July si, 1890.] FOREST AND STREAM. 29 



jyolish-Bohernian element. He has repeatedly refused to 

 Ldome down and seize batches of illegal game, and this 

 .even when a justice of the peace had requested he he 

 procured for that purpose. He is a pebble in the cog- 

 Wheel of the law's machinery, insignificant and con- 

 Jjemptible, it is true, but effective in full negativeness. 

 The governor who will appoint and maintain in office 

 such a man deserves to lose the votes of the intelligent 

 citizens interested in his action, and to be confined to the 

 society and support of the Polacks and Bohemians whom 

 he seemingly loves more than he does gentlemen. The 

 governor's action in this case was deliberate, and it is 

 easily remediable by himself. The action of the Legis- 

 lature may have been hasty or not fully advised when 

 fthis search warrant clause went through. Let it be cor- 

 rected, so that the game warden system will not be an 

 absolute farce in this State and city, as it is now, and we 

 shall find in the clear decision now at hand ample back- 

 ing for some sort of action against offenders, who of late 

 have done quite as they saw fit, regardless altogether of 

 the law. The common carriers of illegal game have 

 I been reached herein. Reach now the purchasers of 

 Ktflegal game, by means of a law which has at least some 

 1 possibility of execution, and it may be held certain that 

 I the inducements for market shooting will be materially 

 I. Curtailed. 



I July 25. — Any one having a good dog could have fine 

 l-WOodcock shooting on Mak-saw-ba club grounds now. It 

 ■ does not appear that there is a good dog in the club, so 

 njiuch has the old sport of upland shooting fallen into 

 Kfecay hereabouts. There was a little trap shoot down at 

 I Mak-saw-ba the other day, whose results are given in 

 I another column. On the morning following, just before 

 ■taking the train for the city, Mr. Mussey, one of the par- 

 liicipants in the trap shoot, killed four woodcock hardly 

 I] 00yds. from the club house and saw nearly a dozen 

 ■more. "I could have got half a dozen more," said Billy, 

 t"if I only had a dog to indi- 

 cate their presence." "Indi- 

 cate their presence" is good. 

 IT think Billy must be going 

 fto write a book, or a syndi- 

 cate article on field sports. 

 I Speaking of books reminds 

 lone that our industrious f el- 

 bow townsman, Mr. G. 0. 

 pJhields, has just gotten out 

 I mother book, this one on the 



jig game of North America. 



A.s Mr. Shields has enlisted 

 I >,wenty-six privates under his 

 Iq o m m a n d herein, each of / 

 ■whom is official in a way, / 

 ■this book may fairly be said / 

 po be a corker. Chicago /■ 

 Beads the world. l 

 I There will be good chicken 

 {shooting in Illinois this fall, 

 I barring the usual illegal 



ahooting before the season 



opens. There are unusually 



large numbers of chickens 



all through the West this 



year, for some reason or 



other. The country below 



Aurora, thirty • eight miles 



from here, has plenty of 



birds, and at Yorkvilie the 



same report is made. Yorkvilie is 13 miles further down 

 the Fox Valley. Different points along the Alton road re- 

 port young birds abundant. Alternating years of open and 

 close season would keep prairie chickens plenty in this 

 State. There were prairie chickens hatched within six 

 miles of Chicago this spring. It is the country shooters 

 who kill off most of the chickens. Chicago hunters have 

 almost forgotten there ever was such a bird, and have 

 fallen out of the way of going after it. 



A reader of Forest and Stream writes me from Elmi- 

 ra, N.Y., asking where he and two friends can have good 

 fair sport at shooting and fishing from Aug. 20 to Oct. 1. 

 I have advised him to go out to the Park or lake region 

 0f Minnesota. There is a very delightful combination of 

 ducks, chickens and bass out there in the fall. One of my 

 Chicago friends, whose name has figured in so many 

 recent escapades that I suppress it now, has gone out in 

 that country every fall for the past ten years. One time 

 —it was some years ago, but such a story never grows 

 old— two members of the party of which he made one 

 iwent out bass fishing, and such was their luck that they 

 lunloaded their boat on a point and went out for more. 

 •Enter thereupon my friend B. and his companion, who 

 fctole twenty-one of the finest bass out of the pile. The 

 lioke of it was the other fellows had so many bass they 

 Jdidn't miss the paltry twenty- one until they were told of 

 jit. Then they swore revenge. That night they got into 

 the chief miscreant's cartridge box, removed the shot from 

 all his shells and replaced them with buckshot. The next 

 flay everybody went out hunting. Someway, everybody 

 yieemed willing to hold back and let my friend B. do 

 I/he shooting. A little bunch of snipe was marked down, 

 find B. made an elegant sneak on them, but the buck- 

 {ihot failed to stop a snipe. Then they got into one covey 

 jaiter another of chickens, and everybody courteously 

 ■stepped back and allowed B. to take the points. He 

 Iblazed away right and left, and shot till his gun was hot, 

 font couldn't hit a bird. A troubled look came over his 

 ■face, perspiration stood on his brow, and he faintly 

 ■rowed that he wasn't going to touch another drop of it 

 bs long as he lived. He took one more shot after that, 

 ■missed his bird, and then came back and climbed into the 

 twagon, looking pale and anxious. "Come on, boys, let's 

 feo home," said he, "I aint feeling very well, and I believe 

 ■I'm going to have a spell of sickness." And he pretty 

 fiear did have when the boys told him the reason he 

 fcouldn't hit anything. That happened years ago, but it 

 ■s_ something that remains green in the minds of B.'s 

 friends even to-day, and they are always ready to suggest 

 la way to break a man of stealing bass. 

 I All the way from Lexington, Ky., comes an invitation 

 to be present at the first meet of the season of the 

 ■Iroquois Hunting and Riding Club of that city, Friday at 

 15 P. M. , July 25, the rendezvous being at Gratz Park. This 

 Is a wicked, tantalizing and sinful world, for that no one 

 ^herein can have all the fun there is. Certainly there are 

 ■few pleasures which can equal even the briefest visit to 

 the Blue Grass country of Kentucky. There is a charm 

 •bout that region which, like the color or the perfume of 



a flower, baffles analysis. It is the only part of America 

 which is American. If one could paint a picture of the 

 Iroquois meet he would make his fortune at a stroke and 

 so be able to quit work and live as I am persuaded it was 

 originally intended all men should live— like the lilies of 

 the field. I have an idea I would take to that lily busi- 

 ness mighty handily; only, I should insist on being 

 located in Kentucky. They know how to live and enjoy 

 life down there. E, Houaii. 



NEW ENGLAND GAME. 



BOSTON, July 20.— In the first place it is worthy of 

 mention that the State of Maine has lately been 

 visited by the most terrible cyclone on record in that 

 State. This has to do with the shooting prospects there, 

 in that it is probable that a great body of trees is pros- 

 trated and many a good hunting section ruined, so far as 

 getting through it is concerned. Nearly the entire north- 

 ern part of the State was visited by the tempest, with 

 numerous trees uprooted and forests blown down . In 

 the region of the Rangeley Lakes the storm was particu- 

 larly severe. It came at a time of the day when the little 

 steamers that run up and down those lakes were gener- 

 ally at their moorings, and hence there were no lives lost, 

 so far as heard from, though the lakes were disturbed to 

 an extent never before witnessed by those who have been 

 acquainted with their borders for years. Trees were 

 prostrated, and roadways blockaded, though few of the 

 permanent camps were injured. The work of the gale 

 will interest the sportsmen only in so much as it wil I 

 render his progress through the Maine woods more diffi- 

 cult than ever, though the lumber people will lose heavily 

 in prostrated timber. 



But the prospects for game are very bright. In Massa- 

 chusetts it is declared by all who have been out that there 

 were never nearly so many quail. One sportsman, who 



RING PHEASANT (Phasianus torquatus). 



went out with his dogs on July 4, but without any gun, 

 declares that he never saw as many quail in one day be- 

 fore. He also started a good many grouse. In Maine 

 the reports of grouse are very good indeed. The old birds 

 wintered remarkably well, the mild winter being favor- 

 able. Then the young birds are reported very plenty, 

 even where but few were seen last year. At one farm- 

 house in Hebron, in Oxford county, in that State, the cat, 

 a good mouser, has brought in five young partridges. 

 This is something unheard of by the people in that sec- 

 tion. The cat would have been stopped in her career after 

 the game birds only she is too valuable a mouser to lose, 

 and at each depredation it was expected that it would be 

 her last, from the fact that the partridge chicks were 

 nearly half grown. How the cat got them is a mystery 

 to those acqainted with the habits of the ruffed grouse. 

 In the same neighborhood a farm boy caught nearly a 

 whole Utter of the partridges a few weeks before. In 

 this case the little chicks were unable to fly. They were 

 kept for a short time and then allowed to escape. 



Trout fishermen report the grouse very plenty, where 

 they have been into the woods, and the chances are that 

 they have summered well. The season has been wet, 

 especially in northern New England, but the rains have 

 not been very cold ones since June came in, though 

 rather cold previous to that month. It is probable that 

 the young grouse were not generally hatched till the 

 weather was warm. The prospects for berries in the 

 woods are excellent, and hence the birds will be in good 

 condition. Nothing but a very extended drought can 

 hinder an abundant crop of wild berries, indeed such a 

 crop is already ripening in southern New England. Blue- 

 berry pickers report seeing a good many grouse and quail. 

 The record of deer seen in the Maine woods this season is 

 also a good one. The light winter was favorable to them 

 as well as to the birds. The snows were so light that 

 they were able to find better feed, while it was next to 

 impossible to crust them, since there was very little snow 

 and very little crust. Dogging was done in some section s , 

 at least hounds were heard in the woods in the regies of 

 the Magallaway Upper Settlement, and the owner of the 

 dogs has very probably a case to settle with the Game 

 Commissioners. But generally there is not much com- 

 plaint of illegal hunting deer in that State. The fall 

 shooting promises to be good, if the timber is not too 

 badly prostrated by the wind storm of Tuesday, July 8, 

 as mentioned above. Perhaps it will be well for the 

 large game if the woods are pretty badly blown down, 

 since it will possibly give it a respite from the hunters. 

 But later reports will tell how extensively the hunting is 

 hurt by fallen trees. Special. 



A Book About Indians.— The Forest and Stream will mail 

 tree on application a descriptive circular of Mr. Grinnell's book, 

 "Pawnee Hero Stories and Folk-Tales," giving a table of contents 

 and specimen illustrations from the volume.— Adv. 



A Model Railway.— The Burlington Route, O..B. & Q. R.R., 

 operates 7,000 miles of road, with termini in Chicago, St. Louis' 

 St. Paul, Omaha, Kansas City and Denver. For speed, safety , 

 comfort, equipment, track and efficient service it has no equal' 

 The Burlington gains new patrons, hut loses none, - Adv. 



JACKING DEER IN MAINE. 



Editor Forent and Stream: 



If reports in the Maine papers and from private sources 

 are to be believed deer are more plenty than ever in many 

 parts of that State. They are seen very frequently, as 

 they come out into the openings to feed. They evidently 

 wintered well, and were crusted but little for the want of 

 deep snows and crusts. The October and November 

 shooting ought to be good. Indeed, it will be good, if 

 there is anything left of it. Now, I do not like to scold, 

 but I would like to ask the meaning of all the jibes and 

 sneers, and banters at jack shooting in the Maine papers 

 that are not particularly noted for their love of the little 

 of protection that hangs about the big game in that State. 

 Many of these papers contain dark hints as to what is 

 going on. They do not actually state, in so many words, 

 that jacking deer in July and August is tolerated in cer- 

 tain localities, but they hint at as much and admit that 

 the jack lights are there and that parties go out with 

 them. If they go out with a guide and a jack lamp,what 

 is it for? It certainly cannot be for the amusement of the 

 guide, and those fellows that will do such a thing can 

 hardly have an idea that it will be a good thing to go out 

 now and then during the summer in oi'der to get the deer 

 accustomed to the light and the boat, that they may be 

 the more easily approached and shot when the open sea- 

 son comes on. No. Those fellows have only one idea; 

 that is to kill a deer, no matter if it is in the summer, 

 when the deer is poor and thin, and ten to one it is a doe 

 with a couple of fawns back in the woods that must 

 starve, since their mother and [their only source of sus- 

 tenance is shot. Such is dastardly business. It is cruel. 

 It is illegal, and more is the surprise that men who claim 

 to be respectable law-abiding citizens at home must take 

 a gun on their vacation trip into the Maine woods in July 

 and August. But they do it. They not only take a gun, 

 but they take a jack light. 

 They silence their consciences 

 by the argument that their 

 vacation comes in the illegal 

 season for such game, and 

 they much desire to kill a 

 deer— just one deer, and that 

 one can make no particular 

 difference in regard to the 

 supply. They lose sight of the 

 fact that there are hundreds 

 of other men in just their 

 plight, and that there are not 

 deer enough in Maine to go 

 half way round. They are 

 encouraged by guides and 

 hotel keepers, or at least they 

 are not discouraged. They 

 are not told that to kill a deer 

 out of season is to steal it 

 from the sportsman who is 

 willing to keep the law. 



I fear that jack shooting 

 in July and August is being 

 done to a greater extent than 

 usual this season in the 

 Maine woods. I know of 

 several improved jack lights 

 that have gone into camp of 

 late. If the Maine game 

 protectors desire to know 

 where to watch for these jack lights they can ad- 

 dress me care of the Forest and Stream, and I 

 will inform them where the light3 have gone, and 

 in one or two cases give them the names of the 

 parties who have taken the lights into camp, though I do 

 not intend to work in the position of a detective. But I 

 am indignant that such jack shooting and jack hunting 

 after deer in the summer months should go unpunished. 

 I desire to legally shoot deer in the open season, and, 

 unless this illegal hunting is stopped, I stand little chance 

 of being rewarded for my trouble in visiting Maine each 

 year in the month of October, rather to find some of the 

 marks of jack shooting than game to be shot. Last 

 October I tramped through the forest six miles to a pond 

 where very few sportsmen go, thinking my chances for a 

 deer Avere good there. What did I find? An old boat, 

 fixed to hold a jack light, and the bones and hair of a 

 deer on the shore. The deer had evidently been killed 

 more than a month previous, for the flesh had so com- 

 pletely gone to decay as to give out no smell, and the 

 bones were considerably bleached. The carcass was 

 doubtless too poor in flesh to be of the slightest use to the 

 thief after he had stolen it. Now, I only ask that more 

 pains be taken by the authoi-ities in Maine to stop this 

 illegal jacking of deer by so many sportsmen and vaca- 

 tionists who go there in the close season. If a warden in 

 a certain locality has proved himself incompetent to 

 grapple With it, after so many years of service, then he 

 should yield his place to some one else. 



State of Maine. 



Omaha, Neb., July 28.— John Ellis, an old-time mem- 

 ber of the Omaha Gun Club and one of the best trap and 

 field shots in the country, has returned after a long 

 hunting expedition in Texas. He has had some remark- 

 ably interesting experiences, and declares that the South- 

 west is the hunter's paradise, with the abundanec of 

 large and small game and countless varieties of fish. 

 Bass fishing at Honeycreek and Manawa has been fair 

 during the past week, and some good catches have been 

 made; the fish running larger than any caught before 

 this season. The gun clubs of this city, at their recent 

 meeting, resolved to appoint a number of game wardens 

 of their own, to be stationed at different parts throughout 

 the State, to "keep tab on" and report the names of all 

 persons detected in killing prairie chickens before the law 

 is up. These wardens will be paid by the gun clubs 

 jointly, and every violator reported will be prosecuted to 

 the fullest extent of the law. This action will result in 

 incalculable good. The Omaha Gun Club also decided to 

 urge the next Legislature to pass a law abolishing spring 

 wildfowl shooting, something the writer has been urging 

 upon this body for three years or more.— Sandy Grts- 



WOLD. 



Fohest and Stream, Box 2,833, N. Y. city, has desseriptive illus- 

 trated circulars of W. B. LeuingwelTs hook, "Wild Fowl Shoot- 

 ing," which will be mailed fisae on request. The book Is pro- 

 nounced by "Nanit," "©loan," "Dick Swivellen" "Syblllene" and 

 other competent authorities to be the best treatise on the subject 

 extant. 



