June i, 1895.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
448 
the embers were hastily removed and extinguished. The 
heated stone was then carried by means of a couple of 
sticks to an open spot of ground. Upon this stone was 
placed the honey. The two hunters then stationed them- 
selves in a tree near by to prevent the bear's smelling 
them. With their rifles at the ready they quietly awaited 
the coming of the bear, which they hoped would be at- 
tracted by the smell of the burning comb and honey. A 
gentle wind from the lake slowly carried the fumes up 
the ravine toward the deep recesses of the woodland, 
where the desired game was supposed to be quietly con- 
cealed. That night, as we all sat about the camp-fire at a 
late hour, the Doctor related the following: 
"We sat in that tree anxiously awaiting the appear- 
ance of something to shoot at, until I had given up all 
hopes of the success of our undertaking. My legs were 
becoming cold and stiff. Our lunch bag and coffee can 
had been emptied at our midday ea.ting, night was com- 
ing on, and in the gathering gloom we could no longer 
see the sights on the rifles. It seomed useless to wait 
longer. We were about to descend and start for camp. 
At last as we were starting to move we heard the sound 
of the breaking of a stick, as if made by the tread of 
some heavy creature. We listened and looked in breath- 
less suspense. In a few moments, in the dim shades of 
evening, the huge black bulk of old Ephraim became vis- 
ible as he escaped lrom the thick cover of young spruce. 
He had scented the honey and was slowly approaching 
the bait which had been prepared for him. 
"I was fairly aflame with excitement. Seconds seemed 
like hours. Finally the dark approaching mass reached 
the open spot of ground, in full view, and only a few feet 
away. At a whispered signal we both fired our rifles at 
nearly the same insta-jt. The huge black creature uttered 
a fierce, gutteral growl, which ended in a melancholy 
moan, and after a few convulsive struggles became motion- 
less." 
We afterward learned that both shots had taken good 
effect— one ball entering the brain, the other ball passing 
into the spine behind the shoulders. We also learned that 
the Doctor refused to leave the tree until Seamans had 
first descended and upon personal and thorough examina- 
tion had pronounced the bear to be stone dead. The bear 
was a large one, and with two exceptions the largest one 
I have ever seen. 
At a later date Weaver and myself crossed the lake on 
a rudely constructed raft, to bring in a doe which had 
been killed by us and hung up in the woods too late to 
bring it to camp on the previous evening. On reaching 
the spot we found that some beast had torn down and de- 
voured a portion of the deer carcass. We regarded this as 
being the work of a bear, and concluded to try our hands 
at bagging him. We expected he would return at even- 
ing for another meal, and we at once laid plans for his 
coming. 
We took positions in a tree near by and waited. We 
listened with strained ears for some time. Night was rap- 
idly approaching. The woods seemed vast and lonely. 
Strange noises now and then broke the silence. The owls 
began to hoot dismally. The howling of a timber wolf 
arose from the depths of the woodland. The wild crea- 
tures of the forest had begun to move about, and then- 
noises seemed to mark the sad and melancholy unrest of 
the great forest about us. We saw nothing, but waited 
in the growing dusk until tall trees and hills blended into 
one dark, frowning mass. 
Finally our ears caught the sounds made by some 
stealthy creature only a short distance away. Our veins 
stood out like whipcords as we discovered the dim out- 
lines of an object slowly approaching the deer carcass for 
another meal. Our rifles were ready. Aiming them at 
the object as best we could in the dusk of evening, we 
pulled trigger. The simultaneous reports of our rides 
were followed by a terrifying screech and a deathly 
silence. We had killed a large lynx. We reached camp 
with our prize at a late hour to find a warm supper await- 
ing our return. Seamans and the Doctor had brought in 
another fine buck. As we all sat about the camp-fire that 
night we feasted well and held high carnival over our 
success. 
On the morning of the day we broke camp we were 
startled while breakfasting by strange sounds up the val- 
ley in which our camp was located. We grabbed guns 
and hastened out of doors in time to see a fawn bounding 
by toward the lake. The frightened creature was blatt- 
ing frantically, while close behind followed a large tim- 
ber wolf in hot pursuit. We fired a volley at the wolf, 
but without effect. He desisted from his murderous 
course, however, and sneaked off at a rapid rate. 
The fawn, continuing its course, plunged into the lake 
and swam to a small island. Having reached this posi- 
tion it glanced backward for a moment and then disap- 
peared in a thicket, where we left it without further 
molestation. 
We remained in camp ten days. We had killed during 
this time a bear, a lynx and seven deer, besides numerous 
small game shot near the camp for variety. Our guide 
had served us several fine messes of brook trout and we 
were all sorry when the time arrived for leaving. The 
guide generally remained at camp, prepared the meals, 
put up the lunches and did general camp work. He 
dressed and cared for the game killed — a part of which 
was packed in brine to preserve it. We did our hunting 
in pairs. All of the shooting was at close range, except 
one deer which was killed by Seamans near the edge of 
the lake. In this instance the distance was over GO rods, 
but was regarded by us all as being merely a chance hit. 
We all used the ivory hunting front sight on our re- 
peaters, with a narrow bar rear sight (no notch). For 
quick snooting at moving game, and for shooting in dim 
light, we found the plain bar far superior to the ordinary 
buckhorn sight, and with it one can do very accurate 
shooting at close range. Our game was nearly all killed 
early in the morning or late in the day. The game in the 
region of our camp had apparently been but little dis- 
turbed previous to our arrival, but owing to dense woods 
and thickets it was not always an easy matter to find it. 
Our guide was a jolly fellow and a good cook. He 
afforded us much valuable information in regard to the 
country about us, and did all in his power to make the 
trip a pleasant one. 
Now that we had decided to return home, we found 
ourselves burdened with a much greater supply of meat 
than our pack horse could carry away. Our guide had 
cured a considerable portion of the venison. Packing up 
the bear and lynx hides, several pairs of antlers and such 
other things as we wished to take with us, we left the rest 
in the cabin to be taken away a few days later by the 
frontier settler at our request. 
Our return was without incident except that during our 
journey on foot to the frontier cabin a cold, drizzling rain 
set in which wet us to the skin and chilled us to the bone. 
In due time we returned to civilization and home again, 
much refreshed by the trip. I have taken several hunting 
trips, but, all things considered, I enjoyed this one most 
of all, and in the midst of the cares of an active business 
life I often long for the freedom and pleasures which 
were enjoyed at what was known to us as Bartlett's Camp 
on the headwaters of the Chippewa. Tom Barney. 
SOME CALL IT "FEVER." 
Omaha, Neb., May 20.— Editor Forest and Stream: 
Brother "Kingfisher" seems to have stepped into a hor- 
net's nest unawares, and all over the proper term to use in 
designating that too common complaint with Nimrods. 
It seems a pity that so much good ink and paper should 
be used to so little purpose, for after all has been said pro 
and con on the subject, what will it amount to whether 
it be called "fever" or "ague?" The unfortunate result is 
the same, whether the cold chills chase each other up and 
down one's spinal column, or a burning fever and hectic 
flush ensue. The fact remains the same; the deer has 
gone free and our hunter has missed his golden opportu- 
nity, and I don't believe that he can tell whether it be 
fever or ague. His mental faculties are in too chaotic a 
state to know "where he is at." 
I Jived when a boy in the extreme South, in the penin- 
sula of Florida, and there the negroes and poor whites 
called everything a "fever," from a toe ache up. Just 
what they called the malady in question I do not remem- 
ber — "fever," most likely, but I know that I had it. I well 
remember my first deer. I had never yet been on a deer 
hunt, for I was not deemed worthy to hunt larger game 
than birds and rabbits, and on the day in question was 
roaming around the plantation armed with an old muzzle- 
loader, and in search of anything to shoot at. I am 
afraid I did a great deal of potting in those days, in fact, 
I had to rest the muzzle of the gun on something in order 
to hit the game. I had wandered away from the open 
fields up on a sandy hill covered with scrub oaks and 
stunted pines, and in passing around a rosemary thicket I 
walked right on to a deer that was indulging in a noon- 
day siesta. I don't know which was the most surprised 
or scared, the deer or I. In the excitement my gun went 
off and the deer and I both fell down, not 5ft. apart, he 
with a hole blown clear through him, the effects of a 
double charge of bird shot. 
I don't know how long I sat there looking at that deer, 
and I don't know whether I had a fever or a shake, but 
something evidently made that gun go off; it was not in- 
tentional on my part, but at this distant day I have a 
right smart suspicion that it was the "ague." 
W. R. Hall. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
I have just read your editorial, "Buck Fever". Now in 
my thirty years' acquaintance with many hunters of North- 
ern Pennsylvania, I have very often heard them tell of hav- 
ing an attack of buck fever, but I never heard one of them 
speak of buck ague, and I believe that if any one had 
mentioned buck ague there would have been an honest 
inquiry if it was any thing like fever and ague. Uncle Dave 
R. , who has lived on Pine Creek waters for the past fifty 
years and has killed as many deer as any man in this sec- 
tion of Pennsylvania, always spoke of buck fever when re- 
lating. How some of his friends missed a good shot. I 
could name a dozen of old hunters, who hunted in this 
section sixty years ago, who often spoke of some of their 
experiences with buck fever; but never did I hear one of 
them speak of buck ague. I never heard "Nessmuck" 
use the term buck ague, but he often spoke of buck fever 
striking some of his hunting parties. Now we know 
nothing of buck ague up here in Northern Pennsylvania. 
And this reminds me of my first and last attack of buck 
fever. 
Uncle Dave R. had often invited me to come up Pine 
Creek for a deer hunt. In October, 1885, I went. Early 
in the morning we got our party together with hounds 
and started for the Izaak Walton House; there we got 
more recruits, gave the hounds in charge of a good man to 
climb the mountain and put them on the track for a race. 
I asked Uncle Dave to put me on a runway where I would 
stand some chance for a shot and he said he would. I 
was put upon the lower runway down Pine Creek, a 
quarter mile above Long Run, with a single barrel rifle, 
the barrel of which it seems to me was 5ft. long (I guess 
it wasn't), with a load in the gun and an extra charge of 
powder in a cap box with ball to go with it. 
Soon after we had got into position we heard the bugle 
notes of the hounds. They circled around on the top of 
the mountain for a half-hour or more, then the race was 
for Pine Creek. In due time I heard two reports from the 
rifles above, and very soon I heard three other shots in 
quick succession. I then thought the race was over, and 
as I sat upon the banks of the creek 50ft. or less above, I 
thought there was no show for me. Casting my eyes up 
the creek, I saw a fine buck in the water. I raised the 
rifle to my face, took good aim and fired, I saw his flag 
flirt, then drop. I had been told that this would happen 
when a deer was hit, so I concluded he was hit. Immedi- 
ately I began to reload, poured the powder out into my 
hand and from that into the barrel; got out my ball, 
patched it, rammed it down, and to make sure gave it an 
extra ramming, and the ramrod went out of my reach 
just iin. too short. In the meantime the deer was run- 
ning down the creek. Time was precious. I put on a cap 
and drew the barrel up to my face to shoot ramrod and 
all. As I did so the thought came to me, "The ramrod 
will throw the ball out of range." I dropped the butt at 
my feet, pulled out my pocket knife, opened the small 
blade, stuck the point of it into the end of the ramrod, 
drew it out, dropped rod and knife, drew up the rifle, got 
sight and fired as the deer was making a jump into deep 
water 35 rods away. He only made the one jump. 
I had scarcely set the rifle down before the buck fever 
took hold of me as very few persons have it. Did I shake? 
Well, yes. Did I tremble? Well, it was a general mix- 
up of shaking and trembling indescribable. The singular 
part of my attack of buck fever was that it did not come 
on until the shooting was all done, and as the deer was 
hit with both shots, it goeB to prove that my nerves were 
tensioned up solid and steady, as I claim they were. 
The deer after the first shot ran 6 or 8 rods, then lay 
down in the water for a few seconds, then got up and 
started down the creek. 
I got a hind quarter of the deer and the hide, which old 
Hod tried to beat me out of, but Uncle Dave looked after 
that. 
Of course all of the old hunters had to discuss my case 
of buck fever, but none of them even hinted that I had 
an attack of buck ague. All of them have passed over 
the river but Uncle Dave, who with his three-score and 
ten and more years never has missed his fall outing until 
last fall, and it nearly broke his heart. Rockwood. 
WELL3BORO, Pa. 
A CUSTOM HARD TO OVERCOME. 
Okanogan, Wash., May 5. — Editor Forest and Stream: 
I find it very hard entirely to overcome the habit of spring 
shooting, which was contracted in boyhood and has been 
followed more or less for forty years. Yet there are but 
few who are so fond of hunting as I am, and have the op- 
portunities, who do not shoot more in the spring than I 
do. This spring I had the oxen turned out on the Okano- 
gan, and about the 1st of April the geese put in an appear- 
ance there. The lake was still covered with ice. The 
boys had been after them for several days, but nary goose 
materialized. 
One nice afternoon Mr. Beal and I went up along the 
lake, and when near the British Columbia line we saw 
two old honkers sitting on the edge of the ice about 
150yds. from the shore. There was a sand hill where we 
could approach to within 300 or 350yds. of them un- 
observed. We rode around and hitched our horses and 
peeped over the bank very cautiously, and guessed at the 
distance. Beal thought it 400yds., so I raised my Lyman 
sight up to seven points and fired. The bullet struck very 
near, only right over. The geese stood up, but did not 
move. I lowered the sight one and a half points and fired 
again. One of the geese tumbled over and began flopping. 
Then said Beal, "You've killed one, now try the other." 
I fired again and the goose flew, but I had cut feathers 
out of its back. Beal said it was the best shot he ever 
saw, irrespective of the cartridge (which was .22 long 
rifle). 
We found some slabs that had been pinned together, 
and with these I poled out and secured our goose. It 
dressed lO^lbs. and was quite fat. 
All of the grouse family wintered well here, and the 
birds are now beginning to lay. Deer got through this 
winter well. There was not snow enough to let the 
wolves and. coyotes catch many. Lew Wilmot. 
Massachusetts Spring Potting 1 . 
Boston, Mass., May 18. — Editor Forest and Stream: 
Just note the date of the letter inclosed, and then tell me, 
if you can, what we are to do to wake up our fish and 
game commissioners, our game wardens and our game 
protective associations, that we may at least put some 
curb on this infernal spring potting of game and song 
birds. W. W. 
The letter our correspondent sends is dated Shirley, 
Mass., May 10, and reads: The thermometer has got up 
to 122° in the garden, where I have been planting corn, 
and I have concluded to adjourn to the house, where it is 
warmer, and write you a few lines, as I have a little re- 
quest to ask of you, and that is that you call on the Hon. 
Came Commissioners of Massachusetts and ask them 
whether they are simply for ornament or whether this is 
an outlawed section of the State, for there seems to be 
no attention paid to the game laws here whatever, and 
it seems useless to make complaints. The shooting has 
been good here for the past six weeks. Partridge, wood- 
cock, wood ducks, robins, bluebirds, kingfishers and any- 
thing that comes along with feathers or lur is lawful 
game, and no one troubles the "sportsmen." Why don't 
you come up and bring your dogs and guns? there may be 
a few birds left. And bring a few snares and fox traps, 
and your friends and frienas' friends, and if you don't 
find any birds in the woods you might come into my barn 
yard and shoot a few of my doves. 
Only this morning, between 5:30 and 6]o' clock, I heard 
three guns in a locality where yesterday I heard par- 
tridges drumming, and upon visiting the place all I find 
is a lot of feathers and a couple of empty shells. Satur- 
days and Sundays seem to be the favorite days, as then 
the mills are shut down and the help have a chance to go 
shooting. 
I don't know as this will interest you much, but I get 
so full of "mad" I must let it out somehow or burst. I 
hope that I shall hear from you as soon as you have seen 
the Commissioners, A. 
The Pennsylvania Grouse Sale Bill. 
The bill forbidding at all seasons the sale of ruffed 
grouse passed both branches of the Pennsylvania Legisla- 
ture, but was vetoed by the Governor. 
Of the veto the Lewisburgh News says: "The bill intro- 
duced by Representative Focht for the protection of game 
was vetoed by the Governor on Wednesday, a long mes- 
sage accompanying the bill back to the House. The meas- 
ure was endorsed by all the sportsmen of the State, and 
had in view the knocking out of the pot hunter and the 
fellows who slaughter game for the markets. The view 
generally taken is that hunting for game should be done 
for recreation and sport, and not for profit, and as the 
game of the State is being fast exterminated by those who 
follow hunting for a livelihood, it was thought necessary 
to enact a law that would save the few remaining birds 
from the unerring aim of the man who shoots for dollars. 
The bill, if it had become a law, would have prohibited 
the shooting of game for barter or sale, and no transmis- 
sion company would be permitted to receive game for 
shipment. This is restrictive, but since the advent of the 
cold storage system it was deemed necessary. Since 
meat and game could be kept for a year or more birds are 
served in and out of season, and the supply must necessar- 
ily be made much greater than formerly, hence the needed 
protection again3t the ravages of the pot hunter. Gov. 
Hastings gave two reasons for vetoing the bill. First, 
that it was unconstitutional because it prohibited trans- 
mission companies from receiving for transportation; 
.second, that it was unconstitutional because it made two 
classes of citizens, the one class who were denied the privi- 
lege of eating game because they could not buy it or receive 
it f rom^their friends by express, and the class who could get 
