

 Dogs only hunt deer where they are led by the guide and 

 the^traek is generally found by the guide and the dog forced 

 to follow it. Of course when he goes upon 'it and gets ex- 

 cited, he sometimes sticks to it if he is a good dog. 



It is said that the veuison is ruined by pursuit of dogs. 

 Those who are acquainted with this subject know very well 

 that a dog never goes at a speed of more than three or four 

 miles an Uour when pursuing deer through the forests. The 

 deer can escape without going one-fourth of the time. 



The gentleman from St. Lawrence says the dogs are in 

 the habit of driving the deer into holes and dragging them 

 out. He asks me to read this paper. The most absurd and 

 nonsensical stuff to be found anywhere! 



1 will read you something from au authority well-known 

 in this State, not an obscure guide, not a man who never 

 owned abound — Mr. Paul Smith, who was a candidate for 

 Congress last year, a gentleman, a cultivated man of veracity, 

 and he says: "I have lived thirty -five years in the Adiron- 

 dacks and I know about that region, and 1 desire to lay 

 before you briefly a few facts." [Reads letter in full to the 

 effect that the deer will disappear if dogging is prohibited.] 



[This old sportsman of forty years' experience is not quite 

 decided whether deer are hounded by day or by night, but 

 he is dead sure that after being forced hy the guide to follow 

 the trail the dog will sometimes, if he gets excited, slick to 

 it if he is a good dog. If he is a bad dog and does not get 

 excited, the guide has to carry him all the way over the 

 course. In that case the deer don't have to go at all; he just 

 climbs a tree and makes derisive gestures at the man and the 

 dog. They say that Mr. Palmer occasionally gets up in the 

 Assembly to talk on bills relating to the prison system. If 

 penal legislation is based on speeches like the ubove, God 

 help the convicts.] 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I was somewhat surprised when I learned by your issue of 

 March 4 that the deer hounding bill had passed the Assemhly 

 by such an overwhelming vote. I had the patience to read 

 Mr. Hadley's speech. It was a flimsy affair, too thin to 

 hang togetner, and not worth contesting. But what surprises 

 me the most is that ninety-three members of the Assembly 

 of the great State of New York should vote to Jet loose the 

 hounds, ostensibly for the preservation of deer. I must say 

 that looks lixe preserving the deer with a vengeance. Was 

 there ever anything more ridiculous. I mean the flimsy 

 excuse. 



The final ending up of the remnant of deer in the south 

 western part of the State was accomplished by hounding 

 several years ago, and the deer in a portion of Pennsylvania 

 shared the same fate. It was hounds from first to last, 

 hounding from beginning to end, that is to the end of the 

 deer, and I am beginning to "believe that the same calamity 

 awaits the Adirondack region. 



It is only a question of time. 



The deer have something of a reasonable chance among 

 still-hunters, also among wolves, but when a pack of wolves 



are on one end of the trail and the water butchers, and the 

 inevitable buckshot gun at the other end, the deer must go. 



There are some deer hounders scattered over a large por- 

 tion of Middle Tennessee, and I have conversed with several 

 on that subject, and they are (invariably to a man) honest 

 enough to admit the fact that hounding is the most sure and 

 only way to exterminate the deer. They also claim that they 

 are in favor of a law prohibiting the same. But as it is, they 

 reiterate the same old story, that if they dou't hound deer 

 somebody else will. Antler. 



Grand View, Tenu., March 13. 



A hearing as to the proposed hounding law was had on 

 Tuesday last at Albany before the Game Law Committee of 

 the Senate. The hour set was 3 o'clock and the place the 

 Senate Chamber, but it was after 4:30 before the hearing was 

 opened in one of the committee rooms. Of the committee, 

 Messrs. Vedder and McMillan were present, and for a part 

 of the time Mr. Wemple. The bounders were represented 

 by Dr. Ward, Mr. Palmer, Mr. Cookingham, Paul Smith, 

 and five or six others. Among the auti-hounders present 

 were Hon. Lansing Hotaling, Hon. C. L. Merriam, Hon. H. 

 A. Spraarue, Messrs. Collins, Van Santvoord, Sytes, Webb, 

 Purdy, Bird, Grinned, McChesney, Fenton.. Smith, Youngs, 

 Mayer and about fifteen others. All parts of the State were 

 represented, and the greatest interest manifested. The dis- 

 cussion was opened by Mr. Cookingham, of the Bisby Club, 

 who argued that while floating is permitted the use of dogs 

 does protect the deer; that a deer which had been dogged 

 would not be so likely to let the j acker paddle up to it. *~ He 

 did not regard this bill as by any means a perfect one; it had 

 many objectionable features, but he did think it was a fair 

 compromise. He would have deer protected for the sake of 

 recreation and spoit. He believed that more deer were killed — 

 in proportion to the number of men engaged in it — by 

 floating than by all other methods, next iu order of destruc- 

 tiveness comes still-hunting in proportion to the number of 

 men engaged in it, and last hounding. In other words, more 

 people got sport out of the killing of one deer by hounding 

 than by any other means. Mr. Cookingham said that the 

 only unpleasant part of a hunt by this method was the kill- 

 ing of the deer. He said that most men cannot still-hunt, 

 they do not know how. In his experience a dog could not 

 catch a deer when there was no snow on the ground. Detr 

 when chased by dogs are accustomed to trot along uncon- 

 cernedly, frequently stopping to bathe in the water, and theu 

 get up, shake themselves, rub their heads along the ground, 

 and go up on the bank and lie down and sleep until 

 aroused by the voice of the slowly approaching dog. 

 He stated positively that the use of the dogs had brought 

 back the deer to the grounds of the Bisby Club. 

 Mr. Sprague followed Mr. Cookingham in a speech, which 

 although it did no contain so many startling statements as 

 that of his predecessor had more to do with the subject under 

 consideration. He defined the methods of killing deer and 

 inveighed against water butchering as being essentially the 

 same in principle as crusting. He showed why it is impor- 

 tant to protect the deer, basing his appeal on economic and 

 not sentimental grounds. Mr. Grinned called attention to 

 the fact that the speakers in favor of the bill appeared to 

 misconceive the purpose of game legislation. Such legisla- 

 tion is not to benefit or favor any particular class of people, 

 but to protect the game. He then devoted a few words to 

 the shy nature of the deer, and showed that the Virginia deer 

 is the most shy and timid of all American game animals. 



In the course of the questions which followed these re- 

 marks, the question was squarely asked of Dr. Ward whether 

 he considered the deer a dull and stupid animal or not, and 

 he replied that his side had never stated that deer were not 

 shy. Their claim was that the chasing with dogs made them 

 more shy. 



Mr. Grant, a guide, who said he had had thirty years' ex- 

 perience, next spoke on the side of the hounders, and was 

 followed by Mr. Fenton, who read a paper on the other side. 

 He brought out two interesting cases to show that deer pur- 

 sued by wolves or hounds became tame, so far as man is 

 concerned. Next came Mr. Barnes, of Essex, known to 

 fame for his touching comparison of a vigorous Adirondack 

 deer to a diseased cat on the back fence, and M. W. Youngs 

 and Charles Smith, old guides, both of whom considered 

 dogging the most destructive method of killing deer in the 

 Beaver River region. 



It was now nearly 7 o'clock, and the hearing was finally 

 adjourned, owing to the engagements of the committeemen. 



It was a serious disappointment that neither Mr. Hotaling 

 nor Mr. Van Santvoord was heard, owing to lack of time. 



Middlefield, Conn., March 14, 1886.— Editor Forest and 

 Stream: At a meeting yesterday of the executive committee 

 of the Middlesex County Association for the Protection of 

 Fish and Game the following resolution was taken and put 

 on file among the minutes of the meeting: 



Middletown, Conn., March 13. Resolved: That this 

 association is in entire sympathy with the stand the Forest 

 and Stream is taking against that most unsportsmanlike 

 sport, deer hounding, and we hope and believe that we repre- 

 sent the sentiment of all true sportsmen in Connecticut. 

 (Signed) J. C. Broatch, Secretary. 



Our president, Dr. Alsop, and secretary, Mr. Broatch, sug- 

 gested that I forward this resolution to the Forest and 

 Stream for publication if desired. We are about to put a 

 lot of young trout in a number of streams in the county and 

 hope to catch some of them when they grow up. — Member 



The last number of the Forest and Stream contains an 

 admirable cartoon on deer hounding. The artist pictures a 

 doe struggling helplessly in the middle of a lake, with two 

 men in a boat attempting to kill it. One of the hunters is 

 holdiDg the animal by the tail while the other clubs it with 

 an oar. Two other boats are coming down the lake, and on 

 the shore near by are the three hounds which have put the 

 deer to water. The picture illustrates verv finely the method 

 advocated by hounders for making the deer shy so the still- 

 hunters can not get them.— Utica Herald, March 15. 



The deer bounder who has decency enough left to fquirm 

 whilelooking at the cartoon in the last number of Forest and 

 Stream cannot relieve himself by calling the picture a carica- 

 ture. It illustrates the alleged purpose of the bounder of 

 our noblest game— "to make it 'shy' so that the still-hunter 

 will not get it" — by depicting an excited hunter in the bow 

 of a skiff, with oar uplifted to beat out the brains of a 

 swimming doe which the guide, kneeling in the bottom of the 

 boat, holds by the tail. The picture would be a gross cari- 

 cature of any possible action of a sportsman, but the North 

 Woods are deplorably infested with mere sporting men. 

 Their method of deer hunting affords one of the distinctions 



between the two classes. If the sportsman put hounds on 

 the track of a deer it would be for the chance of a shot at 

 the bounding game on its "runway." Missing the animal, 

 and seeing it fairly in the water, he would be ashamed to 

 use dog and boat in the same hunt. Not so with the sporting 

 man. If he had not before lost all shame, he would lose his 

 head in the excitement of the occasion, and eagerly butcher 

 the game in the manner the cartoon represents. He would 

 not dare to honestly describe his exploit to decent people. 

 The sportsman need never hesitate. Forest and Stream 

 is on the side, of the sportsman every time, and it has made 

 many a keen thrust at the mere killer; hut seldom has it 

 punctured a victim's hide more shrewdly than with the 

 pencil of its latest artist.— Syracuse Standard, March 13. 



Last Wednesday afternoon a hound drove a two-year-old 

 deer through the outskirts of the village and succeeded in 

 catching it near the St Lawrence Marble Co.'s quarry. A 

 number of the employes of that company thought they 

 would cut its throat and dress it out, which they proceeded 

 to do; on being informed that they would he liable to a fine 

 for having the meat in their possession, they drew off and 

 left the carcass. In a few hours it had disappeared, some 

 one having stolen it. — Gouverneur (if. T.) Free Press, 

 March 3, 1886. 



Crystal Lake Club. — Burlington, Iowa, March 10. — I 

 send you hy mail to dav copy of the rules and regulations of 

 the Crystal Lake and Eagle Grove Club. This club was or- 

 ganized less than a year ago, and already has a membership 

 of about seventy. It is the intention of the members to pro- 

 tect and encourage the propagation of game and fish, and 

 punish law breakers to the full extent of the law. They 

 have purchased about 2,500 acres of land, the hest 

 duck shooting ground in the vicinity. It includes also 

 Crystal Lake, Lone Tree Lake, Sand Lake and several 

 smaller lakes, as good fishing waters as can be found in Illi- 

 nois. They have also erected on Crystal Lake an elegant 

 club house 30x40 at a cost of $3,000. It is within about 50 

 feet of the C. B. & Q. Railroad, which makes it very con- 

 venient, the company having made the club house a regular 

 station. Accommodations are furnished the members at the 

 rate of $1 a day. There has been some spearing and fishing 

 through the ice this winter, but the catch did not amount to 

 much. Your correspondent and a friend in one day speared 

 ahout 100 dogfish. The ice is just breaking up at this point, 

 and ducks are beginning to come in small flocks. Prepara- 

 tions are already heing made for the Sportsman's Tourna- 

 ment to be held here in June. The early part of this week 

 C. H. Wyman, one of our best amateur ride shots, with a .22- 

 caliber Bullard, broke 471 out of a possible 500 glass balls, at 

 15 feet,— C. L. E. G. 



Swans in Florida. — St. Andrews Bay, Washington Co., 

 Fla., March 2. — Editor Forest and Stream: On a trip from 

 Pensacola to this port I spent one night at a farm house on 

 the sea coast. In the morning I noticed what I thought was a 

 swan among a flock of geese paddling in and near the water's 

 edge. Mr. B. (mine host) said he supposed that it was a 

 swan, as he had been so informed by a number of persons. 

 It had come there about three months before, had "taken 

 up" with his geese, and was now perfectly tame, as he 

 showed me, by calling it to eat bread from his hand. Get- 

 ting my host to catch the bird, I found it to be a whistling 

 or American swan. "Hallock's Gazetteer" says that this 

 species is not seen further South than North Carolina, but 

 Mr. B. tells me that for some years past he has seen them 

 around the salt marshes in his neighborhood. He had shot 

 several, and was positive that it was the same bird. The 

 largest flock that he saw contained six birds. The hunting 

 in this vicinity has been quite good this winter, deer, bears 

 and small game being quite abundant. We have a great 

 many ducks and a few geese on the bay this season, but they 

 have been hunted a great deal and now are quite shy and 

 keep well out in deep water. The fishing here during the 

 spring, summer and fall months is excellent, there being any 

 quantity of redfish, trout, sheepshead, Spanish mackerel, 

 and other varieties of food and game fish. — W. A. M. 



Maine Lumbermen and Game.— Editor Forest and Stream: 

 No doubt nine-tenths of the large game are killed by the 

 loggers now in the woods and they rest in assured security. 

 Not a season goes by that the writer does not learn that 

 crews are largely supplied with wild meat. In the fall, 

 before good sliding, the rifles are in constant use. At one 

 camp last fall half a score of caribou and one moose were 

 shot in one daj r and the supply was so great that one carihou 

 killed two miles only from camp was left to spoil. In the 

 salmon pools dynamite is the agent used to procure a change 

 of diet. These are cold frozen facts, which the Commis- 

 sioners can easily verily. The works are easily reached by 

 toteroads and once there the evidence is to be found. There 

 is now over five feet of snow in the woods and nothing on 

 legs can escape the pot-hunter. Meat will he plenty in camps 

 not supplied by teams. How long shall this continue ? — 

 Mattawamkeag (Bangor, March 2). 



New Hampshire Deer.— Plymouth.N. H , March 3.— A 

 raid was made last week on the deer crusters in Carroll county 

 by Commissioner E. B. Hodge. He succeeded in convicting 

 eight who were fined $25 and costs each. Warrants were 

 issued for others but they could not be found. The deer are 

 rapidly increasing in that section of the State and if they 

 could be protected during the deep snows it would soon 

 become one of the best sections for still-hunting in New 

 England, being very easy of access by rail. From Conway 

 or Glen Station, on the P. & O. R., one hour's ride and one 

 hour's walk will laud the hunter to the deer resorts. Good 

 guides can be found at Conway or Jackson and the sportsman 

 will have no fancy price to pay for their services. — Carroll. 



Wildcats in Connecticut. — Essex, Conn., March 2. — 

 Wildcats have been unusually plenty in this part of Connecti- 

 cut this winter. In North Guilford recently Nelson Lane, 

 armed with an axe, killed one in his woodhouse after a long 

 and desperate battle. In Salem a hunter kdled another with 

 a revolver. A wildcat is robbing Niantic hen roosts, and 

 has been hunted repeatedly without success. In Killing- 

 worth three of the animals have been killed this season; in 

 North Guilford one, in Chester one, in Saybrook one. in 

 Niantic and East Lyme three. This is something phenome- 

 nal iu Connecticut hunting annals. 



Earlville, Madison Co., IS. Y.— Partridges and wood- 

 cock last fall were quite plenty, but our winter shooting is 

 poor. Rabbits are very scarce, and very few foxes have 

 heen killed thus far. — G. F. B. 



