290 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[APKlL SO, 1891, 



THE BOB WHITES. 



THE day before Christmas I was all anxiety to have 

 some sport with the Bob Whites. Five miles above 

 where I was visiting was a plantation noted for more 

 quail than any other on Red River, in Bossier Pariah. Just 

 before the close season for birds was to begin I had been 

 to this plantation and had a moat succeasfnl hunt. There 

 were not less than two or three hundred quail left over 

 for the summer rearing. As the front lands on this plan- 

 tation were not overflowed in the great overflow of last 

 summer I concluded that the birds had escaped destruc- 

 tion and that I would most assuredly iind them quite 

 numerous at this time. Alas! for such thoughts I 



With Dan's Trump and his year-old son, out of Maud, 

 I rode to this plantation with ''expectation big," that I 

 should have a grand time. Nothing short of a bag of a 

 hundred Bob Whites M^ould satisfy me. 



As I entered the fields a negro assured me there were a 

 number of coveys in the coco pasture, opposite Captain 

 Billy Robson's store. This was the place where 1 left so 

 many birds the close of the last winter. The pasture em- 

 braced some 40 acres of land, thrown out of cultivation 

 by coco, on which dewberry vines thickly grew, thereby 

 protecting the birds from the rapacity of hawks. Bor- 

 dering on three sides of this pasture grew great quanti- 

 ties of the cow pea (that the frosts of a year or two cannot 

 rot), affording ample food for the birds the year round. 

 The pasture was above all high waters. Thence my con- 

 clusion was a reasonable one, that the Bob Whites had 

 escaped destruction from the great overflow of 1890 and 

 I would have a most interesting time with them. 



Dan's Trump and Jeff Davis ranged the fields as finely 

 as I ever saw pointers do, until I drew near the coco 

 pasture. Xot a point had been made; not once did I 

 notice that they winded the scent of a game bird. 

 Surely, I thougbt, all the Bob Whites have congregated 

 in the pasture, and soon there will be a massacre. Over 

 the barbed wire fence leaped both dogs. I remained on 

 my pony, momentarily expecting to see them grow^ rigid 

 to a point. Over the forty acres both ranged, crossing 

 and recrossing. Not a halt' was made, no points. Dan's 

 Trump came back to the fence, crestfallen and with a 

 dowTicast look of disappointment. He peered into my 

 face, as much as to inquire, "Where are they?'' and 

 "What must I do?" 



"Ah! Dan's, the butchers have murdered them, leaving 

 not a bird for seed. Over the fence, sir, and we will go 

 home. Day after to-morrow we will go to the Bossier 

 hills, and I trust we will have better luck." 



As Jeff had never been there before, he was not disap- 

 pointed. Both dogs leaped the fence. Jeff proceeded to 

 range far out, while Dan's showed his disgust and chagrin 

 by merely keeping ahead, so the pony should not step on 

 him. 



"Cheer up, old dog!" I said to him; "we will go to Mrs. 

 Weather's new ground field. Perhaps we may find a 

 covey there. If so, you shall have the pleasure of re- 

 trieving a bii-d, provided my old eyes do not deceive me." 

 Dan's seemed to understand what'l said. He brightened 

 up, increased his gait, and made a bee line for Mrs. 

 Weathers plantation. Jeff was in advance, and when he 

 got to the fence, sprang over, and flushed a covey of only 

 five birds. Dan's looked as if he could have bit his head 

 off; but it was not Jeff's fault. The birds were running 

 and flushed some distance from the fence. Besides, the 

 wind was blowing from the dog to the birds. I marked 

 the places to which the birds had flown and said to Dan's, 

 "Now we will have some fun.'" On entering the field 

 both dogs drew to a point at once, rigid as logs. Dis- 

 mounting I gave Black Pat the bridle to feed as he pleased, 

 and approached the dogs. It was the first time Jeff had 

 ever smelt a quail. Foam fell from his mouth, his beau- 

 tiful eyes flashed witlx excitement, his tail stood horizon- 

 tal, body toward head sbghtly crouched, and left hindfoot 

 raised from the ground. I was anxious to have the dogs 

 flush. To my order to ' -Hie on!" neither moved, each afraid 

 of the other, and I had to flush the bird myself. It rose 

 with an ascending flight, and at the distance of some 

 SOyds. fell to the crack of the gun. 



Both dogs stood steady, not moving to the report of the 

 gun, but at the command, "Dead bird, go seek," each 

 dashed out. Dan's got to it first and came running back 

 to me followed by Jeff, who did not like his taking away 

 the bird. 



On going near the place where I saw two birds drop, 

 Jeff got in ahead of Dan's, and made a splendid point. 

 At the command he flushed, I dropped both birds, which 

 he retrieved in handsome style, not crushing nor rumpling 

 a feather, a quality he inherits from his sire, who never 

 hurts a bird, and no matter how far off he retrieves a 

 bird it is brought to me uninjured. I have no use for a 

 dog that mashes a bird, and will not keep one that does. 



Both dogs scented at once the other birds that I had 

 marked, Dan's making the point, and Jeff backed. I 

 flushed one bird, the gun failed to fire— examination 

 proved I had not reloaded, no wonder at its failure when 

 the chambers contained no shells. I reloaded in time to 

 get in a snap shot as the second bird got up behind me, 

 and the bird was retrieved by Dan'n, who beat his son to 

 the fallen bird. Thus I got four out of the five. 



The dogs ranged the entire field without finding any 

 more birds. As I went out of the field to take the public 

 road home I met an intelligent negro, who, in answer to 

 my question, "What had become of the quail on the 

 Clyde Pickett coco pasture?" replied , "Oh! sir, last spring 

 in the high water they were all killed." Both whites and 

 colored people united in killing them. They were con- 

 fined to the front banks of the river, and could not escape. 

 It was death by di-owning should they attempt to fly to 

 the overflow, and death to remain on the pasture. None 

 escaped. Had the owner only urged the protection of his 

 game, tlaere would have been" birds in quantities to have 

 given both himself and friends good shootizig all the 

 hunting season. How long will this be the case, that our 

 planters, in the eagerness to grow cotton, are regardless 

 of the protection of their game? 



While I was talking to the negro I missed Jeff". A 

 search found him pointing near the banks of a beautiful 

 lake, known as Wasson's Lake. Supposing it was a hare 

 he had pointed, as it was in the woods, I rode in and 

 flushed a very large covey of birds. Shot once and killed 

 a bird from the saddle. All the birds flew across the 

 lake but one, that perched in a tree. It was too late to 



fo after the birds, and I wanted that one in the tree. I 

 new I could not kill it if I shot flying, and pardon me, 

 reader, I rode up and puUed down on it, sitting. Under 



ordinary circumstances I do not shoot at a bird sitting. 

 But in this case there were five mouths at home waiting 

 to enjoy a bird pie for Christmas dinner, .Mine would 

 make the sixth, that would be as eager for that bird pie, 

 and only five birds were in the pockets of my hunting 

 coat. What would you have done, kind lover of the gun 

 and rod? 



Dan's recovered the bird, giving it to my outstretched 

 arm — the only one t have. ^Putting it in the papacious 

 pockets, I rode back to the residence of my son-in-law, 

 Lawser K. Hodges, with no twinges of conscience that I 

 had committed murder in shooting a "sitting" bird. 



The next da}^ was Christmas. I enjoyed the fine din- 

 ner, especially the bird pie. In the afternoon, by appoint- 

 ment. I rode to Elm Grove, the mansion of my friends, 

 W, H. and C. B. Hodges, to spend the night and accom- 

 pany Mr. Caw Hodges the next day to the Bossier hills 

 for 'a two days' sport with the Bob White. Thereby 

 hangs a tale, which I may, in another nvxmber, give to 

 the columns of the Forest akj> Stream. 



Geo. D. Alexandeb.. 



HuNXEK's Ranch, Cross Bayou, La. 



WAYS OF THE RUFFED GROUSE. 



THE ruft'ed grouse behaves far differently before a dog 

 from what he does in the presence of a man. He 

 does not resort to those devices and maneuvers which he 

 is wont to practice with the latter, knowing well that 

 they would be useless and vain. When pursued by a 

 dog he relies mainly for safety upon flight and keeping 

 himself off the ground; hence he betakes himself to a 

 tree, and standing on a limb on the leeward side looks 

 down in security upon his four-footed enem3^ He selects 

 the side opposite to the wind so that the scent will not be 

 carried in the air, and he be thus located. When he flies 

 into a tree to escape from man he gets on the side oppo- 

 site to that in which the person is approaching. A grouse 

 in a tree always remains motionless, whatever the position 

 may be he assumes. 



A favorite one is with his back to the body of the tree, 

 standing txpright. In this case he selects one of which 

 the bark corresponds as nearly as possible in color with 

 that of his breast and under feathers. When he stands 

 on a limb on the side opposite to the person approaching, 

 his head alone is visible, and this is the "crook"' or "knot 

 on the tree,'' that country hunters talk so much about. 



Sometimes the grouse stands out on a limb plainly in 

 view, and does not seek concealment in the least. Then 

 he is indeed a beautiful sight, and one which I would go 

 quite a distance to see. The grouse (except in rare in- 

 stances) is a diflSciilt bird to shoot either on the ground or 

 in a tree. 



To do so successfully requires an intimate knowledge of 

 the habits and ways of the bird and a keen vision. In- 

 deed, a more perfect knowledge than most sportsmen 

 attain to. It also requires great caution and carefulness 

 in approaching the bird at times, while at other times a 

 careless and indifferent demeanor with the eyes wide 

 open answers the purpose. The difficulty of shooting the 

 grouse while at rest has been generally, I think, over- 

 looked by sportsmen, as well as the great knowledge re- 

 quired to do so successfully. 



I am sure I could more easily kill ten grouse flying, in 

 a given time, than ten sitting, and yet one sliot flying 

 would give me more cause for rejoicing and inward satis- 

 faction than ten shot at rest. This is the true test of 

 superior sportsmanship. 



The grouse is still more difficult to shoot while flymg. 

 To accomplish this feat requires the exercise of quickness 

 of motion with precision of aim. 



I [have heard stories told of men who were ivon- 

 derful shots at the ruffed grouse, of one who took off a 

 pair of gloves, cocked his gun and then killed his bird, 

 all done after he had started from the ground; of another 

 who killed one bird going from his left and turning 

 killed another going directly from his right, both birds 

 sprung at the same time. I leave my reader to judge of 

 the truthfulness of such fiction. 



Akin to this is the ancient myth about the "flock of 

 Xoa'tridges" in the grapevine, and how if you are very 

 careful and particular to aim at and shoot first the bird 

 that sits lowest, the rest will not take wing; but on the 

 contrary if you happen to be a little too hasty and should 

 happen by mistake to shoot the one that sits highest his 

 falling down will so frighten the rest that sit lowest that 

 they will take wing. 



Although the grouse is so difficult to shoot on the wing, 

 yet a very small wound on one of his wings will bring 

 him to the ground. On one occasion while hunting in 

 Clifton Park I fired at a grouse as he went over the tops 

 of the trees along the edge of the timber, I had but a 

 small hope of hitting him, as I got but a glimpse and he 

 was quite a distance away. It was a golden October day, 

 not a breath of air stirring. After the report of the gun 

 had died away I heard a slight rustling in the leaves in 

 the direction in which I had shot. I ran out and saw the 

 bmi on the ground. Instead of going into the woods he 

 ran out on an old sheep pasture. Then began a foot race 

 (for I had no dog with me on this occasion). After going 

 about 150yds. I came up to about 20ft. of the bird when 

 he lay down and I walked up and examined him. One 

 shot only had struck this bird, and that bad gone through 

 the tip of the wing a quarter of an inch from the end. 



The grouse when mortally wounded sometimes flies 

 quite a long distance and falls dead. One day I fired at 

 a grouse that rose quite close to me but he still kept on, 

 and after going 75yds. passed near my brother, who 

 noticed a wavering niotion in his flight, and keeping his 

 eyes on the bird heard him strike far in the woods. 

 Going to the place, about SOyds. from where he had stood, 

 he found the bird dead at tne foot of a large hemlock 

 tree. He had struck the tree about 40ft. from its base 

 and fallen dead. 



On one occasion I saw a grouse shot that fell in a small 

 stream of water about 8ft. across: he fell du-ectly in the 

 middle of it. This bird could not have been hurt very 

 badly, I think, for he rose again. As he struggled to i-ise 

 he threw the water into the air in a spray and it was 

 about 10 seconds before he succeeded in getting up and 

 imder way, when he flew up the vale and lit among the 

 tall pines. We were unable to get this bird and saw 

 nothing more of him. 



The grouse wBen wounded will run as lon^ as able, but 

 he soon tires, and when come up to wdll lie down and 

 seem resigned to his fate, and be passive and rarely, if 

 ever, make any struggle while in the hand, I)OKP, 



SCHENEOXAny, 



GAME THAT IS ALWAYS ON TAP. 



EDDY, New Mexico, April 22. —Editor Forest and 

 Streavi: Our local sportsmen- are h-aving great 

 sport shooting jack rabbits. There are thousands of them 

 in this country and they can be found anywhere mthin 

 half a mile of town. They do a good deal of damage to 

 the young fruit trees, and farmers are anxious to have 

 them thinned out. Several parlies have been out lately 

 and made large bags. So far the only w^eapon used has 

 been the rifle, but some of our wing shots are getting 

 interested, and a large circle hunt is talked of foT the 

 near future, in whicli everything that will burn powder 

 and throw lead will be allowed to enter. 



We could have great sport with a pack of greyhounds, 

 but none have yet been brought into this valley. 



The blue quail are nesting, and the iudicatious are that 

 there will be an abundance of them next fall. 



Antelope have bred liberally. Cowboys and others who 

 have ridden over the staked plains, to the east of this 

 valley, report a large number of kids. Band of ihem are 

 found within five miles of this town, but so far as I have 

 been able to learn no one has molested them since the 

 season closed. 



The season is well advanced here. Alfalfa is 13 to 18in. 

 high and is in bloom. The first crop will be cut in a few 

 days. Fruit trees are in bloom and promise an abundant 

 yield. We raise all the fruits here that are grown in 

 southern California, except oranges and lemons, and 

 being 1,000 miles nearer the B istern markets this valley 

 is destined t6 become in the near future as rich a fruit 

 country as any portion of that State. 



There are over 100,000 acres of Government lands in 

 this valley, subject to entry under the Homestead laws, 

 that are "well adapted to the cultivation of fruits and 

 cereals of all kinds, and if any brother sportsman, who 

 may be in search of a new home, will write me, I shall 

 be glad to give him any further information desired. 



H. A. L.VDD. 



STKANC4E Antics of a Jack Rabbit, — Pecos City, 

 Tex., April 22.— J^ditor Forest and Stream: I walked 

 out a mile from town yesterday to shoot jack rabbits, 

 and on my way in shot at one that immediately gave an 

 interesting exhibition of his agility. When the rifl'^ 

 cracked he jumped straight up, some tw'o feet high, and 

 then ran in a small circle, at the best speed he was capable 

 of, for two or three minutes. During this performance I 

 shot again and missed. When he stopped I threw down 

 the lever to fire again, but my magazine was empty and 

 so were my pockets. The jack now settled down and 

 appeared to be getting sick. I laid down the rifle, picked 

 up a couple of rocks and started toward I lira, When 

 within 20ft, of him he got up and ran several times 

 around me, keeping about the same distance av/ay. I 

 threw several rocks at him, all of which missed. Finally 

 one hit him on the point of the shoulder and knocked off 

 a bunch of fur. Then he turned and ran straight toward 

 me. I threw again, missed, and, as true as go?pel, the 

 long-eared Lepas ran between my legs. I grabbed at him 

 as he went through, but had both hands full of rocks, and 

 the action was so quick that I did not think of dropping 

 them until too late. I caught him on both sides wit h my 

 clenched fists, but he shot through my hands 1 1 ke a greased 

 pig, leaving another good crop of fur on the ground. He 

 lost no time then in getting out of the country, and to 

 this moment I am unable to say where the first bullet hit 

 him. I presume it was on the lower edge of the stomach, 

 although I could not see a drop of blood on hisn or on his 

 trail. If I had had sense enough to di-op the rocks when 

 I saw him coming I could easily, have held him, l)ut a fel- 

 low always knows more to-day than he did yesterday. 

 I presume some smart Aleck will get himself in xjrint to 

 say that this whole business is a lie: but as I get no pay 

 for writing this article, and have no axe to grind, 1 am. 

 telling the truth this time just for a change.— E. H. G. 



"That remincls me.*' 



A SHORT time after the winding up of the "late fra- 

 ternal unpleasantness" found me stranded out on 

 the prairies in Illinois, about midway between the Des 

 Plaines and the Du Page rivers, a few miles from a place 

 called Napierville. There I unexpectedly ran across a 

 former friend from the East, named Joe Elliott, who 

 just then happened to strike the same place. We had not 

 heard from each other for a number of years, so we were 

 both surprised and glad to meet again, and, of course, un- 

 dertook to enjoy ourselves. Among other pleasures we 

 proposed to go shooting. As for guns he had none, but I 

 had a rifle; so we decided that when any suitable game 

 was found we would shoot alternately with the rifle, to 

 equalize the sport. After tramping quite a while we 

 came to a big slough (pronounced "tloo"'), and in the 

 grass and water off near the middle of it I espied a large 

 sandhill crane, or "stake-driver," as the AVestern folks 

 call it, standing as immovable as a stick in the mud and 

 looking like one too. Now Joe had never seen a bird of 

 that kind before, and when I told him "to take a shot at 

 that stick out in the slough to see if he could knock it 

 over" he. thinking it was a stick and in order to get a bet- 

 ter shot, lay down on the prairie with head to the target 

 and blazed'away. By dumb luck (for he was never even 

 a decently good shot with a rifle) he hit the bird and 

 woimded it in such a manner that it made an awkward 

 flapping and jumping, as that species invariably will 

 when wounded. In great surprise, and as quick as a 

 flash, Joe bounded clear- of the ground and shouted in his 

 excitement at the top of his voice, "I'll be darned, 

 Andi-ew. if I ain't shot the devil himself this lick," 

 Although poor Joe, many years since, joined the great 

 majority on the happy hunting grounds, his rema.rk in 

 connection with that shot is still vivid in my memory. 



A. L. L. 



A flshhawk pulled a large salmon out of ElkRlver one 6ht 

 last week. The fish was too large for the bird to carry off, 

 so leaving it on the sand the bird flew off to a pile of drift- 

 wood, and pickiEg tip a stick with a sharp and jaggfd edge, 

 returned to where the fish lay and sawed it in two, when it 

 flew away with half of the salmon. The other half was 

 served lor oiu' ainneT.— Crescent City (Cal.) Record. 



