Nor. 6, 1890.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



309 



wagons were heavily loaded with game. Said their party 

 of four wagons had killed twenty-six elk and four deer. 

 They were strangers to us; think they were from Laramie 

 City; had been over on head of Snake River; said the hills 

 were full of hunters over there. 



Oct. 24. — Pull over the Medicine Bow range to-day. 

 Just before reaching the summit at the Mountain Home 

 Ranch, we met a four-horse load of elk hides on their 

 way out to the railroad. An old trapper, known as "Old 

 Tough," with his pack outfit, stopped and took dinner 

 with us to-day. Arrived at Coe's Ranch at 3 P. M. and 

 camped in the yard, with horses in the stable to hay. To 

 our disappointment we found that Mr. Coe was absent in 

 Laramie City; but Mrs. Coe, daughter aud son-in-law, Mr. 

 Patten, were at home, and gave us a warm welcome. We 

 wrote home to-night and then had asocial game of cards, 

 at which Mrs. Coe is no novice. 



Oct. 25. — I walked over to the Cross ranch this morning 

 to see Ben and get some information in rega,rd to where 

 to go for the best hunting. Ben thought the Hans Peak 

 country would be our best place, although he had killed 

 a deer and saw two bull elk the day before about ten or 

 twelve miles south of here. But he said they were only 

 strangers and most likely were out of the country now. 

 On returning Charley had the teams hitched up and the 

 saddle on my old hunting horse Prince, ready for a start. 

 We concluded to take the Hans Peak road for Hog Park, 

 where I camped three years ago. This is a bad mountain 

 road for the last 25 miles over the Park range and I dread 

 the trip. We are camped to night at the head of Big 

 Creek Park, near the old Hans Peak cabins. This park 

 has been all taken up by settlers since I was here three 

 years ago. The guides, Luke Wheeler and Cook Ray, 

 both have stock ranches here. Mr. Wheeler's wife rode 

 some five miles up the park with me to-day. She said 

 Mr. Wheeler was over the range after a load of meat for 

 winter. Saw a tame deer at Wheeler's ranch. 



Just before dark to-night a young bull elk came rush- 

 ing down out of the timber near camp with a shrill 

 ynat, which stampeded all our horses; and Charley came 

 rushing into camp for his gun, crying "elk." After look- 

 ing for a moment I told him to put up his gun or he 

 would "get his foot in it," for the elk had a broad strip 

 of red flannel around his neck and no doubt was a pet at 

 a ranch of some Englishmen near by. The elk came 

 direct to our camp and stuck his nose in my hand, eat 

 some hay that was scattered around and then went out to 

 investigate the horses. We had to put them on picket 

 ropes to keep them from skipping out. Late to-night a 

 horse came "down the road off the mountain, making 

 tracks for home. We tried to catch him but did not 

 succeed. 



Oct, 26. — To-day we drove through to the old camp at 

 Hog Park. This is a fearful road. On the way in to-day 

 we met an outfit from Denver — three men and a lady; 

 had two wagons heavily loaded and only three horses. 

 The horse that passed our camp last night belonged to 

 this party. They had to pull up one wagon and then go 

 back for the other one. Said they had been camped on 

 the Grand Encampment. Had some very fine elk heads 

 on their wagons. We made our camp further up the 

 Park than when in camp here before. There is a large 

 party in camp up above us a short distance, also a camp 

 near by with a lot of game banging in it and a small dog 

 keeping camp; think the party must be over on the Snake, 

 the head of which is just over the Main Continental 

 Divide, some ten mile3 away. 



Oct. 27.— Saddled up our horses this morning and 

 started over the range for an elk hunt. Stopped at the 

 upper camp and had a chat. Found the party consisted 

 of nine men mostly from Cummings, Wyoming. They 

 were at work cutting a wagon road over the range to the 

 Snake, so they could get over with the front wheels of a 

 wagonjand "snake" over their game. Said they had another 

 camp over the range, and had killed thirty-six elk in all. 

 I think this party was taking only hindquarters and 

 hides. We hunted all day over in the hills on Snake 

 River. Saw four elk but did not get a shot. On our way 

 back to camp to-night we stopped at an old drying camp, 

 now occupied by the party mentioned above and two 

 young Englishmen, who own the camp over near our 

 camp where the dog is. They had a big lot of meat in 

 camp and a lot of hides. They gave us a calf's hind- 

 quarter and offered to help us kill oiu- loads if we wanted 

 them to and they would keep the hides. This looked very 

 much to us as if they were more "hide hunters" than 

 sportsmen. We declined their offer, as we were out for 

 some sport as well as game. 



Reaching camp to-night we found another party in 

 camp near us, consisting of two four-horse teams from 

 Laramie City, with two men and a young "coon" about 

 thirteen years old, whom they had along to "rangle" 

 horses, tend camp and be sworn at. The men of this 

 party were Con Clifford and E, J. Hunt. [I will diverge 

 from my camp notes and write up this Mr. Hunt, as we 

 traveled, hunted and camped with him for some three 

 weeks from this date, and with the acquaintance we 

 formed with him we think he deserves more than a 

 passing notice. In the fall he advertises in Forest and 

 Stream as "guide" for tourists and English hunting par- 

 ties, Hunts for heads, hid^s and hindquarters. This was 

 his second trip out this fall. He told me that on his 

 former trijj he took out of here 2,2001bs. of deer and elk 

 hindquarters. Said he killed over twentv deer on the 

 trip: killed nine in one-half day. He sold' the meat in 

 Laramie City. On first meeting Mr Hunt we formed a 

 favorable impression of him as a hunter, and consented 

 to go with his party on over the range where the hunting 

 would be better. The snow became deep; Hunt ran out 

 of horse feed and we, of course, "whacked up" with him. 

 Mr. Hunt claimed to be a first-class taxidermist, and in 

 justice to him I think he is. Before we parted company I 

 secured a fine deer head, and Mr. Hunt offered to take it 

 along and mount it for me and ship to my address some 

 time in January, in return for our kindness to them in a 

 time of need. I consented to let him take the head with 

 some reluctance, as by this time I was beginning to doubt 

 his honesty. The head is still coming, and I expect always 

 will be. If the Gun Club of Laramie City expects to have 

 any deer on Sheep Mountain or Sand Creek Pass, they 

 will do well to look after Mr. Hunt, for he told me that 

 he killed a wagonload of deer at Sand Creek Pass last 

 March and brought it into Laramie City in the night and 

 sold it.] 



Oct. 28. — In company with Mr. Hunt's party we move 

 camp to-day and pull* up on top of the main range and 

 camp in Long Park. Here we have a nice camp, with 



good feed for our horses. We also find some other par- 

 ties camped here, and as Charley and I are returning from 

 a shorttrip back in the hills, we meet with Luke Wheel- 

 er's party packing in some elk. We go down to Luke's 

 camp and have a chat. He advises to go on down and 

 cross the Snake. Says the elk have all gone down that 

 way. I think Mr. Wheeler is putting up a job on us to 

 get us off these grounds. Hunt comes into camp after 

 dark with a fine elk head he killed when on his former 

 trip. Looks like snow to-night. 



Oct. 29. — Snowed a little and is still at it. Hunt and 

 Charley went up to Luke Wheeler's camp to see if they 

 can learn anything about the locality of the elk. Hunt 

 claims to be an old friend and acquaintance of Mr. 

 Wheeler. On the return of Charley and Hunt, we con- 

 clude to take Wheeler's advice and move down and across 

 the Snake. We are now so near the State line that we 

 cannot tell when we are in Colorado or when in Wyo- 

 ming. While we are breaking camp Wheeler's party 

 come stringing by with a big pack outfit, going down the 

 trail toward the forks of the Snake, on the trail of the 

 elk. On our road down Hans Peak looms up to our left. 

 We pull down to Snake River through a lot of burnt tim- 

 ber, where there had been a big mountain fire in the fall. 

 Mr. Hunt said it came very near taking him in on his 

 first trip this fall. Crossing the Snake we pull up the 

 mountain some five miles, over a hard road; get on the 

 wrong road once and have to turn back. Darkness over- 

 takes us before we find water. I leave my team to hunt 

 for water, and as I return to my wagon a stranger accosts 

 me with "How do, pard? Looking for a camp?" I reply 

 that I am looking for a Kood place to camp with water 

 and feed for our stock. Hereplies: "Here is the best feed in 

 all the Northwest. Wood and waterplenty." He points 

 out the location of his camp up on the hillside by the 

 timber. So we turn our teams and drive up to his camp. 

 We soon have the snow cleared off and our tent up, with 

 the horses blanketed and tied to a pine tree eating oats. 

 Our new-found friend is a Mr. Frank Crow, an old rail- 

 railroad engineer, whose health failed him. and he left 

 the road and came West for his health. He has a six- 

 horse team and two partners who are over on the Savory 

 at another camp. They have been out for several days, 

 and he is looking for them in soon. They have only 

 killed two elk so far. 



Oct. SO. — Snowed hard all day. Horses left camp last 

 night and we have had a big hunt for them to-day. Con 

 found my horses this afternoon, but did not find his. 

 Hunt's and Charley's horses did not leave camp. 



Oct. SI. — Charley and I rode our horses to-day and 

 took a hunt up the range east of camp. About 10 A. M. 

 we strike a trail of ten elk made tne night before. After 

 riding some distance on the trail the tracks become 

 fresher and we dismount, tie our horses in a warm nook, 

 and take the trail on foot. We go very slow, as the track 

 is now quite fresh, and I tell Charley to look sharp as we 

 are now in green pine timber and most likely will find 

 our game in their beds. We go a short distance in the 

 pines. I see a fine sleek elk get up and step out into an 

 opening and look at us. It was not more than 40yds. off, 

 and I could have killed it easily, but was looking for 

 more, so as to give Charley a show, for Chaa-ley had his 

 first elk to kill. At this moment I saw the hindquarters 

 of an elk; head and shoulders were behind a large pine 

 tree. I at once covered it with my gun as close to the 

 tree as I could, and told Charley to take the other one. 

 At the report of our guns my elk went down, but im- 

 mediately regained its feet and went plunging up the 

 mountain. Charley, I think, must have had the buck 

 ague, for he scored a clean miss. We took the trail of 

 my elk and soon overtook it just over a ridge, and a ball 

 through the head stopped its performance. We soon had 

 it dressed and found it very fat. We then took the trail 

 of the band and followed them some three miles, when 

 we left them, as they were in no notion of stopping We 

 got into camp late to-night. Hunt came in late and said 

 he had killed two elk and wounded a big bull. Perhaps 

 he did, but he never brought but one to camp. If he 

 killed two he left one in the hills. A. A. Knott. 



Bkrthocd, Colorado, 1890. 



[TO BE CONCLUDED.] 



WILD BOARS IN AMERICA. 



THE first specimen of genuine wild boar slain in 

 America was that shot by W. H. Crane, Esq., of 

 Port Jervis, September last, in the town of Forestburgh, 

 Sullivan county. N. Y., near the Orange county line. 

 Although native born the animal was of German stock, 

 descended from members of a herd imported six years 

 ago from the Black Forest by Otto Plock, a New York 

 millionaire, to stock an extended wooded estate surround- 

 ing his summer residence on the side of the Shawaugunk 

 Mountains, near Port Jervis. 



About four years ago all these boars made their escape 

 from what was supposed to be secure confinement. At 

 liberty they seem to have rapidly multiplied. There are 

 now two distinct herds: each sufficiently numerous to be 

 capable of extensive depredations in a single night. 



For a year or more after their escape from custody the 

 family remained united , and inhabiting the mountain fast- 

 nesses around Godefroy, they made frequent night raids 

 into the Neversink Valley, where they played havoc in 

 the potato and corn fields. Those still remaining in that 

 vicinity continue their forays, and. as a result, several 

 actions for damages against Mr. Plock are now pending. 



The herd that has taken up an abode in the wilds of 

 Forestburgh has not only demonstrated an ability to sur- 

 vive, but to increase in number without dependence on 

 man, direct or indirect. 



While the last two winters were very favorable for the 

 wild swine, the cold season of 1887-8, succeeding their es- 

 cape, was unusually severe, during whole weeks the tem- 

 perature being under zero: and we may conclude that these 

 fercB natura foreigners are now well adapted to the con- 

 ditions of life in which circumstances have placed them. 

 They are astonishingly swift, at least for short distances, 

 and the region they inhabit is thickly infested with rab- 

 bits, squirrels, snakes, water rats, etc. Usually there is 

 also a plentiful crop of oak and beech mast. 



Have these wild swine come to stay? Can they be ex- 

 terminated? For four years hunting parties have per- 

 sistently sought them, and sportsmen in quest of other 

 game have been on the alert for them. One has just 

 fallen a victim to a deer hunter. This has greatly stimu- 

 lated the chase; but in a region where deer and bear 

 abound, the latter on the increase, it would seem that for 



many years the reproductive powers of the prolific boar 

 should outstrip Nimrod's destructive capacity. 



The subject is an interesting one from several points of 

 view. To the farmers it is a question of vital importance, 

 since in a single night a few visiting swine would pretty 

 well ruin the average garden plot. 



Sullivan and Pike counties are already famed as the 

 hunter's paradise. If the wild swine can hold their own 

 there in one locality no reason obtains why they should 

 not spread throughout this and contiguous counties. 



For the zoologist the situation has attractive aspects. 

 One of Mr. Plock's objects in importing the Carpathian 

 boars was to rid his forests of rabbits, snakes and other 

 vermin. Swine regard snakes as tid-bits and the bite of 

 the dreaded rattler is said to be innocuous to them. Rab- 

 bits for the most part make their homes in rotten logs 

 and brush-heaps. Had Mr. Plock succeeded in keeping 

 his voracious imports within bounds this object would 

 undoubtedly, have been accomplished 



Might such an effect become appreciable in the region 

 at large? And if so would legislators be moved to enact 

 protective laws for "the gamiest of game," on the ground 

 that they were efficient destroyers of reptiles and other 

 noxious creatures? In a word, sequences may arise from 

 Mr. Plock's importation of which no man living knoweth 

 the end. The shot fired in a Forestburgh swale may re- 

 verberate adown the storied page — or is this plunging too 

 far into the tangle of speculation? 



The porcine killed is thus described: "In color the hog 

 much resembles a woodchuck, being of a grizzly gray, 

 with a tendency to black. Its bristles were not yet very 

 well developed, but underneath is a thick, heavy coating 

 much resembling fur, which enables the animal to stand 

 any amount of cold. The hog has a long slender face or 

 nose, while the upper jaw extends two inches beyond the 

 lower, the forehead being covered with a thick coat of 

 bristles. Its legs are short, its body long. The hog was 

 a sow and weighed plump 2001bs. 



The term "hog" is properly applied to the domestic 

 swine only, all of which are more or less remotely 

 descended from the wild stock. The peccary of Mexico, 

 met with as far north as Colorado, although an allied 

 race is not a true swine. It has been domesticated in 

 Mexico. 



Wherever Europeans have settled, from Athabasca to 

 Patagonia, the hog or pig abounds. The species, however, 

 is not indigenous to America. The "wild hogs" of the 

 South are undoubtedly cases of reversion. They have 

 developed traits peculiar to themselves, and differ con- 

 siderably from the boar of Europe on account of new 

 conditions, climatic and other. B. F. Henley. 



Port Jervis, New York. 



ON THE PLAINS OF FLANDERS. 



(^.HENT, Belgium.— Editor Forest and Stream: I was 

 X invited by some of my friends here to join them 

 in opening the hunting season, Sept. 1, The only 

 game on the plains of Flanders is quail {perdrix) and the 

 big English hare, with the common rabbit in the pine 

 forests and sandy portions, and on the dunes along the 

 sea. 



Game is carefully preserved here, and it costs some- 

 thing over $20 to obtain a permit to carry hunting 

 weapons, and only a few of the middle and upper classes 

 can afford to hunt. 



Sept. 1 we went to Cruystrantem, a village some sixteen 

 miles south of Ghent, in the rolling country dividing the 

 watershed between the Lys and Scheldt. A high plateau 

 in a high state of cultivation, covered with potatoes and 

 other crops, stretched out before us. We divided in a 

 line like sharpshooters, the dogs preceding us. It would 

 be too long to state all the incidents of the day. With 

 five guns we counted 115 perdrix, 15 hares, 4 quail and 1 

 rabbit. 



The perdrix has nearly the same ways as our Bob 

 White. Coveys number from ten to sixteen or more; and 

 for successful hunting must be shattered and hunted up. 

 The sport is tame, nevertheless, for a man used to the 

 hunting of our prairie chickens and ruffed grouse, and 

 above all our big game and "old sly reynard." The dis- 

 tances seem so small here for us accustomed to the big 

 distances of America, that you are home or at your 

 hunting grounds before on one of our American hunting 

 trips one would be fairly settled down in one place. 



To-morrow we go to Dinant, in the Province of Namur, 

 in the Belgian Ardennes. Wild boars are doing some 

 damage to the crops; and the residents have organized a 

 great hunt or battue to exterminate them. I hope to see 

 some wolves and wild boars; it is too early in the season 

 for roe deer, in which the country abounds, also in red 

 deer. Jolius the Fox Hunter. 



NEW MEXICO GAME GALORE. 



CHIL1LI, New Mexico, Oct. 26.— Antelope at present 

 are very plentiful on the adjacent plains. There is 

 a large spring within one and one-half miles of the ranch, 

 and herds of from half a dozen to fifty arrive daily to 

 quench their thirst. A few days ago the writer killed a 

 splendid two-year-old buck and one doe. Yesterday Mi-. 

 John Mcintosh killed two fine bucks, two does, and badly 

 wounded another buck. A cowboy from a neighboring 

 ranch whe was passing at the time gave chase on horse- 

 back, and in a short time successfully lassoed the prize, 

 whereupon it was promptly despatched. 



This is one of the few' localities in the United States 

 where the pot-hunter is unknown, and in consequence 

 game of all kinds is abundant. 



On the Messas del Gallo and in the Gallina Mountains 

 deer, bear, mountain lions, wildcats, wild turkeys and 

 quail are to be found in great numbers. The now almost 

 extinct mountain sheep is also occasionally seen. 



Wolves and coyotes have been very destructive on the 

 stock of late, and in the past few'days the above have 

 killed seven coyotes, three swifts and one badger. 



At present we intend going on a hunting expedition in 

 December to the Gallina Mountains. If so. await further 

 developments. Edwin Dudley Smith. 



Vermont Deer and Trout.— Commissioner Herbert 

 Brainerd writes us under date of Oct. 31: The law pro- 

 tecting deer until 1900, penalty $100, has passed both 

 houses unanimously and has been signed by the Governor, 

 and takes effect to-day. The close season for trout will 

 be changed from April 1 to Sept. 1, to Aug. 1. The six- 

 inoh trout law will remain the same as heretofore. 



