Noy. 9, 1895.J 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



407 



contribution. Several smaller contributions were then made. 



Mr. McDonald pledged the support of the Osceola Club, at 

 Hatchie Coon. He also suggested that all the clubs in the 

 State should be called on in their club capacity. 



Mr. Henry said that it was his hope to get enough from 

 the sportsmen of the State to make a showing to the next 

 Legislature with the hope of getting an appropriation at the 

 next session. He wanted it understood that he gets no salary 

 and every dollar he obtained from subscriptions would be 

 used in the payment of deputies and for other expenses. 



Mr. McDonald: "It would be a good thing to have several 

 depu ti es-at-large. ' ' 



Mr. Henry: It is all a question of expense." 



Mr. Bobbitt gave his experience in Illinois. He holds or 

 controls some 4,000 acres, and when he went for his chickens 

 a few days ago, he found only one flock and learned that the 

 rest had been killed in July. 



Mr. McDonald moved a committee to solicit subscriptions 

 from clubs as well as individuals. This prevailed, and the 

 following were appointed: J. B. Lucas, ex-officio chairman; 

 J. A. Jennelle, railroads; W. C. Merry, breweries; E. B. 

 Wolff, real estate; William J. Baker, architects: Alfred Val- 

 lat, real estate; Mr. F. McDonald, lawyers; Albin Mellier, 

 merchants; C. F. A. Mueller, real estate. 



Mr. Brandenberger, of Jefferson City, spoke of Mr. Henry 

 as a born sportsman, and a man who would fearlessly enforce 

 the law if he had the means. Mr. Brandenberger said that 

 the present law was framed by men who knew what they 

 wanted, and he doubted if the next Legislature would do 

 much to change it. He did not think that it would ever 

 adopt Mr. McDonald's idea of a license. The farmers 

 wouldn't consent to tax themselves and their boys for the 

 privilege of going out hunting. 



Mr. McDonald said that the license is the logical and prac- 

 tical way out of the difficulty. It would provide the game 

 warden with a steady income. 



Mr. Henry said that the farmers could be made to see it 

 only in the light that it is a movement to protect their own 

 game and fish, so that they might have food for themselves. 

 He had found this the most effective argument he could use. 



Alex. Smith said that we ought to get an appropriation 

 next year. 



Mr. Hutchison, secretary of the committee appointed on 

 Wednesday night, has promptly called a meeting of the 

 committee for Saturday at Mr. Lucas's office, at the Citi- 

 zens' Bank. Mr. McDonald has already prepared the circu- 

 lar he agreed to prepare, and we present it below: 

 To the Sportsmen of St. Louis: 



Dear Sir: The last Legislature enacted a new set of laws 

 for the protection of game and fish in this State, and created 

 the office of game and fish warden. 



These laws are very comprehensive, and will, if enforced, 

 effectually prevent the destruction of fish by means of nets, 

 traps, seines or dynamite, and will stop the unlawful kil ling 

 and shipping of game out of season. 



The warden and deputy wardens appointed by authority 

 of this act must serve without salary or emolument of any 

 kind, and no fund was appropriated for their use, nor was 

 there any means of creating a revenue for that purpose pro- 

 vided. 



The failure of the Legislature to thus provide a means of 

 enforcing the laws leaves our streams at the mercy of those 

 who commit depredations upon our fish by the use of dyna- 

 mite or other explosives, or by the use of the trap or net, 

 either or all of which, if allowed to go unchecked, will in 

 time result in complete and utter destruction of our fish; 

 and it will also afford the pot-hunter and those engaged in 

 the unlawful killing and shipping of game a free license to 

 pursue their calling without check or hindrance. 



Upon this act taking effect the Governor appointed as 

 game and fish warden the Hon. Jesse W. Henry, of Jeffer- 

 son City, Mo., a gentleman of integrity and ability, and a 

 thorough sportsman, whose familiarity with the condition 

 of the fish and game of the State and the requirements 

 necessary to its protection will enable him to bring to the 

 discharge of his duties a knowledge that peculiarly fits him 

 for that office. Mr. Henry, however, has no money with 

 which to defray the expense in and about the enforcement 

 of these laws, and unless given aid in this respect the laws 

 will practically become a dead letter. 



Mr. Henry recognizing this fact at once placed himself in 

 communication with the leading sporting clubs of the State 

 for the purpose of interesting them in raising a fund to assist 

 in carrying out the good work he has already begun. To 

 this end Mr. Henry visited the city recently to meet and con- 

 fer with the St. Louis Kennel Club and other organizations 

 of like character. A largely attended meeting of the above 

 named club was held at the office of President Lucas on 

 Wednesday last, at which time Mr. Henry explained the 

 necessity of raising funds, and detailed fully the various 

 steps already taken and those he proposes to take in the 

 future toward the complete and effectual enforcement of the 

 law. The result of that meeting was the appointment of a 

 committee of nine by President Lucas, to visit the mer- 

 chants and professional men of the city for the purpose of 

 soliciting subscriptions to this fund. 



This committee, or some one of its members, will call upon 

 you in the near future, and we trust that you will contribute 

 something, at least, toward this fund. It is to the interest 

 of every true sportsman to have these laws strictly enforced, 

 and as this cannot be done without money, the burden must 

 fall upon those who are interested in such matters. Nearly 

 every State immediately adjoining us has passed stringent 



fame and fish laws, imposing a license upon all those who 

 unt or fish within their borders. The result of this will be 

 that our State will be completely overrun with foreign hunt- 

 ers and fishermen this season unless some very stringent 

 measures are adopted at once to prevent it, and our game 

 will be utterly destroyed and our streams depleted of their 

 not too abundant supply of fish. 



Missouri, by reason of her climate, her beautiful streams 

 and vast forests, ought to be the ideal hunting and fishing 

 grounds of the United States, and it needs but an intelligent 

 and united effort on the part of her sport-loving citizens to 

 make her such, and we appeal to the loyalty and liberality 

 of this class to lend our game warden a helping hand, and in 

 all probability by the time our next Legislature meets we 

 can procure an adequate appropriation for this purpose. 

 Respectfully, 



J. B. C. Lucas, Chairman, 

 Wm. Hutchison, Secretary, 

 J. A. Jennelle, 

 Malshall F. McDonald, 

 Wm. C. Merrt, -Committee. 

 Wm. J. Baker, 

 Al. Vallat, 

 C. F. A. Mueller, 

 E. B. Wolff, ) 



Tlie Forest and Stkeim is pat to press each, week O'l Tuesday 

 C<jrrespondence intended for publication should reach us at the 

 latest by Monday, and as much earlier as practicable. 



REPORT YOUR LUCK 



With Rod or Gun 

 To FOREST AND SlRHAM, 

 New York City. 



"That reminds me." 



"If ever a man had buck fever, Reagan had when he 

 killed his first deer," said Duke. 



"Several of us young fellows were out in Potter county 

 hunting, and some had never seen a deer. I was walking 

 through the woods when I heard ahead of me the report 

 of a rifle several times in quick succession, and you bet I 

 got there mighty quick, for I thought some of the boys 

 had run on a bear. Well, when I got in sight there stood 

 Reag pumping his old Winchester .44 and not a shell in it. 

 When I came up he let a yell out of him, and said, 'I'll 

 wear the feather now.' We had an old feather, and who- 

 ever killed the last deer wore it. There must have been a 

 dozen bullets in that deer, and he couldn't tell anything 

 about how it happened, only that he tried to shoot as 

 long as it kic ked." Jim, 



ffljw Menml 



FIXTURES. 



BENCH SHOWS. 

 1896. 



Feb. 19 to 23.— Westminster Kennel Club's twentieth annual dog 

 show, Madison Square Garden. New York. James Mortimer, Supt. 



March 10 to IS.— Chicago.— Mascoutah Kennel Club's bench show. 

 John L. Lincoln, Sec'y. 



FIELD TRIALS. 



Nov. 11.— Newton, N. C— U. S. Field Trial Club's Trials A. W. B. 

 Staffo-d, Sec'y, Trenton, Tenn. 



Nov. 11.— Hempstead, L. I.— National Beagle Club of America, fifth 

 annual trials. Geo. W. Rogers. Sec'y, 250 West Twenty-second street, 

 New York. 



Nov. 18.— Eastern F. T. Club, at Newton, N. C. W. A. Coster, 

 Sec'y, Saratoga Springs, N. Y. 



Dac. 2 to 4.-High Point, N. C. -Irish Setter Club's trials. Geo. H 

 Thompson, Se c'y. 



HUNTING. 



Nov. 13.— Western Massachusetts Fox Club's meet. 

 Nov. 18.— OwiBg8ville, Ky.— National Fox-Hunter's Association's 

 second annual meet. H. L. Means, Sec'y, Louisville, Ky. 



1896. 



Jan. 20.— Bakersfield, Cal,— Pacific Coast Field Trial Club. J. M. 

 Kilgarif, Sec'y. 



Jan. 20.— West Point, Miss.— U. S. F. T. C. trials. W. B. Stafford, 

 Sec'y. 



Feb. 3— West Point, Miss.— Southern F. T. C. seventh annual trials. 

 T. M. Brumby, Sec'y. 



COON HUNTING IN WESTERN 

 TENNESSEE. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I was returning from a three weeks' duck hunt at Reels- 

 foot Lake on a damp, misty day, when my nerves were 

 completely shocked by being compelled to assist in rescu- 

 ing an unfortunate hunter who had the ill luck of having 

 himself knocked overboard by the recoil of his gun, and 

 the consequence was that his boat was overturned and he 

 was hanging across the bottom hallooing for dear life 

 when our small bateau and a fishing skiff came to his 

 rescue. He clambered into the skiff half frozen and 

 scared almost to his wits' end. He was rowed off to the 

 club house, leaving his gun at the bottom of the lake and 

 boat afloat bottom side up. 



After seeing him well on his way we started again, and 

 after paddling for some three hours from the time we left 

 the Canvas Back (the cabin boat in which we had bunked), 

 we arrived in safety on shore, with a number of apparent 

 hair-breadth escapes. 



Those of you who have been at Reelsfoot Lake will un- 

 derstand what I mean when I make mention that there 

 were three of us in a small bateau with my hunting case 

 and a quantity of extra baggage, loading it down to within 

 3 or 4in. of the surface. 



I left my baggage in charge of the storekeeper on the 

 bank, and we meandered up one of the ravines or hollows 

 about one and a half miles to a saw mill. There at the 

 office of my friend Murry I intended to spend the night. 

 It was then about 5 in the evening. 



While at the supper table I was informed that a coon 

 hunt was the programme for the evening, and was given 

 an invitation to join the party, to which I gave immedi- 

 ate assent, wishing to add another chapter to my volume 

 of experience in western Tennessee before I decamped 

 for my more northern abode. 



About 7 :30 o'clock we left the office. The first jump, 

 from the back yard fence, I landed in the top of a fallen 

 tree. It seemed to me that it was just a little the darkest 

 night I had ever seen. I crawled out as best I could, and 

 the next thing was to ascend an incline of about forty- 

 five degrees or less for nearly fifty rods. When once on 

 top of the rise we groped our way along the summit of a 

 ridge that was scarcely wide enough for a two-horse 

 vehicle to be driven along, and entirely wooded with for- 

 est trees. After going, it seemed to me, two miles or 

 more — which, however, had diminished to less than a 

 quarter by daylight next morning — we saw a light glim- 

 mering through the trees, which in itself brought relief. 

 I was informed that it indicated the party waiting for us 

 before they started on the evening's hunt. 



There were five or six men with axes, torches, dogs and 

 lanterns. My friend Murry bad shouldered his gun when 

 we left the office. We started, with the master of the 

 dogs about a hundred yards in advance. After wander- 

 ing about the ridges for an hour the dogs struck a trail. 

 They barked and howled for some time in different direc- 

 tions from where we were standing. Every one in the 

 party was still as death, excepting one thin-faced, pale, 

 somewhat sallow-skinned native, who had been lately 

 married, and he put one in mind of a dried herring with- 

 out the smoke. But his lungs were in good repair and air 

 was free and plentiful. Some one suggested in an under- 

 tone that he yell for the dogs. Then a peal broke through 

 the woods that an ordinary apple peddler on the street 

 would have been proud of. I could hardly tell at first what 

 he said, but in a moment it was repeated: "O, he! Bring 

 'em in, Jack, Ho, he! Fetch 'em home, boys!" and such 

 like. It was astonishing to compare the volume of his 

 voice with the avoirdupois of the man. The dogs would 

 echo and reecho the sound as they pushed themselves 

 through the brush, over ridges and into valleys. 



Soon the thin-faced man said, "Treed!" How he knew 

 they had treed was a mystery to me, for I could hear no 

 difference in the barking of the dogs. But the word was 

 sufficient; it was no sooner uttered than everybody broke 

 into a run down hill and through the brush, like a flock 



of sheep escaping from a pack of wolves. With some 

 difficulty I managed to stay close enough to the light to 

 keep my center of gravity; but I can hardly say as much 

 for some of the party. One man swore his "coon hunts" 

 would be few and far between in the future. We soon 

 got to the bottom of the hollow and found the dogs at 

 the root of a small hickory tree. Our torch, which con- 

 sisted of a bunch of waste tied on the end of a pole and 

 saturated with kerosene, was then lighted, and every one 

 began to examine the top of the forest generally, but with 

 an "eye single" to the hickory, but no coon could be 

 found. Some one said, "Shine his eyes." So the torch 

 and one lantern were put out, and the other was used by 

 the skillful hand of one of the natives, while my friend 

 Murry followed him around with his gun. Still no coon. 

 The next step was to cut the tree, which Joe soon did. 

 When the tree fell the dogs rushed to the top, tore 

 through the limbs and brush like a hurricane in a cane- 

 brake, but the result was just the same as before. There 

 was one redeeming feature, however, connected with the 

 falling of the tree that allowed us in some degree to 

 pacify our blasted hopes with regard to the object of the 

 hunt. The boughs in the top of the tree were inter- 

 woven, as many of them are in that section, with grape- 

 vines, and these hung full with grapes. It is true the 

 grapes were somewhat skinny and filled principally with 

 seed at this late season of the year, but they were stowed 

 away at a wonderful rate by the entire crowd. 



A short time after we left the tree I felt as if I had 

 emptied a few loads of duck shot into my stomach. 

 Grape seeds are marvelous for their ability to remind one 

 of their presence when confined to the domains of an 

 ordinary stomach. Still, all I could do was to make 

 faces in the dark and grunt on the sly, for I should likely 

 have had mental torment added to what was only phys- 

 ical suffering had I revealed to the party my feeling and 

 the cause of it. 



But soon my attention was drawn in another direction. 

 The dogs set up such a terrific barking that it startled even 

 the sturdy hunter who owned the wiry canines. Some 

 one said, ''Treed on the spot!" No one seemed to know 

 what it might be. It certainly was something out of the 

 usual line of accomplishments on an ordinary tour for 

 cover. Some of the party seemed to hesitate, but of course 

 they were not afraid. It was only some peculiar feeling 

 that happened to possess them at that peculiar time. Low 

 and unwonted remarks were made concerning a panther 

 that had been seen in the neighborhood, and of bears that 

 had been driven across the river from Arkansas by forest 

 fires, and numerous other things of like sentiment were 

 muttered as we went cautiously to where the (logs were 

 holding something at bay. We came upon them in a 

 moment, when one of the men, with a lantern which he 

 held above his head so as to see at the farthest distance 

 possible what might be attracting the unwavering atten- 

 tion of the dogs, yelled out, "It's an old sow and pigs!" 



The boisterous laugh of the crowd rang through the 

 woods, and the old hog made a savage dart at the dogs, 

 who fell over logs and other trash in their hasty retreat, 

 glad, however, to have escaped with their lives. In fact 

 every one seemed as well pleased as the dogs that it was 

 nothing more dangerous than a parental ssvine with her 

 family, who certainly felt it an intrusion to be disturbed 

 by a couple of dogs and a gang of wild-eyed hunters in 

 the hour that nature intended for rest. 



It was a long while before we heard from the dogs 

 again. But our time was occupied by haps and mishaps 

 until our leader called to us from an adjoining hollow to 

 come in his direction. This seemed the worst gully we 

 had yet found. It was so filled with undergrowth and 

 debris of fallen trees that it appeared almost impossible 

 at first for one to get through, but there was one thing 

 very much in our favor, and that was the steep incline 

 we had to descend; when once started it was a case of run 

 or tumble, just as you liked. In fact, the undergrowth 

 became at times the only source of security. This lasted 

 only part of the time, however; there was necessarily an 

 ascent after the descent which took some time, with labor 

 correspondingly great. These were all accomplished 

 with the dexterity of a hound pup on his first chase, with 

 an occasional pell-mell feature to give variety to what was 

 already not monotonous in the highest degree. 



It was getting along toward midnight and we had 

 already turned our faces toward home, when the loud 

 and long bellows of the dogs reached our ears. Quick as 

 a flash the thin, pale-faced man, who by this time looked 

 as if he ought to be beneath his parental roof instead of 

 wandering about through the woods on a rainy night, 

 yelled out, "Oh! bring 'em home, boys!" Then the bel- 

 lowing of the dogs began in earnest. Up and down the 

 ravine they went, held close to their work by the stimu- 

 lating yells from the little man. This lasted until our 

 patience was worn to a feather's edge and we were on the 

 point of going home and leaving the dogs on the trail. 

 But while this was being discussed, we were again startled 

 by the word "treed." Like a boot-black at the alarm of 

 fire we all started. We had gone only a little way when 

 the foremost man stopped, held his lantern a little in front 

 of him for a moment, then disappeared like a stage in a 

 mine shaft. The next man went down and another fol- 

 lowed until it became my turn. It was a jump off about 

 8 or 10ft. into the bottom of the gully. But there was no 

 going around. It was always a straight run, no matter 

 what intervened. When once at the bottom of the ravine, 

 there stood in front of us an embankment four times as 

 high as the one we had just come over, almost perpendicu- 

 lar, with no trees and but few sprouts growing upon it, 

 and wet by the previous rains; but the thought of how 

 we should get up seemed never to have entered any one's 

 mind. Up we went as best we could, slipping and falling 

 on our knees and crawling from one twig to another until 

 eventually we reached the summit, covered with mud 

 and panting for breath. 



A few rods further on we found the dogs at the foot of 

 a small tree which bent itself over another ravine. It was 

 soon determined that the tree should be cut; with a few 

 strokes from our noble axman the tree went crashing 

 across the hollow, but the result was nothing. However, 

 the owner of the dogs, while taking me to the railroad 

 station next day, said the dogs "stayed by that thare limb 

 all night and I'd sware that the coon is in that limb yit." 



We returned to our bunks about 1 o'clock, well worn 

 physically and our moral condition very much impaired. 

 I have ever since had my individual opinion concerning 

 those dogs as coon hunters, but it would not likely be 

 pleasant to mention it to their present possessor. 



Ohion, Tenn. KlING, 



