Mat SO, 1889.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



S79 



report of your rifle, you will in all probability obtain con- 

 siderably raore chances than you would otherwise. As 

 to length of barrel, I think the 26in. to be an advantage 

 over the 24. There can be no doubt that a rifle made 

 with a stock similar to that of your favorite shotgun 

 would be an improvement upon the ordinary stock such 

 as you see upon the majority of rifles. There can be no 

 reason why your rifle should not come to the shoulder as 

 smartly as your gun. 



In the last catalogue of the Winchester Co. mailed me, 

 they advertise the fact that they will put "shotgun 

 stocks" upon rifles purchased from them, if desired. 

 This seems to me a step in the right direction. Hal. 



Editor Fores' and Stream: 



The very able article by "W. D. Zimmerman in your 

 issue of May 2, meets my most hearty indorsement." 



Every one fond of rifle shooting at small game has 

 doubtless felt the need and necessity of a little larger 

 caliber than .22 and one not so large as .32. 



The improvement of late years both in make of rifles 

 and in ammunition have made the .22 a most desirable 

 gun, but really it is out of its sphere outside of a shoot- 

 ing gallery, and the objections to it are many. 



I use the Frank Wesson rifle, and a few years ago I 

 had him make me a ,25cal. barrel. It was just what I 

 wanted and had been wanting for a long time, but the 

 only cartridges I could obtain for it were so unsatifactory 

 that I had to abandon it, and I had my barrel vebored 

 to 32. 



As Mr. Zimmerman suggests. I would be glad to hear 

 from others on this subject, and I think there will soon 

 be made such a general demand for .25cal. rifles that 

 the manufacturers wdl readily turn out ammunition 

 with the improvements of both the ,22 and .32 to meet the 

 demand. 



And further, I predict that the ,25eal. rifle, "a happy 

 medium between the .22 and, 32," will meet with a won- 

 der tul sale. MacN. 



A GOOD DAY WITH THE DUCKS. 



I HAVE been very much interested in the articles in 

 your good paper from the pen of Mr. Hough, of Chi- 

 cago. I have read accounts from Mr. H. in other papers, 

 and he always seems to master what he undertakes. In 

 his decriptions of the different clubs in and around Chi- 

 cago, iheir grounds, houses, boats, he proves very dis- 

 tinctly what money can do. A man gets in his boat with 

 a pusher, has his decoys, goes to a goo^ place, gets into a 

 blind with his decoys in shooting distance; the ducks 

 come, and the man shoots until his gun burns his fingers, 

 unless he takes time to cool it. After shooting this way 

 all day, and loading his boat, he is rowed back to the club 

 house, and says he has had tolerable good luck. If he 

 has been out half a day and killed 25 ducks he kicks and 

 says there is no game, 



This ia very different from my experience in duck shoot- 

 ing, which has been confined to central Missouri. There 

 is a place in Chavito county, where, when the season is 

 good, ducks come in great numbers, and I have spent 

 many a happy day in this place. We had no boats, no 

 decoys, no blinds. 



There are three or four lakes, some of them half a mile 

 wide, and a small river runs through this bottom. When 

 the birds are not on the lakes they are on the river, when 

 some good sport is had; a good gun will kill a duck across 

 this river, but it is very essential to have a dog that will 

 retrieve. 



On one bright November morning in 1882 a friend and 

 myself at an early hour started for this bottom. I was 

 armed with a No. 12 Parker, and he had a No. 10 muzzle- 

 loader. I had fifty shells and he had a pound of powder 

 and three pounds of shot. It was 8 o'clock when we 

 reached the ridge on the south of the bottom, and such a 

 sight I have never beheld before nor since. The ducks 

 were flying south in great swarms of 25 to 300. My heart 

 sank as they passed over us too high to shoot. We hur- 

 ried to the Bottom, hoping to get a few shots before they 

 all left. As we entered the timber my companion dis- 

 covered that he had lost his shot. Hadn't enough to load 

 one barrel. We drove on to a little horseshoe-shaped 

 lake. I got out and left him to mind the team, and as I 

 crept up and peeped over the bank I found the lake per- 

 fectly alive with mallards and teal. With each barrel I 

 got a duck. 



We had an old setter that a friend in town had insisted 

 on our taking. He was very old and almost deaf, but he 

 was a good one. He retrieved both of these and I moved 

 on a short distance to the river, which was also full of 

 the birds. It was no trouble to kill them in the river if 

 we could see them before they saw us, in which case we 

 would locate the place by a tree or log, and go around 

 and come up to the river at this point: this would most 

 always bring us within forty yards of the game. That 

 day is one that I will never forget, as it was the biggest 

 duck day I ever had. At about 4 P. M. I w r as standing 

 by a lake when a mallard came along about thirty yards 

 from me over the lake. I let her down and the old dog- 

 started after her. As he reached to pick her up she flew 

 and went diagonally across the lake, struck a tree ou the 

 opposite side and fell. The dog, in-tead of coming back 

 to me, started across the lake after her. He had been in 

 the water twenty times that day, sometimes breaking the 

 thin ice around the edges. When he reached the center 

 of the lake he stopped and lay down in the water with 

 only his head visible, some 200yds. from the shore. I 

 walked around, picked up the dead duck, and for the 

 next hour tried to call the dog out, but he wouldn't budge. 

 I shot three or four ducks as they flew over, but be still 

 remained. There was one thing sure, I couldn't go back 

 without that dog, so I built a big fire close to the bank, 

 got a pole, broke the ice at the edge of the water, and 

 began to undress. By the time my feet touched the cold 

 ground, to my great delight, I saw the dog start, he wig- 

 gled along slowly, and I met him at the water's edge, 

 took him in my arms and carried him up the bank to the 

 fire, wrapped him in my overcoat, and in twenty minutes 

 he was shaking like an aspen leaf. In about an hour he 

 was ready to get in the buggy. It was then dark and we 

 had eight miles to drive. We counted seventeen ducks 

 after we got back to town, before we had given away any; 

 four of these I took home. I was more than satisfied 

 with this day's hunt, and have never had another one as 

 good. Missouei. 



Sedaua Mo. 



INCIDENTS IN MY HUNTING LIFE.-I. 



IN 1863, the first week in May, my brother, home from 

 Australia on a visit, and myself, visited my traps 

 over a line, out and in, of sixty miles, about the Eangeley 

 Lakes. We had secured some fur pelts, gathered some 

 nice spruce gum and caught some fine trout; also had 

 shot some ducks and other birds, all of which we had 

 loaded into our birch canoe at the headwaters of the 

 Cambridge River, which empties into the Umbagog Lake 

 in the town of Upton, in Oxford county. As we floated 

 dowu the river in our frail shell, we natually felt proud 

 of our week's hunt among the lakes and mountains of old 

 Maine. 



The river had just opened after a hard winter, and ice 

 was running freely, and the banks were full, as is usual 

 when the ice first goes out. We took turns steering and 

 paddling the canoe, so we occasionally changed seats, the 

 one in the bow sitting on his knees with gun in hand, 

 ready to shoot any game that might present itself, and as 

 we swiftly turned sharp bends in the river, we often got 

 a shot at a duck or a muskrat or mink or other game. 



Toward night of our last day, and when we were within 

 a few miles of the lake, as I sat in the. bow with gun in 

 hand, and my brother was paddling, as we shot through 

 a straight open space in the woods, I saw three wild geese 

 very near and almost directly over my head. I drew up 

 instantly and snapped. The cap did not explode. I 

 cocked the gun again, keeping my aim on the geese as 

 they passed over me, and bending backward over the 

 edge of the canoe I pulled again. 



I did not hear the report of the gun, but I saw the fire 

 issue from the muzzle, as we were soused into the icy 

 water, and the canoe, bottom up, went swiftly down 

 around a sharp point into a large eddy out of sight. So 

 suddenly were we capsized that I took in a whole mouth- 

 ful of water, which strangled me so I could not speak, 

 but made a hoarse gurgling noise trying to get a breath. 

 I struck out at once on coming to the. top, and soon 

 reached the shore and got hold of the bushes and dragged 

 myself out and ran across the point, and way down in 

 the center of the eddy saw my brother swimmiug away 

 for dear life, which was hard work, he having his over- 

 coat on. The canoe came ashore on the side we were on, 

 but we had lost most of our plunder. 



My brother declared the guu did not go off, as he did 

 not near it, but 1 knew it did, for I saw the fire, prob- 

 ably the water was between my eyes and ears when I 

 saw the fire but did not hear the report. 



"Did you kill the geese?" Well, everybody asks that. 



My brother went back to Australia soon after; but first 

 made me promise to write him after I had found the 

 gun, if it was empty or not. That summer after the 

 river got down to low water mark I went up and fished 

 up my gun and some traps. I found the gun empty and 

 so wrote to him. It was a curious sight to see the fire 

 belch forth from the muzzle of that gun and not hear a 

 sound. J. G. Eich. 



NOTES FROM OHIO. 



SEVILLE, Ohio.— Editor Forest and Stream; I am of 

 the opinion that spring shooting ought to stop, in 

 fact should have stopped years ago; but unless adopted 

 by other States north and west such a law will make 

 little difference here. The supply of ducks in this section 

 has decreased rapidly in the last ten years, What causes 

 are at the bottom I am unable to say; probably the con- 

 stant clearing up of the country and tbe consequent dry- 

 ing up of the marshes have much to do with it, but more 

 than all else, the merciless slaughter wrought by im- 

 proved arms and appliances in the hands of the host of 

 shooters from Maine to California. I do not believe that 

 there is one duck in existence to-day where there were a 

 hundred ten years ago. In some localities the difference 

 in numbers then and now may not be so noticeable, but 

 taking the country over, one will find that the rule holds 

 good. Fifteen years ago the green-winged teal was very 

 plenty in this section, then suddenly they disappeared 

 and the blue-winged took their place; what the cause 

 was I never knew, all I know is that greenwings are 

 among the rare ducks with us now, while the bluewings 

 are as plenty as any that visit us, with the exception of 

 the ruddy ducks perhaps. 



I understand that the different varieties have been 

 quite plentiful this spring at the lake, and I have noticed 

 quite a number of pintails, mallards and other marsh 

 ducks on the overflowed fields along the outlet; no one 

 seems inclined to violate the law to any extent, so the 

 ducks quack and grow fat in places where in former 

 years they had to keep a sharp lookout. I suppose it is 

 all right, but it is a little hard to read of such good shoot- 

 ing as the boys are enjoying in other States and not have 

 any yourself, even if the game comes right into your 

 backyard. 



Quail and ruff ed grouse wintered well, and prospects 

 for next fall are first-class, as but few bird*, compara- 

 tively,, were killed last season. Chippewa. 



CHICAGO AND THE WEST. 



CHICAGO, 111., May 21.— Mr.W. B. Leffingwell, author 

 of the widely-known book, "Wild Fowl Shooting," 

 is in town to-day visiting with his many friends. He re- 

 turns to his home at Clinton, Iowa, soon. 



The Western Arms and Cartridge Co.'s doors were 

 closed last Saturday by the sheriff. At this writing it is 

 hard to speak definitely, but it is thought that arrange- 

 ments will be made for a continuation of the business. 

 This is sincerely to be hoped. 



Barring any laudable and legitimate game shooting at 

 this date, our boys are shooting inanimates now, and in 

 a most singular place. They have a set of traps arranged 

 out on the Government pier, on the lake front of the city, 

 an^ therefore accessible by a few minutes' tug ride. The 

 birds are thrown so they fall in the lake. The boys seem 

 to think it is a lot of fun to go out there and shoot, and 

 the only wonder is that no one has thought of this before. 



The adjourned special meeting of the Grand Calumet 

 Heights Gun Club will be held at Grand Pacific Hotel, 

 Wednesday, May 22, at 1 P.M., to ratify action of the 

 board of directors in making purchase of twenty acres of 

 additional land, and to considt upon further improve- 

 ments in the matter of buildings and grounds. 



Friends from Omaha say that sporting matters never 

 had more interest in that wonderfully live and growing 

 town than to-day. The trap especially is booming. 

 Nebraska remains one of the best game States in the 

 Union, E. Hough, 



Buckshot Loading Again.— Mexico, May 15.— Two 

 queries in your issue for April 25, show that others be- 

 sides myself are interested in this question. In W. W. 

 Greener's interesting little volume, "Modern Shotguns," 

 p. 147, is the following: "To select buckshot which will 

 suit a particular gun, put a wad in the muzzle of the gun 

 about tin. down, and fit the shot in perfect layers. There 

 is no need to try them in the case, as it is immaterial 

 how they may' fit there. Buckshot wluch will average 

 9 pellets to the l£oz. will generally fit a full chokebored 

 No. 12 gun, 3 shot to the layer." Now as I have just 

 such a gun I should gladly try the experiment but can't 

 get the shot in this country. Will some one more for- 

 tunately situated try it and report? The hunting; here is 

 of such a character that it is of the utmost importance 

 to have a few cartridges loaded for large game. Mr. 

 Greener says also that good results may be had from firing 

 a ball from chokebored guns, provided the ball fits the 

 muzzle, This I hope to try.— Aztec. 



MARYLAND.— Sandy Springs, May 17. — We have had 

 a very superior winter for all sorts of game, and will 

 have an abundant supply next fall. — J. C. B. 



MINNESOTA GAME LAW. 



Chapter 443. An a<*t to amend chapter 374. of the laws of 1887, 

 entitled, sin net to secure the better preservation of game. 



Section 1. It shall be unlawful to take, catch, kill or have in 

 possession when killel or taken, any woodcock, between the 

 fifteenth day of December and the .succeeding first day of August. 



Sec. 2. It shall be unlawful to t.ak», catch, kill or have in pos- 

 session when killed or taken, any quail, partridge, pheasant or 

 rnffed grouse, prairie ben or prairie chicker, sharp-tailed grouse 

 or grouse of any other variety, snipe, plover or wild duck of any 

 variety, or wild goose or brant of any variety, or any aquatic fowl 

 whatever, or anv squirrel of any kind whatever, between the 

 fifteenth day of December and tire succeeding first day of August. 



Sec. 3. It shall be unlawful to kill or fake, by any means, eoii- 

 tri vance or device whatever, or pursue with intent to kill or take 

 or worry, any deer or buck, doe or fawn, bef ween the first day of 

 December and the succeeding fifteenh day of October, or to hunt 

 deer, buck, doe or fawn with dog or dogs at anytime. Awd it. 

 shall pIso be unlawful for any peri»n or persons to sell or expose 

 for sale, or have in possession for the purpose f exrosint; for sale, 

 any ot the kind of game, birds--, animals or vennon prote cted by 

 this act after the expiration of eight days next succeeding the 

 time limited and prescribed for the killing of any such birds or 

 animals. 



Sec. 4. It shall be unlawful at any t ime to take, catch or kill, or 

 attempt to take, catch or kill, any of the animals or birds men- 

 tioned in the first three stctions of this act, by means of any snare, 

 net, trap or spring-gun or any other contrivance; and it shall he 

 unlawful for any person or persons to place, spread or set any- 

 where, or permit to be placed, spread or set. any net, trap or scare 

 for the purpose of catching, t iking or killing any of the animals 

 or biro*6 mentioned in the first three eectifms of this act; and any 

 game warden, deputy' game warden, sheriff, coroner or constable 

 having reasons to believe that any violation against the provisions 

 of anv of the sections of this act. has been, or is about lo be corn- 

 mil ted, may enter upon any land in search of evidence thereof 

 and shall s<-ize. confiscate and remove any net, trap or snare, 

 which shall be found so placed, spread or set. as to indicate the 

 purpose of taking, catching or killing of any of th^ animals or 

 birds mentioned aforesaid, and take the same before any justice 

 of the peace, police court or magistrate of the county, and if it 

 shall be established on the trial o the satisfaction of such mag- 

 iM r ite that such net, trap or snare was so placed, sptead or set 

 with the design to make use of the same for catching, taking or 

 killing any of the animals or birds mentioned aforesaid, contrary 

 to the provisions of this act, such magistrate shall enter as part 

 of his judgment a finding to that effect, and shall order and cause 

 such net. trap or snare or device to be destroyed by the game war- 

 den, his deputy or sheriff, or any other official; and it shall also 

 be unlawful at any time to use in pursuit of any such animal or 

 bird any pivot or swivt 1 gun, or auy other tireai m not habitually 

 held at arm's length and discharged from the shoulder. 



See. 5. Section 5. of chapter 374, of the laws of 1687, is hereby 

 amended by inserting after the words "wild pigeon, ' where the 

 same may occur in the third line of said section, the words "king- 

 bird, robin, thrush, bluebird, swallow, catbird, woodpecker, 

 flicker, pigeon, clove, wren, finch, lark, plover, oriole, humming- 

 bird, bunting, grackle, grosbeak, warbler, flycatcher, swift, wax- 

 wing, creeper, chickadee, goatsucker, tanager, or whippoorwill." 

 or jto wantonly disturb or molest the nesting place of any such 

 bird or pigeon, or to kill, wound or take any wild pigeon within 

 three miles of the pigeon roost. 



Sec. 6. It shall be unlawful to use in the pursuit of any duck, 

 goose, brant or other aquatic bird, any sneak boat or scullhoat, or 

 anv boat impelled by scull oars, sail boat, steamboat, or floating 

 raft or box, or any similar device, and it shall al«o be unlawful to 

 construct or use any blind in Ihe open water outside the natural 

 growth of grass or rushes then and there projecting aoove the 

 water. 



Sec. 7. Is hereby amended by addiug at the end of Sec. 6 a new 

 section, to be known as Sec. 6a, which shall read as follows; Sec. 

 6a. It 8hnll be unlawful for any person or persons to use or tin- 

 ploy, or cause to be used or employed, in the pursuit, taking, hunt- 

 ing or killing or worrying hare or rabbits of any kind, any ferret 

 or ferrets, nets, traps, snares, sticks, dogs or clubs, or any other 

 means or contrivance whatever, except a firearm habitually held 

 at arm's length and discharged from the shoulder. 



Sec. 8. Section 11, of chapter 374, of the laws of 1S87, is hereby 

 amended * * * so that, said section when amended shall read 

 as follows: Sec. 11. Any person who shall violate any provision of 

 Sec. 1, Sec. 2, ''ec. 4, Sec. 5, Sec. 6, Sec. 6a, Sec. 7, Sec. 8. Sec. 9, Sec. 

 10. of this act, shall bs guilty of a misdemenor, and shall be pun- 

 ished by a tine of not less than $5 and not exceeding $25, or by im- 

 ptisonment in the county jail not more than sixty days, or by both 

 such fine and imprisonment; and anv person who shall violate, 

 anv provision of Sec. 3 of this act shall be guilty of amisdeme anor 

 and shall be punisned by fine not less than $25 and not more than 

 §3,00, or by imprisonment in the county jail not less than sixty 

 days nor more than six mom hs, or by both such fine and imprison- 

 ment. 



See. 9. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after 

 its passage and publication. 

 Approved April 16, 1889. 



PISH AND GAME WARDENS. 



Chapter 414. An act to amend Chapter 453 of the laws of 1887, 

 relating to game, and fish. 



Section L It shall be the duty of the Governor, upon the pass- 

 age of this act, to appoint four persons to be known as game 

 wardens, whose duty it shall be to secure the enforcemi nt of all 

 statutes of this Slate for the preservation of fish and game; to 

 bring or cause to be brought actions and proceedings in the name 

 of the State of Wisconsin, to recover any and all lines and penal- 

 ties, and to punish all violations of said statutes. Such game 

 wardens shall hold their office for the term of two years irom the 

 date of such appointment and until their successors shall be ap- 

 pointed and qualified, and any vacancy during such term shall be 

 filled by the Governor. Such game wardens may appoint one or 

 more deputies for each county, who shall have all tne authority 

 of the game wardens, except as herein othei wise provided. Such 

 deputit s shall receive no salary, but shall be entitled to tne same 

 I ees as constables nowreceivein criminal cases for like services and 

 paid in like manner. Such deputies may be removed at any lime 

 and their places filled by the game warden who appointed them. 

 One-half of the fines collected for any violation of any law of this 

 Sta f e relating to tbe preservation of fish, game or hirds, shall be 

 paid to the county treasurer of the county in which said fines 

 maybe collected, and such treasurer shall pay the same into the 

 school fund. The remaining one-half of such fines shall be paid 

 to the informer. 



Sec. 2. Any such game warden or any such deputy shall have 

 full power and authority to serve and execufe all warrants and 

 process of law i~sued by the justices of the peace, police magis- 

 trate or any court, under the prov'sions of this cliapttr or any 

 other law relating to the presn-vaiion of game, fish or birds in 

 this State, in the same manner as any sheriff or constable might 

 serve and execute such process, and may arrest any person or 

 persons by them detected in actually violating any provisions of 

 the laws of this State relat ing to the protection of fisn or game or 

 birds, and may take such person or persons so offending before a 

 justice cf the peace, police justice or other magistral having 

 jurisdiction, who shall, proceed with such cause in manner and 



