Fee, 26, 1891.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



107 



Immediately upon the receipt of these letters. Dr. 

 Bishop wrote Hon. E. E. Tache, Assistant Commisdoner, 

 Department Crown Lands of Quebec, informing him of 

 what he had heard, and also stating that he thought it 

 would be a deep injustice not only to the members of the 

 Megantic Club, but also to the settlers about Spider Lake, 

 if the practice of catching live deer iu the close season 

 for the benefit of private individuals was sanctioned by 

 the Crown Land Department. 



Dr. Bishop furthermore said: "If the matter has not 

 ah-eady reached your attention, I should suggest that you 

 will at once notify P. W. Nagle, the provincial bush- 

 ranger for that section, and also notify Mr. W. E. Latty, 

 our fish and game commissioner on the Quebec side of 

 the preserves, of Ball's contemplated action." 



Mr. Tache has agreed, in reply to Dr. Bishop, to do all 

 in his power to stop this wholesale catching of deer in the 

 deep snows of thisVinter. But unfortunately there is a 

 law in the Province of Quebec tha t permits the issuing of 

 a license to take deer alive, and it is feared that Ball has 

 ttiia permit to take 50 deer, 13 of which he has already 

 shipped. Ball is understood to claim that he has this per- 

 mit, but if it can be proven that he has taken any deer on 

 Maine soil, he will be very severely dealt with, as the 

 taking of deer alive is not permitted by the Maine game 

 laws. 



Pickerel fishing in Maine is hard business this winter. 

 The ice is three feet thick on many of the pickerel ponds, 

 and most of the boys are staying at home till "some other 

 fellow cuts the holes." Then the bait is ready, and they 

 will all go next day. Spkcial. 



PRAIKIE CHICKENS FOR MARKET. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



Perhaps not one reader of this article that resides in 

 the Eastern States ever thinks when he visits the market 

 of the future destiny of that noble game bird, the prairie 

 chicken. Having lived in northwestern Iowa for more 

 than ten years and being a great lover of legitimate hvint.- 

 ing, I think i can interest them by describing the manner 

 in which this noble game bird is being exterminated by 

 a class of men terming themselves sportsmen. In nearly 

 every small town in the sparsely settled parts of the 

 Northwest are located the game freezers. These play a 

 very important pai't, as all the birds are frozen solid before 

 they are shipioed East to market. 



The freezer is similar to the cold storage warehouse of 

 the East, only the ice pipes are thick enough together to 

 insure a temperature far below the freezing point. The 

 owner of the freezer is generally a hunter. Having a lim- 

 ited amount of money, he generally starts into business 

 for himself. He commences in the winter by putting uj) 

 ice enough to run his freezer through the coming sum- 

 mer. He generally has enough sectnd-hand rigs and 

 plug horses, so that be can hire several hunters during 

 the shooting reason, which generally commences two 

 months before the law is out (although there are excep- 

 tions). They begin the slaughter about the 1st of July, 

 when the young birds are about the size of a quail. 



The hunters generally hunt in pairs. One drives while 

 the other does the shooting. They use the best dogs and 

 generally use Winchester repeating shotguns, and by 

 using wood powder, which makes very little noise, they 

 can kill every bird in a covey without the owner of the 

 land knowing anything about it. When they have killed 

 enough for a shipment the birds are packed into barrels, 

 marked as some kind of produce and shipped by express 

 to some of the large cities of the Eastern States. The 

 shipjjer always receives a fancy price foi.- his birds, which 

 stimulates many to hunt who would otherwise be in some 

 lawful business. When Sept. 1 rolls around the farmer 

 and law-abiding sportsman start out after a bag of young 

 chickens for their own eating. They will find that the 

 chicken crop has already been harvested, and return 

 home with one or two tough old birds, meantime swear- 

 ing vengeance on all market-hunters. In some sections 

 where chickens were thick two years the hunters have 

 shot them ofi" so close that scarcely one can now be 

 fovind. If the gun clubs would spend more time in pros- 

 ecuting the market-hunter and pay less attention to the 

 city sportsman it would surely give better results, and 

 chicken shooting would not soon be a thing of the 

 past. W. F. A. 



XOWA. 



CLEANING GUNS. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



Recently I observed an inquiry as to a good method of 

 clea.ning the shotgun. I never put away my guns, shot 

 or ri&e, after a day's shooting without first cleaning. In 

 the morning when I start on a hunt my gun is clean. 

 Those I now u.se have been in use about fourteen years, 

 and have seen much service, and are as bright inside as 

 they were the day I received them from the maker. It is 

 a very simple and quick method of keeping them so. 

 Procure fom* pieces of soft fine sponge, each, when dry 

 and com])res3ed, about two inches long, for the shotgun, 

 and large enough so that it will require a little twisting 

 to force them into the breech of the barrels. I am speak- 

 ing of breech-loading guns. Wet one of the sponges, 

 warm water better than cold, and squeeze it as dry as 

 can easily be done with the hand, and force it through the 

 bai-rel with the wij)ing rod. Repeat the operation once 

 or twice, cleaning the sponge each time. The damp 

 sponge will take up the burnt powder, leaving the barrels 

 clean, then force two of the dry sponges through the 

 barrels, and the barrels will be dry. Stitch the fourth 

 sponge, after having first forced it dry through the barrel, 

 so as to give it form, so as to keep the form. Saturate the 

 latter sponge with a preparation of alcohol and best 

 sperm oU, first shaken in a bottle. The alcohol will 

 evaporate and leave the oil evenly and thinly distributed. 



I also use sponge to clean the rifle. 



I do not often oil the barrels of my guns on the outside. 

 When wet, I wipe them with the ball of my hand, but so 

 as to leave them evenly damp. 



If they rust too much, oil lightly with a preparation of 

 beeswax and tallow, and rub. 



If by carrying the guns they become bright in spots, 

 slightly wet, or touch with tincture of iodine, and when 

 sufficiently rusted oil and rub. By this method the 

 barrels can be nicely, easily and cheaply kept browned. 



In two items recently, "Loading" and "Rifle Aiming at 

 Game." the compositor affixed "H. S." in lieu of H, L, 



THE NEW YORK GAME BILL. 



SEVERAL changes have been made in the codification 

 j kJ bill, the more important of which are as follows: 

 (See text in our issue of Feb. 5 ) 



Sections 2, 3 and i. There sliall be flvo fish commisaioners, to be 

 appointed at firBt tor one, two, three, tonv and five years re- 

 spectively: sut>seqtient appointment lobe for five vears; to be paid 

 traveling and incidental. Sue. 40. VeniPon sball not be possessed 

 or sold between Feb. 1 and Aug. 15; nor between Nov. 1 and Fob. 1 

 unless liilled in open season or in anotber State. Sec. 43. The pro- 

 hibition of floating or .lacking has been removed. Sec. 44. Hound- 

 ing season is made Sept. 10 to OcL 11. Hounding is forbidden in 

 .St. Lawrence, Delaware, G-reene, Ulster and Sullivan counties. 

 Sec. 4S. Sab^ of moose, caribou and antelope is forbidden in close 

 season for the possession of venisoTi. Sec 49. Close Reason for 

 hares or rabbits is Feb. 1 to Sept. 15. Sec. TO. Close sea.son for 

 wildfowl killing or sale is made March 1 to Sept. 1. Sec. 71 forbids 

 pursuit from any boat other than a boat propelled by hand. 



Sec. ''2 makes close season for quail .Tan. 1 to Nov. 10; and in Sec. 

 73. as to sale, Nov. 1 is changed to Nov. 10. 



Sec. 74 makes close season for woodcork and partridge Jan, 1 to 

 Sept. 1, and makes no reference to prairie chicljens. In Sec. 75, 

 as to sale, Sept. 1 is substituted for Sept, 15. 



Sec. 74 makes close season for woodcock and partridge. 



Sec. 77 make.'^ close season for plover, mud beu, gallimile, grebe, 

 bittern, surf bird, curlew, water chicken, bay snipe or shore birds 

 .Jan. 1 to Sept. 1. 



Sec. inti makes lawful length of trout of any kind, salmon trout 

 or landlocked salm on, (iin. 



Sec. Ill prescribes Sin. as lawful size of black ba.ss and Sec. 114 

 makes the salmon length 18in. 



Sec. 101 makes close season for wildfowl on Long Island Maich 

 1 to Oct. 1. ond Sec. 169 makes the hare or rabbit close season there 

 Feb. 1 to Nov. 1. 



There are numerous changes in the local provisions as 

 to shooting and fishing. 



Sec^ 233 provides that action may be brought in any county 

 where the penalty sball be incurred, or in anv county adjoining, 

 or in any county where defendant resides. But the sjime shall 

 not be changed to the county wherein the offense was committed. 



Sec. 348 reads: No person shall be excused from giving evidence 

 in any civil, or cruninal action, prosecution, or proceeding, under 

 or authorized by this act, on the ground that the evidence might 

 tend to convict such witness of a crime, or misdemeanor, of to 

 establish the liability of such witness under any of the provisions 

 thereof; but such evidence shall not be received against such 

 witness in any civil or criminal action, prosecution or proceeding. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



The codified game bill now before the Legislature is 

 unsatisfactory in regard to wildfovp-l in this part of the 

 State. It makes the opening day Sept. 15. This should 

 be Sept. 1. All sportsmen that take an interest and study 

 the habits of wildfowl know that ducks such as tea.l and 

 wood duck begin migrating in the latter part of August, 

 and by Sept. 15 a great many have i^assed us. Section 71 

 prohibits shooting from any boat. Now this is the most 

 successful way for us to shoot ducks here, especially on 

 the marshes. 



I am heartily in favor of stopping the spring shooting 

 of wildfowl, and find that most all the sportsmen feel the 

 same way up here, but all are opposed to Sept. 15 as the 

 opening day, and think it should be Sept, 1. 



I also think we should have the privilege of fishing 

 through the ice in waters not inhabited by black bass, 

 trout, salmon, etc. 



I saw an article in your issue of Feb, 13 by W. H. Hart, 

 of Hudson. It is to the point and full of good sound 

 common sense. Geo. M. Wood. 



WoonviLLE, N. Y. 



The hearings appointed for last week were not held, 

 the Legislature having adjourned on the occasion of 

 G-en. Sherman's funeral. A heating before the Senate 

 Committee has been appointed for to-day at 3 o'clock. 



The Highlajnd Gun Club of Des Moines, la., has re- 

 cently received a valuable gift from Mr. John G. Smith, 

 of Algona. It is a handsome collection of mounted birds! 

 The club has acknowledged the gift by resolutions which 

 recite: "Whereas, John G. Smith, of i\lgona, has pre- 

 sented to the Highland Gun Club his large collection of 

 mounted birds, representing many years of labor, care 

 and perseverance, and great expense; and whereas, the 

 members of this club from long acquaintance hold Mr. 

 Smith in high esteem as a true sportsman and naturalist; 

 therefore be it resolved, that the directors of the High- 

 land Gun Club desire to express hereby their thanks for 

 said gift and their fraternal regard for the donor; resolved, 

 that John G. Smith is hereby elected an honorary member 

 of this club. Attest: Will Burnett, Secretary." 



A Good Bag of Canvasbacks.— Judge S. H. Green 

 yesterday returned from a duck shoot that must have 

 been a picnic. He was shooting at Green's Lake, near 

 Knapp's Landing, on the Washington side of the Columbia, 

 and during a few hours' shooting, Wednesday afternoon, 

 he slaughtered forty-one canvasbacks. This is one of the 

 largest bags secured by a single htinter during the season. 

 They were nice, fat canvasbacks, too, and tit to grace the 

 festive board of any aggregation of newsgatherers. Can- 

 vasback ducks are now said to be more plentiful in some 

 of the lakes than any other variety, although but very 

 few were to be found a few weeks ago. — Portland 

 Oregonian. 



Sale of Game in Close Season.— New York, Feb. 18. 

 — Editor Forest and Stream: A paper states that dozens 

 of store-keepers have been offering game out of season. 

 Now, I have heard this time and again and defy this 

 paper or any one else to prove it. I know that game is 

 sold and served out of season, but not openly. In every 

 case reported but one it has turned out that the game 

 was imported pheasants or hares; and generally it was: 

 "I heard so," or "Some one said they saw it," But that 

 does not answer for proof. I shall be pleased to receive 

 evidence that will convict; but hearsay evidence is of 

 no use.— Wakeman Holbeeton. 



Mr. Auguste Francotte, the celebrated European 

 gun maker, arrived in New York this week. Mr. Fran- 

 cotte's trip is one entirely for pleasure, and it must be 

 very gratifying to him to see his guns, which are in the 

 best of hands here, so well liked in this country. It will 

 be remembered that it was a Francotte featherweight 

 ejector gun that gave such phenomenal results in the 

 Forest and Streak gun tests carried on last year. 



Mr. Al. Bandle has severed his connection with the 

 Bandle Arma Co., of Cincinnati, O., and has as yet not 

 fully determined upon his future business, but as he has 

 several very flattering offers from sporting goods houses 

 both East and West, and is thoroughly experienced in the 

 gun trade, the prospects are he will not long be idle. 



Mr. Stdyvesant's Deer Fence.— The longest board 

 fence in New .Jersey, and possibly in the country, 

 is just being completed at Tranquillity. It incloses J. 

 O. Stuyvesant's new deer park and will be twelve miles 

 long. The tract is 3,000 acre.y. The fence is ten feet 

 high and is made of hemlock boards an inch and a half 

 thick. The sawmill at Allamuchy has been running con- 

 stantly for a year cutting lumber for this one fence. It 

 will cost 120,000.— iYe/oar/c AdverUser. 



The Spruce Cabin Run Club.— A number of New 

 York business and professional men have organized the 

 Spruce Cabin Run Game and Fish Association, with pre- 

 serves including 100 acres of land in Canadensis, Monroe 

 county. The officers elected were: President, Col. E. L. 

 Price; Secretary, Chas. (3. Bennett; Treasurer, .John E, 

 Blake. 



Washington Winter.— Whatcom, Wash., Feb. 10.— 

 We have had the most open winter that I have ever ex- 



fierienced, with only about twelve frosty nights since 

 ast winter. Girame is quite plenty, such as grouse and 

 deer, ducks and geese and bear.— J. G. C. 



m mid ^iv^r fishing. 



The full texts of the game fish laws of all the States, 

 Territories and British Pro^'inces are given in the J3oo?c of 

 tlie Game Laws. 



GAMPS OF THE OLENTANGY CLUB. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



The annual election of the Olentangy Club, of Colum- 

 bus, Ohio, took place at its first regular meeting in Jan- 

 uary and resulted as follows: Pres., W. J. ^Schenck; 

 Vice-Pres., John Staib; Sec'y-Treas., C. M. Lloyd, Trus- 

 tees, Charles G. Schenck, Erwin D. Case, Valentine 

 Kiefer, W. G. Perks and John Peirano. 



The club was organized in 1884 and the jrarpose for 

 w^hich it is formed is the mutual pleasure of its members 

 in himting, fishing, camping and social enjoyment. The 

 club was incorporated .Jan. 3 under the general corpora- 

 tion laws of the State of Ohio, under the name and style 

 of the Olentangy Club and now enjoys all the corporate 

 rights, powers, privileges and liabilities imposed by such 

 laws. 



Ever since its organization the club has taken an annual 

 outing, lasting from four to six weeks. During the first 

 year's of its existence the encampments were generally 

 located on either the Muskingum or Scioto, two beautiful 

 rivers of ottr own State, but as the club grew stronger, 

 numerically as well as financially, it began to spread its 

 wings, so to speak, and look for a more distant field of 

 sport, where game and fish were more plentiful, a coun- 

 try less settled and a purer air. 



In the year 1887 the club located its camp on the Man- 

 istique Lake, a beautiful body of water near McMillan 

 station, on the Duluth & South Shore R. R., 64 miles 

 from St. Ignace, the terminus of the above mentioned 

 road. The following year the camp was located near the 

 same place, on what is known as the White Fish Lake, 

 reached by the same route. Fishing was splendid and 

 members of the encampments enjoyed themselves for all 

 there was in it, returning home each year in the best of 

 health and spirits. 



In the summer of '89 the club located its camp on Lake 

 Superior, near the Pictured Rocks, a range of cliffs which 

 may be considered as the most beautifully striking of all 

 the scenery of the Northwest. Here we did most of our 

 fishing in a small inland lake known as Beaver Lake, a 

 beautiful sheet of water about three-quarters of a mile 

 back from the shore of grand old Superior, which was 

 reached by a well-trodden trail through a forest of tow- 

 ering pines. Bass, pickerel and pike were the only fish 

 we found in Lake Beaver. Trout fishing in the small 

 streams emptying into Superior in the vicinity of our 

 camp was good, and contributed greatly to the enjoyment 

 of the encampment. It would be hai'd to imagine a 

 grander spot than the one chosen by the Olentangy Club. 



The encampment of the club this summer was located 

 on one of the many lakes of northern Wisconsin, known 

 as Lake Vieux Desert. The lake is reached from State 

 Line station, on the Milwaukee, Lake Shore & V/estern, 

 over a fair road, distance about six miles. Here we 

 found muskallonge, bass, pike and pickerel. The lake is 

 five miles long and from two to three miles wide, and is 

 the headwaters of the Wisconsin River. Indians as well as 

 fish are plenty here, but were peaceably disposed, and 

 were making the best of the berry harvest — that is, 

 whortleberries, or more familiarly known as huckle- 

 berries. The boys also took a hand in picking berries for 

 immediate use. They were so plentiful that four or five 

 of us could pick three to four bushels in a few hours, 

 which would last us several days and were considered a 

 very healthy addition to our bill of fare. They were on 

 being stewed very palatable and considered one of the 

 delicacies of the camp. Many pleasant days we spent 

 here in the way of fishing, exploring the surrounding 

 country, visiting an Indian village, also an old abandoned 

 Indian graveyard, located on an island near the middle 

 of the lake. The evenings were spent around a large, 

 bright camp-fire, listening to the events of the day. 



In speaking of our camp on Lake Superior I failed to 

 mention the route taken, which may be of some interest 

 to your readers. From Columbus to Detroit, thence by 

 the steamer City of Alpena to St. Ignace, Mich., thence 

 via the Duluth and South Shore to a station called Munis- 

 ing; from there our camping outfit was battled to old 

 Mimising, located on Grand Island Bay, a distance of six 

 miles. There we chartered three sailing yachts, which 

 landed us at our objective point after fifteen hours of 

 struggle against head winds. The trip would have been 

 most tedious and tiresome but for the range of the beau- 

 tiful Pictured Rocks, which we passed closely by. The 

 nearest post-office, or for that matter habitation is "twenty- 

 four miles distant, and is practically only accessible by 

 water, so it may be seen that a camp' located at that 

 place is pretty well outside the pale of civilization. 



In all probability the club will locate its camp this 

 coming summer somewhere near Gogebic Lake, Slich., 

 making the trip via the Great Lakes to Ashland, Wis,, 

 thence by rail to a point not yet exactly determined 

 upon. C, M. L. 



COLtTMBtrS, O, 



