246 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Oct. 31, 1886 



SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. 



SAN DIEGO, California, Oct 5.— Quail season has 

 opened with several immense bags of game being 

 brought ia. Will Hamilton, of this place, has brought 

 in town from lOdoz. to 14doz. quail, the result of one 

 day's hunt on several different occasions since Oct. 1. I 

 bagged 53 in 5 hom's shooting on tar-weed in Mission 

 V^ey last Satiu-day. The hrmting is splendid this year 

 and bids fair to hold out well. 



Market hunters are sending in some fair bags of ducks 

 from the bay shooting, Henry Seebold bringing 51 ducks, 

 (mostly "sprigs' ), two dozen cmiew and two dozen "yel- 

 low-legged"' geese or gray brant. Oiu- duck shooting will 

 not be very good imtil about Nov. 15, when the ducks 

 commence to stop on their southward flight. 



Deer hunting, in the vicinity of San Diego, has been 

 very good tliis past two months, some 46 having been 

 sent in, the result of mai'ket hunting. One weighed 

 nearly 2001bs. I hope to be able to send you some ac- 

 counts of our hunts on laud and sea before the New Year 

 if the exj)ected flights of honkers take place ere that, as 

 no hunt for water fowl is complete without the capture of 

 some of that noble species of water bird. Several matches 

 for trap and field shooting among the boys are on the 

 calendar and AviU send you result when they come off. 



Ad. B. Pearson. 



THE DISMAL SWAMP. 



ABOUT all our deer huntiug is in the Dismal Swamp. 

 The growth of reeds is so dense one cannot see 

 20ft. ahead, except in few places; this deuse foliage lasts 

 through the whole shooting season, and the only way to 

 get the game is with dogs. In 1884 within a radius of 

 three miles over fifty were shot diirmg the season; the 

 next year on the same stands not over two or three. To 

 a person not acquainted with the facts the conclusion 

 would be at once that the lessened number was because 

 so many were killed the year before, but the facts are 

 that a "portion of the swamp had been bm-ned last year 

 and they had gone back further in the swamp, and ran to 

 Drummond Lake instead of Nausemond River. In 1884 

 om' stands were on the Norfolk & Western Railroad, com- 

 mencing three or four miles below Suffolk. "Wlieu you 

 take into consideration the thousands of acres they have 

 to roam over, and the never failing supply of green reeds 

 for food, and the few numbers that are kiUed, you can 

 judge there are himdreds. I have lived here 16 years and 

 never saw a piece of venison for sale. We usually make 

 up a party of eight or ten; if we kill one or two they are 

 taken home, each hunter having a joint, and the rest is 

 sent to friends. I often wonder why New York men wiU 

 go so far from home when they can come here in four- 

 teen hours and have as good deer hunting and quail 

 shooting as they could wish, sleep in a good bed every 

 night and in bad weather have good quarters. But only 

 sportsmen are welcome, yjot-hunters not tolerated. The 

 fox hunting for real amusement beats all other hunting; 

 we now have twenty dogs when all are together and he 

 must be an old stager if he is not caught la three or four 

 hours. We hrmt on horseback and after one or two 

 chases a horse takes as much interest as the dogs or 

 hunters. B. B. D. 



Suffolk, Va. - 



ROCHESTER NOTES. 



THE sportsmen of this vicinity have during the present 

 fall experienced a great surprise, none the less 

 agreeable from its rarity, by finding game more abundant 

 than it has been for years, and within easy drive of the 

 city, in fact several fine bags of snipe liave been shot 

 within the city limits, while on grounds a few miles out 

 the sport was phenomenal, recalhng the glorious days of 

 old that the veterans of the county "tell of. Two men got 

 29 one day, another scored 17, a third sliot 53 on a smaU 

 patch of ground within the city during the flight, and innu- 

 merable smaller bags were secured. The gray plover came 

 again this season in greater numbers than for years past 

 and their ranks were thinned by the chokebores as usual. 

 The woodcock and ruffed grouse have also been found in 

 very satisfactory numbers, one man distinguishing him- 

 self by bagging eleven grouse without a miss and that in 

 thick 'cover. 



In contrast with the good luck of the men alluded to 

 above was the hard fortune that bef el the most indefatig- 

 able member of the shooting guild here. One day this 

 week ui driving out for a shoot, his favorite gun was 

 knocked out of the buggy by his dog and when the loss 

 was discovered and the ground searched where the gun 

 had fallen the latter could not be found, for it had un- 

 doubtedly been picked up by the three men who passed 

 him on the road. This was bad enough fo]- one week, but 

 worse remained behind. A day or two after he went for 

 partridges, and when a bird was flushed on a steep ]iiU- 

 side, fired from the bottom of a guUy and killed both the 

 bird and his setter, this latter being hidden in the cover. 



People who like squirrel shooting have found the woods 

 fuE of them, and so it is that the year is one of wonders 

 at which the sons of Nimrod marvel greatly. 



E. EeBMOND, 



Rochester, N. Y., Octolier. 



GEORGIA GAME. 



AUGUSTA, Ga., Oct. U.— Editor Forest and Stream: 

 Interest is being aroused all over Georgia to frame 

 a general game law for the State. Twenty or thirty years 

 ago game was plenty anywhere, and even deer have been 

 captured within a few miles of this city, but since "free- 

 dom" the brother m black has waged an indiscriminate 

 and unceasing warfare on every species of game, until it 

 is fast disappearing. They kill ever5iihing from the spar- 

 row to the turkey, regardless of the season, and game is 

 veiy scarce only on such land as is "posted," principally 

 to keep them out. ^¥Mle our brother in black was a 

 slave the laws prevented him from carrying firearms, but 

 with the first inspiration of freedom and with the first $5 

 he earned, the dilapidated double barrel or single barrel 

 gun was purchased, and he has been banging with it ever 

 since. In many instances they also use the old smooth- 

 bore musket. 



Our State is not well protected for game. We have no 

 general law, but about one-half the counties have a local 

 law. These vary in a remarkable degree. Our State is 

 large, and the breeding season in some portions are at 

 least a month earher than in other sections. For instance, 

 the local law allows quail shooting in the county adjoin- 



ing this — to the south — a month earlier than in this 

 county, and so on with aU game. 



The Augusta Gmi Club, with a view to getting a per- 

 fect law for this county, recently sent out circxilars to 

 prominent sportsmen in three counties adjoining us. The 

 nature of the circular consisted of questions regarding 

 the proper season for shooting the various game in this 

 locaMty. As an example of the varieties of opinion I will 

 only state that on quail, the dates varied from Sept. 1 to 

 Nov. 1. On other game there was a like variety of opin- 

 ion. For our eotmty we want to put it at Nov. 1, so that 

 the yormg birds will have a chance to gTow, get good 

 wings, and not be mercilessly slain by the freedman be- 

 fore they can fly — for be it known, the freedman is 

 n-owling the woods and fields every day with his "fusee." 

 f the law is adopted as we have it framed, it will be a 

 great protection to the birds, and those who go for a day's 

 sport can enjoy it. 



There have been very few ducks as yet about here. A 

 cold sj)ell thi-ee weeks ago brought flocks of teal; not 

 many stopped about here, however. Summer duck shoot- 

 ing has been very good this season, and there have been 

 more about than have been known in years. The long 

 drought we have had dried up most of the lagoons, and 

 compelled them to seek water near the city, which has 

 contributed to the bags of the sportsmen. Quail shooting 

 has not fairly opened yet, on account of the hot and ch-y 

 Aveather. After a rain and a cool spell the boys will be 

 into them. Since the enactment of the stock law (keep- 

 ing up cattle and hogs) the bu-ds have accumulated. Hogs 

 have been the greatest enemies to quail — ^they destroy 

 both the eggs and the yormg. 



Can any of yom- readers tell me how many broods of 

 quad a hen wiU raise in a year? J. M. W. 



[Generally tv\^o broods; sometimes three.] 



PROPOSED PRESERVE IN CANADA. 



THE following details of the proposed game and fish 

 preserve in New Brimswick, to which reference has 

 already been made in the Forest and Stream, have been 

 furnished by Mr. Edward Jack, of Frederictown , who is 

 now in this city: "Mr. Jack offers to dispose of to any 

 association of sportsmen a tract of land containing 20,000 

 acres in New Brunswick, Canada, reserving the right to 

 cut the timber and logs and the privilege of bringing 

 them to market by means of the streams. Tliis reserve, 

 on which moose are found, and on which caribou are 

 abundant, Mr. Jack will agree to protect from trespassers, 

 giving due security for the performance of this to the sat- 

 isfaction of intending purchasers. This preserve is in- 

 tended not only as a moose and caribou preserve, but also 

 as one of the best trout preserves in Canada, there being 

 from seventeen to twenty lakes and ponds on it within a 

 radius of five miles, in all of which trout are abundantly 

 formd. Salmon are also to be taken in Rocky Brook, 

 which runs thi-ough it, as in the adjoining Mnamichi 

 River. 



'The reserve is situated on the waters of Dimgarvan, 

 Rocky Brook and the Sisters, which empty into the South- 

 west Miramichi River, which discharges into the Bay of 

 Chaleur. 



'Of this district W. Henry Braithwaite, the best sports- 

 man in New Brunswick, says: 'On this tract on the Sis- 

 ters, Rocky Brook and Dungarvan, there are probably in 

 radius of five miles twenty lakes, varying in size from 

 about one-quarter to three-quarters of a mile each, the 

 water in them is clear and bright: there has probably never 

 been a fly thrown on them. I have always fished them 

 in the winter and have always got all of the trout tliat I 

 wanted. I have caught grilse and salmon in Rocky Brook. 

 These lakes are good for moose calling; moose and caribou 

 are plenty there yet and there are some beavers to be 

 found about thern, though these animals are becommg 

 scarce on this ground. Partridges are plenty on this tract 

 and in autumn black ducks and geese frequent the lakes. 

 The trout in the lakes vary from i to 21bs. in A^-eight, oc- 

 casionally a 3-poimder is taken. They are generally red; 

 trout in some of the lakes are redder than others, the 

 bottoms of these lakes are generally of sand and gravel. 



"The ti-act of 20,000 acres, measuring from the center 

 of it, is about 30 miles distant from Boiestown on the 

 Southwest Mu-amichi, which has railway commuuication 

 daily \vith Fredericton, the capital of New Brunswick, 

 fx-om which it is less than 50 miles distant, Fi-edricton 

 has first-class hotels. From Boston to Fredricton is one 

 day's journey by the express 'Flying Yankee.' Up the 

 Southwest Miramichi for a distance of 10^ miles above 

 Boiestown, there is a good wagon road. The remainder 

 of the 30 miles must be made by lumbersome portage, 

 wliich can by an expenditure of money be made passable 

 for riding wagons. At present the jom-ney can be made 

 on horseback. The reserve offered for sale is ontvered 

 with an unbroken forest of hard and soft woods, and has 

 numerous hiUs and valleys which serve as shelter for the 

 game of the country." 



We will take pleasure in putting any one who may be 

 interested in du-ect communication with Mr. Jack. Of 

 the salmon fishing on the Southwest Miramichi, Fishery 

 Commissioner J. H. Phair Avrites as follows: 



Fredericton, N. B., Sept. 25.— My dear Mr. Jack: In 

 reply to your inquiries respecting the salmon fishing on 

 the Southwest Miramichi, I would state that I have fished 

 that river almost continuously each season for the past 

 thirty-five vears, and I prefer it to any other river in New 

 Brunswick^ although the fish are larger and more abund- 

 ant on the Restigouche than on the Miramichi, but on the 

 latter river the fish are far more gamy, and altogether 

 the sport is more exciting and more skill is required to 

 kill vour fish than on the foi-mer. I am well acquainted 

 with the Three-Mile Rapid and have fished it, I may say, 

 hundreds of times; it is a favorite ground with me, and 

 situated only about a quarter of a mile below the gTtmnd 

 owned by Judge Steadman and myself. I have killed a 

 large number of fish in the Rapids, and for eaiiy fishing 

 there is none better on the river, it also gives good grilse 

 and fan- salmon fishing aU through the season. Mr. Orr 

 and some others a few yeai-s since pm-chased a small 

 lot at the head of the Rapids. Merely enough to cover 

 what was known as the salmon hole and wliich was at 

 that time a sm-e cast. Within the last four or five years, 

 however, a very large rock which lay at the foot of the 

 hole has been carried by the ice a few hundi-ed yards 

 below their ground, and the salmon hole has ever since 

 been gradually filling up and a new one fonning where 

 the rock now lies. There is good fishing aU through the 

 Rapids and some good casts in the pool at their foot. 

 There is also another very good pool about one mile 



further down the river, it is called Pilot Rock, also one 

 about 200yds. below the mouth of the Sisters, and again 

 another in Rocky Pond, just above Rocky Brook, aU' the 

 above are on the tract proposed by you as a moose and 

 game preserve, and I consider them very valuable. I 

 tried last year to purchase the Rapids, btxt the price asked 

 was beyond my means. I have never fished on Rocky 

 Brook, but I know a large number of salmon go up it 

 each season, and it is a favorite resort of the poaching 

 community: they sweep the pools every year and are said 

 to get a large number of fish. The late Professor Camp- 

 bell always preferred fislnng on Roclv}' Brook to any part 

 of the Jlii-amichi. Fi-om what I can learn from the men 

 on the river (and I have made much inquiry in tlie 

 matter) the salmon go considerably abo\'e the ' grounds 

 available to the poachers and are thus beyond their reach. 

 I might mention the following incident to give you an 

 idea of Judge Steadman's (one of our oldest salmon fisher- 

 men) situation of the Soli th west Miramichi. We have 

 fished it together for the past twenty years, but the last 

 season he was not weU and was a little afraid of 

 camping out, a friend of mine in Boston placed his 

 waters on the Nepesiqnct (known as the Rough 

 Waters) at my disposal, and as there was a nice 

 comfortable fishing lodge on it I invited the judge 

 to occupy it. He did so, and remained on the river for 

 about two weeks, having fair fishing. My friend has 

 again given me the water after July 15 for next season, 

 and I told the judge if he hked it he could have it again 

 next year; but lie declined, saying that he found no fish- 

 ing anywhere equal to the Mii-amichi. Now there are 

 few men in America who have had as much experience 

 as the judge, and his opinion ought to have some weight. 

 It was .Judge Steadman and myself who fought out the 

 question of riparian rights with the Dominion Govern- 

 ment and recovered for the owners of the land the exclu- 

 sive right of fishing opposite their several localities; this 

 right had been claimed and was seized by the Dominion 

 Government. 



I might add that the Dungarvan Lake is, if not within 

 the boundaries of the tract you propose purchasing, it is 

 very near it, and the Dungarvan River would, with pro- 

 tection, be a splendid salmon river, though at present it is 

 fearfully poached. I visited it about four weeks smce 

 and caught three salmon, though the nets and speai-s had 

 jn-eceded me. It will be offered for lease next February, 

 and could be guarded at a sniaU outlay; and most proba- 

 bly the rental will not exceed $100 per' year. 



J. HeVry Phair, 

 Fisheiy Commissioner, New Brunswick, 



Gardner, Mass., Oct. 15. — To-daj^ members of the 

 Monomonock Sporting Club went out for their annual 

 hunt. The captains of the two teams were Charles H. 

 Ne-\vton and Ediic Coehnan. Game was rated as follows; 

 White rabbits scored 100 y)oints; coney rabbits. 50; gray 

 squnrels, 100; red squiiTeLs, 50; chipping squirrels, 35; 

 crows, 100; partridges, 100; bluejays, 50; red-headed 

 woodpeckers, 50; pailridge woodpeckers, 50; blackbirds, 

 25; robins, 20'; skunks. 10. The principal gauie brought in 

 was squirrels. The result of each man was as foUows: 

 Newton's Side. Coelman'.s Side. 



Charles Newton 170 Edric Coclman 835 



(k'ore-H Nifliols. 220 Amos Coelnian — .510 



C.S.Bent 1,320 John D. Edgell 3S0 



Thomas ftieenwood 1,400 John K. AVilliams 1,055 



Fivd B^ielklc 90 H. L. Graham 000 



C o. F Ellsworth 600 L. W. Brown 435 



L L. SaT^in 300 Fred Garland S50 



A H. Eaton .1,060 W. O. Sawin 200 



O a Bent 7Sri T. J". Perloy... 1,000 



,1. R. ron:uit 000 C, F. Read 30n 



F. M. Gri-emrnod 300 L. A. Wright 300 



A. E. Kuowlton 7,50 T.Wood 385 



Amhrosf Stin-eus .575 F.J.Pierce 575 



Augustus ^V^u•^f n 390 G. W. Garland 300 



Total .7,5)55 Total 6,.TO 



Oritani Snow Shok Club, Oct. 15.— Editor Forest and 

 Stream: The Oritana Snow Shoe Club held its fourth 

 aimual meeting at the rooms of the Canadian Club in 

 East Twenty-ninth street, on Tuesday, Oct. 12. A goodly 

 number of memljors were in-rscnt. and the reports of the 

 officers showed that cliilj w-as in a sound and flourish- 

 ing condition. The number of menilicrs is tliii-ty-six witli 

 aprospect of a rapid increase. The following officers were 

 duly elected: Honorary President, Erastus Wiman; Pi-es- 

 ident, G. M. Fairchild, Jr.; Vice- Pres., Wm. B. Ellison: 

 Secretary and Treasurer, AVakeman Holbeiion. The 

 chib adopted a uniform consisting of a gray blanket coat 

 and knee breeches trimmed with liluo, l)hie toque and 

 stockings and garnet sash. Invitations were received 

 from several members to visit then respective homes near 

 New York, as soon as the snow was in condition, includ- 

 ing one from Mr. Erastus Wiman to visit his elegant 

 place on Staten Island. A committee was appointed to 

 make arrangements for the tramp and also for a trip to 

 Montreal during the carnival. This club, we believe, is 

 the first sno^N' shoe club in or near New York and it is 

 to be hoped that their good example will be followed by 

 many more lovers of out of door sports. — ^H. 



Will Wildwood Boom?— If it does not it wiU be owing 

 to no fadiu-e of rosv tinted advertising by the boomers. 

 Wildwood is a town that is to be down in Southern New 

 .Jersey. "The spot is a very novel one," Wfe should say so, 

 for in the word^ of tlie scrilje: "Near by are numerous 

 saline caves, in which congregate fisli of all soiis. A mo- 

 ment's row wiU bring the angler to hidden inlets, Avhere 

 can be found bass, herrmg, sea pike, dotted turbot, por- 

 gies and smelts. The flying fish hover around constantly. 

 In several of the caves are known to bo sharks and enor- 

 mous porpoises. This wdl afford sport for the adventm- 

 ous disciple of Walton. The woods. ei,ght in number, are 

 so close to the shore that they cast shadows out over the 

 sea. In the woods are all sorts of small game. The sports- 

 man mav stand where the sijray from the sui-f can nearly 

 reach hmi and shoot ralJjit, qnail, nea duck, wild geese, 

 robins and cedar birds. The other day a couple of sur- 

 veyors shot a great big eagle, measming 9ft. from tip to 

 tip." . 



He Killed It.— An Erie, Pa., correspondent records a 

 feat l)y a greenhorn of that citv. A Kane, Pa. . sportsman 

 invitecl the Erie man to go woodcock shooting. The Ene 

 man had never Heen a woodcock, and <lid not know one 

 from a stump. Thev got into the woods, the Erie uian 

 saM' sometldng moving in the brush, yelled "I see hini,"' 

 let drive both baii-els and screeched -'rve hit lum. So 

 he had, but the Kane man said he wouldn't have taken 

 a thousand dollars for that dog. 



