184 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Sept. 29, 1887. 



MOOSE IN MAINE. 



BOSTON, Mass., Sept. 17. There is some moose hunt- 

 ing to be done in Maine as soon as the season opens, 

 on Oct. 1. It is also to be clone by about the only two 

 successful moose hunters who go into Maine from out- 

 side of that State. Mr. A. P. Kitching has killed several 

 moose there, and he has started on Ms annual excursion 

 into the Moosehead region and down the Penobscot. He 

 will devote his time to trout fishing in the Moosehead 

 waters, till time to betake himself to the grounds for 

 moose calling. He is in the acquaintance of one or two 

 of the most succeessful moose callers to be found among 

 the Indian guides. Mr. Kitching is a respected member 

 of the wool trade of Boston. Mr. W. S. Hills, a well- 

 -known merchant of Boston, in the flour trade, has also 

 slain his moose in Maine. He will take his dertarture in 

 a few days for the wilds of the upper Moosehead. He 

 says that he does not expect to see a moose this season on 

 account of the slaughter last winter, but that he shall go 

 prepared. Mr. Hills is a dead shot with a rifle, and has 

 been very successful with the larger game. Mr. Kitching 

 takes no shotgun at all into the woods with him this fall. 

 He is sufficiently keen with the rifle to shoot off the heads 

 of all the partridges he desires to kill, or rather, he says 

 that the partridge that can get away from his rifle he 

 does not want. His shotgun lost him a caribou last fall; 

 for he got within gunshot of the animal, and the charge 

 of buckshot failed to kill. With his rifle Mr. Kitching 

 feels sure that he should have been successful. 



Talking with these two moose hunters about the diffi- 

 culties they have to encounter, the patience required, the 

 amount of experience requisite in the guide, the difficul- 

 ties of wind and weather, one cannot but believe that the 

 moose hunter who tries to kill the game with the jack- 

 light and the birch horn is by no means the worst enemy 

 of that noble game in Maine. All the moose killed in 

 that State last year by legitimate hunting, or even includ- 

 ing all killed before the law was off, could be counted on 

 the fingers of both hands. But about those killed by the 

 lumbermen the story is different. I am much afraid, 

 good Forest and Stream, that the story you had in your 

 issue of Sept. 15, about the large number of moose killed 

 in Maine last winter is too true. I have been in possession 

 of rumors of even worse purport for some time. I have 

 refrained from publishing them in the Forest and 

 Stream earlier, for the reason that I have hoped to be 

 able to confirm them and also to come into possession of 

 the names of the lumber contractors who are guilty of 

 allowing, or worse, of encouraging such slaughter of an 

 almost extinct game animl. Indeed, even worse stories 

 have reached me concerning the slaughter of moose in 

 New Brunswick, and that, too, by the lumbermen last 

 winter, after the close time had begun. I have it from 

 one of the most extensive lumber dealers in St. John thqt 

 there were over sixty moose killed by the lumbermen in 

 the Tobique region last winter. This gentleman gets his 

 information from the men with whom he deals. He gives 

 it honestly, and like a man who believes exactly what he 

 says. Still, he is not willing to give the names of the 

 lumber contractors who have encouraged such slaughter. 

 Again it comes from sportsmen who have been up the 

 Tobique River this summer, that the Indian guides inform 

 them that moose, deer and caribou are killed, regardless 

 of the law, at these lumber camps every winter. Indeed, 

 some of these Indians are regularly employed to hunt and 

 supply fresh meat for the camps, regardless of the game 

 laws. It begins to be pretty certain that it is just here 

 that the worst enemy of the conservation of the larger 

 game in Maine and New Brunswick exists. It is cer- 

 tain that it was the lumber interest that killed the bill 

 before the Maine Legislature last winter to make Sep- 

 tember an open month for the killing of moose, deer and 

 caribou, also to make it a penal offense to kill a cow 

 moose at any time. The lumber interest came in and 

 killed the bill at the very last moment of the session, 

 almost, and at a time when it was thought that there was 

 no opposition to its passage. What reason could the 

 lumbermen have had? None in the world, except that 

 they desire the meat of this large game to feed their 

 men on. A few years ago they paid no attention what- 

 ever to game legislation in that State. They even laughed 

 at the notion, said in open Legislature that "there was not 

 a dozen moose in the whole State," and as for deer, "why, 

 they are about all gone." That was true at the begin- 

 ning of protective game legislation in that State, but to- 

 day the case is different. There is now game enough on 

 wliich to at least partly feed a crew of men. Protection 

 has wrought a wonderful increase in the numbers of deer 

 especially, and these lumbermen want them. They did 

 not desire an extension of the open season for hunting, 

 for it would take away the venison that they might get 

 for feeding their men. It certainly looks that way, and 

 here is a b$d enemy to encounter. The lumber interest 

 is one of the most powerful in the State of Maine and the 

 same is true of New Brunswick. What is to be done? 

 Shall the game be sacrificed to the cupidity of these 

 lumbermen? No! There are game laws in both Maine 

 and New Brunswick. These must be enforced. The 

 Forest and Stream and the rest of the newspaper press 

 must be informed against this miserable destruction of 

 the noble moose by these lumbermen. They must be 

 made to see then- meanness and cupidity; they must be 

 made to pay for the moose and deer they kill — pay the 

 penalties the law places upon such crimes! I shall try 

 myself that every name of a lumber dealer who permits 

 of or allows of such poaching at his camps shall be made 

 public through the Forest and Stream and other papers. 

 I shall lay every possible plan to become possessed of 

 such information the coming winter. And if A, B, C, 

 or D and down to Y or Z allows his men, or hunters who 

 make his lumber camps their headquarters, to hunt deer 

 or moose in the close season, the public shall know of it. 



There is one powerful ally to be looked to for aid in 

 this attempt to stop the poaching of the lumbermen, 

 that is, the railroads. Through sensible men as presidents 

 and superintendents these corporations have come to take 

 a strong stand in favor of the strict enforcement of the 

 game laws, both in Maine and in the Provinces. These 

 men have sense enough to understand the value of this 

 large game alive in the forests. It is one of the most 

 powerful attractions to draw travel. If the lumbermen 

 desire the moose and deer to feed their men on, then the 

 railroad and summer travel interest desires it alive in the 

 woods, as an attraction to draw the stranger in open 

 season. It is possible that the railroad and the summer 

 travel and hotel interest may be stronger than the lumber I 



interest after all. But this is not all. I have it from the 

 best of authority that one of the largest land owners in 

 the State of Maine — timber lands — a man who sells more 

 stumpage than any other man or concern in that State, is 

 a warm friend of game protection. He has rendered the 

 Maine Game Commissioners all the aid in his power, at 

 various times, toward bringing winter poachers to jus- 

 tice. He can be relied upon to help to restrain the lum- 

 bermen with whom he deals, to whom he sells the right 

 to cut lumber, or whom he hires to cut and haul lumber. 

 I have not the slightest doubt but what he is a strong 

 friend of game preservation. But at the best there is a 

 work to be done in the direction of trying to stop this 

 winter slaughter of moose, deer and caribou. Will the 

 readers of the Forest and Stream collect all the informa- 

 tion bearing upon this subject in their power, and above 

 all get hold of the names of the lumbermen who allow of 

 or encourag-e the killing of this noble game in close time? 

 As for myself, I have no positive information that such 

 slaughter has been allowed to the extent that was 

 mentioned in the Forest and Stream of Sept. 15, but I 

 fear that it may be true. Special. 



GAME ON VANCOUVER ISLAND. 



VICTORIA, B. C, Sept. 3.— The open season for shoot- 

 ing all kinds of game, excepting hen pheasants, 

 began here Sept. 1. 



The various kinds of game here on the Island are black- 

 tailsd deer, bear, panther, lynx, blue and ruffed grouse, 

 California and mountain quail, ducks, wild geese and 

 English pheasants. The pheasants were imported from 

 England and turned out in the forests near this city sev- 

 eral years ago and were protected until the present sea- 

 son. The climate and country have proved suitable for 

 them; they have increased in numbers very rapidly and 

 have often made then appearance in the main thorough- 

 fares of the city. The fact that cocks were to be lawful 

 game to shoot after Sept. 1 set every man and boy here 

 who owned a gun or could borrow a gun, on the qui 

 vive to get the first shot at them; and long before early 

 dawn the gunners were away to get some selected stand 

 which the male pheasant was known to haunt. Acci- 

 dents were numerous. Before daylight one poor gunner 

 got peppered with No. 6 shot. But the bird hunters did 

 not make all the mistakes, for during the day several cows 

 were shot by deer hunters, and one unfortunate knight, 

 who rode into the woods and left his horse tied to a bush, 

 some hours afterward shot it for a deer. 



The writer, with Mr. John Fannin, a gentleman who is 

 the champion big-game hunter of this coast, together 

 with two other good shots, Messers. Maynard and Knight, 

 of Victoria, drove out to the Gold Stream Hotel, where, 

 without any extra hard labor, we shot three deer and a 

 quantity of "smaller game; and to-day my son and I have, 

 over the same ground, made a fair bag of deer, blue grouse 

 and California quail. Bear and panther signs are not un- 

 common. The bears found here are the black, and though 

 numerous, they keep well under cover. During the past 

 month three panthers have been shot within a short dis- 

 tance of the city. One was killed with No. 6 shot. 



A strong and active game protection society should be 

 formed for Vancouver Island, with headquarters at Vic- 

 toria. There is no question that hundreds of hen pheas- 

 ants have already been killed, and unless the game laws 

 are rigorously enforced, this splendid game bird will soon 

 become exterminated. Deer and grouse are shot during 

 all seasons of the year. Hundreds of deer are shot for 

 their skins alone. Every British Columbia reader of the 

 Forest and Stream should assist Mr. Fannin in forming 

 at once such a society. Once formed it would become 

 a good working association, and much good would result 

 from it. Now is the time to form it. Don't wait until 

 the horse is stolen before you lock the door. Stanstead. 



"Four o'clock, boys," sung out a voice, and I awoke 

 with a start. The voice was that of our genial host of the 

 Gold Stream House, and the morning was that of the 1st 

 of September, the opening of the game season in British 

 Columbia. Springing out of bed I quickly dressed, and 

 having been joined by my brother Sam and an old veteran 

 hunter, by name Jack Knight, we proceeded to dispatch 

 a hasty breakfast before setting out in quest of the wary 

 deer. 



By the time the meal was finished the east had put on 

 that grayish hue which heralds the approach of day, and, 

 having filled the chambers of our Winchesters and called 

 to our dog Sport (a cross between a water spaniel and a 

 retriever, but nevertheless one of the best animals to start 

 deer from the timber bottoms I ever saw), we proceeded 

 down the wagon road which runs past the Gold Stream 

 House for about three-quarters of a mile, and, having 

 crossed the Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway, struck into 

 the foothills just as old King Sol was warming the 

 top of Branden's Mountain, which loomed up dark and 

 majestic about a mile away. 



Rain had not fallen for over four weeks, and the tim- 

 ber under our feet cracked at every step, rendering travel- 

 ing necessarily slow, as the greatest care had to be exer- 

 cised where we placed our feet in order to make as little 

 noise as possible. Directly below was a large wooded 

 bottom, on the other side an immense moss-covered rock 

 was visible through the trees. " Wait a minute, boys, till I 

 fill my pipe," says Jack, so we seated ourselves on a fallen 

 tree and proceeded to discuss the prospect of a very hot 

 day, which was already beginning to make itself felt. 

 While we were speaking a low whine drew our attention 

 to the dog, who was looking accross the ravine; following 

 the direction of his gaze, we saw a doe slowly ascending 

 the rock on the other side. Jack quickly raised the sights 

 on his rifle to 300yds. and whistled. The doe stopped 

 right on the top of the rock and looked around; now the 

 golden opportunity presented itself, and raising his rifle, 

 he took a steady aim and fired. The doe gave two or 

 three jumps and then rolled over and over down the rock. 

 Hastily crossing the ravine, we let the dog go, and in a 

 few minutes a sharp yelp told us that he had found the 

 deer. The bullet had passed clear through the neck, a 

 dead shot; and having cut her throat and taken out the 

 entrails, we hung the carcass up in a tree and proceeded 

 to climb the mountain, by no means an easy task, 

 especially with a hot sun pouring down upon us. 



About half way up the dog flushed a covey of blue 

 grouse, and one of them perched in a tree, about 15yds. 

 from where I was standing; he offered such a pretty shot 

 that I could not resist the temptation, but let drive and 

 had the satisfaction of taking the head off (by the way 



the only game your humble servant managed to kill on 

 that day). 



After about an hour's hard climbing we reached the 

 summit, and were well rewarded for our trouble by the 

 lovely panorama that stretched before us. Twelve miles 

 away the beautiful city of Victoria was plainly seen, and 

 by the aid of a pair of field glasses we could distinguish 

 several of the principal buildings; beyond, the waters of 

 the Straits shone and glistened like burnished metal, and 

 stretched away for thirty miles to the foot of the Coast 

 Range of Washington Territory, which reared their 

 eternal snow-capped summits far "above the clouds. After 

 having gazed on this really beautiful scene to our heart's 

 content, we started down the mountain side, for the pur- 

 pose of allowing the dog to run the ravine, through which 

 the west branch of the Gold Stream flows. About half 

 way down Sport commenced to show signs, so we let him 

 go, and very soon two sharp yelps informed us that he 

 had started a deer, and we stood still in breathless ex- 

 pectation of obtaining a shot; but the deer was too smart 

 for us. Instead of coming up the hill as they usually do 

 when started by the dog, he ran along the ravine for 

 about 200yds. before showing himself, and then only for 

 a second. I think it was a spike buck. 



Continuing down we reached the stream, and refreshed 

 ourselves with a draught from its ice-cold waters. Here 

 we saw several bear tracks, some of them measuring 5 

 and 6in. in diameter. After leaving the stream we sepa- 

 rated, Jack taking one side of the hill, while Sam followed 

 the ravine with the dog, and I ranged along the other 

 side. We had not proceeded more than a quarter of a 

 mile before the dog started off and made a detour round, 

 a clump of trees which grew in the center of a natural 

 clearing. Sam gave a low whistle to attract our atten- 

 tion, and standing still we prepared ourselves for a flying 

 shot. Presently two sharp yelps from Sport informed us 

 that he had started the deer, and amid a crashing of 

 underbrush he leaped into view, about 100yds. away, and 

 came along a runway across the clearing and almost in 

 a direct line toward where Sam was standing. What a 

 glorious creature he looked, corning along that runway 

 20ft. at a jump, his head surmounted with a magnificent 

 pair of antlers, laid well back on his shoulders. But his 

 rapid flight was soon to end. Sam brought his rifle to his 

 shoulder and pulled the trigger, and the noble animal 

 dropped on to his fore knees with a crash that might have 

 been heard a half a mile away. The bullet had pene- 

 trated his backbone, thus rendering him helpless. After 

 cutting his throat and taking out the entrails we started 

 back with the buck, and when we reached the hotel were 

 pretty much fagged out; but with something solid for the 

 inner man "Richard was himself again." 



About 4 o'clock in the afternoon we brought in the deer 

 that Jack had killed in the morning. The buck when 

 dressed weighed 1841bs. and the doe 651bs. 



After having partaken of an excellent dinner which 

 awaited us at the hotel, we started for Victoria, and 

 arrived in town about 10 o'clock that night, a little tired, 

 but well satisfied with our day's sport. W. H. W. 



Victoria, B. 0., Sept. 3. 



CHAT OF GUN AND GAME. 



MANCHESTER, N. H.— My first acquaintance with 

 the Forest and Stream was long ago. It began 

 with the Rod and Gun. I have always had it every week 

 since, and it has seemed to me to grow brighter and more 

 interesting every year. Where everything is so good, it 

 is hard to discriminate. There was "Uncle Lisha's Shop." 

 I read and re-read that so much I just about had it by 

 heart. I am pleased to know it is soon to be issued in 

 book form. One of my most valued books is Nessmuk's 

 Poems. As I read the hunting stories in this paper from 

 various sections of the country, my mind reverts to days 

 I myself have passed with dog and gun , and to friends, 

 many of whom have now joined the great majority, but 

 are none the less remembered. 



Big game I know nothing about. I have never desired 

 to face the grizzly on his native heath. I have stood at a 

 respectful distance and gazed upon him as he walked to 

 the right and left in the narrow quarters allotted to Mm 

 by the proprietor of the side show. It struck me if I 

 should meet him in the woods I would not stand upon the 

 order of "getting," but would get a.t once. 



There is no greater enjoyment to me than to pass a few 

 days away from the cares and anxieties of a busy life, 

 away from the smoke and dust of the city. The cosy 

 little camp, the fragrant bed of hemlock boughs, the pure 

 air, the fish and game dinners, the whirr of the ruffed 

 grouse as he sometimes jumps into the air almost from 

 beneath your feet, the whistle of the woodcock as he 

 takes his spiral flight over the tops of the alders, the 

 jump and spring of the gray squirrel as he puts the 

 largest amount of distance between you and himsel C in 

 the shortest possible time, the big strings of fish and bags 

 of game, the lucky shots and unaccountable misses — all 

 makeup the sum total of time well and wisely passed; 

 and the good result manifests itself in the hardened 

 muscles, elastic step and bronzed cheek of one who has 

 thus passed a few leisure days. It has been my good 

 fortune to get a few days for several years, generally in 

 the months of September or October, to enjoy this kind 

 of life. I have had days with the plover and other shore 

 birds on old Long Island's sea-girt shore, and also with 

 the quail in Virginia. I have lain in a dory off the coast 

 shooting coots and other seafowl. In some sections of 

 this State there is generally some fine partridge and 

 Bquirrel shooting in the fall and some good bags are 

 made. At one time I thought it fine sport to shoot gray 

 squirrels, but since I have kept some for pets it seems to 

 me a little too much like murder. 



Most of my friends had bought breechloaders long 

 before I had one. I clung to the old muzzleloader. No 

 argument could convince me that a gun that broke open 

 at the breech to load was any good. About that time a 

 friend of mine showed me the shooting qualities of a 12- 

 gauge Parker gun he had bought. As the result I sold 

 my muzzleloader that cost me over $100 for $30, and 

 bought a breechloader, and I have never been sorry. I 

 remember well the first time I used it on game. A friend 

 of mine living near Alton wrote me: "If you want to 

 have some fun with the gray squirrels, come right along; 

 the woods are full of them." I got there as soon as pos- 

 sible. The woods were not full of them, but there were 

 enough to insure fair sport. The first morning I was 

 there I started at daylight and visited a piece of woods 

 about a quarter of a mile from the house; got back at 9 



