408 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[June 12, 1890. 



up in front of the breast, like the woodcock. On "Little 

 Hickory," about six miles above Water Valley, I once 

 killed fifteen birds out of a place not 40ft. square, just 

 such a little dry ridge. The birds seemed to tie asleep. 

 On a raw day, when you ai'e unable to find the snipe, 

 they are apt to be sitting on the warmest side of some 

 dry knoll. Very often snipe hunters fail by sticking too 

 close to the marsh, not knowing the habits of their bird. 



In feeding, snipe must of course have soft ground, and 

 like woodcock, they follow the waterline. They too seem 

 to prefer the little sand worms. They are industrious 

 workers, and one jack will bore apparently 400 000 holes 

 in a night, much like the woodcock. I think that snipe 

 sometimes eat red ants. I may be laughed at for this, 

 but I have often found the ants in the stomach and throat 

 of a snipe just killed. They may take them in by mis- 

 take, but they certainly do swallow them. 



Jacksnipe are the wildest when they are not actively 

 feeding, and tamest when they are fat but busy getting 

 fatter. They lie closest on hot days. The best hours are 

 in the evening or in the morning, but no strict rule can 

 be laid down for a snipe's hours. 



The snipe come in chiefly "on the moon," and spread 

 over a country very quickly, sometimes disappearing 

 quite as suddenly. The "second flight" generally comes 

 in about April 10 to 15. They came in on the Kankakee 

 this spring on March 26, and a market-shooter killed 

 twenty five on that day. The next day there was not a 

 bird to be found. In the early spring they frequent 

 warm, boggy pastures and black mud rather than the 

 wider and colder marshes. They must find the worms 

 which make their food. I think the snipe and woodcock 

 have a sort of hearing for theAvorms that crawl in the 

 ground. If you scratch on the ecd of a broom stick you 

 can hear it at the other end if held between the teeth en- 

 close to the ear, when you would not catch the sound in 

 the open air. Probably the sensitive bill of these birds 

 acts in somewhat the same way, although to what extent 

 I presume no one can say. 



A dog is not necessary in hunting jacksnipe, but a good 

 one may be useful in retrieving and a staunch one valua- 

 ble in pointing. Of course a thoughtful shooter will 

 hunt snipe with the wind, not against it, whenever 



Eossible. This gives him a per cent, of advantage, as the 

 ird rises against the wind and therefore toward him. 

 Snipe shooting may be hard work and warm, and 

 therefore the costume is generally light. Hip boots of 

 light, pure rubber, that cling to the thigh, are best. For 

 this shooting I prefer a 16-gauge gun, with not over 3drs. 

 of powder and f oz. of* No. 8 or No. 9. If the birds are 

 wild, as they often are, No. 10 will not stop them, and on 

 a hot day No. 10 leads a gun fearfully. 



A wild, corkscrew jacksnipe is a hard bird to hit. 

 After they have been on good feed for a while they get 

 fat and lazy, and are then not difficult shooting. They 

 are in these latitudes, where they are hunted so much, 

 usually shy and swift enough to puzzle the best shooter. 

 The States further west, of course, have good snipe shoot- 

 ing, but I do not personally know any territory so well as 

 that lying within fifty miles about Chicago. Within that 

 circle, certainly, admirable spoit at jacksnipe may be 

 had. Prof. R. A. Turtle. 



PRAIRIE CHICKEN SHOOTING. 



THE "chicken territory" is now to be found in Minne- 

 sota, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska and Dakota. Birds 

 are also fairly plentiful in portions of Illinois and Indi- 

 ana, but here farmers decidedly (i. e., with pitchforks) 

 object to strangers pirating on their demesnes. 



In the States first named, at least in such portions as 

 are not overrun by visiting and native gunners, farmers 

 generally do not forbid hunting on their lands, as they 

 rarely waste much time themselves with guns, and but 

 very few own bud dogs. 



It is useless, however, to list specific localities as prom- 

 ising good sport, for the excellent reason that no one can 

 predict the future from the past, as to chickens. The 

 rotation of crops, from wheat to oats, from oats to flax, 

 and the influence of local storms in the breeding season, 

 with attendant high water just when it should be low, 

 are factors which cannot be foreseen. Again, the amount 

 of hunting done in a given year is a most material ele- 

 ment in determining the quantity of birds left over for 

 breeding purposes. Hence the very fame of well stocked 

 grounds may have so attracted gunners that it was 

 gleaned much too close, so that next season this paradise 

 will be pretty much barren of feathered angels. On the 

 other hand, the poorer grounds, being left undisturbed, 

 carry over almost their entire stocks of grouse, to repro- 

 duce abundantly in the spring. It is therefore evident 

 that the only trustworthy information under this head is 

 that gathered just before each separate season opens. 



Chicken shooting, as now practiced, is quite a different 

 matter from what it was in the good old days of muzzle- 

 loaders, when Illinois was considered a part of the Far 

 West. Then one need only "put up" at a convenient farm- 

 house, with his "scatter gun," and kill what number he 

 chose, without quitting the boundaries of the farms im- 

 mediately surrounding him. 



To-day, the sportsman should select some small town 

 rather than a farmhouse, in known chicken headquarters. 

 Here he can obtain quite passable accommodations at the 

 omnipresent little hotel: and its invariable companion, 

 the village livery stable, will supply those prime requi- 

 sites, a long, light, roomy two-seated wagon, a span of 

 good traveling horses, and driver experienced in finding 

 "likely stubbles" and in marking down birds, which lat- 

 ter is a most important consideration. Board is gener- 

 ally $1.25 or $1 50 per day. A small "added considera- 

 tion," together (and even more efficient) with a faculty of 

 getting on with the pretty dining-room girls, will secure 

 special favors in the way of extra early breakfasts and 

 correspondingly belated suppers. But avoid overdoing 

 your getting on, or the independent Western damsels 

 will retaliate with the toughest of sleaks and muddiest of 

 coffee. For the team and driver the charge will be $8 to 

 $4 per day, depending upon the length of time engaged. 



A party of two shooters to a wagon is the proper caper. 

 More than that number interfere with each other, while 

 a single sportsman cannot work the ground to best ad- 

 vantage. For a trip of two or three weeks it is advisable 

 to provide two does for each gun, as continuous work 

 results in sore and often badly wounded feet, the harsh 

 dry stubble frequently cutting like a knife. Take only 

 one dog per gun afield each day, allowing the others to 

 rest and repair damages. 



At dawn, or as early as breakfast can be had, bundle 

 dogs, guns, lunch and selves into the wagon, and drive 

 three or four miles from town. It is wasted time to halt 

 closer, for the villagers have gone over the near ground, 

 usually before the season lawfully opened. 



And now a preliminary word as to the habits of pin- 

 nated grouse. From dawn until about 10 or 11 o'clock 

 the bird^i remain upon the stubble. They favor the edges 

 of the field rather than its center, and even more the 

 comers, especially the ragged, low lying ones, and those 

 scattered over with patches of tangled, uncut grain. As 

 the morning wears on, the birds are apt to walk a little 

 way into the grasps that borders the field, or into stand- 

 ing corn or flax, similarly located. They will do this 

 earlier and more generally on bright hot days. About 10 

 o'clock, varying say an hour either way, which irregu- 

 larity depends upon the clearness or cloudiness, warmth 

 or coolness and other qualities of the weather, and 

 whether early or late in the month, the birds quit the 

 stubble and seek shelter in the grass-covered prairie, or 

 the standing c~>rn. On very dry hot days they are apt to 

 spend most of their time here, visiting the stubble for 

 the briefest time if at all. Late in the afternoon, about 4 

 o'clock, sometimes earlier, and on till dusk, they return 

 to the stubble for supper. 



With this much knowledge of the grouse's habits, you 

 stop the wagon a hundred yards or so short of the stub- 

 ble, which should have been approached at a corner by 

 preference. Come to it against the wind, and so work it, 

 for obvious reasons. The advantage of making your at- 

 tack at a corner lies in the fact that such spots are favored 

 habitats, and both guns are together at the start, and so 

 can sing a duet if a covey is found. Once fairly into 

 the stubble, one hunter, with his dog, takes down the 

 lower edge to the far side, thence up to the top. His 

 companion, with dog, of course follows the two remain- 

 ing sides and both meet at the corner diagonal from the 

 starting point. The spot tsman should keep in the field, 

 about 20yds. from the edge. His dog should quarter well 

 into the field on one hand, say 100 or 150yds., and about 

 a fourth that distance into the grass or corn on the other. 

 This course will discover the birds on the field, those 

 that have strayed into the edges of the grass, and will 

 pick up the trails of others that have walked still further 

 into the prairie or corn. 



In the meantime the wagon slowly follows up the 

 center of the field from the starting point to meeting 

 corner. While birds are more rarely found here, still 

 occasionally, especially in very large fillings, both coveys 

 and scattered birds may be far in. It would be a waste 

 of time to hunt such territory, and the wagon now 

 serves a useful purpose in putting up these stragglers, 

 which are marked down by the driver, and followed into 

 the grass immediately or when the field is finished. The 

 birds are safe to tarry at or near their alighting place for 

 some little time. 



When one stubble is thus exhausted, hunters and dogs 

 get into the wagon and ride to the next, which is indi- 

 cated by the conical stacks of gathered grain standing 

 out clearly against the horizon. 



The farms in these regions are simply cut out of the 

 native prairie, which stretches, level and grass covered, 

 on all sides for countless miles. And not a single fence 

 bars your wanderings. You drive hither and thither at 

 will, your only guide being a "likely" collection of grain 

 stacks in the distance. 



As it draws toward noon, repair to some convenient 

 stacks for shade, for these vast plains are treeless; eat 

 you lunch, rest your horses and dogs, and indulge in a 

 siesta. About 3 or 4 o'clock set out again for the stubble, 

 and work till dark. Then home over a "natural" road 

 worn into the prairie, whose deep ruts occasionally toss 

 you skyward. And now the well-earned supper, draw 

 and care for your birds, a final pipe, and bed, for it is 

 10 o'clock or later, and daybreak comes only too soon. 



We have seen there are several hours around noon 

 when the birds are in the grass or standing corn. If you 

 are out for a couple of weeks, better let them so remain 

 in peace, and spend those hours, the hottest of all, in 

 shady restfulness* But it is well to give occasional days 

 to grass hunting, especially durin? ling dry ".■spells" 

 when the birds visit the stubble but little and rise wild if 

 so found. 



With so vast an area of prairie to wander over, the find- 

 ing of coveys and scattered birds i3 generally difficult. 

 One, or better, two very wide ranging dogs are desirable. 

 Remain in the wagon yourselves while hunting at ran- 

 dom, until the dog comes to a point; then drive to within 

 say 100yds. of him, and finish afoot. Be ready for unex- 

 pected chickens as you advance. A covey may be scat- 

 tPied all about you. If only a single bird rises before the 

 dog, and especially if it be not an old cock, beat about 

 thoroughly before going on. 



When a covey is found in, or has been driven to, the 

 grass, the conditions are ripe for the very perfection 

 of sport. The birds are commonly somewhat tcattered, 

 and will rise singly, by twos and threes. It is not at all 

 unusual to spend half an horn' or more with such a dis- 

 persed covey and to bag six or ten birds from it. Deep 

 ravines or gullies, called "draws," are frequently met 

 with. In their grassy bottoms you often come* upon 

 coveys, and the conditions are then precisely the same as 

 described above. 



When looking for birds in standing corn, go only 10 or 

 20yds. #nto it if den^e, further if thin, and then up or 

 down the patch, looking with especial care through low- 

 lying corners. Your dog should work very close, or stay 

 at heel. If he ranges wild and points, it may take an 

 hour to find him. In any case, he is out of sight when 

 a short distance away, and so his work is useless. Coveys 

 in corn lie well, are usually more widely scattered than 

 in grass, and when found afford a goodly number of 

 shots. But it is, of course, difficuH to discover an un- 

 marked covey, and farmers are apt to object to your 

 tramping through such fieHs. Yet here is where" the 

 birds are for several hours each day, and you may count 

 on fioding more or less coveys by searching, and still 

 more surely on making good bags Avhen found. Special 

 care must be taken, however, to avoid accidents. Your 

 companion, though only a few yards distant, is hidden 

 from sight. 



As to stubble, wheat is best of all, then rye and barley, 

 next oats, and lastly flax. But exceptions prove rules, 

 and you will occasionally find your best coveys on flax. 

 Buckwheat is commonly sowed in patches in or at the 

 edere of fields of other grain, and is uncut in September. 

 This is the crime de la cr£me for the chickens. You may 



with certainty expect them to be "at home" here. In 

 standing corn you frequently find considerable so-called 

 wild buckwheat. This is also a choice chicken delicacy, 

 and birds may confidently be looked for thereabouts. 



In long continued dry spells, when no dew, even, fills, 

 birds give out but little scent to the dogs, and the best of 

 noses will score more flushes than points. Then make 

 your dog work very close, so you can get shots at many 

 of the flushed birds, and give most of your attention to 

 gra>-s and corn hunting. A rain or succession of heavy 

 dew falls will mend matters. 



In "maiking down" birds take notice of some object in 

 the line of their flight, as a bunch of weeds, end of a dis- 

 tant corn patch, a hillock, etc., ralher than attempt to 

 locate the exact spot of their alighting. If your "line" is 

 all right the dogs will readily find the game. Govern 

 yourself by this line also if the birds pass over rising 

 ground, a cornfield, or other obstacle, and are so lost to 

 sight. Chickens, when flushed, travel in almost a "bee 

 line" to an alighting place. I£ a covey scatters, or sev- 

 eral separate birds are put up, mark definitely a single 

 one or batch, and trust the rest to Providence, your com- 

 panion and the driver. One bird marked down with 

 certainty is worth half a dozen inexactly located. B rris 

 flushed into corn are more apt to run some little distance 

 than when dropping into grass. A good dog will readily 

 trail them, however. When the driver has marked down 

 birds let him remain where he is until you rejoin him. 

 It is much easier to hold a mark down than to pick it up 

 again. 



When a covey is found in a field, remember its exact 

 location. Pinnated grouse seem to have a strong affec- 

 tion for particular Fpots, often not apparently differing 

 from the other portions of a field. When you return 

 next day, or better after a day's interval, you will gener- 

 ally find your birds in or very near the old homestead. 



When a covey has been repeatedly found and shot into, 

 until but two or three pair are left, thereafter avoid that 

 field, and leave the remaining birds for "seed." 



If a bird is evidently hit, "dropping his leg," yet does 

 not fall, mark him down carefully. You will often find 

 him "stone dpad," having literally flown while life lasted. 



Provide boots of soft calfskin for the dogs, to lace about 

 the legs. Their feet get worn and often badly cut on the 

 harsh, dry stubble. In such cases a boot protects the 

 wound or worn flesh from dirt, the cut readily heals, 

 and the dog need not give up work. Lift your dogs from 

 the wagon, or stoop over and let them jump on your 

 back and thence to the ground. The high jump from 

 the wagon upon sharp stubble frequently gives a very 

 bad foot wound. 



Carry a big jug of water in the wagon for dogs and 

 selves. Watpr, especially good water, is seldom met 

 with, and dogs require it liberally and frequently. 



For foot wear, in early morning use leather shoes or 

 boots, with waterproof leggins reaching to the thighs, or 

 an old pair of high-top light rubber boots. The tall grass 

 is dripping with dew, and wets one about as quickly and 

 thoroughly as a mill pond. As the sun dries the moist- 

 ure, change to leather or stout cinvas base ball shoes, 

 preferably the latter, with corrugated rubber soles in 

 either cage. The stubble soon makes a leather sole slip- 

 pery as glass, and walking then becomes very wearisome. 

 Carry an old overcoat, and have the driver provide blank- 

 ets for lap robes. The early morning and late evening 

 are here quite cold in September. Wear a. hat with a 

 wide, rather stiff brim, that it may not constantly flap in 

 your eyes. Shortly after "sun up" daily a strong wind 

 awakens, to die away as regularly at nightfall. 



Walk around a field of standing flax, not through it, 

 nor let your dog race in it. Thoughtless or wanton 

 damage done to crops is naturally a source of great irri- 

 tation to their owners, and has much to do with the hos- 

 tility farmers bear to sportsmen. "Put yourself in his 

 place" in all cases is also a paiaphase of the Gulden Rule, 

 and should ever be kept in mind, if for no better reason 

 than self-interest. 



Do not Venture near the vast droves of cattle that are 

 herded upon these plains. An old bull is apt to charge 

 your dog, and so set up a stampede in the entire herd. 

 Then woe betide the luckless hunter on foot, for the 

 whole mass will pass over him in senseless fury. 



Shot running about 325 pellets to the ounce (Chicago 7s, 

 Tatham's trap 7s) is not far astray. Late in the month, 

 and for second barrel especially, shot running about 250 

 pellets to the ounce (Chicago 6-) serve admirably. We 

 would not recommend a smaller shot than the first 

 named, for September shooting. Wood or Schultze 

 powder is an advantage for the first barrel. 



In the matter of guns, if you can make choice, select a 

 12 or 16-gauge, of about 71 bs. weight, or a trifle le*s. 

 Ounces become pounds and pounds tons as miles are piled 

 up. But if your only choice is that of the famou-* Mr. 

 Hobson, then that particular gun is just the one to fill the 

 bill. As for dogs, a volume would not serve to set forth 

 the superior qualities of either setter or pointer. Both 

 are good, and each imcomparably the better, according 

 as your fancy dictates. The setter is good enough for us, 

 however. 



To draw birds, force middle finger up vent, remove 

 most of entrails, then use fore and middle fingers to finish, 

 and wipe out dry with a wisp of soft hay. If you use 

 Preservaline, dust the cavity with the powder, and stuff 

 rather tightly with a fresh wad of hay. Now sprinkle a 

 little among the ruffled-up feathers, smooth them down 

 again, put a pinch of the powder in the bird's mouth, and 

 a little on any very bad wound or broken wing. Such 

 oirds will keep for a week in ordinary weather. Hang 

 in a cool place until wanted for use. 



September is the golden month for chicken shooting. 

 Now, the tempered rays of the sun, the cool nights and 

 morning, make walking and p easure as lovably disposed 

 one to the other as husband and wife (should be). About 

 the first of October the birds begin to gather in masses, 

 aggregations of many coveys (called "flocking") and are 

 then almost impossible of approach. But during one 

 long delicious month, the "season" is at its prime, and 

 affords a sport so glorious that the hunter's whole cata^- 

 logue has not one surpassing it. Alex. T. Loyd. 



A Book About Indians— The Fohest and Stream will mail 

 frep on appl.caiion a dehcr-plive ciri ulwr of Mr. (TrinuelPs book, 

 "Pamiep Hero Stories and bolk. Tales," givine r table of contents 

 anH sneHmen UlURiratinnB from fchp volume. — Adv. 



Names and Portraits of Birds, by Gurdon Trumbun. A 

 book particularly interesting to gunners, for by its use ttiey can 

 Identify without question all the American game birds wblch 

 they may kill. Cloth, 220 pages, price $2.50. For sale by ForjeSS 

 and Stream. 



