July 22, 1886.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



609 



trance and outlet with pine and spruce logs and set it to 

 burning. After waiting and watching a long time and no 

 lions appearing thehuuters concluded the animals were dead, 

 but it should be added that none of them had the grit of old 

 Israel Putnam to go in aud see for themselves. 



Still another ranchman from the same section, whose ranch 

 is on Tongue River about eighty miles from here, brought 

 into Miles City a few days ago the pelts of three mountain 

 lions, for each of which he received a certificate, of $8, or 

 $24 in all. He says he has six more lions killed and will 

 shortly bring in their skins for punching. He reports 

 between twenty- five and thirty more lions in his neighbor- 

 hood, til I of which he is confident he will bag this winter. 

 Mr. and Mrs. W. L. Perkins, as they were returning from 

 the sawmill on Bridger Creek to their ranch near Bozetnan, 

 a few days ago, came upon a large mountain lion devouring 

 the carcass of a recently killed deer. The lion fled at their 

 presence, which gave them the opportunity of dragging the 

 remains of the deer toward their ranch. This being done, 

 thoroughly poisoned it with strychnine, and bad the satis- 

 faction the next morning of finding not only the uuconsumed 

 venison intact, but also the still form of the mountain lion 

 cold and stiff beside the bait. This ferocious "king of the 

 forest" was captured without any daring and bloody encoun- 

 ter. He measured over eight feet from tip to tip. 



Mr. Thomas Brenton a couple of weeks ago killed a large 

 mountain lion in Dry Gulch, four miles east of Helena, that 

 measured nearly eleven feet from the tip of his nose to the 

 end of his tail. He was quite a monster, and seized upon 

 and carried away a large dog, apparently with as much ease 

 as a cat would a mouse. He was followed by Mr. Brenton. 

 and after setting off without injury three large traps, was 

 finally overtaken and shot. He leaped across a chasm fully 

 twenty feet in width with ridiculous ease, and made a leap 

 that distance when he sprang upon the dog. Mr. Brenton 

 brought the pelt to Helena and permitted the ears to be 

 punched, for which he received $8; but he would not part 

 with the hide. Mr. Chas. O'Neill, an up-the-country ranch- 

 man, has a good-sized mountain lion cub which had suffered 

 from an overdose of strychnine. The little fellow is yet 

 young enough to be harmless and playful; but it won't be 

 long before he becomes a dangerous plaything. The above 

 are only a few of the many truthful instances that could be 

 related about the mountain lions of Montana. I did intend 

 to say a few words about what we do with our numerous 

 black cinnamon and grizzly bears, but as my letter is already 

 of too great a length, "i will defer that portion of my corres- 

 pondence until another time. Carl. 

 Fort Keogh, Montana, February, 1886. 



THE SHORE BIRDS. 



SALEM, Mass., July 19.— Peeps of both varieties (miim- 

 _. tilla and pusillus) were seen in good numbers at Ipswich 

 last week; also a few ringnecks (A. semipalmaia), robin 

 snipe (M. griseus), and scattering yellowlegs. Jack curlew 

 (W. hudsonims) are seen passing over. They seldom stop 

 here. I heard the first upland ( T. bartramius), last Saturday. 

 Grass birds (A. mamluta) are also seen. Some varieties have 

 been here for the last two weeks. Our season should open 

 July 1, because some of the birds are either here then or soon 

 will be, and July 15 is too late a date, for the simple reason 

 that before this the southerly migration has begun andnatuie 

 herself has thus opened the season. Let us hope to see next 

 season more intelligence in this direction by those who frame 

 as well as those who pass our game laws. I have omitted 

 beetle head (S. helvilica), one chicken bird (S. interpres), and 

 a still sandpiper (AT. himantopus), as also seen. I have shot 

 a good number of the above mentioned birds this season. 



X. Y. Z. 



Atlanticville, Long Island, July 17. — A party of three 

 shot from this place 60 large snipe on the 15 tb, of which 53 

 were dowitchers, 2 greenlegs, 2 creekers, 2 yellowlegs, large 

 and 1 jack curlew. What most surprised me is the 53 

 dowitchers. I think it likely that there is not any record 

 made where there have be'en so many of this kind of bird 

 shot within three years. It looks as if the spring law had 

 something to do with this flight of snipe. Even if it does 

 stop Mr. R. B. Roosevelt from shooting until the 15th of 

 July, Mr. Roosevelt says that there is no shooting in the 

 month of June. Mr. R. is sadly mistaken, as we all are 

 likely to be, yet I presume that Mr. R. will allow me to 

 state that I have seen in the latter part of the first week, also 

 the first part of the second week of June, flights of yelpers, 

 dowitchers and robins with plover. This may not happen 

 every spring or summer, whichever we might call it, yet it 

 has happened and is likely to happen again. The law is just 

 right; it suits me, so let it be. Let Mr. R. sit on his yacht, 

 it will do him good even if he did see such a flight of snipe 

 as is spoken of in his letter. An Old Gunner. 



HANDLE WITH CARE. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



In view of the frequent deaths and mutilations caused by 

 the criminal carelessness of those handling firearms, I wonder 

 if it would do anything toward preventing the same, if 

 makers were to inscribe all over the locks, stocks, and 

 barrels of every gun made, in as prominent manner as pos- 

 sible, the above caution ? I am inclined to think it would 

 do but little good, for even then men would still persist in 

 pressing back the hammer of an old muzzleloader with their 

 toe while they "blew in the barrels just to see if they were 

 loaded," or would draw a gun by the muzzle from a boat or 

 wagon, or across the pommel of a saddle, aud thus "get their 

 name in the papers," and what is left of their bodies in the 

 hands of an undertaker. 



This is a grim subject to joke about, but if men will not 

 be brought to their senses by serious talk and the frequency 

 of such accidents, they should be shamed into it by ridicule, 

 or be prevented from handling a gun at all. The old saw, 

 that accidents will happen in the "best regulated families, is 

 as true as ever, and in the use of firearms is no exception. 

 "With the best of sportsmen accidents will sometimes occur, 

 but never from sheer carelessness or criminal neglect of the 

 exercise of proper caution. 



I have used a gun for many years and have never caused 

 or met with a serious accident, and yet I was once hunting 

 with a party in Connecticut where one occurred which 

 caused us sorrow we shall never forget. There were six in 

 the party and by my suggestion we laid out our ground and 

 divided so that but two could hunt together or near each 

 other. The two where the accident occurred were following 

 up a ravine, one on either side, with bushes so high between 

 them as to obscure each from the view of the other; their dog 

 was working up the ravine when a partridge rose, and one o 



the men having got in advance of the other turned to look 

 back for the bird just as the one in the rear saw it emerge from 

 the cover, when he fired and at the instant heard the scream 

 of his friend. I was some distance away, but I heard the 

 voice and knew at once what it meant. We hastened out 

 of the bushes for the road below just in time to see one of 

 our party leading another out to tbe road. A.U soon gath- 

 ered around our injured companion and a more sorrowful 

 party I never witnessed; hardy men as we all were, it is no 

 discredit to say we cried like schoolboys. Kneeliug on the 

 ground beside our friend I opened the injured eye and was at 

 once satisfied it was ruined, although the man himself thought 

 not — he thought he could discover a gleam of light when I 

 opened it. He was a man of pluck, for while we were mourn- 

 ing and weeping over his misfortune he said to us: "Boys, 

 don't feel so bad about it; it is done and can't be helped ; no- 

 body is to blame for it." And then, as if to cheer us, he 

 said: "Amancanseea good deal in this world with one 

 eye if he watches closely." 



The object of this article and the naming this painful 

 incilent is to impress upon sportsmen the need of the utmost 

 care, caution and coolness while shooting iu company with 

 others. For those who blow into the muzzles of loaded guns 

 or drag them toward themselves by the muzzle I have but 

 little sympathy, but should be glad to prevent the anguish of 

 their friends caused by such "senseless accidents, and also 

 avoid the shame brought upon sensible sportsmen by such 

 heedless acts. 



I never allow the muzzle of my gun to point toward myself 

 or any one with whom I am hunting, and I will hunt with 

 uo one who does not observe the same precaution. I always 

 make it a point to know where my companion is, and that he 

 shall know where I am, while hunting in cover. I will not 

 hunt with a careless man, or one who gets so excited as to 

 lose his caution or judgment. 



I presume some young men in reading this are ready to 

 exclaim, "Old fogy! We know how to handle a gun with- 

 out any of your caution." I hope so; but if this sketch in- 

 duces any one to become a little more careful, and thus 

 preveut even one serious accident, I am sure the editor will 

 not deem the valuable space it occupies entirely lost. A. 



Chicago, 111. . 



FOXES AND FOXHOUNDS. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



The differences of "Hounding," of Virginia, and Mr. H. 

 C. Newell can be reconciled upon the theory that each pos- 

 sess dogs best adapted for his respective ways of hunting. 

 It does not require very much logic to convince us that the 

 foxhound with deep, loud and indifferent tongues that fol- 

 lows the walking and trotting fox, whether it be over the 

 granite ledge or more favorable ground, analyzing each step 

 of reynard, can and will run longer than the sweeping dog. 

 A good dog of either breed will run as long as the fox, and 

 the length of time a fox can run depends upon whether he is 

 permitted by the pack to set his own pace or not. While 

 the ground run over necessarily makes a difference in the 

 pace of the dogs and fox, yet I know from experience that 

 there is a vast difference in dogs. My early huuting was 

 with the gun in the mountains of western Pennsylvania, aud 

 while yet a boy I killed as high as twenty-three foxes in one 

 winter. After moving to this place I joined a party on a 

 fox hunt. We left our camp before day upon a very favor- 

 able morning for running, and by daylight a red fox was 

 jumped and in a very few minutes ran in plain view of our 

 entire party. I saw the fox and the dogs at the same time, and 

 I confess that kind of running was a surprise to me. I had a 

 gun in my hands, yet nothing could have induced me to have 

 shot that fox. In less than two hours the fox was run to 

 earth. The dogs were immediately taken to where another 

 fox had been seen by some of the party, and in a few 

 minutes he was up and going: aud in less time than the first 

 was holed, this one, after considerable labor, was dug out 

 and killed. 



In going to other woods a gray fox was started, caught 

 and killed in twenty-five minutes by the watch. The fol- 

 lowing day anothei red fox was caught and killed in a race 

 of two hours and twenty minutes. 



After this introduction the shotgun policy was vetoed and 

 nothing said about Pennsylvania hounds running twenty- 

 four and thirty six hours after the same fox. There is also 

 a difference in the running of the same pack of dogs, much 

 depending upon a favorable scent. There is also a differ- 

 ence in the running of different foxes and of the same fox 

 upon different days. Start an old red fox immediately after 

 he has feasted, and I have known the dogs to earth or catch 

 one in a few minutes by crowding him from the jump. Men 

 who have dogs they rely upon to kill, well know that with 

 favorable scent there is no such a thing as dogs running over 

 six or seven hours after the same fox; and in the majority of 

 cases three hours will end the fox's career. The man who 

 once runs with such dogs has no use for the gun. He would 

 not use it if he had it. What he most needs is something to 

 carry him across the fields, over the fences and ditches with 

 safety to the "death," and I might add that the man stand- 

 ing behind a tree with gun in baud anxiously watching a log, 

 hoping that tbe fox may select it, from which he can watch 

 the delighted twenty-four-hour dog snuffing all the scent out 

 of bis tracks, while the fox is either killed, "or like the Irish- 

 man "made to lave that," has no use for other than a slow 

 dog, and the slower the better his chances of gratifying the — 

 to him — exquisite pleasure of lugging home his gun upon one 

 shoulder, while from the other hangs suspended the mutil- 

 ated remains of the fox that nature had given no other means 

 of defense than his legs. A, C. Steck. 



Ottuitwa, la., July 14. 



Massachusetts Game Laws. — Editor Forest and Stream: 

 I have heard more complaints relating to tbe inconsistency 

 of our new game laws recently made by our Legislature than 

 ever before; and when I say that tbe present game laws in 

 this State are unjust and unreasonable I believe that I am 

 speaking for a large majority of those who are most directly 

 interested in them. We can now shoot woodcock from 

 August 1, ruffed grouse from Oct. 1, quail from Oct. 15. 

 The shooting of woodcock in August is of no accouut and 

 ought to be abolished as it acts as a cover for those who 

 would shoot chicken partridges before they ought to be shot; 

 but after Sept. 10, there is no more harm done (if it were 

 not for the present law) in shooting a partridge than there 

 is in October, and in our strict covers of this State those who 

 shoot by fair means do not make large bags of partridges in 

 September. Why can't we have a law as follows: Partridge 

 and woodcock laws off after Aug. 31 to Jan. 31; Quail law 

 off after Oct. 14 t® June 1? I believe that would be for the 

 best interests of the game and at the same time be more con- 

 genial to the majority of those most interested.— Laurel 

 (Boston). 



A TOUGH BEAR. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



It is well known that bears will stand a deal of killing. I 

 will give you an instance. I overtook a large one running 

 "right smart" with one of my heaviest traps fast on one fore- 

 foot, clogged with a beech sapling weighing seventy-five 

 pounds or more. I wished to stop him before "he reached a 

 muddy swamp, for which he was making, and gave him a 

 shot on the jump. The bullet struck him in the head and 

 laid him out, but he was soon up and came for me. On try- 

 ing to reload, I found I had forgotten to take my cartridges. 

 Bruin was most up to me, but by dodging around trees I 

 secured a hold of the end of the clog and threw my whole 

 weight upon it till it caught beneath a root. Tbe momentum 

 swung him about against a sapling. This was my opportu- 

 nity, and I lifted the clog and made a turn of' the chain 

 around the tree. He was jumping and striking savagely all 

 the while. To go back to camp, five miles, for cartridges 

 was not to be thought of, so he must be dispatched with a 

 club. At every blow he roared, till the wood seemed like a 

 menagerie of caged beasts at feeding time. The brush and 

 limbs prevented giving only half-arm blows, many of which 

 he dodged, but never parrying, as we are told' thev will 

 always do. Still the blows were not light taps, for the blood 

 poured in streams from mouth and nostrils, mingled with 

 froth, and for every blow he jumped and struck straight from 

 the shoulder like a pugilist. 1 got completely winded after 

 a while and sat down on a log to rest and wipe off the per- 

 spiration, and after getting my second wind went for him 

 again. The old fellow was at the scratch as soon as 1, but 

 he had become blind, and soon exposed his head so I got in 

 a full swinging blow on his occiput and laid him down quiet; 

 but to make sure, I put the knife in his throat. I have known 

 of instances where bears, on being freed from the trap, have 

 revived and got away, and sometimes the hunter has been 

 badly chewed up. On skinning him out, I found his head 

 was a mere pulp; not a bone larger than a twenty-five cent 

 piece. 



Please excuse violation of rule to write on one side only, 

 as I am very short of paper and don't like to use bark. 



Wakfleld. 



SUMMER WOODCOCK SHOOTING. 



T BELIEVE irfmy time I have read about two thousand 

 JL articles denouncing summer woodcock shooting in New 

 Jersey. I have also beard nine-tenths of my friends, includ- 

 ing myself, scarify the practice. Yet, when I go out in July, 

 I stumble across many writers of these articles and often see 

 them creep on hands and knees through green briers and 

 wade waist deep in mosquitoes to get a shot at the "fond 

 hovering mother bird." lam now also prepared to make 

 oath that I do not believe the life of one single woodcock was 

 ever saved by the above mentioned articlesor by the verbal 

 denunciation of the summer shooting practice. 



For twenty-six years I have been scaring up woodcock 

 whenever I got a ghost of a chance. For exactly twenty-six 

 years I have kept withiu tbe letter of the game law, although 

 my family and "friends are very large land owners and" I 

 could have anticipated tbe open season without fear of any 

 trouble. From wbat it has taken me twenty-six years to 

 learn, I now wish I bad my life to live over again aud if I 

 would not make it hot for "the fond flutterers" you might 

 pepper me with bird shot for an idiot. 



When I hear the words "game laws" now I grin with 

 fiendish delight, for I know that practically in Northern New 

 Jersey no such things exist. There is not a month in .the 

 year when the uususpected woodcock resides there, that it is 

 not shot at and killed, and 1 have yet to learn of the first 

 arrest and punishment of a game law breaker. What is the 

 earthly use of advocating" the abolishment of woodcock 

 shooting in July and August, and at tbe same time doing 

 nothing about March, April, May and June. Of course, 

 woodcock should not be killed until October, but I, for one, 

 do not propose to keep my hands off and let a lot of irre- 

 sponsible country bumpkins skim the cream under my nose. 



What happened this year? Simply this: I waited until the 

 open season came along, only to find that a horde of market 

 shooters for over three weeks past had been killing the birds 

 off on the ground I shoot over. Yet, on July 3 three broods 

 of birds were found by different parties, that could not fly. 

 Indeed, one brood was just out of the egg. In each instance 

 the mother bird was killed, and from "personal knowledge 

 the young did perish. 



There are a score of farmers who know who the law- 

 breakers are. Tbe matter is no secret. The shooters were 

 seen shooting tbe birds and I have their names and all par- 

 ticulars . For this reason 1 write this. Now all you two 

 thousand gentlemen who have been writing against game 

 law breaking and spring and summer shooting, etc., 1 wont 

 you to come to the front. If you mean business let each one 

 of you chip in a dollar bill to the editor of the Forest and 

 Stream. He will tell you I am a responsible person. When 

 the two thousand gentlemen have been heard from, he or I 

 will place the matter in the bands of one of the best known 

 lawyers iu New Jersey and I will spend both my time and 

 money to try and put these fellows through a course of 

 sprouts. He shall from time to time publish a statement 

 that will satisfy every one that the matter is not being botched. 

 If, however, tbe law is found on this test case to be" defective 

 I will give you all the exact locality of the ground and you 

 can all go there next May or June and be on an equal footing 

 with the woodcock hogs* of Sussex and Warren counties. 



Ajax. 



The Hounds Must Go.— Montreal, Can., July 15.— 

 Editor Forest and Stream: Mr. Andrew Lyndecker. a guide 

 of the Smith's Lake region and Beaver River, Adirondacks, 

 is an intelligent man, and informs me that the guides iu that 

 section of "tbe Adirondacks are bitterly opposed to deer 

 hounding and have banded themselves together as a body to 

 preveut dogs from being used in that region. That means 

 "death to the hounds." They saw far more deer during this 

 trip than it would have been possible to have seen had dogs 

 been allowed to run there during the past year. Our sports- 

 men repeat the cry, "Death to the hounds,*" and let it be re- 

 echoed throughout tbe Adirondacks, and the population of 

 long-eared dogs will rapidly decrease there and the deer will 

 in proportion increase. Take up the cry, brothers. — Stan- 

 stead. 



New York.— Pearl River, Rockland County, June 14.— 

 The Forest and Stream's note on the supervisors and the 

 woodcock law has been copied into our county papers, and 

 has had a good result ; so far I have heard of no shooting. 

 Quail prospects are better here this season than for a long 

 time. — C. 



