340 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Apeil 20., i»yb. 



A CALIFORNIA PRESERVE. 



The Directors of the Countiy Club, of San Francisco, 

 Cal., haTe made an interesting report of the chab's history 

 for the year 1892: 



The fishing in the club's watens, they say, was steadily 

 good durmg the whole reason. The Olema, Bear Vallfy 

 and Alaniillo streams have shown a greater abundance 

 than in the years before the club's control. AVe have been 

 reioiced at the success resulting from the stocking of our 

 lakes. In April, 1891, 14,000 Eastern trout were put m 

 Trout Lake, and last year these fish were of the almost 

 uniform size of 12in. in length and three-quarters of a 

 poimd in weight each, and, according to the natural rate 

 of increase, we may look for them in the next iishing 

 season of the length of 15in., and from 1 to 1+lbs. in 

 weight. Trout Lake last July was for the second time 

 stocked with 17,000 Eastern trout, and these fish are now 

 Tin. in length. Bass Lake, which is located a short dis- 

 tance from Trout Lake, was stocked with black bass from 

 Crystal Springs Lake in 1890, and from Menlo Park Lake 

 in 1891. From tests made the past year, we are confident 

 that the members wiU enjoy fine sport the coming season. 

 Crescent Lake, also located near Trout and Bass lakes, was 

 stocked last August with 30,000 landlocked salmon, and 

 there would seem to be no reason for doubting that as 

 good results will follow as in the case of the other varieties 



'^^'^oiit Lake has been stocked with 31,000 New Hamp- 

 shire trout. Bear Valley Creek Dam with 19,000 rainbow 

 trout. Black Bass Lake,''Ocean Lake, Little Lake and Wild 

 Cat Lake with black bass, a,nd Grescent Lake with 30,000 

 landlocked salmon. 



There have been turned out 30 Mongolian pheasants, 

 600 Arizona quail and 100 Cliinese quad. 



There has been little or no poaching on the preserve 

 grounds during the past year. Pleasant relations have 

 been maintained between the club, the neighbors and the 

 preserve tenants. Om- keepers have accomplished good 

 work in the trapping of vermin, which does more toward 

 increasing and protecting game than the invasion of many 

 poachers. On March 1, 150 traps will be put out by the 

 keepers. 



GAME ASD PISH KILLED. 



This Total since 



season. July 4, 1890. 



Quail 1.733 4.558 



Snipe 473 2,076 



Ducks— canvasbacks 31 50 



Blallard ]3 83 



Sprig 10 144 



Widgeon 63 217 



Teal 25 172 



Blackjack 3 19 



Black swan — 1 



Geese • — " 



Rail 95 161 



Wild pigeons 3 11 



Doves 4 79 



Plover 4 1/ 



Curlew 1 1 



Yellow-legs 5 5 



Robins 22 112 



Rabbits 4 4 



Deer (previous to March 31, IS'jl.) — 5 



Bear 1 1 



Brook trout 1,135 5,171 



Eastern trout 284 384 



Since Feb. 11, 1892, there have been killed on the pre- 

 serve 1 bear, 3 coyotes, 48 wildcats, 87 foxes, 60 coons, 31 

 skunks, 84 hawks. 



The preserve contains about 76,000 acres, with 60 miles 

 of ocean front. The roads for driving are all good, and 

 the scenery unsurpassed. Tliere are numerous lakes and 

 trout sti-eams. and an abimdance of quail, snipe and 

 duck. The sea-fishing and salmon fishing in Tomales 

 Bay are features. 



NOTABLE SHOTS.-VIH. 



Marlboro, N. H. — In twenty-five years' experince of 

 shooting ruffed grouse I have killed two birds at one shot 

 on two different times. The first time, my old setter 

 pointed under an apple tree, when two grouse swung 

 around to the right and one to the left; shooting at the 

 right first and then at the left I had the experience of 

 killing all three birds without moving out of my tracks, 

 a pleasure that rarely faUs to the sportsman in a lifetime. 

 I felt five years younger. 



The other time the old dog roaded some birds about one- 

 fourth of a mile, when he established a point at the edge 

 of some spruce. I saw a gi-ouse run, and as she sprang 

 from the ground I shot her down. While picking up the 

 bird the dog pointed again in a hollow just beyond, where 

 I found a dead bird. 



I am glad the traveler Uncle Lisha has retm-ned. 



^ J. S. M. 



Chicago, 111. — Speaking of good shots, I made one last 

 Monday. A flock of butterballs had decoyed, and as I 

 ran up they took wing. I let the left barrel go and 

 knocked two down, and with a quick second brought 

 three more down, making a total of five out of the flock. 

 I think there are more ducks this year than for many 

 yeai-s. I also saw eight or ten large flocks of plover, 

 whether golden or otherwise 1 cannot say. 



Fred Sheldon. 



Velasco, Texas. — On the interesting subject of "notable 

 shots" I have one to relate. While hunting jacksnipe 

 about a month ago my pointer made a play at a bunch of 

 sage bushes where I was not looking for game. When I 

 told him to go in a quad and snipe got up close together 

 and fell to my right barrel. This is the first time I have 

 heard of those birds affiliating, as their haunts and habits 

 are qiiite imhke^ M. P. M. 



Tennessee Live Quail Exportation. 



A correspondent writing from Chattanooga, Tenn, 

 says: The fact of the matter is that the true sportsmen 

 in Tennessee are not scattered over the State enough and 

 there are too few of them. Men who hunt for the love 

 of the spoi-t alone are mostly fotmd in the cities, and 

 although they can as a general thing get the influential 

 members of the House of Eepresentatives to aid them in 

 their measures for game protection, yet they are outnum- 

 bered by the "hayseed" members from "Wayback," who 

 imagine that people "up in their county" should be 

 allowed to kill anything and eveiything in the shape of 

 fin, feathers and fur "whenever they feel like it." 



The great evil here is the exportation of live quail to 

 other States, and in this matter sportsmen in other States 

 are to blame, for if there was no demand there woxild be 



no supply. Northern and Eastern clubs make a point 

 every season of advertisiag for live birds and it is pre- 

 sumed they are used for field trials. Pot-hunters here 

 and backwoodsmen, who care for nothing further in the 

 line of work than distilling wddcat whisky, himting deer 

 at all times and netting quad, find ready customers for 

 their birds in small store-keepers in cities and provincial 

 towns who deal in anything they can see a dollar in. If 

 Forest and Stbeabi would endeavor to put a stop to the 

 importation of game birds, for the purposes named, m 

 Northern and Eastern States the netting here woidd 

 cease. If it is allowed to continue for a few years more 

 a quail wdl be a rara avis in terris and be found only in 

 odd places, or, perhaps, like the great auk, will become 

 extinct. 



Game Protector Barber. 



Albany, April 10.— Editor Forest and Stream: I send 

 you here^^^th an item clipped from the Warrensburgh 

 (N. Y.) Neios. I send you this more particidarly for the 

 reason that Mr. Barber, the protector herein named, was 

 the subject of considerable adverse criticism in the matter 

 of an alleged attempt to kill a salmon at the Mechanic- 

 ville fishway. I believed then and believe now that Mr. 

 Barber was at that time intent upon detective work, as I 

 know him to be thoroughly honest. I have not the sHght- 

 est idea but that he intended to do precisely as he claimed 

 in his letter to your paper. The News says that an item 

 about the killing of two deer in South Johnsborough 

 caught the eye of Protector Bai-ber, who at once began an 

 investigation: 



He came to ttiis place about three weeks ago and after making a few 

 inquiries took a trip through Johnsburgh and Thui-man, ostensibly for 

 the purpose of purchasing hard-wood logs. His eyes and ears were 

 wide open, however, and by dint of judicious questions plied here and 

 there he succeeded ia accumulating sufBcient evidence to warrant fur- 

 ther proceedings. On Thursday of last week, accompanied by Con- 

 stable E. T. Hayes, he went over the route which he had previously 

 traveled as a hard-wood buyer and subpoenaed a large number of wit- 

 nesses to appear before Justice Herrick at the Adirondack House in 

 this village Friday afternoon. As a result of the investigation held at 

 that time warrants were issued for the arrest of Pasco and Burch. 

 It was shown by the evidence that one of the deer in question was 

 shot by Pasco; that the meat was buried near the barn of Gilbert 

 Pasco in Johnsburgh, and that the skia was found in the possession of 

 "Sam" Pasco. Burch was implicated in the affair by assisting "Sam" 

 to carry the deer from where it was concealed. The evidence pro- 

 duced before Justice Herrick had been cleverly gathered, and was so 

 conclusive that the culprits were glad to settle the case by paying the 

 amount mentioned above. Mr. Barber's abiUty as a detective is beyond 

 question, and would-be violators of the law in Johnsburgh and vicinity 

 win probably reaiize hereafter that although located in Greenwich he 

 is able and intends to keep an eye on this locality. In his work of 

 gathering evidence Mr. Barber was rendered valuable assistance by 

 om- local Vidocq, Constable Hayes, whose skillful handling of several 

 intricate cases has made his name a terror to evil-doers in this vicinity. 



Mr. Barber was appointed upon my recommendation as 

 game protector 10 months ago, and I have been to some 

 pains to look up his record during that time. Since June 

 1 last he has convicted over 70 parties of violating the 

 game laws; has collected over |1,100 in fines; sent three 

 parties to jail, and has now 12 cases pending with reason- 

 able chance for success in nearly all of them. In addition 

 to the foregoing he has during the past two weeks con- 

 victed fom- parties (including the two named in the clip- 

 ping sent herewith) for killing deer out of season or hav- 

 ing venison in their possession, and has collected fines to 

 the amount of nearly $400. The foregoing is taken from 

 the records on file in the office of the Fish and Game Com- 

 mission. M. SCHENCK. 



They Teach Caution. 



Cincinnati, 0.— A correspondent in a recent issue of 

 your valuable paper writes of accidents liable to happen 

 to sportsmen by accidental discharges of firearms. In 

 camp at St. Mary's Eeservoir. Sam Marshall and I Avere 

 sitting on a box in the center of the tent. Will Roberts, 

 a hand I had brought with me, had jjicked up my shot- 

 gun, rmnoticed by us, and was trying to force a swollen 

 shell into the chamber when the gun was discharged, the 

 contents passing between Sam and myself and through 

 the side of the tent, leaving a hole about the size of a sil- 

 ver dollar. Again, while shooting maUards in a large 

 cornfield, I was lying on my right side, my shotgun point- 

 ing toward my feet. There came a flock of mallards, and I 

 grasped my gun, which happened to be cocked. The loud 

 report and a hole in the ground about an inch from my 

 right foot taught a lesson. At the bulkhead of the St. 

 Mary's Reservoir one man held the scales for another to 

 hang his gun on to be weighed. The man had forgotten 

 to extract the loads and when the gim was hung on the 

 scales by the trigger guard it was discharged, the whole 

 load entering Berger's foot above the ankle, almost tear- 

 ing it oft'. The victim now hobbles about on a wooden 

 leg and is the joUiest soul around the bulkliead. Many 

 of your readers will remember him. F. B. IVIagill. 



Foreigners! Elude the Nova Scotia Idcense. 



Your council beg to call your attention to the fact that 

 there are numbers of non-residents who arrive here by 

 steamer as soon as the season opens for hunting. They 

 have their guides waiting for them, then take the train 

 and are off to some out of the way place to hunt without 

 taking out a hcense. It has been suggested by many 

 persons living in dift'erent parts of the Province that your 

 societj- petition the Legislature at the coming session to 

 make'the license fee for large game $50, an amount that 

 no honest sportsman will object to pay. It takes most of 

 the license money collected to send men to the woods to 

 Imnt up these strangers, and in most cases they are 

 advised that some one is on their track and pack up and 

 get out of the Province by a different route from the one 

 by which they came. — Report of Inland Oame and Fish- 

 ery Society. 



A Cortland County Preserve. 



Cortland. N. Y., April 15.— Editor Forest and Stream: 

 0. V. Kellogg yesterday made public announcement that 

 he had become the o^vner, and had the exclusive right to 

 shoot, fish and hunt upon 375 acres of land lying adjacent 

 to this village. Mr. Kellogg proposes to devote the land 

 and water contained in the above tract to the propagation 

 and protection of fish, birds and game. 



The Cortland County Sportsmen's Club is composed of 

 two branches. One branch pays particular attention to 

 the protection of fish and game and the other to trap- 

 shooting. 



The club is made up of bright, alert, big-hearted fellows 

 and the tuture looks bright along the two distinct lines of 

 endeavor noted above. M. C. H, 



Does Cold Afifect Nitro Powders? 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



Looking over some old copies of Forest and Stream I 

 came upon an article on nitro powders and their loss of 

 power xmder certain conditions. During the past J anuary 

 and cold weather a circumstance took place I could not 

 then account for. In Illinois I would go with my beagles 

 rabbit hunting. As the leaves and grass are gone I 

 would have to shoot a fair distance shot. I did not kill 

 or get my rabbit, as I would in November or December. _ I 

 was using the same make and brand of cartridges as in 

 the fall months, and the ammunition was satisfactory 

 then. I do not want to go back to the old black pov/der 

 again, but I think in extreme cold weather we shall have 

 to. In the month of January I was often out with the 

 beagles and gim when the thermometer was at zero and 

 rabbits in my shooting; coat would freeze. I carry my 

 cartridges in my shooting coat pocket. They wotdd be 

 cold and then the gun barrels were very cold. Was this 

 extreme cold not the cause of the nitro powder's want of 

 force? J- P. 



Game at Park Rapids. 



St. Paxil, Minn., April 7. — There was some fun made 

 of a letter from Park Rapids, Minn., describing the shoot- 

 ing in that locality. On a recent visit I found that the 

 shipments of deer^ from that one station exceeded 500 

 saddles during the" open season. I met at Osakis three 

 brothers who shot there last fall and kfiled thu-ty-one 

 deer, one bear and some three hundred pheasants or ruffed 

 grouse. 



A neighbor of mine with two companions also went 

 there for deer, and kdled in ten days eleven deer. Sports- 

 men who want to hunt deer next year had better make a 

 note of this. Take the Great Northern train from St. 

 Paul in the morning and reach Park Rapids in time for 

 supper. The ducks are in here in great shape and the 

 markets are overloaded, Still I find but few sportsmen 

 that care to kiH them in the spring. Everybody seems to 

 be waiting for the trout season to open^to "go a -fishing." 



F. A. K. 



Ontario Wildfowl. 



Belleville, Ont., April 13.— Wild geese have been 

 more numerous in this vicinity during the past two weeks. 

 Many sportsmen have gone in pursuit of them, but with- 

 out success up to date. 



The salutary effect of the law against shooting ducks in 

 spring is obseiwable in the largely increased numbers of 

 black ducks now to be seen in our marshes as compared 

 with the time when spring slaughter was permitted. 



R. S. Bell. 



Preserve System in Maine. 



No MAN with eyes in his head can have lived in Maine for two years 

 past without seeing the laws openly defied. * * * Now, if a near- 

 sighted newspaperman can see and hear of all of these violations in- 

 side of two yeai's, an alert game warden, sworn to defend the game of 

 the State, should know of a great deal more, particularly if he lived 

 near where poachers make their raids. Yet, take any twenty -five 

 wardens in Maine, and it is doubtful if they average to make one 

 arrest a year. If they do the fact is carefully kept from the news- 

 papers. And all this time the papers are full of accidents that occur 

 to men who are committing illegal acts. Hamlet never found a more 

 rotten state of affairs when he returned to Denmark to attend to his 

 father's funeral, than exists regarding the game laws in Maine to-day. 



Meanwhile the man of means who wiU have hunting and fishing at 

 any cost are gradually taking up all the good ponds and streams and 

 forest land, and making them over mto private "preserves." Only 

 this week word reaches this paper that the land adjacent to Timk 

 Pond and the pond itself have been sequestered from the world and 

 devoted to the exclusive use of a few men who have means to jjrotect 

 their rights. Hereafter no citizen of Maine can go on to that sacred 

 territory without first getting a permit from the owners, who five out 

 of the State. This is the natural result of lax and badly enforced 

 laws. It is the poor man who OTshes to live honestly that" suffers; it 

 is the wealthy who can afford to pay dearly for their luxui-ies who 

 control all in the end. , . ,. 



As much as the writer dislikes these new Enghsh ways he believes 

 that the game of Maine is safer under the care of game keepers or on 

 a preserve than it is to-day under the feeble protection of Maine. The 

 game of Maine belongs to the people of Maine, and not to the men 

 who own the land. The people of Maine could have held it forever as 

 their property had they legislated wisely and selected proper guard- 

 ians. The people failing to do this the millionaire comes in and does 

 the next best thing. The people of Maine can no longer fish and hunt 

 in their old haunts; the rich men who control the land wdl come to 

 Maine every year and hire a good number of Maine residents to help 

 them. When the boy who moves out of Maine this year returns 

 twenty years from now he will no doubt see the brooks in which he 

 used to fish strung along with signs like this: 



No 



Trespassers 



AliLOWBD. 



Persons found 

 On These Grounds Will Be 

 Prosecuted. 



Private GRonifDs; 

 Keep Off. 



It may seem hard to him at first, but if he wiU foUow the history of 

 Maine's game laws and their enforcement and non-enforcement he 

 will see that it is the natural result of the conditions that prevailed.— 

 Bangor Neios, April 7. 



CONGRATULATORY. 



Syracuse, N. Y.— Editor Forest and Stream: We all "feel good" 

 with you over the happy ending of the Delmonico case. Tou have won 

 a splendid victory. D- H. Bruce. 



Newtown, Pa,.— Editor Forest and Stream; It is an evidence of 

 what a bulldog hang-on wlU do. I congratulate the Forest and 

 Stream most heartily. It has reason to be proud. O. O. Smith. 



Detroit, Mich.— Editor Forest and Stream: I have been jubilant ail 

 day over your Delmonico woodcock accomplishment. But for Poiiest 

 AND Stream those contraband birds would have been as dead as Julius 

 C£Esar. Your resuscitation of them deserves to be sung in verse as 

 was the saintly miracle performed by blessed Santiago, when he re- 

 stored to life the Alcayde's defunct, beheaded and roasted rooster and 

 its mate from the platter on the dinner table: 



Cluck ! cluck cried the Hen right merrily then, 



The Cock his clai'ion blew; 

 Full glad was he to hear again 

 His own cock-a-doo-del-doo. 



May Forest and Stream with its revivifying'powers ever come to 

 the aid of the Protector Kidds. J. H- S. 



Hartkord, Conn., April 8.— Editor Forest and Stream,; Allow me to 

 congratulate the Forest and Stream for its grand work in getting the 

 Delmonico case settled. A, C. Collins. 



