April 28, 1884.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



007 



larger than the bulls we afterward shot. The calves were 

 odd-looking beasts, the most ungainly animals that travel, 

 ■all head, body and legs. A camel is a beauty compared 

 Iwith them. The cow was not handsome, but she was so 

 ■large that she looked imposing and respectable. We were 

 ■impatient that the guides had not allowed us to shoot her, 



■ but after they told us that if we shot her we should prob- 

 lably lose the bulls, which were not a mile away, we felt 

 ■better. "The bulls were in the next valley," said Peavy. 

 I "They were feeding down the wind. We will go round 

 ■this mountain and meet them. It is no use to follow 

 ■them down the wind. They have the finest scent of any 

 lanimal living, and will smell us a mile." 



I So we started round the mountain. We had gone less 

 ■than three fourths of a mile from where we saw the 

 ■cow and calves when suddenly our guides halted. We 

 Iwere on the side of a mountain in an open beech and 

 ■birch growth. The wind blew a gale right in our faces 

 land the air was thick with snow from the trees. We 

 ■could not see five rods, but the guides could. "I see 

 ■them," he said, "they are lying down." His keen eye 

 ■had seen the head of a moose 300yds. away. Even after 



■ he had pointed it out to us we could not for a long time 

 ■tell what it was. When at last we had located it we pre- 

 Ipared to shoot; off came our gloves, we melted the snow 

 ■from our eyes and warmed our hands — forgotten were 

 lour tired legs and cold fingers. 



I "If they start, shoot; if not, don't shoot till I give the 

 ■word," said Peavy. Slowly we moved toward them. 

 ■Soon we could see two immense heads. Nearer and 

 feearer we came till we were less than 100yds. from them. 

 ■We stopped. "Take good aim at the neck, near the top. 

 ■Can you hit it?" asked the guide. "All right, fire!" The 

 Itwo rifles made but one report. The mark looked as big 

 fas the side of a barn; both heads dropped. So sure had 

 Ibeen the aim that neither of the moose got up, but from 

 ■behind a small fir about 10ft. away an enormous animal 

 ■sprang to his feet. Crack, crack, and he plunged head- 

 long. Both guides had fired. We rushed forward, 

 land a sight which will rarely be seen greeted us. Three 

 ■bull moose weighing over l.OOOlbs. each lay dead in a 

 ■space not 20ft. square, each with magnificent antlers, all 

 ■perfect. The smallest set spread 4ft. lin. , and had nine 

 ■prongs on one side and ten prongs on the other; the 

 ■largest set spread 4ft. 6in. and had ten and twelve prongs. 

 I To get these immense carcasses out of the woods whole 

 pwas the next question. We were five miles from camp 

 and thirty miles from Oxbow; but our guides were equal 

 ltd the emergency. Arbo walked to Oxbow the next day, 

 and came back on the following day with a big pair of 

 horses. While he was gone we swamped a road from 

 Camp to where the moose lay, and the next day we loaded 

 our moose and started for home at Oxbow. The load was 

 go heavy we were obliged to put on four horses, and we 

 arrived home in just ten days from the time we started, 

 bringing with us the two moose which we had shot, all 

 !Whole. Although these moose had been exposed to a 

 temperature of over 10° below zero the whole of five days, 

 and part of the time to a temperature of 20° and 25° be- 

 low, so great was the animal heat in them and so thick 

 the skin and hair, they were not frozen when we got 

 home. 



We want sportsmen to know what can be done in north- 

 ern Maine in the way of large game, and if this account 

 will encourage any one to try his luck we shall be satis- 

 fied, for we belong to that great body of sportsmen who 

 are all friends and hail fellows well met everywhere. Let 

 them try northern Maine for big game, and with only 

 reasonable effort they can be assured of success. 



Caribou, Maine. C. G. L. 



IN NORTH CAROLINA SWAMPS. 



"Sammy's a nice boy." Yes, I quite agree with you 

 Pappy, Sammy is a nice boy; we all like Sammy, yet there 

 were two things I had "agin him," one his mania for 

 quail hunting, the other his capacity for smoking "blow- 

 Iputs." We cured him of the first, by giving him a deer 

 hunt, but the other we couldn't check. In other respects 

 he was all right. "As trim a little feller as I ever saw, 

 gentlemen," says Pappy. And who is Pappy? Well, Pappy 

 is a bred and born hunter, living in the Dismal Swamps of 

 North Carolina, and with whom we spent the last week 

 in October and the first week in November. He has killed 

 more deer and bear than any man in the State, so he says, 

 but Pint says he don't believe he ever saw a bear outside 

 of a zoological garden. Anyway he is a capital hunter; 

 m theory. Pirn is an authority on bear hunting, though 

 Sammy says he has but one specialty, and that is skinning 

 deer, he invariably sends head and feet on the hide to 

 have them all tanned together, and has been known to 

 pay as much as $7,50 for the tanning of one skin. On 

 that one skin hangs a tale, and for the benefit of his feel- 

 ings I won't make it public. 



The ten days we spent with Pappy hunting, were cer- 

 tainly full of excitement, though toe weather was really 

 too warm to do much tramping, but as we went for pleas- 

 ure and health, and not for slaughter, we were well satis- 

 fied. We found an abundance of game, and could have 

 killed a dozen deer had we wanted "simply to kill.' We 

 were satisfied with one apiece. 



I shall never forget our first and only night in camp. 

 We had planned a big time bear hunting by moonlight, 

 and in lieu of this sailed six miles down the river and 

 made camp. We were late starting in the afternoon, 

 consequently it was night when we arrived at the place 

 selected by Pappy for camp. When we landed we found 

 water all over the swamp, so we had to fall to and pitch 

 our shack in the dryest wet place we could find. After 

 Cutting pine boughs enough for bedding, and using our 

 sail for shelter, we pitched in and got supper. The wind 

 was blowing a gale and kept us moving around the corners, 

 las it were, to avoid the smoke. This was a new experi- 

 I ence to Pirn and Sammy, and how we enjoyed it. Supper 

 ■ oyer and pipes finished, we concluded there was too much 

 I wind to hunt bear successfully, so we turned in, after 

 I fighting for outside places. About 3 A. M. I awoke, and 

 I was wedged in so tight between Tommy and Sammy I 

 I could scarcely breathe. Sammy was also "breathin' hard" 

 I andawake. I don't knowwhether we had all swollen during 

 I the night from being water-logged or from eating the cold 

 I Wet sweet potatoes they grow there, I only know we had 

 I to crawl out and take a breath. We were cold and hungry, 

 I «o grabbing the coffee pot I made for the water, while 

 I Sammy hunted the flask; in a few minutes we had a pot 

 I of boiling water and soon a hot punch. The perfume of 

 L this aroused Pirn, and in an instant he had a nervous 

 f chill, but he couldn't work ofl our sympathy that way. 



He begged for "just one drop;" finally he said, "Let me 

 smell it." We didn't. He turned over, muttering some- 

 thing about "bumps on a log" and went to sleep. We sat 

 up keeping the fire warm until time for breakfast, and I 

 assure you it was a welcome time. After feeding men 

 and dogs we started on a deer hunt, but there was too 

 much water in the swamps. I got one shot at a fine deer 

 but scored a clean miss, though three weeks after Pappy 

 informed me they had found a nice deer about 300yds. 

 from where I shot, with a hole through him. I believe he 

 was only trying to make me feel better over my decidedly 

 poor shooting. That night saw us safely back at the 

 house and with good, dry beds. 



The next day a little buck ran plump over Pirn. He 

 says he aimed at the place the heart should have been, 

 though later on we discovered he had hit it on the foot; 

 that was a pretty good shot, though, for him. The little 

 buck then ran to Sammy, who brought him down. This 

 was Sammy's first deer; it made a convert of him. 



The next day Tommy shot and killed a nice doe. I had 

 almost forgotten to introduce you to Tommy; he is the 

 son of Pappy, and a fine, healthy, strong, honest and in- 

 dustrious young man, with any amount of "go" in him, 

 which is more than I can say for many in that country. 

 He is an excellent hunter also, and one I could recom- 

 mend a friend to who wanted sport. Never too tired "to 

 tramp up another" if you say so. The next day Pirn 

 went to the "stompin' ground" and the dogs ran another 

 fine buck to him, which he got in some way, though 

 Sammy swears he coulnn't find where the ball struck him. 



We came near losing Sammy while on this trip. 

 Pappy 's "wife's cousin's daughter was the girl for him." 

 Pirn and I thought it was settled. Pappy told him "there 

 was no better stock in the country, and that her father 

 was well off . 'Why," said he, 'T reckin he's worth as 

 much as $1,500." He also informed the young lady that 

 ' Sammy had a good job, and was makin' nigh on to 

 $1,000 a year, and his daddy was rich." 



The section of country we visited is a paradise of game. 

 Deer, bear, quail, woodcock, duck, geese and swan can 

 be had in quantities in season, and for that matter, they 

 are had out of season, too, as little or no attention is paid 

 to game laws. The people in most parts are very hos- 

 pitable, at least I have found them so the past two seasons 

 I have hunted there. Should we not make the Northwest 

 next fall we certainly will pull out for North Carolina and 

 Pappy's. In the mean time we shall do our utmost to 

 marry Sammy in order to head Pappy off, for there will 

 be no escape for him another time should he gaze on her 

 with "those nice blue eyes of his'n." May we all be 

 spared health and wealth enough to visit Pappy and his 

 interesting family for many years to come. J. R. P. 



Philadelphia. 



An Indian Turkey Call. 



Our contributor "Brian the Still- Hunter" sends us from 

 Michigan the interesting turkey call illustrated. "It was 

 made," he writes, "by an Indian and used by him several 

 years; then he gave it to an old hunter and trapper, who 

 used it as occasion offered for twenty-three years. He in 

 turn gave it to me some seven years 'ago. In the hands of 

 one who knows how, a splendid call can be given with it 



TURKEY CALL. 



in several different tones. But one has to use both hands, 

 and in that it is behind the calls now in use." 



The call consists of a segment of cow's horn, 2Jin. deep, 

 in the base of which is fitted a thin wooden bottom piece. 

 From the center of the bottom rises a wooden pin 440in. 

 in diameter, with a rounded end. A bit of slate com- 

 pletes the outfit. The call is produced by scraping the 

 face of the slate across the top of the peg, when the sound 

 given out is so marvelously like the note of the turkey, 

 that when it was first made in this office every man-jack 

 within hearing grabbed his gun and lay low for the gob- 

 bler. The call has a place in the Forest and Stream 

 museum. 



That Connecticut Deer. 



Connecticut has two novelties, an occasional deer and 

 a law on occasion to protect it. Last winter near Darien 

 a deer was come upon, hounded and killed by Ira C. Petty. 

 A recent issue of the Stamford Advocate says: "The first 

 prosecution in this county under the new game law which 

 went into effect the first of last October, was conducted on 

 Saturday before Justice Scheldnecht, of Darien. Game 

 Warden Toomey appeared for the county and charged Ira 

 C. Petty with having willfully and maliciously killed a 

 deer, which was wandering around Darien last winter. 

 The accused was found guilty and fined $100 and costs. 

 He took an appeal. The law reads: 'Any person who 

 shall hunt, kill, attempt to kill, chase, or take any deer, 

 buck, doe, or fawn in this State, during the ten years 

 succeeding Oct. 1, 1893, shall be fined not less than $100.' 

 Few people were aware that there were deer in this part 

 of the State. But there appears to be a few in some of 

 the towns." 



Will Give the Game a Rest. 



Hampton, Va.— Editor Forest and Stream: Our Leg- 

 islature has given us a law for Elizabeth City county, 

 which prohibits the killing of partridges, woodcock and 

 rabbits, until November 15, 1895, with a penalty of from 

 $10 to $50 for every violation of same. The sportsmen of 

 the county are very much in earnest about the matter and 

 will prcsecute offenders to the full extent of the law. 



Segar Whiting. 



THAT TEXAS DUCKING SCORE. 



San Antonio, Texas.— Editor Forest and Stream: The 

 only truth contained in the clipping sent you from the 

 Corpus Christi Caller about our duck shooting is the fact 

 that Mr. Critzer and myself visited Corpus Christi and 

 shot ducks at that time, but there were no such number 

 of ducks killed— nothing near it. The killing existed only 

 in the diseased imagination of the reporter of the Corpus 

 Christi paper. Of course we know that there was no in- 

 tention of doing harm as far as the Caller man was con- 

 cerned. He simply noted that some prominent gentlemen 

 were visiting his town and thought to please them by 

 printing the exaggerated report of the duck killing, which 

 is frequently done in other cases. They like to print these 

 exaggerated killings in the hope that it may induce 

 sportsmen to visit them. That is perfectly natural. 



Furthermore, Mr. Critzer had but 210 shells, and shot a 

 24-gauge gun. We went to Corpus on a telegram which 

 we received from Mr. Max Luther of that place, and had 

 just a half-hour to load shells, etc. Having but a few on 

 hand, Mr. A. W. Adams, who is visiting here from Chi- 

 cago, volunteered to load 100 shells for me. They were 

 20-gauge, so we two criminals went on that duck hunt 

 armed with 20 and 24-gauge guns and 200 shells apiece. 



That we struck good shooting we don't deny. We also 

 shot our shells away before dinner, when we returned to 

 town. Guns and ammunition were offered us to shoot 

 out the rest of the day; we refused both. 



If men are to be condemned from a sportsman's stand- 

 point of having killed too much game by shooting under 

 the above circumstances, and all very stiff wing-shooting 

 at that, to the tune of a bitter norther, then Mr. Critzer 

 and the writer plead guilty. We might have carried 

 some shells back with us, but the ducks flew in our faces, 

 and any man who can keep from snooting a pop-gun 

 under such circumstances, through fear of violating the 

 laws of propriety, I don't think exists in Texas. 



Undoubtedly Mr. Simpson is a great game protector — 

 much better than the pair he accuses and criticises; but 

 then he never goes hunting— except in his office with a 

 villainous pencil. If he should go, the game is perfectly 

 safe, for he can't hit anything if he does shoot. Generally 

 when an attack is made on reputable citizens there is a 

 motive. So there is in this case. It is revenge. 



In May, 1891, Mr. Simpson was secretary of the local 

 gun club, who "entertained" the State Association on the 

 occasion of the fourteenth annual tournament. Mr. 

 Critzer and the writer were appointed a committee to 

 solicit merchandise and funds to be used as prizes and 

 added moneys in the tournament. The result of a hard 

 two weeks' canvass of the city netted a lot of merchandise 

 prizes and over $500 in cash, which was clearly under- 

 stood to go to the shooters. 



During the shoot and preceding a certain event the 

 sum of $100 was announced to be added to that event by 

 an agent of the club. He distinctly said "added." When 

 the shoot came off the management refused to add the 

 money, and virtually kept every cent of that which had 

 been given by the citizens for that purpose. I character- 

 ized the action of the management as infamous and inde- 

 cent. Simpson was not on the side of honesty, and ever 

 since that time he has been attacking me in the press. 



I do not desire to extend the blame contained in these 

 lines to the present membership of the San Antonio Gun 

 Club, which has materially changed. In fact the entire 

 personnel of the organization is metamorphosed and I 

 only refer to this fact to show that the attack by Simpson 

 is not made purely for the love of protection, but for the 

 purpose of harassing me and placing me in a false posi- 

 tion before my sportsmen brethren. 



As a matter of fact, Mr. Simpson is anything but the 

 sportsman's friend. He never at any time took the initia- 

 tive in prosecuting violators of the game law, or in en- 

 deavoring to secure proper legislation for the protection 

 of game. Per contra: I have individually engineered all 

 the prosecutions in cases of game law violations, securing 

 the help of friendly lawyers, spent my own funds in 

 securing witnesses, and generally attending to all matters 

 of that kind. I have written pounds upon pounds of 

 "stuff" for publications of all kinds in the advocacy of 

 game laws and their enforcement. O. C. Guessaz. 



Bullets for the .45cal. 



Last year after shooting deer for a long time with a .38- 

 40-180 Winchester repeater, I bought a .45-90 single shot. 

 I have had little opportunity to test this gun except at the 

 target. I am a good deal interested in the question of 

 loads and bullets. The African hunter, Mr. Selous, is 

 quoted in a recent number of Forest and Stream, as say- 

 ing that for really big game the light hollow pointed ball 

 is not satisfactory. As your readers know that, for the 

 cartridge above mentioned weighs 300grs., and has a very 

 deep hollow with thin walls around it, can some one 

 who has shot moose, bear, etc., give us some light here? 

 In that most entertaining and instructive article on 

 American bears which you recently published, the writer 

 speaks of using a .45-125, in which this same 300grs. ball is 

 employed. Does he consider it a sufficiently heavy 

 miosile for grizzly bear? 



I was surprised when I received my .45-90 at the very 

 slow twist and shallow grooves of the barrel. The 

 question with me is how heavy and long a ball such a 

 barrel will hold end on. The manufacturers make a cart- 

 ridge for this rifle loaded with 82grs. of powder and the 

 .45-405 bullet, but I am so far from civilization that I have 

 never had an opportunity of trying it. The point with 

 me is to find out just how I had best load my shells for an 

 interview with the jaguar or Mexican tiger, an occasion 

 to which I am looking forward with much interest. 

 Have any of your readers had experience with a ball 

 sucli as Mr. Selous describes — "one weighing 360grs. 

 with a small hollow at the point, thick walls around the 

 hollow part and a heavy solid end?" Is such a bullet on 

 the market? It seems to me that his reasons for recom- 

 mending it are eminently sound. Meantime here is the 

 Winchester Co., with an advertisement on the cover of 

 the "only" Forest and Stream, telling how with this rifle 

 of theirs (.45-90), a mighty hunter killed rhinoceros, 

 giraffe and other large beasties. Could they enlighten us 

 as to what bullet did all this remarkable work? Aztec. 



[It was probably the metal patched bullet weighin 

 295grs.] 



77<<? Forest AND STREAM is put to press each week on Tues- 

 'ini/. Correspondence intended for publication should reach 

 ys it the latest by Monday, and as m uch earlier asprocticable 



