230 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[SeM. 16, 1898. 



SUMMER SLAUGHTER IN MAINE. 



Philadelphia, Pa., Sept. 2. — Editor Forest and Stream:. 

 I notice in your issue bf this date an editorial, "An Old 

 Story in Maine Woods," also an article in same issue, 

 "Dead Deer in Maine Woods," which interest me very 

 much, as it doubtless will others. It is well known that 

 about all the hunting and fishing camps throughout the 

 northern section of Maine are supplied with deer meat 

 during the open season of fishing from June to October, 

 when it is unlawful to kill deer, moose or caribou. This 

 gams is generally killed around the water in June, July 

 and August, and as a general thing no more is brought to 

 camp than what seems necessary to supply the camp with 

 meat. How much is killed that uever reaches camp no 

 one knows. Doubtless a large percentage dies from 

 wounds that may be recorded as waste, judging from the 

 report of the Bangor Neios of Aug. 20, which you quote. 

 . It may safely be said that a large percentage of the game 

 killed in the section referred to goes to waste, as you say, 

 shot down in pure wantonness. 



The State Commissioners and game wardens cannot en- 

 force the law as it now stands, for the reason that most 

 of the killing is done at night, and so far away from law 

 that you cannot reach the ofliender or establish his guilt. 

 What remedy can you or vour readers suggest for the 

 better protection of large game in the State of Maine? 



Will you be kind enough to answer this question: Why 

 do the people of Maine allow the indiscriminate use of 

 rifles above .23 caliber in their forests during close 

 season when there is nothing to shoot but the protected 

 game? There is no game in the forests of Maine except 

 the bear that would demand the use of a rifle during 

 close season. And not one sportsman or guide in five 

 hundred ever sees a bear in the Maine woods in the 

 summer months. So long as every man and boy is al- 

 lowed to carry rifles, or an armory, into the Maine' woods 

 in close season, just so long will the large game be killed 

 in close season, and a large percentage of it will go to 

 waste, as described in the article referred to. Make some 

 regulation by law preventing the carrying of firearms in 

 the State during close season, and you take from the 

 ofl:ender the instrument which enables him not only to 

 break f^e law, but the possession of which too often 

 prompts the temptation to use it in an unlawful manner. 



A. 



NOTES FROM THE GAME FIELDS. 



The following notes on game prospects may prove in- 

 teresting to sportsmen. The following is from Dr. Otto 

 Moebes, Athens, Ala,, in a letter dated Aug. 29. He 



says: 



"There is a good sprinkling of deer. A town party 

 chased and killed one a week ago on my land, and as I 

 have been waiting for lawbreakers for some time, I hap- 

 pened to get up to them while they were in the verv act 

 of cutting the deer's throat. A bombshell could not have 

 created greater consternation. It served them right. Let 

 them wait till September, 



"We have had the most remarkable dry season I ever 

 experienced in this countiy. There have been but two 

 little^ showei-s since June 2. A dry .June always brings in 

 a good quail crop. We have consequently more and 

 larger coveys than I have seen for years. I have three 

 coveys in my field, which are full grown, eighteen or 

 twenty bii'ds to each covey. I took a couple of young- 

 sters to the Brown's Ferry preserve one morning re- 

 cently, and found five large coveys inside of an hour, aU 

 weU grown, and strong flyers. 



"The spring set in very unfavorably for a good quail 

 year, as it rained steadily during April and May, but 

 fortunately the weather was extraordinarily cold at the 

 same time, which kept the birds from pairing off and 

 mating 



"Through an experience of many years and close watch- 

 ing, I have never been able to find a mated brace of quails 

 before April 17. That is the earliest date I have observed. 

 This year, the first couple I found was on May 9. I have 

 found many unbroken coveys in the last week of May. 

 Therefore you will see that they did their breeding in the 

 dry season, hence the fine outlook. 



"Do you recollect that once we had a little conversation 

 in regard to quail following water courses, or even emi- 

 grating to them in the dry warm season of the year? 

 Some parties had so written in a contemporary, if I am 

 not mistaken. Well, they may do so up North, but I 

 promise you it is not so in the South. Our quail care no 

 more for water than if it were not in existence. I have 

 known coveys on the Mason place, which I could find 

 almost at any lime during a terrific drought, and those 

 birds were at least two miles from the nearest drop of 

 water, excepting the dew. Dew is enough for them. 

 If there is no dew, they simply do without water. 



"I have also found, on an average, more birds on the 

 uplands, a long way from the water courses, than I have 

 found close to the latter. 



"Tarkeys have nested well also, and I know of two 

 large gangs within a mile of my house. If you can come 

 here and rest up a while, we will teach them a lesson." 



From Mr. T. Andrew Jackson, Opelousas, La., an 

 ardent sportsman and a keen shot, I have received the 

 following under date of Aug. 28: 



"Quail are plentiful. The season has been fine for 

 their breeding— not too dry and not too wet. Almost 

 every day I see from one to a half dozen brace of old 

 ones in the road dusting. The shooting season on quail 

 will open Nov. 1. This is the new law made by the 

 police .jury last spring. In many respects it was a good 

 one. Heretofore the shooting season opened Oct. 1, but 

 very little shooting was done before Nov. 1 and still 

 later, as the cover in the fields is then too rank to permit 

 of pleasant sport. Real good shooting can not be had 

 till December, along about Christmas. 



"The police jury also changed tbe law for the protec- 

 tion of deer. It used to be from April 1 to Oct. 1 in all 

 parts of the parish. The new law reads as follows: 'Deer 

 in the swamp portion of the parish can be hunted from 

 Nov. 1 until May 15.' In other portions of the parish the 

 old law holds good. The new law for swamp-hunting is 

 a fraud. The rutting season begins there in November 

 and the does begin to drop their fawns in .July. In May 

 they are heavy with fawn and it is then a shame to shoot 

 them. 



"In the pine woods the rutting season begins in Sep- 

 tember and the does drop their young about the middle 

 of May. 



'•The only game birds to be- found now are plover, but 



the weather is too warm and the sport i§ very tanle. tJp^ 

 land plover were here in July and the first part of AiigUst, 

 but they have about all gone further south f oi* the fall 

 and winter. 



"Good bear hunting coilld be had in the swamps a few 

 years ago, but for some reason bruin has left his accus- 

 tomed haunts and very few are now killed. Several years 

 ago a black bear was killed in the Waxia swamp which 

 weighed 6191bs. That one was the latgest ever killed in 

 this parish until last spring, when* one was killed in the 

 Atchafalaya swadlp which weighed SOOlbs. or more. 

 These two are the largest bears ever kiUed in St. Landry 

 arish, and I think the last-mentioned is the largest ever 

 iUed in the State. Old hunters tell me that there are 

 three different kinds of bears in our swamps— the large 

 black bear, with a white spot on the breast, a sulall black 

 bear which is exceedingly tough and hafd to kill, and a 

 long, slim brovmish bear which is so swift of fOot that, it 

 is called the running bear. The lattei- species, it is said, 

 can run all day and is about as fast as our red deer. How 

 true this is, 1 am Unable to say, as I never hunted bruin, 



"Squirrel shooting is good this summer. Many hunters 

 report fine bags. We have five or six species of squirrels 

 here. Some of the species may be the same. Foi- instance, 

 we have the red fox squirrel ahd the blatik t'ox squirrel. 

 They are the largest. The black atid gtAy squirrels are 

 smaller, and many say that they belong to the same species. 

 The oat squirrel is smaller tliah the gray, but is larger 

 than the flying squirrel. The gray Squirrel predominates; 

 the red fox squirrel next. 



"Alligator hunting is indulged in to such an extent that 

 the sport threatens to exterminate the saiu-ians. Several 

 police jiu'ieB have passed laws recently prohibiting the 

 killing of these reptiles. The alligators kill the musk- 

 rats, which do the Mississippi River levees so much harm. 

 Thousands of alligator hides have been shipped to New 

 York this year from this parish. 



"The Louisiana prairies, at this season of the year, are 

 the feeding grounds of cranes. I note three sizes of the 

 white species, one about three feet tall, the second about 

 two feet, and the smallest about the size of a common 

 chicken, only a little taller. A few blue cranes and 

 herons are mixed in with the white ones. I have seen a 

 few black ones, but they are scarce, sometimes only one 

 in a season being seen. These cranes are being killed by 

 thousands, and their skins are shipped to Northern cities." 



B. 'Waters. 



909 Skouriit Building, Chicago. 



Ve^dnt Game Outlook. 



Hma»AfE, Vt.— The outlook for good sport in north- 

 western Vermont this season is very discouraging, unless 

 the rabbit and fox crop happens to be a prolific ohe. 



There are no gray squiiTels and but few ruffed grouse. 

 Up to the late cold stof nl there was a large number of 

 woodcock and the yoUng birds were Well matured, but 

 they are now gone; the late blizzard stai-ted them south- 

 ward. The open season for these birds formerly began 

 Aug. 15, which Usually made us sUre of seVetal weeks of 

 good shooting, but the last Legislature changed the date 

 to Sept. 15. As we Usually haVe a cold storm early in 

 September, our birds are usually away before the middle 

 of the month, which means no shooting after that date, 

 as it was only occasionally that the flight birds stop here, 

 for between here and the Bt. Lawrence River due north, 

 there are but few grounds. Last season, however, was an 

 exception, as the constant heavy west winds that occurred 

 during their flight brought the birds here from their 

 breeding; grounds west of the Richelieu River. 



The old law on snipe was also changed, so that now 

 these game and toothsome birds are among those that can- 

 not be shot at any season of the year. There is a general 

 howl among the members of our gTin club here against 

 such legislation, and unless there is a change made for 

 the better before another season no efiiort will be made to 

 enforce the present game or fish laws. 



We know that when woodcock are fat their first flights 

 are short ones, and that the birds that are bred here are to 

 be found when the present season opens down in the 

 middle or southern part of the State; and we believe that 

 this law was changed to favor that section of the State 

 where most of the members of the State Fish and Game 

 League reside. It is also our belief that such a law, one 

 that favors one section of the State at the expense of an- 

 other portion of the State, is unconstitutional, and if a 

 test case was made on either of the above cases this would 

 be found so. Stanstead. 



The New .3 Seal. SheU. 



In a recent number of the Forest and Stream W. L. 

 Carpenter describes a new .25cal. straight shell using fas 

 maximum) 25grs. of powder and 97grs. lead, soon to oe 

 placed upon the market. The shell, being straight, will 

 be capable of receiving a load vai-ying all the way from 

 the maximum given above to a charge of 2 or Sgrs. pow- 

 der and a round ball for gallery practice. Mr. Carpenter's 

 shell will certainly prove much more satisfactory than the 

 present bottle-necked .25-20, and I, for one, wish him all 

 success, and shall watch with much interest for further 

 information in regard to it. Barrister. 



Shooting Prospects West. 



A North Dakota report which has just reached us 

 gives the following highly-colored report of the local out- 

 look: "The shooting season has commenced and the birds 

 are being slaughtered in large numbers. Ducks are very 

 plentiful, the numerous lakes and sloughs round about 

 Forman, N. D., being a favorite breeding place for 

 aquatic birds of all kinds. The variety of ducks is greater 

 than usual, though the spoonbills and teals are most 

 numerous. The grain fields are literally covered with 

 chickens, and sportsmen report the shooting the best ever 

 experienced in the country," 



West "Virginia Game. 



Waverly, W. Va.,Sept. 4.— We have had a pretty fair 

 fishing season; fishing camps dot the Ohio River every few 

 miles, and their occupants seem to have good success. 

 The river is lower than for many years; boats have not 

 been running for several weeks until lately. 



The outlook for faU shooting is good, with plenty of 

 quail and pheasant, while rabbits are thick in the fields 

 and timber, and as the season advances I look for some 

 fine sport, Fox Hui^tee. 



^h6 Shore Birds. 



New York, Sept. 5,— Agreeable to your siiggesiiOn in 

 the last issue regarding the effebt the late storms had upon 

 snipe shooting alohg thfe South Bay, I would report as 

 foUows: Having followed the shore birds for a number 

 of years past with more or less success, I thought, as I 

 suppose did many others, that such storms would bring a 

 big flight of birds down from the North. The evening of 

 Friday, Aug. 25, found me on Oak Island Beach near 

 points from which I have had good shooting in past years. 

 Out early Saturday morning, sat in a blind nearly all day. 

 Saw one black-breasted plover, but not a yellowleg, though 

 two came to the stool of a friend o^ mihe. t^ironi all.t 

 could gather ffoM the natives thefe had been gome little 

 shooting prioi" to the fii-st storm, but no birds^_ durihg ot 

 after either blow-. NlAiSARA; 



Oakdale, Sept. ^.—Editor Forest atid sireani: lii 

 answer to inquiry in FOREST AND Stream in regard to the 

 flight of snipe this seasOn, I woiild say that those two 

 severe storms brorlght to ouf shores two splendid flights 

 of fine birds, mostly yellowlegs, and large kreakers, with 

 a splendid sprinkling of ring-tail marlin, blackbreast 

 plover, golden plover, willet and yelpers. Half a dozen 

 baymen have a blind on Dr. Green's meadow, where they 

 shoot most all the time at small kreakers. A, A. F. 



Birds on the New England Coast. 



Shore bird shooting seems to be faii-ly good. Good re- 

 ports come from Pine Point, Scarboro, Me, Mr. 1. W. 

 Pnisbury recently shot some 150 birds on a gimning trip to 

 that locality. J\Ir. .J. H. Brown got 120 birds. They were 

 generally summer yellowlegs and snipe. Mr. Geo. Bar- 

 rett is a successful gunner. He got thirty-two birds in a 

 few hours' shooting at Ipswich the other day; mostly 

 summer yellowlegs. Mr. J. Miller and friends were re- 

 cently at Marshfleld on a shooc. They are reported to 

 have bagged 340 birds, with many of the larger varieties. 

 There is a complaint all along the shore, however, that 

 the larger birds are not plentyi 



Mr. Claude H; tarbox, with A. P. Aldl-ich & Sofa; bag 

 again made a good shot, £te liVes at fiyfield; a long dis- 

 tance from Bostoh, and he is obliged to take a traiii at 

 7 o'clock A. M. to go in to business. He is very fond of 

 gunning, and the river, the creek and the pond are very 

 handy. But to get up early enough to take a puU of half 

 a mile in a boat, up to the pond and back to breakfast, all 

 before train time, requires a good deal of exertion. But 

 sometimes he does it. The other morning he was up the 

 river in his boat almost to the pdnd, When a botiplei of 

 ducks started ahd appealed to be leaving for other regions. 

 But soon they circled back and near enough to give 

 Claude a fair shot. He used both barrels and got both 

 ducks. They proved to be a pair of very handsome blue- 

 winged teal. Special. 



Cjhick^ns id Sisil^ 



Editor Forest and- Stream: 



The chickens are not all dead in this neck o' Wotiasj 

 but are being killed mighty fast. Every traifi out Of St, 

 Paul on the Great Northern R. R. brings a whole skir- 

 mish line of chicken shooters and a baggage car full of 

 dogs, which are dumped at the various stations between 

 Crookston and St. Vincent. It makes little difference 

 where you stop; there are birds enough everwhere for 

 any one but a hog. 



Unfortunately, the market-shooter is in it also. Every 

 southbound train on this division of the road carries to 

 St. Paul and Minneapolis tliousands of chickens, loaded 

 at the various stations. Three hundred went from here 

 yesterday and the express agent teUs me that 200 t® 400 

 go every day since the opening. Seven himdred went 

 from Hallock on the 8d. In thirty days from now there 

 wiU not be birds enough left for a decent seed supply. 

 The railway and express companies are holding the 

 shooters down to the provisions of law, and no game is 

 accepted for shipment beyond the limits of the State. 

 Copies of the game laws are printed on large yellow cards 

 and, by order of the company, j)osted in aU the ticket 

 offices,' baggage rooms, baggage cars, hotels and post- 

 offices along the line, and the would-be violator is given 

 to understand, in plain United States, that if he violates 

 in this region he will be set on p. d, q. G. O. Shields. 



Stephen, Minn., Sept. 6. 



Potomac Notes. 



Washington, D. C. — The oats crop on the eastern 

 branch of the Potomac, here at Washington, is a very 

 large one this season, and as a consequence the river is 

 full of reed birds, blackbirds and ortolan. Although the 

 law was not off until the first of September, many of 

 these birds had already been slaughtered and were openly 

 exposed for sale in our markets before that date. 



A lady saw a lot of reed birds in market one day in 

 August and asked the seller if it was not unlawful to sell 

 them, to which he replied, "Oh, these are cultivated 

 birds, not wild ones." These non-enforced law-protected 

 birds are shot right within sight of the police station at 

 the Anacostia end of the Navy Yard bridge. 



A stormy petrel, or Mother Carey's chicken, was shot 

 near tlie Navy Yard bridge right after the recent great 

 blow. It was very much fatigued from its exertions in 

 battling against the storm. Several of the birds were 

 seen. 



Last week I noted the rather unusual occurrence here 

 of willet, being quite unknown to this locality during the- 

 summer months. Sunday, Aug. 27, a flock of thirty of 

 these snipe were seen on the flats opposite the Navy Yari', 



Bart. 



Beef Broth in Ten Minutes. 



Don't cook beef broth vmtil it is worn out. Take half 

 a pound, or a pound, of clear red beef, cut from a thick 

 round steak— not tenderloin or hock. Half submerge in 

 convenient pieces in a pan of cold water; put in a little 

 salt and pepper. Let it boil on one side five minutes, 

 then the other side five minutes. Cut into small strips or 

 squares, and with the aid of a lemon squeezer extract all 

 the juice into a bowl. Fold the strips and corners of the 

 beef into the squeezer. Dilute this rich extract with the 

 water the beef was boiled in, season to suit the taste of 

 the patient, and the finest beef broth ever niad,§ for hos- 

 pital, house 01" oamp, is before you. TlLE. 



