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FOREST AND STREAM. 
[July 21, 1894. 
NETTING WILD PIGEONS. 
[Concluded from page 28.] 
After the young birds are hatched and while the parents 
are making the curd on which they feed them while grow- 
ing, the old birds cease to be easily attracted by mere food 
in a state of nature. Often in the early summer nesting 
the beech nuts have sprouted, so as not to be of much ser- 
vice to them. On this account, where birds form a nest- 
ing where their maintenance depends on the beech nut 
crop, netters long ago came to the conclusion that they 
must develop some scheme for keeping up their average 
catch during the last two weeks of a, nesting on beech 
mast. Fifteen years ago, in a nesting near Sheffield, Pa,, 
it was remarked by many of us interested, that after the 
young were hatched the old birds seemed to quit their 
regular habit of feeding and living, and leaving every- 
thing we thought would hold them, would pull right away 
west over toward the Allegheny River, following the 
numerous creeks and runs to it. We were at our wits' 
end. The birds passed over our nice arrangements for 
their reception with other business on hand, and we 
neither could hail not halt them. We concluded to send 
some one of our friends down in that direction and try to 
discover where they were. A deputation of two were 
sent up to Corry, Pa., and thence we ran down the river 
slowly with a flatboat. For a long time we saw nothing; 
but finally we met some lower river men coming up who 
said that they had seen immense flocks of pigeons coming 
down to Tionesta Creek, where there were a number of 
worked-out oil and salt wells. We were not long in find- 
ing the attraction. The whole valley there was alive with 
pigeons. All the slopes of the hills were saturated with a. 
brackish mineral water which caused the moss to grow as 
thick as turf, and this was the key to the secret. In a 
few moments we had made up our minds that we possessed 
a secret unknown to others of our craft. 
My companion proposed staying right there, but when 
I showed him the wonderful difference between trying to 
get the birds to feed on our one little bed or two, when 
the whole country was full of the same stuff, and giving 
them some of it near home where none existed. I did 
not have to wink to let him know that I was developing 
a plan to halt them near their nesting. We returned to 
our fellow catchers that evening and told them all we 
had found out and answered all questions, but offered no 
advice. In a twinkling their net* were packed, and they 
were ready for the first train down there. It was over 
twenty miles in an air line from the nesting which ex- 
tended from Wilcox to Smethport. 
I went up to the top of the Alleghenies at Kane, Pa., 
taking my companion of the search with me. We chose 
a secluded place in the thickest timber and made prepar- 
ation to feed the birds their favorite morsels. Five barrels 
of salt were brought from the station and quietly we 
worked and waited. On the second day's hunt for a 
location I had found a small , deer lick near Coal Creek, 
and noticed a few pigeons hanging round it. Here was 
our opportunity. That evening I drew a plan and we 
talked it over. It seemed too good to be true, but we 
thought we could give them a mineral spring or two if 
nothing else would suit them. We sent for lOlbs. of 
ground sulphur and a pint of oil of anise. Our operations 
were begun by clearing out the alder brush and trimming 
small trees, until we had a place 60 X 100ft., which would 
give us the desired opportunity. The muck was 6ft. 
deep, so we put in a good floor of poles and brush to pre- 
vent a trip to China. We then cut and notched enough 
young trees to lay the walls of a house 24x28ft. in size 
and well chinked, open at the top and 4ft. high. We also 
built another pen the same size at the end of this, away 
from the bough house, and made a sliding door between 
the two, so that after we had struck on the bait pen we 
could enter and drive the birds through the large door 
into the keeping pen, then close the door for a chance to 
crate them or while killing them. We worked night and 
day and finally were ready for the bed which we con- 
structed in the following manner: With a spade the 
black muck was turned up 8in. deep. When the water 
had soaked out of it poles were laid lengthwise and then 
salt and sulphur were sown together well and the whole 
was carefully raked down level. After repairing our 
nets and setting everything in order, we began operations 
by putting a dozen fine slick male birds into the bait pen 
ana the same number of females into the other pen, so 
that their calling would attract any birds which might be 
in the neighborhood. In two days we had plenty of 
company. The birds were feeding the squabs and were 
full of curd, so we wanted to save all alive that we could 
and crate them. We took a good supply of food and 
water to tho bough house and said adieu to the rest of the 
world. From the time we went back until we finally 
sprung the nets, some pigeons were always there. 
On Monday morning we took a final test of everything 
and prepared to strike. The location and the day were 
all that we could wish and the woods were alive with the 
blue fellows. The birds seemed all to be perfectly mad 
to get at the prepared mud, and you could hear the 
"chick" they made in their efforts to swallow too large 
morsels. Half the hens we cropped had nothing in their 
crops but mud, water and curd. I had caught birds on 
snow, straw and leaves and at watering places, but I had 
this to learn. It beat the old mud bed where the net, 
birds and all went out of sight, and the birds were ruined 
for shipment and must be picked. These birds were clear 
and bright, and this way of catching them has since been 
adopted by all first-class netters, whether for trap or 
market. 
Much has been said and done in the way of criticism of 
the art of netting birds for trap and market, and it is the 
conviction of the ordinary sportsman that to the net be- 
longs the credit of the pigeon's extinction. Much more 
might be said on the same side, but this article may pos- 
sibly explain another way in which their numbers have 
not been increased. While in many or all of the States 
where the pigeons used to nest, laws originated by both 
netters and hunters were passed prohibiting the use of 
gun or net within a mile of the place of nesting, yet 
there are many States not so protected where the gun 
reigns supreme. Now, no provision is made in any State 
for the roosting birds, and thereby hangs a tale. It may 
show you one of the causes of the decrease in numbers 
and the increased shyness in what pigeons we may now 
find in our land. 
Seven years ago this month I was in the city of Cleve- 
land, Ohio, anxiously waiting for news of a body of birds, 
which we had left on the Iron Mountain Railroad near 
Piedmont, Mo., where they had nested in January and 
February. When the birds left there a portion of them 
were ready to nest, but not a large enough number to pay 
a netter to follow them. The main body were through 
nesting for a while, having raised two broods in the 
winter and with the young birds had disappeared. After 
getting reports from the different cities that dead birds 
are sent to, and hearing from our fellow netters that they 
were in the same boat as ourselves and could get no news, 
I concluded to run over to Chicago. I was taking a trip 
through South Water street, when my heart was glad- 
dened by the sight of a barrel containing wild pigeons. 
The birds I discovered to be shot birds and all apparently 
shot through the body. As a. bird shot on the flight, will 
twice out of three times show an injury to the wing, I 
knew at once that these birds were shot sitting — probably 
at roost. The birds came from Parma, 111. I made an 
arrangement with the broker, I was to go south and buy, 
or catch the birds and pack and ship all the birds sent 
from that section. He was to receive and sell them. 
Reaching the pretty little burgh I was soon busily en- 
gaged in dickering for a shop, barrels and ice. The land- 
lord told me the farmers were shooting the birds at night 
in a large roosting they had formed out south of Wind- 
field. My arrangements were perfected. I was to buy 
of no one except the merchants, and they were to sell to 
no one but me. We set a price and I was to take all they 
got. 
I soon heard that Squire Allen, an old friend, was in 
town with a load of dead birds, and having visited him 
on a netting trip years before, it did not take long to ar- 
range for a trip out to his home fifteen miles east. At 
supper time we had reached the Squire's house but had 
seen few birds. However, he promised me plenty of 
birds, only insisting that they must be shot, not caught. 
I was introduced to about a dozen stalwart young Suckers, 
who were variously armed and ready for the sport. Of 
course as a netter I tried to bribe them to stop shooting, 
and as I had some extra nets would let them catch on 
shares. They were out for fun and glory, and I had to 
forego netting and go with them. I was very glad I did 
so. . The trip showed me a new phase in the bird's nature, 
which, though I had been a dozen years a netter and 
knew my business, I had never witnessed before. The 
birds fed all over, going fifty miles for acorns and corn, 
and only returning late in the evening to roost. We left 
the house at 8 o'clock and took a trail out to an ' 'oak 
opening country" the Squire called it. The trees ranged 
from 8 to 16ft. high and were black and scrub oaks, and 
stood as thick as they could grow. As is generally the 
case with this sort of timber, they were covered with the 
dry leaves of the previous year and afforded good shelter 
to the birds in the cold nights. I found that it was a 
regularly organized body, who were out for meat. Each 
man was given a place in line and the force comprised 
eight men armed and six youths with grain sacks, which 
were intended to hold the dead. 
We could hear the flocks of birds coming in all the 
time and settling down among their comrades, who were 
already at roost, and their incessant chattering showed 
their great numbers. The night was still young and 
dark as Erebus. In about a half-hour a volley of gun3 
sounded a mile or two away on our left, and the leader 
saying, "Now, boys, come ahead; we'll get our share 
before them fellers take them all," we stole slowly along 
in line ten feet apart. No birds flushed, although we 
could hear their swish out of one shrub into another. 
We soon reached a small thicket from which so loud a 
noise camp that a halt was called and "Aim level, one, 
two, thr i\ fire," was quietly spoken by the leader. The 
deafening sound was quickly followed by the breaking 
out of a large body of birds which left the thicket, only to 
pitch down again on the ground somewhere else in the 
rocsting. The sound of flapping wings and struggling 
birds in the brush was the signal to stack the guns 
against a tree, and with one or two lanterns and the 
sacks our search was commenced. "Don't touch the 
cold birds," I heard from my neighbor, "the hogs will 
get them to-morrow." We picked up all the warm birds, 
finding many cripples and killing them, and the boys 
counted sixty-nine birds out of that bunch brought to 
bag. We could hear the flocks coming in over our heads 
all the time we were seeking the dead. As soon as we 
were through, one sack of birds being full, was strung np 
in a tree out of reach of the pigs, and marking the spot 
we were soon on our way to another place. 
All over the country we could hear a cannonade and 
flocks were continually settling down, ignoring the trees 
and tumbling into a bunch of grass when and where 
they could after being once disturbed. Of course, this 
shooting did more to frighten and drive away the birds 
than all the netting in the world. Noise is one thing 
pigeons can" make if they like, but they do not seem to 
be suited unless everything around their roosting place is 
quiet. A succession of surprises such as the one described 
was the order of the night until midnight, when we met 
another party of neighbors, who had tramped through 
from the other side of the roost and who had bagged a 
large number of birds. Our sacks were heavy now and 
after telling the other men where to bring their birds 
next day we opened our lunch, and refreshed by a pipe 
were ready for the back track. F. E. S. 
A Combination Arm. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
How many of your readers have gone on shooting trips 
into the mountains when it was inconvenient to take 
more than one gun, and for that reason have had to sac- 
rifice either small or large game? I should like to give a 
description of my all-round gun, which after a very hard 
season's use has stood the test most admirably. It is a 
combination of the English ball and shotgun and the 
American three-barrel gun; and so far as I am aware it is 
the first gun of the kind made in America. It was built 
by D. Kirkwood, of Boston. The under barrel takes the 
.82-40 Winchester cartridge and the upper pair of 12-bore 
barrels are rifled for about 2iin. at the muzzle, and shoot 
shot and conical bullets. The gun is well balanced, weighs 
7f lbs. and has 28in. barrels. I have f ound the shot pat- 
tern perfectly satisfactory for all ordinary grouse and 
duck shooting. And the shooting with bail is accurate 
at 200yds. I have often shot series of bullets into an 8in. 
bullseye at 150yds., using alternate barrels, and have 
made groups of ten shots in a 12in. circle at 200yds., the 
majority being in an Sin. bullseye. There are two open 
leaf sights on the barrel for 50 and 100yds., which lie 
flush with the rib when not in me, and a Hjvam rear 
sight, which is sunk in the tang, so as to be out of the 
way when down. This sight I use for the .32-40, and for 
the "paradox" barrels when shooting further than 
100yds. For deer I have found 3| or 34drs. of powder 
and a hollow pointed bullet of 530grs. or a solid one of 
580grs. to kill cleanly without spoiling more meat than is 
usual. For elk I found this charge rather light, and I 
now use 4drs. of C. & H. No. 6 and the 580grs. solid 
bullet, although I am going to try a 650grs. bullet. 
As I have said, it killed well without tearing the ani- 
mal, I have shot a lot of woodchucks lately to see its 
effect on them. They were killed clean in every case, 
whether hit in front or behind, but none were mutilated. 
In all the use I have given this gun I have never found 
that the barrels leaded badly with either shot or ball. It 
appears to me that there are great possibilities for such 
an arm. One can vary the size of the rifle or shot bar- 
rels to suit any particular ideas or purposes, and it is a 
satisfaction to feel that you are prepared for anything, 
from a snipe to a grizzly. W. E. C. 
STOP THE SALE OF GAME. 
A Platform Flank. — The sale of game should be forbidden at all 
times.— Forest and Stream, Feb. 10. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
I am decidedly in favor of stopping the sale of game, 
yet I do not think that at the present day a bill to this 
purpose could be successfully carried out, 
I am of the opinion that if the game wardens carefully 
attended to their business and allowed no game which is 
out of season to be sold in the markets, that this would 
do greatly toward increasing the game supply of this 
country. 
Another thing which would stop much of the pot- 
hunting would be a bill forbidding the sale of game pre- 
served on ice. This bill would save a great deal of un- 
necessary killing of game done by pot-hunters for the 
purpose of preserving until the season closes. This law 
would also leave the game sellers in the cities without 
their favorite excuse to the wardens, namely, that their 
game'has been kept on ice and was not shot out of season. 
I do not wish the readers of this article to believe that I 
think a law forbidding the sale of game would not be a 
great thing toward the preserving of it; but I do think 
that it is rather a selfish thing for American sportsmen 
to keep all people from having game to eat, except those 
who are favored by having sportsmen friends who send it 
to them. Banty. 
Florida. — Editor Forest and Stream: That Yellow- 
stone expedition was a big thing every way, and the 
Forest and Stream deserves all the credit it has received. 
That "Stop the Sale of Game" platform is also a very 
good thing, and will have its influence, and if once 
adopted will do more toward the preservation of game 
than all the present laws on the statute books of all the 
States together. Now add, stop the sale of plumage; and 
the birds of plumage will soon again delight the eye of 
the traveler. *W. 
San Luis Potosi, Mexico. — Editor Forest and Stream: 
I am with you solid on the "no sale of game" plank. 
Forest and Stream hit the spot that time — as it usually 
does. Aztec. 
Dillingersville, Pa. — Editor Forest and Stream: I 
have lived in this part of Pennsylvania for the past 15 
years, have always been a great lover of the dog and gun, 
and have, I believe, taken as much interest in the protec- 
tion of game in this section as any other sportsman could 
have done in his own. 
When I first moved here from Philadelphia I was 
able to find ruffed .grouse and quail in fair numbers, but 
yearly I have seen these beautiful game birds passing 
rapidly from our section, From my own observation, 1 
am convinced that the guns of the sportsmen who visit 
this part of the country have not caused the game to 
diminish, neither has the clearing up of the woodland, 
as protection during hard winters, of good cover and 
feed there is abundance. The market-hunter is the cause 
of our scarcity of game. These fellows will follow bevy 
after bevy for days, when there comes a deep snow, and 
at a good opportunity will kill all if possible to do so, as 
they sit huddled together. 
The proper way of protecting our game birds is to stop 
the cause that makes them scarce. All the laws that have 
been passed will not help, nor the restocking county after 
county do any good either. This is just what the market- 
hunter wants. He will not be found in a district where 
there is no game. I know that the largest portion of 
game killed in this part of Pennsylvania is shipped by the 
hucksters and storekeepers. Now, then, suppose there 
was a law passed compelling all hucksters and storekeep- 
ers who handle game to pay a yearly license of $100. If 
the hucksters and game dealers could not make profit 
enough on the game they handle, is it not natural to sup- 
pose they would stop buying game? Then, if the market- 
hunter, who shoots and sells the game he kills to the 
huckster or storekeepers, could find no sale for this game, 
he would seek other employment. L. W. M. 
Pittsburgh, Pa. — Move up and let me on that "plank." 
You will have, to get one of the California giants in order 
to get room for the crowd who will want to be accommo- 
dated. When we get this plank nailed down, and abolish 
all spring shooting, then we can toss up our hats and yell 
longer and louder than usual for the Forest and Stream. 
Long may it flourish and grow, and may it and its army 
ere long see these two mottoes in execution — "No sale and 
no spring murder!" W. L, M. 
Quail in Northern New York. 
Ticonderoga, N. Y., July 7. — Last Thursday, just back 
of my place, I saw a quail. I think it is from the flock 
put north of Lamber's Point by Mr. Witherbee, of Port 
Henry. It is the first one ever seen in this part of the 
country. Fishing at this time is poor. S. 
[We hope that any other observations of quail in 
northern New York may be reported to us. Many are 
interested in watching the success of stocking that 
country with the birds.] 
Dk Funiak Springs, Fla., July 7. — There was a visitor here yesterday 
who created some little talk among the citizens. She is a woman of 
about 45 years of age, and says she has ehob,and killed over 100 deer 
since she has been married. She has also killed numerous other game, 
such as squirrels, turkey, eta Her name is Woodham, and she resides 
jo about four pules of Do Funiak Sprtags.^o<rfs8on«#te Times-Union, 
