294 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Oct. 6, 1898. 



A SNIPE HUNT NEAR DENVER. 



Denver, Col. — There were four of them, the Artist, 

 John, John's setter pup Mamie and the Credit Man. 

 They met at the Union Depot in Danver at 12:45 on— 

 no matter what day— for the purpose of going with the 

 Credit Man to the only good bit of snipe ground in this 

 vicinity. At 1:30 they arrived at the station, and in 

 twenty minutes were on the grounds ready for the snipe. 



John took the pup and went up the hill through 

 several fields of wheat stubble, looking for a covey of 

 quail that had been seen there several times during the 

 close season, while the Artist and the Credit Man started 

 over the snipe ground. It is a small piece, not exceed- 

 ing forty acres, the upper end being a bog and gradu- 

 ally narrowing into a slough, which at the lower end 

 is about 10ft. wide. 



Starting at the narrowest part of the slough the Credit 

 Man waded across and took the left hand side, with the 

 Artist on the other. Thev had walked hardly twenty feet 

 when away went Sir John, and in spite of the Artist's 

 frantic efforts with both barrels he still kept on, finally 

 alighting at the upper end. "That'a all right, Artist; 

 we'll get him later," said the Credit Man. The Artist was 

 about to reply when scaipe went another right under his 

 feet, and again the Artist made a double miss. Swinging 

 across the slough, the Bnij)e gave the Credit Man a right- 

 quartering shot, and with great activity he "succeeded in 

 missing with both barrels. On our going up to the upper 

 end and getting on a piece of wet ground just to the 

 right of the bog, six jacks got up out of range and circled 

 over the field, finally coming back with wings set like 

 teal and lighting within twenty feet of where the mighty 

 hunters were crouching. 



••Now for a double," whispered the Credit Man, ashe and 

 the Artist rose to their feet. Away went the snipe: bang, 

 bang, bang, bang, went the guns before the birds were 

 15yds. away, and of course none were killed. "We are 

 shooting too soon," said the Artist, "that is the reason we 

 are not killing." As he spoke, up got another not 30yds. 

 away. With deliberation he covered him and at about 

 4oyd8, brought him down. Then in a few minutes he 

 killed another and the Credit Man also killed one, 

 although he missed him with the first barrel. Just then 

 the Farmer (an old partner of the Credit Man in the sheep 

 business) came down and invited the hunters up to the 

 house. After resting a half hour John came down from 

 the bills where he had hunted very diligently but had 

 not found the quail. Starting over the boggy end of the 

 snipe ground the Artist got another jack and the Credit 

 Man missed as usual. At the lower end John's pup 

 pointed and up jumped a rail right under the dog's nose: 

 the pup, taking a quick step, caught it. (Is it not strange 

 that rail should be so far inland and so far from any large 

 marsh? It is the only one I ever heard of in this part of 

 the country.) John got down at the lower end near the 

 fence and put up a single bird, which he killed nicely 

 with his second barrel. 



So it went all the afternoon, getting a bird up every 

 few minutes, killing some, missing more, until the watch 

 showed 5 :30 P. M. , when it was time to start for the 

 station. 



A count of the bag gave the following result, the 

 Artist five. John five, the Credit Man two, the dog one rail. 

 A pretty good bag for about three hours' shooting within 

 ten miles of Denver, where small game birds are a rarity. 

 Better shots would have gotten more game, but it would 

 have been impossible to have had more sport, and the 

 three newspaper men (for they are all on the Repiiblican 

 etafi'j^boarded the train with birds hanging in plain sight, 

 feeling that they were indeed mighty Iranters. 



The quail season here opens Sept. 1. 



The Credit Man, 



SHOOTING ON T«E ROAD. 



It often happens that the traveling man has no time to 

 spare for shooting except what may be used while waiting 

 for trains, and this in the West is often half a day, and if 

 one only had his shooting outfit along, including a dog, 

 and knew where to go for birds or other game, he might 

 turn many an hour of tedious waiting into an hour of 

 wholesome and exhilarating sport. Suitable clothing, 

 gun, ammunition and decoy ducks, too, if desired, the 

 traveler can take with him at very little trouble or ex- 

 pense. Get a strong trunk 30in. long, 18in. wide and I2in. 

 deep; the main body of the trunk should be divided by 

 strong board partitions into three equal sized compart- 

 ments. One of these can be used for shoes and rubber 

 boots, another for the shooting suit, and the third will 

 hold all the luieumatic decoys needed. The till of the 

 trunk should be about 4in. deep, of heavy galvanized 

 iron. Along one side of it is a full length conipartment, 

 lined with cloth, for the gun barrels, and a suitably 

 shaped compartment on the ojiposite side recei ves the gun 

 stock. Blocks of wood fastened to the trunk lid press on 

 both stock and barrels when the lid is closed, so they are 

 held in place without any trouble with buckling straps. 

 The rest of the till is divided into compartments just the 

 size to receive a box of twenty-five shells. With this out- 

 fit at hand the shooter can be ready for the field in less 

 than five minutes after he unlocks the trunk, 



E^'ery thing is here but the dog, and as no automatic 

 dog that can be packed in a trunk and taken out, wound 

 up and set to running, has yet been invented, the traveler 

 will have to take his charces on finding one where he 

 finds leisure to shoot. When you find yourself stuck 

 for half a day in some out of the way place, don't begin 

 by asking how much game there is in the vicinity, for 

 jow will get no reliable information. If the landlord 

 happened to see somebody with a bunch of birds yester- 

 day he will tell you there's lots of "em. Otherwise he 

 will say he don't think there's a bird in the county. The 

 livery man will tell you the grass is full of 'em 'bout 

 seven miles out, and if you rely on such information it 

 won't bj long till you concltide nobody ever intentionally 

 tells the truth about game locations. If you see a good- 

 lookiijg bird dog on the street ask who owns him, and if 

 his owner shoots much, and \l the answer is favorable 

 hunt up the dog's owner, tell him who you are and wliy 

 you arp there, and want to shoot, and ask him to go with 

 you. He will probably say he cannot Bp.i.re the time, but 

 if you will offer to pay him what he would earn if he 

 did not go he will be glad to shoot, instead of work, aud 

 will do his best to give you good sport. Ifc will often 

 turn out that the shooting ia good, and of tener, perhaps, i 

 poor or indifferent. Even if it is very poor, the exercise i 



and the expectations of shooting something, far better 

 than to stagnate for half a day in some country town. 



South of the fortieth parallel of latitude there are no 

 doubt .500 railroad stations that have from two or three to a 

 dozen bevies of quail in walking distance, and in many 

 of thetn is a village Nimrod who knows just where they 

 are. If you can get him you can get some of the birds. 

 If he knows of a pond in the middle of a cornfield where 

 some mallards keep the shallow water muddy, he will 

 guide you there. If he has noticed a few duck feathers 

 floating down the creek he will show you where the wild 

 grapevines overhang the water and "guess" there must 

 be some more wood ducks there where he shot two last 

 week, or if you want ruffed grouse, he knows where the 

 black haw patch is. He is often a fellow of many good 

 qualities which a few pleasant words and the prospect of 

 making a dollar will develop to their fullest extent. 

 Sometimes his dog will be a real good one, one of the 

 kind that Brother Hough says it don't hurt to be "run 

 over with a wagon," and again he will be such a nuisance 

 that you will wish he had been run over by a wagon when 

 he was a pup, or even now. 



I remember one dog that caught six rabbits in less than 

 half a day. His owner said he was "commonly a power- 

 ful good quail dog, but this don't seem to be one of his 

 days for birds." It did not seem to be one of my days for 

 bird?! either, as only five were bagged, but as the dog was 

 bent on rabbits we turned it into a rabbit shoot and had 

 good sport with them. O. H, Hampton. 



KOCK Island, 111., Sept. 24. 



"GAME LAWS IN BRIEF." 



This is in response to many calls for a bripfer, hand- 

 ier and cheaper- work than our established and suc- 

 cessful Booh of the Game Laws. 



The Brief is "prei^ared by the editor of the Book with 

 just as much care, and will win a like reputation for 

 accuracy i.nd reliability. 



The difference between the two is just here: The 

 Book of the Game Liws gives the entire law in the full 

 texc. The Brief gives in brief the sections which relate to 

 game and fish seasons, limits of size or number, non- 

 resident requirements, transportation, etc., and gives 

 them in brief. A practical guide for the man who is 

 going shooting or fishing. 



For illustration, the Pennsylvania deer law is given 

 in the two worke: 



in the Boole of the Oame Laws. 

 Elk, Deer, AntPlone.Tenison.— Act of Jane 3, IHrS.— S«c. 1 lis 

 amended June 37, 1883]. Ba it euactPd, etc.: That no person shall 

 kill or puTsue of any part of this State any elk or wild deer, save 

 only from the first day in October in any year to the fifteenth day 

 of December next following, and no person shall have in bis or 

 her possession, or offer for sale or transport any elk, wild deer, 

 antelope, or fresh venison, save only from the first day of October 

 in any year to the thirtieth day of November next followine'. jsTo 

 person shall at any time kill any fawn when in its spotted coat, 

 or have the fresh skin of any such fawn in his or her possession. 

 No person shall pursue any elk or wild deer with dogs in any part 

 of tnis State, or snail kill in the water any elk or wild deer or 

 fawn which has been driven thereto by dogs; any person offend- 

 ing against any of the provisions of this section shall be deemed 

 guilty of a misdemeanor, and shall be liable to a penalty of flfry 

 dollars for each elk, wild deer or fawn so killed, pursued or 

 trapped, or fresh elk, wild deer, antelope, fawn skin had in his or 

 her possession, and may be proceeded against in any county of 

 the State wherein he may be arrested, having the same in his 

 possession; and provided also, that any dogs pursuing elk or wild 

 deer or fawn may be killed by any person, and any constable or 

 other town ofiicial may kill any dog that habitually pursues elk, 

 wild deer or fawn, and the owners of such dogs shall be liable to 

 a penalty of ten dollars for each elk. wild deer or fawn killed by 

 such dogs; provided also, that the catching of sturgeon ia any of 

 the waters of this Commonwealth shall not be unlawful. 



In the Game Laws in Brief. 

 Elk, Deer. Anielope, Venison.— Act of June 3, 1878.— Sec. 1. That 

 no person .shall kill in any part of this State any elk or wild deer 

 save only from the 1st day of October in any year to the 15th day 

 of December next following, and no person shall have in posses- 

 sion, or offer for sale or transport any elk, wild deer, antelop- or 

 fresh venison, save only from the 1st day of October in any year, 

 to the 30th day of November next following. No person shall, at 

 any iime. kill any fawn when in its spotted coat. No person shall 

 pursue any elk or wild deer with dogs in any part of this State, or 

 shall kill in the water any elk or wild deer or fawn which has 

 been driven thereto by dogs. 



Was anything in game legislation ever more ridiculous 

 than that tacking of sturgeon on to the deer law? The 

 Brief gives the laws with the ridiculousness omitted, the 

 legal verbiage shorn off, and as a rule with the penalties 

 omitted — on the theory that the law-abiding man wants 

 to know what he may do and when he may do it, not how 

 he will be punished if he does something "else, or at the 

 wrong time. 



The Brief is published by the Forest and Stream Pub- 

 lishing Co. The price is 25 cents. 



And— something new in game law conapilations— the 

 JBr/>/ is handsomely illustrated with half-tonea from the 

 FOEEST AND STREAM— the "Mule r):'er Family," from the 

 "Boyhood Number," several of the Amateur Photograph 

 reproductions, one of Mr.W. Townsend's ducking pictures, 

 and others — more than twenty in all. 



Bought for its utility, the Brief will be preserved for 

 its beauty. 



Jottings from Jersey. 



HiGHTSTOWN, N. J.— The open season for gray squirrels 

 has already afforded considerable sport. The frisuy folk 

 are more abundant than they have been for ten years or 

 more in this section. I confess to a liking for the pursuit 

 of this kind of game, in which the man who can emulate 

 the patience of Job generally comes out ahead. As I have 

 gained about a hundred- weight of avoirdupois since I sent 

 you the last item with this title and signature, I find that 

 I can sit still as long as anybody, B. 



Carrier Pigeon No. 55. 



BuEKEHAVEN, Sunapee Lake, N. H,, Oct. 1 —Editor 

 Forest and Stream: While shooting in my woods here 

 to day I aimed at what I presumed was a "wild pigeon. 

 It was flying low, aud upon recovering it I found it was 

 a carrier pigeon with a rubber band on leg numbered So, 

 Whose bird have I unwittingly killed? G, H, Dana, 



Wild Rice. 



Me. Charles Gilchrist, of Harwood, Ont., writes us 

 that after sending the note we referred to the other day. 

 of the loss of the rice crop, he received some 150 bushels 

 from a sheltered bay where the storm had not destroyed 

 it; and he is therefore prepared tp eupply orders to that 

 extent. 



SQUIRREL PIE. 



Adrian, Mich. — Two noted sportsmen not far from 

 this place had long been talking of a squirrel dinner. In 

 fact, each day as they went to their respective homes to 

 dinner, they had pictured a fine platter of equirrel, and 

 imagination had grown so strong, and had increased 

 their appetites to such an extent, that they could resist 

 no longer. So they took a day from business and went 

 in search of game, 



B jth said that they never come home without bringing 

 from 13 to 20 squirrels, told their families of the number 

 they would bring home for a squirrel pie. and several 

 neighbors and friends were enjoined not to order meat 

 the next day, as they never faitfd, and would bring home 

 plenty for all. 



After tramping four long miles they found two very 

 small squirrels. Then another four miles were tramped. 

 Occasionally a squirrel was seen and shot at, but only 

 chattered back saucily, and nothing fell. Finally darkness 

 came on, and by this time the pangs of huQger were 

 keenly felt. In imagination both went through a squir- 

 rel dinner, where fried squirrel were before them in ag- 

 gravating numbers. Once more thpy quickened their 

 steps to find a new place where the game danced around 

 from tree to tree. Both aimed and fired, and fired again, 

 but as before, nothiog fell. Finally one bird was added 

 to the game bag. 



Darkness had gathered, and they must return. But 

 how were they to meet their friends without taking them 

 the promised squirrel? Once more the game bag was 

 opened to see if the two squirrels within were really not 

 four: when, lo, the bird, which had been only stunned, 

 flaw out and into a tree. By this time the home of one 

 was reached; and the guns and game bag were deposited 

 on the stoop, while both entered, tired and hungry, for 

 supper. 



During the meal (which was a very silent one on the part 

 of the two hunters) it was decided that one should have 

 the two squirrels cooked for his dinner the next day, and 

 in the presence of their friends should tell how good they 

 were, and how sorry they were that they had not got 

 quite enough to go round, but that they would go again 

 and then the rest should have them. This plan the other 

 heartily approved; and excusing himself, before his friend 

 should have time to change his mind, he went out on the 

 stoop to shoulder his gun and game bag and start for 

 home. But where was the game? That surely was the 

 game bag dragged half-way across the lawn, and, yes, 

 those dark objects were really cats sneaking oft' with the 

 game. 



All friends were seen smoking good cigars the next day 

 instead of eating squirrel. C. 



BIRD NOTES FROM MISSOURI. 



Alexandria, Mo,, Sept, 36.— The spring and early 

 Bummer months in this part of the great West were ex- 

 ceptionally rainy. Most all lands were kppt wet from 

 heavy precipitation until the first week in August, and 

 consequently all kinds of game birds suffered greatly in 

 trying to raise their broods. But regardless of this climatic 

 adversity, a large percentage of quail brought out their 

 new flocks quite early in the season. In the latter days 

 of July I observed many bunches of young quail which 

 had almost reached their full size. This, so early in the 

 summer, is not common in this latitude. Here in the 

 closing days of September I notice coveys of young quail 

 which are grown, and although the number of birds per 

 covey is not large, the flocks appear quite numerous. 



Prairie chickens are evidently becoming scarcer and 

 Fcarcer every year, I have noticed but few old birds 

 during the season, and have seen no young ones. 



The pinnated grouse, following in the trail of other 

 native game birds, reads its doom in the plowing up of 

 its broodiner grounds, together Avith the merciless hunters 

 with their improved and destructive fire arms. 



During the summer I have diligently watched for the 

 appearance of even a solitary pigeon, but my studied 

 observations have been fruitless. I have no evidence 

 that any pigeons have returned to any parts of this State. 



On Sept. 35, immense flocks of pelicans appeared along 

 the Mississippi, pursuing their annual migrations south- 

 ward. One flock I observed was a fourth of a mile in 

 length, and contained hundreds of these great birds. 

 The pelicans are the only wild fowl which seem to main- 

 tain their average numbers. 



One bright day of the last week of September, a croud 

 eagle came sailing from the far north, and went on its 

 journey to the warmer regions of the south. It was a 

 young bird, being of a brown color, and was lacking in 

 tho characteristic whiteness of head and tail. 



Few ducks of any species raise their young along these 

 valley lands of the Des Moines and Misfissippi, for their 

 natural homes and retreats in the inland ponds and lakes 

 are being invaded and devoted to the requirements of 

 civilization. 



In view of the growing scarcity of grouse, quail, water- 

 fowl and game animals, the sportsman wonders how he 

 is to pursue his cherished amusement in these regions 

 which a few years since abounded in all kinds of wild 

 animals and birds. 



View the subjpcfc as we may, we are compelled to 

 acknowledge that the native game birds and animals are 

 rapidly disappearing, and will in not very remote lime 

 be extinct^ -jAsipEE Blines, 



Game Birds for Massachusetts. 



Masschusetts Fish and Game Protective Associa- 

 tion. — Committee on Acclimatization. — Boston, Oct. 1 — 

 The Committee on Acclimatization of the Massachusetts 

 Fish and Oame Protective Association report the receipt 

 of iheir first shipment this season. 



This consists of 14 dozen Gambel's partridge (Plumif- 

 erusgambeli), which an-ived in Boston Sept. 28, and have 

 been loosed, half in Berkshire ancl half in Bristol county. 



Two other lots are expected within the next fortnight 

 to complete the order of 500 birds. 



No oilier shipments are expected until about the first 

 part of January, when 500 prairie chicken {TympanucJm s 

 americanus) and .500 sharp-tailed grouse {Pedtccecetes 

 phaslanelhis coin nibi amis) will begin to come. 



The committee is now ready to receive applications for 

 birds, and also state that they shall be glad to receive 

 contributions of money to enlarge the orders for bids al- 

 ready placed. Henry J. Thayer, Sec'y, 



53 State street, Eoom 948, 



