June 9, 1893.] 



FOREST AND STREAM, 



886 



desire to get away from such a name, preferring death to 

 the mortification. 



The advertising pages of the Forest and Stream con- 

 stitute almost as interesting reading as the other portions 

 of the paper, with all due respect to editors and contribu- 

 tors. There is much to be learned from the advertising 

 columns of a newspaper, especially those containing 

 notices of sporting goods. One learns what is new— of 

 new inventions and new things — and no man, however 

 familiar with such goods, can glance over the advertising 

 columns of the Forest and Stream without finding 

 something fresh and novel in the way of sporting tackle, 

 and thereby keep pace with the age of improvements, 

 and he generally makes a mental resolve to "have one of 

 them" when he sees a good thing advertised. It may be 

 an expensive luxury this reading the advertisements of 

 the Forest and Stream, for one is very likely to stop in 

 at that store or shop and invest in the article. 



Ladies will stop and gaze enraptured at a love of a bon- 

 net in a millinery window, that is their weakness. Ours j 

 runs to flattening one's nose against the window of a 

 sporting goods store and taking in all those beautiful 

 reels, split bamboos and silk lines. No diamonds or 

 jewelry exhibited in uptown windows have half the fas- 

 cination for the sportsman that the display has along 

 Broadway of lovely guns and sportsmen's jewelry. And 

 how cheap all these fine goods are in these days, com- 

 pared to old time prices. Take split-bamboo rods for in- 

 stance, your humble servant despoiled his pocketbook of 

 $25 for his first one, now the same thing can be had for 

 $10. The business of the manufacture of sporting goods 

 has become a large one, and with the aid of improved 

 machinery these once expensive goods are cheapened 

 to a degree to enable every farmer's boy to own a better 

 outfit than our daddies ever dreamed of. It is the age of 

 progress and what is most essential is to keep pace and 

 "prog" along with it or find ones self badly left. 



Podgers. 



CHICAGO AND THE WEST. 



[From a Staff Correspondent.] 

 Chicago, 111., June 4.— I remember that once, a couple 

 of years ago, I quoted an expression from Rev. C. E. 

 Gordon to the effect that he doubted if the canvasback 

 duck ever nested on the North American continent. 

 Last week some friends in Iowa told me that this spring 

 there were several canvasback nests and a number of red- 

 head nests on the big slough at the head of Lost Island 

 Lake in Iowa. The birds did not appear to be cripples 

 left behind in the flight, and every prospect existed that 

 that they would really breed in some numbers. A local 

 market shooter speaks of this as an unheard-of occur- 

 rence. 



Apropos of late wolf-killing discussion, Mr. J. W. 

 Schultz, of Montana, writes as below. I am presuming 

 that by the term "wolf" he writes to convey the usual 

 mountain meaning of gray or timber wolf, and does not 

 mean the coyote: 



"A ranchman near here has a dog which is a sure wolf 

 killer. He is, I suppose, a mongrel: he is built much like 

 a greyhound, excepting his shoulders and chest are wider 

 and he is heavier muscled than the pure bred hound. His 

 color is coal black. The dog is pretty old now and can- 

 not catch a wolf, but the other dogs catch up with it and 

 hold it until he comes up, and he kills it. In his young 

 days he caught up with a wolf, bringing it to bay in a 

 creek. He killed it there and dragged it to shore. The 

 owner of this dog had quite a pack of the same breed, 

 but this is the only survivor. Just one or two snaps of 

 his powerful jaws are sufficient to lay out a coyote. 



"It is my humble opinion that breeders are wasting 

 time raising dogs in the East for Western work. I think 

 it a sad mistake to confine them in kennels or yards. 

 Our ranchmen out here have large packs which are born, 

 and live, as they should, out doors, and never know what 

 a chain is. In winter their kennel is the lee side of a hay 

 stack. Such a life develops a dog for all there is in the 

 breed. They will follow a horseman all day and every 

 day, and run race after race. Most all the packs here 

 will kill a wolf, but the old dog mentioned is the only 

 single one I ever knew to do it. 



"As with hounds, so it is with bird dogs. I was with 

 an Eastern party last summer which brought along a 

 number of setters. We had also two setters born and 

 raised here. Well, the Montana dogs would hunt from 

 morning until night and never flag, but the Eastern set- 

 ters, even after two weeks' work, couldn't do half the 

 work they could. The reason why is plain; the visiting 

 dogs had been pampered all their fives; our dogs had 

 always rustled, often went hungry, and were out door 

 dogs." 



Mr. Schultz "speaks in gold," as we say in French, I 

 can not help thinking that our modern field trial cracks 

 in setters and pointers are really inferior dogs for actual 

 field work. They are dilletante, not practical. A land- 

 scape artist can paint a house, in one way, but as a prac- 

 tical house painter he may be no good. Nowadays you 

 hear with wonder of the fine setter which actually 

 hunted all day and didn't quit. Two days' steady work 

 with the same result means a cross of honor. Three 

 days' work would mean immortal fame. Now, when I 

 was a boy, in the chicken country, we used to have a 

 strong, heavy breed of setters, and some big pointers, 

 and we never thought it out of the way for them to hunt 

 right along in hot weather, day after day, often week in 

 and week out, The worst thing for them was sore feet 

 from going on the stubble. I would rather have any one 

 of a half dozen setters we owned in those days than any 

 of a whole show full of modern cracks, if I had to make 

 it a question of having sport in the field. Yet the modern 

 crack might have done nearly as well, had his actual 

 rearing been the same. Our old dogs didn't get sick. 

 They just worked, and when they got ready, they just 

 died. There was no such department as "Kennel 

 Queries" in those days. Nobody wanted to know what 

 was the matter with his dog, because nothing was the 

 matter with him. He got there. I like dogs that get 

 there. 



These remarks I am the more tempted to make from 

 the fact that a recent purchase of a nice, pedigreed, reg- 

 istered, bang-up, sure-winner, proud-scion-of-a-noble- 

 race dog has just resulted disastrously. The dog has— 

 well, he has died, if such dogs do anything so common. 

 Died, setat two and a half years, of epilepsy. Epilepsy ! 

 who ever heard of that for a dog ten years ago ? We 



didn't have it in our country, anyhow. This dog, bless 

 his heart, was as affectionate a creature as ever tried to 

 talk, and the fastest setter I ever saw go, but he was too 

 nervous to live. He trembled all over, often in his de- 

 sire to talk, or to go hunting for prairie chickens which 

 now, alas, exist no more save in the lands of shadows, 

 but small hunting he got. His bolt was soon shot. He 

 — well, he died. When he comes to the happy hunting 

 grounds where every dog gets his chance over again, let 

 us hope, what will sturdy old Rex I. say to this sub- 

 sequent possessor of his rights, this epileptic, frail, en- 

 thusiastic but ill-framed soul, Rex II. ? He will say 

 "Away, slight man ! " I couldn't blame him. Dogs and 

 men have degenerated, I do believe. Epilepsy for a dog, 

 forsooth ! Shade of Rex I. look down upon us. 



E. Hough. 



THE SAFETY OF GUNS. 



Regarding the recent discussion, it needs only to be 

 said that, other things being equal, it can make no differ- 

 ence whether the hammers are brought to half-cock by 

 the hand or by rebounding; but exposed hammers of any 

 kind are so dangerous and the hammerless guns cost so 

 little more that no one should think of buying a hammer 

 gun. Remember when a muzzleloader was not con- 

 sidered dangerous to use and a gun did not look complete 

 without a ramrod, but after using a breechloader for a 

 few months the dangers of the muzzleloader became so 

 apparent that shooting would have been given up 

 altogether rather than use one. Then the first hammer- 

 less guns looked so incomplete and lacking that we didn't 

 want them, but after thorough acquaintance with one 

 the hammer guns looked so dangerous as the muzzle- 

 loader had looked, and now exposed hammers on any gun 

 are considered by many sportsmen too dangerous to be 

 tolerated. Ninety -five per cent, or more of the accidental 

 discharges have been caused by the hammer coming in 

 contact with something. The hammerless gun does away 

 with all danger from this source. If the locks are well 

 made the hammer cannot fall unless the trigger is pulled. 

 The only dangerous thing about it is the safety slide that 

 blocks the triggers. The man who relies on this naturally 

 depends on it altogether and neglects all other precau- 

 tions. He throws up his gun to shoot, but the bird got 

 behind a bush too quick and he does not shoot, but in his 

 eagerness to mark the bird he forgets to shove the slide 

 to "safe." In getting over a fence or into a wagon a foot 

 may slip and some part of his person push the slide, but 

 until the change is discovered he still considers the gun 

 entirely safe and acts accordingly. Somebody not familiar 

 with hammerless guns wants to look at it, and because it 

 is set at "safe" he hands it to his friend with the shells in 

 it. The friend goes to monkeying with it and succeeds 

 in firing it. The best thing to do with the safety slide is 

 to take it off the gun. Then you will govern yourself ac- 

 cordingly, and be sure there are no shells in the gun 

 except when you are expecting to shoot at something. 

 Then if you get into the wagon, or lay the gun down in 

 the presence of others, or hand it to some one to look at 

 the shells will be taken out first. If these precautions 

 are observed and the gun never allowed, empty or loaded, 

 to point toward anything that would be damaged by 

 shooting it, there would be fewer accidents to record. Of 

 course all these points have been considered and settled 

 in the minds of the older shooters, but there is always a 

 new generation coming on, and the frequent accidents 

 among the boys show this caution and instruction needs 

 to be issued often. O. H. Hampton. 



"Williamsburg, Ind. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I have been very much interested in the various articles 

 which have appeared recently regarding the safety or 

 danger of rebounding locks or hammerless guns. 



As I do not know "Backwoodsman" he must not con- 

 strue this as being a hit at him, when I say first that I 

 think it a very dangerous thing to carry any kind of a 

 gun at full cock, either in the woods or out. For in- 

 stance: Some time last summer a friend and myself 

 were out along the shore of a river looking for snipe; I 

 had a hammerless gun and he a hammer gun with re- 

 bounding locks, which he, notwithstanding my protests, 

 carried at full cock. I was leading by a few feet, when a 

 snipe rose at which I shot and missed. My friend 

 stepped forward to shoot, but in doing so slipped on a 

 wet mossy stone and falling struck the butt of his gun on 

 some stones. Did it gooff? Well, for the restof the after- 

 noon I did not hear the report of my gun when I shot, 

 for both barrels of the safe hammer gun went off and 

 only about 3ft. from my head. They were jarred off, for 

 my Jfriend's trigger hand was wet while the locks of his 

 gun were perfectly dry, showing that he had thrown out 

 his hand to save himself and did not have his fingers on 

 the trigger. 



Any one should always consider a gun unsafe so long 

 as there is a load in it, not even excepting a hammerless. 

 In fact, the only reason I have in using a hammerless 

 gun is that it is cocked much quicker and easier than a 

 hammer gun. 



Hammer gun, hammerless or rebounding locks, or any 

 other device, none is safe when loaded. Safety. 

 Kettaning, Pa. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I am very glad the subject of "rebounding locks" has 

 brought out several articles from brother sportsmen re- 

 garding the handling of shotguns. I have used all kinds 

 of guns, from the old flintlock to present improved ham- 

 merless, and I quite agree with "Broadbill" when he says 

 that he does not think so many accidents are due to re- 

 bounding locks as to careless or ignorant handling of the 



un and the practice that many have of fooling with 



anirners and triggers. 



Too many men in handling euns seem to be obvious of 

 the fact that it is generally "the other fellow" who bears 

 the brunt of his carelessness. I never noticed this fact so 

 forcibly as I did last winter while in West Virginia. After 

 returning from a fruitless deer hunt three of our party 

 were seated around an old-fashioned fireplace, while our 

 host regaled us with hunting stories of the olden time. I 

 was seated between our host and a gentleman who had 

 brought his gun in to clean. As usual, he thought he had 

 removed the shells. Several times the gun was pointed 

 directly toward us. Finally he raised the gun over and 

 just to the left of my head, having scarcely passed me 

 when he rubbed the triggers, and the gun was discharged. 



The load 'of buckshot ploughed through the floor over 

 head and lodged in the roof. Had this occurred a moment 

 before some one doubtless- would have been killed. This 

 certainly was gross carelessness and not excusable in any 

 sportsman. 



This same gentleman had had a similar experience the 

 day previous to this which should have taught him a 

 lesson. While he was handling his revolver it was dis- 

 charged and the ball passed through the clothing of a lady 

 who was present, fortunately doing no damage other 

 than perforating her clothing. 



Certainly the education of such men was sadly neglected 

 in boyhood, so far as handling firearms was concerned. 

 Every father should teach his son to shoot, and, above all, 

 to exercise the utmost care in the handling of guns. 



I have known several deaths to result from just such 

 carelessness as I have stated, but never one from rebound- 

 ing locks. Too much cannot be written on this subject, 

 if only those who need it most would read and profit by it. 



Intruder. 



SPRING IN THE NATIONAL PARK. 



Yellowstone National Park, May 24.— Editor For- 

 est and Stream: We have had a very cold, stormy spring, 

 snow falling almost every day for twenty days. On the 

 19th it turned warm, the sun broke through the clouds 

 that had so long hidden it from sight, and since then it 

 has been thawing in the mountains very fast, raising the 

 Yellowstone River six feet and tributary streams in pro- 

 portion. One can truly say our winter lasted until the 

 19th of May, as a late spring here is little better than a 

 continued winter. 



No great or unusual amount of snow has fallen in the 

 Park, yet it has been a severe winter on the wild ani- 

 mals that depend on grass for food. The snow crusted 

 very hard early, making it difficult for the game to paw 

 down to the grass. Then the backward spring prolonged 

 their fast until a great many elk starved to death in Hay- 

 den Valley and other sections of the Park, where they 

 are in great numbers. In Hayden Valley alone three 

 bands were seen with about two thousand head in all. 

 Here they have been found dead in bunches of five to 

 twelve in the warm country. 



No dead buffalo have been seen. They forced their way 

 through the snow from the Alum Creek country to Nez 

 Perce Creek about April 25, where they could get 

 very good feed in the warm country along the stream 

 and about the hot basins. It is in this section that the 

 cows drop their calves. The buffalo took several days to 

 break their trail through the snow, each day getting a 

 few hundred yards during the time the sun softened the 

 crust until they got to the top of Mary's Mountain over 

 the wagon road; from there they went down in a short 

 time. This trail is one they follow every season going 

 and coming from their winter and summer range. 



I was out for twenty days in March and April on a 

 buffalo hunt on snowshoes in the Alum Creek country. I 

 was armed with a Kodak, a very good weapon for secur- 

 ing a large number of buffalo and other game — pictures. 

 Private Dare was with me the whole trip, and rendered 

 valuable assistance. I will try to give to Forest and 

 Stream an account of the hunt when I have leisure. The 

 last few days we were among the buffalo we were joined 

 by John Foasom , who has chai'ge of the telephone lines. 

 John was also armed with a camera. We both secured 

 some very good pictures of buffalo and other animals, 

 The last night we were camped out we found the camp 

 of a man who came in from Henry's Lake, he said, to 

 see the buffalo; he had no arms in sight, and claimed not 

 to know the country. It is supposed that his object was 

 to kill specimens, that he had a rifle and provisions 

 cached not far from the buffalo range. He was obliged 

 to leave thePark without securing a buffalo head. Lieut. 

 Sands, to whom the man was reported, took such meas- 

 ures that he could not return without being captured. 

 The soldiers stationed at the Lower Geyser Basin had one 

 man with him while he was in the Park. It is now well 

 known that he was not only well acquainted with the 

 Park, but has been on the reservation after buffalo be- 

 fore. 



A man came through from Jackson's Hole on snow- 

 shoes early in April. He reports very little snow in that 

 section, that a great many elk are wintering there, that 

 not less than 3,000 were in sight all winter. No skin 

 hunting was indulged in by the people in the Hole, only 

 a few elk were killed — enough to supply the sixty-three 

 inhabitants with meat. 



Last week the hotel at Norris Geyser Basin burned. 

 This is the second hotel building that has been destroyed 

 by fire there. It was a temporary structure used prin- 

 cipally as a dinner station. The association will have 

 replaced the building by the time the "tourist" season 

 opens. 



The snowshoe parties, whom I reported as out after 

 the buffalo in the Pelican Creek country and east of the 

 Yellowstone Lake, were not able to do much traveling on 

 account of the very severe snow storm that prevailed at 

 that time; they had to return without finding the bands 

 they were looking for. Since then one band of twenty 

 has been seen on Specimen Ridge. H. 



Ohio Game. 



Ironton, O., May 2. — I was out on my annual spring 

 fishing trip, starting the first of May. Did not catch the 

 usual number of fish, but all we could eat and that was 

 enough. I never saw the like of squirrels — ten on a tree. 

 We only killed a few to fry; could not eat many, and not 

 being a game hog left them for use this fall. There are 

 plenty of wild turkey ; we heard the goblers every day 

 and tried to get one, but failed for want of conoert in 

 action. The caller sent me from the West worked to per- 

 fection. J, D. 



Hunter Sellick Gets his Moose. 



"Hunter" Sellick has arrived in Moncton after an 

 absence of several months in the wilds of northern New 

 Brunswick. Sellick for many years has been the pos- 

 sessor of two fine cow moose. Year after year he has 

 endeavored to capture a male moose, but up to this winter 

 failed. Some time ago he left Moncton for the forest 

 country lying between the head waters of the Tobique 

 and Miramichi rivers. For days his search was unavail- 

 ing, until about thirty miles away from any settlement 

 and in the heart of the forest, he sighted the object of his 

 search. There it stood, a magnificent specimen, fully 

 6ft. high. At this season its antlers of course had been 



