366 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Oct. 28, 1893. 



Partridge, Gray Squirrel and Ducks. 



Brooklyn, N. Y., Oct. 14.— I presume that many of 

 your numerous readers are desirous of obtaining informa- 

 tion where a reasonable amount of game may be found. 

 I have been in doubt on the subject many times, and that 

 I have been misled by a,r tides in the papers which I found 

 to be untruthful. Very few places within 200 miles I have 

 not visited, and in the majority of instances only to meet 

 with disappointment. Now it is my purpose to give to 

 our hunting friends a locality where they can obtain the 

 best all round hunting of any place I have found. It 

 comprises partridge, gray squirrel and duck shooting, and 

 even fishing if taste tends in that direction. In reference 

 to partridge, it is p®ssible that the number will be very 

 much scattered as the past winter was so severe, but quite 

 a number will be found by a good dog. This will be an off 

 year on partridge in every place with but very few excep- 

 tions, and besides, the game law permits the shooting of 

 these birds altogether too early in this State — Aug. 15 — 

 when the young are only little more than two-thirds 

 grown, but I presume the summer hotels must be supplied, 

 or at least their guests so inclined must have amusement. 



I have recently returned from my short vacation and I 

 desire that all good people may have a chance to get rid 

 of their dyspepsia. 



Take the cars of the D. & H. Canal Co. for Delano, Lake 

 Champlain. It is only about seven hours' ride from New 

 York. This stopping place is near Ticonderoga. About a 

 quarter of a mile south of the imaginary depot is a hotel 

 kept by Henry Blomhard, who will be found very kind 

 and obliging. He supplies very good quarters and meals 

 furnished at a very reasonable price, also boats, decoys 

 and guides. It is mj opinion that the guide I had is the 

 best I ever had. His word can be depended on and he 

 never gets tired of hunting, and he would rather hunt 

 than eat. His name is Charles H. Morrison. He has a 

 good boat which is perfectly safe even if there is a little 

 wind. When I was there last week it was too early in the 

 season for good shooting, but from this time on ducking 

 will be in full bloom. The kind of ducks to be obtained 

 are the black, green and blue-winged teal, redhead, 

 lakers (local name), canvasbacks, butterballs and whist- 

 lers. Some large snipe on sandy beaches are to be seen, 

 which the natives call plover. On the hills near by there 

 is good fox hunting, and good foxhounds can be obtained 

 at "Ti." Blanchard will attend to all the sportsman 

 wants in that direction. J, CORBIN. 



liittle Reelfoot. 



Cincinnati, Oct. 16.— Word has been received here that 

 a section of land, about a quarter of a mile, caved in not 

 far from Reelf oot Lake, Union City, Tenn. , several nights 

 ago. People who viewed the terrible slide next day were 

 astonished almost beyond belief to see the land sunken 

 out of sight, the treetops and water about 100ft. below 

 what had been dry ground the day previous. The sink 

 was partial on the northern extremity, gradually getting 

 deeper and deeper toward the southern side until it ob- 

 tained its greatest depth. It appeared as though this tract 

 of land had been resting on a shelf rock, which, having 

 been partially destroyed by the action of the water for an 

 untold length of time, had suddenly given way and 

 formed this lake. The strangest thing concerning the 

 occurrence is that there are hundreds of catfish, perch, 

 buffalo and other fish swimming around among the debris. 

 It is almost impossible to be convinced that such a body of 

 land could fall without producing something on the order 

 of an earthquake that would have alarmed the surround- 

 ing country. When Reelfoot Lake was formed in 1812 

 the occurrence took place in almost exactly the same man- 

 ner as described above, except heavy earthquake shocks 

 preceded the sinking of the land. Wick, 



Game in Georgia. 



Atlanta, Ga., Oct. 19.— The hunting season is now 

 open, and the outlook is indeed very good; notwithstand- 

 ing the heavy winter, partridges have done very well, 

 though they are yet very young. Squirrels and turkeys 

 are very plentiful in the northern part of the State. Rab- 

 bits aboimd everywhere and there are more this year than 

 ever before; the hard winter must have done them good. 



There is one class of sport I never see mentioned in 

 FOKEST AND STREAM, That is possum hunting. Of all 

 the hunting I ever indulged in, the pursuit of the opossum 

 is in my opinion the greatest. Except chasing the wily 

 fox I know of no sport so exhilarating as to go out at 

 night with a good pack of hounds, torch in hand, and 

 follow the sullen possum till he is treed. I was out Friday 

 night with four hounds, and caught six averaging 91bs. 

 each; that is considered a pretty good catch for one night. 



The Georgia State Sportsman's Association met here 

 yesterday, and after transacting business adjourned to 

 meet in Atlanta next year. Georgia will soon be as well 

 protected as any State in the Union, and then woe be it 

 to the pot-hunter who is now the curse of the State. 



W. L. H. 



Much Game in Nebraska. 



Exeter, Neb., Oct. 16.— All the birds, with the excep- 

 tion of the robin, and a few meadow larks and snipe have 

 left this section. Bob White was never more plentiful; 

 every hedge, thicket, or any place offering the least shelter 

 has its covey, riduig in the country one can hear the little 

 fellows calling on every side. 



Yesterday a flock of sixteen flew into my corral and 

 stayed quite a while round the straw stacks. Ducks and 

 geese have not shown up so far, although they would not 

 probably stop on account of the water holes being neai-ly 

 dry. 



One can get a jack rabbit by just walking across the 

 fields, while the little cotton-tail can be shot from one's 

 doorstep. Chickens are also quite numerous, more so than 

 for years past. Five wolves were seen about two miles 

 south of here yesterday. Diamond Walt. 



Rhode Island Game Bii'ds. 



All reports this fall are not very encouraging. Wood- 

 cock are fair, partridges scarce and very wild. Few bags 

 are being made. Of quail there are scarcely any to speak 

 of. Of the several hundred turned loose hereabouts last 

 year, but very few are being bagged. It is thought proba- 

 ble that our last severe winter killed them off. Some of 

 our best men went oft" a week ago and were gone several 

 days in the southern part of the State, but bagged scarcely 

 enough birds all told to speak of. 



We don't see so many snared birds in our Providence 



markets this fall, thanks to the good work of the Game Pro- 

 tective Association, but we stUl see that they are snared. 

 Keep at them, boys, and you will not regret your hard 

 work. 



When the boys go into the brush why don't they knock 

 over all those little sinners, the red "squirrel and chip- 

 monk, they come across? Did it ever occur to the majority 

 of our shooters that these little rascals are sometimes the 

 cause of the scarcity of birds? Well, they like fresh eggs 

 as well as the fox, and we might as well wage war on all 

 the tribe. Give the grays a chance, weed out the reds and 

 it will help a little. 



If you want to make sport of it, try them with the little 

 .22 rifle. Don't despise the game or the gun. We may 

 have to come to it some day round these parts. 



We shot a cock partridge up in northeastern Rhode 

 Island yesterday that appears to have been the original 

 partridge settler of this State. He is a big one and flew 

 several hundred yards after being hard hit. We would 

 have lost him if it hadn't been for old Sam, that old vet- 

 eran of a dog. The bird was marked down as dead and 

 Sam came near getting a licking because he insisted on 

 going further on. But he had his own way and later came 

 down the cart path with the old settler in his chops. The 

 old dogs know a thing or two. Tode. 



"Chained to Business." 



What a joy (and one, too, that never cloys) is the dear 

 old Forest and Stream to one chained to work, day after 

 day. And on Saturday night, after reading it through, I 

 sit in my easy chair and through the tobacco smoke gaze 

 dreamily at shotgun and rifle, fishing rod and spm-s, that 

 hang on the deerhorn rack facing me. Again I see the 

 buck bounding past and hear the crack of my old rifle. 

 He's down! No, up he gets again, but only to fall for the 

 last time. What memories, O, Forest and Streaam, do 

 you recall; I cannot wring them from my heart. Years 

 may roll on, hand wax weak and heart grow old, but 

 never till both grow cold can I forget the past pleasm-es of 

 the chase. I would not, for thee would I remember. In 

 reading your columns my spirit mounts upon the wings 

 of fancy and once more I stand with gun or rod in hand. 

 But the clock strikes ten; the dream is broken. In pass- 

 ing to my room I cannot help holding the light close to 

 the shining barrels and giving them a loving glance. The 

 portrait of the moose recalls old memories. I was once 

 so fortunate as to kill a bull moose, but unfortunately I 

 spoiled his horns with a 550gi-s. ball. Your animal por- 

 traits in neat frames add a good deal to my dining room. 



Brian the Still-Hunter. 



What Should the Squirrel Season Be? 



Thompsontoavn, Pa., Oct. 20.— In a number of your 

 journal three or four dates back I was gratified to find 

 one writer protesting against the open season date for 

 squirrels, Sept. 1. Why have not decent, intelligent 

 squirrel shooters written in support of the view expressed. 

 At that date and for weeks the squirrel is lean, has fleas, 

 and as many females are suckling young, there are of 

 course many baby squirrels. Forty years ago I shot 

 squirrels— a few last and this season. I cannot realize 

 that it is sport, but many do enjoy it, and I am sure every 

 decent one would be in favor of a later date, if his obser- 

 vations correspond with mine. Speak out, squirrel 

 shooters. Oct. 15 I should say was the earliest date allow- 

 able. Each season I am more emphatically convinced 

 that but one date for opening and closing on all game 

 would be the best for Pennsylvania. Then the lawless 

 would have no pretext for hunting, and the law abider no 

 temptation to overcome. Juniata. 



Florida West Coast Resorts. 



Bristol, Conn. — In "Answers to Corre.spondents," "C. 

 B. N." asks for a pleasant, healthy spot near some village 

 on the Gulf Coast of Florida, to camp this winter and get 

 a fair share of salt and fresh-water fishing. I would ad- 

 vise that he go to Indian Beach or Sarasota. This, I think, 

 is one of the best places to camp on the Gulf Coast. Sara- 

 sota Bay is the paradise for an expert fisherman, and there 

 are manj^ streams flowing into the bay that are well 

 stocked with fresh- water fish. This is also one of the best 

 places for game in Florida. Deer, wild turkey and grouse 

 abound in great numbers. C, S, Y. 



Michigan Is Over Shot. 



Irving, Mich., Oct. 20.— Quail and partridge are not 

 very plentiful. Squirrels and rabbits ditto. Hunting in 

 and out of season, and the ferrets wiU soon play out the 

 best game. As you remark, the closing of manufactories 

 in city and viUage fills the fields and woods full of men 

 and boys, while in every place are those wlio kill, kill, 

 kill, I have not found the time thus far to use my old 

 Remington and see no chance in this month. Y. 



The Winchester "Take-Down." 



The new Winchester "take-down" model of '02 repeater 

 fiUs a long felt want among sportsmen, and is sure to 

 prove very popular. It can be taken apart almost as easily 

 as a shotgun, and as it only requires a trifle over 2ft. of 

 carrying space, can easily be put into a trunk or large 

 valise. A simple readjustment guards against looseness 

 of the joint and inaccuracy resulting from wear of the 

 mechanism. 



Gray Squirrels in West Virginia. 



Philadelphia, Oct. 19,-1 see in your issue of Oct, 21 

 a letter from H. B, C. asking for information as to some 

 locaUty where he can get good gi-ay squirrel shooting. I 

 have just returned from Capon Springs, W, Va., where I 

 found the squirrels very plentiful. Two of us got 18 in 

 one morning. Rabbits are abundant and the quail shoot- 

 ing promises to be good also. Capt. W. H. Sale, of Capon 

 Springs, can give any information desired. T. W. 



READY NEXT WEEK. 



"The Complete Sportsman." 



BY HOWLAND GASPER. 

 A manual of scientific and practical knowledge, 

 designed for the instruction and information of all 

 votaries of the gun. Price $2.50. Forest and 

 Stream Publishing Co., 318 Broadway, New York. 



Sportsmen and Farmers. 



Flint, Mich., Oct. 10. — I do not wonder that farmers 

 ' 'kick" at sportsmen. I have seen hunters go across farms, 

 and when they came to a pine board fence or large wagon 

 gate they would empty both barrels through the boards 

 and spoil the gate. I cannot see for my life what could 

 be their object in this except for "pure deviltry." 



I cannot afford to pay 40 cents a pound for powder and 

 then use it up in that way, besides making the farmer 

 look daggers at me the next time he sees me. I have seen 

 hunters throw down the rail fence and never stop to put 

 it up. Well, I dont' put it up either, for I am too lazy to 

 throw it down. I crawl through a hole in the fence; "that 

 saves throwing it down; then no one "kicks" at me. 



W. H. W. 



Grouse in Town. 



SOREL, Can,, Oct. 15.— On Sept. 30 a ruffed grouse was 

 shot in the public square here, about 30yds. from the 

 express office. On the 14th inst., another was seen in 

 same locality, which accommodatingly awaited the ai-- 

 rival of a man with a gun, who made short work of it. 

 Sorel is a city of nearly 7,000 people, and the square, 

 which is 400x400ft., is in the middle of the town. The 

 appearance of ruffed grouse in such a place is the more 

 noteworthy from the fact that these bh-ds are very scarce 

 in the immediate vicinity. I have been out for them 

 frequently, but have only killed some fifteen or twenty in 

 the past four years (of course, I didn't think of hunting 

 so near home as the square). F. W. G. J. 



Game at Umbagogp Lake. 



Bethel, Me., Oct. 20.— Sheriff C. M. WormeU, with a 

 party of Portland friends, have just returned from a deer 

 hunt on the Magalloway. They shot five deer and brought 

 out four of them in the hides. Birds are fairly j)lentiful. 

 Dr. C. D. Hill, of Bethel, has shot a large lot of woodcock 

 this fall, and pai'tridges are abundant. Around Umbagog 

 Lake bear, moose and deer ti-acks are seen every day, and 

 it only needs a sharp, i)ersistent hunter to secure a good 

 share of large game. This place is reached by Grand 

 Trunk E. E. from Portland, Me. J. G. Rich. 



Minnesota Moose and Indians. 



Rice Lake, Wis., Oct. 18. — Looking over Forest and 

 Stream of Oct. 14 I came across the article "Minnesota 

 Moose and Indians," by Mr, Shields. He certainly speaks 

 the truth when he says the moose of those parts are being 

 butchered. I spent July and August at Grand Rapids, 

 Minn., and think I am safe in saying that not a few of 

 the inhabitants of that country make a living by killing 

 game, and selling it to hotels and boarding-housee the 

 year around. Observer, 



THE HURRICANE AND THE FISH. 



Through the kind invitation of friends on Murrele 

 Sound (or "Swash" as it is locaUy called) I found myself 

 one bright morning on the way to the coast of South 

 Carolina, where, several years ago, I have enjoyed rare 

 sport with the rod and deep sea line. The great storm of 

 August, which caused such widespread devastation and 

 loss of life among the Sea Islands, had been over for about 

 two weeks, but I Httle thought tha,t its effects would influ- 

 ence the sport that I eagerly looked forward to. 



My course lay through the historic little city of George- 

 town, on Winyah Bay, and from that point I proceeded 

 up the Wacamaw River about thirty miles to Watchasaw, 

 where a conveyance met me and carried me to my desti- 

 nation on the Sound, a distance of about three miles. The 

 Wacamaw River takes its rise in North Carolina, in Lake 

 Wacamaw near Flemington, and its short course of about 

 200 miles, including its many curves, lies at no time more 

 than ten to fifteen miles from the ocean, after approach- 

 ing as near as one and one-half miles. A careful survey 

 of the river, from the shores of the lake,which are thickly 

 covered at certain points with oyster and clam shells, to 

 its mouth, leaves very little doubt that it was at one time 

 a sound with many openings to the ocean. At present it 

 is afl'ected by the tide for nearly 100 miles from its mouth. 

 Along the banks are the rice fields, which jjrove a para- 

 dise to the duck hunter during the winter months. 



The first object that attracted my attention to the late 

 storm was the extremely high tides which prevailed, and 

 as I proceeded up the river the sight of mullet jumping 

 around in the fresh water was a sight I had never seen 

 before. _ I then noticed that, though only September, the 

 vegetation had all the appearance of tlie dead of winter, 

 not a green leaf being visible on the beautiful cypress 

 trees that fine the rice field banks. And this state of af- 

 fairs, I was informed, prevailed far inland, where the salt 

 spray from the ocean seems to have acted on the vegeta^ 

 tion as boiling water might have done. 



From the point where I left the river steamer to pro- 

 ceed across the neck of land separating the river from the 

 ocean, the effects of the gale were evident in the thousands 

 of uprooted pine trees, w^hich in many places were piled 

 10ft. high. These trees had been a source of revenue to 

 the owners, as they formed an extensive turpentine farm; 

 but now all that was destroyed. So densely were tlie 

 fallen trees packed that it would be next to impossible for 

 the turpentine hands to get about among them, even had 

 there been enough left standing to operate upon, 



Ai-rived at the coast, the scene of desolation was stUl 

 more heart-rending, for the giant live oak trees, of which 

 every resident on our coast is justly proud, looked as if 

 their last day had come. Such as were not uprooted, had 

 their mighty limbs torn and twisted from the parent 

 tnmk, and here again the salt spray had destroyed every- 

 thing green except the salt marsh grass. 



While regretting all this, and rejoicing that the lives 

 and property of my friends and their neighbore had not 

 met the sad fate of the people around Beaufort, S. C, 

 we coru^oled ourselves with the belief that though the 

 wind might ruin the trees on the land, it could not hurt 

 the ocean and the fishing therein. But, alas! there we 

 reckoned from ignorance. 



Every day (Sundays excepted) for ten days, with choic- 

 est bait and carefully prepared tackle, we scoured the 

 soimd from inlet to its furthest points, and nowhere could 

 we find anything but the smallest kind of blackfish and 



