June 3, 1894. J 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



469 



STOP THE SALE OF GAME. 



A Platform Plank.— The sale of game should be forbidden at at 1 

 tames.— Forest and Stream, Feb. 10. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I am thoroughly in accord with those who have declared 

 in favor of stopping the sale of game at all times. The 

 time must come when the supply of game in this country 

 will be entirely exhausted, unless such a law as proposed 

 by Forest and Stream is passed and made effectual. 

 Like "Bushwhacker," I am a poor man, tied down by an 

 occupation that does not let up on me except for a few 

 days each year. In this locality those who shoot for the 

 market are dubbed "pot-hunters;" well, let the name be 

 what it may, the market-shooter is the man we are after. 

 I am surprised that any one should take up the subject in 

 defense of this class of shooters. All "sportsmen" belong- 

 ing this species that it has been my misfortune to run 

 across have been heavily loaded with the "instinct" to kill 

 for the price, with an elastic conscience regarding the 

 manner of capture, to say nothing of his faculty for not 

 discerning between open and closed seasons. The people 

 must decide whether they in the future retain the market- 

 shooter and no game, or have a fair amount of the latter 

 and none of the former. Which is best, and will prove 

 the most beneficial to a large majority of the people is a 

 question with but one answer. Without this protection 

 thousands throughout this land see the time rapidly ap- 

 proaching when they will be deprived of that grandest of 

 all recreation, a tramp through forest and field with the 

 gun. We must have that plank ! A. M. Scudder. 



Los Angeles, Cal. — At a meeting held here in April by 

 the sportsmen of this city and vicinity to elect delegates 

 .to the State Sportsmen's convention, held at San Fran- 

 cisco, the delegates were recommended to endeavor to 

 have a law passed prohibiting the shooting of quail for 

 market for the period of two years. So you see we ai'e 

 coming around to it, and let us hope that if such a law is 

 passed, by the end of the two years a law prohibiting the 

 sale of game at all seasons will be passed. But even a 

 two years' respite will do an immense amount of good. 



A prominent game dealer of this city states that in one 

 season he had handled 162,000 dozen (1,944,000) quail 

 alone, not to mention the ducks, Wilson snipe, etc., and 

 he is only one of many. Such slaughter is an outrage. 

 We would protect our fast- vanishing game much better if 

 we should allow shooting for pleasure alone at all seasons, 

 provided that the ruinous market-shooting be stopped. 



Culpepper. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



We have here as fine a ruffed grouse country as in the 

 United States, but the hunting for market has done its 

 work. We have one or more men who hunt in this 

 county from July 4 until Jan. 1; and dozens hunt from 

 Oct. 1 until Jan. 1, all for market. Several thousand 

 were shipped from East Stroudsburg and Analomink, 

 besides deer and other game last season. There are one 

 hundred sportsmen in this county who would hold up 

 both hands for a bill to prohibit the sale of game. We 

 must hammer away at it until we get such a law. Let 

 every sportsman see the representative of his own county 

 in the State, and I think we can accomplish it. 



Resica, Pa. 



A Lost Opportunity. 



Late in the afternoon of a day in last November, while 

 I was walking past a swampy piece of land with a pond 

 in the middle of it, on my way to the village to get the 

 day's mail, I was surprised to see a single large mallard 

 drake swimming on the surface of the water. I turned 

 and made tracks for the house to get my gun and returned 

 to find that the drake had not flown away, but was at the 

 other end of the pond, tranquilly preening his feathers, 

 all unconscious of the trouble in store for him. 



He was quite a distance off for a shot, but not realizing 

 the toughness of an old mallard drake, I drew a bead on 

 him and fired just as he rose from the water, the shot 

 cutting off some feathers, but apparently not injuring 

 him otherwise. Then I suddenly remembered that the 

 cartridges in the gun were loaded with a light charge of 

 powder and fine bird shot, and I hastily opened the gun 

 and threw out the empty shell, with the intention of sub- 

 stituting one loaded with a heavier charge of powder and 

 larger shot. The loaded shell went in the breech half- 

 way, and then, much to my astonishment, it stuck there! 

 I pushed on it with all my strength, but only succeeded 

 in wedging it in more firmly. 



The drake was slow in getting "started," being heavy 

 and fat, and I thought that if I could get the defective 

 shell out of the gun and substitute another, I would still 

 have time to shoot him, so I tried my best to pull it out, 

 but it was wedged in so firmly that it would budge neither 

 one way nor the other. What a dilemma I was in! There 

 I stood with my gun in my hands, that splendid mallard 

 offering a tempting shot, and I powerless to even close 

 my gun ! Perhaps I was a trifle angry, but I guess you 

 will forgive me that, for what gunner has not been in a 

 predicament similar to this one? 



The incident taught me a lesson — never to use a poor 

 crimper which mutilates the edge of a shell, and always 

 to have my shell-extractor handy — not in the depths of 

 my trouser's pocket, in company with forty other odds 

 and ends. Tyro. 



California Game Seasons. 



Los Angeles, Cal. — Editor Forest and Stream: Cali- 

 fornia is too large a State to be governed by one general 

 game law, for a law which would effectually protect the 

 game in the extreme northern districts might compass 

 its entire destruction in the southern counties. 



For instance: The State Sportsmen's Convention, after 

 a good deal of discussion, finally decided to endeavor to* 

 have a general State law passed making the open Sba.cor> 

 on quail and doves from Aug. 1 to Feb. la. Now the quail 

 in this county are running around in August with pieces 

 of the shell still adhering to their backs, and any law 

 which would allow them to be shot during that month 

 would in a very short time cause their extermination. 



But perhaps some of the would-be sportsmen could 

 never get any quail, unless they were allowed to shoot at 

 the chicks, and so are in favor of the above law. 



Even as late as the middle of September the great ma- 

 jority of the quail are far too small to be shot, and what 

 folly it is to make the dove and quail law one and the 

 same, for right now, at this date, the doves have nested 



and are hatching their eggs, while the quail have not en- 

 tirely paired off as yet. 



The only dove shooting we have here is in July and 

 August, as later in the season the birds flock up and 

 render a fair bag an impossibility. 



California changes her game laws about once a year on 

 an average, and each succeeding time makes a worse mess 

 of it than before. 



But, after all, they are a perfect farce, for until recently 

 no one ever thought of enforcing them. I well remember 

 that ten days after the season of 1893-3 closed, I saw sev- 

 eral bunches of Wilson snipe hanging up in open market. 



Fortunatelly things are changing, for the other day 

 Simon Maier, wholesale and retail butcher, got himself 

 into the toils of the law for having sold and offered for 

 sale Texas deer, in direct disobedience of the law. 



Culpepper, 



A New Gun Barrel Material. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



Krupp, the German "cannon king", has invented a new 

 process for manufacturing a steel especially suited for 

 gun barrels. Owing to its superior quality this new steel 

 is rapidly finding favor with the German sportsmen, 

 particularly those who employ nitro powders. In order 

 to enable the American shooting fraternity to judge for 

 themselves the merits of this "German special steel," as 

 it is called, I shall simply quote the figures from the 

 official report pertaining to a series of comparative trials 

 carried out with this steel and other gun barrel materials. 



In the following table the columns show : 



A— Ductility limit of load in kilograms (1 K. =2. 2047371 bs.) per 

 square millimeter (or 0.039371in.). 

 B— Breaking limit of load, the same. 



C— Dilation prior to fracture, in per cent, of original length. 



D— Internal pressure in the moment of cracking of barrel, expressed 

 in total atmospheres. 



E— Internal pressure for equal thickness of walls in kilograms per 

 square millimeter. 



A. B. 



Belgian Bernard damascus 27.8 



Belgian horseshoe nail 35.3 



English CrollS damascus 25 .,3 



English Siemens steel 41.1 



English Whitworth steel .40.8 



German special steel. 72.5 



headway another bullet laid him out. The dogs were 

 rather badly scratched up but not seriously injured in the 

 fight, and the next day Henry took them out, put them on 

 a lion trail where there had been a cow killed, and in less 

 than half an hour they put another large fellow up a tree, 

 to be shot by Henry. I think that is a pretty good record, 

 three lions in two days, and I really consider the work of 

 the hounds in the fight about the best I ever knew of. 



I was surprised to find in that section, the headwaters 

 Of the Pecos, at an altitude of 8,000 to 12,000ft., that there 

 are a great many white-tail deer. I had always con- 

 sidered them more a lowland than mountain animal. 

 There are also a few bighorns in the same locality. 

 9 [Speaking of "cactus deer," there are some very peculiar 

 freaks killed in that line. I suppose they are a freak as 

 they seem to be a true mule deer except the horns, and 

 some of these are a sight. My friend Judge Sloan has a 

 fine specimen finely mounted, in his office. It was killed 

 several years ago in the southern part of the Territory, 

 and is a good-sized specimen of the mule deer except the 

 antlers, and they are as irregular as a bunch of cactus, 

 and really resemble it very much. H. B. Hersby. 



3.5 

 39.3 

 28.9 

 61.6 

 61.3 

 91.3 



C. 

 1.3 

 1.9 

 1.7 

 10.9 

 10.1 

 8.1 



D. 

 403 

 378 

 843 

 584 

 527 

 1240 



E. 

 38.5 

 32.1 

 32.1 

 55.5 

 47.5 

 87.0 



Testing the resistance of the several gun barrel materi- 

 als to gas pressure: 



Bernard Damascus bulged with a load of 231.497385grs. 

 of black powder and l,111.187448grs. of shot; it burst 

 with a loadof 231.497385grs. of powder andl,605.049536grs. 

 of shot. 



Horseshoe nail Damascus bulged with 231.497385grs. of 

 powder and 987.72216grs. of shot; it burst with 231.- 

 49738ogrs. of powder aud l,419.850628grs. of shot. 



English Crolle Damascus bulged with 231.497385grs. of 

 powder and 1,296. 8S5356grs. of shot; it burst with 231.- 

 497385grs. of powder and l,605.049536grs. of shot. 



Siemens steel bulged with 231.497385grs. of powder and 

 l,419.850628grs. of shot; it burst with 231.497385grs. of 

 powder and 2,407.572804grs. of shot. 



Whitworth steel bulged with 231.497385grs. of powder 

 and l,543.315900grs. of shot; it burst with 231.497385grs. 

 of powder and 2,083.476465grs. of shot. 



German special steel, same thickness of walls as the for- 

 mer, bulged with 293.230021grs. of powder and 7,870.- 

 911090grs. of shot; it burst with 432. 128452grs. of powder 

 and 12,840.417288grs. of shot. 



The powder column of the last-named load measured in 

 the gun barrel 4jin., that of the shot 19in. in a 16-bore 

 gun. Arilln Tenner. 



Pheasants for Stocking. 



At a recent meeting of the executive committee of the 

 Genesee Valley Fish and Bird Protective and Propagating 

 Association, of Rochester, N. Y., it was decided to secure 

 some pheasants for introduction in Monroe and Livingston 

 counties. The kind thought to be best adapted for this 

 climate is a cross between the English pheasant (Phasianus 

 eolcMeus) and Mongolian ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus 

 torquatus). An order has already been placed at the 

 pheaaantries for birds and eggs, and as soon as enough 

 enthusiasm has been shown among local sportsmen to 

 pass in contributions, a larger order will be sent; adult 

 birds can be had in July at $225 per hundred. It is in- 

 tended to distribute them among farmers who are will- 

 ing to protect and care for them. They are hardy and 

 prolific, and if given a chance will increase rapidly. 

 Efficient laws will be enacted to protect them for three 

 years at least. This is only a beginning in what the Asso- 

 ciation proposes if it receives the right kind of encourage- 

 ment and support. The covers need replenishing and it is 

 thought the pheasant will fill the bill. 



The John F. Weiler Gun Club, of Allentown, Pa., has 

 completed arrangements with Mr. Wells for one thousand 

 young English pheasants with which to stock the woods 

 in this neighborhood. 



Bogs and Cougars. 



Santa Fe, N. M., May 16. — Editor Forest and Stream: 

 My friend Henry Windsor, a cattleman up on the head- 

 waters of that beautiful trout stream, the Pecos, had quite 

 an experience with mountain lions (cougars), that seems 

 good enuogh to give to the readers of Forest and 

 Stream. The lions had been giving the ranchers in that 

 vicinity a great deal of trouble, killing stock, principally 

 colts, which they seem to have a special fondness for. 

 Henry was in town and took a fancy to my hounds, 

 which are a very large strain of foxhounds, full of 

 courage and fight. I donated him a pair of my best old 

 fighters, that had a record of good work on coyotes. He 

 was greatly pleased with them and said he would take 

 them out and show them a lion trail soon. However, the 

 lions did not wait for that but before the dogs had been 

 on the ranch more than two or three days Henry heard a 

 "racket" just dusk in the evening, and looking out in the 

 corral, saw the hounds and a nice frisky lion having a 

 very lively fight. He caught up his Winchester and 

 rushed out, but for several seconds (minutes Henry 

 thought), he was unable to get in a shot on account of 

 lion and dog being so badly mixed up. Finally the lion, 

 which was a medium-sized female, concluded that that 

 was not the game she was looking for, wrenched away 

 from the dogs and bounded back a few feet, and, of 

 course, got a bullet that put the quietus on her. Just as 

 she jumped back her mate, a good-sized old male, 

 jumped over the corral fence, and without any hesitation 

 the dogs flew at him, but before the fight got under good 



Game in Colorado. 



Berthodd, Colo., May 13. — Near my Morgan, Colorado, 

 ranch we still have quite a number of antelope. I saw 40 

 one day last week. Coyotes, gray wolves and rattlesnakes 

 are entirely too plenty: and there are jack rabbits by- the 

 thousand. Up here where I live, near the foothills, geese 

 and ducks were very plentiful the past fall and spring, 

 more so than for several years. Denver sportsmen are 

 leasing the small lakes for the shooting privileges. Black- 

 tail deer are still quite abundant in the foothills; but as 

 the hills are here quite rough and the open season short, 

 very few have been killed for the past two years. 



Trout fishing is not as good as it was a few years ago; 

 but I expect to try my split-bamboo as usual in July. We 

 can get all we want to eat while in camp, and have a grand 

 good time any way. I expect to take an antelope hunt at 

 my ranch in the fall and will report my luck to Forest 

 and Stream. . * A. A. K. 



Wild Turkeys. 



Avoca, N. C, May 16. — I never saw as many wild 

 turkeys at this season of the year as at present* They are 

 nesting not a mile from my house, and the dry May has 

 been very good for them. The crop of wild strawberries 

 is very abundant, and the young turkeys are living on 

 them, and the old ones are pulling up my corn all around 

 the woods. Tracks all about in the fields. Next spring 

 sport ought to be fine. Birds are having same good luck, 

 great many pair all over the plantation. No young birds 

 yet. W. E. Capehart. 



The Editor is Grateful. 



From the Berthoud (Colo.') Bulletin. 

 When it comes to killing geese, At Hawkins takes the pastry by a 

 large majority. On Wednesday, in company with Charley and Jim 

 Golden, of Longrnont, sixteen geese and nine ducks werebaggeds Al 

 killing ten of the geese. This makes a total of thirty-nine geese he has 

 killed since the season begun, besides countless ducks, jack rabbits, 

 etc. The entire Bulletin force and family will regale themselves on 

 roast goose to-day— a result of Al's generosity. Many thanks. 



MULLET TAKEN WITH BAIT. 



Victoria, Tex., May 20. — This morning, in looking over 

 an old copy of Forest and Stream dated Nov. 18, 1886, 1 

 came across an article by "Nessmuk," of sainted memory , 

 in which occurs the following passage, to which I wish to 

 add my testimony: "I could buy a fat 'buck' mullet for 

 a nickel, and as he was about the best fish on the coast, 

 and would afford two ample meals, it seemed a waste of 

 time and muscle to paddle three or four miles on a hot 

 morning to catch one or two sea trout or channel bass, 

 when the mullet was much the better fish." 



As I have been a constant reader of Forest and Stream 

 for fifteen years, I have no doubt that I read the foregoing 

 at the time it was printed, but if so I had forgotten! it 

 when about four years ago I first attempted to eat mullet. 

 My son Jack and I were out for a couple of days' fishing 

 for bass on a fresh water bayou between this place and 

 the Gulf Coast. The bayou contained a great many mullet 

 that had evidently made their way up the Guadalupe 

 River during a heavy rise, and having gotten into this 

 bayou, the receding waters had left them landkcked. 

 Their surroundings had apparently proven congenial, as 

 they had grown very large and fat, and had acquired a 

 new characteristic, that of "biting," a thing they very 

 seldom if ever do in salt water. During the morning, 

 while fly-fishing for bass, the mullet had several times 

 made a game rush at my tail fly, a scarlet-ibis, but as they 

 had never taken hold I thought it was merely bluff, and 

 had no idea that they would bite at any sort of bait. My 

 boy had started out in the morning with a light rod and 

 tackle and worms to fish for "perch," as the different 

 species of fresh- water sunfish are universally called in this 

 State. Later in the day I found him on a bridge over the 

 stream, and just as I came in sight saw him pull some 

 kind of a large fish, struggling and kicking, to the floor 

 of the bridge, and on approaching closer discovered to my 

 surprise that it was a mullet. He had three or four of 

 them, together with half a hundred or more "perch" on 

 the bridge, and according to his own statement, had been 

 having a "hog killin' " time. He inquired if the mullet 

 were good to eat, and was considerably disappointed when 

 I expressed the opinion that they were not. 



As the bass had quit rising I took the fish back to camp, 

 put them in the icebox, and procuring a light bait-rod re- 

 paired to the bridge for the more plebian bait-fishing for 

 what "Old Knots" would have called "them minners." 

 We caught several more mullet before dinner time and 

 Jack insisted on saving and taking them back to town, 

 arguing that there were plenty of darkies that would be 

 glad to get them if we were not. While he was cleaning 

 them I noticed that they were very plump and fat, and 

 that their flesh was beautifully white and firm, and being 

 naturally of an investigating turn of mind, concluded to 

 cook a couple of them as an experiment to see how they 

 would "eat." They were turned out of the frying-pan 

 nicely browned and crisp, together with several sunfish 

 and bass, and established their superiority at once by their 

 appearance, which was confirmed by tasting, they 



