Nov. 16, 1895., 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



428 



YELLOWSTONE PARK GAME. 



Yellowstone National Park, Nov. 3.— Editor Forest 

 and Stream: The month of October was the most delight- 

 ful as to weather to travel through the mountains, with 

 no flies or other bothersome insects; warm, sunny days 

 and cold nights. As the usual Park travel was over and 

 all work on the wagon roads was finished for the season, 

 Capt. Anderson, the superintendent of the Park, made 

 quite an extended tour or rather scout and inspection. 

 He found that many of the Park buffalo had gone to the 

 west of the Park and into Idaho, where they are killed by 

 hunters located there. The remains of two were seen, 

 and from appearances the whole specimen was taken for 

 mounting, leaving only the bones not usually used by 

 taxidermists. The skeletons were west of the Park boun- 

 dary and possibly killed three or four months ago. Lieut. 

 Lindsley, with another scouting party, found three more 

 not far from those found by Capt. Anderson; only the 

 heads of these had been taken, and from the appearance 

 the buffalo had been killed within a month or less. All 

 five were in Idaho, a State, I believe, whose laws give no 

 protection to the buffalo, and the only State bordering on 

 the National Park reserve whose laws do not prohibit the 

 killing of buffalo or bison. 



The trail of one band of about twenty cows and calves 

 was seen going toward their winter range, and the tracks 

 of odd ones going the same way. Every effort will be 

 made to protect them while in the Park and to keep them 

 here. Hunters now located in the country mentioned 

 have boasted that they will have every buffalo in the Park 

 before Christmas. We are in hopes here that before such 

 a misfortune the buffalo will be inside the new pasture, 

 safe for a while from extermination. 



Four beaver and quite a number of birds have been col- 

 lected for the National Zoological Park in Washington. 

 Other animals will soon be added. 



The Park has been very dry, but fortunately no fires to 

 speak of have been started. One on the north line burned 

 a little green timber. The light fall of snow on Oct. 25 

 checked the fire from doing more damage. 



The winter stations have been well supplied with pro- 

 visions, so that snowshoe scouting parties will have no 

 trouble making trips except the usual hard work and 

 expense. 



There has been very little poaching in the Park for 

 large game, but I'm sorry to say I think that the beaver 

 have suffered at the hands of the trapping poacher. They, 

 as a class, are very difficult to find or get any trace of. 

 They can do their work without horses or much camp 

 outfit, and what is very important from their point of 

 view— no noise. They do not have to travel much either, 

 except along the creeks, where they can keep well hid in 

 the brush and willows. The beaver are not as important, 

 however, as the buffalo. They do not travel all over the 

 country, so they cannot be exterminated; and when more 

 important animals are safe can be looked after, as there 

 will always be enough to restock all the streams. H. 



FOREST AND STREAM CLUB. 



Belleville, Out., Nov. 6. — There was a fairly attended 

 meeting at the club room of the Forest and Stream Club 

 last night, when the annual distribution of prizes won 

 by the members in the club competitions took place. 



Mr. W. H. Biggar, M.P.P., the president, who presided, 

 made a short but practical address. The law, he said, as 

 it stood at present, was perhaps as good in most respects 

 as could be framed without the division of the Province 

 into districts. It was, he believed, the intention of the 

 Minister (Hon. J. M. Gibson), who took a warm interest 

 in the great work of having our game protected, and who 

 had met with great difficulty in securing funds for the 

 enforcement of the law, to propose this at the next ses- 

 sion. He also referred to the apparent hardship on our 

 St. Lawrence frontier of seeing residents of the United 

 States killing ducks in spring on the other side of an im- 

 aginary line in the river, while our people were restricted 

 from doing so. The club, he was pleased to learn, had 

 enjoyed a successful season, and had, he assured them, 

 often exerted material influence in the framing and 

 amending of the game law. He hoped to be able next 

 year to participate in some of their sports, particularly 

 the rifle shooting, of which he had always been very 

 fond. He then distributed the prizes. 



Mr. R. S. Bell concurred with Mr. Biggar in his remarks 

 as to the Minister, who was known not only as a thorough 

 sportsman, but as one of the best rifle shots in Canada. 

 The wide extent of our province, from east to west and 

 from north to south, rendered a division into districts 

 necessary because of the widely differing climatic condi- 

 tions. As to the spring shooting of ducks across the 

 imaginary line between our province and the United 

 States, not only, as the president stated, on the St. Law- 

 rence, but on the St. Clair and Detroit river borders, it no 

 doubt seemed unjust to our people; but let us stick to our 

 good example, and if, within a reasonable time, our 

 neighbors do not legislate as we believe they ought to do, 

 other measures might be taken, such as concurrent legis- 

 lation by the Legislatures of the Province of Ontario and 

 the States of New York and Michigan. Perhaps it might 

 be better to stop the sale of ducks, as had been done in 

 the case of partridge and snipe, and by this means lessen 

 the slaughter and give sportsmen a chance to get some 

 game by abolishing professionalism in duck shooting, 

 which gave very small returns to those now engaged in it. 

 He would like to ask Mr. Biggar how it happened that 

 mink, marten, fisher and skunk — all valuable fur-bearing 

 animals — were no longer mentioned in the law and were 

 therefore not now protected. Mr. Biggar replied that he 

 had not been aware that such was the case. 



Mr. Crysler suggested a change in the season for hares, 

 and Mr. Biggar replied that he would make a note of the 

 suggestions and would be glad to receive others. 



On motion of Mr. Bell, seconded by Mr. W. Roote, 

 Chief Newton took the chair and votes of thanks were 

 passed, amid applause, to the officers for their efficient 

 discharge of their duties and to the gentlemen who had 

 donated prizes to the club for competition, President 

 Biggar and Mr.. Jos. Templeton, the efficient secretary, 

 made neat replies. 



The secretary stated that he had a letter from Maj. 

 Casswell, who donates the sums which he won in the 

 club's competitions for next year's competitions, and 

 urges that steps be taken toward preventing the over-net- 

 ting of the bay with gill nets and seines— particularly the 

 former — whereby the bay will be entirely depleted of fish 

 within a few years, 



The club then adjourned until the 26th inst., when the 

 deer hunters, who are now out, can give information as 

 to the working of the law this season. The prizes were 

 as follows: 



TRAP SHOOTING. 



Corby prize of $10,— First, H. Day, $7; second, R. S. Bell, $3; third, 

 L. Hamilton, $2, club prize; fourth, M Jaraieson, 100 shells. 



Biggar prize of $10.— First, J. Phippen, $7; second, H. Hamilton, $3; 

 third, H, Day, $2, club prize; fourth, M. Janiieson, $1, club prize; 

 fifth, R. S. Bell, $1, club prize; sixth, H. Hope, 100 shells. 



RIFLE SHOOTING. 



Club prizes, 50yds.— First, W. P. Clarke, rifle, value $8; second, J. H. 

 Mills, rifle, value $5. 



100yds. — First, W. P. Clarke, pair of trousers, value $6: second, J. 

 H. Mills, $4; third, R. S. Bell, $2. 



200yds , prize ot 35.— First, F. C. Clarke, $2.50; second, W. B. Riggs, 

 $1.50; third, W. P. Clarke, $1, 



Specials, 4 boxes of cigars.— First, Jos. Templeton; second, T. 

 Nightingale; third, John Newton; fourth, W. Roote. 



ANGLING AND TROLLING SPECIALS. 



Ritchie prize of $5 for heaviest catch with fly on July 3 or July 5.— 

 First, W. Ormond, $3, weight lOJ^lbs. ; second, W. Crysler, $2, weight 

 71bs. 



Largest pickerel, felt hat, value $3, won by W. P. Clarke, weight 

 6>£U>s. 



Largest pike, pair of kid gloveB. won by C. Sulman, weight 10>41bs. 

 Largest black bass, umbrella, won by Col. W, N. Ponton,weighc 4lbs. 

 5oz. 



Second largest black bass, box of cigars, won by J. HaBlett, weight 

 41bs. 2oz. 



Three heaviest bass, $5 rod, won by J. Haslett, weight lllbs. 7oz. 



Heaviest basket of fish, all kinds, taken with rod and line on any one 

 day between July 1 and Oct. 15, $5.— First, $3, Tisdale and Haslett, 

 weight 401bs. ; second, $2, Weese and Ketcheson, weight 221bs. 



Largest maskinonge, flBhing creel, value $1.50, won by A. N. Reid, 

 weight lO^lbs. 



CLUB PRIZES FOR BASS FISHING. 



First competition, July 19.— First, largest catch, $3, won by Major 

 Casswell and W. Ormond; second, second largest catch, $1, won by Tis- 

 dale and Haslett; third, largest fish, $1, won by Tisdale and Haslett. 



Second competition, Aug. 9. -First, largest catch, $3, won by Cass- 

 well and Ormond; second, second largest catch, $1, won by Tisdale 

 and Haslett; third, largest fish. $1, won by Tisdale and Haslett. 



Third competition, Sept. 13.— First, largest catch, $3, won by Clarke 

 and Cronk; second, second largest catch, $1, won by CaSBwell 

 and Ormond; third, largest fish, $1, won by Clarke and Cronk. 



SOME BOSTON HUNTERS. 



Boston, Nov. 8, 1895,— One of the easiest deer hunts of 

 the season has just come to my notice. Mr, J. Hurd 

 Hutchins, a gentleman who has hunted deer in Maine 

 almost every season for some time, has lately returned to 

 Boston, with considerable success to relate. He went to 

 Norcross, on the Bangor & Aroostook Railroad, and from 

 that station back into the woods to Lake Umbajegis. 

 Here he met a couple of friends — M. L. Pratt, of the 

 Boston Athletic Club, and Arthur Wattles. These gen- 

 tlemen had been in camp for a week, but had taken no 

 deer. One of them offered to paddle him up to a good 

 point on the lake to watch for deer. Being fresh from the 

 city and ready to hunt, Mr. Hutchins decided to go that 

 afternoon, his first in camp. His friend paddled him up 

 to a favorable point that looked out over a swamp or 

 opening of low bushes, and went on further himself to 

 another point. Mr. Hutchins went ashore in a rather in- 

 different sort of manner, and finding a log where he 

 could sit down and have a fairly good look over the little 

 opening, he lit his pipe and prepared to take hunting easy 

 — the first day at least. Smoking away in all comfort, he 

 soon thought he heard the rustling of a deer. In a moment 

 he was sure of it. He thought he would be hunter 

 enough to remove his pipe, as the scent of the burn- 

 ing tobacco might alarm the deer. He looked the little 

 barren over carefully, but saw no deer, though the rustling 

 continued. Again he looked, turning his head and body 

 carefully, so as not to alarm the deer, which he was pretty 

 sure saw him. In a moment he saw the head and shoul- 

 ders of a doe. The creature was eyeing him through 

 some bushes. He raised his Winchester and fired. The 

 smoke clearing away, by the time he had another shell in 

 place he saw what he thought was his first deer still 

 standing and watching. Again he fired, and was quite 

 sure his deer dropped. He went to the scene of action, 

 when instead of one deer he had shot two — a doe, killed 

 by his first shot, and a spike-horn buck that had not been 

 alarmed enough by the firing to run away. Such luck 

 Mr. Hutchins thinks will do for his first day in camp. He 

 had shot his legal quota, and there was now nothing to do 

 but to eat venison in camp and hunt with his friends, 

 both of whom got bucks a little later. Mr. Hutchins says 

 that there are deer in that country without end. 



A gentleman just out from Jackman, a little village on 

 the Canadian Pacific, over fifty miles north of Skowhegan, 

 and above the forks of the Kennebec, speaks in the highest 

 terms of that town as a central location for hunters. It 

 is on the old military road, and was formerly reached by 

 way of Skowhegan, Bingham and the Forks, but the ad- 

 vent of the Canadian Pacific has changed all of this. The 

 cars now land the hunter at Jackman, and there he may 

 well conclude that he is in the midst of the big game. But 

 he will find this fall that the lumbermen are there also. 

 Ten lumber firms are making Jackman their point of 

 supplies, and their roads will lead away in almost every 

 direction. Yet an old guide tells my friend that within 

 a radius of thirty miles from Jackman there are more 

 sporting camps than in any other section of Maine. My 

 friend got his deer up there, but saw no moose, hunt as 

 hard as he might. 



What may justly be termed a newspaper hunting party 

 leaves Boston for Andover, Me., to-day. The party in- 

 cludes Mr. E, M. Gillam, commercial editor of the Boston 

 Advertiser; his brother, A. M. Gillam, sporting editor of 

 the Philadelphia Record; and E. L. Bean, city editor of 

 the Cambridge Chronicle. The weather is very warm, 

 and there is not a particle of snow in the woods, but the 

 Gillams are excellent hunters, and they will be likely to 

 get deer, even without snow. They have shot deer before 

 the hounds in New Jersey, where they are as wild as any- 

 where in the world. Mr. Bean is a hunter with the mili- 

 tary rifle, and somewhat afraid that his gun may kick. 

 His friends all advise him that if he sees a deer to shoot 

 and not be afraid of his gun. His venison is all engaged. 

 George H. Cutting will be one of the guides. They will 

 hunt for a week. 



Nov. 9.— It ever the shooting and fishing of a State was 

 thoroughly advertised, that State is Maine. Thus I thought 

 as I passed down State street to-day, and by the door of a 

 saloon were hung the carcasses of two very handsome 

 buck deer. Both were labeled, "Shot by Harry E, Haines, 

 near Eustis, Me." They both had fine heads, with four- 

 pronged antlers of symmetrical shape. The united weight 

 of the two, after being drawn as to their entrails, was 

 3481bs. Well may Mr. Haines be proud of such luck. But 

 oh, the appreciation of the ordinary bystander! And what 

 advertising is coming to the railroads and transportation 



companies from such displays and the reports that the 

 newspapers— first and last, the Forest and Stream— are 

 giving. Every deer displayed in a store window and 

 labeled from the State of Maine is worth many dollars to 

 the Maine railways and transportation companies, and 

 every timejthe newspapers take up the refrain many dollars 

 more are called into the coffers of those companies. The 

 ordinary bystander is always at hand and was there in 

 crowds. He undertook to volunteer some information for 

 me, as I quietly made a note of the labels on the deer. ' 'They 

 came from Maine, mister. The woods are full of them 

 down there. I was a big fool that I took my vacation so 

 early. I might have gone down to Maine and shot a 

 couple of deer just as well as not, if I had only waited. I 

 am not much with a gun. Never shot any game in my 

 life, but the deer are so thick down there. Why, sir, 

 they come right up into the dooryards. They are every- 

 where. Ever been down there, mister?" 



So it goes, The shooting in Maine is certainly most re- 

 markable, and it is being advertised for all it is worth. 

 The railways and transportation companies are making 

 the money. The Bangor & Aroostook Railroad is out 

 with an. astounding list of big game already forwarded 

 over its line this season, and of stations with game shipped 

 from each. Special. 



An Albany Man in Maine. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



My friend, Capt. Joseph Taylor, proprietor of the Al- 

 bany-Bath ferry line, has just returned from a five weeks' 

 trip in the Maine wilds, and reports excellent success. 

 He had for his guide Joe Francis, and brought out with 

 him the heads of two fine bucks and the head and skin 

 of a magnificent caribou. Both Capt. Taylor and the 

 guide estimated that there were not less than fifty caribou 

 in the herd from which the one shot was selected. If 

 this estimate is anything like a correct one, the size of 

 the herd is remarkable. They saw sixteen moose while 

 on the trip, but not a single good head of horns, and 

 Capt. T., like the thorough sportsman he is, refrained 

 from killing that for which he had no use. This will ap- 

 pear the more commendable when it is known that he 

 has yet to kill his first moose, and had several opportuni- 

 ties while on the trip to kill young bulls. His guide sue • 

 ceeded in calling a large bull quite close to him on one 

 occasion, but the smell of the decaying carcass of a moose 

 killed some time previous by another party frightened 

 him off. He, however, got six snap shots at a young bull 

 and a very large cow moose standing together in a small 

 stream that empties into the West Branch, also several 

 snap shots at a cow and calf. 



These shots were taken with a 4x.5in. kodak and have 

 not yet been developed, but I trust that they may come 

 out all right and in the near future embellish the pages 

 of Forest and Stream. Capt, Taylor reports deer and 

 small game unusually plentiful; and the moose he saw, 

 especially the cow and calf mentioned, remarkably tame. 



This he attributes to the prohibition of hounding and a 

 general absence of dogs in the large game districts, and 

 thinks that the game laws of the State are fairly well 

 enforced. The Captain has, however, called my attention 

 to a gross violation of the Maine game law by a prominent 

 United States ex-official, who is reported by some of the 

 newspapers of that State and Vermont as having, killed 

 two large bull moose, one or both of which were killed 

 out of season. Perhaps the gentleman has not been cor- 

 rectly reported in the newspaper items; at least let us 

 hope so. A party in Maine is trying to ascertain the facts 

 in the case, and if the statement is found to be correct 

 the matter will be sent to Forest and Stream. The 

 alleged violator is a wealthy and prominent resident of 

 the State of Vermont. S. 



Thoy, N. Y„ Nov. 2. 



The Maine Game Record. 



The number of deer and moose killed on the line of the 

 Bangor & Aroostook Railroad in Maine this year during 

 October, the first month of the season, exceeds a half of 

 the total number sent out in the three months of the 

 season last year, as is shown by this list, which has been 

 sent to us by Gen. Pass. Agt. Geo. M. Houghton, of 



Shipped from 



Deer, 



Moose. 



Caribou. 





6 



2 



3 





2 





4 





14 



Vi 



5 





3 











*k- 



~5 





5 



1 





, 33 









40 













'fa ■ 





159 



ii 



2 





17 









53 



"i 















7 



"i 







20 



i 



'% . 





6 









3 



16 







185 



~9 





8 









a 









609 



53 



37 





479 



24 



10 



There were also shipped during the month of October, 1895, three 

 bears and an immense amount of small game, ducks, partridges, etc. 



Adirondack Deer. 



Ithaca, N. Y. — Geo. Hill'3 party, consisting of six 

 members, last week returned from a fortnight's outing in 

 Lewis county. The party killed six deer and one bear, 

 A member of the party was located on a runway watch- 

 ing intently for venison, when he was suddenly con- 

 fronted by a quartette of bears— two old and two young 

 ones. Without stopping to take his temperature or count 

 Mb pulse-beats he began working his Winchester so 

 effectively that he succeeded in killing one of the old 

 bears. 



Mr. Hill has visited the Adirondacks in previous years, 

 and he declares that an unusually large number of deer 

 have been killed in that region this fall. M. Chill., 



A Declaration of War. 



St. Paul, Minn. — Editor Forest and Stream: The Eng- 

 lish sparrow must go. Each city and town should appoint 

 one or two men, during the breeding season, whose duty 

 would be to destroy the nest and eggs of this bird. This 

 would do away with broken windows, noise, danger, 

 poison and other objectionable features (the results of offer- 

 ing a bounty) and would soon exterminate the bird. 



E. W„ Jr, 



