Jan. 22, IBDl.j 



FOHfiST AND STREAM; 



the old color-beaa-er, the one we were going to have the 

 inn with, is still selling goods at the old stand, and 

 placidly telling everybody about a pickerel, of constantly 

 increasing size, which he caught on a spoon tiirough the 

 ice, and had to shoot to keep from overpowering him. 

 Mr. Hirth's story of his desperate wrestle on tlie ice with 

 that pickerel is, I am told, growing to be a weird and 

 thrilling affair, and there is no telhng where it will end, 

 for the rest of us are all too sick to go down-town to con- 

 tradict him. 1 can't help thinking that the "old man" 

 had more fun than vve did on that trip. E. Houas. 



OHIO'S OLD-TIME HUNTING GROUNDS. 



\* / E here print the first pages of extracts from the 

 \l hunting diary of a well-known Ohio sportsman, 

 copied and sent to the Forest Ahv Stream by the late 

 Dr. E. Sterling, of Cleveland. In his notes accompany- 

 ing the extracts Dr. Sterling wrote: ' He began the diary 

 when in his eighteenth year, and it contains much of in- 

 terest relating to the early days of this (at that time) 

 western country, the abundance of game and ways of 

 the pioneer's life. These extracts extend, as you see, to 



iM'i, said relate to hunting in this State. , the author 



of the diary, belonged to an old family here, his grand- 

 father coming to the Reserve in 1798,' his father in 1800 

 and himself born here. His father was a regular Indian 

 trader, keeping his stock of goods here and dealing with 



the red men for a hundred miles around. , you 



might say was born in the wilderness. His early educa- 

 tion was with the old smooth-bore rifle. He was the 

 best woodman and deer hunter 1 ever met with; and like 

 an Indian an ordinary shot, 



"I inclose a pen and ink sketch, made froxu memory, 

 of one of the camps on Cass River, Mich., which I would 

 like to have you insert in Fosest and Stream. Although 

 it was made from memory, a friend who saw it the other 

 day recognized it immediately. The place is nine miles 

 above the county town of Tuscola, and at tlie time was 

 almost an undisturbed forest. From the cabin the river 

 for a mile down stream 

 was straight as a ca- 

 nal. Above and below 

 the cabin on either 

 side for two miles the 

 river ran through 

 dense hemlock low- 

 la,nds and swamps, 

 save where a narrow 

 ridge of pine land in- 

 tervened, on which 

 the hunting lodge was 

 built, as shown in my 

 sketch. It was the 

 best runway in all 

 creation. It would 

 only take half the eye 

 of the common huntt r 

 to see what a glorious 

 crossing place for 

 game the camp stood 



on. informed me 



that one day in Octo- 

 ber he counted 27 elk 

 cross the river where 

 the dugout is tied in 

 one drove. This 

 'Thumb of Michigan,' 

 as this point between 

 SaginawBay and Lake 

 Huron was called in 

 those days, was really 

 overstocked [as civili- 

 zation advanced north 

 with its clearings. 



They were here really hemmed in; from here there was 

 no escape, and only the many dense swamjjs and swales 

 continued the existence of game as long as it did." 



deer hunt. The next morning after arriving at Fuller's 

 tavern, we struck into the woods and soon came on the 

 tracks of ten deer, all in one drove. After following them 

 a long way we succeeded in killing a fine doe crossing 

 their ti'acks in front of me. She fell at once, and upon 

 going up to it I found that I had broke its back, I cut its 

 throat, took out its entrails, and ctitting a crotch stick, 

 hooked it into its jaw and drew it in the snow some four 

 miles to the tavern. The second day I saw several deer 

 and got three good shots but no deer. My sights, I think, 

 are too fine for the woods, or something else is the matter. 

 However, I killed five porcupines. I found them on the 

 tops of trees eating the bark; they made a very tempting 

 and beautiful mark. The third day I saw great numbers 

 of deer and got several shots, but owing to my bad sights 

 got none. 



On the fourth day, the snow still being good, I went 

 out again and soon struck the track of a very large buck. 

 I followed him for five or six hours, saw him several 

 times, but always with his flag hoisted, until luckily I 

 discovered him very carefully coming toward me on his 

 back track. I let him come within eight rods of me when 

 I fu-ed. At the report of my gun he suddenly stopped, 

 looked around a moment, and then bounded off. I had 

 the buck fever when I shot at him, my arms and legs 

 trembled violently, and that, no doubt, was the reason I 

 missed him. I felt so vexed and mortified at not hitting 

 him, I went home the next day, though the snow and 

 weather were favorable, [In the last hunt of the year to 

 "Avon Center" we note from the diary a great sunilarity 

 to the former expeditions, but we extract a few notes of 

 the most interest.] The deer are commencing to collect 

 in great droves; to-day we saw 10 in one and 10 and 19 in 

 another, but succeeded in getting none. However, 

 toward night we started two does out of a tree-top and 

 shot one, a fine fat animal. The next day started a drove 

 of over twenty deer. After a while, seeing the whole 

 drove only twenty rods ahead of me, getting down in the 

 snow and resting'my rifle on my knee, I singled ont one 

 of them and tired. "Going to the spot where the deer 



Cleveland, Dec. 3, Started this morning in a 



sleigh for Avon, eighteen miles west, on a deer hunt. 

 Arrived at the Kinney Tavern on French Creek, about 3 

 P. M., where I made preparations for a bunt. The next 

 morning was clear and tracking in the snow excellent, I 

 started into the woods and soon found many fresh tracks 

 which I followed, but being inexperienced in deer hunt- 

 ing I got no shots, although I saw quite a number. So 

 toward night I returned to the tavern with a live possum 

 3 picked up on the way. At night a serenading band of 

 8 ime twenty persons came to the tavern to drink and pre- 

 pare themselves for the purpose of greeting and doing 

 honors to Mr. F., an old bear hunter, who had just re- 

 turned from the Columbus State Prison, where he had 

 been serving the State for some time to make amends for 

 passing counterfeit money. 



The next morning I started into the woods at the brea.k 

 of day in company with an old hunter; we came to a place 

 in the woods where he said an old buck lived, and if we 

 worked it cunning we might get him: he told me to go to 

 a certain place on a ridge and stand, and make as much 

 noise as I liked in going there, and he would go to another 

 place and stand. I went to the place designated, but 

 made as little noise as possible, and taking my station be- 

 hind a large chestnut, waited to see what would happen, 

 A short time after being there I discovered an old buck 

 bounding along to the very spot where I stood. After 

 coming within about six rods of me he stopped and looked 

 back on his back track, I took advantage of the oppor- 

 tunity and fired. Immediately he wheeled and ran otf 

 into the woods again. I loaded my rifle and went to where 

 he had stood, found blood and followed his track on for 

 about half a mile. I found him between two logs, dead. 

 The old hunter having heard me fire came up, and assist- 

 ing me we soon hung up the old buck. Diu'ing the day 

 we saw two bucks fighting, but did not get a shot at them. 

 It now commenced raining, so we hurried back to the 

 tavern. The next morning it was' very cold, and as all 

 the snow was gone we returned home to Cleveland, with 

 directions to send our buck after us. The next morning 

 getting up quite early, on going to the kitchen door the 

 first thing- 1 saw was my old buck standing up as straight 

 and natural as life. I took him to my workroom, thawed 

 him out, skinned htm and prepared his hams for drying. 

 This was the first deer I ever shot. I felt very much 

 elated at my success in killing him. 



Pee. 30, J836,—l returned to "Avou Center" for another 



THE OLD CAMP ON CASS RIVER. 



stood that I shot at I found hair and blood. Following 

 the track up, I at last saw the deer lying down and as I 

 supposed was dead. I placed my rifle beside a tree and 

 was going toward him to cut his throat, when he jumped 

 up and ran off at full tilt. I followed his track two miles 

 or more when I again discovered him lying down. I took 

 good sight this time and finished him. After cleaning 

 him I passed my handkerchief through a hole in his neck, 

 looked at my compass and commenced dragging him in 

 the direction of the tavern. A violent snow storm com- 

 ing on, I got bewildered and wandered about in the woods 

 till night, when I came out on a road one mile from 

 Beebe's tavern, on the south ridge, eight miles from 

 where T started in the morning. I staid here over night 

 and made arrangements for sending my deer to Cleve- 

 land. 



On my way back to Fuller's Tavern in the morning I 

 saw many deer and several flocks of turkeys, one of over 

 two dozen, but got none. This day a hunter killed a 

 large buck within fifty rods of the tavern, and not thirty 

 rods from where a collection of some twenty people were 

 burying a man who had been accidentally killed a few 

 days before. 



On the 5th day I followed a large drove from daybreak 

 until 2 P. M. without getting a shot. After consulting 

 with myself for a while I concluded to return to the 

 tavern and recruit for the morrow. The next day I 

 started for the south woods. When less than eighty rods 

 from the tavern I started six deer, tired and missed them 

 entirely, three of them standing in a lump, so in the 

 dim morning light as to look like one huge animal. Fol- 

 lowing in their direction I soon came on the tracks of 

 two together, and in a short time saw one of them stand- 

 ing twenty rods off. I immediately drew up my rifle 

 and fired at it. It never moved. Loading as soon as 

 possible I took aim, low down its side as I supposed, and 

 again fired. This time it jumped and ran off like light- 

 ning. Going up to where it stood I found plenty of hair, 

 and following the track a short distance found blood. 

 From the way it tracked in the snow I saw that I had 

 broken its hip. It ran pretty smart for a mile or more, 

 when getting exhausted from loss of blood it lay down 

 very often; jumijing up at last very near me I fired and 

 missed, when, being vexed at my ill-success, I took after 

 it without taking the trouble to load my gun, and out- 

 running it caught it by the head and ears and cut its 

 throat with my knife. It proved to be an old doe in 

 middling order. 



A rain in the morning gave unmistakable signs of no 

 sleighing and a very bad road home, so we packed up at 

 once and left, So ended our hunting for 1836, and so 

 our first deer hunts, 



TRAMPS OF A TENDERFOOT, 



II.— MY FIRST ELK. 



IT was my first hunting trip to the mountains. We had 

 had a hard trip across the Laramie Plains, as we had 

 walked most of the 135 miles, and now we had been 

 hunting some ten days with but poor success. 



It is true we had killed a few deer; and one of the 

 party had even killed two cow elk; and another had 

 soared and been scared by a mountain lion; but game had 

 been scarce and we came back to camp from many a 

 weary tramp empty handed. 



I wanted to kill an elk with a fine pair of antlers, and 

 to that end I woi-ked industriously, but only a fleeting 

 vision of three elk at a distance as they disappeared in the 

 brush late one evening had so far rewarded my quest. 



We moved camp several miles, hoping to have better 

 success, but no game of account fell to otir rifles. Then 

 the boys began to talk of starting home. One afternoon 

 I went to the old camp to get a deer head and scalp that 

 I had forgotten when we moved. The sky was overcast 

 with heavy-laden clouds and occasional gusts of snow 

 whirled around the mountain peaks. 



I reached the old camp in due time and secured the 

 head, and started to return. Wlien within about two 

 miles of camp I saw a band of six or eight elk feeding in 

 an open space about half a mile above me on a small 

 stream. Quickly getting into the willows I waded, 

 crawled and worked my way through the dense brush as 

 quietly as possible, until when within about 250yds. of 

 the band I came to an open space from which they were 

 in full view. 



it was a fine sight as I sat there in the brush and 

 watched them as they quietly fed on unconscious of 

 danger. Selecting out the largest one I carefully sighted 

 my rifle, and with a slight pressure of the trigger there 

 was a flash and a roar and the .45 90 bullet had sped on 

 its mission. 



Away went the entire band, and the one I had shot at 

 turning squarely around made for the brush opposite. 



As he went into the 

 timber with a rush, 

 with head uj) and ant- 

 lers laid back, it was 

 a fine sight. Appar- 

 ently he was untouch- 

 ed,'"^ and he moved 

 with proud and even 

 defiant step, worthy 

 the brush of a painter. 



I followed quickly, 

 and had rot gone fifty 

 yards until I came on 

 him lying prostrate. 

 He was a magnificent 

 specimen and of un- 

 usual size 



Quickly dressing 

 him, as it was now 

 nearly dark, I hast- 

 ened to camp for help 

 to hang him up. We 

 were soon back, and 

 before midnight had 

 his head off and the 

 carcass hungup. This 

 was a proud evening 

 for me. Reader, have 

 you after long and 

 tedious hunting met 

 v^itl like success when 

 about to give up? Then 

 you can realize my 

 feelings. 

 In my "den" at 

 home there hangs on the wall one of my most prized 

 trophies of the hunt, the mounted head of this "my 

 first elk." H. 

 Edgar, Meb. 



Those Nova Scotia Licenses.— Halifax, Dec. 29.— 

 Editor Forest and Stream: I am in receipt of your let- 

 terof 4th inst., together with copies of your paper of same 

 date, including communication respecting Nova Scotia 

 game licenses, also a copy of your Book of the Game 

 Laws, for all of which accept my thanli.-." The Nova 

 Scotian laws as published in your book are quite correct, 

 and I will notify you of any changes important for you 

 to know. The Digby hotel keeper has been obliged to 

 refund the money taken by him for the bogus licenses, 

 and the same is now in the hands of the Government, 

 where it belongs. No such thing will be attempted in 

 the future. From a remark in your letter I infer that 

 you think that this man had some authority to issue 

 licenses by reason of having formerly been a game 

 warden and a magistrate. But you must distinctly un- 

 derstand that this is not so. There is no pretense of .any 

 such right, and he does not for a moment make such a 

 contention. All licenses are issued at Halifax and sold 

 in the different counties by the clerk of the county. The 

 papers issued by the Digby man are purely worthless. 

 All non-residents are obliged to get them before hunting. 

 It cannot therefore be said that the imposing of licenses 

 is not impartially carried out, since the law requires all 

 to have them. The .only difference between one man 

 and another is that one may escape before capture, while 

 another may be caught and fined. But this will always 

 be, to some extent at least.— C. S. Harrington. 



Kansas Game.— Emporia, Kan.— I thint: tliat the 



Chinese and Japanese pheasants would do well here, and 

 I would thank any of your readers to tell me through the 

 Forest and Stream where I can procure some of the 

 birds to put out here next spring. We have fine bottom 

 lands along tbe rivers, and on the uplands heavy, fine 

 timber and plenty of cover on the bottoms and plenty of 

 feed also; the majority of bottom farms have fine hedges. 

 We have plenty of prairie chickens, and I think as fine 

 quail shooting as could be asked for. I was out for about 

 four hours on Dec. 20 and got a bag of twenty-six Bob 

 White quail, ten rabbits and one fox squirrels. We have 

 worlds of rabbits, both the little gray fellows and the jack 

 rabbit. We were to have a grand chase to-day with the 

 jacks and greyhounds, as we have some of the finest run- 

 ning dogs to be found; but this morning finds everything 

 covered with ioe.— G. C. J, 



