Feb. 34, 1887.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



87 



ABOLISH SPRING SHOOTING. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



At a meeting of the Auburn Gun Club, held at their 

 rooms Wednesday evening. Feb. 1(3, 1887, the following 

 was acted upon and adopted : 



Inasmuch as it is in accord with the sentiment of 

 sportsmen in general and those of the Auburn Gun Club 

 in particular, that the abolishment of spring duck shoot- 

 ing will be beneficial as a means of preserving that species 

 of game and increasing the same; therefore, 



Resolved, That the members of this club do hereby re- 

 spectfully request the members representing this county 

 in the Senate and Assembly of New York State, to use ail 

 honorable means in then- power for the enactment of such 

 law or laws as will do away with the destruction and 

 murderous custom of killing ducks while breeding and on 

 their way to breeding grounds in the spring. 



Resolved, That the secretary of this club be authorized 

 to make copies of this preamble and these resolutions, and 

 forward them to our members at Albam*. 



Chas. W. Tuttle, President. 

 H. R. Kidney, Secretary. 

 S. F. Rathbun. Treasurer. 

 Auburn, N. Y., Feb. IT. 



The following circular sent out by the Monmouth Shoot- 

 ing and Fishing Club, sets forth the" opposition of some Illi- 

 nois sportsmen to the proposed law: 



Office of the Monmouth SnooTixo and Fishing Club.— 

 Monmouth, 111., Jau. 17, 1887.— Dear Sir— A bill has been or will 

 be introduced at the present session of the Legislature of this 

 State which has for its object the abolition of sprine: shooting of 

 waterfowl. Believing such a law would be unjust, we inclose you 

 a blank petition with the request that you get as many signers as 

 possible and forward to your Representatives with as little delay 

 as the case will permit. Our reasons for not wanting this law to 

 pass are numerous, some of which we submit. 



First— We believe it is being pushed by a comparatively few 

 who are interested pecuniarily. Just who are the chief backers 

 of the intended change we can only guess. Certainly we know it 

 will put thousands of dollars into the hands of artificial target 

 men, and will not hurt, and may possibly benefit the business of 

 the professional market-hunter, for they can go south and snoot 

 through the winter, while the great majority of hunters are men 

 of moderate means and will not be able to stand the expense of 

 such a trip in order to gratify their love of the sport. 



Second— The abolition of spring shooting means to most sections 

 of this State, nothing more or less than the abolition of all shoot- 

 ing; because, as a rule, we have low water in the fall, and low 

 water means no ducks. 



Third— It will do no good. The market never has been glutted 

 by birds killed in this State; for where one bird is killed in this 

 State ten are killed in the Southern swamps. Missouri is agitat- 

 ing the question of abolishing spring shooting, but that siich a law 

 will be passed is doubtful, and until it is, to ask that the hunters 

 in this State be deprived of their sport in order that the market- 

 hunters of that State may profit thereby is an insult. Nor is this 

 all. For every duck shot in this State while they are passins 

 north, hundreds of eggs are taken from the nests in the north. 

 Eighty millions of eggs were last year shipped out of Manitoba, 

 and yet with this drain on the ducks in the south and on the eggs 

 in the north, we are aoked to fold our hands, lest forsooth we will 

 glut the market and exterminate the ducks. Let the change be 

 made at the ends and then it will be time enough to consider the 

 middle. We can possibly stand it to be spit upon but protest 

 against its being rubbed in. 



Be expeditious, the other side is hard at work and are backed by 

 somebody's money. We must work also. We would suggest that 

 copies of the inclosed petition be nmde and circulated in vour 

 county so as to save time. Yours respectfully, 



Monmouth Shooting and Fishing Club. 



PROPOSED NEW YORK LAW. 



FOLLOWING is a summary of the bill prepared by 

 the New York Game and Fish Protective Society, 

 with others, and to be submitted at Albany: 



Section 1. Forbids the hunting of deer during the 

 months of November, December, January, February, 

 March. April, June, July and the first fourteen days 

 of August, and the sale' or possession of fresh venison 

 during the same time, except during the first fifteen days 

 of November and except as hereinafter provided. 



Sec. 2. Forbids the killing, sale, or possession of wild 

 duck, goose, or brant during April (?) May, June, July 

 and August; of quail, robin, meadow lark, gray or black 

 squirrel, rabbit, prairie chicken, spruce grouse or Canada 

 partridge, during January, February, March, April. May, 

 June, July, August and September, and ruffed grouse or 

 partridge in the same season (except that in the Forest 

 Preserve [Essex, Franklin, Hamilton, Fulton, Herkimer, 

 Lewis, Saratoga, St. Lawrence. Warren and Washington 

 counties] September is an open month); of woodcock 

 during January, February, March, April, May, June, 

 August and September; plover, tatler, sandpiper, willet, 

 godwit, cm-lew or bay snipe, during January, February, 

 March, April, May and June, 



Sec. 3. Forbids catching, killing, sale or possession of 

 brook trout, speckled trout, landlocked salmon, California 

 trout, brown or German trout or salmon during January, 

 February. March, September, October, November and 

 December. In the Forest Preserve the close months are 

 January, February, March, April, last 15 days of Septem- 

 ber, November and December. 



Sec. 4. Forbids catching, sale or possession of lake or 

 salmon trout during January, February, March, October, 

 November and December, and of mascalonge, Oswego 

 bass, large or small-mouth black bass, pike-perch or wall- 

 eyed pike, or fresh water striped bass, commonly called 

 white bass, during January, Februarv, March, April and 

 the first 20 days of May. 



Sec. 5. Forbids any person to kill, net, snare, or take 

 by any device or have in possession or sell any night 

 hawk, whippoorwill, swallow, martin, tern or gull, linnet, 

 bluebird, yellow hammer, yellow bird, thrush, wood- 

 pecker, catbird, pewee, oriole, kildee, snowbird, grass- 

 bird, grosbeak, phcebe bird, humming bird or wren, or 

 destroy their nests or eggs. Naturalists' permits may be 

 had as uuder the present law. 



Sec. 6. Perrnits'sale and possession of ruffed grouse or 

 partridge, prairie chicken, quail, rabbit, or squirrel during 

 the month of January and the first 15 days of February, 

 and of fresh venison during the months of November, 

 December, January and February, and of salmon trout or 

 lake trout, during the months of January, February and 

 March, provided it be proved that such bird, game or fish 

 was lawfully killed during the period allowed by this act, 

 and not transported contrary to its provisions, or was 

 killed outside the State, at a time when such killing was 

 lawful where killed. 



Sec. 7, No person shall at any time in this State kill 

 any fawn while in the spotted coat, or have in possession 

 its carcass or skin, or set any trap or spring-gun or other 

 device for killing wild deer; or hunt them with dogs, 

 except from Sept. 1 to Oct. 5 in each year; nor pursue 

 deer with dogs in St. Lawrence and Delaware counties at 

 any time. Dogs chasing deer in close season may be law- 

 fully shot. No wild deer shall be killed in the counties of 



Suffolk and Queens at any time within five years from 

 the passage of this act. No person or company shall 

 transport deer or venison killed or caught in this State, 

 except from Aug. 15 to Nov. 15, when they may transport 

 one carcass for any one passenger who is the owner and 

 accompanies it. Does not apply to heads or feet. 



Sec/8. Forbids crusting and yarding deer. 



Sec. 9. Forbids at all times chasing or capturing moose. 



Sec. 10. Forbids any person or corporation to export 

 from tli's State to a foreign country, any prairie chicken, 

 partridge, quail, woodcock, wild goose, duck or brant, 

 under a penalty of $10 for each bird exported. It is also 

 forbidden to hunt or kill wild duck, goose or brant, ex- 

 cept with a common shoulder guu. They may not be 

 hunted in the night, and no sail or steam vessel may be 

 used in hunting them, except in Long Island Sound, Lake 

 Ontario, and the Hudson River below Iona Island. Float- 

 ing batteries forbidden; bough houses or decoys to be 

 used not further than twenty rods from shore. This 

 section does not apply to the waters of Peconic Bay, Lake 

 Ontario, St. Lawrence River, Hudson River below Albany. 

 In Great South Bay of Long Island, west of Smith's 

 Point, batteries are permitted in October, November, 

 December, January and February. Sea coots not pro- 

 tected. Snaring and trapping grouse and quail forbidden. 

 Trespass for shooting or fishing forbidden. 



Sec. 11. Forbids taking trout or bass or landlocked 

 salmoh otherwise than by angling. Forbids taking brook 

 trout, salmon trout or landlocked salmon through the ice. 



Sec. 12. Forbids use of poison or dynamite for taking 

 fish; forbids taking fish on spawning beds. 



Sec. 13. Forbids transportation companies to carry 

 trout, salmon trout, landlocked salmon from Forest 

 Preseive, except when accompanied by owner as pas- 

 senger. Forbids taking black bass in waters of Lake 

 Mahopac, or of Columbia county, or of Schroon Lake or 

 river, or Paradox lake, in the counties of Essex or 

 Warren, or of Friend's Lake, in Warren county, or of 

 Skaneateles Lake in the counties of Onondaga and Cayuga, 

 between Jan. 1 and July 1 , or in Lake George or Brant 

 Lake, in Warren county, between Jan. 1 and Aug. 1. 

 Forbids killing of trout less than Gin. in length, or black 

 bass or fresh- water striped bass or salt-water striped bass 

 less than -lib. in weight or 8in. in length. Forbids taking 

 of bullheads in Lake George or tributaries between April 

 1 and July 1, or pickerel in Lake George between Feb. 15 

 and July 1. 



Sec. 14. Forbids the catching of any kind of fish hi 

 public waters by shutting off any portion of the waters. 



Sec. 15, Provides that no person or company shall per- 

 mit any dye stuff, coal-tar, deleterious substance, to flow 

 into or upon any lakes or streams of the State or any bays 

 or inlets along the coast, except when "absolutelely ne- 

 cessary." 



Sec' 16. Forbids fishing with seines, gilhiets or pounds, 

 the meshes of which shall be less than 24in. stretched, or 

 liin. square (except for bait); to bring fish so taken to the 

 shore or offer them for sale, and such nets, where found, 

 are declared a public nuisance and may be destroyed with- 

 out liabilitv for damages. 



Sec. 17. Relates to private parks, trespass, etc. 



Sec. 18. Provides bomity of $30 for grown wolf, $15 

 for pup wolf, $20 for panther. Prescribes who may re- 

 cover for violation of the game law and in what manner. 



Sec. 19. Relates to jurisdiction, prosecution, etc. 



Sec. 20. Supervisors are empowered to legislate for 

 further protection of game. 



Sections 21, 22, 23, 21, 25, 26. Authorize search warrants, 

 provide that all penalties shall go to informant: that 

 any district attorney may discontinue suit; that game 

 and other constables, sheriffs and deputies, shall have 

 same powers as game protectors: and that no witness 

 shall be excused from testifying on the ground that his 

 testimony would tend to incriminate himself . 



Sec. 27". Provides that nothing in the law shall apply to 

 Lake Ontario within certain limits. 



Sec. 28. Land owners may kill buds or animals damag- 

 ing fruit or poultry. 



Sec. 29. Repeal-* former conflicting acts. 



Sec. 30. Provides that seized game may be destroyed 

 or given to public hospitals. 



Fatal Encounter With a Buck. — Brockvilie, Can., 

 Times of Feb. 11 give this account of a fatal adventure 

 with a deer: "Edwin Warren and a companion, Haslip, 

 one evening set some hare traps in the woods. Next morn- 

 ing they went to visit the traps and discovered the tracks of 

 an otter. They at once started to follow the trail, but 

 had not gone far before they were confronted by a huge 

 buck deer which the dog had started. The animal at 

 once made an attack upon Warren, who held a short 

 gun in his hand. The young man being on snowshoes 

 could not get out of the way quick enough, and the ani- 

 mal which was mad with rage struck and knocked him 

 down. He managed to get Up again, and when the buck 

 made another attack, he struck him with the gun which 

 was loaded. This caused it to go off, the load entering 

 the right leg near the hip joint, shattering the bone. 

 Haslip and the dog succeeded in keeping the animal at 

 bay, which soon afterward disappeared. The snow being- 

 very deep the progress of Haslip, who started to give the 

 alarm, was very slow. However, after a couple of horns, 

 the injured man's father came. The imfortunate young 

 man was fast freezing to death as the weather was bitter 

 cold. The old man in his hurry to get to his son forgot 

 to bring some matches, and the terrible fear of behig 

 frozen stared them in the face. The injured man kept 

 up good spirits and was kept warm by the dog lying upon 

 him. The old man started to take his son home, but the 

 weather being extremely cold and the snow being four 

 feet deep, the progress was very slow. More help arrived, 

 however, and the party at once started to light a fire, the 

 wounded man being the only one who could strike the 

 matches, the men being benumbed with the cold. A 

 start for home was made. It was an awful journey, the 

 time made being one mile every two hours. The injured 

 man kept up well , and after ten hours of pain and agony 

 he arrived at the village. Medical aid was summoned, 

 but upon examination it was found that the unfortunate 

 young man could only live a few hours, as the leg which 

 had been broken was frozen to the body. Medicine was 

 administered to ease the terrible pain, and after a few 

 hours death put an end to his sufferings. The young man 

 had only six months before taken unto himself a wife, 

 who is nearly distracted over the sad and terrible end of 

 her husband. The funeral was one of the largest that 

 has ever taken place in Parry Sound," 



The Proposed Alaskan Excursion.— Editor Forest 

 and Stream: I have received from the two brief notices 

 that appeared in Forest and Stream, letters from nu- 

 merous people in the United States and England. Most 

 of the letters are from sportsmen. The letters all con- 

 tain the same general inquiry: "What is being done?' 

 It has taken much longer than I had anticipated to make 

 the necessary arrangements on the Pacific Coast, in 

 which I have received and am yet receiving valuable 

 assistance from Mr. J. M. Buckley, Assistant General 

 Manager Western Division of the Northern Pacific Railroad 

 at Tacoma, W. T.; also Mr. Wm. H. Whittlesey, custom- 

 house broker and agent of Northern Pacific at Port 

 Townsend, Wash. Ter. The latest news is that the steam 

 schooner Leo is suitable and can be secured, and that they 

 are in communication with her captain as to terms and 

 will advise me soon. The general plan, so far as yet out- 

 lined, is to go to Tacoma, on Puget Sound, in a car which 

 the railroad will be only too glad to give a party of thirty 

 for its exclusive use, with a baggage car for the baggage. 

 From Tacoma to Cook's Inlet, Alaska, it is proposed to go 

 in a vessel chartered for the purpose, to remain with the 

 party all summer. While on the coast it is proposed to 

 live aboard and camp out inland. The largest number of 

 mammals, the breeding grounds of water fowl, and the 

 finest salmon known are found in the section we propose 

 to visit. The regular fine of steamers from Port Towns- 

 end to Alaska only touch at Wrangel, Juneau and Sitka, 

 in the southern portion of Alaska, and her, access to the 

 interior of the country is barred by mountains. But the 

 portion of Alaska accessible from Cook's Inlet is the 

 sportsman's paradise, for here are found brown and black 

 bears (the brown as large as the grizzly and as fierce), 

 deer, reindeer andthe woodland caribou, big-horn moun- 

 tain sheep, beaver, land otter, large gray wolves, lynx, 

 wolverine, marten, mink, ermine, and many others. The 

 bears have been seen feeding in droves of twenty, and 

 trails have been worn over the hills and mountains by 

 them. A brown bear, shot at the Kenia Mission in the 

 summer of 1880, measured 9ft. 2in., and reindeer have 

 been killed by the hundreds merely for their skins while 

 crossing the Kivachak River. Here are also found grouse, 

 both white and ruffed; geese, ducks, sandhill cranes, and 

 the great northern swan, in countless numbers. Those 

 who accompany this party can really say they have been 

 out west, for one place we will visit is the island of Attoo, 

 which is 2,800 miles west of San Francisco, as far west of 

 San Francisco as Calais, Me., is east. It is desired to make 

 the party up of- "old campaigners" who can put up with 

 inconveniences for sport's sake, and this is the reason I 

 have not encouraged the scientific and college men, 

 because they are unaccustomed to roughing it. Some of 

 our English cousins have expressed a desire to accom- 

 pany the party, among them Mr. A. W. Craig, of the 

 Junior Carlton Club, London, who hunted in Wyoming- 

 two years ago. Those who desire such a summer's sport 

 with the salmon, large game, and water fowl, I hope will 

 communicate with me at once. Starting from New York, 

 May 15, or June 1 , we expect to return by Sept. 15, and 

 the cost including the round trip and board will probably 

 be $500, but may be more. This can only be detemiined 

 after further news from Puget Sound.'— J. E. Palmer 

 (115 Greenwich ave., New York). 



Hawks, Owls and Game Birds.— Mr. Daniel Steck, of 

 Harrisburg, Pa., writes of the effect of the scalp law on 

 the game supply: "Poultry was never so plentiful and 

 cheap in WiHiamsport as during the present season, and 

 greater quantities were sent to distant markets than ever 

 before. Game was never more abundant in the history 

 of the county. The cause is of course attributed to the 

 destruction of owls, foxes and mink during the winter of 

 18S5 and 1886. it' each of the 1,700 animals killed had 

 destroyed during the whole season but a single brood of 

 pheasants, a brace or two of rabbits, and as many chickens 

 and turkeys, the amount would have been enormous; yet 

 it would be an insignificant amount of food for each ani- 

 mal to consume in a whole year. The writer has known 

 a single pair of minks to destroy twenty-seven half grown 

 chickens in one night. A single dealer in poultry and 

 game in the city of Williamsport reports having handled 

 the present season 2,700 pheasants, not quite so many 

 rabbits, because every mar ketman that backed his wagon 

 to the curb dispensed the cottontails with a liberal hand. 

 Of the pheasants about one-third were shipped to distant 

 markets, for the reason that the market here was over- 

 stocked. Never had enough to supply the home demand 

 before. It would be safe to estimate that Lycoming 

 county is richer at this time by more than the whole sum 

 paid for the scalps of noxious animals since the passage 

 of the bounty act, from the sale of game and poultry to 

 distant cities, that never would have grown to reach a 

 market but for the protection it furnishes. That citizen 

 manifests but little consistency who asks for enactment 

 to protect the game and fish of our forests and streams — 

 to prevent hunting and fishing except for a few months 

 each year — while at the same time clamoring f _>r the 

 repeal* of an act that prevents thousands of hunters and 

 fishers from plying then- vocation from day to day during 

 the whole year. (Minks destroy thousands of trout after 

 they ascend the smaller streams to their spawning 

 grounds)." 



T. B. Aldrich as a Young Sportsman.— A good 

 many years ago now, a small bare-legged boy set out 

 from his home in Portsmouth, N. H., for an afternoon's 

 sport with a gun. He rambled along, as boys will, with 

 his eyes wide open for everything that came under them, 

 as well as for game that was the special object of his ex- 

 pedition, and he had not gone far when he saw a chaise 

 approaching, driven by the Governor of the State. The 

 Governor was a very popular and distinguished man, who 

 was being talked of for the Presidency, and we should not 

 have liked the small boy if he had not been a little over- 

 awed by finding himself alone in the presence of so august 

 a personage. He was equal to the occasion, however, 

 and as the chaise reached him he stood aside to let it pass, 

 and gravely presented arms. The Governor at once pulled 

 up his horse and looked with amusement at the little fel- 

 low standing there as serious as a sentry with his gun 

 held rigidly before him. "What is your name?" said the 

 Governor. "Thomas Bailey Aldrich," said the boy, with 

 a military salute. He was invited into the chaise, and 

 though he lost his shooting, what was that in comparison 

 with the distinction of riding into Portsmouth town with 

 Governor Woodbury. — St. Nicholas, 



