Dec. 5, 1889.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



386 



few sticks and chunks on top of him. to keep the coyotes 

 off (for hanging him up was out of the question), and 

 then carrying my rifle and starting my horse (who was 

 sharp shod) up the steep mountain side, which is pretty 

 well timbered with fir and balsam, we finally got to the 

 top (after resting several times), with me hanging on to 

 the horse's tail and he picking his own way. He is good 

 at this, as I have trained him to the work, and he has 

 packed many a deer after dark (with me holding on to 

 his tail) out of these mountains. 



The doe weighed about lTolbs., and the buck, which I 

 gave an Indian half of for helping me to pack it in on 

 the following Monday, would weigh about lOOlbs. heavier 

 with the horns, which are the finest that I have seen of 

 this specimen of deer. I have mounted the entire head. 

 I think he was eleven years old; and the head is really a 

 very fine specimen. The coyotes had not touched the 

 meat of the buck, although he had lain there two nights 

 and two and a half days, but they had tracked all around 

 him at a little distance. 



Now, I would not have any one think that I want to 

 convey an idea that I always do as good work as this 

 with the rifle, but to the contrary, I have often done very 

 poor shooting, but when I do I always try if possible to 

 find out the cause. 



In all my hunting there are two things I am always 

 anxious to' avoid, and they are wounding game without 

 killing it, and wasting any of the game that I get. I have 

 had a good many successful days out on the mountains, 

 and always regard them as free gifts from Him who 

 owns all nature. I. Lehman. 



British Colitmuia. 



THE STORY OF A BUCK. 



I SAW a most beautiful game picture this season while 

 hunting with A. H. Maynard, Esq., on Vancouver- 

 Island. As I reached the summit of a mountain I saw 

 within 50yds. from me a flat, oval rock, some 10ft. across, 

 covered with bright green moss. In the center of this 

 mossy couch a two-year-old buck lay with his left side 

 toward me. his head erect, his large eye glistening. I 

 instantly covered him with my rifle; then the true sports- 

 man part of my nature came up and prevented me from 

 pressing the trigger. I held the rifle in position and 

 studied the picture, which was one that even a Landseer 

 or Vogt could not faithfully portray — the combination of 

 shades of the dark evergreens in the background and the 

 brilliant coloring of the mossy carpet that covered,the 

 rocks, then the deer as it lay there a model of symmetry 

 and alertness, all combined to make one of nature's per- 

 fect pictures, one that will never in this life be forgotten. 



But once before did I ever see a scene that would rival 

 this one. Many years ago, at the junction of two moun- 

 tain streams, hi Belvidere, Vt., there was a deep round 

 pool of transparent water, bordered by a low fringe of 

 alders. One day in June, I approached this pool and 

 peered through the tops of the bushes into the water. 

 Not a fish was in sight. With a gentle cast, I dropped 

 my fly on to the surface of the water, when a large trout 

 darted out from under the opposite bank at the fly. I 

 struck too quick and missed him, and there in the very 

 center of the pool — as though suspended in transparent 

 ether — that fish remained, its every tin quivering with ex- 

 citement and expectation, and his brilliant colors glowing 

 with a metallic luster. I drank in the beauty of the pic- 

 ture for a few moments, then with a slight wrist action 

 the fly was dropped out over the fish, which jumped in 

 its eagerness clean out of the water to seize it: a brief 

 struggle and it was over, the trout lay with a broken 

 neck in my creel, I left that pool, possessed with a mix- 

 ture of feelings— shame and regret — that I had spoiled so 

 pretty a picture, and a feeling of exultation, that I had 

 secured so fine a fish. We will leave it for our brother 

 sportsmen to draw their own conclusions, as to which set 

 of feelings have gained the supremacy. 



To return to my deer. As my arm began to tire in 

 holding out the gun, the old Norse feeling took possession 

 of me. A quick glance along the sights, a pressure of 

 the trigger, then the report and the air was full of salt- 

 peter smoke, and the beautiful deer lay on its side motion- 

 less. I approached it and saw that the bullet had gone 

 true to its aim and entered the neck near the shoulder. I 

 laid my rifle down, stepped on the rock and took it by 

 the hindlegs to turn it, so that its head would hang over 

 the edge of the rock as I bled it. The next moment I 

 was where?— no matter where. It's nobody's business 

 but my own— and the deer's — where I was, whether re • 

 clining or erect, head or heels up. Whew! but talk about 

 a mule's kicking, no double team of mules could kick out 

 as that dead deer did. I picked myself up and also picked 

 up my gun hastily. There lay the deer apparently dead. 

 I cautiously approached it again and punched its head 

 with my rifle. Not a move. Then I touched his shoulder, 

 which caused a slight quivering of the muscles of the 

 shoulder and forward. 1 touched his hindquarters, then 

 how his heels flew out. There it lay without further 

 motion. I stooped over and placed my hand over its 

 heart, and felt it beat; and came near getting my bead 

 kicked off, which caused that kind of nonsense to be 

 summarily stopped. 



Did I afterward regret that I had so ruthlessly destroyed 

 that picture? Yes; before I had packed that deer a mile 

 down the mountain I wished him a hundred times over 

 back on his moss-covered couch or anywhere else but on 

 my back. And Maynard? O yes, became up and car- 

 ried my rifle and acted as guide — went zigzag through the 

 woods, crawled under fallen trees, made comments about 

 my style and general make up, told yarns how Jack 

 Knight could trot away with two deer on his shoulders, 

 which of course was very comforting to my aching back. 



When you are packing a medium-sized deer, and have 

 had a few sprawls over sharp-edged rocks and have stum- 

 bed cross-legged over hidden logs, sat down not gently 

 on the short knots of the said logs, and wrestled for half 

 a mile in tangle brush, it is really astonishing how the 

 weight of your deer increases and what gigantic propor- 

 tions it assumes. It is then the proper thing to do, to lay 

 your bmden down and satisfy yourself that it is not an 

 elk instead of a 1501b. buck. I did it several times. 



Did Maynard help pack ? Well, yes, when I at last 

 threw that ticky, mangy, scrub of a blacktail deer down, 

 declaring emphatically that it might lie there and rot 

 before I would carry it another yards. He then took it up 

 and packed it a short hundred yards to the railway track 

 and triumphantly placed it on a hand-car, and felt him- 

 self a conqueror — a big Indian. Long may his toma- 

 hawk wave ! Stanstead, 



AIM WITH THE SHOTGUN. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I think this subject has been extensively discussed in 

 every volume of the Forest and Stream yet published. 

 Though often tempted to do so, I have never taken part 

 in the discussions, for the simple reasons given by Dr. 

 Eobt. T. Morris in last week's issue. His article is the 

 most sensible one I have ever read upon the subject. I 

 know, by an experience of over forty years, that no rules 

 can be successfully formulated for aiming ahead. Sue ■ 

 cess can only be acquired by long practice. I have killed 

 large numbers of ruffed grouse on the wing, and during 

 the latter years of my shooting did not fail to kill at least 

 five out of six shots. It would be impossible to explain 

 just how I aim, as it depends on too great a variety of 

 circumstances. I remember going out one October morn- 

 ing with a young merchant along the banks of the Min- 

 nesota River for ducks. As we approached a bluff just 

 back of a large slough, a flock of seven mallards in a line, 

 perhaps two feet apart, passed within 200ft. of us. As 

 the young man had but little experience in wing-shoot- 

 ing, I told him to fire both barrels at them when they 

 were just abreast of us, and then I would fire at what 

 were left. He fired but one barrel and then told me to 

 fire. He killed the last duck in the line, and I killed the 

 first and last of the remaining six. He said he aimed at 

 the leading duck when killing the last, but I do not think 

 I aimed two feet ahead of those I killed, though at a 

 greater distance. Mtlton P. Feirce. 



Columbus, Ohio. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



Dr. Robt. T. Morris, in your issue of the 27th ult., hits 

 the nail squarely on the head with his timely and practi- 

 cal remarks. My own experience in the open, in the 

 brush and at the trap fully bears out his statement, that 

 if aspiring beginners "do not learn to use the gun as they 

 do the baseball bat their ambition to become wing-shots 

 in the brush will lead to disappointment." And he might 

 have added, "in the open ana at the trap," as well as in 

 the "brush." 



When a youngster I was (mis)taught to use the shot- 

 gun pretty much as a rifle, i. e., to close the left eye, 

 squint along the barrel with the right, bring the sight 

 the "proper" distance ahead of the bird, and then trust 

 to providence and pull away. I did so, and while at 

 times I brought the game to bag, my misses were far 

 more numerous than my hits, and when I did hit it was 

 probably by chance. In following out this precept at the 

 trap I met with even worse success, and it was not until 

 I adopted Dr. Morris's style that I commenced to score 

 anything but "lost bird." Since I began to shoot with 

 both eyes open, looking at the bird only, I find that the 

 gun (always provided that it is of proper balance, weight 

 and fit) "comes up" and falls into place intuitively for a 

 good shot, and I find that I can at last make fair scores, 

 which compare favorably with other amateurs. 



I had, and who has not? received lots of well-meant 

 advice from brother sportsmen and trap-shooters how to 

 hold, estimate distance, calculate the parabolic (or dia- 

 bolic; flight of a clay pigeon, etc., etc.; but somehow or 

 other I never found time between the moment the bird 

 was on the wing and the trigger pulled to carry my 

 mathematics into practice. But when I ignored mathe- 

 matics altogether and adopted the intuitive or "baseball 

 bat" style I commenced to do well at once, and sometimes 

 at least got a chance at the "pot." I feel that I have 

 adopted the only correct style at last, and with a little 

 more practice see no reason why I should not attain the 

 front rank. 



Let me advise all beginners, young or old, to adopt the 

 intuitive style of shooting on the wing advocated by Dr. 

 Morris, and to relegate the mathematical calculate-be- 

 forehand-and-squint-along-your-gunplanto those who do 

 their shooting with their mind in their armchair at home 

 instead of with a gun in the field. Louis Bagger. 



Washington, D. C. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



In your issue of the 21st, Dr. Morris advises beginners 

 not to aim at all, to look at the bird only. This plan 

 may be necessary in the woods of Pennsylvania and cen- 

 tral New York, where Dr. Morris does his shooting, but 

 from my own experience I think it a most difficult way 

 of learning to shoot, and one totally unnecessary in our 

 southern quail grounds. When I was learning to shoot, 

 for more than a year I tried it, and I was no more near to 

 being able to kill a flying quail at the end of that time 

 than I was in the beginning. Improvement, however, 

 began as soon as I tried "sighting" my birds, when, after 

 becoming in this way a fair wing-shot, I returned to my 

 old plan and found I could kill my birds without sight- 

 ing. Setter. 



Alabama. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



Dr. Robt. T. Morris hit the nail on the head pretty 

 squarely, and that reminds me to say that shooting is 

 very like driving a nail. Does a carpenter ever take aim 

 with his hammer, or a spikeman on a railroad with his 

 long, swinging stroke at arm's length watch his maul as 

 it goes around over his head to see if it is coming down 

 in the right place ? If he did would he be apt to hit the 

 spike? 



When I commenced trap-shooting I thought it was 

 necessary to lay my cheek down on the gun stock and 

 screw around until I got my eye and the sight in a line 

 with a glass ball. That was before the day of clay- 

 pigeons and bluerocks. Consequently I was more often 

 at the foot of the class than the head. One time, after so 

 many misses that I became ashamed of myself, I got 

 reckless and didn't care whether I scored or not. I called 

 "pull," drewup the gun, watching the ball, fired and was 

 as much surprised as were my companions to see the ball 

 go to pieces. It took mo some time to get the idea, but I 

 finally got it, and thereafter I seldom saw the sight or 

 even the gun when I pulled the trigger, and my success 

 was surprising. I applied the same rule to field shooting, 

 and without boasting my hunting companions sometimes 

 tell me to my face that I can shoot. Of course allowance 

 must be made for birds crossing, rising or falling, but 

 that is intuitive and seldom thought of by our most suc- 

 cessful shots. Indeed, thinking has little to do with it. 

 If it had, one's bird would be out of range before he could 

 collect his thoughts. 



Doctor Carver never aims at flying objects in his rifle 

 shooting. He looks at the object and when he fires he 

 scores. Once, when Bogardus was giving an exhibition 

 shoot at double clay-pigeous, I imagined I saw him look- 

 ing at the second bird while firing at the first, breaking 

 both. 



Much depends on the fit of the gun. One cannot shoot 

 if his gun does not fit him any more, than he can feel 

 comfortable in an ill-fitting suit of clothes. But that is 

 an old story to old shooters. J. H. B. 



. Mansfield Vallst, Pa. 



ADIRONDACK DEER. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I am glad to hear from those whose boyhood, perhaps 

 like my own, was spent in the Adirondack woods, who 

 early learned to commune with nature in her sacred 

 temple, and whose playmates were the timid deer, and 

 whose tender hearts and consciences will not allow them 

 to remain silent while those beautiful creatures are being 

 slaughtered as they have been the past fall. For it is 

 only slaughter to murder deer depri ved of all means of 

 escape in the water. 



Your correspondent "Law" confirms my own observa- 

 tion.. I had previously come to the conclusion that if 

 deer were hunted as persistently in all parts of the Adi- 

 rondack^ as they were within scope of my own observa- 

 tions, the number killed in the Adirondacks would not 

 fall much below 1,000 deer, and that nine-tenths of them 

 were killed by driving them into the water with dogs. 

 "Law's" statement of his locality is true of this. Every 

 lake, pond and river has been watched, and Sunday has 

 been the biggest day with the hounders. Many of the 

 watchers had no hounds in the woods, but were there to 

 kill what escaped those who had. Must this slaughter be 

 repeated? Will the great State of New York, that is fos- 

 tering a great forest preserve, allow it to be denuded of 

 its noble game, which without it will not be half so 

 attractive? I hope it will not be so stupid, but that it will 

 heed the warning ere it is too late by passing such game 

 laws as will insure plenty of game so long as the cover 

 remains. 



I am heartily in concert with "Law" in his endeavor 

 to get a game law that will better protect the deer of 

 the Adirondacks. I am in favor of the best protective 

 law, whatever it may be. My views do not fully accord 

 with "Law's" in this respect: The best possible law 

 would prohibit hounding altogether. But as this is not 

 likely to be done at present (but it will eventually be done 

 when there is nothing left to protect) we will leave that 

 out of the question. I will give my views of a law as 

 stringent as could probably be passed at present, and my 

 reason therefor. Open season to commence Aug. 1. 

 More sportsmen visit the woods during the month of 

 August than later in the season, and feel that they are as 

 much entitled to venison as those that can come to the 

 woods later. And if allowed by law to have it, they 

 would kill only enough for camp use; in fact all respect- 

 able guides would not allow more than this. My obser- 

 vation has been that nine-tenths of the par-ties that go 

 into the woods before the open season will have their 

 venison to eat in camp; and of course have to keep it 

 secreted; and if they change their locality it is all thrown 

 away, and. another deer is killed in their new locality. 

 Whereas if they were allowed to have it they would be 

 much more likely to respect the law and not to kill be- 

 fore the open season, and then only enough for camp 

 use; and they would have more interest in preventing 

 the June jacking. Thus I think it would be a protective 

 measure and would give better satisfaction to the better 

 class of sportsmen who are only permitted to have their 

 vacation during the month of August. 



I would have the open season for hounding in Septem- 

 ber, of whatever duration it might be. During Septem- 

 ber the hair of the deer is short and has but little buoy - 

 ancy; deer do not like to swim, but will try to throw 

 the hound off the track by skirting along the shore of 

 the lake or by running along in small streams, and thus 

 escape the hunter. During October and the later it is 

 the quicker will they take to the water before the hound, 

 and most every deer started will be killed. It seems to 

 me that this would satisfy the greatest number of sports- 

 men who wish to hunt in this way while they would not 

 be able to kill so many. Later than September few 

 sportsmen visit the woods except for the sole purpose of 

 hounding deer. Pot-hunters take advantage of the late 

 hounding when deer take to water readily, and so does 

 most every man and most boys who can command a dog 

 that will follow a deer, and many who cannot but go in 

 to watch before others' dogs, and kill all they can regard- 

 less of the three-deer limit or the one carcass transporta- 

 tion law. They evade the law by jerking the venison 

 and often by keeping some one transporting one at a 

 time for each person. There are so many that go into 

 the woods because they can kill deer in this way as easily 

 as the most experienced hunter, that if they only kill 

 three deer each the number would be enormous. There- 

 fore I think it would be better to have the open season 

 for hounding in September. Of course, the shorter the 

 better. But I do not think as many deer would be killed 

 if the whole month of September were allowed as there 

 would be during fifteen days in October. 



I think the open season should continue until Nov. 15, 

 especially if dogs are allowed to run up to Oct. 20. Much 

 complaint and dissatisfaction has been pxpressed by those 

 that wish to still-hunt because they are allowed but ten 

 days immediately after the dogs have scoured the woods 

 and killed and driven everything away. I should be 

 willing to give every one a chance to hunt in their favor- 

 ite way consistent with keeping up the full supply of 

 deer. Hounding being the easier and most destructive 

 method should be accorded the shortest time. Hounding 

 is more destructive than crusting, because practiced more 

 extensively. But who would think of giving the cruster 

 an open season ? 



I believe a conservative law relative to the deer in the 

 Adirondacks, one sufficiently stringent to fully insure the 

 full supply or increase of the deer, should be passed by 

 our next Legislature; and to this end I am ready to co- 

 operate with " Law" and every one else interested in the 

 preservation of the almost only game left in the Adiron- 

 dacks, and which is fast disappearing under the present 

 law legalizing a method of hunting for fifty days in each 

 year, more easy, more sure, and more destructive than 

 crusting or early jacking. Musset. 



NUMBER Foub, N. Y., Nov. 4, 



