Sept. 9, 1886.] 



127 



shoot. I saw him one year as late as Dec, 10 on the same 



place where he had been all snmmer. Of quail T know of 

 only one bevy on Lon.ii; Island City grounds. Incessa,nt 

 shooting- has made quad very shy and well educated. 

 They take long flights, run to' the lieaviest brier covers, 

 light on large trees, and dodge in eveiy possible Avay at 

 the arrival of hunter and dog. Some bevies that I haA- e 

 seen all summer in certain localities and succeeded in get- 

 ting a few out of, left the gTound altogether and could 

 not be found again with the best dogs and the most per- 

 sistent hunting. Rabbits are getting scarcer every year. 

 There is no reason for havmg the law off one month 

 longer on rabbits than on quail. It gives many hunters a 

 ])retext to go through the woods with gun and dogs and 

 shoot quail. DOMESTIC. 



BOSTON NOTES. 



THE lovers of the rod and line are planning and taking 

 fall trips to the trout waters. The excursion season 

 gives i^Iaee to the real sportsman usually on September 1, 

 and this x ear is no exception. Several Boston gentlemen 

 started for ^loosehead on Monday, and one or two pax-ties 

 are planning a trip to Seven Ponds. Tlie Androscoggin 

 Lakes are drawing their usual crowds of sportsmen. Two 

 gcntlenien from the -wool trade left on Satm-day for the 

 0(|nossoc Association's canii_>s. I hear that Lake Moose- 

 lucmaguntic' has been drawn down to very low water by 

 the Ujiiou Water Power Co., for the purpose of imi)rove- 

 ments on the Upper Dam, and that the fall fishing is to 

 be ruitied hj that action. But again this is disputed, and 

 it is claimed that the tisliing will be all the better. 



iMr. E. B. iiaskell, editor-in-chief of the Boston Herald, 

 has just returned from a very enjoyable outing at the 

 Oquossoc Association's camps at the head of Mooselucma- 

 guntic. He was accompanied by Mrs. Haskell and 

 friends, uacluding their pastor. C. H. Johnson, of Somer- 

 ville, and W. B. Nelson, of Mattapoiset. with another 

 friend, start for Onaj) SteA\-art, at the head of Lake Mole- 

 chunkamtmk, on PriLlay. l\lr. Nelson is an amateur pho- 

 tographer, and his camern always goes with him. He 

 has already made a good many views in that region. 

 Two weeks later Mr. H. S. Kempton, i^f the Boston Her- 

 ald staff, with one or two friends, wiU start for Camp 

 Stewart. This party intends stopping over into October, 

 and shootmg a deer squarely in open season. 



Short lobsters continue to come here in spite of the 

 earnest efforts of Deputy Fish Connnissioner F. E. Shat- 

 tuck. That gentleman is spending a short vacation at 

 Marstons Mills, ]\fass., in camp with his son. But when 

 "the cat's away the mice will play." The schooner Mon- 

 terey, ostensibly in the employ of the noted Ti-efethern, 

 was seized on Friday by Capt. Gould, of the harbor police. 

 Over 900 short lobsters were easily found on her, and she 

 had a cargo in which evidently many more could have 

 been found; but in the absence of Commissioner Shattuck 

 there was no one to enforce the law by detaining the 

 schooner, and Capt. Gould, much to his chagrin, "was 

 obliged to let her go. The statute, cmiously enough, pro- 

 vides that any fish commissioner or his deputy may 

 enforce its provisions, but a policeman or sheriff is power- 

 less beyond the detention of the supposed short lobsters 

 till the proper officer can be reached. But the statute 

 also provides that the Governor, under the written re- 

 quest of the commissioner, may deputize other persons to 

 c.vccutc tlie short lobster law, and an effort is being maide 

 to liave Capt. Gould thus empowered, and that gentleman 

 will work to save the lobster for the pure love of its pro- 

 tection. 



The small shore bird shooting along Boston Bay and the 

 South Shore is not proving very satisfactory this season, 

 though a few plover and yellowlegs are occasionally 

 bagged. There are a good many gunners, however. The 

 law on ruffed grouse not being " off till Oct. 1, the usual 

 amount of interest in fi eld shooting has not yet sprung up. 

 Grouse are reported scarce within easy distance of Bos- 

 ton; that is, so as to get a few shots and return the same 

 day. Special. 



Boston, Mass., Sept. 5. 



A Kansas Game Tereitort,— Erueka, Kan.— I think 

 we have sport to boast of here in Greenwood county. 

 We have quail, chickens and ducks without limit. Squir- 

 rels are very plentiful in the timber along the creeks. 

 Rabbits are so plenty that one reaUy gets tned of shoot- 

 mg them. One recent Christmas Day four of us shot 

 twenty-four, not half a mile from the house. I was 

 spending the day in the country, and the boys proposed 

 a turn before dinner. We were out a little over an horn. 

 There are quite a number of deer and antelope in the 

 county. Then in the spring and summer plover shooting 

 is good. There seems to be an inexhaustible supplv of 

 them here. The first of the quail season (Nov. 1) friend 

 Jones and myself would walk out about a mile from 

 town, and in about an hour's time would bag from fifteen 

 to twenty quail, and not "pot shoot" either. Almost 

 every evening at about 4 o'clock we would sti-oll out to 

 some inviting hedge, and then it would be music to some 

 of my Eastern friends' ears to hear us. We could wear 

 off the fatigue of the day's work in short order. One 

 P. M. in December, Jones, 'Cleveland and I drove out two 

 miles to a little stream, loc;kiug for ducks. In just three 

 hours we had brought to bag 17 mallards, 13 quails, 7 rab- 

 bits and a chicken. Honors were about even aU round. 

 The chicken was killedjat fully 75yds. rise, with a 12-gauge 

 mod. choke, 4drs. powder, double Avads and l^oz. No. 2 

 shot and single pasteboard wad. It was a load for ducks. 

 For all ordinary shooting, at close range, such as quail, 

 etc.. I find 3di-s, powder, single wad and 1 oz. No. 8 shot 

 with pasteboard wad, is best. For ducks and other long, 

 range, hard shooting, I prefer the above (4drs. and IJoz.) 

 load, with perhaps a pasteboard wad between the felt 

 wads over powder. Chilled shot is better than dropped 

 shot, as it breaks bones better and does not take feathers 

 and fur in with it. We have golden plover and Wilson 

 snipe in abundance. Then if one wants the fim of shoot- 

 ing wolves, there are hundreds of them here. They 

 trouble the farmers a gi-eat deal. The ducks come back 

 about the middle of February or 1st of March and stay 

 two months.— W. B. G. ^ 



Keeping Game in Hot Weather.— In the coru-se 

 of a letter from ovi Indian correspondent, "Shikaree," he 

 says: "Meat will keep i^erfectly sweet for some days in 

 the hottest weather if immersed in pm-e spring water, 

 and covered with a film of sweet oil, 11 sprmg water is 

 not available, use water that has been boiled. By renewing 

 the water at intervals it may perliaps be kept sweet for a 

 week or tAvo," From the' Ne\\' Orleans Picayune we 

 (juote as follows: "Joints of meat will kcejj good even 

 in the hottest weather, for a month, if plunged into boiUng 

 fat, when cool Avrapped in straw and sewn in canvas bags, 

 then hung in a cool place. Venison is said to be delicious 

 if sprinkled, while fresh, with a mixtiue of charcoal, 

 ginger, pepper, phnento, all in powder; afterward sewn 

 up and bui-ied six feet in the ground where it may be 

 left for three weeks. It must be washed before cooking 

 at a brisk fire. Salt should never be ixit on meat to be 

 hung, it has such a hardening tendency. Perhaps few 

 things are ])ui-er and more efficacious than a weak solution 

 of permanganate of potash for restoring game, meat or 

 poultry already tninted. How often will a few homs 

 work the mischief in sultiy weather, the meat changing 

 to such an extent as to appear almost immediately spoiled. 

 However, by wasliing in the fluid it can be sweetened. 

 As long as the liquid changes color — ^that is, loses its pink 

 tint and becomes greenish-browii — it must be renewed. 

 Wlien it ceases to change color the meat will do. After 

 this treatment it is more suitable for braising, boiling, or 

 stewing, than for roasting or baking — although it may be 

 so treated if well dried and floured." 



Swr^^EL Guns in Illinois.— St, Louis sportsmen are 

 much exercised over the destructive work of swivel gun 

 duck shooters on Canteen Lake, lU. These eno-ines are 

 very profitable to the market gunners, among them 

 Baptiste Guenuaud; but there is no game left for the 

 sportsmen. 



Worcester, Sept. 3, — On Monday an exclusion party 

 starts from here for a shooting trip in tlie Far West. They 

 go to Chicago via St, Paul and Minneapolis t(^ Lake Park 

 in Minnesota, Fargo, Wheatland, Buffalo, Tower City, 

 Alta, Sanborn, Eckelson, Medina, Tappen, Steele, Apple 

 Ci-eek, Bismarck, Dickenson and South Hart in Dakota, 

 Fort Keogh and Bozeman in Montana and in Idaho, in the 

 vicinity of Lake Pend d'Oreille, for large game, said to 

 be qiute plentiful in that region. From there the party 

 wiU go to Portland, Oregon, for a few days and then re- 

 turn by the same route, stopping in Dakota at several 

 points for duck and goose shootmg. The trip wnll cover 

 a period of about two months and will combine much 

 sight seeing along with the sport with the gun. The party 

 will be composed as follows: Hon. Max B, Richardson, 

 of Oswego, N. Y. ; Mr. and Mrs. Dr. L. Corcoran and Mas- 

 ter Brewer Corcoran, of Springfield: Mr. and Mrs. George 

 W. Moore, of Hartford, Conn.; W. H. Hutchinson, of 

 Lynn, Mass.; Mr. and IVIrs, H, F, Allen, of Grafton: Mr. 

 and Mrs, A, B. F. Kiimey and Mr, and Mrs. Jerome Mar- 

 ble, of this city. 



Gardner, Mass., Sept. 3.— The Mononomack Sporting 

 Club to-day go into camp on Lake Mononomack. in 

 Rindge, N. H. The club at then amiual meeting elected 

 the following oflicers: President, Aaron Greenwood; Vice- 

 President, Geo. F. Ellsworth; Secretary and Treasurer, F. 

 M. Greenwood. Ex, Com., C. H. Newton, A. Stevens, Geo. 

 Nichols. The list of campers include the following: 

 Walter Newton, of New York; J. S. Ames, of Norfolk, 

 Va.; Frank Nichols and Mr. McKav, of Fitchburg; Thos. 

 Sheldon, of Boylston, also John D. Edgell. C. F. Read, 

 Dr. Garland, Fred Garland, C. H. NeAsd;on, F. M. Green- 

 wood, Amos Coleman, Lewis A. Wright. A. Warren. C. 

 Leshe Bent, Geo. Nichols and T. P. Perlev, all of this 

 toAvn. — E. 



A Barn Full of Rails.— Chester, Pa., Sept. 4.— The 

 open season for reed buds commenced on the 1st; but 

 for the past three weeks buds could be bought in plenty. 

 A man by the name of Rambo, hAong about two miles 

 below Philadelphia, Avas caught ti-apping reed birds, and 

 had in his barn over 5,000 of them which he expected to 

 pick and fiood the market with on the 1st of September. 

 The bu-ds are still poor and are hardly fit to eat. They 

 say that all the farmers in Rambo's vicinity were engaged 

 in the same business. Rambo was held in f 600 bail by a 

 Philadelpliia magistrate. The penalty for trapping birds 

 in Pennsylvania is $5 for the first bird and |2.50 for each 

 foUoAving, so that if the laAv is followed out it will make 

 quite a nice little sum, but I am afraid it will all end in 

 smoke. — ^MaC. 



Arkansas.— Little Rock, Sept. 4.— Tlie opening of the 

 season was observed by an anny of hunters who met 

 Avith various degrees of success. I A^^ent to St. Francis 

 bottom and made a Avaterhaul. There is very little game 

 there except bear. They are very plenty but I did not 

 fall in with one. The overfioAV last spring drove every- 

 thing out. Several deer hunters killed their game. A 

 party on the prairie brought in eighty-two chickens. Two 

 years ago they woidd have probably killed five or may 

 be ten. Yet many want our gamJs lanv repealed. Our 

 representatives in this coimty are all right on that propo- 

 sition and it Avill no go Avithout a fight. We intend to 

 try to tighten it instead of letting it go. — Casual. 



A Shot at a Heron.— New Castle, N. H,, Aug. 31,— 

 While out snipe shooting yesterday, I put up a great blue 

 heron wMch flew ahead of me, and alighted, as I thought, 

 out of gunshot. Determined to risk a shot, I put into my 

 gun (a 10-bore, O^lbs. Parker) a shell loaded Avith 5drs. 

 poAvder and 1 oz. of TT shot, fired, and to my surprise saAv 

 the bud drop. Pacing the distance I found it was 123 

 liberal paces. Though the pellets were large, I call that 

 a pretty lengthy shot. The bird was killed perfectly 

 dead. Snipe are not very plenty this year so far. An 

 early flight of coots is expected by the guimers here. — J. 

 Wendell, Jr. 



Shore Birds and Wildfowl.— Elizabeth, N, J., Sept. 

 3. — While out shooting snipe last Tuesday ua the rain, I 

 saw a flock of geese fly over from northeast to southwest. 

 I do not think that any one else from here saw them, as I 

 accidentally ran across them while looking through my 

 glass. Snipe shooting is very poor here for this time of 

 the year: a few yellow-legs and plover is all that can be 

 seen, Willets are very scarce, — Plover, 



Wild Turkey's Call.— Philadelphia, Miss.— I find that 

 it is impossible for me Avith the letters of our alphabet to 

 convey a correct idea of the different notes or calls made 

 by the wild turkey. Although I have always been verv 

 successful in making the notes and deceiAang the most 

 wary of these noble birds, I found that it was not an easy 

 matter to convey a correct idea on paper of just how 

 it could be done.— S. P. Nash. 



Prof. William Cook of Harvard College Avas killed 

 by the accidental discharge of his gam while he was 

 shootmg bay snipe at Chatham, Mass., Aug. 27. He re- 

 ceived a severe woimd in the knee, which bled profusely. 

 A young man accompaning him took Cook on Ms back 

 and brought him across the beach to the boat, and rowed 

 him to the main land, AA^here he was taken to his boarding- 

 house by several fishermen. Local medical aid was sum- 

 moned and Cambridge doctors telegraphed for, but the 

 bleeding could not be stopped, and after hours of intense 

 suffering he died. 



Massachusetts Grouse.— Greenfield, Mass., Sept, 2,— 



Editor Forest and Stream: I see in this week's issue of 

 your paper a repetition of what I saw in the Boston 

 Herald of a few days back, in relation to New England 

 game birds, wherein it states that the law in this State is 

 off on grouse September 15. Where does this information 

 come from? Chapter 276 of the Acts of 1886 places the 

 close season on this bird from Jan. 1 to Oct. L— Green- 

 field, [The season begins Oct. 1. The mistake of our 

 corresijondent Avas not noticed.] 



Washington, D. C, Sept. 1.— Rail shooting opens here 

 to-day, and big bags are expected, as the buds are re- 

 ported being plentiful. We consider from eight to twelve 

 dozen a fair bag for one tide. — Mark Right. 



New York Gaime Law Compilations are published by 

 the Utica Fish and Game Protective Association (com- 

 piled by John D, Collins, Secretary, 58 Franklin Square, 

 IJtica) and by the Anglers' Association of St. Lawrence 

 River, and Eastern New York Fish and Game Protective 

 Association (compiled by F. M. Danaher, Albany. 



Le Prairie's Row. — In your notes on Brandreth Lake 

 in issue Sept. 2, you give the time made by my guide Le 

 Prairie from Holland's Blue Mountain Lake to North Bay 

 of Raquette Lake as foui- hours. It was three hours and 

 thirty -five minutes.— W. Holberton. 



Nebraska.— Shelton, Neb.— The best time to shoot 

 prairie chickens here is the latter part of August and the 

 month of September. After Oct. 1 they gather in large 

 packs and Avill not lie well to a dog.— A. W. S. 



Michigan.— Cedar Springs.— The prospects for faU shoot- 

 ing are unusually good, ruffed grouse being more plenty 

 than for several years past,— W, H, W. 



At a Partridge Family Reunion in Or land, Me., a 

 stirffed Avild parti-idge was mounted on the piano as the 

 family emblem. 



MUZZLE VS. BREECH. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



Last September I ordered a .38-calit)er Ballard schuetzen rifle 

 As I had been shooting a muzzleloading scliuetzen erun for tbie last 

 ten years I felt, so to speak, "kind of shaky" about beating the 

 record oi^ my previous shooting, thinking that no breechloadine 

 gun would shoot as exactly as a muzzleloader. The first good trial 

 I gave the gun Avas in November last, when in hours of shootine 

 I made the lug score of 109 6in. bullseyes in easv shooting. As mv 

 biggest score Avith the muzzleloader Avas onlv 58 6in. biulseves in 

 the great yearly shooting of the California Schuetzen Club in 1885 

 I Avas the most surprised man in the club, after making the above 

 score, for Avhich I received the gold medal for the most bullseyes 

 On the 15th inst. the yearly shooting of the club occurred a°-ain' 

 and I am proud to say that I made the magnificent score of 2306in' 

 bullseyes m 914 hours, shooting with the Ballard breechloading 

 rifle, beatmg the next best man by 79 bullseyes. FoUowing is my 

 official score, taken from the secretary's book: - 



Time of shooting, 6^ hours. Shots fired, 613. Amount of 6in 

 bullseyes, 230. Amount of lOin. bullseyes during the day, 640 Out- 

 side the black, 3. Average time to each 6in. bullseve, 2U, minutes 

 Average time to each shot, 9 shots in S minutes. 



The foregoing score does not alloA^ me even a minute for resting 

 cleaning of gun, or refreshments, so you can see that I have giA^en 

 a full trial to the breechloader. During the last 120 shots fired I 

 did not clean nor wipe the gun. That I huve been crowned Schuet- 

 zen King of the State of California is an honor which not alone re- 

 flects credit to the sharp eye, steady nerve and good endurance, 

 but also to the splendid weapon I have used. K. WERTHErMER 



San Francisco, Cal., Aug. 23, 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



At short intervals for many years I have been accustomed to 

 seeing articles m your journal lauding the superior accuracy of 

 the muzzleloading rifle as against the breecliloader. In common 

 with a majority of the Massachusetts Rifle Association, I have 

 beeott desu'ous of seeing an exhibition of this boasted superiority 

 In the hope of bringing out these adA-ocates of the muzzleloader 

 the directors of the Massachusetts Rifle Association have from 

 time to time put on rest matches in which the conditions have 

 been varied from the usual Creedmoor rules as to height, trigger 

 pull, etc., so that these muzzleloading advocatss could have a 

 chance to come in and scoop things, and at the same time demon- 

 strate how silly the great majority of riflemen are to stick to these 

 mferior breechloaders when something so superior was to be had 

 These rest matches m which heaA^y muzzleloaders could compete 

 have now been running over tAvo years. The following are the 

 conditions of our current match AvhichAvill run for several months 

 yet before closing: 



"Rest Match.— Conditions— Standard American Target. Dis- 

 tance, 200 yards. Any rifle, without restrictions regarding Aveight 

 sights (telescope sight aflowed), or trigger puU, Avith the exception 

 that hair triggers must be proAdded with safety lock. Any posi- 

 tion or rest. Five (5) scores to count. Five (5) scores raav be 

 counted at one competition. Entries unlimited. Entries to luem 

 bers, tAventy-flye (25) cents. To non-members, fifty (50) cents for 

 first entry, and tAventy-flA^-e (2o) cents for re-entry each day. Ties 

 will be decided by the next best score (or scores, if necessary) 

 This match aviU close Thanksgiving Day, 1886. Prizes sis in num- 

 ber. First prize, 12 per cent, of total entry fees; second, 11 per 

 cent. ; third, 9 per cent. ; fourth, 8 per cent. ; fifth, 6 per cent • 

 sixth, 4 per cent." ^ ^ , 



These conditions appear to be liberal toward the muzzleloaders 

 considering the great superiority claimed for these ancient weapl 

 ons, and the fact that no breechloaders but such as would come 

 under Creedmoor rules are used in these matches. 



In vieAv of these opportunities offered by the M. R. A for the 

 past two years, it would seem in order for the advocates of the 

 muzzleloader hereabouts, at least, to adopt a motto— slightly 

 modified to suit— which I once saw suspended over the door of a 

 sportsman's resort in Florida, where gentlemen sometimes gave 

 tangible evidence of the faith that Avas in them- the legend ran. 

 "Put up or shut up." Changed to "Shoot or shut up," though 

 somewhat slangy, it ayouM be to the point. Brebchloadek 



Athletic Games Avill be contested on the grounds of the Brook 

 lyn Athletic Association, DeKalb and Classon avenues Sent n 

 P. M., the occasion being a testimonial to E. W. Johnston Vh«i 

 club's trainer. ' 



Danger Signals from the Weather Bureau are not more sienifi 

 cant of a storm than a cough is of consumption. Providentiallv 

 wc can cure any cough Avith Hale's Honey of Horehound and Tar 

 Sold by all druggists and country storekeepers. Pike's Toothachs 

 Drops cure in one minute.— .dclu. "umacue 



