:2 



FOREST. AND STREAM, 



I July 25, l!S9. 



GOOSE SHOOTING IN MANITOBA. 



LAST fall, on deciding- to take a western trip over the 

 Canada Pacific R. E.. a friend advised me to take a 

 rifle and gun, as there was plenty of game at various 

 points along the line, and subsequent experience proved 

 there was opportunity to use them. At North Bay we 

 reached the C. P. R., and after rolling along comfortably 

 through a long stretch of wooded country came to the 

 beautiful scenery of the Lake Superior region, where the 

 road runs along the lake shore in many places, affording 

 on the one hand views of rocky cliffs of distinct and 

 brilliant colors, according to the rock formation, and on 

 the other the wide expanse of blue water, clotted here 

 and there with lovely islands not unlike the famous Thou- 

 sand Islands of the St. Lawrence. The scenery is, how- 

 ever, of a bolder and grander order. 



We reached Nepigon about noon, and an inquisitive 

 passenger rushed about to inspect a tame fox. which 

 created considerable amusement for the crowd by leap- 

 ing playfully at our friend, who tumbled over backward 

 in his haste to avoid the supposed dangerous beast. 



Brook trout grow large in the Nepigon River. Some 

 friends of mine fished there last August and caught 

 several weighing from five to six pounds each. I am 

 bound to believe it for I saw the fish. 



"We arrived at Port Arthur about 3 P. M., but found 

 that we were an hour ahead of time according to the 

 "Central" standard time, and must turn our watches 

 back to 2, and then call that 14 o'clock, for we are now 

 to use the twenty-four hour system, counting 1 P. M. as 

 13 o'clock and so on to 24 o'clock (midnight) A little 

 troublesome at first, but when accustomed to it very con- 

 venient, especially in studying the time tables of those 

 railroads that have adopted it. It would be. a great boon 

 to the traveling public if it were to become unversal. 



We are now about 1,000 miles from Montreal, one-third 

 of the distance across the continent, and have passed 

 from the first or Eastern Division to the Western Division, 

 which extends to the Rocky Mountain*; that part of thf 

 road from the mountains to the coast forming the Pacific 

 Division. Fort Wilham was a post of the Hudson's Bay 

 Company more than a century ago; but now a mammoth 

 grain elevator stands near the old fort, the fur house is 

 turned into an engine room, and the trade in furs and 

 pelts has changed to a thriving traffic in lumber, grain 

 and coal. Here we leave Lake Superior and run through 

 a rocky and timbered region until near Winnipeg, where 

 the prairie soon establishes itself and remains a fixture 

 for the next thousand miles. 



At Winnipeg our attention was attracted to the finely- 

 mounted heads of large game in Hine's taxidermist shop. 

 Nearly all the larger game animals were represented by 

 very handsome specimens. There were several heads 

 each of both white and blacktail deer, elk, moose, and 

 two noble caribou heads. Most of these came from the 

 region not far removed from Winnipeg, while from the 

 western plains of Assiniboia and Alberta were antelope 

 and two grand heads of buffalo bulls, one of which was 

 reported to have been killed a few weeks previous in the 

 Saskatchewan River country, some distance north of the 

 railroad. The Rockies and other western ranges of the 

 Pacific slope contributed the bighorn sheep and white 

 goats, the "billies" with lung, venerable beards, the 

 "nans" with no whiskers ana smaller horns. A huge 

 timber wolf of formidable appearance glared at us with 

 his glass eye, and altogether there was so much game we 

 were reminded of the darky and his ejaculation, "Golly, 

 if I only had a gun!" 



However interesting it was to examine these speci- 

 mens, we were quite willing to board our train and leave 

 the town for the country. On either side the level prairie 

 extended as far as the eye could reach. Here and there 

 the virgin sod had been broken by the plow, showing a 

 black fertile soil, and frequently we passed immense 

 fields of wheat, which had been cut and stacked ready 

 for threshing. These grain stubbles are the favorite 

 feeding grounds for grouse, both the sharp-tail and pin- 

 nated being well represented, and geese and brant of 

 several varieties resort regula ly to such fields in the 

 early morning and then again during the latter part of 

 the afternoon. 



We accepted the invitation of friends at Virden to stop 

 for a few days, and when Ned remarked that he would 

 like to shoot a goose and intimated that he would like 

 company, I was soon ready to join him, and even though 

 our trip should prove a veritable wild goose chase. When 

 I found that we were to depend upon flight shooting 

 alone, I must confess that I was a little skeptical as to 

 our succe-s, for I had learned to regard wild geese as 

 abundantly able to keep out of range of the ordinary 

 amateur shotgun. My doubt was not entirely removed 

 when Ned's wife told him that she was tired of ducks and 

 he need not bring any more home. So, evidently it was 

 goose or nothing, and like the boy after the woodchuck, 

 "we'd got to git him." 



We started for some .likely sloughs about ten miles 

 away calculating to reach them in time for the evening 

 flight. Our tough little pony took us along at a rapid 

 trot over the rolling prairie, and then we slackened our 

 pace as we descended the bluff, and reaching the valley 

 of the Assiniboine, pass over a wide strip of level bot- 

 tom land somewhat timbered, cross the river and soon 

 begin to climb the steep bluff on the other side. On 

 gaining the top, we look back and admire the beautiful 

 view of the valley dotted here and there with single 

 trees and clumps of timber, the river winding along, the 

 bluff opposite in some places almost perpendicular, in 

 others covered with autumn tinted foliage interspers a d 

 with evergreens sloping back to the broad prairie be- 

 yond. The sunshine was bright but not too warm. The 

 clear, pure air so invigorating that it was a luxury to 

 b.eathe. 



Arriving at our destination, we stable the pony and 

 start at once for the sloughs. One long one is found to 

 be nearly dry, leaving it we proceed to another, and on 

 the way are cheered by the strange calls of some huge 

 cranes stalking about in an adjoining stubble, and at 

 frequent intervals, flocks of clucks and geese are seen 

 flying over. 



On reaching the next slough we find it to be a large one 

 with considerable water in it. Some scattering flocks are. 

 on the water, or re-ting on the exposed mud flats around 

 the edge. We foohshly try to get nearer these latter, but 



the cover is thin, and they are well beyond it and rise 

 quite out of range, so we console ourselves with the 

 thought that we are not after clucks anyway, and wouldn't 

 shoot any if we could, and moreover if we c'id, the geese 

 might be alarmed at the report of our guns. Thus forti- 

 fied against any disappointment at our failure to bag the 

 ducks, we pulled ourselves out of the mud and gained the 

 cover of a strong growth of rushes on the side of the 

 slough nearest a stuhble where we had observed many 

 geese flying. We took our stations some distance from 

 each other, so that any birds passing over midway be- 

 tween us would be within long range of either. 



We waited some time, and I began to think all the 

 ducks in Manitoba were gathering on that stubble. Flock 

 after flock came flying as though coming our way, but 

 attracted by the calls of those on the ground, circled 

 around and settled. We could not see them, as they were 

 not only a long distance away, but also beyond one of 

 those long, lazy swells of land so characteristic of rolling 

 prairie. Some cranes came flying along with slow, labored 

 flight, and dropping down, added their music to the gen- 

 eral clamor with which all fresh arrivals were greeted. 



We thought it might be that the geese were bragging 

 to the cranes of how on a certain occasion they save d 

 Rome by their timely gabble, and the cranes ietortecl 

 something about chestnuts, which had provoked a gen- 

 eral row, or maybe they were holding a caucus to nom- 

 inate candidates for the fall campaign. But the pow- 

 wow gradually subsided, and presently a small flock was 

 seen on the wing. Will they come to the water behind 

 us? Yes, they are coming our way. We crouch lower, 

 and hardly dare look again, for we think they will fly 

 near us, but they passed by out of range. Yet we are 

 glad to see them pitch into the water of our slough, for 

 we feel sure that others will come. 



And soon another flock is flying toward us, but they 

 pass out of range, and we begin to wonder if we have 

 selected the wrong stand. Presently Ned tries a double 

 at a flock on his side, but they are too far away and fly- 

 ing pretty high. I accept a similar opportunity on mv 

 side and bang away with both barrels, but the geese 

 -^ail right along unharmed. "They fly high," 1 call to 

 Ned. "Yes," he replies, "but we must have 'em." It 

 may be that he had in mind his wife's parting injunction 

 to "bring home a goose, but no more ducks," for as the 

 next flock came they passed between us, near enough to 

 give him a good chance, which he improved by bringing 

 down his goose in fine style. At the report of his gun 

 the birds swerved a little toward me, and though they 

 were so far away that I did not expect to reach them T 

 could not resist firing one barrel, and was gratified to 

 hear the responsive thud of another goose as he struck 

 the mud stone dead. 



I felt quite encouraged, and shouted to Ned, "Now, 

 bring on your geese!" The geese, however, brought 

 themselves on, flock after flock; but although we banged 

 away several times, we got no more, yet e felt that 

 sometimes the fault was with ourselves, as the birds 

 seemed near enough. 



As we tramp back through the long prairie grass and 

 mire, in the deep mud of the long slough, we conclude 

 that we have all the geese that we can conveniently carry. 

 This feeling, however, does not prevent our planning to 

 turn out early the next morning, **nd before sunrise we 

 are on our way to the big stubble field again. 



The wheat had been stacked ready for threshing, the 

 stacks standing here and there over the field in bunches 

 of four. I took my station at one of these stacks, and 

 Ned went to another a short distance away. 



The previous evening I had evidently fired at birds way 

 out of range, and so I firmly resolved to risk no shots 

 unless they were near. The result was, that I did not 

 fire a shot that morning; but I afterward concluded that 

 I had gone to the other extreme, for the morning was 

 foggy, and consequently I erred in supposing that several 

 flocks which sailed by my stand were too far away, when 

 they really were within shooting distance. 



The fog was so thick that I could not even see the 

 stacks where Ned had taken his stand, but I could hear 

 1 the report of his gun, and when he came up I saw that 

 he was successful again, and this time had bagged a gray 

 brant. 



After breakfast we tramped to another slough covered 

 with patches of reeds affording good cover. Here we 

 found plenty of ducks, and as the bottom was hard, 

 waded in, jump-shooting a few at first and getting other 

 shots at those circling around near us. But after a while 

 the ducks around us took wing and circled too far out. 

 Ned, who had on wading pants, concealed himself in a 

 favorable clump of reeds some distance from the shore, 

 while I sauntered down the slough to a part where the 

 ducks had not been disturbed, getting a few long shots 

 myself on the way and giving Ned some fine shooting 

 as the birds circled about his head. 



While engaged in this pleasurable occupation of help- 

 ing my neighbor, I spied a large flock of mallards ahead, 

 and worked down carefully toward them. I was moving 

 in rather thin cover closely watching the ducks when I 

 suddenly caught sight of a flock of geese beyond the 

 ducks, coming directly toward me. They were flying 

 low, but they caught sight of me almost as soon as I did 

 of them, and veered away. They were evidently about 

 to alight, but changed their intention in a hurry, rose 

 higher and kept on toward Ned. "There," I said to my- 

 self, "I'll bet that lucky chap will get a shot at those 

 geese." And sure enough, they passed directly over 

 him, and although they were flving quite high by the 

 time they reached him, tbey were not out of reach of his 

 little twenty gauge gun, and I was almost as pleased as 

 he could ha^e been, to see one of those big geese come 

 tumbling down in response to his shot. It proved to be 

 a Cmada goose of the largest size, and Ned afterward 

 told me it was comical to witness the efforts of his little 

 spaniel tugging away at the big bird and trying to 

 retrieve it. 



The mallards had by this time taken alarm, so I kept 

 on clown the slough some distance further, and, on reach- 

 ing some scrubby trees growing out of the high bank, a 

 large bird, which I at first supposed was a marsh hawk, 

 took wing just ahead of me. A second look convinced 

 me that it was not a hawk, and I fired. The bird dropped 

 at my shot, but immediately rose and was off again when 

 I stopped him with mv second barrel. I found that I 

 hrtd secured a handsome specimen of thp Arctic variety 

 of great horned owl. When I showed my prize to Ned 

 he remarked that we could now have boiled owl as well 

 as roaot goose. I acknowledged that it took considerable 



shooting to kill my owl, and he might be a trifle tough, 

 but probably not more so than his old gander. We 

 finally agreed that we would not boil the owl, and Ned 

 decided to present the gander to a friend who had a very 

 large family. 



One of the smaller geese fell to Ned's wife, and was 

 served the next day in fine style, with all the embellish- 

 ments and accompanying dishes, and my experience 

 with that goose justifies me in saying that Ned's better 

 half can roast a goose fully as well as he can shoot one. 



On our way back to town, we met two friends going 

 out. They came back the next day with four geese and 

 a big" white crane, besides a number of ducks. No 

 decoys are used. The shooting is all flight shooting, 

 such as I have described. 



Judging from the number of geese that frequent this 

 country I should suppose that with the aid of decoys, a 

 large number might be obtained. But moderation can 

 nowhere be better practiced than in shooting game. We 

 do not &eek to exterminate it or drive it away from its 

 favorite haunts, and I am sure that a true sportsman's 

 chief pleasure does not consist in taking all the life pos- 

 sible, or entering into competition with others to decide 

 who can do the most killing. 



I was informed by reliable parties that in localities 

 further west very fine flight shooting might be had at 

 not only ducks and geese, but swans, cranes and other 

 varieties of waterfowl, and judging from what I saw of 

 them from the car windows in passing. I do not doubt it . 

 I was so favorably impressed, that I p'anned to stop over 

 at one or two points on my return from the coa^t, but 

 my stay was prolonged so that on my return I found 

 the lakes and sloughs all frozen over and the main body 

 of the birds had passed south. 



I will in a future number try to give some account of 

 a hunting excursion in the Cascade Mountains. 



Rochester, N. Y. C. H. K. 



WITH SITTING BULL'S WARRIORS. 



IN these days, when we hear much of the last of 

 the buffalo, let me tell you and your readers of 

 the last great buffalo hunt of the Sioux Indians, I 

 was one of three or four white men who happened to be 

 X>resent at the great and, what must be to ail there, a 

 never-to be-forgotten event. 



On the 25th of October, 1883, about four hundred 'odges 

 of the Sioux left their camp at Standing Rock, on the 

 Missouri River, for their great buffalo hunt on the Grand 

 River plains, some two hundred miles to the westward. 

 The runners had come in with the intelligence that 

 Tatonkas were plentiful on the head of the H art, the 

 Cannon Ball and Grand rivers; so the hunt was calLd, 

 soldiers elected, councils held, medicine made, and we 

 were ready to start. 



It was a grand sight that frosty October morning. 

 Hundred of gaily-dressed Indians, mounted on their wiry 

 little ponips, herds of pack animals, wagons, cirts and 

 long lines of travois loaded down with tepees and blan- 

 kets; old squaws and young ones, men and children 

 crowded the trails leading out upon the yellow plain. 

 As was their custom, not a gun was allowed to be fired. 

 The prairie chicken could sit and eat his buckberries 

 without fear of the riflo'a dcatVi-doalinpt ei-aolr; t.tiR ante- 

 lope could gaze curiously from the many little ridges; 

 his time was not yet ; the straggling bull would *tart from 

 some grassy hollow and lumber off, but no lead nor lance 

 sought to stay his flight. 



After six days' marching we could see the crest of 

 Ramy Butte, but still some forty miles to the westward. 

 One evening we had made our camp on the banks of a 

 tributary of Heart River, and piles of buffalo chips were 

 smoking before every lodge, when the lookout sentinel 

 posted on the nearest hll signaled "Scouts coming." 

 Then in a short time the four Sioux sent out in themorn- 

 ing came riding into camp, going fin-t to the chief's lodge 

 to report; and soon the crier was heard, his resounding 

 yells reaching every part of the camp, It was the In- 

 dians' evening paper, and soon all knew the events of the 

 day, including the scouts' report. That evening a grand 

 council was held, and one hundred of the best riders and 

 hunters were elected for the morrow's hunt as killers, 

 for the scours had reported a large herd of buffalo only 

 four miles away. 



It was a great sight that the sun shone upon the next 

 morning. A hundred of the picked Sioux, mounted on 

 their fleetest and fattest ponies, led by old Rain-in-the- 

 face, of Black Hill and Big Hum fame, filed out on the 

 broad prairie. Following these came the skinners ;»nd 

 packers. The herd was soon located. The number might 

 have been fifteen hundrt d or two thousand. Two of the 

 hunters were sent around to get in the wind of the game, 

 while the rest spread out to windward, carefully keeping 

 out of sight of the buffalo. We had not long to wait. 

 The animals soon scented the men, and away they went 

 charging over the prairie, head to the wind, at a rate 

 which soon brought them in sight of the waiting hunt- 

 ers. Seeing the.-e they sought to turn, but too late. The 

 yelling Sioux were around and among them. The sharp 

 crack of the short Winchester and Sharp carbines, min- 

 gled with the wild, triumphant cries from the hunters, 

 the incessant roar of hoofs, the clouds of yellow dust, 

 bellowing bulls, snorting ponies, ridden by half naked 

 savages, made a scene for excitement the like of which 

 it has never bpen my fortune to witness. The herd soon 

 became rattled, turning this way and that; met on every 

 side by their almost equilly active foe, their leaders shot 

 down "or crippled, they commenced to run in a circle — 

 " milling," as it is called. This was just what the Indians 

 wanted. They now rode at the out-ide, sending their 

 lead down into the backs of the flying animals, and often 

 at such close range that the hair was singed by the pow- 

 der blast. Hundreds fell, until the plain seemed to be 

 one great slaughter yard. Breaking at last, the small 

 remnant of the morning herd tried to seek safety in a wild 

 da-h for liberty. Straight a way over the plain they went, 

 stopping for nothing; and woe to the Indian or pony trying 

 to stop or turn them. It was during the winding up of 

 the chase that the daring riding of the Indians could be 

 seen. Singling out a flying buffalo an Indian would give 

 chase. Slowly the gap between pursued and pursuer 

 would be closed. With head down, tongue out, and 

 blazing eyes, the great shaggv brute swept along, taking 

 the p>airie as he found it. Close behind him came the 

 fleet Indian pony and rider, one as eager as the other. 

 No ground too rough, no hill too steep; across gulches, 

 over ridges, down ravines, went the panting bull, but 

 lead hJn where he would, the quick pounding hoofs be- 



