Max 26, 1887.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



393 



'mm §it(f mid 



Address an communications to the Forest and Stream Pub. Co. 



G. T. T. 



DECATUR, "Wise County, Tex., May 13.— I wrote you 

 several months ago that I had' an idea of making 

 North Texas my future home. From reports that I had 

 heard of the country, and the vast amount of quail that 

 were to be found everywhere, T expected that I was about 

 entering a real sportsman's paradise, where I coidd kill 

 enough quail every day for breakfast, dinner and supper, 

 and lose not any time, or but little, from my business. I 

 received a letter from a young man in Wise county last 

 winter, stating that quail were as thick as bugs ever got 

 to be in Mississippi, and that a quail could be flushed froni 

 under every bush in Ms father's pasture, which was com- 

 posed of about three hundred acres of woodland. What 

 a treat it would be to live in such a country, and what 

 fun 1 would have kicking the birds from under the bushes 

 and shooting them as they would fly away with a vain 

 hope of finding another hiding place that was not already 

 occupied by another bird. I decided to "Go to Texas," 

 and sent my setter out the last of November, promising 

 him that I woidd follow on as soon as I could wind up 

 my business in Mississippi, and that we would have some 

 rare sport — such as never fell to the lot of man and dog 

 in Mississippi nor any where else, except in Texas. I did 

 not suppose that I would need a dog to find the birds; but 

 then it wordd be such a treat to my dog, and I could afford 

 to let him point one occasionally just to keep from for- 

 getting how a dog looked on a point. 



I landed at Garvin, Tex. , the latter part of February, 

 and, as the shooting season was far advanced, I decided 

 to lose no time, but would commence my quail shooting 

 at once. I picked up my gun the next morning and 

 started into that pasture where ' 'a bird could be found 

 under every bush," and as I saw that the bushes were 

 thick and numerous, I smiled to think what sport I woidd 

 soon have. My setter Robert looked wistfully after me, 

 and the sorrow depicted in his face showed how much he 

 regretted that I thought so little of him as not to invite 

 him to help enjoy the sport that I was soon to engage in. 

 I decided that Robert might be of some service in picking 

 up my birds, and told him that he might accompany me, 

 but that he must come to heel aud behave himself as a 

 Texas dog should, and not forget himself and imagine 

 that he was back in Mississippi, where quail were so scarce 

 that it required the services of a dog to get them up. 



I lunged into the brush with thumb and finger upon 

 hammer and trigger, and with a full determination that 

 the first Texas quail that flushed should go into my game 

 bag. The quail did not rise, so I strolled around from place 

 to place, stumbling over the rough bushes tmtil I saw that 

 the birds did not intend to be scared up by a Mississippian. 

 I then told Robert that he would have to take charge of 

 that department of the business and get the birds up for 

 me, for I expected after all that it would be best for us to 

 fall back on the old Mississippian style. No sooner said 

 than done. Robert let himself out at lightning speed, 

 through the dry brush and over the ravines, making such 

 a tremendous racket that it seemed that he would flush 

 every bird that he came within a half mile of. All at 

 once as he was passing a brush pile he came to a sudden 

 stop, threw himself into a picturesque attitude, and be- 

 came as rigid and stiff as Sut Lovingood's starched shirt. 

 We have you now, I thought, the whole business of you 

 has collected under that brush, and now the fun will 

 begin. I cocked both barrels and advanced on the brush 

 pile with a big intention, but the birds did not rise. I 

 passed by it and around it, but still they refused to take 

 wing. My patience was gone and there was nothing to 

 keep me from acting rashly, so I Imaged my foot into the 

 brush and yelled at the birds to get out. Th=re was a 

 tremendous tumbling under the brush for a few seconds, 

 then a little cottontail rabbit (those that don't like the 

 appelation can read it "hare") shot out from under the 

 brush and through the bushes, scared into an inch of his 

 life, with Robert chasing after him at break-neck speed, 

 in spite of all the calling and stamping that I could do. 

 My fingers quivered restlessly upon the triggers, and my 

 gun seemed anxious to leap to my shoulder, but I remem- 

 bered Hammond's "Training vs. Breaking" and restrained 

 myself for the moment. After a little deliberation, how- 

 ever, I considered that Robert had already had the 

 necessary "training" in that respect, but departed from 

 it, so I decided that a little "breaking" would be next in 

 order, and broke me a post-oak limb and awaited Robert's 

 return. After a considerable time he came sneaking 

 back and prostrated himself at my feet, as much as to 

 say, "1 am at your service now. I could not stop when 

 you were calling after me just now, for my legs were 

 taking me off after that rabbit in spite of myself. I knew 

 that it was wrong, for I had been trained better, but the 

 fact is, I have suffered myself to keep bad company since 

 I got to Texas and before you arrived, and we have been 

 doing a great deal of rabbit hunting on our own hook." 



I gave Robert a slight brushing as a gentle reminder of 

 what would surely come if he persisted in his wayward 

 course, and waved him off again. He seemed to hunt 

 with renewed energy, and made the brush rattle in a fear- 

 ful way. It w^ not long before he had another rabbit 

 up and another exciting race. In a short while he came 

 back, and when near enough to see me well, he stopped 

 and looked at me as though he thought it doubtful 

 whether I had seen the last race or not, and with a deter- 

 mination depicted in his face that he would show no guilt 

 if I were ignorant of what he had done; but when I 

 called to him to come in, his countenance changed, his 

 head and tail dropped, and by the time he got to where I 

 was, he seemed to regret what he had done even more 

 than I did; but I chastised him, neverthe'ess, and sent 

 him out again. Several times he repeated the rabbit 

 chasing, and as often I administered the rod; but at last 

 I discovered that I did not have patience equal to what it 

 is said Job had — in fact, I am not really sure that Job 

 ever had the trial of shooting over or trying to shoot over 

 a wild, headstrong setter. I began to feel as if I had just 

 as soon own a dead setter as one that I cculd not control, 

 and I decided to administer a more lasting reproof as soon 

 as an opportunity was offered. I was not long in getting 

 the opportunity, for we had gone but a Bhort distance, 

 when a cottontail got up and let himself out as if he had 

 urgent business ahead, and Robert after Mm as if it was 



his duty to see that the rabbit got there on time. I re- 

 strained myself for a second or two, but when Robert was 

 about 40yds. distant, my gun leaped to my shoulder, my 

 finger pressed the trigger and a load of No. 8 shot pep- 

 pered Robert around and about that portion that bears 

 the caudal appendage. With an unearthly squall he 

 leaped into the air, and after falling back upon that pa rt 

 that was giving him the misery, as if he wished to crush 

 Ms tormentor, he lost no time in getting to where I was 

 and prostrating himself at my feet as if to plead for 

 mercy. He seemed to think that he had been punished 

 enough, but in order to show him that I did the shooting 

 intentionally, and did not regret what I had done, I ad- 

 ministered the rod again. 



After a Uttle persuasion I soon had Robert out again 

 and hunting as busy as ever, and it was not long before 

 another rabbit broke the brush and we had another brush, 

 this time the rabbit going one way and Robert the other; 

 nor did he stop m: til he was safe behind me. Then after 

 lookmg for a considerable time in the direction the rab- 

 bit had gone, as though he regretted the rabbit's getting 

 away, he looked up at me as if to say, "I am satisfied 

 that I coidd have caught that one if I had not been afraid 

 of that old blunderbuss of yours." We passed through 

 the pasture, hunting it out well on one side and starting 

 many more rabbits, but Robert never once seemed to 

 think that it was his duty to try and catch them, but 

 would often break back to me as soon as he saw the rab- 

 bit, as if he thought that there was really more pleasure 

 in safety than in rabbit chasing. 



But where were the quail ? We had hunted one side of 

 the pasture thoroughly and not one could be found, nor 

 could we find any signs of their having been there. We 

 then went into an adjoimng pasture and hunted it with 

 the same success. Then back into the first one again and 

 hunted the other side on our way home. This side, how- 

 ever, was grown up in large timber and in many places 

 there was no underbrush nor grass to form a hiding place 

 for birds. We hunted through it, however, and were 

 almost at the house when I saw Robert come to a sudden 

 halt and his tail begm to quiver. He would smell on the 

 bare ground a little and then raise his nose into the air 

 with that peculiar quiver of the tail that I knew indicated 

 game. I urged Mm on for a considerable distance and 

 soon discovered ahead of us a small covey of quail that 

 were trying very hard to find a hiding place on the bare 

 ground, but they soon abandoned the undertaking as a 

 hopeless one, and took whig when I was about forty yards 

 from them. I succeeded in getting in one barrel and 

 bringing one down. The majority of the covey took 

 themselves to the tops of the trees, but a few made their 

 way to a fence row and some treelaps not far off. I sent 

 Robert to the fence row, and soon had the gratification 

 of seeing him on a stiff pomt. As I walked up the bird 

 flushed, but droptod at the report of my gun, and Robert 

 brought it in. The dog next came to a nice point at a 

 small pile of brush, and I walked up and kicked it. A 

 quail flushed right under my foot, gomg straight off 

 behind me, and at the same instant something tumbled 

 out of the brush on the other side and ran off in the other 

 direction. I first turned my attention to the quail, as 

 that was the kind of game I was after, and succeeded in 

 dropping it just over the fence. I then turned to see 

 what had gone in the opposite direction, and saw an ani- 

 mal loping off slowly across the open ground. It seemed 

 to be about the size of a young fawn, and somewhat 

 resembled one, but its ears were much too large for a 

 fawn. 1 sent a charge of No. 8 shot after it when it was 

 about forty yards distant, which did not seem to have 

 any effect upon it, but ki following on with the hope of 

 getting another shot I soon found it dead. I proved to be 

 a large jack rabbit, the first I had ever seen. When lop- 

 ing slow and erect, with ears erect, I think that they very 

 much resemble a fawn, but let one of them get scared, 

 throw his ears back on his back, hump Ms back and get 

 down to it right, and he presents a different aspect. 



I went back to the fence row, and by diligent work suc- 

 ceeded in getting up one more quail, which was bagged. 

 As the remainder of the covey were in the tops of the 

 trees I gave them no further attention, but made my way 

 to the house. 



During the rest of that week, and for two or three 

 weeks following, I hunted over the most of the grounds 

 in that viciMty and . found only three other coveys; one 

 composed of six, another of about eight, and the other of 

 ten or twelve birds. I killed only a few of these and left 

 the others "for seed," thmking that birds were badly 

 needed here for that purpose. 



In complaining of my disappointment in not finding 

 more quail in Texas, some of the residents told me that, 

 as a general tMng, the birds were very numerous here, 

 but owing to the drought which had prevailed for about 

 a year and a half it was impossible for them to get water 

 on the high land?, and that they had all collected in the 

 river valley. This looked altogether reasonable, and I 

 believed that I would still enjoy the pleasures of Texas 

 quail shooting, and accordingly made arrangements to go 

 to the valley. My father-m-law proposed going with me 

 and also proposed takmg his pointer Zack. Now, I con- 

 fess that I was not much of an admirer of Zack, for I did 

 not think that he had had the proper framing, and, besides, 

 I had often heard that Zack was a very unsteady and 

 headstrong dog, and would break shot and chase every- 

 thing that got up before Mm; besides, I was satisfied that 

 he was to blame for Robort's bad behavior the first time 

 that I took him out, and that he had been persuading 

 Robert off ra' bit hunting of nights and at other times 

 when he had a chance to boss the job. So I asked my 

 father-in-law if Zack was not a little hard to control. 

 He confessed that Zack woidd often break shot and chase 

 things, but he thought that he was a capital dog in every 

 other respect, and said that if he could only break him 

 from this one fault his value could not be estimated; but 

 it seemed an impossibility to break him, as whipping did 

 no good whatever. 



I thought I saw a chance to get revenge on Zack for 

 teaching Robert bad habits, and told how easily and effect- 

 ually I had broken Robert. He thought the plan worthy 

 of trial and agreed to try shot on Zack in the future, so 

 we started to the valley only a few nriles off. I made 

 Robert came to heel, but Zack scorned the idea of pokmg 

 along behind, and took himself to the wayside, showing 

 by Ms actions that he was determined to have a first-class 

 rabbit hunt. He succeeded in getting up rabbit after rab- 

 bit, and having chase after chase, until he was puffing 

 like a steamboat and seemed almost too tired to go further; 

 but whenever a rabbit would get up Zack would gain new 



strength and have another race. My father-in-law shot 

 at him several times, but always failed to hit him, not- 

 withstanding he is a good shot and can hit other things as 

 often as most people. I at last suggested that he must do 

 better shooting if he had the desire to save his dog from 

 utter wortMessness. He said he could not imagine why 

 lie could not hit the dog, and requested that I take the 

 "next shot, which I agreed to do, although I had entirely 

 forgotten that I had just a few minutes before put in a 

 cartridge of No. 7 shot for shooting some ducks we ex- 

 pected to find in a small lake close by. We had gone only 

 a few steps when a jack rabbit seemed to spring out of 

 the ground just in front of us, and had gone 50yds. before 

 Zack seemed to know what it was. Although the rabbit 

 had so much the start, and notwithstanding "the fact that 

 we used our best exertiensto prevent Zack from going, 

 he broke by us and started across the open valle3 r in hot 

 pursuit. When about 35yds. distance from us my father- 

 in-law said, "put it to him," and although I thought the 

 distance hardly great enough, yet I thought Zack needed 

 a large dose of the medicine, a'xl sent the charge after 

 hhn, For about a half minute there was one of the live- 

 liest performances there that that valley ever witnessed, 

 Zack being the only performer and making all of the 

 music. As soon as he was able to quit waltzing, singing 

 and turning somersaults, he came back the bloodiest dog 

 that I ever saw. He seemed to be bleeding from every 

 part of his body and very profusely, and my father-in-law 

 was afraid that he would bleed to death. I was afraid 

 so, too, for I just then remembered that I had shot him 

 with No. 7 shot; but I persuaded my father-in-law that 

 the bleedmg was caused from the dog being so hot from 

 the many races that he had taken, so we carried Zack to 

 the water and cooled and washed him, which had the de- 

 sired effect and checked the blood. 



Zack looked very sour at me, as if to say, "If you can't 

 learn to shoot better than that you had better quit, for I 

 was sixty or more yards behind that rabbit and there was 

 ii ) reason in your missing it and putting the whole load 

 mto me." I gave him to understand that the shot was 

 intended for him and that it would not be good for him 

 if he gave me cause to repeat it. We jumped quite a 

 number of rabbits after starting again, but neither dog 

 attempted to chase them; in fact Zack did not seem to be 

 in much of a humor for the chase during the rest of the 

 hunt till nearly dark, but failed to get up a single quail 

 and had to gratify our detire for bloodshed by shooting a 

 few jack rabbits. 



I have never had an opportunity to hunt with Zack 

 f ince, but my father-in-law tells me that he has done re- 

 markably well and that he has had no trouble in control- 

 ing Mm. I would no!; advise the shooting of a good dog, 

 but whenever I own a dog that gets in the condition that 

 these were I will try No. 8 shot on him, and if that does 

 not break him I will try buckshot and get rid of him. 



After satisfying myself that there was really no quail, 

 or but very few in this country, I gave up quail hunting, 

 came to Decatur and commenced business, but before 

 doing so I traveled over portions of several of the adjoin- 

 ing counties and made particular inquiry about the game. 

 I was told everywhere that quail was usually abundant 

 in this country, and that in the fall and winter months 

 geese, ducks, prairie chickens, etc., are sometimes plenti- 

 ful, and that doves and plover were here in the greatest 

 quantities. So far a= doves and plover are concerned I 

 believe the statement to be strictly true, for w^e have had 

 rams here since the first of April, and the whole face of 

 the country has been covered with doves and grass plover. 

 Parties of two, three or four persons frequently drive out 

 on the prairie from this place and bag large quantities of 

 plover, and they are usually potted or shot on the ground. 

 I have remonstrated with them for shooting birds so late 

 in the season, and especially for shooting them on the 

 ground. They excuse themselves by saying that the plover 

 remain here only a short time, and are so wild that it is 

 impossible to get near enough for a shot except from a 

 hack or other vehicle, and that there are f ew opportunities 

 offered for flying shots. In order to test the matter and 

 satisfy niyseif I took my gun and went just outside the 

 town one evenmg to try a few shots. I found, no 

 difficulty in finding plenty of birds, even before I was 

 outside of the corporation limits, and went only a little 

 way beyond the limits before trying the experiment, and 

 it seems to me that as the birds are more likely to be 

 harrassed near town than at a distance, they would be 

 fully as wild here as elsewhere. 



I selected a flock that seemed to be very wild. They 

 had already raised their heads and given the alarm, and 

 a few of them took wing and settled down about a hun- 

 dred yards beyond. Instead of going directly toward the 

 flock, I started in a brisk walk, as though it was my in- 

 tention to pass considerably to the right of them. The 

 birds then commenced runMng in the direction of where, 

 the ones that had taken wing had settled, and as some 

 traveled much faster than others, the flock was soon 

 badly scattered, I then commenced bearing in on them 

 and the ones that were behind seemg that the course that 

 they were going would bring them close to me they 

 stopped and waited quietly for me to pass. As soon as I 

 had the flock completely divided and was between them, 

 I turned directly upon the ones that had stopped and 

 walked within fifteen steps of them; they seemed to be 

 perfectly bewildered and not knowing what was best for 

 their safety. Although I stopped perfectly still these birds 

 refused to take wing until I waved my gun at them, and 

 when they did start they attempted to pass me and go in 

 the direction of the rest of the flock. I got in both barrels 

 very easily and secured a pan of birds. 



I followed the same flock and tried the plan for the sec- 

 ond and third time, always getting as near the birds as I 

 couli wish. Out of six shots I scored five birds, and the 

 miss that I did make was caused from noticing that there 

 was a cow beyond the bird, just as 1 was about to press 

 the trigger. I will not say &era whether I Mt the cow or 

 not, but I can say that I missed the bird. As the sun was 

 nearly down, I gave up my pl ver shooting and returned 

 to town. I have shot no plover since ; but I have fre- 

 quently tried this plan of getting near them, both on foot 

 and on horseback, and I am satisfied that if a sportsman 

 will use enough tact and caution that he can in this way 

 get as many shots and as many birds as h should wish', 

 and to me this kind of shooting is far more enjoyable than 

 shootmg the birds on the ground. 



I passed through the valley of the west fork of the 

 Trimty River about tbree weeks ago, and since the rains 

 Bet in, and I saw an abundance of game. Ducks were in 

 the most of the water holes, and plover, doves, jack rab- 



