April 14, 1894.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



misfit freak of nomenclature, by the way, which made fast 

 at our wharf down at the Shellbanks one day, and she had 

 on board a merry party from up in Texas — Col. Wm, 

 Kelihor, Mr. G. W. Mendel and two friends from Taylor, 

 Texas, and Mr. B. W. Hunter, of Austin, Texas. Col. 

 Kelihor is a devoted sportsman and spends his winters 

 fishing for tarpon at Rockport, and his summers away 

 North in the Wisconsin pine woods. It is thus that ex- 

 tremes meet in the sportsmanship of to-day. Naturally 

 Col. Kelihor and I had a pleasant time comparing notes. 

 He assured me of the excellence of the tarpon fishing at 

 the Aransas Pass, to which he said Florida tarpon fishing 

 could not compare. 



Homeward Again. 



There was enough of interest to keep us busy, aside 

 from the industry of duck shooting — a village fandango 

 in the Mexican quarter, one evening, for instance, or a 

 trip inland after doves, here rightly classed as game 

 birds, or a stroll up the beach after willets or curlews — 

 but to all of it there had to come an end. Dick could 

 have stayed longer, but my time was already overdrawn. 

 Dick promised the boys to be down again next winter, 

 saying that he would bring a party and spend two or 

 three months in the State. I promised to come again if I 

 ever could, and then we said good-bye to Johnnie and his 

 kindly young wife, and left the Shellbanks for the sail 

 to town, with Jimmie as ship's master and ourselves as 

 crew. 



Novice came gracefully around as we left the channel 

 and rounded the point and leaned over gently to the in- 

 sistent breeze. Then she heeled sharply as we caught it 

 fair, and the water whitened under her bows. As we 

 passed the little gray dwelling where we had spent so 

 many pleasant days, we manned the rail and gave a 

 salute of four guns. At the door Johnnie ami his wife 

 were standing, and at once he reached inside the door 

 for the old 40-gauge and answered our salute. This we 

 acknowledged as we wore ship and raced off on the star- 

 board tack, And then the fluttering of the handker- 

 chiefs grew fainter, and we knew that we were faced 

 toward home. E. Hough. 



909 Security Building, Chicago. 



STOP THE SALE OF GAME. 



A Platform Plank.— The sale of game should be forbidden at all 

 times.— Forest and Stream, Feb. 10. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I am an "impecunious fellow sportsman." To make it 

 more plain, I am a poor man; I make this honest confes- 

 sion right on the start or I will be accused of "utter selfish- 

 ness in this." 



I enjoy a day's sport with dog and gun. I can't shoot 

 as well as the market-shooters with whom I am acquainted 

 and don't kill as many birds; and from my own observation 

 am prepared to say that the market-shooters in this country 

 kill more birds than all the enthusiasts, sports, pot-hunters, 

 dudes (call them whatever name you choose), put together. 

 One of your correspondents says, "The utter selfishness on 

 the part of your correspondents is very sad to me." Now 

 the selfishness of the market-shooter and fisher is very sad 

 to. me. 



Upon my neighbor's farm and back of my house is one 

 of these nice little warm covers where the woodcock come 

 early in the spring, and by the middle of July have their 

 little brood. Further up this run and where the cover is 

 thicker, the grouse (partridge) frequently rear their young. 

 Through the cover runs a trout brook; the open season 

 for trout fishing begins April 15, and as soon as it is light 

 on that morning you will find the man on hand who 

 catches fish to sell. He fishes all day, while I am obliged 

 to work for my dollar; at night or in the morning he 

 starts for the town with the catch and sells them for $2.50 

 or $3.50 according to his catch. When the day comes that 

 I have no work or can leave to go fishing, the fish are all 

 gone. Where? Sold. And the money is in the pocket of 

 this friend to the poor man, the market-fisher. While 

 fishing, he is looking for the signs of game birds; and be- 

 fore the season opens he knows just where every brood of 

 partridge and woodcock is located for miles around, and 

 how many there are in each brood. As soon as the day 

 dawns on the morning of the open season, bang goes a 

 gun. My little boy jumps up; "I say, Father, do you hear 

 I that? I guess they are after our partridge." Sure enough 

 I they are, and it is "in no distant well-stocked region," but 

 I right by my house; with a good dog and being good shots 

 I they clean up the brood, never leaving the cover until all 

 | are killed; if by any chance one or two escape, you can 

 [rest assured that they will come again another day and 

 [continue coming until all are brought to bag and "sentto 

 market as sweet as a nut." 



You can talk, preach and write, but you cannot con- 

 vince me that a man who hunts for the market isn't look- 

 ing for the dollars there are in it. And I believe the mar- 

 ket-shooter is more to be dreaded by the poor man pot- 

 hunter, the man who shoots and enjoys it, and takes 

 home the game for his family to enjoy, than all the sports 

 and wealthy shooters in the country. They are as a rule 

 men who have trades, but when the season opens they 

 can make more by hunting and at the same time enjoy 

 the sport. If there was no place to sell the game, do you 

 suppose for a minute they would do it? No. Take away 

 the sight of the dollars and they will not have that "gen- 

 uine sporting instinct in their hearts" that the gentleman 

 from Dansville writes about. 



This reads well: "The gun cracks, the little puff of 

 feathers announcing the dead shot delights the sports- 

 man's eye; the grouse falls, is retrieved by the setter, 

 fondled by the 8hooter and put in the game pocket. Now 

 what?" 



To the market-shooter another seventy-five cents added 

 to the receipts. "Now what?" To the poor man, the pot- 

 hunter, it means that he can go home to his family (after 

 the day's sport) and have for his dinner what money can't 

 buy, what isn't on sale in the market. "Now what" for 

 the wealthy gunner? "He shoots for the same reason 

 that he takes a hand at draw poker or drives a fast horse 

 —for the excitement of the thing." What stuff! The 

 wealthy sportsman to-day is more of a friend to the poor 

 sportsman than the market-shooter, and is doing more for 

 them. 



I am in favor of clubs and game preserves, for the rea- 

 son that wherever such a preserve is located all the woods 

 in the vicinity are benefitted; and many a poor man may 

 have an opportunity to shoot on the preserve. Not many 

 miles from where I five there is a small game preserve, 



and you ought to see the wild duck in there this spring. 

 Some poaching has been done, but with the present law 

 no shooting ducks after March 1. We have more than we 

 ever saw before, and can it be possible that these men who 

 are clamoring to shoot ducks in the spring can't see that 

 every duck shot now will make from ten to twelve less to 

 come back in the fall. 



"There is a growing sentiment to-day among farmers 

 looking toward the preservation of game." You are right, 

 "Dansville," there is; we have got the same growing 

 down here; all breaking out with it; got it bad; a regular 

 epidemic. But say, you don't think they are going to 

 preserve it and have market-shooters come in and kill it 

 off and sell it? Oh no! they want it so that their own boys 

 can have a hunt and have game for them and their tables. 

 Farmers' boys don't sell game down this way and they 

 don't intend any one else shall take it to sell. Let a 

 farmer post his land, put up signs "No trespassing or 

 shooting here," who will do the most growling about it? 

 Who will be tearing down the signs? Will it be the 

 wealthy sporter, the poor pot-hunter or the market- 

 shooter? Who does it hurt the most? Stop the sale of 

 game and you stop the snaring of grouse, the catching of 

 game in traps, the netting of ducks and all the shooting 

 devices that send tons and tons of game to market daily. 



I read the other day that President Cleveland came 

 home with a wagon load of ducks; I don't know but he 

 sells ducks. Take away the selling of game and the con- 

 tinuous slaughter of ducks we read of last fall in Forest 

 and Stream, why, some of the clubs would be stopped. I 

 understand they sell ducks to help pay running expenses. 



I can readily see how a law prohibiting the sale of game 

 will deprive many of the enjoyment of eating it. But 

 such a law is only anticipating by a very few years what 

 will be the inevitable result of the wholesale slaughter of 

 game that is going on now. Our game birds will follow 

 in the path of the buffalo, and but a few years will have 

 passed when there will be scarcely enough left for speci- 

 mens in our public institutions. 



I am for the new plank. Bushwhacker. 



Taghkanic, N. Y. 



Sanders, Pa. — Editor Forest and Stream: Twenty 

 years ago deer were quite plenty. I was acting as guide 

 for hunting parties, and it was very rare for a party to go 

 out empty-handed. There was no easy way of getting 

 game out, as the inhabitants knew nothing of commission 

 houses. There was only the love of sport to induce a 

 killing of the game. But as our roads became better, out- 

 side parties came in hunting for market, buying all they 

 could as well, and deer were slaughtered at all times and 

 in all ways. In the fall and winter of 1882 more than 200 

 deer were taken out of the East Fork alone, and it was 

 computed by those competent to judge that over 700 deer 

 were taken out of the county. If there had been no 

 market it is safe to say that half that number would have 

 been left for future needs. Now there are very few left, 

 and if something is not done to stop the hounding, a year 

 or two more will clean them out entirely. 



The same story holds good with trout. In 1881 I was 

 guiding a party from Philadelphia. It was the early part 

 of the season; the weather was unsuitable ; trout had not 

 been taking the fly. The party's time would be up on the 

 Saturday; they had not had enough to eat in the eight 

 days they had been in. On the Friday about noon the 

 fish, commenced to take the fly, and in three hours I 

 caught 171bs. of dressed trout, all over Gin. Now, thanks 

 to the count fisherman and dynamite fiend, you can not 

 catch that weight in a week. Our streams are lined as 

 soon as the season opens by those who fish for market, 

 and nine-tenths of their catch will be under 6in. 



If you stop the sale of game it will do away with the 

 inducement to snare grouse. We have stopped the spring 

 shooting of woodcock and grouse to a great extent by 

 appeals and threats. 



The bad man "H. C. S." censures in your paper is fre- 

 quently met with. As an instance, a few years ago we 

 planted 7,000 California trout in our streams. The resi- 

 dents all promised to return all caught. The streams 

 were posted to that effect. A party of men from a neigh- 

 boring county were in that summer, and on looking in 

 one of their creels I saw 14 little rainbows, not over 3in. 

 long. When I spoke to the owner of the creel he said, 

 "Oh, yes, I saw the notice. But they all count." These 

 men all claimed that they belonged to a fish and game 

 club. R. F. M. 



Editor Fprest and Stream: 



I have had it in my mind a dozen times to tell you how 

 heartily I am in sympathy with the Forest and Stream's 

 plank in favor of doing away with the marketing of 

 game. It has been my own notion for years and a mat- 

 ter which I have talked over many times with brother 

 sportsmen. On the principle that constant dropping 

 wears away the hardest stone, I believe that a frequent 

 reiteration of the views you hold upon this subject and 

 constantly keeping the matter before the people will 

 eventually result in bringing about the desired end. To 

 my mind it is the true and only solution of the game 

 protective question. 



In common with hosts of others of your reeders, I look 

 forward with eagerness to the day which brings me the 

 weekly copy of your paper, which after reading I send 

 up into the country to some friends, who pass it from 

 hand to hand, and in -this way it does a vast deal of 

 missionary work. Robert J. Mis. 



St. Loins, Mo. — Editor Forest and Stream: Your argu- 

 ments for suppressing the sale of game are logical and 

 have my cordial indorsement; but logic and politics have 

 little in common. It is true that the markets are respon- 

 sible for most of the slaughter of game. But if any indi- 

 vidual should undertake to fight the traffic single-handed, 

 you know just how he would fare. If I understand your 

 editorials aright, they urge sportsmen to help educate 

 public sentiment in this direction, but do not call upon us 

 to try to influence legislation at present. That is all right. 

 There are some sections of our country, and this is one of 

 them, where there is field enough for plucky work in the 

 educating line alone. St. Louis is one of the greatest 

 game markets in the world, and the Southwest, from 

 which most of the supply comes, is largely peopled by 

 professional market-hunters. The man who should go 

 down into the Ozarks, where I recently camp°d. and 

 preach your crusade, would probably stay there. Here in 

 the city he would only be laughed at as a harmless crank. 

 So, I repeat, there is plenty to do in the educating fine, 



especially since such game laws as we now have are openly 

 defied by dealers and restatirants. To undertake more 

 than this at present would spoil the work already done. 



But, alas! by the time public sentiment is willing to 

 back a movement to prohibit the sale of game, there will 

 be no need of it. 



What we need out here is an association of sportsmen 

 who will raise money to prosecute evei-y violation of the 

 present game laws right here in St. Louis. When there 

 are no more "snow birds" served at the restaurants to "the 

 best people in the city," then the association can go a step 

 higher and enlist in your work. I would be glad to join 

 such an organization and contribute to it my pen and 

 purse— such as they are— but I would give precious little 

 for our chance of influencing legislation against the sale 

 of game in this State, so long as there is any left to sell. 

 I hate to say this, but I must, for I believe it'true. 



Horace Kephart. 



Greene, N. Y.— Editor Forest and Stream: I think, 

 with W. W. Castle and "H. W. D. L.,'' that while the 

 "platform plank" would, without doubt, stop a good deal 

 of game-killing both in season, and'out, that it is not quite 

 fair. If we could have a game warden or commissioner 

 in this county supported by a tax on guns and dogs, and 

 further stimulated by a fee for each case won and be ap- 

 pointed by some non-partisan power, our game would be 

 better off than with the "platform plank" in force, for 

 there is no one who makes any pretense of enforcing the 

 law. F, B. S. 



Atjcurn, R. I.— Editor Forest and Stream: I certainly 

 believe the "platform plank" to be a move in the right 

 direction and I am in hearty sympathy with the idea ex- 

 pressed and all else that will lead to the same end. 



Why don't yon make your paper twice as large? I don't 

 have enough reading in one to last until the next is out. 

 It is so good that when I begin I do not want to leave off 

 until I have read it through. I think it grows better and 

 better every week. A. B. C. 



Irvino, Mich., March 26.— Geese were very plentiful 

 here, but I have heard of none killed. I tried several 

 times, but could not get within range; cover was poor 

 and a blind would nvt answer, as they fed in a dozen 

 places. If a man had decoys and a call he would be all 

 O.K. Birds have wintered well. I have talked with sev- 

 eral sportsmen regarding your platform plank, and like 

 myself they are with you. I have been out but one day 

 with my gun in a year, with a bag of six rabbits, so you 

 see what a game destroyer I have become. But I never 

 am weary of reading of the deeds of my brethren recorded 

 in Forest and Stream. Brian the Still-Hunter. 



Holland, Mich., April 4. — Editor Forest and Stream: 

 Inclosed find stamp for postage on 100 each of "A Plat- 

 form Plank" and "The Absolute Prohibition of Game 

 Traffic" if you can spare me that number. The game 

 and fish protective clubs of the State will hold a conven- 

 tion at Lansing some time in May, with the object of 

 recommending to the Legislature such laws as may seem 

 best. We will see what we can do with the "Platform 

 Plank." Arthur T. Baumgartel, 



Sec'y Rod and Gun Club. 



Pennsylvania Quail. 



Waynesburg, Greene County, Pa— Editor Forest and 

 Stream: I am a regular reader of Forest and Stream 

 and have been for years. Having read "A. G. B.'s" 

 letter from Holland, Mich., I can say that the same con- 

 ditions in regard to the quail exist here. The last day of 

 the season of 1892 myself and companion found as many 

 if not more quail than on any day we were out, and 

 nothing short of a ball and chain — if I am well — will keep 

 me out of the field on a fine day during the open season. 

 We could find any day in walking distance of our town 

 anywhere from four to ten bevies. As soon as the snow 

 and cold weather had left us I went over this same 

 ground, where, as we went home on the evening of the 

 last day of the season of 1892 we left them calling and 

 getting together on all sides. I believe it a low estimate 

 when I say we saw over one hundred quail on the "Old 

 Tamen Taylor place" that day, and could not find a single 

 quail. I was out several times last fall after grouse, and 

 in all my tramping I found but three small bevies. 



The last bevy I found had among them one with his 

 right wing shot off close up. The wound was almost 

 healed up. I brought it home and have it yet. It is a 

 female, has recovered and is bright and lively. I shall 

 try and find its bevy if any are left and turn it out with 

 them as soon as all danger from cold and snow has 

 passed. 



The grouse will soon be a thing of the past in this 

 county, and squirrels are getting very scarce. You can 

 find a portable sawmill on every run or stream in this 

 county and the woods are fast disappearing. This has 

 been a very favorable winter for game in this section. 

 We had the heaviest snow fall of the season in the last 

 twenty-four hours; from 10 to 12in.; but it has not been 

 cold and will soon disappear. I can just recollect the 

 winter of 1855 and '56, and last winter was the worst since 

 that time here. W. L. A. 



Buttons. 



Little Sioux, la., March 31.— Editor Forest and Stream: I am 

 heartily in accord with Mr. Weinhardt's suggestions outlined in his 

 letter to Forest and Stream under date of March 22, and would sug- 

 gest that all sportsmen throughout the country give their views on 

 the subject in the columns of your valuable paper, If the badge is 

 adopted generally, as I hope it will be, I think some one of our game 

 birds should be selected for the centerpipce of all the badges worn, 

 and not left to the fancy of each individual wearer, as suggested by 

 Mr. Weinnardt. I am in favor of the quail, as it is found in all parts 

 of our country, and to my mind is the gamest of all our game birds 

 and the most fitted to adorn an emblem that will be worn by men who 

 love the birds and the grand sport they afford, and who will protect 

 and not wantonly destroy th«m. I also think that the badge should be 

 made either of silver or gold exclusively, so that they may be uniform 

 in all respects; and will say I am in favor of the silver badge, as I be- 

 lieve it would be more generally worn by sportsmen throughout the 

 country on account of its small cost as compared with gold. 



P. G. Hicks. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



Mr. Weinhardt's button is the nucleus for an organization that will 

 be of great benefit to the people. Let its presence on the lapel of a 

 man's coat be his indorsement of the purest principles of sportsman- 

 ship. Let it be the emblem of principle, a badge of honor, the talis- 

 man of a friend. And render it impossible for fish and game hogs, 

 market-shoot, rs and fishers, or men who illegally or in close season 

 capture or kill fish or game, to wear this button. Let it be a guaran- 

 tee of good behavior, and may the farmer understand that a man 

 wearing this button will not injure his crops, break his fences, shoot 

 his hens or tame doves, or commit any act unbecoming a sportsman. 



Bert Knapp, 



