April 21, 1894.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



887 



sive ejector gun became disabled by the rust, and he had 

 to lay it aside. 



Other Game. 



Rockport is just below the quail country. One can 

 make short riiil or wagon trips and get good quail shoot- 

 ing (at the Bob White). 



Chiltepin Creek is an old turkey country. Beeville 

 turkey country, much written of, is only a short way 

 above Rockport. By a brief rail trip one can get into the 

 timbered watercourse, where he can get as good turkey 

 shooting as he can anywhere in the country. There is no 

 place where one can get all these sorts of shooting on the 

 same piece of ground, but there is probably no place in 

 the world where one can get them all so close together. 

 The Nueces River bottoms are good for turkey. 



Deer abound in this part of Texas. There are numbers 

 on St. Joseph's Island, six miles from the Aransas Hotel. 

 One party brought in two deer one day while we were 

 there. They saw 21 deer that day. If one wants a wider 

 and wilder country, he can go back on the Fulton pasture, 

 or he can go by rail over toward the Nueces country. 

 There are no deer in the dooryards, but the shooter at 

 Rockport is in a deer country, and can get his deer by 

 going after it in hunter fashion. 



Jack Snipe and Geese. 



I In all seasons the jack snipe shooting is fine along the 

 bays. The amount of rain also determines the supply of 

 geese, brant, swan, etc., etc., which often is very large. 



Doves in the South are held to be game birds. Their 

 strength of wing and wariness entitles them to the claim, 

 though in the North they are protected as song birds. 

 Dove shooting is one of the liveliest sports in Texas. 

 These birds abound along the roads and fields back of 

 Rockport. 



Sea Food. 



Oysters of great size and fine quality are to be found all 

 through the bays. Most of the edible sea fishes of the 

 latitude come into the market, as do also the green sea 

 turtles. The diamond-back terrapin is still taken in con- 

 siderable quantities, and there are several terrapin farms. 

 Sea trout (weakfish), redfish, Spanish mackerel, sheeps- 

 head, etc., etc.. are taken with rod and reel. The great 

 jewfish is sometimes captured. One can have very 

 decent fun at the smaller sea fishes if he likes. 



Tarpon— Tarpon— Tarpon ! 



' I did not make any attempt to fish for tarpon, but 

 wished keenly that I had been earlier, or later, in the 

 season. There is no doubt whatever that the tarpon fish- 

 ing here is the finest in the country, though that fact is 

 not known at all outside of a very limited part of the 

 State. The tarpon fishing is really the greatest and most 

 rare and valuable attraction which Rockport has. Is 

 there any other tarpon country which has also so many 

 other sporting attractions? 



Mr. Milton Everett writes thus about the tarpon fishing 

 of Rockport. 



The home of the tarpon is to be found in Aransas Pass. The Pass 

 Is the channel between St. Joseph and Mustang: islands, connecting; 

 the waters of the Gulf with those of Aransas Bay. It is about a half 

 mile long, 1,600ft. wide and from 30 to 45ft. deep. The tides and winds 

 cause strong inward and outward currents to prevail at all times, and 

 in these seething waters the tarpon makes his home, his feeding and 

 play ground, and is to be found nearly all the year round. Here they 

 spawn early in June, the young fish seeking the shallow grassy flat? 

 in the bay, where they remain until of sufficient size to keep out of 

 wav of the big fish. In the month of July, while fishing for trout, I 

 have caught them 4 to 6in. long, and again in September I have caught 

 several from 8 to lOin. long. 



The action of the young ones when caught is the same as the grown 

 ones, and it is an amusing sight to see them vainly striving to get un- 

 hooked. Only within the last three or four years has rod and reel 

 fishing been practiced here. 



Aransas Pass is beyond the dream of any tarpon fisherman who has 

 never been there and tested it. The supply of tarpon is practically 

 unlimited. They play and feed by hundreds. I have many times seen 

 a hundred of them out of water at once. This might seem an extrava- 

 gant statement to some, and toothers, who have never fished for them 

 except in Florida, a colossal fish tale, yet it is the whole truth and 

 nothing but the truth. This statement can be verified by Judge W. W. 

 King, district judge; Mr. T. H. Micklejohn, Hon. A. W. Houston, gen- 

 eral attorney S. A. & A. P. R. R.; Senator P. J. Lewis, Judge Bryan 

 Oallaghan, Capt. Phil Shardein, and others who live in San Antonio, 

 and who form a coterie of sportsmen who first introduced reel fishing 

 here. Gentlemen who have been in the habit of spending their win- 

 ters in Florida in search of this fish will hardly credit this story, but it 

 can be substantiated by one trial. During the spring months these fish 

 go all over Aransas and adjoining bays and can be seen everywhere. 

 Several have been hooked by parties fishing off the Rockport wharf 

 and at other points along the shore in the town. 



All Tell the Same Story. 



Of course, there will be surprise at statements like the 

 above, but pleasant surprises like these occasionally 

 await the readers of a reliable sportsmen's paper. I 

 have no wish nor intention of lowering the character of 

 Forest and Stream for reliability, and do not believe I 

 am doing so in publishing the above, though, of course, 

 it is in one sense hearsay evidence only. It was impos- 

 sible to verify everything on one short trip, yet I consider 

 the tarpon statements the best substantiated of any we 

 heard as to the sport of the locality — in no respect of 

 which were we in the least disappointed. All agreed as 

 to the excellence of the tarpon fishing. The San Antonio 

 gentlemen above mentioned bear authority with them. 

 Another piece of testimony to which I attach great value 

 is that nf Johnnie Bludworth, whose fair and quiet con- 

 versation we had every reason to admire. 



"I could guarantee a man a tarpon a day in the best 

 season," said Johnnie. "You've no idea how many there 

 are over there at the Pass. I've stood on the jetty and 

 seen them swimming under me in the channel by dozens 

 and dozens, and sometimes I have harpooned them there. 

 On the whole I think September is the best month for 

 the tarpon fishing. I have often caught two or three a 

 day, and, of course, you get a great many strikes you 

 never land. The best way to fish for them is to troll for 

 them with mullet bait. January and February are the 

 poorest months for them. In March they will begin to 

 come in. If we had a stretch of warm weather we might 

 get one even in January, though we don't often catch any 

 then. They bite all summer long and all through the 

 fall. If a fellow wants a tarpon he wouldn't have much 

 trouble getting one here." 



What Rockport Needs. 



What Rockport needs is a good hotel — not at Rockport, 

 but at San Antonio. A really good hotel at San Antonio 

 would help Rockport more than if it were at Rockport. 

 A really good hotel at San Antonio would help the State 



of Texas, and I don't see why the San Antonio people 

 don't realize this. The winter tourist who stops at San 

 Antonio will drop down to the coast to shoot a bit and 

 kill a tarpon, and once there, he is apt to stay a month 

 or so. The winter tourist, more especially those of the 

 more rugged sportsmanlike type, is to be a factor yet in 

 this odd old sunshiny corner of the world. 



And so we must dismiss Rockport, which I believe to 

 be the most interesting and valuable sporting discovery I 

 ever fell upon. E. Hough. 



909 Security Building, Chicago. 



A Texas Ducking Score. 



San Antonio, Texas, April 6.— Editor Forest and 

 Stream: From the attached clipping I see that Mr. O. C. 

 Guessaz is your representative at this point. I inclose you 

 herewith a copy of the Corpus Christi Caller with this 

 marked item. It speaks for itself: 



Ducks by the Hundreds— On Saturday night Messrs. A. B. Critzer 

 and O. C. Guessaz came down from San Antonio to indulge in a little 

 sport of shooting ducks. Sunday morning bright and early, in com- 

 pany with Messrs. Max Luther and J. T. Comforth, they drove down 

 to the Oso and put in the day shooting ducks. The hunters returned 

 to town about supper-time and brought back with them 410 ducks. 

 Monday the same party went to the Oso again and returned in the 

 evening with 392 ducks, making 802 in all, the result of two days' 

 shooting. This is the best record made this season in the way of 

 shooting ducks, and the San Antonio gentlemen returned home Tues- 

 day, completely carried away with their success. 



I understand that Mr. Guessaz is also one of the vice- 

 presidents of the National Game Protective Association. 



A ROCKPORT TARPON. 



I understand that your valuable paper is in favor of game 

 preservation and not extermination, and trust that this 

 matter is of enough importance to take up. If this stcry 

 is false — though it has been bragged about by the parties 

 openly — Mr. Guessaz should have a chance to refute it. I 

 am one of a large body of sportsmen who are trying to 

 preserve and protect game. We have a hard time, and it 

 is uphill work, and if we have not the support of the 

 prominent papers representing our interests we can ac- 

 complish but little. A protest through your valuable pa- 

 per reaches thousands, where we can reach no one by any 

 other means. I am secretary of the San Antonio Gun 

 Club of this city, a club pledged to protect game, and this 

 is my reason for appealing to you. 



Willard L. Simpson. 



Frightened to Death by Quail. 



Editor Forest and Stream; 



At Wynne, Ark. , a few days since a young lady school 

 teacher came upon a bevy of quail while on her way home 

 from school, and was so frightened by the noise of their 

 wings that she died within three hours — frightened to 

 death. I never flush a bevy of quail without becoming 

 startled at their rise, and I know of many sportsmen who 

 are similarly affected; but this is the first instance that 

 has come to my notice where the fright was so severe as 

 to cause death. Wm. E. Spencer. 



Clarendon, Ark., April 7. 



A Bill for Park Protection. 



Fifty-third Congress, second session. H. R. 6442. In the House 

 of Representatives, March 26, 1894. Referred to the Committee on the 

 Public Lauds and ordered to be printed. Mr. Lacey introduced the 

 following bill: 



A bill to protect the birds and animals in Yellowstone National Park 

 and to punish crimes in said Park, and for other purposes. 



Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 

 United Statesjof America in Congress assembled That it shall be unlaw- 

 ful for any person or persons, without the written consentand author- 

 ity of the Secretary or the Interior, to kill, ensnare, trap, catch, or in 

 any manner injure any wild beast, bird, or wild animal of any nature 

 or description within the boundaries of the Yellowstone National Park 

 as such boundaries are now or may be hereafter defined. 



Sec. 2, That it shall also be unlawful for any person or persons to 

 catch any fish within the said limits of said Park otherwise than as 

 may be authorized and provided by the regulations now or hereafter 

 to be made by the Secretary of the Interior. 



Sec. 3. That all guns, traps, teams, horses, or means of transporta- 

 tion of every nature or description used by any person or persons 

 within said Park limits engaged in or guilty of killing, trapping, en- 

 snaring, or capturing such wild beasts, birds, or wild animals shall be 

 forfeited to the United States, and may be seized by the officers in 

 charge of said Park and held during the prosecution of any person or 

 persons arrested under charge of violating the provisions of this act, 

 and upon conviction under this act of such person or persons using 

 said guns, traps, teams, horses, or other means of transportation, said 



forfeiture shall be adjudicated and ordered by the court as a penalty 

 in addition to the punishment provided in this act. Such forfeited 

 property shall be disposed of and accounted for by and under the 

 authority of the Secretary of the Interior. 



Sec. 4. That any person found guilty of violating any of the pro- 

 visions of this act shall be punished by' fine not exceeding one thous- 

 and dollars, or by imprisonment not exceeding two years, or by 

 both such fine and imprisonment, in the discretion of the court. 



Sec. 5. That the Yellowstone National Park shall hereafter be 

 under the sole and exclusive jurisdiction of the United States, 

 and that all the laws applicable to places under the sole and exclu- 

 sive jurisdiction of the United States shall be in full force and 

 effect in said Park. If any offense shall be committed in said 

 Yellowstone Park, which offense is not prohibited or the 

 punishment thereof is not specially provided for by any law of the 

 United States, the offender shall be liable to and receive the same pun- 

 ishment as the laws of the State of Wyoming in force at the time of 

 the commission of the offense may provide for a like offense in the 

 said State; and no subsequent repeal of any such law of the State of 

 Wyoming snail affect any prosecution for such offense committed 

 within said Park, and the laws of such State defining such offenses are 

 hereby extended over said Park. All fugitives from justice taking 

 refuge in said Park shall be subjected to the same laws as refugees 

 from justice found in the State of Wyoming; that the said Park, for 

 all the purposes of this act, shall constitute a part of the United States 

 judicial district of Wyoming; and the district and circuit courts of the 

 United States in and for said district shall have jurisdiction of all 

 offenses against the laws of the United States committed within said 

 Park. 



Sec. 6. That if any or all rights granted in any contract, lease, agree- 

 ment or privilege heretofore made or that may hereafter be made, 

 shall become forfeited by the failure of the lessee to comply with the 

 requirements of the law or the stipulations of the contract or lease, it 

 shall be the duty of the district attorney of the United States for the 

 State of Wyoming to institute proceedings in the district court of the 

 United States for said State to have such contract, lease, agreement 

 or privilege declared forfeited and the possession of the granted prem- 

 ises or privileges restored to the Government of the United States, 

 and the said district court is hereby vested with jurisdiction to hear 

 and determine all such cases. 



m m{A Jjfw^r jinking. 



A SPRINGTIME MUSING. 



"Announced by all the trumpets of the sky, 

 Arrives the snow, and driving o'er the fields, 

 Seems nowhere to alight, the whited air 

 Hides hills and woods, the river and the heaven, 

 And veils the farmhouse at the garden's end." 



R, W. Emerson. 



"Saw you ever the like of this?" said Stephens, as he 

 came into my room and shook himself vigorously to free 

 bis clothing from the clinging snow. I turned from the 

 window where I had been looking out upon a blurred and 

 indistinct scene, caused by the fast falling snow. 



"How it does come down," I said, "I cannot see to the 

 Court house." 



"Yes, a nice April shower," he replied. "It looks a 

 heap like we'll go a-fishing next week, don't it?" 



I had to admit that the outlook was not good for wet- 

 ting a line in the near future in any of the lakes of north- 

 ern Minnesota. 



"And we can't hire a special car and be whirled off 

 southward as some of our pampered sportsmen can either." 

 he said. 



"No," I replied, "we haven't even influence enough to 

 set a dog 'franked' through like the brilliant representa- 

 tive of Forest and Stream." 



So we talked on for a while until Stephens, looking out 

 of the window, said: "This is just about such a day as 

 the one I recall, when two despondent fellows were sitting 

 in a tent up on Isle Royal and watching the snow come 

 down so fast that they could not see across either Wash- 

 ington or Grace harbors." 



"Yes," I replied, "but that snowstorm was in June, and 

 we were four hundred miles from home and had come 

 that distance for trout, and it did seem too bad to be 

 knocked out by a snowstorm so far out of season." 



"Well, we had a good time anyway, and I never shall 

 forget how pathetic you looked as you stood on the shore, 

 all dripping, after your unexpected bath." 



This unkind remark of Stephens referred to my going 

 after a pail of water, and slipping on the snow-covered 

 rocks, went head first into the clear, cold water of Lake 

 Superior. Stephens heard the splash and he came to the 

 tent door in time to see me crawl out on shore. 



He started to laugh, but I stopped any undue show of 

 hilarity by assuring him that if he dared to laugh I'd kill 

 him then and there. He has had many a joke about it 

 since, and has often graphically pictured the scene to the 

 unbounded edification of our friends. 



"Are you going to stick to the old bamboo this year?" he 

 asked. 



"Of course. How could I go a-fishing with anything 

 else?" 



This "old bamboo," as Stephens calls it, has been with me 

 on every fishing trip, and had part in every catch which 

 I have made for the past five years. On inland lake and 

 stream, on "north shore" river and creek, and old Superi- 

 or's waters, it has filled its place and filled it well. Bass, 

 small-mouth and large, pike and pike-perch, mascallonge, 

 ouananiche, brook trout and "lakers" have tested its 

 suppleness and strength. Never a tip has been broken or 

 a joint cracked, and it lies in its case to-day ready for use, 

 as good seemingly as when Stephens gave it to me, five 

 years ago. At that time I had only a solid wood rod, 

 which I had used for some time — a gift of a friend in 

 St. Louis. The rod was an aggravation to Stephens, and 

 he often said "I'll make way with that rod sometime." 

 The sometime came one fair July day when he and I and 

 a friend went north of town to a little lake famed for 

 bass of the laTge-mouth variety. When we started I saw 

 an extra rod case among our traps, and upon inquiry was 

 informed that it was a new rod, that one of his friends 

 wished him to take and try the mettle of. We arrived at 

 the lake, put up our tent, for we were to stay all night, 

 ate our dinner, shoved the boat into the water and went 

 to setting up our rods— at least Stephens and our friend 

 did, but I was in a "state of mind," for I could not find 

 my rod. I distinctly recalled taking it from the wagon 

 and placing it with the rest of the tackle, but now it was 

 not to be found. I hunted excitedly everywhere in the 

 vicinity, but no rod or sign of rod could I find. At length 

 Stephens called from the boat: 



"Come on, we're all ready; .you can use this new rod 

 and when we come back we'll help you find the old rod 

 you're making such a fuss about." After a further un- 

 availing search I went to the boat and there found, all set 

 up, an elegant split-bamboo rod. My reel was already on 

 it, and grumblingly I picked it up. We shoved off and 

 went to fishing. Many times Stephens asked me that 

 afternoon how I liked the rod, and I could soon assure 

 him it was a good one. 



