S66 



FbMESt AND STREAM. 



[Not. 38, 



CHICAGO AND THE WEST. 



CHICAGO, III., Nov. 19.— Mr. G. W. Pratt, of Wau- 

 conda, Wis., and Messrs. Sam and Melville Brown, 

 . of Curry, 111., are lately back from a trip on tbe North 

 Peninsula of Michigan, in which, besides a number of 

 partridges, etc., they killed three deer and a bear that 

 weighed 3301bs., the latter falling to Mr. Pratt's rifle. 

 The party went into Michigan from Wausaukee, Wis. 

 They killed their deer about Oct. 28, but violated the law 

 by using dogs, 



Mr. Pratt says that the deer law is not in the least ob- 

 served in the North Peninsula. The fact that it is not 

 observed is the reason urged for its non-observance. The 

 game wardens are about tbe worst law breakers, and 

 they make the best guides. There is one warden, by the 

 name of Beach, I believe, who has the district of Michi- 

 gan lying east of Wausaukee, who has always been prom- 

 inent as an illegal deer hunter, if one can gain promin- 

 ence at that in such a country. This man took his dog 

 over into Michigan with the party above named. Beach 

 figures as a sort of desperado, and was leader in a late 

 hanging-bee in that neck of woods. Doubtless he has 

 killed and helped kill as many deer illegally as Mr. Jock 

 Darling. Doubtless there are dozens of Jock Darlings in 

 our North Woods. They are too common to attract much 

 notice. The position of game warden is one of singularly 

 desirable features for a natural Jock Darling. The game 

 warden system in its true beauty can be seen only in this 

 big Western country. 



Two men from Springfield, O., whose names I could 

 not get, are just back from a three weeks' trip in the 

 above-mentioned locality. They are known to have sold 

 twenty deer at seven cents a pound. They must have 

 had a game warden for a guide. 



I am glad to say, however, that one instance of a hard 

 path for transgressors has come to hand out here. Owing 

 to the prosecution of Coroner Henry Hertz, of the Fox 

 River Fish and Game Association — about the only organ- 

 ization we have that is of any account for protecting 

 game and fish — three illegal chicken shooters, Messrs. 

 Simeon Russell. Geo. Hewson and Chas. Dunnell, all of 

 Fox Lake neighborhood, were fined $35 and costs each, 

 at Wauconda, Wis. They have thus acquired some little 

 information. 



I notice in the issue of Nov. 14 Mr, Ames's query as to 

 the grizzly "Tom," which he states was kept at Union 

 Park perhaps eighteen years ago, I think Mr. Ames is 

 right in presuming this to be the bear killed shortly after 

 he was moved over to Lincoln Park, he having broken 

 into a pit where there were several other bears with 

 younger teeth than his. Perhaps Mr. Ames has not re- 

 membered the name quite correctly. This old grizzly 

 was known as Bob, and was one of the attractions of the 

 park, well known to all visitors. He was very tame and 

 friendly, and possessed of a disposition which nothing 

 seemed to ruffle. He dearly loved peanuts and candy, and 

 would wheedle them from the most reluctant pocket. 

 He was an enormous creature, and a sufficient refutation 

 of the skeptics who say the grizzly bear does not go over 

 6001bs, Any one could have " won my money" if Bob 

 weighed less than 1,500, though I never heard his weight. 

 Before I had ever seen this bear, a friend told me of him. 

 "He could scrape the ceiling of this room with his front 

 feet," said he, pointing to that part of the room in the 

 modest little city cottage where we were sitting. I 

 laughed at him. Later on, when I saw the old fellow rear 

 himself to full height along the side of his cell, I knew 

 that my friend's statement had been correct. 



Nov. 20. — In a late trip I made to Canada small game 

 seemed as plentiful along the railway in Canada as it is 

 in this country, and indeed more so. Their lands are 

 much more closely posted and their game laws are better 

 observed. As a consequence of this we found plenty of 

 quail within five to fifteen miles of Chatham, which is a 

 city of probably 15,000 inhabitants, and constantly heard 

 of good bags of quail and partridges made by Chatham 

 sportsmen. A party of four, consisting of Messrs. Nelson 

 and Goodrich, of Chatham, and Mr. Briggs and another 

 gentleman, of Toronto, in two half days killed forty- 

 three quail, some partridges and two wild turkeys near 

 Big Point, fifteen miles out from Chatham during the 

 field trials at the latter point. The turkeys were thought 

 to be half-breeds between the wild stock and tame ones 

 run wild. All the quail shooters of that neighborhood 

 were having good luck. At the depot at London, just as 

 I was taking the west-bound train in the evening, I saw 

 a hale, hearty-looking old gray-haired gentleman in good 

 shooting rig and accompanied by a fine-looking setter. 

 "Well, what luck to-day, Doctor?" some one asked him. 

 "Oh, fair," he replied; "I got eight partridges." I wonder 

 if this could have been Dr. Underwood— I believe that is 

 the name— whom I so often heard mentioned as a 

 capital shot and steady hunter of London. 



We were speaking about the latter gentleman on the 

 train, Mr. T. G. Davey, Mr. John Davidson and I, and 

 the former gentleman remarked that the worthy Doctor 

 could perhaps beat anybody in that end of the world 

 shooting quail. To this Mr. Davidson took exception, de- 

 claring himself to be the great original dead shot on 

 quail, and all others base imitators. Mr. Davidson for- 

 merly shot for the market for years at a stretch. He says 

 he has killed 49 quail straight, and thinks that in his life 

 he has killed 50,000 quail. I submit that this is sufficient 

 grounds for capital punishment. 



We fell to talking at the hotel table about the number 

 of shells it took to kill a quail. One gentleman present 

 named an average something like three or four out of 

 five as being his ordinary record. One or two of us sug- 

 gested to him that he could gather in some of our sub- 

 stance if he could take 100 shells and bring back 50 quail, 

 all shot flying singles, and without especially picking his 

 shots, but taking them as in an ordinary day's shooting. 

 I presume this can be done, but there are not very many 

 men who can walk right out and do it. I would rather 

 dig post holes than bag every other quail in the brush. 

 It's easier. 



The Forest and Stream gun tests have been watched 

 with a great deal of interest by our Western shooters. I 

 have already found a number of shooters out here who 

 have guns which will discount the best record yet made 

 by any gun shot in the tests. I am endeavoring to get 

 some of these guns sent on to the range for trial. I wish 

 to state that the best gun in the world is owned right 

 here in Chicago. It is owned by a number of shooters. 



Seriously, however, I have met many instances of 

 patient and curious targeting of guns here, and have seen 

 some remarkable patterns. One shooter of prominence here 



showed me some phenomenal pattern sheets, but would 

 not give me his formula for loading, though I charmed 

 him never so wisely. A little later than that, however, 

 he told me that if I wanted to make my 12-gauge gun 

 shoot close, I should load it as follows: A 12 gauge card 

 wad on the shot, an 11-gauge pink-edge, a 12-gauge black- 

 edge Ely, a 12-gauge black-edge U. M. C. and a 12-gauge 

 card; then the shot, with a 12-gauge card on that. He 

 said he had found it a mistake to use much wadding a 

 size larger than the shells, as the wads in going through 

 the choke were crushed or broken out of shape, and so 

 distorted the shot charge. I should think that with the 

 above load a fellow could get an almighty good pattern, 

 for wads, anyway. 



I wonder how long this mania for close-shooting guns 

 is going to last. It is all a mistake for most field shoot- 

 ing, as every real field shot knows: yet no one will buy 

 a gun to-day which makes as wide a pattern as the gun 

 with which he has in earlier days done the very best 

 shooting of his life. You can hardly coax a gun maker 

 to build you an open gun. The sole question of merit in 

 a gun seems to be, How many shot will it put in the 30in. 

 circle? This is all fashion and all nonsense, and the shoot- 

 ing craft will some day abandon it, if so be we are not 

 entirely reduced to artificial methods. The shooting of 

 to-day, general as it is and exact as it is, is not so beautiful 

 in point of genuine sportsmanship as the broader and 

 more generously genial exercise of the past generation. 

 They had more fun than we do. We are too much in 

 earnest. We have got it down too fine. This is war, not 

 sport, and science rather than good pleasure. When 

 will reaction come and we return to broader, mellower, 

 less selfish and yet more thoughtful days? Not, perhaps, 

 until the tooth of time shall have bitten the choke out of 

 all our guns, or until some population of the future shall 

 say of us, as we do of the gentlemen gone before us — 

 "The knights are dust, 

 Their arms are rust, 



Their souls are with the saints, we trust." 



If we stopped to think we could see the pity shining in 

 those unborn eyes. 



Nov. 21. — No very great success at ducks is reported. 

 A good many mallards were seen on Maksawba marsh on 

 Saturday, but not many killed. Fox Lake has plenty of 

 ducks in also, but nobody can work them, it seems. One 

 market got 67 one day not long ago, but that was an 

 exception. Cumberland marsh does not seem to afford 

 much shooting just now. Mr. Robt. Sheet, of New York, 

 a member of Cumberland Club, was out lately, but 

 had poor luck. He and Mr. Stephens then wen t up to Lake 

 Koshkowong, Wis., but though they saw plenty of ducks 

 there, they were not working well and the shooting was 

 poor. 



It is reported to-day that the shooting at Lake Senach- 

 wine, at Hennepin Club, at Peoria, and indeed all along 

 that part of the Illinois River, is very good. Gov. Joe 

 Fifer, of Illinois, was at Hennepin Club yesterday. Mr. 

 George Davis reports good bags there lately. Yet Mr. 

 Sibley, day before yesterday, had a letter saying shooting 

 was not very good on Hennepin marsh. 



Mr. Joseph Card, shooting at Toledo, O., reports large 

 bags of dttcks and great fun. 



Messrs. W. W. and H. B. Foss, C. W. Lapham, Thos. L. 

 Patterson and F. A. Place are back from a trip to Heron 

 Lake, Dakota, where last year they had great sport. 

 They got but poor shooting this time, though they say 

 the ducks were there in good numbers. 



Messrs. Mark Baldwin, of this city, L. N. Wood, T. J. 

 Abt, Dr. Alden, Messrs. Moore, McCloskey and Alexander, 

 of Duluth, lately had a little deer hunt at Midland 

 Station in Wisconsin, on the N. P. R, R. They killed 

 four deer in one day and saw sixteen. Sign seemeu 

 very abundant, and they thought the country well fixed 

 for deer. Dr. Alden had killed two good bucks a few 

 days before this hunt. Mr. Baldwin went on west from 

 this point for a goose hunt on the Platte in Nebraska, but 

 found that stream frozen up tight. That was on Nov. 15. 



Grand Calumet Heights Club will append to the annual 

 Thanksgiving festivities a grand coon hunt. Some wolves 

 have lately been seen near the house. 



On last Monday morning the lake between Twelfth and 

 Randolph street was full of bluebills and redheads, more 

 than have been seen in a body before this year. 



Mr. Fred A. Fodde, of St. "Louis, is in town visiting 

 sportsmen friends. 



Quail are reported fairly plentiful on Mak-saw-ba 

 grounds. That bird is unusually abundant this year, it 

 seems. 



Nov. $8. — Mr. John L. Stockton, Mr. Thomas Edwards, 

 and Mr. M. C. Lightner, are recently back from a deer 

 and bass trip of several weeks duration. They had a 

 good camp not far from the Escanaba, but far enough 

 from the railway to necessitate a long drive over a rough 

 road. They were near a little lake which has no appar- 

 ent outlet or inlet, but which was abundantly stocked 

 with small-mouthed bass. I presume these men are as 

 real and genuine sportsmen as any who go into the woods. 

 They killed just four deer on the trip, although they 

 could have killed many more. It is one of then- prin- 

 ciples to kill no more than can be consumed. The catch 

 of bass was limited to half a dozen each day. The canqD 

 was always easily supplied. The hunters thought that 

 shooting partridges along the old lumber road they 

 called the "boulevard" more fun than almost anything 

 else they did. They had in a cook and two guides, and 

 although much troubled by rainy and cold weather, they 

 had a most enjoyable fall outing. They do not come 

 back to brag or a number of deer killed before dogs, and 

 possibly out of season. I wish some of our other Chicago 

 shooters would take. them as example. 



Speaking of game law violations reminds me of a Colo- 

 rado story I heard in Kansas last month, and which may 

 or may not be true. I was told that two game butchers 

 who had been often warned out of the Middle Park region 

 by the cowboys, and who persisted in illegal slaughter of 

 the big game, were finally taken by the cowboys and 

 cattlemen and hung. This was during the past season 

 some time. This is an effective way, if not the only way, 

 to handle the persistent game butcher. It looks a little 

 tough, but it is probable that in this case, as in most 

 others, mountain justice was just. 



I have some more light on the Manitoba duck egg de- 

 struction question. Mr. Thomas Johnson, a prominent 

 commission man and produce dealer of Winnipeg, tells 

 me that the reports of the gathering and shipping of 

 ducks' eggs from Manitoba are all nonsense. "I am in a 

 position to know," said lie, "if any suoh work was going 



H. J. Quackenbush, 

 A. H. Pierce, 

 E. E. Crawford, 

 A. J. Uppon, 

 C. S. Gavcrly, 

 J. A Merrill, 



on, and I unqualifiedly say that nothing of the sort is 

 done." It is probable that this column was responsible 

 for the starting of this rumor, although it came to me on 

 good authority. If the rumor is not true it is cause of 

 congratulation for duck shooters surely. 



Speaking of ducks' eggs reminds one of ducks, and 

 speaking of ducks reminds one of duck calls. I wonder 

 how many people know how to blow a duck call. A lot 

 of us were together on the cars the other day, on a little 

 trip, and each fellow fished out his duck cail and began 

 to play, the total result being very melodious but hard on 

 the window glass. There were more of the Monmouth 

 metal calls than of any other make — I presume there are 

 ten of those Fred Allen calls in use to one of any other 

 make, and there is none better if you will follow directions, 

 or listen to Fred Allen play on one of them. Charley Bur- 

 ton could beat any of us, and he used one of these calls. 

 "You don't want to give a long yowl, and then a lot of 

 short squawks after it when you are calling mallard," said 

 he. "That's the alarm call. If you want to simulate fat 

 and lazy content, and a complete harmony with environ- 

 ments, you want to make each note of about the same 

 length, and with a rich, unctuous fullness to it that 

 speaks of good feed and plenty of it. This is the way it 

 goes— 'Haw ! haw-haw-haw-haw— I'm so happy !' That's 

 what knocks. The other ducks look on this as a plain in- 

 vitation to dinner," E. Hocgh. 



RUTkAND FISH AND GAME CLUB. 



THE second annual game supper of the Rutland, Vt., 

 Fish and Game Club, was held at the Berwick, Rut- 

 land, Wednesday evening, Nov. 20. It was a representa- 

 tive gathering of the sportsmen and fishermen of the city 

 and State, as shown by the list: 

 W. B. Buckingham, 8. A. Howard, 

 T. A. Clifford, Fred C. Spencer. 

 Gen. D. Babbitt, Gh E. Chalmers, 



E. V. Ross, . Dr. B. C. Sen ton, 

 Geo. G. Wilson, L. Valiquette, Jr., 

 H. H. Brown. A. Kilburn, 



S. H. Griswnld, Edward L. Temple, H. W. Chenev, 



Charles A. Reese, W.A.Hill, E. J. Grav, 



Charles Sterns, C. D. Eastman, .Tobn H. Pollard, 



Newton Kellogg, Fred Gay, Fred W. Maxham, 



H. A. Smith, C. A. Park hurst, Albert H. Tuttle, 



Fred Feun. L. S. Houghton, G. H. Ross, 



H. H. Swift, W. H. Spaulding, George H. Emery, 



H. G. Sheldon, W. Warren Burr, H. G. Smith, 



C. B. Ross, P. M. Meldon, J. H. JJ. Burt. 



A. B. Veassey, J.E.Thomson, W. B. Perkins, 



F. S. Weatherhead, M. R. Brown, Fred W. Hay ward, 

 W. C. Dunton, G. E. Pelton, W. L. Davis, 



W. E. Pelton, G. L. Smith, A, W. Higgins, 



John H. Norton, E. S. Whit taker, T. Mound.' 



T. M. Barrett, F. H. Chapman, Henry R. Adams, 



F.L.Hamilton, C. A. Gale, Wm. D. Hul-tt, 



E. Wliite, J. H. Mclntyre, Otis W. Liucoln, 



Charles Denison, John A. Mead, Chas. T. Freeman, 



H. Caldwell Brown, Egbert C. Tuttle, Wm. A. Aiken, 



Merrltt C. Plielps, H. A. Sawyer, H. H. Lee, 



J. E. Morison, J. B. Hoadley, H, C. Smith, 



C. H. West, Henry F. Field, O. C. Badger, 



,T. W. Titcomb, L. N. Franklin, y. H. Shinn, 



J. E. Slattery, V. A. Gaskill, K A. Valiquette, 



Geo. J. Schulze, Geo. E. Graves, D. E. Harrington, 



J. B. Moore, C. O. Perkins, W. J. Dolan, 



L. G. Brown, T. B. Atchison, M. R. Grain, 



H. O. Carpenter, F. E. Sturievant, L. Valiquette, 



Henry Clark, C. E. Ross, F. C. Houghton, 



A. E. Sheldon, Wm. H. Steele, H. R. Plat I, 

 Charles P. Harris, F. P. Clement, W. C. Landon, 

 H. A. Ferguson, John F. Eggleslon, G. B. Rovce, 

 S. H. Kellogg, J. C. Jones, O. W. St'erl, 



H. 1. DilletiDack. C. F. Orvis, O. A. Cunningham, 



Geo. A. Churchill, JJ. S. Goodwin, C.L.Howe, 



B. F. Pollard, S. A. McClure, V. W, Whitcomh, 



E. M. Pond. M. S. Sawyer, O. J. Cain, 



F. L. Sherwtu, F. C. Atherton, G. T. Loop. 

 H. C. Otis, Charles Krans, 



The dining hall was decorated with snowshoes, fishing 

 rods and game bags, with mounted game trophies galore. 

 The menu included red snapper, striped sea bass, bear, 

 venison, wild goose, mallard, blue widgeon, bluerock 

 pigeons, coon, partridge, quail and prairie chicken. 



In the much regretted absence of President Charles H. 

 Sheldon, Club Secretary J. H. Mclntyre presided as toast 

 master, filling the part most felicitously. The set toasts 

 were: "Our Guests," by Henry Clark; "The Big Game 

 of Vermont," by E. L. Howe; " The American Clay 

 Pigeon," by Dr. C. A. Gale; and " Reminiscences from 

 Sam Lovel's Camp," by E. L. Temple, the "reminis- 

 cences " being readings from Mr. Robinson's inimitable 

 pictures of Vermont life in the times of Sam Lovel and 

 Uncle Li«ha. Among other speakers were Mr. C. F. 

 Orvis, of Manchester, who deprecated the posting of trout 

 brooks, supported the 6in. trout law, advocated a State 

 hatching house, and suggested the open season for trout 

 should be from May 15 to Sept. 15; Dr. Swift, of Pitts- 

 field, who spoke of the value of Vermont trout streams as 

 profitable attractions to city people. Letters of regrets 

 from many invited guests were read. The occasion was 

 a most happy one, and the committee deserve great credit 

 for its success. 



KENTUCKY DEER CHAT. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I have been a subscriber to your paper almost from its 

 infancy, and get many valuable hints from its contribu- 

 tions. One in particular I saw two or three years ago, in 

 regard to loading for deer, with two bullets or large buck- 

 shot in center of shell, and space between bullets and 

 shell filled with BB's or some size that just fills it evenly. 

 I had been seeking an opportunity to try that load on 

 deer ever since, but never found it until last week, when 

 a large four-prong buck came within range out of a pine 

 thicket, saw me and wheeled back, but caught the two 

 bullets from the right barrel lengthwise. Going through 

 they lodged in the shoulder. Turning to the left the 

 game gave a broadside at about 50yds. , and got the two 

 balls from the left barrel, which passed through and out 

 the other side, besides sprinkling the smaller shot all 

 around the bullets at each fire, mutilating the carcass and 

 making a sieve of the hide. 



The bullets from my 10-bore go almost as true as any 

 rifle, and of course the smaller shot are as good for any 

 uncertainty of aim as ordinary loading. I have had con- 

 siderable experience with shotguus for more than thirty 

 years, and tried every device for concentrating shot, but 

 for all-round shooting at large game I prefer this to any 

 other load (although I have killed many deer with Ely's 

 wire cartridges), and for exclusively long-range shooting 

 I would ask nothing better. 



And "that reminds me" that about twelve or fifteen 

 years ago I sent you a flint or "Indian arrow head," taken 

 from the shoulder of a large doe that I killed not far from 

 Rockcastle Springs, in Laurel county, Ky., an account of 

 which was then published in Forest and Stream. Many 



