70 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Aug. 14, 1890. 



UPLAND PLOVER IN NEBRASKA, 



OMAHA, Neb., July 28.— The gunters in this part of 

 the country are having great sport just now with 

 the upland plover. The birds came in one week ago and 

 old hunters say in greater numbers than for many years. 

 In some localities, principally in the high lands up from 

 the different water courses, the prairie fairly swarms 

 with them. 



They are in superb condition, of course, and a more 

 delicate dish than baked plover just at this time would 

 be difficult to conjure up indeed. 



Out here the old timers prefer a damp, lowering, even 

 a showery day, for plover shooting, and many of them 

 cannot be induced to go abroad when the meteorological 

 conditions are otherwise. But, as is the case in many 

 other instances, I disagree with the moss-covered old 

 timers, and for a day with these birds give me one just 

 like I had Friday, bright and clear, and hotter than 

 blazes. 



It is the same old story with the veteran duck shooter, 

 but equally as fallacious. He declares that the day must 

 be windy and storm-laden, with flurries of snow and other 

 disagreeable concomitants, for success with the wildfowl. 

 But he is "off," as I have demonstrated a thousand and 

 one times to my thorough satisfaction, and I can never be 

 shaken in my belief. To talk about certain conditions of 

 the weather for success with the different varieties of 

 game is all well enough, and adds a spice to the subject 

 matter it could extract from no other source, but always, 

 if possible, give me the pleasantest weather that can be 

 ordered for any kind of shooting. I've seen it in all 

 its phases, from elk and sheep in the rugged mountains of 

 Wyoming and Montana to rail on the reedy Delaware. I 

 have sat in a boat all day long, with the mercury flu-ting 

 with zero, out in the sloughs of the lower Illinois, knock- 

 ing the incomparable mallard right and left, and never 

 thought of the cold until the waning light ended the 

 shooting and brought with it a realization that I was all 

 but frozen, and thought it unexampled sport. Then again 

 I have had just as grand shooting and made even bigger 

 bags of the same birds when the atmosphere was at tem- 

 porate heat, and know it was sport a thousandfold more 

 enjoyable, and robbed wholly of the dangers of pneu- 

 monic and rheumatic visitations in the future. Oh, yes, 

 give me a balmy air and a flood of yellow sunshine to 

 shoot in, let it be deer, turkey, duck, snipe, quail or 

 plover, and I'm content. It matters nothing to me then 

 what the connoisseurs of the sport assert is" necessary to 

 success. 



But my plover shoot. We drove out the old Oregon 

 trail— Arthur Vorys, an old friend of mine, and I— until 

 we reached the Platte, where we halted and made pre- 

 parations for a day of it. We had seen hundreds of 

 plover en route, aud when we stopped could hear their 

 plaintive whistle on the right and. left of us, and we were 

 no wise uneasy about the result of our expedition. Why, 

 already a dozen pairs of yellowlegs lay in the bottom of 

 the buggy we had knocked down along the roadside on 

 our way out. 



We camped first back of a little bay in a grove of 

 dwarfish maples, with a selvage of wild sunflowers and 

 sumach, and a baldric of silver sand stretching down to 

 the water's edge. It was yet early in the morning, and 

 the gurgling Platte wore a dark green polish, with an in- 

 termingling of shadows full of sprinkled light, which 

 made the outlook entrancing. 



After the horse had been watered and fed and rested 

 sufficiently we again hooked up, got into the vehicle and 

 started up over the yellow grass for the top of the bluffs. 

 We had no dog, nor did we want any. Dogs and plover 

 shooting do not go together. The birds are always in 

 plain sight, and easily gathered after being killed. They 

 are wholly different from jacksnipe, which are the hard- 

 est birds in the world to retrieve without the aid of a 

 good dog's nose. 



Well, we had barely reached the brow of the ridge 

 when we were electrified by a very chorus of twoo-twill- 

 twees, and as many as four dozen yellowlegs. in bunches 

 of seven and eight, curved their ash-colored wings in lazy 

 flight. A bunch of nine, nearest to us, were the very 

 last to arise, and Arthur and I had no difficulty in get- 

 ting in both barrels and but three of the flock escaped. 



It is slaughter, I know, but there is but precious little 

 single plover shooting when hunting the birds in this 

 manner. I have seen twenty-three plover fall to a single 

 gun and at a single shot, and hundreds of times as high 

 as six, seven, ten or a dozen. 



Bat the birds are delicious, and none are ever waited, 

 for the man who would refuse a string of these luscious 

 birds is not human, that's all. In the market to-day they 

 bring readily $2.75 to $3.50 a dozen, even more than the 

 . matchless little gallinago in the spring and autumn. 



Well, we drove here and thereover the prairie in an 

 aimless fashion for nearly three hours, and there were 

 but brief cessations in the exhilarating sport which began 

 at the bluff's top. 



We always alighted after the first few volleys from the 

 buggy, whenever we saw the birds running ahead of us 

 over the short buffalo sward, or standing here and there 

 upon one leg, like the outposts of some great ornitholog- 

 ical army, and took our chances on single birds. And 

 my! you ought to see that man Vorys with his twelve 

 Colt. It seemed to me that he could reach a pair of yel- 

 lowlegs at a hundred yards away. It mattered not to 

 him — tailers, quarterers, outgoers and incomers, it was 

 all the same. I did not see him make a miss the entire 

 day, and in truth he made none. Oh, I know you will 

 say anybody can knock down nineteen plover out of 

 twenty, but you are mistaken. I have been in the field 

 about as much as the next one and am able to hold my 

 own at any kind of game with the majority of shoot- 

 ers, but you can bet a plover gives me the slip occasion- 

 ally. Take an old cock and give him a good running 

 start, then let him rise and skin off close to the sear- 

 topped grass, and it's ten to one you or any one else will 

 be very liable to overshoot him. 



But to curtail what might be stretched into a long 

 story, the total of our day's outing footed up just ninety- 

 two plover, two big prairie hawks, a monster' rattlesnake 

 and an owl. S. G. 



Virginia Bay Snipe.— Norfolk, Va.— On Monday last. 

 Aug. 4, we had one of the finest day's shooting we have 

 had this season. On Sunday morning Messrs. T. J. Hay- 

 wood, E. L. Bartlett and HP. Lucas, of Baltimore, came 

 down by the Bay Line. At the Princess Anne Hotel, 

 Virginia Beach, they were met by Messrs. Wm. Gamp, 



R. C. Byrd, Wm. Pannill and J. B.White, and soon after 

 we drove to the Martin's Point Gun Club. Monday 

 morning we were in our blinds just after sunrise. On 

 counting up at 8 o'clock we found we had bagged 270 

 graybacks, yellowlegs and grass plover. In the after- 

 noon when it was cool and pleasant we returned to our 

 blinds. From that time until we had fired away all our 

 cartridges the natives in the vicinity thought "the war" 

 was not over, O a counting our whole bag for the day 

 we had 840, for which we had fired about ] ,300 cartridges. 

 This was an average of 120 to each gun. Considering the 

 time in which it was all done we had good sport. Several 

 large bags have been made at the club since July 1. Mr. 

 A. H. Hubbard, of Philadelphia, has been down for three 

 weeks, and found game very plenty every day. Captain 

 Jack Todd, C. Woodard and N. Beaman killed 250 one 

 day last week. This club is a new one, and there are two 

 shares left, which can be had by two good fellows by 

 applying to Wm. Camp, Sec'y Martin's Point Gun Club, 

 Norfolk, Va., or J. B. White of same city.— Yellowleg. 



My First and Last Buffalo Hunt.— When I was a 

 lad living in Massachusetts there came along one day a 

 show, which consisted of some fourteen young buffalo 

 and a camel. During the hours of exhibition a man 

 came out of the tent and delivered a lecture on the 

 American bison, mode of capture, etc. I have never 

 made up my mind why that man selected me from 

 among so many boys to represent the buffalo in a grand 

 hunt to show the beauties of the lasso; and to this day I 

 am in doubt whether it was because I more closely re- 

 sembled the young American buffalo or because he 

 thought I was more fleet of foot, but he did select me, 

 and I at once became in spirit a young buffalo. If the 

 envious boys came too near and felt my shaggy hair, I 

 lowered my horns and made a charge, scattering the 

 boys in all directions. Finally a space was cleared, and 

 I was given two rods start and was told to run and "put 

 in my best licks." Away I went across the prairie, mad- 

 dened by the shouts of the boys, fire in my eyes, the hot 

 steam gushing from my nostrils. I dashed across the 

 prairie, leaving the boys far behind, when all at once 

 something flashed down before my eyes, I felt some- 

 thing like a coarse round tile sawing across my chin , and 

 I lay on the ground, the buffalo all gone out of me, and 

 a great score across my. chin. And so ended my first and 

 last buffalo hunt. — James Wight. 



Shooting Notes in the Sunday "Sun."— Perth Amboy, 

 N. J., Aug. 10.— On Sunday, Aug. 27, the oracular person 

 who inspires the column in the Sun which deals in shoot- 

 ing and fishing told its readers that there had been no 

 flight of bay birds along the. coast as yet, nor would there 

 be until a change should occur in the "meteorological 

 conditions." I happen to know that yellowlegs were fly- 

 ing at Chadwicks, N. J., on July, 13, 14 and 15, and that 

 a large flight occurred on the 25th, 26th and 27th, in spite 

 of "meteorological conditions." In to-day's Sun we may 

 read reports from the New Jersey coast as follows: "Bar- 

 negat. — So far only a few yellow snipe have arrived." 

 "Townsend's Inlet. — Bay snipe are as yet very scarce." 

 Compare with these reports the following extracts from 

 a letter received yesterday from a point on Bar negat Bay: 

 "On Wednesday, the 6th inst., there were droves of birds. 

 Some flocks yesterday (the 7th) had 50 to 75 birds. Got 

 40 myself. There were quite a number of birds flying 

 to-day. One flock of 30 yelpers came over my decoys 

 while I was away from the blind." Verbum sat.—K. 



Five Cubs up a Tkee.— Palmer, Mich., Aug. 2. 

 — Five cubs were killed here this week. They were 

 all upon a large pine tree, and were first seen 

 by a Finlander, who was chopping wood. He told 

 some fellows that lived close by, and they started 

 with rifles, shotguns, revolvers, and double-bitt axes. 

 Some of the party climbed up small trees and began 

 shooting. They fired about fifty shots before they 

 brought all of those cubs to the ground. There were 

 three male and two female cubs. The heaviest of them 

 was 451bs. During the combat one of the old bears 

 showed up; but one of the party cut loose at her with a 

 charge of fine shot, and she skipped. If there had been 

 any person in the party that had any gumption about 

 him they might have caught all of those cubs alive. It 

 is a shame to shoot cubs at this season of the year, as the 

 hide is no good and those folks let the meat spoil.— Grib- 

 bin. 



Omaha, Neb. — Omaha hotels are serving young prairie 

 chicken under the head of upland plover every day, and 

 yet the gun clubs have taken no steps toward stopping 

 them. Judge Dundy, "Skip" Dundy, Dr. Galbraith and 

 Henry Homan, of this city, and Editor Hathaway, of 

 Lincoln, left recently for a grizzly bear hunt in the 

 mountains of Montana. — S. G. 



The Yellowstone Pahk and Dining Cab Route.— The 

 Northern Pacific Railroad, stretching from the Great Lakes to 

 the Pacific coast, with its elegant vestibuled service of dining 

 cars and Pullman sleepers, not only affords husiness men, tourists 

 and others a route of travel equal in everv respect to any in the 

 country, but renders accessible to sportsmen the only region in 

 which can be found to-day the large game which was once so 

 plentiful in. all the West. In addition to the large game, the 

 sportsman will find in the country along the line of the Northern 

 Pacific Railroad such quantities of small game as is unknown in 

 the East. This line, penetrating the Lake Park region of Minn- 

 esota, and running through the valleys of such trout streams as the 

 Yellowstone, Gallatin, Hell Gate, Clark's Fork, Spokane, Yakima 

 and Green rivers, as well as lying in close proximity to the hunt- 

 ing grounds of the Big Horn, Snowy, Belt, Bitter Root, Rocky, 

 Coeur D'Alene and Cascade Mountains, is unquestionably the 

 sportsmen's route of America. The pamphlet, "Game Preserves 

 or North America," together with other interesting publication, 

 descriptive of the Yellowstone Park and Alaska tours, will be 

 mailed free on application to Chas. S. Fee, G. P. & T. A., N. P. 

 R. R., St. Paul, Minn.— Adv. 



Mr. S. BorviN, whose advertisement of the Metabetchouan Hotel 

 appears in another column, is prepared to put ambitious anglers 

 in the way of catching good bags of ouananische, and supplies 

 guides, canoes, etc., for either fishing or hunting expeditions. He 

 promises good sport with caribou and other large game.— A.dv. 



Forest and Stream, Box 2,832, N. Y. city, has deseriptive illus- 

 trated circulars of W. B. Leffingwell's book, "Wild Fowl Shoot- 

 ing," which will be mailed free on request. The book is pro- 

 nounced by "Nanit," "Gloan," LV Dick Swiveller " "Syblllene" and 

 other competent authorities to be the best treatise on the subject 

 extant. 



Names and Portraits of Birds, by Gurdon Trumbull. A 

 book particularly Interesting to gunners, for by its use they can 

 Identify without question all the American game birds which 

 they may kill. Cloth, 230 pages, price $2.60. For sale by Forest 

 akd Stbham. 



to mfi §ivqr .Stehittg* 



FISHING NEAR NEW YORK. 



TfOR practical and specific directions to reach several hundred 

 A fishing resorts within easy distance of New York eity, see 

 issues of 1889 as iollows: April 18, April 25, May 2, May 9, May 80, 

 June 6, June 13. June 20, June 27. 



BIG-MOUTH AND SMALL- MOUTH. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I have read for many years the varying views of Forest 

 and Stream's correspondents concerning the compara- 

 tive game qualities of the large -mouthed and small- 

 mouthed black bass. I have also read what Dr. Henshall 

 has to say on the subject, which is in effect (if I remember 

 rightly) that there is little if any difference between the 

 two varieties in that respect. Some of the writers agree 

 with his opinion, while others (I think the ma jority) join 

 issue with him. No doubt all are entirely sincere and 

 each sjpeaks from his own observation. I do not propose 

 to join in the discussion as an advocate for either side; 

 but it has occurred to me that this may be a case parallel 

 to that of the shield concerning the color of which the 

 two knights disputed until they discovered that its two 

 sides were of different colors; in other words, that 

 whether the large-mouthed bass is as game as his small- 

 mouthed brother depends. An experience of my own 

 will perhaps tend to show that it does. 



Some- years ago I was in the habit of visiting (latterly 

 in the good company of my and your esteemed friend 

 and accomplished angler and scribe, "Wawayanda") a 

 lake in Ontario which abounded in bass of both kinds. 

 It does not, alas! so abound now, thanks to the depreda- 

 tions of a rapacious monster, fitly named pike ("may his 

 face be turned upside down and jackasses dance on the 

 grave of his uncle!"), who, with the connivance of the 

 bibulous fish constable and the short -sigted natives of the 

 vicinage, ruined the fishing with his accursed nets. But 

 before his much-lamented advent the sport was magnifi- 

 cent. Large-mouth and small-mouth took the fly eagerly 

 at all times: but there was no room for doubt that the 

 latter were by all odds the most persistent fighters. It , 

 was easy, within a short time after a strike, to determine 

 whether it was Mr. Salmoides or Monsieur Dolomieu with 

 whom I was trying conclusions. 



Now, in the course of conversation with my boatman, 

 I was told by him of a small lake a mile or two distant, 

 in which, as he said, were to be found bass whose edible 

 qualities were far superior to those possessed by the deni- 

 zens of the larger lake, and his soul yearned for some of 

 them. So one day, at his solicitation, I mounted my 

 boat on a hay wagon and soon reached a beautiful pond 

 surrounded by high shores, and the steel blue water in 

 which was of crystal clearness and almost icy tempera- 

 ture. At one or two points a narrow bar of dazzling 

 white clay extended beneath the water a hundred yards 

 or so, but its sides descended abruptly, and there was 

 practically no shallow water in the pond. 



I remained all day, but took only a dozen (my average 

 catch in the larger lake was sixty — which, be it remem- 

 bered, were all eaten), for the fish, owing to the clearness 

 of the water, were exceedingly shy; but that dozen was 

 worth coming for. They fought like demons and leaped 

 like the bounty jumpers of war times; and they all had 

 "mouths from year to year like an overseer's wages." 

 So far as I could judge from that and subsequent experi- 

 ence there, not a small-mouthed bass was in the pond; 

 but no small-mouth could have surpassed them in vigor- 

 ous and prolonged resistance to the angler's efforts to take 

 them from their moist environment. 



The moral of which is that it seems probable that in 

 cold, clear water (which he will not, however, inhabit 

 from choice — I tell it to his shame) the large-mouthed 

 bass "don't ask no odds" of his small-mouthed brother, 

 but those conditions being somewhat rare the majority 

 of anglers find him the less energetic of the two varieties, 

 while those who happen to find him where he cannot 

 reach warm, shoal water and muddy bottom are justified 

 by their experience in defending him against the charge 

 of imperfect development of the organ of combativeness. 

 All which is respectfully submitted. 



I may add that the fish above mentioned corroborated 

 the boatman's statement when served at table, for I found 

 them more toothsome than any other bass of either sort I 

 had ever eaten. Truthful James. 



ANGLING NOTES. 



THE anglers who have gone to the far-off waters of 

 Lake St. John for landlocked salmon are having 

 much better sport this year than last, and the fish are 

 much larger and in better condition. One well known 

 New Yorker writes that he has lost several "big ones" 

 trying to land them with an ordinary trout net. They 

 are now mostly caught in the boiling, rushing waters of 

 the Grande Discharge, and it requires stout tackle to 

 handle the leaping beauties. There is a new hotel building 

 at the mouth of the river, and it will be ready for guests 

 very shortly. Of course this will be a great convenience 

 to the visitors and save the long trip from Hotel Eober- 

 val; but it is a question if making it so convenient will 

 not injure the fishing, as it has in so many other places. 

 Just so siue as large crowds are attracted to a good fish- 

 ing place, the supply, no matter how great, gives out 

 sooner or later — witness the waters of Lake Gogebic, 

 Nepigon River, Rangeley Lakes, etc., etc. There is only 

 one way to prevent it, and that is to limit the catch. At 

 Gogebic tons of bass were brought in only to be buried, 

 and it is the same at many famous resorts. It seems im- 

 possible so teach the mass of people to be moderate in 

 their catch, and to return the surplus to the water. 



The Adirondack season is now at its height and every- 

 where throughout that region the hotels are full to over- 

 flowing and the guides all busy, while the different trans- 

 portation companies have all they can do to handle the 

 crowd and their luggage. It is amusing to see the tourists 

 with Saratoga trunks in the light Adirondack boat and to 

 hear the remarks of the guides, particularly when mak- 

 ing a carry. Of course the sportsmen fight shy of the 

 much-traveled routes, for it is only by visiting out-of -the 

 way places that any game or fish can be found. The 

 speckled trout are now only found where cold springs 

 strike in, and these places are only known to the first-class 



