6 



FOftEST AND STREAM. 



tJTJLT 39, 1886,' 



AN IMPROMPTU HUNT. 



ONE day last fall I found myself at 10 o'clock in tlie 

 morning at a- email cattle "ranche, five miles from 

 the North Wood Creek, in northwestern Wyoming, ^vith 

 nothing to do for the remainder of a long day. Having a 

 dislike to lying around a camp or ranche, I isroposed to 

 take horses and go over to the North Wood and see what 

 game was to be found there. This was at once agreed 

 to, and three horses were caught up and saddled, a hm-- 

 ried lunch partaken of, and we were soon in motion. 

 George carried a little old-fashioned breechloader, the 

 barrel of which tilted up to load, and using a Winchester 

 cartridge, .44-40-200. Before we set out George started 

 to clean the gun, but John told him not to do it as it shot 

 better when dirty, as the burnt powder evened up the in- 

 side sui-face where it was eaten out by rust, and also made 

 the ball fit the barrel better. Ade was armed with a 

 breechloading shotgun and a .45 6-pistol, as the cowboys 

 call them. I carried an " 'old reliable" Sharps chambered 

 for 110 grains powder, with a Beach front sight and a 

 Lyman rear sight. 



Soon after starting' out we saw a large, sleek coyote 

 slinking off through the grass. I dismounted, whistled to 

 him, and he stopped just long enough to get a ball laack 

 of the foreleg; be ran however fully one hundred yards, 

 when be fell dead. We soon had him skinned and the 

 hide tied behind the saddle. The ball had passed directly 

 through the heart. My experience has been that a coyote 

 is the hardest animaf that runs this range to hit with a 

 rifle ball, or to get when hit unless a vital spot is struck. 



The horse I was riding was afraid of a gun, and the boys 

 told me that if I fired from Ms back he would surely buck 

 me off. We crossed the North Wood and were proceeding 

 up a httle valley inclosed with steep i-ocky sides, with a 

 few scattering juniper trees growing auiid the rocks. 

 George Avas ahead and I next to him. Suddenlj^ he stop- 

 ped, and threw up his little pea-shooter. I looked in the 

 direction in which it was pointed and saw two blacktail 

 or mule deer, a buck and a doe, sprmging from their beds 

 in the shade of a big boulder, about fifty yards from us. 

 I dropped the reins and was just di'awing a bead on the 

 buck nearest to me, when Geoi-ge fired and my horse 

 changed ends so quick that I found myself aiming in the 

 opposite du-ection and came very near firing out in the 

 open country. I sprang from the horse and turned 

 toward the deer in time to see the buck disappear over the 

 brow of the hill. The doe was struggling up the incline, 

 but before I could get an aim upon her she fell over back- 

 ward and rolled some distance down towai-d us. She 

 was dead when we reached her, shot like the coyote, 

 through the heart, and the ball had not sufticient force to 

 go through her, but was found lodged against the skin. 

 The pea-shooter had scored first blood, as coyotes don't 

 count. We dressed the doe, which was young and fat, 

 hung her up in a tree and strvick back ia the dhection the 

 buck had taken. A few minutes after as I was riding 

 along the edge of a little canon, I jumped him out from 

 under a big rock, but before I could dismount he was so 

 far away and running so irregularly up among the big 

 rocks, that although I sent a couple of balls after Mm he 

 escaped without injury, and we watched Mm for several 

 minutes until he disappeared around a point. 



Near the place we discovered the fresh trail of a small 

 band of elk, evidently scared out by our shooting. We 

 followed them and in half an hoiu- caught sight of them 

 standing under some jrmipers across a deep canon from 

 ua. Leaving oxu- horses we crossed the cafusn, having a 

 hard climb out of it, and cautiously crept up to the place 

 where we had seen the game, only to find them gone, and 

 from the appearance of the trail they were evidently scared, 

 and must have scented us, as they were going fast and 

 away from camp. We abandoned the chase, returned to 

 our horses, lighted our pipes and started homeward. 

 When we reached om- deer we cut it up and tied it upon 

 our saddles, Indian fashion, and moved on. Where we 

 crossed the North Wood it rims tMough a narrow valley, 

 the second bottom being a bench some ten feet above the 

 creek bottom, wMch was here filled with clumps of 

 willows. There were quite a mmiber of cattle in this 

 bottom which were almost as wild as deer. After we 

 had crossed the creek and reached the bench above men- 

 tioned, I heard a clatter of hoofs and looking back saw a 

 bunch of cattle ruimiug out of the A\n.llows and along the 

 bottom to our left, and in the midst of them an old bull 

 elk, wdth his nose high in the ah, and as fah a pah of 

 antlers as I ever saw thrown back almost upon his withers. 

 He ran in close under the bank at the foot of oxn bench, 

 and was Md from om- view in an instant. Thinking he 

 woidd keep along the creek bottom and from his coiuse 

 come out upon the flat ahead of us, I spurred my horse 

 forward to mtercei^t him, rode to the edge of the bank, 

 sprang off and could see notMng of him. A shovit from 

 George called my attention back up the creek just in time 

 to see him disappear in the willows. As soon as the old 

 rascal had gotten out of sight mider the bank he had 

 stopped, confounded, I suppose, by the cattle around him, 

 and the scent of tMee hunters right ahead of him, and 

 had stood there until I rode into view two hundred yards 

 down the creek, when he struck for the willows. If I 

 had ridden straight down to the bank, or remained with 

 George, I would have had a good shot. George did not 

 shoot as he is too much of a sportsmen to wound such 

 large game with a gun that he felt sure would not kill it. 

 We watched him come out on the other side of the creek, 

 and trot off into the hills. I fired a shot or two after him 

 at long range, on the principle that there's no luck unless 

 there is lead flying, and we proceeded on our way, disous- 

 sing the incident and saying how easily we might have 

 killed him If we had known just wlmt Ms intentions were. 



Ade soon after made a sneak on a coyote and peppered 

 Mm with buckshot, without any visible effect except to 

 accelerate his speed to about fifty miles an hour. We also 

 saw a couple of bands of antelope but did not molest them. 

 We arrived in camp before dark, and were soon seated at 

 a good supper, the principal delicacy of which was some 

 fine trout, caught by John during om- absence. After tliis 

 came the inevitable pipe, as we sat before an old-fashioned 

 fireplace filled with roaring pitch pine, and rehearsed the 

 incidents of the afternoon, all agreeing that for an im- 

 promptu hunt of only seven hours duration, it was emi- 

 nently successful, although we got but one deer and 

 missed getting the finest elk we had ever seen. Ward. 

 Colorado Sp rikqs, Col. 



Connecticut. — The prospects for the coming fall are 

 very good; partridges and gray s qutrrels are plenty, 

 though woodcock are hard to find, — J.. S. H. 



"Here We Are Again."— Harper's Weekly of last 

 week had in it a full page pictm-e titled "Summer Wood- 

 cock Shooting." The artist employed to illustrate Mr. 

 Satterthwaite's article (which is excellent barring that 

 h^ calls the woodcock a "gasti-onomic gem") was Mr. J. 

 M. Tracy. Sportsmen who have looked at this remark- 

 able pictm-e are overcome with delight, for the shooter, 

 who is porti-ayed in the attitude of the clown in the panto- 

 mime when he shouts "Here we are again," is "the same 

 old coon," and his flint-lock "is the same old gun" that 

 has figured in other of Mr. Tracy's excellent pictures 

 of sport. Our esteemed contemporary the Sunday Call 

 of Newark, remarks as follows on the picture: "Very 

 old New Jersey guimers will enjoy the picture, because 

 it will certainly carry them back to the days when all 

 kinds of birds were shot with ]ionderous flint-lock guns 

 such as the sportsman in the picture is straining imder 

 the weight of and vainly tryijig to raise to the level of 

 the jngeon that appears in the right foregromid flying 

 away with a clothespin in its mouth. Will the inan 

 shoot the bird? No, he will not shoot it, unless his 

 ancient weapon is a scattergun of the most pronounced 

 type. His ami is not to km the bird but to scare it to 

 death by knocking the bark from the wMte birch tree in 

 the backgTound. It is a good thing for the pigeon that 

 the aim is far below and behind it, for if the man should 

 hit it at that short range he would certainly knock it into 

 next week's number of the paper. When the man picks 

 Mmself up, and fully recovers from the fall he is sm-e to 

 get when his §'oose-gun goes off:, he should promptly lash 

 the um-uly pomter that evidently flushed the pigeon with 

 the clothespin in its mouth." The Call, however, is mis- 

 taken. The gun is pointed a little ahead of and below the 

 bu-d. By the time the gunner "lets her go" the range 

 wdU be all right. 



The Eye and the BEAR.--Fi-edericton, N. B., July 20. 

 — Editor Forest and Stream: Mr. Braithwaite, a noted 

 hunter here, when out in the woods a few days ago, went 

 into a cedar swamp to look for railway sleepers. He 

 came directly on a bear with her two cubs. The cubs on 

 seeing him gave a squeal, and the mother immediately 

 made toward him with a growl, showing her teeth for all 

 they were worth. Mr. Braithwaite not having any 

 weapon with him, stood still and fixed his eyes on the 

 she bear. He then commenced backing out, feeling his 

 way carefuUy with one foot at a time. At times she 

 would try to get beMnd him, Avhen he woiild swing his 

 body around, keeping his eyes all the time steadily on her, 

 never for an instant removing them. She held him in 

 this way for nearly two hours, and did not leave Mm 

 until he backed out to the brow of a hill adjoimng the 

 swarnp, w^hen she left him and went to her cubs. He says 

 that in all his experience he never put in such a frightful 

 time, and hopes never to be placed in such a position 

 again. He was completely done out, and nearly fainted 

 as soon as the bear left him. He feels quite certain it 

 would have been all day with him had he stumbled or 

 taken his eyes off from her. — Blubnose. 



Massachusetts.— Agawam, July IQ. -Editor Forest and 

 Stream: Savoy is a town on the Hoosac Mountain, Mass. 

 A bear was shot near there last year and another was said 

 to have been shot near North Adams, Mass. Two bears 

 have been seen here this simimer, or else the same bear 

 has been seen twice. Ruffed grouse were unusually plenty 

 around here up to April 1 ; have had no oppoitunity to 

 look them up since. One flock of about twenty quail 

 were alive and undisturbed up to Jan. 1, not three miles 

 from Com-t Square, Springfield; I think they survived the 

 cold weather, as they had good cover on southern expos- 

 m-es near a never freezing sjjring, and I hear one whistl- 

 ing occasionally now. Speak a good word for Game Com- 

 missioner Anderson of the Greenfield district. He is 

 making it hot for the bird killers.— Pine Tree. 



Deer in Virginia. — Editor Forest and Stream: I see 

 you are greatly interested in the preservation of deer in 

 the Adhondacks. Why don't the still-hmiters there do 

 as the still-hunters do in the mountains of Vu-ginia and 

 West Virginia, kill aU the bad dogs? That soon puts a 

 stop to hounding. In tidewater, Virginia, deer htmting 

 is done for the sake of the chase and not for the meat, but 

 they are not so much hunted as to be run out of the 

 country. Indeed, in several counties on either side of 

 James River, deer are more abundant than sheejj. In 

 Charles City coimty they begm to hunt deer (always by 

 chase) about the first of November and stop the first of 

 January by common consent, and it is all done for sport. 

 — W. 



Texas Deer Season. — ^Mai-shaU, Tex., July 12. — Editor 

 Forest and Stream: In your issue of July 8, 1886, you 

 give the open season for deer in Texas as being from June 

 1 to Dec. 1, having been misled by the law as it existed 

 prior to April 11, 1883, when it was amended. See Gen- 

 eral Laws of the State of Texas, Chapter LXXVHI., Sec- 

 tion 1, page 79, which provides that the open season shall 

 be from the 1st day of August to the 20th day of the Jan- 

 uary following. Our laws, however, do not apply to the 

 whole State, but only to certain counties, which will 

 appear in the Acts of the Regular Session of the Eigfiteenth 

 Legislature, page 115,— Amory R. Starr. 



Flight of Grassplover.— On Sunday, July 18, there 

 was a flight of grassplover (Bartramia longicaudd) which 

 passed over Staten Island and Newark, N. J., about 9 

 o'clock P. M., going west. They were heai-d by Mr. W. 

 S. R. Ogilvie of New Brighton, Staten Island, and by 

 Messrs. F. Satterthwaite and S. Penmng-ton of Newark. 

 The birds were distinctly heard and there must have 

 been a considerable number of them, for they were within 

 hearing for quite a httle while. 



Stuffed Grassplover Wanted.— IMi-. F, Satterthwaite, 

 of Newark, N. J,, desires to obtain for a few days the 

 loan of a stuffed grassplover for the purpose of obtainmg 

 a photograph of it. The specimen will be carefully 

 looked after and promptly returned. 



The Woodcock Fund.— Jersey Citj.— Editor Forest 

 and Stream: I notice a communication in last issue of 

 Forest and Stream by "Ajax," in regard to the 

 slaughter of woodcock. I do hope all the sportsmen in 

 JNew Jersey and New York will come to the front and 

 fu^^/'^^J^^" necessary assistance. Let every one send 

 the dollar to your paper, it will be a dollar well spent. 

 At the next meeting of the New Jersey Kennel Club I 

 will ask the club to appropriate |3S to the woodcock 

 tmid.— C. J. Peshall, President New Jersey Kennel Club 



New Jersey.— Manchester, N. J., July 19.— Editor 

 Forest and Stream: Woodcock are very scarce here this 

 season. Bob WMte wmtered well and I think we will have 

 some spoi-t ynth him next season. Ruffed grouse are scarce 

 m this vicinity. I think "Fair Play" is right, A law to 

 protect the dove would be of gi-eat service both in increas- 

 ing thexrnumber and for the benefit of sportsmen.— G. 

 G. W , 



T f ^Destructive Storm.— The Cedars, Oakdale, L. I., 

 July 30 —The heavy storm of Simdaymght has desti-oyed 

 about aU the young quail. I flushed six pairs on my pre- 

 serve, but not any young ones; there was a covey of young 

 ones found, all dead but one, in Sayvillcon Monday morn- 

 ing. They must have been drovimcd, as the rain was so 

 heavj' as to completely cover the groimd.— A. A. F. 



Mr. Griffin Smith, of Longmont, Col. , claims to have 

 shot a mountain Uon on the Little Thompson, which meas- 

 ured mne feet from the end of its nose to the tip of its 

 tail. 



Massachusetts Game Law.— In communication on this 

 subject last week read thick covers for "strict covers," 

 Aug. 31 to Jan. 1 for "Aug. 31 to June 1." 



Non-Residents in Ontario Require no License to 

 Shoot. Come along Brother Jonathan Avith your best 

 shootingriron and bm-n some powder with us in a friendly 

 way, not as m 1813 or '37.— R. H, T. (Pioton, Ont,), 



NEW YORK DEER LAW. 



SECTION 1. Section one of chapter five hundred and tMrtv-foar 

 of the laws of eigMeen hundred and Hcventv-iiinc, entitled "An 

 act for the preservation of moose, M^ild deer, birds, tish and other 

 game," is hereoy amended so as to read as follows: 



§ L No person shall hunt, kill, chase or take alive anv wild deer 

 in any part of the State save only from the fifteenth day of August 

 to the first day of November in any year, nor shall anv'one person 

 during such time Mil or take alive more than three doer. No per- 

 son, corporation, association or company slunll transport or have 

 in its or his possession in this St.ate, after the same lias 1 H-i'n killed, 

 any ^yi^d deer or venison, save only from rln 'if'ti . riTli day of 

 Augtist to the fifteenth day of November in ' .ojicrson, 

 corporation, association or company shall r for sale 



after the same has been killed, any wild deer m- ; i -"ji. . a ve only 

 from the fifteenth day of August to the first tiny or' Ko^ enibcr in 

 each year. No person shall at any time, in this State, kill any 

 fawn or have in possession the carcass or skin of any such fawn 

 after the same shall have been killed. No person shall, in anv part 

 of this State, set any trap, spring-gun or other device at any artifi- 

 cial salt lick or other place for the purpose of trapping or killing 

 wild deer. It shall not be lawful to hunt or pursue deer with dogs 

 in any county of this State, except from the first day of September 

 to the fifth day of October m each year. It shall not be lawful to 

 pursue deer with, dogs in the counties of St. Lawrence and Dela- 

 ware at any time. If shall be lawful for any person to shoot or kill 

 any dog while in the actual pursuit of any cleer in violation of the 

 provisions of this act. Itshallnot be lawful for any person to kill or 

 cause to be killed any \vild deer in conn ties of Sntlolk and Queens at 

 any time within five years from tbe y:: -.i /i'Df this act. No per- 

 son, common carrier, corporatio' ' .■M or company sh.-Ui at 



tiny tirno cai-ry or Irauspoit In r : l in.vc in oossessioii for 



the purpose of transportation, a ny v. i id u^^cr, or venison, taken, 

 caught, killed or captured in the counties of this State, oriji either 

 of them, except the comities of Queens and Suffolk, and any per- 

 son, common carrier, corporation, association or company which 

 has in its possession any audi wild deer or venison, taken, caught, 

 killed or capttired in any of t'lio said counties of this State as afore- 

 said, or in either of them, except the counties of Queens and Suf- 

 fol, shall be deemed to have tliem in possession in violation of this 

 act except, however, that they may transport or have in possession 

 for the purpose or transportation, from the fifteenth day ol; August 

 to the fifteenth day of Nox ember, not more than one carcass of 

 wild deer orvenisoi], taken, cavight, killed or captured in said 

 counties as aforesaid, or in either of tljcm, for each owner of said 

 carcass as aforesaid, proxided that such carcass be accompanied, 

 by the owner. This section slvall not apply to the head or feet of 

 wild deer wdien severed from the carcass. Any person oJTejidiug 

 against any of the preceding provisions of this section shall be 

 deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and in addition thereto shall be 

 liable to a penalty of one hundred dollars for each wihl deer or 

 tuvm so killed, hunted, p-.irsned or trapped, or f<.ir each carcass or 

 part thereof transported or had in possession for transportation 

 in violation of this act, and for every spring-gun so set, or wild 

 deer or fawn skin or venison had in possession, and nia,\' be pro- 

 ceeded against therefore in anj; county of this State in xvliicli the 

 offense was committed or in which the offender or prosecutor may 

 reside or have an o/Bce for the ti-ansaction of business. 



8 3. Section three of said act is hereby amended so as to read as 

 follows: 



§ 3. No person shall hunt, kill or take alive an>- wild doer by the 

 process or mode commonly kno^\'n as crusting, or enter any place 

 wiiore the wild deer are yarded with intent to kill, take alix e or 

 destroy the same at any time. Any person oftending against any 

 of the provisions of this sc-tion shall be deemed guilty of a misde- 

 meanoi-j and in addition tinn'to shall be liable to a penalty of one 

 hundred dollars for each vv ild deer so hunted, killed, taken alive 

 or destroyed. 



g 3. Section thirty-six of said act is hereby amended so as to read 

 as follows: 



§ 36. Any person may seU or have in possession any hare or rabbit 

 or any woodcock, any ruffed grouse commonly called partridge, 

 any pinnated grouse commonly called prairie chicken, and any 

 black or gray squirrel during the month of December, and any 

 quail from tne first day of .laimary to the first day of February, 

 and any fresh venison from the fifteenth day of No\- ember to the 

 fifteenth day of December, and shall not be liable for any penalty 

 under this act, pro-rided he proves that such game was lawfully 

 killed during the periods alio \s'ed by this act and not transported 

 contrary to tlie pro\isions therenf. 



§ 4. Chapter five hundred and lU't.y-seven of the laws of eighteen 

 hundred and eightv-flve, entitled "An act for the better preserva- 

 tion of wild deer," is hereby repealed, and aU other acts or parts 

 of acts inconsistent with tlie provisions of this act are hereby 

 repealed. 



i n. This act shall take effect immediately.— CTaxp. 194, Laws of 

 1886. 



"That reminds me." 

 185. 



IN the year 1843 Hczekiah Northwest, a farmer living in 

 Orwell township, Bradford county. Pa., started two 

 deer on what is known as the Sugar Loaf in Oi-well town- 

 sliip. He killed both deer with one bullet. After killing 

 the first one tiie same bullet went twice around the hill 

 and killed the other deer. Some may doubt this, hut it is 

 true. Now, I will tell you how it was done. Hezokiah 

 had only one buUet when he started, and after kilUng the 

 first deer, he stopped and dressed it and found the bidlet, 

 which he loaded up agam; and then he followed the other 

 deer twice around the hUl and killed it. P. 



Athens, Pa. 



