164 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Sept. i1, 1801. 



THE SAGINAW CROWD. 



WE have been somewhere every year; while not always 

 the same old crowd, still a good many of the old 

 hands have been along:. Last year we left for our old 

 stamping ground in Dakota, Oct. 13, taking the good car 

 City of Saginaw, over the C. S. & N., Wisconsin Central 

 and Northern Pacific. The party was small. Bob Schultz 

 and I were the only ones of the old crowd, and two ten- 

 derfeet in the shape of A. H. Morley, of this city, and A. 

 P. Bigelow, of New York, with George, the porter, and 

 old John to look after the kitchen, constituted the party. 



We arrived on Thursday, the IGth, and were met by our 

 guide and the livery stable man with the cheering news 

 that the birds had not come down yet, that the shooting 

 was poor and the sloughs all dry. However, we were 

 comforted by the remark that on a barley field about ten 

 miles north a number of birds had been seen the last few 

 days and possibly we could get a shot there. It proved to 

 be a very good day. We started at once and arrived on 

 the ground about 10 o'clock. 



As soon as we came iu sight of the stubble we saw that 

 we were going to have some fun. It was situated on the 

 side of a hill, about half a mile distant was a little lake 

 and there was a continual stream of geese and mallards 

 coming from the water to the barley field and back into 

 the lake. The day was dark, and by the time we had our 

 decoys out and pits dug it began to snow, and seemed as 

 if the air suddenly became filled with geese and mallards. 

 We did not wait for lunch. The shooting was good for 

 about two hours; 37 ducks, mostly greenheads, 35 geese 

 and two great white whooping cranes that Bob had the 

 good fortune to get, was the tally as we put them in the 

 wagon. The cannonading at last drove the birds away 



out our list of supplies, and getting the old car in order, 

 and, in fact, beginning to have as much fun out of it as 

 we will have after we get there. Lots of wheat this year 

 and plenty of water ought to make the shooting good, but 

 whether it is or not we will have a grand time and possibly 

 may write you about it later. W. B, M, 



TEXAS GAME GALORE. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I have just been glancing over the different excellent 

 articles in your issue of Aug. 27, and among them the 

 article "Hints on Handling Guns" especially attracted 

 my attention. I agree with the writer on all his points 

 but one, and that is that "hammerless guns are a con- 

 stant danger to persons boating." I fail to see how the 

 hammerless gun is more dangerous under any circum- 

 stances than the hammer gun and would be glad to have 

 "Reignolds" explain his position. 



For the information of our Northern brethren, and to 

 gratify a little self -pride, I will state that on Saturday 

 evening last in company with a couple of friends and 

 their families we drove out at 5:30 o'clock P.M. six miles 

 in the country and took supper, after which we three 

 gentlemen took a little round with our jack lamps and I 

 killed a fine old doe about 9 o'clock. I rode up on them 

 bedded in the tall sedge grass, probably for the night or 

 until moon-up. A long row of eyes flashed across my 

 course on the side hill to my left. Quickly dismounting 

 I singled out a pair of eyes to my extreme left, which 

 had arisen, and pulled the trigger, which brought her to 

 earth, shot in the head, shoulder and body. Now some 

 of the critics will cry out murder! But down here where 



CHICAGO AND THE WEST. 



CHICAGO, 111., Sept. 9.— All about Mr. William R. 

 Boyle, the bloody-minded fighter from Wartower, 

 commonly known as Billy Boyle, who runs an eating 

 joint on a Dearborn street alley, and serves, or rather 

 used to serve, illegal game. It will be borne in mind that 

 Mr. Boyle was the only one of all the guilty restaurant 

 men whose voice was still for war. "I will fight to the 

 knife, likewise to the last ditch," said Mr. Boyle. "These 

 d— d sportsmen shan't make me quit. I'll carry this case 

 into all the upper courts, into the supreme court and 

 higher yet if need be, no matter what it costs. Pm not 

 going to plead guilty for the satisfaction of a lot of fellows 

 who would only be too glad to sneak out and shoot game 

 out of season the first chance they got. Pll fight. I will!" 



Well, we all hoped he would fight. In an earlier issue 

 I told how he couldn't get any more continuances, and so 

 forfeited his $200 appearance bond. It was hoped that 

 Mr. Boyle, the grim warrior of the alley, would find some 

 way of getting into the upper courts, because the sports- 

 men wanted some to make a test case on, and this was an 

 easy one. But Mr. Bovle's valor cooled. Yesterday he 

 meekly walked into Justice Eandall White's court and 

 anted up his little |25 and costs, like the rest of them. 

 Mr. Boyle is a great tighter, but he went out in the first 

 round. In the language common about his resort he was 

 a "mark." 



Only one thing remains to b3 said for Mr. Boyle, and 

 that is that no self-respecting sportsman will patronize 

 him_ again, for his absurd bitterness at not being allowed 

 to violate the law led him into general abuse of men who 

 had _ formerly been good patrons of his, and this abuse 

 carried to an extent more than ridiculous. Let the grim- 



AMONG TPIE WILDFOWL.— III. 

 " Where laNORANCE is Bliss." 



and although we waited for their return flight in thti 

 evening, they did not come and we drove back to town, 

 exceedingly well satisfied with the day's sport. 



We did not get as many birds any day after that, though 

 the bag was fair, getting a few plover and quite a number 

 of sharp-tailed grouse. I also killed a prairie wolf with 

 my rifle at, I should judge, fully 300yds., most likely a 

 lucky shot. W e were driving over the prairie and went 

 through a very rough patch all grown up to weeds, and 

 right in front of the horses out sprung this wolf and a 

 badger. The badger went into a hole, but the wolf, after 

 running about 300yds., stopped to look back. In the 

 meantime I had shoved a cartridge into my .38 Marlin, 

 and taking careful aim, fired, and as good fortune would 

 have it, struck him right back of the ear. When we 

 counted up that night we did have a pretty good bag; 68 

 geese, one white crane, the wolf and two sharp-tailed 

 grouse. 



We were preparing to take a trip about 35 miles north- 

 west after deer. In a strip of rough country cut up by 

 hills and gullies, a good many blacktails had been seen 

 the week before. We were making all preparations and 

 were to start on Thursday the 23d. Wednesday, Bigelow, 

 the guide and myself went to the north of the car about 

 twelve miles and located a big flight of geese, and were 

 expecting grand sport for that night. About two o'clock 

 in the afternoon I was taken with a severe chill and burn- 

 ing fever, and a congestion or knotting sensation in the 

 left lung finally drew me all out shape, and it resulted in a 

 severe attack of pneumonia. Temperature was up to 1051 

 when the doctor came in to see me the next day. To say 

 that the long ride home that night was miserable but 

 feebly describes it. Had to be lifted into bed and at the 

 advice of the doctor we started for home the next day. 

 The Chicago and Grand Trunk people put us on their 

 fastest east bound train out of Cliicago and we reached 

 home late Saturday night. This ended my shooting for 

 last year. It was a great disappointment to the rest of 

 the crowd. 



The birds came home in nice condition and were given 

 to our friends. One beauty of shooting out there is that 

 the nights are so cold that the game gets thoroughly chilled, 

 and with even ordinary care you can save it two weeks. 



We ai-e now planning for another trip. Our party will 

 consist of ten or twelve, the old crowd, and we are getting 

 together now every evening and talking over loads, how 

 many shells to take, getting decoys painted up, making 



this wily game stays in the brush most all day we con- 

 sider it great sport to kill them by fire-light. We re- 

 turned about 12 o'clock to our respective houses and 

 feasted on venison all day Sunday. 



Deer, turkey, plover and other game are plentiful this 

 season. More turkey than for several seasons and the 

 shooting promises to be fine when the season opens. It is 

 a wonder that more of the Northern sportsmen do not 

 find their way to Texas. On our coast there is as fine 

 fishing to be found as anywhere, and there will be no 

 scarcity of game for a long time to come, if we can keep 

 the pot-hunter out. It is amusing to us to read some of 

 the articles in your valued i)aper from contributors, some 

 of them covering a big space, about so small a thing as 

 the catching of an 81b. fish. Some write about killing 

 of a dozen or so of quail, while others write about travels 

 of hundreds of miles to get the glimpse of even a deer's 

 track. In most of them good descriptive ability is dis- 

 played as well as talent in writing, and they are really 

 interesting and are desirable matter for a sportsman's 

 paper, but a loA^er of nature, the rod and the gun, if you 

 could spend a week or two in southwest Texas on a tramp 

 with the writer, you could write books on the subject when 

 you go back home, and feel better for your trip, 

 BEEViLtE, Texas, Sept. 1. T. J. S. 



Floating for Deer.— So great a handicap is laid on 

 the deer by those who seek to take them in the water, re- 

 moved for the time from their natural element, that I fail 

 to see where the glory or even common credit for slaying 

 a deer under such circumstances comes in. I believe the 

 time is not so far distant when this matter will be 

 measured strictly by what is accepted as the standard of 

 action in the other branches of sport. For example — ^for 

 a fellow who would pot-shot a covey of quail, we feel 

 nothing but scorn, unless it be pity; there is the element 

 of sport only when we give the birds a fair chance against 

 which we pit our skill. This seems to be the principle of 

 true sportsmanship,— Onyjutta. 



Messes, Von Lengerke & Antoine, of Chicago, ask 

 us to say that pressure of business has as yet prevented 

 their isstie of a general catalogue, which, however, is in 

 preparation. 



A Book About Indiais's.— The Forest .^kd Stream wlU mail 

 freeon applicatioa a descriptive circular of Mr. Griiinell's book, 

 "Pawnee Hero Stories and Folk-tales," giving a table of contents 

 and specimen lUnstratlons from tlie volume.— .<ldt;. 



visaged warrior of the alley alone until it comes time to 

 nail him again. Meantime, if he will continue his study 

 of Forest and Stream, he will further learn how to save 

 himself some money, as he did in this case. 



The Boyle case was the last of the first crop of restau- 

 rant cases. We will soon start in on the second crop, and 

 this time it will be more serious, W^e will prosecute Mr. 

 Chas. Rector within a few days for 5 and perhaps 6 addi- 

 tional cases, and I hope we will be able to catch some 

 others a second time, especially one notorious offender 

 who is known to be at it again. 



Yesterday Charlie Gammon and H. D. Nicholls got 

 illegal prairie chicken, 2 birds, at Meyer's "Rathskeller, " 

 corner of Dearborn and Madison, Louis Hansen's old 

 place. To-morrow Messrs, A, Price and W. H. Haskell 

 will undertake to nail that outfit for two more birds, and 

 $25 and costs will presently drop coldly into Justice 

 White's fine box. The second-crop cases will cost the 

 offenders the limit, which is $25 a bird. The fine of $25 

 as a total does not amount to anything. 



Mr. Chas. E, Kern, ex-president, etc., of the Illinois 

 State Sportsmen's Association, has not yet told where he 

 got those chickens. Come, Mr. Kern! 



Will other sjDorting papers please copy? E. Hough. 



Vermont Grouse and Dogs.— Several correspondents 

 have called attention to a statement by "Special," in our 

 issue of Sept. 3, that "by special statute, enacted in 1890. 

 dogs are prohibited for hunting grouse in Vermont. See 

 Book of the Game Laivs." A reference to the Book of 

 the Game Laws, page 231, will show that "Special"' is in 

 error; the act of 1890, there quoted, was to repeal a pre- 

 vious prohibition of the use of dogs, and as the Book of 

 the Game Laws points out, even that was unnecessary, 

 for the prohibition had already been repealed by Chap, 

 117, Laws 1882, 



WooDCHUCK IN Tree.— Minnehaha Falls, Minn. Au^, 

 31, — I saw the note of "H, D." in your issue of Aug, 37, 

 in which he states he shot a woodchuck from a tree, I 

 killed a woodchuck last spring in a large hollow bass- 

 wood about fifteen feet from the ground. I noticed a 

 hole in the basswood and thought there might be a coon 

 in it, so I investigated, and drove out a medium-sized 

 woodchuck. He ascended the tree about ten feet above 

 the hole and stopped on a large limb to rest, and he- 

 rested— with a .38oal. W. 0. F. through his brain.— F. A, 

 M. 



