Feb. 7, 1889.) 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



48 



any case of intoxication, though I believe it has never 

 had occasion to do so. It chooses its pushers by lot, and 

 also the stands at which members shall shoot upon eacli 

 day. It allows each member one guest per season, and 

 that is all. The pusher's fee is $3 a day, or $1.50 for a 

 half day. If the boat is not at the landing at 12 M., the 

 term is called a whole day. A bulletin is kept by the 

 superintendent, by which the name of each shooter out 

 on the marsh, his stand, and the name of his pusher, are 

 clearly shown. Copies of the club house rules are pasted 

 up, and every member knows that they mean strictly 

 business. 



Such is some short little account of a club as important 

 and interesting as any to be found in this country. It is 

 a type of Western activity and thoroughness. It is a 

 model for sportsmen's associations. It is the sure index 

 of what form sport must take in this country hereafter, 

 and a direct guide to the manner of its proper preserva- 

 tion. 



Space would fail in any case to make comment on a 

 list of names such as are given below. There are no 

 better. The membership is as follows: 



Officers. — President, F. A. Howe; Vice-President, W. 

 R. Linn; Secretary, Edward Starr; Treasurer, C. D. Pea- 

 cock. Board of Directors: C. C. Moeller, Jas. Wright, P. 

 Schuttler, J. N. Grouse, S. M. Moore. Superintendent 

 Club House, Willard West. 



Members.— Geo. E. Adams, E. E. Ayer, O. F. Aldis, W. 

 T. Baker, S. P. Brown, W. L. Brown, W. H. Colviu, J. 

 N. Grouse, John Cudahv, Albert M. Day, D. H. Denton, 

 Wirt Dexter, J. B. Drake, Geo. L. Dunlap, A. C. Ducat, 

 J. H. Dwiaht, N. K. Fairbank. C. E. Felton. L. G. Fisher, 

 Marshall Field, R. M. Fair, E. E. Flint, O. R. Glover, J. 

 B. Goodman, W. C. D. Giannis, J. M. Gillespie, H. F. 

 Griswold, Alhert Havden, S. R. Haven. C. D. HimiJl, C. 

 M. Henderson, F. A. Howe, L, C. Huck, W. V. Jacobs, 

 W. T. Johnson, C. P. Johnston, N. S. Jones, J. Russell 

 Jones.Edson Keith. S. A. Kent, J. B. Kirk, J. C. Knicker- 

 bocker, W, W. Kimball, H. A. Knott; L. Z. Leiter, T. G. 

 Lefens, W. R. JLinn, J. M. Loomis, Thomas Lynch, C. A. 

 Mair, F. MacVeagh, Geo. Manierre, R. H. McCormick, 

 John McConnell, C. C. Moeller, S. M. Mooie, L. T. Moore, 

 Tho*. ?vIurdoch, H. N. May, John Mattocks, Murry Nelson, 

 J. S. Norton, Edmund Norton. E. J. Ovington, Jr., 

 Arthur Orr, John Parsons, C. I. Peck, Ferd. W. Peck, R. 

 A. Peters, C. D. Peacock, Elisha Peacock, E. S. Pike, 

 Geo. M. Pullman, J. C. Peasley. C. L. Raymond, S. B. 

 Reymond, J. B. Reeme, O. H. Roche. A. A. Sample, A. 

 Scbmitt, P. Schuttler, J. A. Swan, G. A. Schwartz, Geo. 

 Smith, Byron L. Smith, C. F. A. Spencer, A. G. Spaldine, 

 W. E, Strong, Edwaid Starr, Jas. Stinson, Geo. L. 

 Thatcher, J. L. Thompson, W. H. Thompson, V. C. Tur- 

 ner, Frederick Ullman, E. C. Waller, R. A. Waller, Wm. 

 Waller, Geo. C. Walker, W. D. Walker, H. Washburn, 

 Geo. P. Welles, F. T. Wheeler, F. C. Wilson, Norman 

 Williams, James Wright, T. W. WUmarth, A. N. Young. 



Following is the list of members of the Waltonian Club 

 (see last issue) for the present year: Hon. David F. Bar- 

 clay, President; Abner Piatt, Vice-President, U S. Yards; 

 Annas Hathaway, Secretary and Treasurer; Executive 

 Committee. Josiah Stevens, A. Kershaw. J. W. Ranstead. 

 A. Piatt, C. A, Kerber, Henry Muutz, J. H. Rogers, W. 

 P. Gray, W. J. Hunter, Josiah Stevens, A. Kershaw, 

 Peter Caldwell, Geo. F. Ross, R. L. Morgan, Henrv Tetz- 

 ner, G. Rosenkran^. Frank Preston, Mrs. B W. Wilcox, 

 J. F. Rogers, W. A. Pratt, J. W. Ranstead, E. C. Hawley, 

 C. W. Gould, P. B. Sherwood. S. H. Cox, A. Dunning, 

 Geo. W. Hancock, Euaene Hammond, T. M. Bradley, 

 Theo. Schroeder, C. E. Lightner, Chas. L. Frey, C. E. 

 Stewart, M. H. Thompson, L. F. Brayman, L. C. Sterling, 

 Annas Hathaway. E. Hough. 



No. 175 Monroe Street. 



GROUSE SHOOTERS AND SNARERS, 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



At the annual dinner of the Massachusetts Fish and 

 Game Protective Association, President Samuels in his 

 speech said in sub-stance, "that unless snaring is made 

 unlawful the ruffed grouse is doomed." 



With due respect for the opinion of the president of 

 an Association, which I believe has done more for the 



frotection of game than anv one institution in the State, 

 beg to file exceptions to his broad statement, that ruffed 

 groiue can be exterminated by snaring. I know there is 

 urgent need of a stringent law for their protection and I 

 respectfully suggest a legislative act making it unlawful 

 to trap or kill the grouse during the next five years. 



Perhaps it would be well for me to state that I am in a 

 position to know something of the status of the ruffed 

 grouse, in one part of the State, at least. Summer and 

 winter for over four years I have lived in the woods, in 

 hermit style, and have devoted a large part of this time 

 to the study of birds. 



It has been my experience that the dog and gun will 

 come nearer to exterminating the grouse than the snare, 

 and that neither can do it, and combined they can but 

 check the increase to the original number. 



Let me illustrate my meaning: Around my log cabin 

 home ther-e is a tract of woodland containing about one 

 thousand acres. Turning to my notes for the year 1887 1 

 find that the last of September I made an estimate of the 

 number of young grouse on this tract ready for the 

 sportsman on the opening of the season, Oct. 1. I found 

 the number to be about one hundred. I was perfectly 

 familiar with every rod of this tract of land. I knew 

 where the broods "were reared; I watched them when 

 first out of the shell, while the old birds scratched their 

 food from under the matting of last year's leaves; and, 

 later, I knew when the coveys flocked to the blueberry 

 grounds; and, yet later, when they gleaned the black- 

 berry patches; and, when the gunners and snarers 

 had worked their will, I knew where the forlorn hope 

 held out to feed on belated barberries, chokeberries, 

 various leaves and birch buds. 



The snarer did his best, and so did the gunner, to ex- 

 terminate the?e birds, notwithstanding the law, which is a 

 dead letter in this locality. 



The grouse is a wary bird, and soon learns to avoid the 

 snare, so when the breeding season was at hand. I found 

 that ten females had run the gauntlet. As the grouse 

 lays from ten to fifteen eggs, and often rears two broods 

 in a season, it will readily be seen that the increase 

 would make good the original number, provided the birds 

 were not molested while breeding. 

 However, it is possible that the birds could be exter- 



minated. They might get crusted under and some be 

 lost, thus reducing the breeders to a dangerously low 

 number. Several severe winters might result in exter- 

 mination, therefore there is need of an effective law for 

 their protection, but I do not believe in a law that dis- 

 criminates against the snarer and in favor of the gunner. 



In the fall of 188? I became acquainted with a gentle- 

 man, a Cape Ann fisherman, who made a practice of 

 setting snares through the winter. I asked him one day 

 if he did not think it wrong to violate the law, and he 

 asked me how many grouse I had killed through the 

 season. I answered eleven. "Shoot them on the wing?" 

 he asked. "All but two," was my reply. "Very well," 

 he said, "I am not the owner of a gun, and if I were it 

 would do me no good, for I cannot shoot on the wing, 

 What right Iras the State of Massachusetts to legislate 

 you eleven birds and me none?'' Who can gainsay such 

 an argument? I cannot, for I believe in "equal rights." 

 As a matter of fact this gentleman caught only two 

 grouse, with forty snares well tended for three months. 



My article is already too long, but I cannot close with- 

 out calling attention to an evil that will exterminate the 

 ruffed grouse in Massachusetts in the next ten years with- 

 out the aid of gun or snare. I refer to bird dogs running 

 at large in the breeding season. That these renegade dogs 

 are on the increase, to an alarming extent, is evident 

 from the fact that I see as many as five now where I saw 

 one four years ago. They harrass the old birds while 

 nesting, and when the chicks are hatched they destroy 

 them before they fly. 



Every day I see two grouse that have run the gauntlet 

 of snares and guns for three years. Eacli season they 

 have nested almost within a stone's throw of my cabin. 

 LaBt spring one brought out eleven chicks and the other 

 fourteen. The dogs killed these chicks when two days 

 old, and were racing the old birds from tree to tree when 

 I found them. 



On the tract of woodland before mentioned only eight 

 young grouse were reared this season. At this writing 

 five of the number are alive, with only four old birds, and 

 some of these will be slaughtered before spring. The 

 Legislature makes laws that read" well on paper, to pro- 

 tect these birds, but who enforces the laws? What is true 

 of grouse is true of quail, and if our Legislature this win- 

 ter does not deal with this matter in a vigorous manner 

 we may say good by to these famous game birds. 

 GiiOUCKSTftB, Mass., Jan. 30. HERMIT. 



RIFLES FOR SMALL GAME— V. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



As I have so many communications requesting me to 

 write more concerning the .S2cal. for game shooting, I 

 again come to you for space to give my experience with 

 this tiny but powerful cartridge, the .22-1545, W. C. F. 

 solid head brass-shelled cartridge. Up to the time of 

 writing my last article under the above heading I had so 

 little experience as to hardly warrant an opinion as 

 regards its merits as a cartridge for game shooting. Some 

 time ago the writer was requested by a gentleman in a 

 large jobbing gun house in Boston to make a test of this 

 cartridge in a rifle made specially for it, viz.: the well- 

 known Winchester single shot. The gentleman referred 

 to handed the writer a 26in. half-octagon rifle, with 100 

 factory-made cartridges and 10 standard 50yds. targets, 

 with a request that the thing be given a thorough trial 

 and a report be sent in without fear or favor. While 1 

 did not expect to get the results from this cartridge at 

 the target that I could with the ,22 long R. F. cartridge, 

 after all that I have seen and read about the latter, I must 

 confess that I found myself very agreeably surprised. 

 The .22 long rifle cartridge, under favorable condition^, 

 will do very accurate work up to say 100 to 125yds., but 

 the least puff of wind will blow it one side, which, to- 

 gether with its high trajectory, makes it very unreliable, 

 and, on the whole, the opinion of the writer is that it is 

 not so very much better than the old reliable .22 short 

 after all. To be sure it has more powder and lead, but 

 the twist has to be increased to 16in. to make the shoot- 

 ing effectual, thereby causing more friction and shorten- 

 ing the life of the barrel, which, if it is to be used for 

 gallery purposes, is a consideration. This cartridge just 

 at the present time is having its boom like many other 

 things, but it has several very serious faults, whicn are 

 not likely to be overcome, and which make it take about 

 third place as a hunting cartridge, and on the whole the 

 writer considers it a failure in the woods. Regarding 

 the logrs. C. F. Winchester cartridge the first point of 

 advantage is — speaking from a practical point of view — 

 its low trajectory. I am well aware that the low trajec- 

 tory business has been very much overdene in the past 

 few years, and that in the larger calibers that accuracy 

 and steady shooting has been to a certain extent sacri- 

 ficed for a low curve, but with this tiny 45grs. bullet it 

 is different. Of course we know that this little bullut 

 is not to be compared with the large bores cn a 

 windy day, for a strong wind will have a greater 

 effect on the .22 than a .32 or ,88cal. at 200yds. 

 With the larger calibers a rifle will shoot steady with a 

 light charge of powder, even a little wind will not make 

 much difference, so that with its slow flight and high 

 trajectory a .45cal. will come d'jwn and strike the buila- 

 eye if the proper elevation is given it. Not so, however, 

 with the little .22cal. , for this bullet, in order to be suc- 

 cessful, must have a very swift flight to its destination, 

 thereby giving the wind so little time to act upon it, that 

 although it may not shoot quite as steady in a dead calm 

 will more than outbalance its difference in the wind and 

 in low flat trajectory. This cartridge, in a 2Gin. barn*, 

 has a curve of less than 2in„ at 100yds., which is abotlt 

 as far as small game is usually shot, and in using the two 

 rifles side by side, shooting them alternately— viz., the 

 15grs. and the Sgrs. long rifle cartridge— these points 

 are strongly marked. In a dead calm the long rifle 

 cartridge will beat the C.F. cartridge at 50yds. for ac- 

 curacy slightly, but not enough to make any practical dif- 

 ff erenc o in shooting,where most of the shooting is done off- 

 hand, !ut just move the target away 25 or 30yds. without 

 change of sights, or let a light breeze spring up, or move 

 your target away to 125 or 140yds. and guess at the dis- 

 tance as, for instance, one would do in duck shooting on 

 a river or lake, and you will find the long rifle cartridge 

 is simply nowhere, whde if the wind does not blow too 

 strong the 15grs. cartridge has a great deal of ."get there" 

 to it; and I know of several parties, some of whom are 

 contributors to our Forest and Stream columns, who 

 have used this rifle and had good success with it the past 



season, shooting ducke at distance* whera the rim-fires 

 would be of no use whatever. The target ecores referred 

 to in the commencement of this article aggregated EH 

 on the Standard target for 100 shots, fired from a rest at 

 SOyds., Winchester rifle, Lyman rear sight and Beach 

 front sight; two 6 s and five 7s only were out of the buils- 

 eye, while one run of seven 10s was made. The rifle was 

 cleaned every five shots, whether it would shoot well 

 with less cleaning the writer dots not know. I do not 

 believe in using a dirty rifle anyway. The lOsrs. U, M, 

 C. Co. C.F. cartridge is a good one for hunting small 

 game, but everything considered the 15grs. Winchester 

 is by far the best. For short range work, such as gallery 

 shooting, English sparrows, etc., around town or city 

 back yards the ,22 short will give good satisfaction; 

 while it is cheap, effective and convenient at short range, 

 it is almost u=eless at distances over 50yds. A rifle with 

 interchangeable barrels, like the Maynard, makes with 

 these two cartridges a perfect ,22cal. outfit. 



Iron Ramrod. 



Somebville, Mass., Jan. 10. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I have been much interested in the discussion going on 

 in the last few issues of the Forest and Stream in i ela- 

 tion to a favorite of my own, the ,2acal. rifle, and to 

 which I owe many pleasant hours in the past five years. 



I can fully bear out, from my own experience, "Byrne" 

 in his statement that for any distance up to 300yds. it is 

 only a question of patience on the duck's part and ammu- 

 nition on the shooter's to translate the mistaken bird to 

 the better land. Many a time has an old and staid coot 

 or a coquettish oldwife, trusting to the distance with 

 scornful indifference, watched me while I have been try- 

 ing to get the range, until at last a luckier or perhapB 

 better aimed shot than the preceding ones laid bim low. 



But I am free to confess that the statementof "Byrne," 

 that he found he could do nothing with the .22cal. at 

 geese or brant) is a surprise to me. I cannot understand 

 why he should meet with this result. It seems to me 

 from past experiences with my Remington (although not 

 at geese or brant, that I would be willing to stake a good 

 deal that a .22cal. ball, even from the short cartridges, 

 fired from the Remington at any distance up to 125yds., 

 and hitting a goose or brant about the body, would soon 

 deprive it of any further cares in this world. 



Of course I cannot say positively he would be my meat, 

 but I would be willing to go hungry if he were not. 

 The penetration is certainly sufficient to drive the ball into 

 the vitals at that distance, if. indeed, not entirely through 

 the body. And if this be the fact as to penetration, the 

 .22cal. has one great advantage over the ,82cal., namely, 

 the lacking of the loud report. Birds will lie ol ten for 

 several shots from the smaller caliber when they will 

 leave, and in a hurry, too, from the first shot of the 

 larger caliber. 



I would suggest to Friend "Byrne" that, as he has had 

 much experience with the .22cal. at geese and brant, he 

 give us the benefit of it through the Forest and Stream.- 



HaPPIE GO-LUCKIE. 



East Orangk, N. J., Jan. 18. 



NOTES OF A POT-HUNTER. 



T BELIEVE I am what sportsmen call a potdiunter, 

 L which means, I suppose, a still-hunter or a great 

 anxiety to have the game sit very still. There are Borne 

 little jests at our mode of hunting, but as we usually get 

 our share of the animals and birds we can well allow the 

 application of the humorous title to our style of hunting. 

 My companion of a day of sport is an United States army 

 gun, date of 184:3, of excellent shooting character, long 

 range, and a tendency to press backward about the time 

 of being fired. It is altogether a successful battery, even 

 in the hands of a moderately good pot-hunter. 



This has been, and is yet to some extent, a famous 

 region for wildfowl of most all kinds, and especially for 

 the millions of ducks which assemole during the oc- 

 casional high waters from the Des Moines and Mississippi 

 rivers. The bottom land here is six miles wide upon an 

 average, and it is subject to be invaded by both rivers. 

 Upon this broad and oeautiful lowland there are many 

 extensive Jakes and numerous ponds or sloughs. It has 

 been a noted place for swan, pelican, geese, clucks, brant 

 and other water fowl. One July some years ago we had 

 an invasion of the Des Moines, and of course at that sea- 

 son of the year almost all vegetation was destroved. The 

 high water brought clucks of all kinds, and after the 

 water went dosvn hunting was fairly good for a month 

 or more. Upon this occasion was my first duck shooting, 

 as I had came into possession of the army gun the pre- 

 vious spring. 



One day in early September I took a stroll over some 

 fine farms that had been submerged and deprived of 

 their vast crops of corn, The low places were yet filled 

 with water, and several kinds of ducks were already 

 present. Along east of me a flock of six splendid mat- 

 lards came sailing from the north, flying tolerably low, 

 and in search of a resting place. After flying around 

 over a broad pond a few hundred yards southeast of 

 me, they settled upon the quiet water. Some slough 

 grass along the margin of the pond afforded a chance for 

 approach, so I crept along over the level ground, keeping 

 concealed from the objects of my desire. Do you guess 

 my he irt was pulsating a little extra? I believe it was, 

 for I had not killed my fiist deer yet, and of course I 

 was attacked with "buck fever," even at the shrht just 

 ahead of me. Advancing to a fair distance, I slowly 

 rose _ up, with the gun ranged toward the ducks; and 

 obtaining a good sight 1 ordered the battery to fire. 

 Boom! and as the smoke clears to one side, a very pleas- 

 ant sight is presented to my view. Three large mallards 

 lie upon the surface of the pond, and my success as a 

 hunter is fully assured. The other three ducks circled 

 around over their lost number and then flew south. 

 This was my very first experience at cluck shooting:, and 

 you may surmise I had a pretty good opinion of United 

 States army guns in general and an excellent estimate of 

 myself in' particular, The Ute Indians of Nebraska 

 called Ma jor Thorn burg "The chief who could shoot 

 the stars," and I kind o' thought I was the sub chief 

 who could hit the mallards— if they would sit right quiet. 

 Alexandria, Mo. „____ ^, B. 



Kansas City, Mo., Jan. 26. —Geese have been flying 

 back and forth in considerable numbers, but I look for 

 very late flights, as we certainly shall have some cold 

 weather before spring. — TiLE. 



4 



