474 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[June 13, 1896. 
The large majority of hunters, however, never expect 
to hunt moose. The white and black tails and small 
bears encompass their environments, and their search is 
associated with long tramps. The life of these lesser ani- 
mals is more easily knocked out than the larger game, 
and though many herculean hunters prefer the .45-cali- 
ber, thev use a powder charge below lOOgrs. and a bullet 
below SOOgrs., thereby avoiding the great recoil of the 
larger charges. To a novice, like myself, this caliber 
would appear to be still the best for deer in our woodland 
areas, where near distances from the game are the rule, 
because of the greater destructive power of this weapon 
in the hands of a poor hunter; for if the game is hit any 
where it is far more likely to stop than if the lesser cali- 
bers are used. 
Three writers claim that the 7ilbs. .38-caliber is big 
enough for any game, and they are men of many years' 
and racy experience; and one of these, personally known 
to mysplf, is one of the best shots that ever handled a 
rifle. He is like the Boer who only took along two car- 
tridges when he went for two spring bucks, and got them 
too. In short, he never shoots until he is practically cer- 
tain of the result. Here comes the "man behind the gun" 
in its full value, and undoubtedly in the hands of these 
three men of iron sinews and unerring eyes their 3bs are 
equal to all requirements. They never shoot at random, 
and hunt deer principally, with occasionally an elk or 
bear, or a moose. 
The other caliber men have been so fully answered 
during the correspondence that it is unnecessary for me 
to refer to them here. My mind is now all made up on 
calibers, as I have gotten from the correspondents of 
"our paper" clearer views than I had before, and other 
novices must have profited likewise. My first gun ought 
to be a .45; and after proficiency is fully acquired, espe- 
cially if hunting the lesser large game, I shall buy a .38, 
unless in the meantime an arm of still greater value 
comes upon the scene. A. H. 
A Ravening Monster. 
Edmonton, N. W. T., Canada.— Editor Forest and 
Stream: Please find inclosed a description from the Win- 
nipeg Free Press of a strange animal killed near White- 
wood, Northwest Territories. 
"Robert Cosgrave, a farmer living six miles east of 
Whitewood, one day last week noticed a monster wild 
animal go toward his flock of Bheep, which were grazing 
on the prairie about a half mile distant from his house, 
and catching up a full-grown sheep in its mouth carried it 
off with as much ease and grace as a cat would with a mouse. 
Mr. Cosgrave at once gave chase on horseback and with 
a rifle, and chased it about a mile. Here he opened fire, 
which caused the brute to drop the sheep, which lay 
quite dazed for some minutes, while the brute scampered 
off at an independent pace. Mr. Cosgrave was thankful 
to save the sheep, and took it home not much the worse. 
But this was not the end. Mr. Cosgrave took a dead lamb 
and poison and trailed it up to where the brute had 
dropped the sheep and left it there. Next morning he 
went in search and found the lamb had disappeared. 
When he had ridden about a mile further on he found a 
large beast lifeless, and was obliged to return for his buck- 
board to take the monster home. 
"On measuring he found it was 8ft. 2in. from nose to 
tip of tail and 3ft. 4in. tall, weighing 851bs., and with 
paws larger than a man's hand. The Indians say they 
have never seen anything like it for years and as near as 
the settlers can make out they call it 'the Buffalo Hunter.' 
"This is undoubtedly the pest and enemy of the 
ranchers along the Pipestone and Moose mountains, of 
which so much has been heard this last year, many colts, 
calves and sheep being reported killed by timber wolf or 
mountain lion unseen. All the farmers feel grateful to 
Mr. Cosgrave for ridding the district of such a destructive 
pest." 
What the animal was is a puzzle to everyone here; 
please enlighten our ignorance. W. H. Cooper. 
A Handless Shooter. 
St. Paul, Minn., May 30.— Editor Forest and Stream: 
Since your search for the "armless sportsman Fuchs" has 
given you renewed evidence that some men will lie, I am 
going to stake my reputation against your good will for 
me, and I will help you out of a dilemma and prove to 
you that there does live in the United States a man who 
is minus both hands and who without the use of a hook 
does both shoot and fish with success. It is a story I 
could have as well told you years ago, when as a boy I 
lived in Delaware. 
At Dover, Delaware, in the early '70s, while a Fourth 
of July celebration was in progress, an old cannon burst 
and tore one hand from Jake White and both hands 
from Jim Wilson, colored men in attendance. My earli- 
est recollections of Jim Wilson are of a large, good-nat- 
ured mulatto going through the streets of the town sell- 
ing fish from a basket. Now this man has gunned and 
fished in that vicinity these many years and is there yet, 
unless recently dead. With both hands off at the wrists 
Jim Wilson is a gunner and • a good shot. I have seen 
him with his powder flask and shot pouch load and ram 
home the charge in his muzzle-loader; have seen him by 
a string attached to the trigger discharge it with his 
teeth; have seen his rabbit or squirrel tumble over, and 
have seen the dead game in his possession — and Jim Wil- 
son does not use a hook on either arm stump. 
More than this, Jim can do and does a hard day's work, 
oft repeated, for his occupation is that of a well digger; 
and I have seen him as unconcernedly fill a bucket with 
sand at the bottom of a deep well as any laborer with all 
his members. Wm. L. Tucker. 
A Preponderance of Drakes. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
In one of the spring issues I notieed an observation that 
of the ducks killed by the observer 80 per cent, were 
males. I have to confess to the heinous crime of duck 
hunting this spring, and also noticed the great preponder- 
ance of male over female birds in the flocks seen. It was 
no uncommon thing during the first warm days to see 
four or five bluebill drakes Bwimming rapidly after one 
poor little duck, and when she could stand it no longer 
Bhe would get up and fly, followed swiftly by her many 
consorts, which chased her until she again alighted in the 
flock. Again during one day I counted the ducks killed 
by two of us, and out of forty-five there were only nine 
females. Can any one give a correct explanation for this 
great difference in sex numbers? A. H. 
SALMON ON THE GRAND CASCAPEDIA. 
The First Fish a 40-Pounder! 
Grand Cascapedia River, P. Q,, May 30.— Editor 
Forest and Stream: I doubt not that almost- all of my 
fellow anglers— readers of Forest and Stream— have 
either killed a salmon or with eager interest have read 
about how it is done; but this salmon of 1896, the leader 
of the host that is now entering this nohle river, was killed 
under such peculiarly exciting conditions that I feel 
sure an account of how it was done will not come amiss. 
On Tuesday last, May 26, I was sitting in my office in 
New York (trying to keep cool) when a telegram was 
handed me with the welcome information, "Salmon being 
taken in the nets out in bay!" This was enough to cause 
a commotion then and there. A general scurrying about, 
packing of trunk and rod box and hurried orders; so that 
within twenty-four hours I was en route for the Grand 
Cascapedia, and at daybreak this morning the good 
steamer Admiral delivers me and my belongings safely 
to the whale boat that lands us at New Richmond. Once 
ashore, a dozen hands are extended and a dozen kindly 
voices bid me welcome, for be it known that this is my 
tenth year as a fisherman here. 
Of course I am all curiosity and anxious to know every- 
thing possible as to the prospect for sport. "Are the fish 
in yet?" "Yes, it is thought they are." "And Peter! tell 
me about the water; is the river too high or two low?" 
"Just about right, sir!" "And have any fish been seen 
yet jumping in the pools?" Nobody can answer this 
question, for none have yet been seen; and for the infor- 
mation of my readers I might mention the fact that never 
before have salmon been taken in the bay nets so early 
as in 1896. The season is at least ten days to two weeks 
ahead, for I have never before'heard of salmon being 
taken with the fly prior to the first week in June. 
So in a little while I found myself at the door of Peter 
Barter's hospitable home, again to be welcomed by all 
hands, including the grown-up boys and girls whom I have 
known from early childhood. 
The rod box is opened, the rod selected and put together, 
leaders soaked and stretched, flies chosen, dinner eaten 
(and in a hurry too) and at last we are in the canoe, off 
for the Lowry Pool, to see what we can do there. This 
pool is quite a long one and I begin at the head of it and 
carefully thrash the water, but no rise; another drop of 
the canoe and more faithful use of the silver doctor fly, 
and still no response. Thus it goes until, drop by drop, 
the canoe approaches the lower end of the pool. Not a 
sign of a salmon; no fish rising. Over two hours of hard 
work have slipped by and we are getting discouraged and 
beginning to believe that we are too early, that the fish 
have not yet begun to run the river. So I am casting away 
more for practice than anything else, and with but little 
care, when suddenly like a flash comes a swirl and rush 
in the water. Hardly had this subsided when again out 
of the water leaps clean and clear an enormous fish 
straight for the fly, and misses it. Meanwhile (shall I 
confess it, old fisherman as I am?) I stand almost petrified 
with astonishment, for I had really given up all hope of a 
fish. 
To "up anchor" and get out of here is the work of a 
moment, for there are logs running in the river, and 
just at this moment the water is full of them; and we 
must wait until the bulk of them have passed, so that we 
can have a clear space to try a ^ain for that salmon. Sd we 
go ashore and watch the logs go by for five minutes — ten 
minutes — and Peter says, "I guess we can try him now; 
I think the logs have stopped running for the day," So 
again the canoe is anchored in the same place as before, 
and again I bpgin to drop the silver doctor with all the 
care and skill I am possessed of. Slowly the fly, cast by 
cast, begins to approach the right spot. At last it comes 
— a rush! a swirl! a big splash! and the salmon is hooked 
hard and fast. 
'Aha! Peter, I have got him this time," I shout, as the 
fish starts — thank heaven — up stream, and the canoe 
swings about and away we go after him. My rod is 
feeling it now, for the fish is running, and running deep 
too. But as we turn our faces up stream we stand 
aghast, for the river is full of logs again, floating with 
the current Btraight for us and our fiah. If he makes a 
quick run, if he jumps, surely he will get the line afoul 
of a log, and then good-bye, Mr. Salmon. But a master 
hand is guiding the canoe, and if skill and coolness will 
do it, we will kill that fish to-night. The salmon makes 
a rush under a log, of course; I immediately dip the point 
of the rod deep — down deep — and hold it there, while the 
reel revolves so rapidly that I know not whether the line 
is fast to the log or to the salmon. But Peter Barter is 
not idle: he has seized the pick pole and shoved the log 
away. Hurrah! the salmon has not fouled it, he is still 
there. Another log comes along, again down goeB the 
tip of the rod, again Peter clears it, and now the salmon 
takes a swift ran straight across the river, where there 
seem to be few or no logs. I am giving him the butt 
and recovering line rapidly, when Mr. Salmon turns and 
comes straight for the canoe — and, alas! a log does the 
same thing — and before we can stop it has lodged directly 
across the bow of the canoe, and Peter, with clenched 
teeth, is doing his best to dislodge it. One of the paddles 
now proceeds to drop overboard, I seize it with my left 
hand, all the time holding my rod in my right hand. 
We are drifting toward the rapids and things look blue. 
They would indeed have been indigo had the salmon 
taken a run, but he takes to sulking and we have stopped 
the canoe, and with a mighty push Peter sends that log 
free of us. "Aha, my lad, you didn't get us that time, 
did you?" And I say to the salmon, "Aha, my laddie, 
we are going to get you this time sure and certain." For 
the fish has begun to Bhow the effect of the fight, and 
slowly I bring him toward the boat. Suddenly he quick- 
ens bis motion, and toward the boat too — I shout, "Look 
out, Peter, he'll be under the boat, sure!" But not much, 
for Peter has his gaff ready, there is a rush and a Hplash 
and a struggle, for Peter has him hard and fast on the 
gaff— this struggling, thrashing mass of silver. Bang! 
and smashi over the side of the boat he comes. He is 
indeed ours. The scales are produced and he shows up 
just 401bs. ; the first fish for the season of 1896. 
Robt. C. Lowry 
RESTIGOUCHE SALMON. 
Dee Side, Campbellton, N. B., Canada, June 5. — I came 
up to my old pools on May 25. Water fair, low if any- 
thing. Hauled ashore probably a dozen kelts. Just by 
way of getting my hand in I had one clean big fellow on 
the day I arrived, but he gave me the slip just as he was 
near the gaff. The first clean fish I got three days ago, a 
30-pounder. Two next day of 27 and 241bs. To-day, the 
morning's fishing, two of 181bs. Our friend, Mr, Mitch- 
ell, was high line last Saturday; he got two fine fish on 
Friday afternoon and three on Saturday, one of them a 
301b, fish. I heard he had one blank day, yesterday. 
I had yesterday the worst luck I ever had salmon fishing, 
having no less than six fish on; two of them tore out when 
just ashore; two of them broke the leaders (poor stuff at 
$2 each), and two hooks broke in the bend. I think the 
most of the fish were foul hooked. First run fish are 
commonly shy and hard to raise if one misses the first at- 
tempt. 
I hear the nets in the bay and estuary never had such 
fishing; 100 fish to a net per tide is nothing extra, and they 
are selling at 8 cents a pound. 
The forces are gathering for the fray rapidly. Some 
Montreal men have gone up. Messrs. Alcott and Lansing 
will be here to-morrow. Messrs. Breeze, White. Vander- 
bilt and others are here, getting fine fishing.. There are 
many fish in the river, big fellows; it makes your arm 
ache before you land them. 
The main drive of lumber to boom is now in progress, 
and there are only a few thousand cedar logs; they will 
be down in a week. 
I have no doubt this is going to be the banner year on 
the old Restigouche. So far as I know any little bit of 
spare water is all occupied, and there is no chance to get 
at the river for a stranger, even edgeways. 
John Mowat. 
GOOD FISHING IN CANADA. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
There is every reason to anticipate a successful season's 
salmon fishing in Canadian rivers. The heavy snows of 
March were followed by exceptionally high water, always 
a sure sign of an abundance of fish. And now comes a 
report from Tadoussac, at the mouth of the Saguenay, to 
the effect that salmon are running in such numbers right 
up into Tadoussac bay that boys are killing them with 
sticks where they are being left stranded by the falling 
tide. The anglers who visit the Marguerite and other tri- 
butaries of the Saguenay will have many to envy them 
this year. 
During the whole of this week, fly-fishing for ouana- 
niche has been exceptionally good at the mouth of 
the Ouiatchouan, one boy taking five large fish and 
a 61b. dory or pickerel on the fly in that pool in the 
•course of an hour. The inhabitants about Lake St. John 
have been killing large quantities of ouananiche by bait 
fishing, and have been shipping the fish to Quebec, where 
it sells upon the markets for 15 cents per pound. For 
several days past the water in Lake St. John has been 
very rapidly falling, and I am now daily awaiting a tele- 
graphic message from Roberval to say that the ouana- 
niche are rising to the fly in la grande decharge, I believe 
that a few American anglers now fishing for trout be- 
tween Quebec and Lake St. John intend going up to the 
lake by to-morrow (Saturday) night's train to enjoy the 
first fishing of the season in the Discharge. Whether 
they will find the fish there before them are not, it is cer- 
tain that there will be good fly-fishing there by the time 
that theBe lines appear in print. Anglers on their way to 
those rapid waters should bear in mind to have some 
large salmon flies on No. 3 and 4 hooks for the June fish- 
ing in the Discharge. I would specially recommend Jock 
Scotts, silver doctors, professors, grizzly kings and brown 
hackles. Guides can be found in plenty on the steam- 
boat landing at the head of the Discharge, after the cross- 
ing of the boat from Roberval. 
Lake Edward has yielded some very heavy trout again 
this spring, and two or three different parties of Ameri- 
cans are encamped upon the shores of the lake and are 
enjoying good sport. In one of these are the Messrs. R. 
R. and William McCormick, of Florida, and their wives, 
and in another are Messrs. Nye, of Burlington, and J. W. 
Jones, of Clinton, N. Y. Some of their fish are 5$ and 5^-lbs. 
each. 
Judge Kellogg, of Waterbury, Conn., and a friend 
went up a few days ago to the club house of the Metabet- 
chouan Fish and Game Club, at Kiskisink. The sport 
here has been very much so far as in former years, trout 
being very plentiful and running in weight from fib. to 
21bs. The monotony of fishing was varied there last 
week by the killing of a bear. Among those who have 
lately returned home from this preserve, well satisfied 
with the nature of their sport, may be mentioned Dr. 
Porter, of Bridgeport, Conn. ; Mr. Wm. D, Bishop, of the 
same place, and Mr. Geo. A. Wilcox, of Meriden, Conn. 
Some rather heavy lakers (namaycush) have been taken 
in Lake Kiskisink this spring, one weighing slightly over 
201bs. A couple of small specimens, some 21bs. each in 
weight, were killed early in the season on the fly. 
The members of the Triton Club have been very suc- 
cessful so far this spring, and a number of fish close upon 
61bs. each in weight have been killed in Lake Moise, Lake 
des Passes and the Moise and Lightning rivers. Among 
those who have enjoyed rare sport upon these waters dur- 
ing the past fortnight and have now gone home are Messrs. 
G. F. Gregory, Dr. H. F. Brown, H. E. Wannamaker, C. A. 
Andrews, Chas. Mowry, Denis McCarthy, Wilkin, Petit, 
Marsh, Pierce, Beebe and Lieut. Brewster, of Syracuse, 
N. Y. Another party, including Commander Henriquez, 
R. N , and Messrs. Clarence R. Dean, of New York; Wal- 
ter J. Clemson, of Taunton, Mass. ; Geo. Metcalfe and 
E. L. Wadsworth, of Erie, Pa., left for the Triton tract 
yesterday. 
Governor W. E. Russell, of Massachusetts, along with 
Mr. B. F. Dutton and ladies, passed through here last 
Tuesday on their way to Little Pabos, Gaspe, salmon fish- 
ing. 
A jolly party of anglers opened the season at Lac des 
CommiBsaires, on the Nomantum Club's preserve, on the 
29th ult. It was headed by "Papa" Geo. E. Hart, of 
Waterbury, and Wallace Durand, of Newark, N. J., and 
they had for guest a Quebec newspaper man who will 
long remembpr the enjoyable time he had with them and 
the splendid fly-fishing at the dam. It was near the lat- 
ter that the illustration of the guide netting one of Mr. 
Hart's monster trout was taken for the new book, "The 
