Jan. 39, 1891.J 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



never heard, it can read Dante and draw on their imagina- 

 tions. But the ducks understand its meaning and away 

 they go. They stand not on the order of their going, but 

 goat once. 



Probably no chapter on wildfowl shooting ever before 

 even complimented this bird with an obituary notice; but 

 Ms very meanness entitles him to some consideration, 

 and his stoical indifference of the opinions of hunters in 

 general makes him game. If you want to laugh the 

 biliousness out of your system lie down close in the grass 

 when you see one flying your way, particularly if he is 

 flying low. Wait until he gets over you, then jump up, 

 swing your hat and yell. You don't need to shoot. Save 

 your ammunition and you will have just as much sport, 

 Je can neither go forward, backward, up nor down. In 

 his great effort to do something he succeeds in doing 

 nothing, bu.t to double up and open out like a big jack 

 knife^ or in other words, "hump himself." If you don't 

 believe it, try it: it is really funny. 



Many a good joke could be told about this bird of ill- 

 omen which might compromise the reputations of some 

 of our best hunters. 



On one of the trips of the old hunting boat Gold Dust 

 to Sauvie's Island one of these hoodoo birds was tipped by 

 acme hunter, probably on an old gi'udge. After the bird 

 Struck he solemnly gathered himself up, plumed himself, 

 shook the mud from his heels and boldly started to walk 

 across the meadow to a neighboring pond. Some one on 

 the waiting boat discovered him, and in a short time the 

 crew, from' the engineer down, armed with every con- 

 ceivable weapon except a gun were in hot pursuit, believ- 

 ing that they were about to capture a young sandhill 

 crane. Finally a discharge 

 from a stick of cord wood 

 brought the game to bag, and 

 had it not been for blunt 

 Judge Whally, who came 

 aboard late and not in on the 

 scheme, that crane would 

 ertainly have graced the 

 table of some quasi-nimrod. 



When they are wounded 

 fare mast be exercised in 

 ipproaching them . Theii- ap- 

 »arent quiet indifference to 

 heir fate bodes evil. That 

 ang, pointed stiletto - like 

 iU, so handy in picking 

 p small fish, frogs, lizards, 

 itc, when held in reserve and 

 %sed at the proper time on 

 she unsuspecting sportsman 

 >r setter, makes a most pro- 

 found impression. Instinct 

 md long experience in cal- 

 sulating distances and study- 

 .ng opportunities has ren- 

 iered them efficient. Never 

 let your dog go near one 

 when the bird is wounded. 

 Like Josh Billings's mule, the 

 heron will stoically bide his 

 time. Charley Johnson, one 

 of Portland's most enthusi- 

 astic S]?ortsmen, can give in- 

 quiring ones further inf orma- 

 ation on this point. Charley 

 is one of those earnest hunters 

 who iind more than simple 

 killing in the sport of hunt- 

 ing. Well, he crippled one 

 of these birds, and its glossy 

 plumage and calm look of 

 confidence imbued him with 

 a desire to bring the bird 

 home alive, presumably that 

 he might be the better able 

 to illustrate points of beauty 

 in the despised creature. He 

 took his seat in Lhe boat, with 

 the prize nestling between 



his knees, while Capt. Riley plied the oara. Charley 

 pi'oceeded to expatiate upon the ornithological subject 

 at hand, the captive all the while looking him in the face 

 with what was assumed to be ill-concealed gratitude. 

 Finally Charley reached the end of a long sentence and 

 a period was needed. The grateful bird furnished one 

 square on the bridge of Charley's nose. It was the 

 oppoi'tunity heretofore mentioned and the bird was equal 

 to the occasion. 



But something about geese, ducks and snipe will prob- 

 ably be more interesting to your readers and in my next 

 I propose to tell them something about the most wonder- 

 ful country in the world for game of this character. 



Portland, Oregon. S. H. Greei^E. 



[The first paper of this series, published last week, was 

 erroneously signed "Multnomah."] 



Winchester Repeating Arms Co. for .40cal, Ballard, 

 Sharp, Remington and single-shot Winchester rifles con- 

 tains 90grs. powder, which, by the foregoing method of 

 stating the problem, shows that a No. 12 will burn over 

 6drs. 



Again, take the Winchester express single-shot rifle, 

 .40, "the .shell for which is charged with llOgrs., over 

 4drs., making over 7drs. for a No. 12 bore. 



The critics may say those rifles were long-range. Ex- 

 actly so, and that is one of the objects of heavy charges; 

 or they may say the barrels were 32in. in length. Then 

 take into consideration in the computation that length, 

 and still it will be found a No. 12 will burn much more 

 than 4+drs. 



Some of the Winchester repeating arms, model 1886, 

 .45, length of barrel 26in., use 90grs.; .40, b2grs.; .50, 110. 

 Taking the latter caliber and amount of powder in stating 

 the proposition, and it will be seen that a No. 12 bore, 

 26in. barrel, will burn over 6drs. powder. The question 

 discussed above is not how njuch powder a man can 

 stand under, but how much will a No. 12 bore gun burn. 



Comparatively but a few men, unless they ^ere hunt- 

 ers for the market, have had a greater opportunity, and 

 improved it, than I have to hunt quail, prau-ie chickens, 

 ducks, geese, swans and sandhill cranes. From 1855 I 

 have lived 'within fotir hours' drive of BeaA^er Lake and 

 the Kankakee swamps and marshes — that paradise for 

 the hunter until within a few years. I have had hunting- 

 friends visiting here by the score, who sported as much 

 as myself. We all learned by experience, to use heavy 

 charges of powder, as there would be, of com-se, a good- 

 na.tured spirit of rivalry among us. There was so much 



AS DELICATELY PUT AS POSSIBLE. 



Bristo w.— Funny thing about that moose. He was at least a mile away when I plunked him, and I hit 

 him within an inch of the spot I airned for. 

 Gordon.— Was he standing or lying ? 

 BrisUno. —Standi ng. 



Oordon.— There's the tremendous difference between you and the moose, Charlie, 



ing their hounds, and have a hunt with him, good- 

 naturedly chaffing him by saying they would beat him in 

 the hunt. 



My friend wanted my gun for that hunt, I let him 

 have it and some shells loaded with 5drs. of powder and 

 No, 9 buckshot. Afterward I received a note from him, 

 saying he had gotten away with his Kentucky friends; 

 that he killed five deer at six shots. 



I learned to use heavy charges of powder and pad my 

 sleeve under the following circumstances. One fall, about 

 3 856, thousands of pigeons one day came into a small 

 body of timber near town for mast. Soon there were over 

 seventy guns, estimated at that, in the timber. The firing 

 was about as rapid as could be made. I was present with a 

 12-bore gun, made for me byW.W. Billinghurst, Rochester, 

 N, Y. 



There were so many persons in the timber shooting that 

 I could not obtain all the shooting I desired; some fellow 

 would run in between me and the bird and fire. 



I then charged my gun with 4drs. of powder as an ex- 

 periment, and when a fellow would run in ahead of me 

 when a bird came around, I would fire over the head of 

 the interloper and get the bird. Without that heavy 

 charge I coidd not reach the game, I made so many and. 

 sticcessful long shots that day as to attract attention. 

 Tiie success was supposed by the spectators to lie in the 

 superiority of the gun. On that occasion all I had to pro- 

 tect my arm from the recoil of the gun was the sleeve of 

 a linen coat and a shirt sleeve. When I quit shooting my 

 arm was much bruised and painful. After that I padded 

 my sleeve. 



In thirty -five years of shooting I never had my head 

 affected but twice. On one 

 occasion I was at the lake 

 shooting from my boat,which 

 I ran into the flats for cover. 

 I used two guns, I returned 

 to camp for dinner with over 

 an hundred head of ducks, 

 geese and brant. The game 

 was wild, and of coui'se I 

 made many miss shots, tak- 

 ing chances. After dinner I 

 went out again, feeling per- 

 fectly well; but after firing 

 for a few times had to quit 

 for the day, the firing hurt 

 my head so much. 



On the other occasion I was 

 shooting at a pcnd, where 

 the game came m for water 

 from time to time during 

 the day from their feeding 

 grounds on the grain fields. 

 I had to lie on the ground 

 on my left side and without 

 cover, the color of my cloth- 

 ing blending with the earth, 

 and had to shoot from that 

 position. I had fine sport, 

 ending up with a serious 

 headache, A friend with me 

 occupying a like position 

 came out about the same way. 



The only wonder is that in 

 shooting so much I have been 

 so free from unplea&ant re- 

 sults. Duiing the fall that I 

 speak of shooting from this 

 boat I fired away at ducks, 

 geese, brant and swan over 

 751bs, of shot, saying nothing 

 about the amount fired at 

 quail and chickens. That 

 amount, however, was rather 

 more than an average for a 



[From. Life. 



LOADING. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



In your paper of Nov. 27, I stated that I agreed with 

 one of your contributors that heavy charges of powder 

 would bring larger bags of game than light charges; that 

 I had experimented with light and heavy charges; that I 

 used 4 to 4| drs, in a No. 12 gun, and 5 drs. in a No. 10, 

 and that to overcome the recoil from such charges I 

 padded the .sleeve of my coat, etc. The object of heavy 

 charges is range and penetration. 



That item has met with criticism, and one of your con- 

 tributors, Dec. 27, say in substance that a 28 or 30in. bar- 

 rel No. 12-bore will not burn that amount of powder. 

 He is much mistaken, or the ordnance department of the 

 U. S. Army, and the manufacturers of fixed ammimition 

 and those who use it, are much "off." I presume those 

 critics vvill not claim that the ability to hmn powder de- 

 creases as the size of the bore is increased. The bore of 

 a No. 12 gun is about fin., or .75. There are 7,000grs. 

 Troy in lib, avoirdupois, making 37 3gr8. to the dram. 

 The standard U. S. cartridge for ,45 rifle contains 70grs, 

 powdei^. Let us state the following problem and solve it. 

 If a .4o-cal. will burn 70grs, powder, how much will a 

 .75-cal. burn? .75x.70-5-.45=ll6.6-'-27.3=over 4drs. pow- 

 der. It does not follow that because the Government 

 standard is 70gr8. a .45-cal. will burn no more than 70gr8. 



Some of the fixed ammunition manufactured by the 



shooting that the game would become shy. and hence the 

 necessity for shooting at long range. 



Sportsmen here accustomed to use heavy charges would 

 shoot at game that a man accustomed to use light charges 

 would not think of shooting at, and they enlarge their 

 bag of game. A man who is accustomed to use heavy 

 chai-ges with a padded sleeve never thinks of or feels re- 

 coil. 



I would not dare to use a 7lb. gun with such charges. 

 In fact, my sporting friends in those days would not take 

 such a gun as a gift on condition that tliey use it. Our 

 guns ranged in weight from 9 Jibs, 



I have an excellent 12-bore gun, weight 8J, made to 

 order, in which I use 4 to 4Jdr9, I had a IS-bore, 32in, 

 barrels, an excellent gun, which I charged with 4Jdrs. 

 It weighed lOlbs. My 10 -bore guns were 32in, All my 

 12-bore were 30in. The result of my experience and ob- 

 servation is, there is nothing gained by length over 30in. 

 In 1;he shot bari-el, No. 12, which I use in hunting deer, I 

 now use invariably 4+drs. powder, 9 buckshot, wadded. 

 This standard with me is the result of over thirty-five 

 years' experience. 



I have had friends from abroad on visit with me, with 

 light guns, for the puri^ose of shooting at the lake and 

 marshes. Those guns were invariably failures then, by 

 reason of the inalsility to use heavy charges of powder. 

 On such occasions I would let the friend use mine. 



When ducks would run plenty here our boys and 

 young men would camp out in squads for a few days' 

 hunt at different times. On one occasion, as a squad were 

 about starting out, one of the boys came to me and said 

 the other boys were continually "getting away with" 

 him; that he had a good lieavy No. 10 gun, and he did 

 not think he was nervous, and asked me for advice. I 

 told him to charge his gun with udrs. powder and l^oz. 

 No, 4 shot, and to stuft' his coat sleeve with rags so as to 

 break the recoil. On his return he called on me and said, 

 "Mr. L., I did as you told me, the gun kicked like 

 thunder, but I got away with the boys this time." 



I spent a few days in southern Missouri with a friend 

 in hunting deer and turkey. They usually hunted deer 

 on horseback with hounds. I had a lO-bore shotgun with 

 me, and occasionally put in a few days hunting quail, 

 and made some long shots which my friend admired. 

 WhUe there that friend received a note from some of bis 

 friends abroad, saying they would pay him a visit, bring- 



season 



My friends and myself were 

 able to have good guns, and 

 had them; knew what good 

 powder was and used it; 

 used different brands and size of grain, grains of the size 

 of the Hazard No. 4 Gov. shooting to FFG, We found 

 of course that the coarse grain would not produce as 

 great a recoil as the finer, with us the finer was the more 

 effective. 



There was one thing upon which myself and my sport- 

 ing friends did not agree. There were about as many 

 opinions as friends. This was as to the best size of shot 

 to use for ducks and geese. After considerable experi- 

 ence and observation I became satisfied that the dis- 

 agreement was occasioned by the different guns, one gun 

 shooting one size of shot beltter than another size, each 

 man judging from the shooting of his own gun. If 

 game is so near that (figuratively speaking) you can. rap 

 it over the head with your cane, light charges will do, but 

 in a day's shooting, when some of the game is at long 

 range and some at ehort rainge, the man who unifoi-mly 

 charges heavily, everything else being equal, will come 

 in at night with the larger'bag of game. 



Some of your readers may say, I seem to have had con- 

 siderable experience in shooting-'on the wing, and as much 

 has been said in your paper about the method of holding 

 the gun, would like to know mine. The method I use is 

 common with all my sporting acquaintances. When the 

 iDird is flying across the line of aim we aim at the bird 

 and continue to carry the gun at the aim until the gun is 

 discharged. If the shot is a long one aim higher than 

 ordinarily, on account of gravity. If the bird is flying 

 very rapidly, and it is difficult to take a good arm thereof, 

 we do as well as we can and at the instant of pulling the 

 trigger throw the aim a little ahead of the bird, 



I never have had these methods fail me but once. 

 Three friends and myself were up the river for ducks. 

 We camped near a point where the river made a large 

 bend in the form of an ox bow. The point of turn to the 

 point of the retmrn of the river to assume its natural 

 course was about 200yds. across and open. The river up 

 stream from the turn for a mile or more was nearly 

 straight. That day there were many small ducks, the 

 name of which I do not know, but called here by sports- 

 men "lightning flyers," on account of theh- rapid flight. 

 My three friends went up the river in a boat, and obtain- 

 ing good cover commenced shooting; they were good 

 shots and fired many times. 



I took position between those points and commenced 

 shooting after voj usual method, and fired many times 



