Dec. 30, 1893.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



B69 



has done some of his best work. Mr. Hammond has a 

 .38-56-255 Winchester, and, with Mr. Hardy, he thinks it 

 just the gun for game in Michigan, only that it is too 

 heavy to carry comfortably, when a much hghter rifle 

 would do the work just as well. Mr. Towner uses a .40-60 

 Winchester, and excepting that the rifle is too heavy he 

 is well pleased with it. Mr. Saiith uses a .44cal., and ex- 

 cepting the too Ught powder charge he likes the rifle well 

 and does some good work with it. Mr. Harrington is tbe 

 artilleryman oC the party. He has a .45-70 Winchester 

 that wakes tlie stillness of the forest wiJi thundpr-like 

 notes, as he rapidly works the lever on the flying deer. 

 Last season Mr. Hardy used a. 40-60 Colt's repeating rifle, 

 but in a sleety storm the ice on the gun prevented the 

 sliding forearm motion from working, and as he could 

 not take any chances in the woods he sold the gun, for 

 the owner, Mr. Charles J. Davis, and hereafter he will 

 stick to the substantial old style lever. 



Early in October after frequent consultation, the party 

 was fully organized. After it was determined that they 

 should go, and who was to compose the party, the most 

 serious part of the work was to decide just where to 

 locate camp with a fair prospect of getting a few deer. 

 After a hurried correspondence with Mr. W. P. Davis, of 

 Onalaska, Presque Isle county, it was determined to go 

 by rail to Indian River, and have Mr. Davis meet them at 

 tlie railroad .station with two teams and take them to his 

 forest home, twenty -two miles away, and after a night's 

 rest to go into the woods ten miles further and locate their 

 camp on the banks of the Rainy River, a beautiful stream 

 which flows north and empties into Indian River, and for 

 many miles flows through an almost unbroken wilderness. 

 Mr, Davis was to receive §36 for two teams to take the 

 entire party and their camp equipage out and back. The 

 camp stove that had seen many years' hard service was 

 got out and put in order. The two tents were overhauled 

 and thoroughly repaired, ammunition brought, groceries 

 of all kinds laid in in great abundance, and the good 

 wives of each member of the party went to cooking and 

 baking with such a hearty good will, that the last week 

 in October found the supply department loaded to over- 

 flowing, and the party ready to start. 



Right here let me say a good word for salt rising bread, 

 as the best of bread for the hunter's camp, and many 

 more words of praise for the good lady whose bread- 

 making skill supplied the camp for two weeks with the 

 most delicious bread. This bread was all baked before the 

 party started. It was packed in a large box and when the 

 camp was made the box was placed out of doors in the 

 open air and covered with a piece of tent cloth. Three 

 weeks later what was left of the bread was just as nice 

 and toothsome as the day it came out of the oven. 



The raflroad fare to Indian River, for the party, includ- 

 ing camp equipage and luggage, was $9 each, which made 

 the total expense for the entire party less than $35 for 

 each person— not a very expensive outing, by any means. 

 As two or three of the party were good wing shots, and 

 the prospects of finding plenty of grouse were good, they 

 took along their shotguns and one young English setter, 

 and a small spaniel that liad developed some considerable 

 bird-finding quahties. After leaving the railroad and 

 before getting into the woods they purchased of a settler 

 what potatoes and vegetables they .needed, as it was much 

 cheaper to buy them there than to pay the freight from 

 Lansing. 



The last week in October, after some delays and incon- 

 veniences en route, found the party camped on the Little 

 Rainy, near by a nicf spring of water and in a location 

 high and dry and surrounded by some of the finest wood- 

 land scenery to be found in Michigan. Instead of pitch- 

 ing the tents they buUt a solid log wall oft. high all 

 around without an opening, except a small place to go in 

 and out of, and over this log work they erect their tent, 

 which acted as a roof and also served as a window — a 

 portion of this log house they partitioned ofif, and gather- 

 ing a large quantity of hemlock boughs, they placed them 

 on the ground in the partitioned off part of the cabin, and 

 over the boughs they spread a quantity of straw, and on 

 top of this they placed their blankets and made their beds. 

 With a blanket over the doorway and the camp-stove 

 filled with wood and burning nicely, the cabin was as 

 warm and cosy as one could ask for. In the routine work 

 of camp life it was decided that each person was to take 

 his turn in doing camp work. They took a box of matches, 

 unbroken, opened it, and began to draw out, each a 

 match in regular order till all the matches had been 

 drawn. The one who got the last match did the entire 

 camp work for one entire day, then he fell out, and the 

 remaining members again drew lots in the same way, 

 and the one who drew the last match did the camp work 

 for one entire day, and so the drawing and the work went 

 on, till each had done one day's camp work, when the 

 drawing began new again and went around as at first. 



Tneir method of hunting was to drive. Two of the 

 party acted as drivers, and the remaining members were 

 located on what was supposed to be runways, only the 

 camp man, and he attended strictly to his household 

 work. The drivers made all the racket and noise that 

 they could get up, and as they had tin horns and good 

 lungs, the noise was, at times, almost deafening, and 

 frighted the deer till they did not know whether to lie 

 down or run, half of the time. The entire hunting was 

 done within a few miles of camp, and as several other 

 camps were located in that neighborhood, each party was 

 to keep on their own hunting grounds. A party located 

 on a httle lake, of which ttiere were several all joined 

 together, and teeming with fish, sent over a basket of fish 

 almost every day, and another party from Bath sent over 

 a fine nice sirloin of bear, which one of the party had 

 found stowed away in his winter quarters, and when the 

 bear stuck out his head, to satisfy himself as to who his 

 visitor was, the hunter opened fire on him and soon 

 placed his bearship hors clu combat. The bear was very 

 fat, and was in great condition for his winter hibernation, 

 and the Bath hunters, and the neighboring huntei-s' camps] 

 were well supplied with bear meat diu-ing their stay in the 

 woods. 



There are a great many wolves in the up-country for- 

 ests and roaming over tJie jack pine plains, but they do 

 not go into the woods for the winter till they are driven 

 in by the cold and snow. When the frost comes, and the 

 snow is deep, the wolves visit all of the camping places 

 and pick up all the refuse left in the camps, and run 

 down all the deer that have been wounded and not brought 

 in by the hunters. Oftentimes the wolves get to be very 

 troublesome to the settlers, and they organize wolf-himt- 



ng parties to clean them out. This section of country is 



not a farming country, and when the timber is taken oS 

 the land is left to grow up to underbrush and second- 

 growth trees. Fires rtm through the underbrush almost 

 every season, and large areas are thus rendered almost 

 worthless for any purpose. The pine barrens stretch 

 away to the south for miles and miles, and this pine 

 plains and north woods is now the only home of the deer 

 in southern Michigan. Year by year, even this desolate 

 country is being intruded upon, 'and year by year the 

 hunting territory in Michigan is being brought into nar- 

 rower limits, and in a few years more deer hunting in 

 Michigan will be a story of the past. Like the Indian 

 and the buffalo, the deer will vanish, never to return. A 

 few years ago Mr. Hardy and his party used to camp on 

 the Lower Tittabawasse River, and found lots of deer 

 there, but of late years that section has been so thor- 

 oughly hunted that the game has been nearly all killed 

 or driven out. 



The next morning after our party got to camp and 

 located comfortably, the hunt was organized bright and 

 early, and after a hard day's work and all the hunters had 

 returned to camp, the bag all told was one deer— so the 

 camp was supplied with meat, a most desirable addition 

 to the regular camp rations. Our party are early birds 

 and hard workers, and the second day by sun-up the drive 

 was ,well under way. This day's work brought to bag 

 three fine deer, and in the evening over the pipes and 

 while enjoying a round of camp pedro, they fought over 

 again the battles of the day. A little joke on one of the 

 boys, who stood on a runway and almost let a deer run 

 him down, and then got away, without his firing a single 

 shot, gave evidence that once in a gi-eat while even a deer 

 hunter will get the buck fever. 



The thu-d day began, with increasing energy on the 

 part of the hunters. The camp was deserted by sunrise, 

 and the camp keeper was busy with his routine work 

 most of the day, for, in addition to his camp work, he 

 had the deer to take care of, and all the work in any way 

 connected with the camp, and with the game brought 

 in, and wood, and the fire, rested upon his shoulders. 

 One of the drivers took his shotgun, and his horn, and 

 the little spaniel along with him thinking to get some 

 birds. Just as he passed by a brush and log; jam, he thought 

 he saw a deer laying down, quite too frightened to run 

 and badly scared by the noise of the horns and the un 

 earthly racket the drivers were making. One barrel of 

 the shotgun was loaded with buckshot, so he fired at the 

 deer with the buckshot load, and to his great sm-prise the 

 deer tumbled over seemingly quite dead. The little spa- 

 niel rushed in to the jam pile, and tackled the dead deer, 

 while the hunter climbed over the timber and catching 

 the deer by the ear drew his knife to cut his deership's 

 throat. Suddenly the deer jumped up and bounded away, 

 with the little spaniel yelping at his feet. After making 

 three or four jumps the deer seemed to be annoyed by 

 the httle dog and he halted to give him battle. As soon 

 as the deer stopped the dog gave a jump and caught on 

 to the tail of the deer. This condition of things started 

 the deer away on the bound again, but the httle dog hung 

 on, like the old time puppy to the root. After riding 

 fifteen or twenty rods the tail of the deer gave way and 

 the little spaniel fell to the ground, still holding in his 

 mouth the tail of the deer. After the deer had disposed 

 of the dog, but lost his tail, he passed into another jam 

 pile near to a hunter with at .38-56-255 Winchester, 

 when a weU aimed shot brought the deer to the gi-ound. 

 This pleasing incident was enjoyed by the hunters and by 

 the little spaniel very much. In the evening this deer 

 was brought in, the sport of the day closed, and the hunt- 

 ers retired early to their bed of hemlock boughs. The 

 next day opened in royal shape, and brought the usual 

 returns at the evening inventory. One little incident 

 occurred which was greatly enjoyed by all who witnessed 

 it. The English setter while on his morning ramble had 

 started a fawn. The fawn started through the brush as 

 fast as he could rim, while the setter ran by his side, 

 usually keepuig just a trifle in advance of the fawn, and 

 barking continuously all of the time, and looking up into 

 the fawn's face as they ran. The fawn and setter ran 

 their race out of the woods and through a low swale place 

 which was covered with a thick grass about a foot high, 

 and as the hunters were mostly posted on the runways 

 on the high ground, the fawn and the setter were in plain 

 sight for nearly a mile. The setter did not attempt to 

 catch hold of the deer, or iu any way to disturb him, but 

 seemed to make the run for the fun of the run, and to 

 keep the fawn company. It is needless to say that the 

 setter saved the fawn's life, for a half dozen rifles were 

 leveled upon him as he ran, but no one wanted to break 

 the pretty race bad enough to shoot the gamy fawn. 

 For the next ten days the hunters continued to increase 

 their tally till a total of eighteen deer was hung up at 

 their cabin door, while a dozen or so quail, and a score of 

 grouse, helped to give a variety of tid bits at the hunters' 

 table. One day the last week in camp they brought in six 

 deer, all shot clean and nice, and not a single pot shot in 

 the lot. One day Mr. Hardy stood on a stump, when a 

 fine deer came ruiming over his way, and came within 

 four rods of the hunter, when Mr. Hardy said stop to 

 him. He did stop, but the nest moment a yellow streak 

 marked his line of flight, and the hunter on the stump 

 vainly endeavored to fire his rifle— but the surly gun re- 

 fused to respond to the call, and the life of the deer was 

 saved, A little later one of the hunters shot a fine buck 

 high up through the hips. The buck came down but soon 

 gathered himself, and was only brought down by Mr. 

 Hardy after a long chase, in which the little spaniel cut 

 quite a figure. The wind and the weather were quite im- 

 portant factors in the work of the hunter, and the know- 

 ledge of the habits of the deer, when at home and tm- 

 distm-bed, and after being womided, enabled our little 

 party to add largely to their score of deer killed. At the 

 close of the season the party returned home, loaded with 

 the spoils of the chase, and thoroughly weU pleased with 

 their hunting season of 1893, Julian. 



A NEW-SUBSCRIBER OFFER. 



A bona fide new subscriber sending us $5 will receive for that sum 

 the Forest and Stream one year (price 84) and a set of Zimmerman's 



Htti^ ^ag md 



QUAIL BREEDING AND WINTERING. 



Chatham, Oni.— Editor Forest and Stream: Hearing 

 from a friend, who happened to be in the village of Wyo- 

 ming, Ont., that a sportsman there had succeeded in rais- 

 ing quail in confinement, I thought I would write him 

 and find out his mode of operating. I inclose you his 

 reply: 



"I raised during last year a few quail. They were 

 hatched out by a small bantam hen. I had no diflSculty 

 whatever, and would have had a larger number if the two 

 quail hens had not been kiUed by a weasel. I expect to 

 raise a large number next summer ; and think they will be 

 very much tamer, and through time entirely domesti- 

 cated. It has afforded me very great pleasure feeding and 

 studying the habits of these birds, and it will give me 

 pleasure to give you any information in my power — 

 Allan Duncan." 



Owing to the past severe winter quail throughout the 

 Nerth have suffered severely, and in some places they 

 have been entirely wiped out. The present winter has 

 started in as if it meant not to be outdone by the last; so 

 it behooves sportsmen in the North to be on the lookout or 

 they will find their favorite sport gone tmtil another 

 period of mild winters sets in. 



I am of the opinion that with a little work on the part 

 of those interested, a sufficient number of birds can be 

 saved to form a fair breeding stock. Last year on our 

 preserve at Big Point we fed the birds on their grounds 

 and had as many as three bevies, in all twenty-five or 

 thirty birds, feeding at the same spot, and they were 

 strong and hearty up to the last week in February, which 

 was a succession of drifting snow storms coupled with 

 very low temperature. After that we could only find 

 from six to eight birds where before were twenty-five or 

 thirty. The supposition is that they were disturbed and 

 scattered and covered up by the drifting snow. 



Although it is against the law to trap or net it is 

 doubtful whether the law would touch a person trapping 

 or netting birds and having them in possession for breed- 

 ing purposes, I would advocate, if the weather gets 

 severe, trapping the birds and keeping them in coops 

 until the severe weather is over, when they can be turned 

 out in pairs. An old sportsman once told me that two 

 pair put out in a good place would breed more than a 

 whole bevy left together. I suppose the idea is that in a 

 bevy left to themselves the cocks predominate and distm-b 

 the peace of the family by fighting. 



My French-Canadian punter was in the other day and 

 spoke of seemg a fine bevy huddled under a log, but he 

 was sorry they were nearly all "drakes." 



I have been for a long time curious to know whether 

 our Northern quafl were not larger than those I had shot 

 in the South, and the other day when in Detroit I in- 

 qmred of a wholesale game dealer, who said that the 

 Northern birds were from two to three ounces heavier. I 

 was under this impression myself but could not find out 

 from any one who had shot both North and South, One 

 man, a professional breaker, said that the Southern birds 

 he thought were the largest. There is one thing certain 

 that I found out, and that is they fly just as fast. I hope 

 to be lucky enough to get a chance to try to stop a few 

 shortly. CINNA. 



Size of Horns vs. Weight. 



Boston, Mass.— Editor Forest and Stream: Why is it 

 that so many sportsmen when sending accounts of big 

 game killed to your paper give an estimate of the animal's 

 weight and say nothing of the spread of horns or number 

 of points on them? Are they pot-hunters that they want 

 pounds of dead game, or are they that other species of the 

 same genus that kills does and cows for sport rather than 

 go home withotit game to boast of to their friends? It is 

 ridiculous to attempt to send the weight of an animal as 

 evidence of one's prowess. In the first place anyone 

 familiar with our great woods knows that for one animal 

 killed near a pair of scales, a himdred are killed too far 

 from home to get out all the meat. In the next place the 

 true sportsmen is prouder in showing a mounted head 

 with antlers of extraordinary spread, nay with only a 

 small prongs, than to boast the killing in a single day of 

 a thousand or more pounds of meat, when questioning 

 wiU usually elicit the fact that it was killed so far from a 

 settlement that only a small portion could be used. 



Moreover, anyone who has killed a moose knovVs how 

 dhficult a job he has in dressing his game, especially a 

 moose called into the water; and after he has labored over 

 it until his back aches, you may be sure he will estimate 

 the weight of the carcass high enough to satisfy any 

 reasonable demand. The fact that such estimates are 

 entirely untrustworthy is illustrated by the widely differ- 

 ent results arrived at when two persons endeavor to guess 

 the weight of a third. Measurements are exact. They 

 give a much better idea of the value of a head or specimen 

 and are easily marked off' on some object, be it gun or 

 paddle, and measured when a tape is handy. 



My hunting has been confined to the east, mostly to 

 Maine, and I do not feel particularly virtuous when i say 

 that I saw ten moose at close range before I shot at one. 

 Last October, I was so fortunate as to kill a large bull and 

 do not regret at all the ten moose spared, because they 

 were cows or small bulls, and are still in the woods and 

 increasing unless some one after meat has met them. 



My moose measured as follows: Perpendicular drawn 

 from fore foot to the top of the back 6ft. 4in., spread of 

 horns 4ft. 9in., number of points 26, width of web 14in. 



SmviNER Robinson. 



Nev(r York State Association for the Protection of 

 Fish and Game. 



The following note has been sent out: Bui-falo, Dec. 31. 

 — Gentlemen: Wfll you please mail to Walter S. Mac 

 Gregor, Syracuse, any amendments to the present fish 

 and game laws that you think advisable to make, 



famous "Ducking Scenes" (advertised on another page, price «5)-a do this at once, SO that the law committee"may^inake 



so mItia fi-ir SIS -i- „ i i _ i . .•' , . 



89 value for 85. 



This offer is to new subscribers only. It does not apply to renewals. 

 For 83 a fcona^e new subscriber for six months will receive the 

 FoHBST AND Stekam during that time and a copy of Dr. Van Fleet's 

 handsome work, "Bird Fortraite for tbe Young" (the price of whidi 



their report at the annual meeting, to be held" at the 

 Yates House, in Syracuse, on Jan. 11. It is desirable that 

 clubs and associations should name their delegations aa 

 soon as convenient, and forward names to me. The 

 meeting promises to be of great importance to the interest 

 it represents. Yours truly, John B, Sage, Sec.-Treas, 



