316 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



DIMINUTION OF THE DUCKS. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



"Earnest's" remarks in your issue of Dec. 27 concerning 

 the slaughter of ducks in Arkansas by market hunters 

 suggests an equally potent cause for the diminished num- 

 ber of ducks in this locality. The marshes about San- 

 dusky Bay and those bordering on the shore of Lake Erie 

 for miles to the westward abound in wild rice and celery 

 and all conditions favor abundance of game. 



These marshes are largely owned or leased by clubs, 

 who protect the game from the market hunter, but not 

 from the punter. In fact the market hunter is a thing 

 of the past in the vicinity of these clubs; he has found it 

 more profitable to punt (shoot) for the club men. His 

 marksmanship has become his best stock in trade, and 

 his ability to punt a hunting boat a second consideration. 

 The laws of most, if not all. of these clubs prohibit shoot- 

 ing on club grounds except by members, and only per- 

 mit the punter to shoot when necessary to recover game 

 after it has been brought down in a crippled condition. 

 In some clubs this law is rigidly enforced , while in others 

 it is openly violated, and game is slaughtered in the same 

 ruthless manner that "Earnesfcomplains of. 



The fact that these gentlemen do not market their 

 game is no justification. The pleasure of the sportsmen 

 should not be wholly dependent upon slaughter, and 

 most certainly not upon the slaughter caused by another 

 hired for the purpose. 



The market hunters, doubtless, have much to answer 

 for, but many of the club men of the Sandusky marshes 

 are their worthy coadjutors in the work of game exter- 

 mination. Garganey. 



Cleveland, O., Dec. S3, 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



We see many different localities complaining of a small 

 flight, which induces me to report from this section, 

 seldom heard from. We have had the best of shooting 

 all this fall, and near by too. Almost every lake, slough 

 and marsh w ascovered with the feathered tribe. This is 

 due either to the fact that the flight is moving westward 

 or it is because there was more water here this fall. 

 Many large bags were made, mostly by local sportsmen, 

 and as the birds were shot at but little they were easily 

 bagged. Spring shooting is usually light and poor. But 

 we will all look forward to fall with stubble and geese. 



W. E. C. 



Ettreka, Dakota. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



In your issue of Dec. 37 I read with interest a piece 

 signed by "Earnest," who says he saw ducks at a station 

 in Arkausas by the barrelfull. I want to tell something 

 that I saw. While living in Arkansas in the fall of 1884, 

 on the line of the K. C, S. & M. R. 11., I know of parties 

 who shot ducks for tne Memphis market. These men 

 when the season opened were too poor to buy shot and 

 powder, but their ammunition was f urnished them by the 

 market men, who share the spoils. These duck murder- 

 ers used No. G guns, and did mbst of their work at night 

 in a boat, and they slaughtered ducks by the carload-. 

 This sounds like exaggeration , but there are many express 

 mesi-engers who will vouch for it, and say that when their 

 train got to Memphis their car would be loaded with 

 ducks. This was not only on one or two trips, but every 

 day for weeks, aud it has been going on for years. Just 

 make a calculation of what this would amount to, and 

 who can wonder that our duck shooting is a thing of the 

 past? This is not only in Arkansas, but in the Indian 

 Territory and tome of the Southern States. A party of 

 six went from this town last fall to Tennessee to shoot 

 ducks for the St. Louis market. I had the satisfaction of 

 telling one of them (who boasted that he could make |h 

 a day) that I hoped from the bottom of my soul they would 

 not kill a duck. They came back after a three weeks' 

 stay without having killed a duck, and offering their 

 stock of ammunition at half price. 



Now, brother sportsmen, there must be something done 

 to stop this marketing game. The time is coming when 

 the law will stop it; but are we going to sit by and keep 

 our arms folded and wait untill the fast diminishing game 

 is exterminated? There is no man with half a mind who 

 cannot see that is only a question of a very short time 

 when all our grand days of sport will be a thing of the 

 past; deer, turkey, chickens, ducks and quail will all be 

 a thing to talk about as we now talk about the buffalo 

 that are gone forever. After a while we can tell our boys 

 of what we have done, but cannot show them how we 

 did it. Through your columns I want to beg every sports- 

 man in this country to put his shoulder to the wheel, and 

 let us save our country from this calamity. We must 

 stop this market man, and thereby we will stop the mar- 

 ket hunter. There are thousands of men who agree with 

 me; let us hear from some of them. Missouri. 



Sedalia, Mo. 



Mr. F. M. Gilbert, the "funny man" of the Evansville 

 (Ind.) Tribune, a sportsman and game warden of the 

 First District of his State, writes as follows in his own 

 paper: 



"Our State sportsmen are just at present all worked up 

 over the various 'game bills' which will be sprung at 

 Indianapolis when the Legislature convenes. Mr. God- 

 frey, of Seymour, is taking quite an interest in matters 

 and has written to sportsmen all over the State. To him 

 the following letter was sent this morning, which it is to 

 be hoped will reach the eyes of many sportsmen, and 

 that is the only reason for the publication of a private 

 letter: 



Ev^vtlle,_ Ind Jan. 3, im.-H. W. Godfrey, Esq.: Dear 

 Sir-Bo th Major Mattison and Mr. Ed Grill spoke to me this 

 morning regarding you. As you probably know, I have been game 

 JBfSffiLH?" (Mrst District) for several years, and have stud ed 

 the situation careluUy I do not object to spring shooting, but J 



^ j + Ct \° m nft et *°pting, and am now turning heaven aud 

 S2££ i£ f> 6 - «f ^ t0 Ef 0hi i? k the sale ol £ ame of an v kind for five 

 years in this fetate. Stop the fellows who kill for the money that 



■ T^ 1 } 3 '* st ^ted the sportsmen of the State into action 

 m the fear of a bill to prohibit the shooting of ducks in 

 the spring (which means the stoppage of all duck shoot- 

 ing m this district) and the fear of the bill of Mr. Foster 

 of Madison county, who is trying to stop the killing of 

 quail for five years in this State. This is the veriest non- 

 sense. If the present law is observed we will still have 

 some quail for many years, but if the bill passes, we who 



love a little sport might as well give away our guns, for 

 quail are the only game left. We want to still be able to 

 get a day in the fields once in a while, and wo want to 

 take our boy out just as soon as he is old enough. We 

 would far rather have him able to go out one day in the 

 week and take his ten-mile walk over the fields in the 

 fresh, life-giving country air, and be able to cut down 

 right and left, and come home at night tired to death, 

 but still fresh enough to go around and give each of his 

 Mends a nice mess of quail than to see him a champion 

 billiard or pool player, a fine progressive euchre player, 

 a brilliant pianist, or the star waltzer of a fashionable 

 hop. There axe forty worse places a boy can be than 

 trudging over the fields with a gun on his shoulder. 



"But we wander. To get back to business we make the 

 plain and positive assertion that the market shooter, the 

 man who hunts for the miserable blood money that he 

 can get out of it, is to blame for the scarcity of game. 

 Who runs us out of his fields, where we could get, say 

 three or four quail out of a covey? The farmer, who 

 drives the whole covey into a net. pinches their heads 

 aud then brings them into town and sells them to a 

 grocery. Who has killed off the tens of thousands of 

 ducks that used to visit us? The market shooter who 

 kills for the St. Louis and Chicago markets. He isn't 

 satisfied with a pail 1 of ducks to take home to eat. He 

 wants a thousand to sell. And while we are on the duck 

 question let the reader note the following, which appeared 

 last week in the Forest and Stream, under the head 

 "Ducks by the Barrelful." 



Look at the buffalo question! A few years ago there 

 were millions. Think of it, millions! Now there is one 

 little band of less than two hundred in the whole of 

 North America. Did the 'sportsmen' kill them to eat? 

 No; they were slaughtered by dastardly hounds who 

 wanted their skins to sell. Millions and tens of millions 

 of pounds of splendid meat left to rot on the, plains that 

 these fellows might get a dollar a piece for the hides. 

 Look at Arkansas, formerly a very paradise for hunters. 

 The big game is being wiped out at an incalculable rate, 

 to supply St. Louis and Chicago markets. The resident 

 no longer kills a deer for his family to eat. He kills a 

 dozen if he can and stands over each earcass and wonders 

 what it will bring him in the market. And now to get 

 nearer home. Where have all the quail gone? Ask of 

 the hundreds of dozens that have at times absolutely 

 festooned tbe fronts of our retail groctry liouses, who 

 get them by the box and even barrel. Were they killed 

 by our sportsmen to eal? No; by fellows who wanted 

 what money they would bring on the market. We can 

 make laws and laws and our quail will diminish year by 

 year till they will be a thing of the past. The only thing 

 to do to preserve them is to prohibit the sale of game." 



MASSACHUSETTS ASSOCIATION. 



HPHE first meeting of the Massachusetts Fish and Game 

 JL Protective Association for 1889 was held at Hotel 

 Thorndike on Wednesday evening, Jan. 9, and notwith- 

 standing the severe storm C9 members were present. 



An excellent dinner was served at 6:30 by Landlord 

 Damon, at the close of which, after a recess of five 

 minutes for the members to swap fish and bear stories. 

 President Samuels rapped them to order and called for the 

 secretary's report, which was read and accepted. Treas- 

 urer Shattuck presented his annual report showing the 

 total receipts to have been $1,086.78, the total expenses 

 $513.04, leaving a balance of $523.74 on hand. 



The following names were presented for membership 

 and referred to the membership committee: Messrs. Leon- 

 ard W. Boss, Wilder M. Busti, W. O, Withrrell, Jas. D. 

 Keith, Geo. H. Lan^, H. C. Anderson, Jas. T. Wildman. 



The annual dinner committee reported that they had 

 engaged dinner at S. Young's Hotel for the 24th inst., 

 and that the Governor and many other prominent gen- 

 tlemen identified with the interests of the Association 

 would be present. 



The nominating committee, through Chairman Brack- 

 ett, presented the following ticket for the officers of the 

 Association, which was elected: Prest., Edward A. Sam- 

 uels; Vice-prests. , Charles Levi Woodbury, Walter M. 

 Brackett, Hollis Hunnewell, John T. Stetson, Henry H. 

 Kimball, Warren Hapgood, Benjamin C, Clark; Tres., 

 Frederick It, Shattuck; Sec, Arthur W. Robinson; Libra- 

 rian, John Fottler, Jr.; Ex. Com., John P. Woodbury, 

 IversW. Adams, John Fottler, Jr., James Russell Reed, 

 Samuel Hanson, Edward E. Hardy, Augustus B. Brad- 

 street, John N. Roberts, Henry J. Thayer, Isaac N. Keith, 

 Henry C. Litchfied, George W. Wiggin; Membership 

 Com., Henry J. Thayer, George Mixter, Waldron Bates; 

 Fund Com., Benjamin C. Clark, Samuel Hanson, Daniel 

 T. Curtis. 



The secretary read a communication addressed to Presi- 

 dent Samuels by Mr. Walton C. Taft as follows, in brief: 



"It has occurred to me, after quite a number of years 

 connection with this Association, that to a very great ex- 

 tent the work which we agree to perform has been in the 

 main unsatisfactory to the public. We hold out the 

 assurance that we will investigate any reports of viola- 

 tions of the game and fish laws, if notice is sent to our 

 Association, and that action will be taken and the viola- 

 tors punished. That as the society was made up of busy 

 men who devoted only their spare time to this work, it 

 appeared reasonable to suppose that better results could 

 be obtained by men who could devote their entire time 

 to the cause. That as the State provided commissioners 

 and paid their expenses for enforcing the game and fish 

 laws, in a measure the Association was usurping their 

 prerogatives. That the law could be better enforced if 

 the Association would collect information of the violation 

 of the laws and report the same to the commissioners for 

 their action, and that the Association would gain many 

 new members who are not with us now because of their 

 doubts of our ability to carry out what we promise. The 

 success of the Maine commissioners was cited as a proof 

 of favorable working of the policy as proposed. That the 

 Association was hampered when it tried to obtain changes 

 in the existing laws by a prejudice that existed in the 

 minds of the farmer representatives, that we were asking 

 for selfish laws for our personal benefit. That the Asso- 

 ciation would be more successful if they would consult 

 with and suggest to the commissioners, and allow them 

 to make the recommendation to the Legislature." 



The letter evoked considerable discussion. Mr. H. J. 

 Thayer thought the suggestions good, and wished that 

 instead of spending money for the work the commis- 

 sioners were paid to do, the Association should introduce 



new species of fish and game, and disseminate literature 

 relating thereto. Mr. Warren Hapgood objected to the 

 letter, stating that the Association was and had been 

 doing a good work, that it had been very successful and 

 that he should dislike to see the present policy abandoned. 

 Com. Brackett spoke in brief of the work of the commis- 

 sioners and thought that more satisfactory results could 

 be obtained if the suggestions made by Mr. Taft were 

 carried out. Mr. W. M. Brackett spoke in the same 

 vein, and the discussion was brought to a close by a 

 motion that the Whole matter be referred to the Board of 

 Management for their action. 



DEER SHOOTING IN NEWFOUNDLAND. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



Permit me a few lines in reply to Dr. Tobin's letter 

 published by you on Dec. 20. I took the statement of 

 your Little Bay Mines correspondent as truthful. As- 

 suming it was true, let any sportsman say if it was legiti- 

 mate sport to kill so many deer and permit them to lie in 

 their tracks and rot. 



Turning now to Dr. Tobin and his friends. Their party 

 reported they had killed the number stated in their 

 "bogus telegram." It proves to have been a "hunter's 

 yarn" to be taken cum, grano salts. 



Accept his own version that they killed sixteen stags 

 besides hinds, the number of which he does not mention, 

 they were for food, however, and their slaughter justifi- 

 able. The stags, he says, were unfit for human food, but 

 he ruthlessly butchered them and left them lie to rot. 

 He and his party entered the country early in September. 

 The rutting season does not commence until the first 

 week in October and lasts three weeks or less. Stags are 

 splendid venison the first three weeks in September, and 

 after the season is over they are good food though not 

 fat. 



The open season for shooting deer is from the 15th of 

 July until the 1st of March. They carry their antlers 

 until the end of December. Is it too much to ask a gen- 

 tleman and sportsman to refrain from shooting them dur- 

 ing the three weeks they are unfit for human food? I 

 know by experience it is expensive getting deer out of 

 the country. Of course a sportsman does not want the 

 venison to take home. It would not keep good, but he 

 can find numbers of poor settlers who rarely taste fresh 

 meat, to whom it would be a treat, nor would they com- 

 plain if it were "a little strong." It would be more 

 becoming were the Doctor to frankly admit that it would 

 cost us lots of money to get these deer out to the settle- 

 ments, and for this reason they left them where t hey fell. 



The Doctor's ungenerous tu quoque to the Newfound- 

 land fisherman, calling them the"bti'chers" will not save 

 him in the estimation of true spoitsmen. These poor 

 fisher folk do kill deer with sealing guns, they do use 

 large shot, they do wound many which they never 

 recover. I am sorry it i-t so, but they use the only 

 weapons they have. They kill to provide their families 

 with food. It is almost the only fresh meat they touch 

 throughout the year. They never kill for the fun of the 

 thing, nor to get a pair of antlers. Butcher^ that they 

 are, they never bury the meat nor let it lie and ret. 



The Doctor's ideas and mine are somewhat different 

 about a "sportsman's paradise." Thousands of deer come 

 from that part of the island every January in their 

 southern migrations. At the "Lobster House," near 

 Grand Pond, I venture to assert that from a well chosen 

 camp-lookout, no day would pass without seeing more or 

 less caribou. However, let that pas«. I am not anxious 

 to advertise the country, nor do I feel churlish toward 

 any s-portsman who A isits the island and takes good spoit 

 without wantonly destroying a noble game. B. 

 HARBOR Grace, Newfoundland. 



RIFLES FOR SMALL GAME. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I have read with great interest the communications on 

 this subject. I am somewhat surprised that so little is 

 said in favor of the ordinary rim-fire .22 long cartridge. 

 I do not controvert what "Iron Ramrod" says as to its 

 trajectory, but I draw a different conclusion! As I un- 

 derstand "N. Orleans," one of the chief points of his 

 inquiry was for a gun that would kill a duck from one to 

 two hundred yards, but would not send the bullet far 

 enough to be dangerous to persons or domestic animals 

 on the other side of an ordinary lake or stream. I should 

 unhesitatingly recommend to him a well-made rifle using 

 the above cartridge. I carried a little gun made by tbe 

 Bay State Arms Company in my camping trips in the 

 mountains of California, and found it quite adequate for 

 grouse, jack rabbits, squirrels, etc. It does not drive the 

 bullet with the force of a. 22 central-fire single-shot Win- 

 chester, but with a little practice one can make due 

 allowance for trajectory. I have often killed ground 

 squirrels and hares at 100yds. and over, and once shot a 

 mud hen by a lucky calculation of wind and elevation at 

 what could not have been less than 250yds. For close 

 work, 50yds. and under, the short cartridge can be used in 

 the same gun, which is cheap and effective. My work 

 was all done with open sights. Not having used the 

 Lyman sights, which "Iron Ramrod" recommends, I do 

 not know whether allowance for distance can be readily 

 made in aiming with them or not. An advantage of the 

 cartridge I mention is, that the report is so slight that if 

 you miss, your game will usually give you the second 

 shot. 



I most heartily add my testimony to the enjoyment 

 that can be had from the use of those smallbore guns. I 

 have made many a close and successful shot with them, 

 which, though the quarry was often small, gave me as 

 much satisfaction as the work $rith the larger bores, the 

 opportunity for which, in the nature of things, comes less 

 frequently! Aztkc. 

 Mexico, Dec. 18. 



Little Falls, N. Y., Jan. 2.— Very open winter. 

 Ground bare, except on the hills. Reports of good snow 

 on foothills of Adlrondacks, about twenty miles north. 

 Two deer — or else one twice — have made their appearance 

 in the outskirts of the town. One, two weeks ago, chased 

 by boys with a sheep dog, made for the river and swam 

 across, and was no more heard from, unless the deer 

 found a few days ago in a barn yard about two miles 

 from town was the same. This one seems to have dis- 

 covered that hay is good, for it has visited several barn- 

 yards; and as, although boys chase it, no one fires at it, 

 it is said to be getting quite tame. — Piseco, 



