184 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Aug. 81 , 1895. 



SOME HUNTING NOTES. 



[Continued from page 71.] 

 Editor Forest and Stream: 



Some weeks ago I stated in these columns that local 

 white hunters and Indians kill deer the year round in 

 Michigan. 



I neither meant that the hunters kill all the deer, nor 

 that all the hunters kill deer; but I have it pretty straight 

 that deer are killed in the closed season in Michigan. 

 And in support of the statement I have some evidence of 

 my own. I chanced one day to see at some distance 

 through the brush a small object that reflected the sun's 

 rays like a mirror. On investigation I found it to be a 

 large lard can buried to within 2in. of the top in the earth 

 and water and covered with hay and weeds held down by 

 some chunks of wood. Removing the covering and lid, I 

 found about one-half of a deer. The cache was at the 

 edge of the timber near the railroad and about a mile 

 from a station house which was occupied by the section 

 crew. The section foreman is not there now, and I will 

 take the liberty of repeating his statement to the effect 

 that he kept venison in that can the summer through. 

 He shot mostly after night, by shining. He said he liked 

 his venison fresh. Yes, we all do; and we had fresh 

 venison for supper on the day mentioned in my last, and 

 venison for breakfast on the following morning. Then 

 for a day or two I loitered about camp, taking my inning 

 at camp work, and fishing for a change. 



One of the essential qualifications of a true sportsman, 

 I hold, is to be able to cook a good meal. I cannot there- 

 fore be accused of boasting when I say that my hunting 

 party has never found it necessary to employ a cook nor 

 a guide. 



It was about this time of the hunt that Sam had some 

 experiences that were not as amusing to him as they were 

 to us. He shot a doe out in what, for a better name, we 

 call a dry lake, knocking her down. Her two fawns, 

 which were near, ran up to her, but scampered into the 

 brush when a ball from Sam's gun whizzed near one of 

 them. Sam leisurely walked around to where the doe 

 had fallen, but when he got there he saw only the print 

 of her body in the moss and weeds. He had creased her, 

 and she had recovered and run off into the forest while he 

 was looking in another direction. On another occasion he 

 shot at a doe, and judging from her actions that she waB 

 wounded, he thought he would profit by past experience 

 and keep her in sight. So he ran after her until winded 

 before being convinced that he could not outrun a deer. 



Nat and Charley enjoyed fishing, and in lieu of a boat 

 they drifted around on the lake on a raft. While an- 

 chored in about 4ft. of water, and discussing some amus- 

 ing subject, Charley's risibles got the better of him and he 

 staggered against Nat and knocked him off the raft. 

 Though a dealer in clothing and dry goods, Charley kept 

 on laughing, while Nat climbed back on the raft like a 

 half-drowned rat. 



There were some very fine brook trout in Witch Lake, 

 the outlet of which ran into the Michigamme River; but 

 as it was the close season for trout we did not fish for 

 them. One old fellow, that I judge would weigh 31bs., 

 drew a ball from my Winchester one day while we were 

 crossing the lake. He was jumping after flies; and it 

 might interest the anglers who are discussing leaping bass 

 to know that I had time to bring my gun to my shoulder 

 and catch a pretty fair bead on him while he was above 

 water. 



Pine squirrels were very plentiful around camp, and 

 when any one felt inclined he picked up the Flobert rifle 

 and tried his hand on them, partly for sport and partly 

 because these little squirrels make a very appetizing dish 

 when properly cooked. Sometimes we stewed a potf ul of 

 them, then thickened the broth with flour and milk (con- 

 densed milk dissolved in broth or warm water). At other 

 times we filled our largest frying-pan and kept water on 

 them until stewed tender; then they were allowed to stew 

 dry, at which period butter was added, and they came to 

 the table fried brown. This is our favorite way of cook- 

 ing grouse and rabbit also. 



Bread and butter will keep fresh for weeks in this region 

 in September and October. Simply pack the bread in a 

 close box, the butter in tin pails, and set away from the 

 fire. Though the middle of the day was so warm as to 

 bring blow flies in numbers, we had sweet, solid butter 

 and fresh, spongy bread which we had brought from 

 home. 



One morning, while crossing the railroad for a bucket of 

 water, Reube discovered the tracks of four deer that had 

 passed along in the night, and had stopped opposite our 

 tents and over 40ft. distant to take a look at our outfit. A 

 passing freight interrupted their nocturnal visit, and gave 

 them quite a chase up the road. 



As our first week was drawing to a close Nat, Charley, 

 Sam and I concluded to make a drive hunt in the hope 

 that some of the less experienced might get a shot at deer. 

 I was at the right of the line, moving slowly along, when 

 a shot from Charley's gun was followed by his voice shout- 

 ing, "George, a bear, a bear!" 



I thought he said deer, and seeing a high ridge in front, 

 quickened my pace in order to reach its summit, naturally 

 fcupposing the deer would wind me and pass beyond the 

 ridge. 1 had taken but a few steps, when hearing a twig 

 break I looked to the left and saw a black bear coming 

 straight toward me. He was about 60yds. distant as he 

 emerged from some brush, and as I quartered around and 

 brought my gun to shoulder he saw me, and turning to 

 the left gave me a running shot at his right shoulder. I 

 was surprised to see how fast he could run, and also at 

 my inability to stop him, for, though I got five shots in 

 all, and felt sure from the way he winced that I hit him 

 more than once, he passed across my front and got into a 

 gully and then into a large cedar swamp, leaving only a 

 quantity of his blood on some weeds he passed through. 

 1 never wanted to fight so badly as I did then, and right 

 there I denounced the American black bear as a cowardlv 

 cur, J 



The next morning I started out alone for a still-hunt. 

 I followed an old wagon supply road that wound around 

 Witch Lake until 1 came to the edge of an extensive 

 burned area and found myself on the top of a bill. To 

 my neht the hill sloped off into a kind of ravine, and 

 there met a wooded hill that lay beyond. While looking 

 in that direction I saw a portion of a deer move behind 

 some bushes. After watching for some moments I con- 

 cluded it had probably lain down, and as the distance 

 was too great for my .38 Winchester and the wind was 

 in my favor, I decided I would try to slip up on it— or 



down, rather, for I was above it and could get a running 

 shot any moment it broke cover. Keeping my eye on its 

 hiding-place I carefully approached to within about 

 150yds. and stopped on a large flat rock that lay on a 

 level on the hillside. Here I took my stand, determined 

 to wait for something to stir that deer up. I had waited 

 twenty or thirty minutes when the report of a gun in the 

 forest beyond was answered by some persons hallooing in 

 the same direction. Presently I heard them again, and 

 much nearer, The deer, however, clung to his cover 

 until longer delay was dangerous, when he came loping 

 up the hill toward me. When about 150yds. distant he 

 bore off to my right, keeping in the edge of the woods. I 

 let him come until he was nearly opposite and about 

 60yds. distant, then whistled at him, intending if he did 

 not stop to commence shooting. When he heard my 

 whistle he stopped and threw up his head to locate the 

 noise, but I had a bead on his shoulder, and when my 

 gun cracked he fell. The hunters who drove him to me 

 were from a camp some miles away, and were of that 

 noisy kind that scare up plenty of game, but kill very 

 little of it. This deer went to camp on a stretcher the 

 same as the former one, and again venison steak had its 

 place along with fish, fowl, squirrel, rabbit, beans, pota- 

 toes, onions, cabbage, etc. 



George and I found a number of grouse in a thicket be- 

 tween two lakes one afternoon and I picked the first head 

 at just thirty-nine steps. I felt a little proud over that 

 shot and when another bird became confused and lit on 

 a small log about 25yds. from me I did not take much in- 

 terest in it until I saw George, who was off to my right, 

 draw up his .38 Colt's to shoot at it. The effect of that 

 shot was a perfect panorama on a small scale as it im- 

 pressed itself on my vision. There stood the perfect bird, 

 and as I looked intently at its head I saw a small puff of 

 atoms resembling smoke, then for an instant the headless 

 bird stood as erect and rigid as before. 



A few days before breaking camp I got a shot at a fawn 

 across a bit of prairie or dried up lake and killed it. I 

 stepped the distance 169 steps. As it happened none of 

 the other hunters killed a deer on this hunt, though they 

 had some adventures ani bushels of fun. 



The day before breaking camp I went out for grouse, 

 saw six and shot the heads off five of them. And toward 

 evening of the following day, when a couple of our boys 

 returned from the station with our tickets countersigned 

 and stamped and checks for our baggage, we piled the 

 trunks by the railroad track, signaled the through train 

 for Chicago, boarded her and bid farewell for a twelve- 

 month to our camp on Witch Lake. 



G. W. Cunningham. 



CHICAGO AND THE WEST. 



The Kewanee Freezer Case. 



Chicago, III., Aug. 24. — The information in regard to 

 the last stages of the Kewanee freezer case is covered by a 

 dispatch to the Chicago Tribune, which states: "In the 

 Criminal Court a jury found H. Clay Merritt, the game 

 dealer, guilty of but 161 counts of the 27,000 contained in 

 the information filed by State's Attorney Graves, of Gen- 

 eseo. The defense immediately entered a motion for a 

 new trial, but the motion was overruled by Judge A. R. 

 Mock, when Merritt's fine was fixed at $5 per bird, mak- 

 ing a total of $805. This was the least fine that could be 

 fixed, the maximum being $25 per bird. By this verdict 

 Merritt is freed from all danger of having to pay the 

 enormous fines, amounting to $675,000, which Game War- 

 den Blow hoped to have imposed upon him." 



Warden Blow didn't hope anything of the kind. If 

 Warden Blow hoped or wanted to have Merritt fined, 

 why didn't he prosecute him on that basis in the first 

 place? The truth is, Warden Blow has mishandled this 

 whole business, and now sees it brought to an inglorious 

 and unsuccessful end. 



The appeal in the original case still pends in the Circuit 

 Court and should come up this fall. The game in storage 

 was replevined and is now under bond, Merritt being in 

 this conditional possession of it. It is therefore not the 

 case now that Merritt will be prosecuted further, as has 

 been erroneously stated (as usual) in a local sporting paper. 

 All that can be done on that appeal case is to determine 

 the ownership of that game, and a shrewd guesser might 

 think that Merritt is now out of the worst of his trials. 

 The Illinois State Sportsmen's Association has had its 

 great chance on the cold storage question, and it has let 

 it go. Opportunity does not usually knock twice at any 

 man's door. The record of this Association, composed of 

 internal dissension and lack of harmony, of misunder- 

 standings and of apathetic indifference, furnishes oppor- 

 tunity for comment which one would be loath to make. 



Minnesota Protectors. 

 Wilkin county, Minnesota, has a game protective asso- 

 ciation which has done good work. I think the members 

 of it are the right sort, for they are this week trying to 

 find and punish some tough "sports" who have been 

 Bhooting the tame chickens of the local farmers. The grade 

 of sportsmanship is higher than it once was. To-day 

 everyone knows that no man is a sportsman who is not 

 also a gentleman. 



Fate of The Prairie Chicken. 



Mr. C. E. Grun, of Pipestone, Minn., has some timely 

 comment on the prairie chicken supply, which I give as 

 he has written it. It is not apt to be true that the birds 

 are everywhere so scarce as in the locality mentioned, 

 but it undoubtedly is that if the past methods of market 

 butchers and so called "sportsmen" be continued, the pin- 

 nated grouse is doomed to practical extinction, just as 

 much as the wild pigeon. Mr. Grun says: 



"I would like to say a few words through Forest and 

 Stream about our native bird the prairie chicken. The 

 State law of South Dakota expired Aug. 15 and was 

 looked to as a great day for our local sportsmen, as it is 

 only Beven miles to the State line, and guns, dogs, etc., 

 were in great demand. Those who went were greatly 

 disappointed, and I happened to be one of the unfortunate 

 ones to go. 



"The morning of the 15th found us in the beautiful 

 stubble fields of South Dakota at 6 o'clock, and our dog 

 came to a stand after running only about half an hour. 

 We Bupposed by his actions he had a nice large covey, but 

 upon walking up only three birds rose, one old one and 

 two little fellows about as big as quail. We then drove 

 on and went over thirty miles— in fact, we hunted all 

 day through the most favorite places for chickens, where 



last year I found from three to five coveys, but not an- 

 other bird did we find that day. 



X "Where are our prairie chickens? they are getting to 

 be a thing of the past. From reports I received from 

 other parties that were out that day the best bag any 

 party made was eight by a party of three, and they were 

 mostly old birds. 



"On Aug. 20 I again drove out, and after driving and 

 walking over section after section found three old birds 

 and one young one. Sportsmen here are very much dis- 

 couraged on account of the scarcity of birds, and from 

 reports I fear they are very scarce throughout this part 

 of the State. 



_ "Either the cold weather we had in hatching killed the 

 little fellows or the old chickens have gone to a more 

 uncivilized country to breed, Some say they were trapped 

 last winter and shipped East, but I don't think that would 

 in any way interfere with them, as they migrate in the 

 spring. I will give you more on this subject after 

 Sept. 1." 



From Michigan. 



A perfect skeleton of an elk, in an excellent state of 

 preservation, was found about two feet under ground at 

 Fitchburg, Mich., a few days ago, according to reports 

 from local sources. This lends interest to the assertion, 

 which I believe to be true, that there are a few elk still 

 alive in Michigan south peninsula. 



From Pere Marquette Club, of Kinne Creek, come 

 reports of fishing in which Saginaw folk figure among 

 others. George M. Brown, W. B. Mershon, with their 

 guests, H. A. Conant,'of Monroe; Dr. C. F. Sterling, of 

 Detroit, and W. F. Potter, caught 88 fine trout; and G. 

 W. Morley, with his brother John Morley, of Ashtabula, 

 O., caught a nice lot of bass. 



W. C. Rowley and wife, with their guests, Walter 

 Clark and wife, of Battle Creek, spent a few days at the 

 club, besides fishing on the Danaher and down the Pere 

 Marquette River in a boat as far as Danaher's rollway. 



W. B. Mershon, W. F. Potter, Harry Conant, Dr. Ster- 

 ling, George M. Brown, A. H. Morley and the Rowley 

 party were at Wingleton the 10th, 11th and 12th. 



Lawyer Grant, of the firm of Grant & Humphrey, with 

 his son, came to try his hand at the club headquarters. 



Junior Baker caught one rainbow trout weighing 3lbs. 

 3oz. when dressed. 



'Squire Decker and A. S. Randall returned from Sable 

 Lake with a fine catch of black bass. 



From Arkansas. 

 Mr. Irwin advises me from Little Rock that wood 

 ducks are now in season, but are very scarce this year, 

 owing to the past hard winter, he thinks. Mr. Irwin 

 adds: 



"I am expecting and looking forward to the early flight 

 of mallards with great hopes. Mr. Duly and I have 

 bought a Chesapeake to retrieve for us. The pin-oak mast 

 is very heavy, which means the ducks will remain a long 

 time with us. Harvey McMurchy will be on hand to try 

 your duck "Inferno," where we had such fine sport last 

 November. Mr. Pemberton and I start in early September 

 to locate our camp for duck shooting later on, and hope to 

 get a lease on the ground and marshes and have a place 

 to take our friends to enjoy it with us." 



Has Another Snake Horn. 



A gentleman who wishes to be known as "Deacon," 

 because he is afraid of being laughed at for speaking of a 

 horn snake, writes me as follows from Greensburg, Pa.: 



"I send you herewith what purports to be the true horn 

 of a snake, detached from the tail of a species resembling 

 a common black snake — Ophidia, serpens nigger — killed 

 near here by a well-known citizen. When I heard of the 

 capture of the snake I hitched up my horse and visited 

 t^e locality, saw the reptile, which was three feet seven 

 inches in length, and secured the end of him. The 

 inclosed 'horn' was hard and dry just as it now appears, 

 too dry for a joke. 



"I have instructed the captor not to kill the next specimen 

 he finds, but to give him an opportunity to establish his 

 ability to 'dig bait' with his Jin de tail, I won't sign my 

 name to this because I don't like to be laughed at, having 

 never forgotten being ridiculed once when I was a small 

 baby." 



The horn arrived in due course. It is a hard, rigid con- 

 cern, tipped with a bony scale, but it has not the appear- 

 ance of pure ivory, which I desire in my snake. We 

 shall see if we can't teach science a few things before we 

 get done with the business. Bring on your horns, at- 

 tached or detached. I ask this for the benefit of science, 

 which methinks sometimes needs a benefit. 



Another In Alcohol. 



But now comes Mr. R. S. Withers, of Edwards, Miss., 

 with a horn snake which bids fair to be a dandy. He 

 describes it thus: 



"I have been reading the fantailed deer and hoop 

 snake controversy and can now settle the snake end 

 of the affair. A man on my winter home, Belle Isle, La. 

 (away down in the marshes), has a perfect specimen, five 

 feet long, in alcohol, which he baa sent me to dispose of. 

 Do you want him, and what will you give him for it? 



"This is undoubtedly the fellow which you are looking 

 for, and if he is not the kind, of course nothing is to pay. 

 The folks down there say that when he is red-hot mad 

 he takes his tail in his mouth and rolls along over the 

 the ground dla bike, and that whatever his sting comes in 

 contact with meets with a speedy death. Trees have been 

 killed by them, they say. 



"I have seen them alive in their native haunts, but fear 

 of his wonderfully acute caudal appendage has always out- 

 ranked my desire to study his habits and peculiarities. 

 Let me know whether or not you want this specimen. 

 This fellow has no fangs, but certainly has a sting right 

 in the end of his tail." 



I dislike to buy a pig in a poke bonnet, and am cautious 

 about^buying a horn snake in soak without getting a look 

 at it first. Still, I shall forward a proposition to Mr. 

 Withers for his snake. This I do for the benefit of 

 science, which I am willing to help along all I can, be- 

 cause I think she needs it sometimes. I assert again that 

 I shall get my horn snake. I wish I could also get his 

 red-hot anger and his tree-blighting proclivities in the 

 same bottle, but on these I do not insist. If I get the 

 snake, I shall, albeit with regret, forego the ruined 

 wagon tongue. 



Jumps on Science's Neck. 



A mountain man, Mr. M. P. Dunham, of Cameron 



