MarGH 13, 1891,] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



161 



The laws of New York and Pennsylvania differ materi- 

 ally from the laws of this State, but by cooperation the 

 laws of New York and Pennsylvania have been made as 

 neax alike as territorial reasons will permit. It has al- 

 ways been a subject of complaint that the laws of New 

 York open the season some time before the season opens 

 iti New Jei'sey, the New York sportsmen shooting oil 

 their own game and then coming into New Jersey and 

 getting their share of the game here. If the seasons 

 opened about the same time it would be of great advan- 

 tage to Jerseymen who cannot afford to travel long dis- 

 tances inquest of their favorite sport. It is consequently 

 that now is the proper time for a general revision, which 

 would result not only in better protection, but also be of 

 convenience to all concerned. * 

 Patbrson, N, .1., Feb. 25. 



NEW SYSTEM OF SIGHTING SHOTGUNS. 



THERE has always existed a serious difficulty in aim- 

 ing shotguns, and this difficulty has increased with 

 our modern chokebore guns. When shooting, the atten- 

 tion of the gunner should be chiefly directed on the flying 

 bird, and any arrangement of sights which interfere 

 with a full view ahead , or sights that require to be looked 

 at, are worse than no sights at all. In fact, good work 

 with the shotgun has required that the gun should fit the 

 shooter well, i. e., come up in good alignment with little 

 attention at aiming. One of the difficulties of shooting 

 is that the gun is not used from the same position, the 

 shooter often having to take a sharp right or left position 

 which makes it difftcTilt to align the gun the same. I 

 have foxmd that a small and short ivory sight placed not 

 more than 18in. from my lai-ge muzzle sight gives won- 

 derfully good results on a shotgun. Not only is the 

 vertical alignment readily obtaiiied, but as the two sights 

 are seen quite distinct and away from each other, the 

 lateral alignment is made at the same time. This is a 

 most important point, for one of the common mistakes is 

 sighting too close to the gun rib. which results in under 

 shooting. In very quick shooting neither of these sights 

 are much noticed, but the eye is more or less guided by 

 them in the quickest work quite unconsciously, and when 

 shooting more deliberately one forms the habit of bring- 

 ing the gun up in the right position. There is no better 

 test as to whether the gun is a good fit or not, than to 

 look over it with these sights on. This method of sight- 

 ing can be applied to a rifle, though I would not recom- 

 mend it except possibly at short distances and where 

 great accuracy is not required. This target which was 

 made with the rifle on a Daly gun shows a fair degree of 

 accuracy. The sights are easHy applied by any gun- 

 smith. As many shooters have my muzzle sight they 

 now will only require the new rear sight to make their 

 gun perf ect. 



This cut shows the large muzzle sight on gun. 



Out of the small rear sight on the gun. This sight is 

 placed 18in. from the muzzle sight. 



Tins engraving gives the appearance of the sights when 

 aiming at a straightaway bird. It will be noticed that 

 the muzzle sight is the most prominent and when the 

 aim is taken should be seen above the rear sight and in 

 line with it. In this cut the elevation of the gun is 

 right, but the rear sight shows that the gun is out of line, 

 which would not be discovered if these sights were not 

 used. 



A large proportion of the sportsmen who use the 

 Lyman rear tang sight do so with the ordinary crotch 

 sight on the barrel. This crotch sight is much in the 

 way of the rear tang sight and the shooting is done at a 

 great disadvantage. To overcome this trouble I have in- 

 vented a foldmg leaf sight to take the place of the crotch 

 sight. This new sight has no notch in it, being straight 

 across its top. In this respect it is a bar sight. This 

 sight folds down close to the barrel, allowing the shooter 

 to use the Lyman combination sight or the wind-gause 

 sight in an unobstructed manner, and the result is that 

 the sliooting is twice as good as when the ordinary crotch 

 A- \ n sight is on the barrel, 



s '\ |J:;T p — Although the shooter 



nearly all shooting, he has 

 the satisfaction in knowing that if he wishes to use this 

 leaf sight, that it is a better sight than any rear barrel or 

 crotch eight in «S9, both as regards acouraoy and quick- 



ness in aiming. The left hand engraving shows the 

 sight on the gun barrel folded down. The right hand cut 

 gives the appearance of the sight when in use and shows 

 the bead or top of the ivory miizzle or front sight when 

 aiming. 



In taking a long shot the front sight should be seen 

 high above the bar of the leaf sight de'pending on the dis- 

 tance of the game. The shooter needs to make no effort 

 to see the front sight in the middle of the bar, for the eye 

 will centralize the front sight with the bar sight uncon- 

 sciously while the shooter is getting the front sight on 

 the target. ' The top of this sight has a knife edge slot on 

 its face which prevents any reflection from i-ays of light 

 and always gives the bar a black aiipearance. ' This edge 

 also gives the thumb nail a hold in turning up the sight. 

 The sight has also a horizontal bar of ivory "partly ex- 

 posed" below the square top which allows the sight to be 

 seen when shooting in a dim light. The folding part is 

 regulated by the right hand screw to move as firmly as 

 desired. William Lyman. 



MlDDIiEFTELD, CoHH. 



BEARS AND BEAR HUNTING. 



The Doa Brought Out the G-ame.— The story of the 

 man who bet that his pup could bring the coon out of the 

 barrel, and won his bet by throwing in the dog back- 

 ward, which triumphantly emerged with the coon fast to 

 his hindquarters, is matched by the story which F. B. 

 sends from Kansas: Several days ago the Bacon boys, 

 who live about four miles west of Ottawa, started out to 

 hunt coons. They had three hounds and were soon on 

 the trail of an animal wliich tm-ned out to be a large and 

 fierce wildcat. He led them a long chaso and finally 

 came to bay under a dark railroad culvert, and here the 

 two older dogs stopped. The other dog was just learning 

 to hunt and had never had any expei'ience in this line, so 

 he started boldly in to bring out the game. He brought 

 it out a great deal quicker than any one expected and 

 made a considerable noise about it too. When the hun- 

 ters caught sight of the dog he was coming toward them 

 like mad with the wildcat standing straight up on his 

 back. The other hounds now took hold of the cat and 

 soon finished him, but he gave them some ugly wounds 

 in the fight. The pup that brought the wildcat out will 

 probably remember the feat for a long time. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



Eeading "HunterV dissertation on traf)ping bears re- 

 minds me of old hunting days when the wild woods were 

 my happiest abode and trapping bears my specialty. I 

 have killed seA^enty- three bears, trapped the most part of 

 them, and the manner and kind of laait are a desideratum 

 worthy of note. 



In the spring of the year I never used bait, but set traps 

 in wild animal trails or paths, which are to be found 

 around ponds and beside rivera and brooks where the 

 bears inhabit. 



Later on I found that fresh fish was the best bait. 

 Some hunters use stinkino: meat or waste scraps or bones 

 of any animal, thinking that the smell of the decaying 

 meat would entice bruin, but I have always found that 

 the fresher the bait the better. I think 'bears have a 

 delicate sensitiveness in their organs of smell, and I have 

 found honey to be a great attraction to them. I have 

 also bored auger holes in roots of trees near my ti-aps, 

 and filled them with molasses and rum, for be it known, 

 the black bear, although a native of Maine, never con- 

 sented to her prohibition statute, and can be made as 

 drunk as any two-legged animal. 



There is, however, in my humble opinion, more in set- 

 ting the trap than in the kind of bait, and at different 

 seasons of the year in different ways. 



As to the time they breed, I see hunters vary in their 

 opinions. I have kept them in confinement, but they do 

 not breed the same as they would in their native wilds. 

 Friend ''Hunter" thinks they drop their young the first 

 part of February, but says he found four in a den in 

 March. Well, if anybody finds a female bear in a den in 

 January, he will find the cubs, for immediately on being 

 disturbed the mother will drop her cubs. You cannot get 

 a bear out of her den before she drops them. Yes, he 

 found four cubs ia March, that is the month she naturallv 

 has them. 



I like the talk of that Maine "Hunter;" it sounds like 

 my own experience, and here is my hand. Shake! 



J. G. R. 



BETn KJ., Maine; 



Spoet in Missouiii.— Marshall, Mich. — I arrived in 

 Keytesville, Mo., Dec. 24, The weather was fine: and 

 the next morning I called upon my friend Mr. Wm. Hill, 

 and I told him I wanted to have a good hunt. He intro- 

 duced me to two of the best hunters, Ward brothers. 

 That afternoon one of them, John Ward, and I went out 

 a short time and bagged 20 fine quails; and for two weeks 

 we kept it up, and had splendid shooting. My Gordon 

 setter was only 13 months old, but she was a "daisy." 

 Two of us bagged in one day, I think, 93 birds. In the 

 early fall and spring there ia splendid duck and geese shoot- 

 ing. 1 once was advocating a 101b. gun and 10 bore, but 

 I do not want any more of them, nor do I advise their 

 use for small game. A gun which weighs from 5 to 

 6|lbs. is heavy enough, and toward evening the gunner 

 will think even that weight is too heavy. I believe that 

 a person can kill just as much, if not more, with a 16- 

 bore, using 2drs. of powder and f oz. of shot. It is all 

 useless to shoot so much ammunition when less will do, 

 and besides I do not want to carry 3i to 5drs. of powder 

 around with me when I will do. To me it seems ridicu- 

 lous to use 4t^drs. of powder for one bird and to blow him 

 all to pieces, while all is required is to kill the game. 

 From what I heard, the bird crop is very abundant all 

 through the southern part of Missouri. There are some 

 wild turkeys there, and I saw quite a few geese. The day 

 I arrived there James Ward killed a goose at 180yds. with 

 a 34in. muzzleloader. The game is too wild to shoot 

 with a shotgun at that season. — ^M. R, 



Wyoming Game.— Big Piney, Uinta county , Wyoming. 

 — This section is the home of the elk, deer and antelope, 

 bear of several kinds, mountain lion, mountain sheep, cat, 

 lynx, beaver and a few timber butt'alo in the mountains, 

 wolf and coyote of the plains; ducks and geese in summer 

 and fall; sage hens, grouse in large quantities at all times 

 of the year. In all. streams and lakes are the mountain 

 trout and they are very gamy. Sometimes the noble elk 

 get very poor in winter and have been killed in large 

 nurnbers for their hides, although there is a strict law 

 against this. Last winter we had some rare sport roping 

 elk on horseback. We sold several which were shipped 

 to Austin Corbin, of Newport, New Hampshire. This 

 country must forever remain an irreclaimable wilderness. 

 Here hunters may live in tents and follow the migrations 

 of the game and lead a life of savage independence. — 

 C. V. B. 



A Game Club which appears to be earnestly endeavor 

 ing to do some good in its neighborhood writes: "Can 

 you not suggest some way for us to increase our treasury ? 

 Do not some of the Western associations receive some- 

 thing in the shape of contributions from the different gun 

 dealers and sporting goods houses?" The gun dealers 

 and sporting goods houses contribute to trap shooting 

 tournament prize lists; but most houses that we know 

 anything about are invited to contribute to an extent far 

 beyond their means. We have never known of their 

 contributing to a game protective club. It is hardly to 

 be expected that they would. Perhaps some one oan 

 suggeat to our inquirers a method of raising funds for 

 game and fish protecMon pvu-posee. 



Worcester, Mass., March 6.— The annual meeting this 

 week of the Worcester Sportsmen's Club resulted in the 

 election of E. F. Swan as secretary. Last year he was 

 dropped and Henry W. W^ebber elected. This year Mr. 

 Webber declined a reelection and the only other man 

 nominated withdrew from the contest. The result of the 

 annual election of officers follows: President, Gilbert J. 

 Rugg; Vice-Presidents, A. B. F. Eienney, E. S. Knowles, 

 M. D. Gilmore: Secretary, E. F. Swan;" Executive Com- 

 mittee — John 15. Goodell, W. R. Dean, C. Harry Morse, 

 O. A. Benoit; Committee to Revise the By-Laws — A. B. 

 F. Keuney, C. H. Morse, F. M. Harris, C. A. Benoit. The 

 following' were elected members of the club; Geo. Cut- 

 ting, Wm. Brown, Geo. W. Purringtou, Uemy W. Smith, 

 Geo. Langdon, W. L. Smith, A. P. Cutting and. Geo. 1. 

 McClellan. 



New York Restaurateurs.— At the monthly meet- 

 ing of the New York Association for the Protection of 

 Game, last Monday evening, Messrs. H. T. Carey and 

 Chas. F. Imbrie, of the executive committee, reported 

 that through the efforts of Mr. W. Holberton, a member 

 of the association, and State Protector Dr. Willet Kidd, 

 they had obtained evidence against Morello's restaurant 

 and the Hotel Brunswick for serving game out of season. 

 Whereupon it was unanimously voted that the counsel of 

 the association should begin suit immediately against the 

 offending parties. Why does the District Attorney not 

 go on with the suit against Delmonico, who is charged 

 by Dr. Kidd with having served woodcock out of season? 



He Bragged Not Wisely. — A Hartford man, George 

 J. Helm, recently wrote to a Western paper, bragging of 

 his being out shooting on Sunday and escaping the game 

 warden. The case was followed up by Game W^arden 

 Collins, Helm was arrested, found guilty, and fined $7 

 and costs of $20 or more. Helm's attorney wanted to 

 take an appeal, and Attorney Markham strongly objected 

 and read Section 693, Revised Statutes, 1888, which says: 

 "Any person, convicted by a justice of the peace of any 

 offense, except profane swearing, cursing or Sabbath 

 breaking, may appeal from the judgment." Good law- 

 yers claim that the case is not appealable, and that the 

 justice's decision must stand. 



"Book of the Game Laws." — It speaks well for the 

 BooJc of the Qmne Laws that although it is now nearly 

 six months since its first number was published, neither 

 in the October, 1890, number nor in the January, 1891, 

 number has any serious error been discovered. There 

 was one stupid critic who averred that the Boole of the 

 Game Laws gave the Long Island quail season incor- 

 rectly; but in this case it was the critic who erred. The 

 January number, by the way, contains the full text of 

 the recent Illinois decision respecting the sale of quail 

 killed for market. It is a pleasure to record that the 

 Book of the Game Laws is appreciated for accuracy and 

 completeness. 



Iowa Association.— J. G. Smith's trip to Forest City 

 last week was not a fruitless one, after all. He set the 

 ball in motion by which, two days later, a fellow was 

 caught attempting to ship prairie chickens, and was con- 

 victed and fined $20 and costs. When the State Associa- 

 tion for the Protection of Game in Iowa gets after a fel- 

 low, it is very likely to run him down before it is through 

 with him. It has been the means of saving up much of 

 our game which was formerly killed and shipped out of 

 the State during the closed season, and has done much 

 good in a general way. — Alzona Upper Des Moines, Feb. 

 85. 



Game Protector Kidd — New York, March 4.— State 

 Game Warden Dr. Willet Kidd, of Newburerh, has just 

 notified me that Carl Smith and Smith Vance were 

 lodged in Kingston jail March 2. They will now have 

 to pay $240 or serve out 240 days. They were arrested at 

 EHenville for netting trout in the Sandburgh Stream in 

 Ulster county. I think Dr. Kidd is very efficient, and 

 deserves great credit. Last season he brought sixteen 

 suits to a successful termination , three of which were in 

 this city.— W. H. 



Birds in Nebaska.— Loup River.— The quail are hav- 

 ing a hard time this winter, but are so abundant that I 

 fear no great depreciation in numbers for next season. 

 Prairie chicken were not plenty last season, but I have 

 about 200 located in the hills just back from the river, 

 and with a good spring and no prairie fires I think they 

 will be as abundant next fall as formerly.— C. P. H. 



Spring Shooting.— When the Illinois Legislature was 

 considering a bill to prohibit spring shooting of wildfowl 

 in 1887, petitions were sent in to the General Assembly 

 opposing the measure, and bearing something like 10,000 

 signatures. 



Trouble with their Eyes.— A correspondent puts it 

 thus: "Game is scarce about here; too many sportsmen 

 who cannot read when it cornea to the game laws; their 

 eyesight gives out all at onoei." 



